Satisfaction of staff of Swiss insurance companies with medical appraisals: a cross sectional study
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gyr Niklaus
2011-03-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background A high quality of timely delivered medical appraisals is crucial for social and other insurances to judge possible occupational reintegration measures for patients with medical conditions who are in danger to lose their job. However, little is known about the satisfaction of staff of insurance companies with medical appraisals that they have commissioned. Our questionnaire survey prospectively included all medical appraisals arriving at Swiss insurances from FEB to APR 2008. We assessed the satisfaction of the commissioner with medical appraisals performed by medical assessors. In addition, we evaluated the contribution of several factors to overall satisfaction. The unit of sample was the medical appraisal. Findings We analysed 3165 medical appraisals, 2444 (77% of them from the public disability insurance, 678 (22% from private accident, liability and loss of income insurances and 43 (1% from other insurances. Overall satisfaction of staff of insurance companies in Switzerland was high, but satisfaction of the disability insurance with appraisals was generally lower compared to satisfaction of private insurances. The staff of the disability insurance judged time for preparation as too long in 30%. For staff of private insurance companies 20% of appraisals were not "worth its price". Well-grounded and comprehensible conclusions were the single most important factor for high overall satisfaction (OR 10.1; 95%-CI: 1.1-89.3. Conclusions From the viewpoint of staff of insurance companies, a relevant part of medical appraisals arrives too late. Medical assessors have to take the specific needs of insurances into account, to perform more appraisals with sound conclusions in due time.
Evaluating Library Staff: A Performance Appraisal System.
Belcastro, Patricia
This manual provides librarians and library managers with a performance appraisal system that measures staff fairly and objectively and links performance to the goals of the library. The following topics are addressed: (1) identifying expectations for quality service or standards of performance; (2) the importance of a library's code of service,…
How Should an Effective Performance Appraisal Be: EFL Teachers’ Perspective
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Holi Ibrahim Holi Ali
2012-11-01
Full Text Available This study is set to examine EFL teachers’ perceptions, views about what makes an effective performance appraisal system by adopting a quantitative survey design for data collection. A total number of 45 college instructors in the Sultanate of Oman responded to survey on: how is an effective performance appraisal perceived by EFL teachers? How do teachers perceive their participation in developing the appraisal system? And how might the present performance appraisal practices be improved? The result reveals that staff participation in developing performance appraisal system and goals, feedback confidentiality, quality appraiser, quality of place and time of appraisal, appraiser-appraisee relationships, and developmental nature of performance appraisal would help in making effective appraisal and the overall PA effectiveness depends mostly on these factors. The result has a significant implication for improving the process of teacher performance appraisal in Oman and enriches the body knowledge of PA in general. The study puts forwards suggestions and recommendations for improving PA practices and exercises in EFL contexts.
12 CFR 564.5 - Appraiser independence.
2010-01-01
... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Appraiser independence. 564.5 Section 564.5 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY APPRAISALS § 564.5 Appraiser independence. (a) Staff appraisers. If an appraisal is prepared by a staff appraiser, that appraiser must be...
Uranium-mill appraisal program
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Everett, R.J.; Cain, C.L.
1982-08-01
The results of special team appraisals at NRC-licensed uranium mills in the period May to November 1981 are reported. Since the Three Mile Island accident, NRC management has instituted a program of special team appraisals of radiation protection programs at certain NRC-licensed facilities. These appraisals were designed to identify weaknesses and strengths in NRC-licensed programs, including those areas not covered by explicit regulatory requirements. The regulatory requirements related to occupational radiation protection and environmental monitoring at uranium mills have been extensively upgraded in the past few years. In addition, there was some NRC staff concern with respect to the effectiveness of NRC licensing and inspection programs. In response to this concern and to changes in mill requirements, the NRC staff recommended that team appraisals be conducted at mills to determine the adequacy of mill programs, the effectiveness of the new requirements, and mill management implementation of programs and requirements. This report describes the appraisal scope and methodology as well as summary findings and conclusions. Significant weaknesses identified during the mill appraisals are discussed as well as recommendations for improvements in uranium mill programs and mill licensing and inspection
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ellingson, A.C.
1980-09-01
This is 1 of 15 documents designed to illustrate how an Environmental, Safety and Health (ES and H) Assurance Program may be implemented. The generic definition of ES and H Assurance Programs is given in a companion document entitled An Environmental, Safety and Health Assurance Program Standard. This document is concerned with ES and H audit and appraisal activities of an ES and H Staff Organization as they might be performed in an institution whose ES and H program is based upon the ES and H Assurance Program Standard. An annotated model plan for ES and H Staff audits and appraisals is presented and discussed
Patwardhan, Anjali; Patwardhan, Prakash
2009-01-01
In the recent climate of consumerism and consumer focused care, health and social care needs to be more responsive than ever before. Consumer needs and preferences can be elicited with accepted validity and reliability only by strict methodological control, customerisation of the questionnaire and skilled interpretation. To construct, conduct, interpret and implement improved service provision, requires a trained work force and infrastructure. This article aims to appraise various aspects of consumer surveys and to assess their value as effective service improvement tools. The customer is the sole reason organisations exist. Consumer surveys are used worldwide as service and quality of care improvement tools by all types of service providers including health service providers. The article critically appraises the value of consumer surveys as service improvement tools in health services tool and its future applications. No one type of survey is the best or ideal. The key is the selection of the correct survey methodology, unique and customised for the particular type/aspect of care being evaluated. The method used should reflect the importance of the information required. Methodological rigor is essential for the effectiveness of consumer surveys as service improvement tools. Unfortunately so far there is no universal consensus on superiority of one particular methodology over another or any benefit of one specific methodology in a given situation. More training and some dedicated resource allocation is required to develop consumer surveys. More research is needed to develop specific survey methodology and evaluation techniques for improved validity and reliability of the surveys as service improvement tools. Measurement of consumer preferences/priorities, evaluation of services and key performance scores, is not easy. Consumer surveys seem impressive tools as they provide the customer a voice for change or modification. However, from a scientific point
Performance appraisal and merit recognition exercise 2007
HR Department
2006-01-01
The 2007 performance appraisal and merit recognition exercise will start in the usual way with annual interviews between staff and their supervisors. This year, these interviews should be held in the period from 8 January 2007 to 16 April 2007. Interconnection with the 5-yearly review, a number of modifications to the procedures relating to the performance appraisal and merit recognition are currently under study. Administrative Circular No. 26 (Procedures governing the Career Development of Staff Members) and the electronic MAPS form in EDH are being reviewed and will be available from January onwards. HR Department will shortly provide further information on this subject. Human Resources Department Tel. 73566
Employee performance appraisal and productivity levels in selected ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The focus of this study was on performance appraisal of academic staff of Universities in Nigeria and their productivity levels. The prime problem that necessitated this study was to examine the effectiveness of the subjective methods used in appraising qualitative work attributes of the employees and to assess the extent to ...
Performance appraisal and advancement exercise 2006
Human Resources Department
2005-01-01
The 2006 performance appraisal and advancement exercise will start in the usual way with annual interviews between staff and their supervisors. This year, these interviews should be held in the period from 1 December 2005 to 31 March 2006. In this connection, a number of improvements to the procedures relating to the interviews and performance appraisal are currently under study. Administrative Circular No 26 (Procedures governing the Career Development of Staff Members) and the electronic MAPS form in EDH are being reviewed and will be available from December onwards. In the meantime supervisors can start the interview procedure. HR Department will shortly provide further information on this subject. The 2005 MAPS report can be retrieved for consultation at any time via EDH. Human Resources Department Tel. 73566
Results of the staff survey: your priorities
Staff Association
2014-01-01
This is the first in a series of articles which will give some details about the results of the Staff Association staff survey To know your priorities and the evolution of your concerns over the last decade we study how, in each of our latest three surveys, you chose from a list of 15 items the five most important and classified them by assigning them a priority, from the most important to the fifth most important. The list of fifteen items, and a short description, follows. Career evolution (classification, level of recruitment, advancement, promotion) Salary level Family policy (recognition of partners, allowances, school fees, kindergarten, nursery, crèche, parental leave) Health insurance Non-residence and international indemnity Annual salary adjustment (cost variation index) Contract policy (duration, recruitment, award of IC, conditions of the beginning and ending of the contract) Motivation at work (interest, team, supervision, mobility, reward scheme) Pensions (retirement, disability, o...
The merits of measuring challenge and hindrance appraisals.
Searle, Ben J; Auton, Jaime C
2015-01-01
The challenge-hindrance framework has shown that challenge stressors (work characteristics associated with potential personal gain) tend to have positive outcomes, whereas hindrance stressors (those which obstruct goals) have negative outcomes. However, typical research methods assume that stressors allocated to these categories are appraised consistently by different people and across different situations. We validate new measures of challenge and hindrance appraisals and demonstrate their utility in stress research. We used a cross-sectional survey of American employees (Study 1, n = 333), a diary survey of Australian employees (Study 2, n = 241), and a survey of Australian college students whose performance was evaluated independently (Study 3, n = 350). Even after accounting for the effects of stressors, challenge and hindrance appraisals consistently explained unique variance in affective states, with indications that stressors have indirect effects via appraisals. Such effects were seen within- as well as between-participants (Study 2). Appraisals also had expected associations with specific coping behaviors (Study 1), while challenge appraisal was associated with task performance (Study 3). The scales of challenge and hindrance appraisals were psychometrically sound across multiple contexts. RESULTS highlight the merit of considering appraisal in stress research.
The appraisal and performance management of academics in Romanian public universities
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
BACANU Bogdan
2017-01-01
Full Text Available The study is focused on the appraisal and performance management in the public organizations, with an emphasis on the Romanian academic world. The trigger of this study was generated by the notable incongruence between approaches in terms of performance appraisal in the public sector. The study case examines the staff assessment procedures, as well as amalgamated and distorted processes that lead to rather compliant staff versus performant one, in the same logic of seeking false virtues while chasing real performance criteria in evaluations.
Evaluation of a performance appraisal framework for radiation therapists in planning and simulation
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Becker, Jillian, E-mail: jillian.becker@health.qld.gov.au [Radiation Oncology Mater Centre, South Brisbane, Queensland (Australia); Bridge, Pete [School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland (Australia); Brown, Elizabeth; Lusk, Ryan; Ferrari-Anderson, Janet [Radiation Oncology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland (Australia); Radiation Oncology Mater Centre, South Brisbane, Queensland (Australia)
2015-06-15
Constantly evolving technology and techniques within radiation therapy require practitioners to maintain a continuous approach to professional development and training. Systems of performance appraisal and adoption of regular feedback mechanisms are vital to support this development yet frequently lack structure and rely on informal peer support. A Radiation Therapy Performance Appraisal Framework (RT-PAF) for radiation therapists in planning and simulation was developed to define expectations of practice and promote a supportive and objective culture of performance and skills appraisal. Evaluation of the framework was conducted via an anonymous online survey tool. Nine peer reviewers and fourteen recipients provided feedback on its effectiveness and the challenges and limitations of the approach. Findings from the evaluation were positive and suggested that both groups gained benefit from and expressed a strong interest in embedding the approach more routinely. Respondents identified common challenges related to the limited ability to implement suggested development strategies; this was strongly associated with time and rostering issues. This framework successfully defined expectations for practice and provided a fair and objective feedback process that focussed on skills development. It empowered staff to maintain their skills and reach their professional potential. Management support, particularly in regard to provision of protected time was highlighted as critical to the framework's ongoing success. The demonstrated benefits arising in terms of staff satisfaction and development highlight the importance of this commitment to the modern radiation therapy workforce.
Evaluation of a performance appraisal framework for radiation therapists in planning and simulation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Becker, Jillian; Bridge, Pete; Brown, Elizabeth; Lusk, Ryan; Ferrari-Anderson, Janet
2015-01-01
Constantly evolving technology and techniques within radiation therapy require practitioners to maintain a continuous approach to professional development and training. Systems of performance appraisal and adoption of regular feedback mechanisms are vital to support this development yet frequently lack structure and rely on informal peer support. A Radiation Therapy Performance Appraisal Framework (RT-PAF) for radiation therapists in planning and simulation was developed to define expectations of practice and promote a supportive and objective culture of performance and skills appraisal. Evaluation of the framework was conducted via an anonymous online survey tool. Nine peer reviewers and fourteen recipients provided feedback on its effectiveness and the challenges and limitations of the approach. Findings from the evaluation were positive and suggested that both groups gained benefit from and expressed a strong interest in embedding the approach more routinely. Respondents identified common challenges related to the limited ability to implement suggested development strategies; this was strongly associated with time and rostering issues. This framework successfully defined expectations for practice and provided a fair and objective feedback process that focussed on skills development. It empowered staff to maintain their skills and reach their professional potential. Management support, particularly in regard to provision of protected time was highlighted as critical to the framework's ongoing success. The demonstrated benefits arising in terms of staff satisfaction and development highlight the importance of this commitment to the modern radiation therapy workforce
Survey of how staff commute to work
2014-01-01
A survey was initiated by the Canton of Geneva (Direction Générale des Transports) and the Swiss Permanent Mission to the United Nations, and is aimed at better understanding how staff in International Organisations commute to/from work so as to better plan future works (road access, public transport, etc.). The ILO, WHO, UNAIDs, Global Fund, IFRC, CERN and UNOG are taking part in this important survey. People living in Switzerland or France are invited to respond to this survey. The purpose of this survey is to better understand: - your commuting habits, - your willingness to explore alternative commuting options, - your expectations and needs. All data provided to this external company (www.mobilidee.ch) will be kept confidential and will only be used for this particular study. CERN has received all guarantees of confidentiality from this company. Many thanks for your collaboration! GS Department
Performance appraisal and advancement exercise 2006 (Rev)
Human Resources Department
2005-01-01
The 2006 performance appraisal and advancement exercise will start in the usual way with annual interviews between staff and their supervisors. This year, these interviews should be held in the period from 1 December 2005 to 15 March 2006*. In this connection, a number of improvements to the procedures relating to the interviews and performance appraisals are currently under study. Administrative Circular No. 26 (Procedures Governing the Career Development of Staff Members) and the electronic MAPS form in EDH are being reviewed and will be available from December onwards. In the meantime supervisors can start the interview procedure. HR Department will shortly provide further information on this subject. The 2005 MAPS report can be retrieved for consultation at any time via EDH. * Instead of 31 March, as indicated in the electronic Bulletin No. 47 of 21 November 2005 Human Resources Department Tel. 73566
The latest on the recent HR staff survey
2009-01-01
The data collected in the framework of the staff survey sent out by the Human Resources (HR) Department in March this year are currently being analysed. The first results concern the response rate and the breakdown of participants. 1328 staff members replied to the questionnaire, representing a response rate of close to 60%. Marie-Luce Falipou, who is in charge of the project within the HR Department, is evidently satisfied with the result: "The high response rate shows that the staff appreciated HR’s efforts to sound out their opinions and felt concerned by the subjects covered in the questionnaire". All the data are now being processed by the team led by Philippe Sarnin, Director of the Social Psychology Department at the University of Lyon2. "The number of responses submitted during the 15 days the form was available on line was very satisfactory. This is a vital factor in ensuring that we are able to build up an accurate pictu...
Analysis of the survey results for the safety culture attitudes of HANARO management division staff
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lee, M.; Hwang, S. Y.; Lim, I. C.; Kang, T. J.; Choi, H. Y
2003-12-01
This report provides the that analysis results of the surveys on the safety culture attitude and related topics for the HANARO Management Division staff. The survey form consisted of the questionnaire on the safety culture attitude, happiness and life style, drinking habit and traffic safety attitude. The key information drawn from the analysis are as follow; First, the level of safety culture attitude of the staff was confirmed and it was found that the attitude improved when the present analysis results were compared with them for the survey in 1998. Second, the degree of happiness that the staff feel is higher than the average Korean and they enjoy more leisure time than the average Korean. Third, the staff drink more alcohol than the average Korean. Thus, the drinking habit must be improved for the health of the staff. Fourth, the questionnaire of the happiness and the traffic safety attitude should be improved to verify the hypotheses on the relation between them and the safety culture attitude.
Analysis of the survey results for the safety culture attitudes of HANARO management division staff
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lee, M.; Hwang, S. Y.; Lim, I. C.; Kang, T. J.; Choi, H. Y.
2003-12-01
This report provides the that analysis results of the surveys on the safety culture attitude and related topics for the HANARO Management Division staff. The survey form consisted of the questionnaire on the safety culture attitude, happiness and life style, drinking habit and traffic safety attitude. The key information drawn from the analysis are as follow; First, the level of safety culture attitude of the staff was confirmed and it was found that the attitude improved when the present analysis results were compared with them for the survey in 1998. Second, the degree of happiness that the staff feel is higher than the average Korean and they enjoy more leisure time than the average Korean. Third, the staff drink more alcohol than the average Korean. Thus, the drinking habit must be improved for the health of the staff. Fourth, the questionnaire of the happiness and the traffic safety attitude should be improved to verify the hypotheses on the relation between them and the safety culture attitude
The appraisal rationalisation of real estate expertise
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marina Ciuna
2013-12-01
Full Text Available The Italian appraisal practice is characterized by valuations developed in subjective opinions formulated by the valuers, according to the experience and the competence rather than on the survey of the market data of comparable properties. This practice makes up for the lack of information on the real estate market and to the consequent absence of systematic collections of market data. This tradition is in the cadastral appraisal for the rural (1886 and urban properties (1939. The assessed income is appraised for a representative property and wide to all the other properties with arbitrary scores (pure number. The assessed value is derived from the income with fixed multipliers. The reform of the cadastral appraisals (2013 provides the employment of predetermined statistic functions rather than the automated valuation models applied in the mass appraisal. There are therefore ample spaces to rationalize the Italian valuations. For the market appraisal the process of rationalization is based on the comparison between the expertise and the market comparison approach. For the cadastral appraisal the process of rationalization is based on the statistic application to the fixed functions with the survey of a sample of market prices and the ratios study according to the valuation standards.
Pinder, Richard J; Greaves, Felix E; Aylin, Paul P; Jarman, Brian; Bottle, Alex
2013-07-01
There is some evidence to suggest that higher job satisfaction among healthcare staff in specific settings may be linked to improved patient outcomes. This study aimed to assess the potential of staff satisfaction to be used as an indicator of institutional performance across all acute National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in England. Using staff responses from the NHS Staff Survey 2009, and correlating these with hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMR), correlation analyses were conducted at institutional level with further analyses of staff subgroups. Over 60 000 respondents from 147 NHS trusts were included in the analysis. There was a weak negative correlation with HSMR where staff agreed that patient care was their trust's top priority (Kendall τ = -0.22, psatisfaction with the quality of care delivered by oneself and institutional HSMR. In the context of the continued debate about the relationship of HSMR to hospital performance, these findings of a weak correlation between staff satisfaction and HSMR are intriguing and warrant further investigation. Such measures in the future have the advantage of being intuitive for lay and specialist audiences alike, and may be useful in facilitating patient choice. Whether higher staff satisfaction drives quality or merely reflects it remains unclear.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Barisas, S.; Polich, J.; Surles, T.; Habegger, L.; Anderson, D.; Opelka, J.; Frangos, T.
1985-03-01
This manual has been prepared to assist DOE field organizations in conducting environmental protection appraisals of activities at DOE operating-level facilities. Its primary use will be by DOE operations offices in their appraisal of facilities operating under the authority of the Atomic Energy Act. However, the manual can also be used by other DOE field organizations. This manual is organized in modules that parallel those in the internal environmental audit checklist. It is assumed that the contractor is using the guide previously described (Internal Environmental Protection Audits) and that operations office staff members will have the opportunity to review or be cognizant of the contractor's completed internal audit, and other material generated within the facility, in preparation for the appraisal. This manual was developed to facilitate the appraisal process by providing operations office staff with a choice of modules that can be used independently or as a unit. The manual gives guidelines for reviewing information submitted to the operations office before the site visit and for conducting an on-site operating-level appraisal
Pahkin, Krista; Nielsen, Karina; Väänänen, Ari; Mattila-Holappa, Pauliina; Leppänen, Anneli; Koskinen, Aki
2014-01-01
The global recession has forced the Finnish forest industry to carry out major restructuring activities. Employees have faced different kinds of restructuring, mainly aimed at reducing staff and production. Many studies have shown the negative consequences of restructuring on employee well-being by using negative, ill-health indicators. Our aim is to examine the extent to which change appraisal influences both the negative and positive aspects of work-related well-being among employees who continue working in the organization after the restructuring process. We also examine the role of different actors (top management, immediate supervisor, employees themselves) in how the change is appraised. The study investigated blue-collar employees working in the Finnish forest industry during a period of extensive transition (2008-2009). All six participating factories underwent restructuring between baseline and the follow-up survey (n=369). After adjustment for gender, age and baseline well-being, negative change appraisal increased the risk of experiencing more stress and less work enjoyment. Negative change appraisals thus also damaged the positive, motivational aspects of employee well-being. The results showed the importance of offering employees the opportunity to participate in the planning of changes related to their work as regards positive change appraisal.
PAHKIN, Krista; NIELSEN, Karina; VÄÄNÄNEN, Ari; MATTILA-HOLAPPA, Pauliina; LEPPÄNEN, Anneli; KOSKINEN, Aki
2014-01-01
The global recession has forced the Finnish forest industry to carry out major restructuring activities. Employees have faced different kinds of restructuring, mainly aimed at reducing staff and production. Many studies have shown the negative consequences of restructuring on employee well-being by using negative, ill-health indicators. Our aim is to examine the extent to which change appraisal influences both the negative and positive aspects of work-related well-being among employees who continue working in the organization after the restructuring process. We also examine the role of different actors (top management, immediate supervisor, employees themselves) in how the change is appraised. The study investigated blue-collar employees working in the Finnish forest industry during a period of extensive transition (2008–2009). All six participating factories underwent restructuring between baseline and the follow-up survey (n=369). After adjustment for gender, age and baseline well-being, negative change appraisal increased the risk of experiencing more stress and less work enjoyment. Negative change appraisals thus also damaged the positive, motivational aspects of employee well-being. The results showed the importance of offering employees the opportunity to participate in the planning of changes related to their work as regards positive change appraisal. PMID:24975107
Job Analysis, Job Descriptions, and Performance Appraisal Systems.
Sims, Johnnie M.; Foxley, Cecelia H.
1980-01-01
Job analysis, job descriptions, and performance appraisal can benefit student services administration in many ways. Involving staff members in the development and implementation of these techniques can increase commitment to and understanding of the overall objectives of the office, as well as communication and cooperation among colleagues.…
Performance appraisal: carrot or stick? | Quinn | South African ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
To be critically reflective, practitioners need to gather feedback about their performance so that they can reflect on it and develop themselves in those areas in which weaknesses are recognised. The Academic Development Centre staff agreed to participate in a departmental Performance Appraisal process in order to ...
Promoting Staff Health: A Survey of the Health and Wellbeing Division
LENUS (Irish Health Repository)
Evans, David S.
2016-01-01
n order to gain a measure of the health and wellbeing of staff in the Health and Wellbeing Division a survey was undertaken in late 2015 with results contained in this report. It highlights the areas that we are doing well in and identifies a number of areas where improvements are needed. The results and suggestions given provide a benchmark as to the current health and wellbeing status of those in our Division and pave the way for a set of recommendations which will be delivered through the action plan currently being developed. As a starting point and in recognition of the fact that many of our staff are based in other cross divisional worksites, the Staff Health and Wellbeing Funding Initiative 2016 was introduced.
Jelsness-Jørgensen, Lars-Petter
2015-01-01
Research utilisation is essential in developing evidence-based practices; although many students may be generally able to adopt such skills, there are reports of barriers related to critical appraisal skills. To explore how students perceive the relevance of research to future clinical practice and patients, and to what extent they read research (including reading pattern). Additionally, the objective was to explore whether a three-week intensive course in critical appraisal of research could affect these variables. A cross-sectional survey design, with a pre- and post-test. One large university college in Southeastern Norway. 196 multidisciplinary healthcare students at baseline and 147 after three weeks. A purposely-designed 21 item questionnaire was used to quantify students' attitudes towards using research and critical thinking. The questionnaire was based on themes emerging from prior focus group interviews with 10 nursing and social educator students as well as from the existing literature. At baseline, 6.1% and 7.1% of respondents perceived the research to be of little or very little importance for their future work and patients, respectively. Furthermore, 83.2% reported that they seldom or very seldom read scientific papers. At baseline, 40 different patterns of reading a scientific paper were identified. Additionally, 7.1% of respondents reported to read the introduction, methods and conclusion in combination. Significantly improved scores were found after completing the three-week course related to a) relevance of research for future work (pskills in critical appraisal (pstudents' practical critical appraisal skills improved their view of the relevance of research for patients, future work as well as their own critical appraisal skills. Prospective studies are warranted to explore the effects of such teaching modules in the long-term. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Formal appraisal of undergraduate medical students: is it worth the effort?
Murdoch-Eaton, Deborah G; Levene, Malcolm I
2004-02-01
Medical student stress is most often related to difficulties of adjusting to university academic standards, and work-social life balance. Faculty systems identify academically failing students for counselling, whilst the majority of students do not have opportunities for individual discussion about progress. This study reports a pilot formal appraisal process for first-year undergraduates. Preparatory material required students to reflect on their academic performance, factors contributing to their university life and satisfaction with career choice. Individual appraisal sessions were held with trained, experienced senior faculty staff, with completion of an appraisal record to document agreed outcomes. Individualized study skills advice was the commonest documented outcome on appraisal records. Students were overwhelmingly positive about the experience, reporting both enhanced perceptions of faculty and reduced anxiety about academic performance. Medical schools have responsibilities to consider ways to optimize students' performance; attainment can be related more to personal and motivational factors than academic ability.
Fottler, Myron D; Dickson, Duncan; Ford, Robert C; Bradley, Kenneth; Johnson, Lee
2006-02-01
The measurement of patient satisfaction is crucial to enhancing customer service and competitive advantage in the health-care industry. While there are numerous approaches to such measurement, this paper provides a case study which compares and contrasts patient and staff perceptions of customer service using both survey and focus group data. Results indicate that there is a high degree of correlation between staff and patient perceptions of customer service based on both survey and focus group data. However, the staff and patient subgroups also provided complementary information regarding patient perceptions of their service experience. Staff members tended to have more negative perceptions of service attributes than did the patients themselves. The focus group results provide complementary information to survey results in terms of greater detail and more managerially relevant information. While these results are derived from a pilot study, they suggest that diversification of data sources beyond patient surveys may enhance the utility of customer service information. If further research can affirm these findings, they create exciting possibilities for gathering valid, reliable and cost-effective customer service information.
A telephone survey of cancer awareness among frontline staff: informing training needs
Cook, N; Hart, A; Nuttall, K; Simpson, K; Turnill, N; Grant-Pearce, C; Damms, P; Allen, V; Slade, K; Dey, P
2011-01-01
Background: Studies have shown limited awareness about cancer risk factors among hospital-based staff. Less is known about general cancer awareness among community frontline National Health Service and social care staff. Methods: A cross-sectional computer-assisted telephone survey of 4664 frontline community-based health and social care staff in North West England. Results: A total of 671 out of 4664 (14.4%) potentially eligible subjects agreed to take part. Over 92% of staff recognised most warning signs, except an unexplained pain (88.8%, n=596), cough or hoarseness (86.9%, n=583) and a sore that does not heal (77.3%, n=519). The bowel cancer-screening programme was recognised by 61.8% (n=415) of staff. Most staff agreed that smoking and passive smoking ‘increased the chance of getting cancer.' Fewer agreed about getting sunburnt more than once as a child (78.0%, n=523), being overweight (73.5%, n=493), drinking more than one unit of alcohol per day (50.2%, n=337) or doing less than 30 min of moderate physical exercise five times a week (41.1%, n=276). Conclusion: Cancer awareness is generally good among frontline staff, but important gaps exist, which might be improved by targeted education and training and through developing clearer messages about cancer risk factors. PMID:21750554
Fang, Pengqian; Luo, Zhenni; Fang, Zi
2015-05-16
In China, public hospital reform has been underway for almost 5 years, and 311 pilot county hospitals are the current focus. This study aimed to assess the job satisfaction and active participation of medical staff in the reform. A total of 2268 medical staff members in pilot and non-pilot county hospitals in Hubei, China, were surveyed. Questionnaires were used to collect data. The Pearson chi-square statistical method was used to assess the differences between pilot and non-pilot county hospitals and identify the factors related to job satisfaction as well as the understanding and perception of the reform. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine the significant factors that influence the job satisfaction of medical staff in pilot county hospitals. Medical staff members in pilot county hospitals expressed higher satisfaction on current working situation, performance appraisal system, concern showed by leaders, hospital management, and compensation packages (P job and they have evidently less satisfaction on compensation packages and learning and training opportunities. The working hours and work stress were negatively related to the job satisfaction (P Satisfaction on the performance appraisal system, hospital management, compensation packages, and learning and training opportunities were positively related to job satisfaction (P pay attention to influencing factors of job satisfaction and focus on the reasonable demands of medical staff. In addition, the medical staff in pilot county hospitals exhibited a better understanding of the public hospital reform programme and showed more firm confidence, but there still were some medical staff members who hold negative attitude. The publicity and education of the public hospital reform still need improvement.
The impact of staff training on staff outcomes in dementia care: a systematic review.
Spector, Aimee; Revolta, Catherine; Orrell, Martin
2016-11-01
Caring for people with dementia can be emotionally challenging and is often linked to low job satisfaction and burnout in care staff. Staff training within care settings is potentially valuable in improving well-being and quality of care. This review aimed to (i) establish the impact of training on staff outcomes; (ii) compare the impact of different training approaches; (iii) explore the influence of training intensity; and (iv) explore potential barriers to success. A database search of staff training interventions revealed 207 papers, 188 of which were excluded based on prespecified criteria. Nineteen studies were included and appraised using a quality rating tool. Overall, the studies were found to be of variable quality; however, 16 studies found a significant change following training in at least one staff domain, with knowledge improving most frequently. Approaches focusing on managing challenging behaviours appeared to be the most effective. Training staff can be an effective method of improving well-being, and programmes helping staff to manage challenging behaviour appear to be the most beneficial. There is no clear relationship between training intensity and outcome. Most studies point to the importance of addressing organisational factors as a barrier to change. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Siden, Rivka; Tamer, Helen R; Skyles, Amy J; Dolan, Christopher S; Propes, Denise J; Redic, Kimberly
2014-11-01
Results of a survey assessing trends and innovations in the use of pharmacy technicians and other nonpharmacist staff in the research pharmacy setting are reported. A Web-based survey was distributed to Internet communities of members of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the University Health-System Consortium involved in investigational drug research and related practice areas. The survey collected data on the characteristics of institutions with pharmacy department staff dedicated to such research activities and the participation of pharmacists, technicians, and other staff in key areas of research pharmacy operations. Survey responses from 51 institutions were included in the data analysis. Overall, the reported distribution of assigned responsibility for most evaluated research pharmacy tasks reflected traditional divisions of pharmacist and technician duties, with technicians performing tasks subject to a pharmacist check or pharmacists completing tasks alone. However, some institutions reported allowing technicians to perform a number of key tasks without direct pharmacist supervision, primarily in the areas of inventory management and sponsor monitoring and auditing; almost half of the surveyed institutions reported technician involvement in teaching activities. In general, the reported use of "tech-check-tech" arrangements in research pharmacies was very limited. Some responding institutions reported the innovative use of nonpharmacist staff (e.g., paid interns, students and residents on rotation). Although the majority of research pharmacy tasks related to direct patient care are performed by or under the direct supervision of pharmacists, a variety of other essential tasks are typically assigned to pharmacy technicians and other nonpharmacist staff. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.
Barratt, Helen; Fulop, Naomi J
2016-12-07
Efforts to improve healthcare and population health depend partly on the ability of health organisations to use research knowledge and participate in its production. We report the findings of a survey conducted to prioritise training needs among healthcare and public health staff, in relation to the production and implementation of research, across an applied health research collaboration. A questionnaire survey using a validated tool, the Hennessy-Hicks Training Needs Assessment Questionnaire. Participants rated 25 tasks on a five-point scale with regard to both their confidence in performing the task, and its importance to their role. A questionnaire weblink was distributed to a convenience sample of 35 healthcare and public health organisations in London and South East England, with a request that they cascade the information to relevant staff. 203 individuals responded, from 20 healthcare and public health organisations. None. Training needs were identified by comparing median importance and performance scores for each task. Individuals were also invited to describe up to three priority areas in which they require training. Across the study sample, evaluation; teaching; making do with limited resources; coping with change and managing competing demands were identified as key tasks. Assessing the relevance of research and learning about new developments were the most relevant research-related tasks. Participants' training priorities included evaluation; finding, appraising and applying research evidence; and data analysis. Key barriers to involvement included time and resources, as well as a lack of institutional support for undertaking research. We identify areas in which healthcare and public health professionals may benefit from support to facilitate their involvement in and use of applied health research. We also describe barriers to participation and differing perceptions of research between professional groups. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited
The problem of bias when nursing facility staff administer customer satisfaction surveys.
Hodlewsky, R Tamara; Decker, Frederic H
2002-10-01
Customer satisfaction instruments are being used with increasing frequency to assess and monitor residents' assessments of quality of care in nursing facilities. There is no standard protocol, however, for how or by whom the instruments should be administered when anonymous, written responses are not feasible. Researchers often use outside interviewers to assess satisfaction, but cost considerations may limit the extent to which facilities are able to hire outside interviewers on a regular basis. This study was designed to investigate the existence and extent of any bias caused by staff administering customer satisfaction surveys. Customer satisfaction data were collected in 1998 from 265 residents in 21 nursing facilities in North Dakota. Half the residents in each facility were interviewed by staff members and the other half by outside consultants; scores were compared by interviewer type. In addition to a tabulation of raw scores, ordinary least-squares analysis with facility fixed effects was used to control for resident characteristics and unmeasured facility-level factors that could influence scores. Significant positive bias was found when staff members interviewed residents. The bias was not limited to questions directly affecting staff responsibilities but applied across all types of issues. The bias was robust under varying constructions of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. A uniform method of survey administration appears to be important if satisfaction data are to be used to compare facilities. Bias is an important factor that should be considered and weighed against the costs of obtaining outside interviewers when assessing customer satisfaction among long term care residents.
Clowning as a supportive measure in paediatrics - a survey of clowns, parents and nursing staff.
Barkmann, Claus; Siem, Anna-Katharina; Wessolowski, Nino; Schulte-Markwort, Michael
2013-10-10
Hospital clowns, also known as clown doctors, can help paediatric patients with the stress of a hospitalization and to circumvent the accompanying feelings of fear, helplessness and sadness, thus supporting the healing process. The objectives of the present study were to clarify the structural and procedural conditions of paediatric clowning in Germany and to document the evaluations of hospital clowns, parents and hospital staff. A nationwide online survey of hospital clowns currently active in paediatric departments and an accompanying field evaluation in Hamburg hospitals with surveys of parents and hospital staff were conducted. In addition to items developed specifically for the study regarding general conditions, procedures, assessments of effects and attitudes, the Work Satisfaction Scale was used. The sample included n = 87 hospital clowns, 37 parents and 43 hospital staff members. The online survey showed that the hospital clowns are well-trained, motivated and generally satisfied with their work. By their own estimate, they primarily boost morale and promote imagination in the patients. However, hospital clowns also desire better interdisciplinary collaboration and financial security as well as more recognition of their work. The Hamburg field study confirmed the positive results of the clown survey. According to the data, a clown intervention boosts morale and reduces stress in the patients. Moreover, there are practically no side effects. Both parents and hospital staff stated that the patients as well as they themselves benefited from the intervention. The results match those of previous studies and give a very positive picture of hospital clowning, so that its routine use and expansion thereof can be recommended. Furthermore, the intervention should be subject to the rules of evidence-based medicine like other medical treatments.
CHILDRESS, Krista J.; LAWSON, Angela K.; GHANT, Marissa S.; MENDOZA, Gricelda; CARDOZO, Eden R.; CONFINO, Edmond; MARSH, Erica E.
2015-01-01
Objective To determine the impact of the initial infertility visit on treatment-related knowledge, patient anxiety, and appraisals of treatment. Study Design Prospective survey. Setting Academic medical center. Patients 234 English-speaking women, ages 18-50, attending their first infertility visit Intervention(s) Participants completed a survey assessing health literacy, knowledge, anxiety, and appraisals of the treatment process before and after their infertility visit. Main Outcome Measure(s) 1) Knowledge of infertility and treatment and, 2) Anxiety and appraisal scores. Results Most participants were white and earned >$100,000/year and had at least a college education. Baseline knowledge of reproductive anatomy, ART, and fertility factors was modest, but improved after the initial visit. Factors associated with higher knowledge included higher education and income, White or Asian ethnicity, and English as their primary language. Patient appraisals of treatment represented by the positive (Challenge) and negative (Threat and Loss) subscale scores on the Appraisal of Life Events (ALE) scale, changed from the pre-visit survey to the post-visit survey. Negative appraisals of treatment and anxiety scores decreased and positive appraisals of treatment increased after the initial visit. Lower knowledge was associated with higher positive appraisal scores lower health literacy was associated with higher anxiety and appraisal scores (positive and negative) post-visit. Black women had higher Challenge scores compared to White and Asian women. Hispanic women had higher anxiety scores than non-Hispanic women. Conclusions Infertility patients have modest baseline knowledge of fertility and infertility treatment. The initial infertility visit can improve this knowledge and decrease both negative appraisals of treatment and anxiety levels. Differences in knowledge and appraisal were seen across ethnic groups and other demographic variables. Physicians should individualize
Mohammadian, Farugh; Abbasinia, Marzieh; Rahmani, Abdolrasoul; Monazzam, Mohammad Reza; Asghari, Mehdi; Ahmadnezhad, Iman; Asadi, Ali
2013-01-01
Given the hazardous nature of the work in steel factories and that the staff has to deal with hazardous equipment and machines, improper sleep quality and drowsiness among the works tackles performance and boosts rate of job accidents. This study is aimed to survey the quality of sleep and sleepiness status and the pertinent factors among the workers in a rolling mill and a steel production company in Tehran, Iran. In a Cross-Sectional study 2011, 180 workers were selected randomly from a rolling mill and a steel production company in Tehran. A questionnaire was designed to collect demographic data and variables of work condition. Pitersborg's sleep quality questionnaire was used to survey quality and problems of Participants' sleep. Epworth Sleepiness questionnaire was used to deals with sleepiness during work, studying, watching TV, or during time spent in public. Average score of sleep quality for the fixed shift staff and changing shift staff were 7.5±2.82 and 8.49±2.95 respectively. Surveys of sleep quality for the two groups of the participants based on T-test showed a significant difference between the two groups so that the changing shift staff group suffered poorer sleep quality (p=0.03). Comparison of average drowsiness scores between the two groups of participants based on Mann-Whitney test showed no significant difference (p>0.005). Chi square test showed a significant difference between severity of drowsiness and type of working shift (p =0.028 and 0.009). Staff in revolving shifts suffers poor sleep quality comparing with staff with fixed working shift. Moreover, type of working shift greatly affects severity of drowsiness as staff at different work shift experienced different level of sleepiness. It is essential to survey sleep disorder of the staff in the industry and pay more emphasis on sleep disorder epidemic in other fields of industry.
MAPS evaluation report and procedures governing interviews and performance appraisals
HR Department
2006-01-01
Following various improvements to the MAPS report and to the procedures governing interviews and performance appraisals (announced in the CERN Bulletin 48-49/2005), a third information session has been organized for all staff members on Tuesday, 31 January at 10 a.m.: AB Auditorium P (864-1-D02), Human Resources Department Tel. 73566
Mittal, Tarun K; Cleghorn, Christine L; Cade, Janet E; Barr, Suzanne; Grove, Tim; Bassett, Paul; Wood, David A; Kotseva, Kornelia
2018-03-01
Background A high prevalence of stress-related disorders is well known among healthcare professionals. We set out to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and compliance with national dietary and physical activity recommendations in NHS staff in the UK with comparison between clinical and non-clinical staff, and national surveys. Design A multi-centre cross-sectional study. Methods A web-based questionnaire was developed to include anonymised data on demographics, job role, cardiovascular risk factors and diseases, dietary habits, physical activity and barriers towards healthy lifestyle. This was distributed to staff in four NHS hospitals via emails. Results A total of 1158 staff completed the survey (response rate 13%) with equal distribution between the clinical and non-clinical groups. Most staff were aged 26-60 years and 79% were women. Half of the staff were either overweight or obese (51%) with no difference between the groups ( P = 0.176), but there was a lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors compared to the general population. The survey revealed a low compliance (17%) with the recommended intake of five-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables, and that of moderate or vigorous physical activity (56%), with no difference between the clinical and non-clinical staff ( P = 0.6). However, more clinical staff were exceeding the alcohol recommendations ( P = 0.02). Lack of fitness facilities and managerial support, coupled with long working hours, were the main reported barriers to a healthy lifestyle. Conclusions In this survey of UK NHS staff, half were found to be overweight or obese with a lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors compared to the general population. There was a low compliance with the five-a-day fruit and vegetables recommendation and physical activity guidelines, with no difference between the clinical and non-clinical staff.
Staff survey of organizational structure and process for a Public Health Department.
Dwyer, J J
1995-01-01
A survey of 227 North York Public Health Department (NYPHD) staff provided their perspective on the organizational structure. They perceived that (a) the departmental and divisional organizational structures are effective for program delivery, (b) the Central Resources structure and divisional and departmental reporting structures are moderately effective for program delivery, (c) the decentralized office structure is an advantage for service delivery but less so for administration and intra-division and inter-division communication, (d) the mandatory program structure involves low to moderate interdisciplinary teamwork and moderately impacts service delivery, (e) intra-division and management-staff communication are fair but inter-division and office communication are between poor and fair, (f) education, research, and service are moderately integrated, and (g) the divisional and departmental work atmospheres are a little positive. Management perceived greater participation in program planning, more frequent communication with other divisions, a number of education and research opportunities from various divisions/units, and more management recognition than front line staff did.
Nursing staffs' emotional well-being and caring behaviours.
Chana, Navtej; Kennedy, Paul; Chessell, Zoë J
2015-10-01
To examine the relationships between structural factors (work stressors), individual factors (demographics and the personal resources of resilience and social support) and transactional factors (appraisals and coping), and nursing staffs' levels of burnout, psychological distress and caring behaviours. A further aim was to examine the relationships between nursing staffs' levels of burnout and psychological distress and their caring behaviours. Burnout and psychological distress levels have been found to be high in National Health Service nursing staff and furthermore this emotional distress has been found to affect patient care. In a National Health Service striving to provide high-quality patient-centred care, it is essential that factors affecting nursing staffs' well-being and their caring behaviours are examined. A cross-sectional correlation-based survey design. A sample of 102 nursing staff from an Acute National Health Service Trust were recruited in 2010. Participants completed the questionnaires: Nursing Stress Scale, Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form, Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale-2, Occupational Coping Self-Efficacy Scale for Nurses, PsychNurse Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Caring Behaviours Inventory-revised. Due to the nonparametric nature of part of the data, Spearman's Rho correlations were used for analysis. Demographics were not found to be regularly correlated with nursing staffs' burnout, psychological distress or caring behaviours. Work stressors, coping strategies and self-efficacy were found to be significantly correlated with nursing staffs' burnout and psychological distress. Caring behaviours were also correlated with coping strategies and self-efficacy. Importantly, correlations were found between caring behaviours and nursing staffs' burnout and psychological distress. It is extremely important that the emotional well-being of nursing staff is supported, both for them, and
Deane, Richard P; Murphy, Deirdre J
2016-01-01
Despite the widespread introduction of active learning strategies to engage students across modern medical curricula, student attendance and attendance monitoring remain a challenging issue for medical educators. In addition, there is little published evidence available to medical educators regarding the use of attendance monitoring systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the opinions of students and staff about the use of a paper-based student logbook to record student attendance across all clinical and classroom-based learning activities within an undergraduate clinical rotation in obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN). Each student undertaking the clinical rotation in OBGYN was required to complete a paper-based logbook in a booklet format that listed every clinical and classroom-based activity that the student was expected to attend. A cross-sectional survey evaluating the acceptability, practicality, and effect on access to learning opportunities of using the logbook was undertaken. The survey was conducted among all medical students who completed their OBGYN rotation over a full academic year and staff who taught on the program. The response rate was 87% (n=128/147) among students and 80% (n=8/10) among staff. Monitoring attendance was widely acceptable to students (n=107/128, 84%) and staff (n=8/8, 100%). Most students (n=95/128, 74%) and staff (n=7/8, 88%) recommended that attendance should be mandatory during rotations. Almost all staff felt that attendance should contribute toward academic credit (n=7/8, 88%), but students were divided (n=73/128, 57%). Students (n=94/128, 73%) and staff (n=6/8, 75%) reported that the use of the logbook to record attendance with tutor signatures was a satisfactory system, although students questioned the need for recording attendance at every classroom-based activity. Most students felt that the logbook facilitated access to learning experiences during the rotation (n=90/128, 71%). Staff felt that the process of signing
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gripenberg Abdon Johanna
2011-02-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background The objective of this study is to examine self-reported drug use among staff at licensed premises, types of drugs used, attitudes towards drugs, and observed drug use among guests. Results are presented from two measurement points (in 2001 and 2007/08. This study was carried out within the framework of the "Clubs against Drugs" program, which is a community-based multi-component intervention targeting licensed premises in Stockholm, Sweden. Methods Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted, the first in 2001 and the second in 2007/08. Staff at licensed premises attending server training were asked to participate in the anonymous survey. A survey was administered in a classroom setting and consisted of four sections: 1 demographics, 2 respondents' own drug use experience, 3 respondents' attitudes towards drug use, and 4 observed drug use among guests at licensed premises. Results Data were collected from 446 staff in 2001 and 677 staff in 2007/08. The four most commonly used drugs among staff were cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, and ecstasy. The highest rates of drug use were reported by staff in the two youngest age groups, i.e., those younger than 25 and those between the ages of 25 and 29. In 2007/08 staff reported significantly lower rates of drug use than staff in 2001. Last year drug use for the sample in 2007/08 was 19% compared to 27% for the 2001 sample. While drug-using staff compared to non drug-using staff reported more observations of drug use among guests, they were less inclined to intervene. Overall, staff reported restrictive attitudes towards drugs. Conclusions The prevalence of life-time and last year drug use among staff at licensed premises is high compared to the general population in Sweden. Lower rates of self-reported drug use among staff were reported in 2007/08. The results of this study highlight that staff at licensed premises represent an important target population in club drug prevention
Social network indices in the Generations and Gender Survey: An appraisal
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pearl A. Dykstra
2016-06-01
Full Text Available Background: In this contribution we critically appraise the social network indices in the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS. Objective: After discussing the rationale for including social network indices in the GGS, we provide descriptive information on social network characteristics and an overview of substantive questions that have been addressed using GGS social network data: antecedents and consequences of demographic behaviour, care, and differences in well-being. We identify topics that have received relatively little attention in GGS research so far, despite the availability of novel and appropriate social network data. We end with a discussion of what is unique about the social network indices in the GGS. Methods: The descriptive information on social network characteristics is based on empirical analyses of GGS data, and an experimental pilot study. The overview of GGS research using social network indices is based on a library search. The identification of what is unique about the social network indices in the GGS is based on a comparison with the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS, the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE, and the International Social Survey Program (ISSP. Results: Results show a high representation of family members in the social networks, and confirm the adequacy of using a cap of five names for network-generating questions. GGS research using the social network indices has largely focused on determinants of fertility behaviour, intergenerational linkages in families, and downward care transfers. Conclusions: Topics that have received relatively little attention are demographic behaviours other than those related to parenthood, upward transfers of practical support, ties with siblings, and stepfamily ties. Social network indices in the GGS show a high degree of overlap with those in other international surveys. The unique features are the inventory of family ties ever born and still living, and the
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Holmes-Truscott, E.; Holmes-Truscott, E.; Skinner, T. C.
2015-01-01
Aim: To identify insulin therapy appraisals among adults with Type 2 diabetes using insulin and how negative appraisals relate to clinical, self-care and psychosocial outcomes. Methods: Diabetes MILES - Australia 2011 was a national survey of adults with diabetes, focused on behavioural...... and psychosocial issues. Subgroup analyses were conducted on the responses of 273 adults with Type 2 diabetes using insulin (46% women; mean ± sd age: 59 ± 9 years; diabetes duration: 12 ± 7 years; years using insulin: 4 ± 4). They completed validated measures of insulin therapy appraisals (ITAS), depression (PHQ......; 51% that insulin causes weight gain; 39% that they have 'failed to manage' their diabetes. Those with the greatest and least 'ITAS negative' scores did not differ by diabetes duration or years using insulin, or by average number of insulin injections or blood glucose checks per day. Those with more...
Upward Appraisal: A Tool for the Continuous Improvement of Library Managers' Skills.
Stein, Joan E.
Effective management and the importance of feedback in relation to improvement are becoming critical issues for libraries. Upward appraisal evaluates managers' performance based on input from their staff, rather than the traditional top-down evaluation format in which a manager is evaluated solely by their superior. This paper discusses the…
Hoffmann-Eßer, Wiebke; Siering, Ulrich; Neugebauer, Edmund A M; Brockhaus, Anne Catharina; McGauran, Natalie; Eikermann, Michaela
2018-02-27
The AGREE II instrument is the most commonly used guideline appraisal tool. It includes 23 appraisal criteria (items) organized within six domains. AGREE II also includes two overall assessments (overall guideline quality, recommendation for use). Our aim was to investigate how strongly the 23 AGREE II items influence the two overall assessments. An online survey of authors of publications on guideline appraisals with AGREE II and guideline users from a German scientific network was conducted between 10th February 2015 and 30th March 2015. Participants were asked to rate the influence of the AGREE II items on a Likert scale (0 = no influence to 5 = very strong influence). The frequencies of responses and their dispersion were presented descriptively. Fifty-eight of the 376 persons contacted (15.4%) participated in the survey and the data of the 51 respondents with prior knowledge of AGREE II were analysed. Items 7-12 of Domain 3 (rigour of development) and both items of Domain 6 (editorial independence) had the strongest influence on the two overall assessments. In addition, Items 15-17 (clarity of presentation) had a strong influence on the recommendation for use. Great variations were shown for the other items. The main limitation of the survey is the low response rate. In guideline appraisals using AGREE II, items representing rigour of guideline development and editorial independence seem to have the strongest influence on the two overall assessments. In order to ensure a transparent approach to reaching the overall assessments, we suggest the inclusion of a recommendation in the AGREE II user manual on how to consider item and domain scores. For instance, the manual could include an a-priori weighting of those items and domains that should have the strongest influence on the two overall assessments. The relevance of these assessments within AGREE II could thereby be further specified.
Using Texting for Clinical Communication in Surgery: A Survey of Academic Staff Surgeons.
Firdouse, Mohammed; Devon, Karen; Kayssi, Ahmed; Goldfarb, Jeremy; Rossos, Peter; Cil, Tulin D
2018-03-01
Text messaging has become ubiquitous and is being increasingly used within the health care system. The purpose of this study was to understand texting practices for clinical communication among staff surgeons at a large academic institution. Staff surgeons in 4 subspecialties (vascular, plastics, urology, and general surgery) were surveyed electronically. A total of 62 surgeons from general surgery (n = 33), vascular surgery (n = 6), plastic surgery (n = 13), and urology (n = 10) completed the study (response rate 30%). When conveying urgent patient-related information, staff surgeons preferred directly calling other staff surgeons (61.5%) and trainees (58.8%). When discussing routine patient information, staff surgeons used email to reach other staff surgeons (54.9%) but preferred texting (62.7%) for trainees. The majority of participants used texting because it is fast (65.4%), convenient (69.2%) and allows transmitting information to multiple recipients simultaneously (63.5%). Most felt that texting enhances patient care (71.5%); however, only half believed that it enhanced trainees' educational experiences. The majority believed that texting identifiable patient information breaches patient confidentiality. Our data showed high adoption of text messaging for clinical communication among surgeons, particularly with trainees. The majority of surgeons acknowledge security concerns inherent in texting for patient care. Existing mobile communication platforms fail to meet the needs of academic surgeons. Further research should include guidelines related to texting in clinical practice, educational implications of texting, and technologies to better meet the needs of clinicians working in an academic surgical settings.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Deane RP
2016-04-01
Full Text Available Richard P Deane, Deirdre J Murphy Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, Dublin, Republic of Ireland Background: Despite the widespread introduction of active learning strategies to engage students across modern medical curricula, student attendance and attendance monitoring remain a challenging issue for medical educators. In addition, there is little published evidence available to medical educators regarding the use of attendance monitoring systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the opinions of students and staff about the use of a paper-based student logbook to record student attendance across all clinical and classroom-based learning activities within an undergraduate clinical rotation in obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN. Methods: Each student undertaking the clinical rotation in OBGYN was required to complete a paper-based logbook in a booklet format that listed every clinical and classroom-based activity that the student was expected to attend. A cross-sectional survey evaluating the acceptability, practicality, and effect on access to learning opportunities of using the logbook was undertaken. The survey was conducted among all medical students who completed their OBGYN rotation over a full academic year and staff who taught on the program. Results: The response rate was 87% (n=128/147 among students and 80% (n=8/10 among staff. Monitoring attendance was widely acceptable to students (n=107/128, 84% and staff (n=8/8, 100%. Most students (n=95/128, 74% and staff (n=7/8, 88% recommended that attendance should be mandatory during rotations. Almost all staff felt that attendance should contribute toward academic credit (n=7/8, 88%, but students were divided (n=73/128, 57%. Students (n=94/128, 73% and staff (n=6/8, 75% reported that the use of the logbook to record attendance with tutor signatures was a satisfactory system, although
Technical safety appraisal: Buildings 776/777 Rocky Flats Plant
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Field, H C
1988-03-01
Buildings 776/777 at the Rocky Flats Plant are major components of the production complex at the plant site. They have been in operation since 1957. The operations taking place in the buildings are nuclear weapons production support, processing of weapons assemblies returned from Pantex, waste processing, research and development in support of production, special projects, and those generated by support groups, such as maintenance. The appraisal team identified nine deficiencies that it believed required prompt attention. DOE management for EH, the program office (Defense Programs), and the field office analyzed the information provided by the appraisal team and instituted compensatory measures for closer monitoring of contractor activities by knowledgeable DOE staff and staff from other sites. Concurrently, the contractor was requested to address both short-term and long-term remedial measures to correct the identified issues as well as the underlying problems. The contractor has provided his action plan, which is included. This plan was under evaluation by EH and the DOE program office at the time this report was prepared. In addressing the major areas of concern identified above, a well as the specific deficiencies identified by the appraisal team, the contractor and the field office are cautioned to search for the root causes for the problems and to direct corrective actions to those root causes rather than solely to the symptoms to assure the sustainability of the improvements being made. The results of prior TSAs led DOE to conclude that previous corrective actions were not sufficient in that a large number of the individual findings are recurrent. Pending completion of remedial actions over the next few months, enhanced DOE oversight of the contractor is warranted.
Technical safety appraisal: Buildings 776/777 Rocky Flats Plant
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Field, H.C.
1988-03-01
Buildings 776/777 at the Rocky Flats Plant are major components of the production complex at the plant site. They have been in operation since 1957. The operations taking place in the buildings are nuclear weapons production support, processing of weapons assemblies returned from Pantex, waste processing, research and development in support of production, special projects, and those generated by support groups, such as maintenance. The appraisal team identified nine deficiencies that it believed required prompt attention. DOE management for EH, the program office (Defense Programs), and the field office analyzed the information provided by the appraisal team and instituted compensatory measures for closer monitoring of contractor activities by knowledgeable DOE staff and staff from other sites. Concurrently, the contractor was requested to address both short-term and long-term remedial measures to correct the identified issues as well as the underlying problems. The contractor has provided his action plan, which is included. This plan was under evaluation by EH and the DOE program office at the time this report was prepared. In addressing the major areas of concern identified above, a well as the specific deficiencies identified by the appraisal team, the contractor and the field office are cautioned to search for the root causes for the problems and to direct corrective actions to those root causes rather than solely to the symptoms to assure the sustainability of the improvements being made. The results of prior TSAs led DOE to conclude that previous corrective actions were not sufficient in that a large number of the individual findings are recurrent. Pending completion of remedial actions over the next few months, enhanced DOE oversight of the contractor is warranted
Beresford, B; Gibson, F; Bayliss, J; Mukherjee, S
2018-03-01
Growing evidence of the association between health professionals' well-being and patient and organisational outcomes points to the need for effective staff support. This paper reports a brief survey of the UK's children's cancer Principal Treatment Centres (PTCs) regarding staff support systems and practices. A short on-line questionnaire, administered in 2012-2013, collected information about the availability of staff support interventions which seek to prevent work-related stress among different members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT). It was completed by a member of staff with, where required, assistance from colleagues. All PTCs (n = 19) participated. Debriefs following a patient death was the most frequently reported staff support practice. Support groups were infrequently mentioned. There was wide variability between PTCs, and between professional groups, regarding the number and type of interventions available. Doctors appear to be least likely to have access to support. A few Centres routinely addressed work-related stress in wider staff management strategies. Two Centres had developed a bespoke intervention. Very few Centres were reported to actively raise awareness of support available from their hospital's Occupational Health department. A minority of PTCs had expert input regarding staff support from clinical psychology/liaison psychiatry. © 2016 The Authors. European Journal of Cancer Care Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Staff/bed and staff/patient ratios in South African public sector mental ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Objectives. To document staff/bed and staff/patient ratios in public. sector mental health services in South Africa. Design. Cross-sectional survey. Method. Aquestionnaire was distributed to provincial mental health co-ordinators requesting numbers of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff who provide mental health care at all ...
Personalized Learning Instructional Staff Survey Results (Spring 2014). Working Paper WR-1062-BMGF
Siler-Evans, Kyle; Steiner, Elizabeth D.; Hamilton, Laura S.; Pane, John F.
2014-01-01
The purpose of this document is to descriptively summarize instructional staff responses to a survey administered by RAND in 23 personalized learning (PL) schools in Spring 2014. This work was performed at the request of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), as part of a multi-year evaluation contract. The 23 schools were selected from a…
Langelotz, C; Koplin, G; Pascher, A; Lohmann, R; Köhler, A; Pratschke, J; Haase, O
2017-12-01
Background Between the conflicting requirements of clinic organisation, the European Working Time Directive, patient safety, an increasing lack of junior staff, and competitiveness, the development of ideal duty hour models is vital to ensure maximum quality of care within the legal requirements. To achieve this, it is useful to evaluate the actual effects of duty hour models on staff satisfaction. Materials and Methods After the traditional 24-hour duty shift was given up in a surgical maximum care centre in 2007, an 18-hour duty shift was implemented, followed by a 12-hour shift in 2008, to improve handovers and reduce loss of information. The effects on work organisation, quality of life and salary were analysed in an anonymous survey in 2008. The staff survey was repeated in 2014. Results With a response rate of 95% of questionnaires in 2008 and a 93% response rate in 2014, the 12-hour duty model received negative ratings due to its high duty frequency and subsequent social strain. Also the physical strain and chronic tiredness were rated as most severe in the 12-hour rota. The 18-hour duty shift was the model of choice amongst staff. The 24-hour duty model was rated as the best compromise between the requirements of work organisation and staff satisfaction, and therefore this duty model was adapted accordingly in 2015. Conclusion The essential basis of a surgical department is a duty hour model suited to the requirements of work organisation, the Working Time Directive and the needs of the surgical staff. A 12-hour duty model can be ideal for work organisation, but only if augmented with an adequate number of staff members, the implementation of this model is possible without the frequency of 12-hour shifts being too high associated with strain on surgical staff and a perceived deterioration of quality of life. A staff survey should be performed on a regular basis to assess the actual effects of duty hour models and enable further optimisation. The much
MAPS evaluation report and procedures governing interviews and performance appraisals
HR Department
2006-01-01
Following various improvements made to the MAPS report and to the procedures governing interviews and performance appraisals (announced in the CERN Weekly Bulletin 48-49/2005), three information sessions have been organized for all staff members: 24 January 10:00: AB Auditorium P (864-1-D02), 26 January 14:00: Main Amphitheatre, 31 January 10:00: AB Auditorium P (864-1-D02). Human Resources Department Tel. 73566
Development of a radiology faculty appraisal instrument by using critical incident interviewing.
Collins, J; Albanese, M A; Thakor, S K; Propeck, P A; Scanlan, K A
1997-12-01
To develop a valid and reliable radiology faculty appraisal instrument based on scientific methods. Fifteen radiology residents participated in critical incident interviewing. During a 1-hour interview, a resident was asked to describe five incidents each of effective and ineffective faculty behavior. Two investigators independently listened to the tape-recorded interviews, and two different investigators sorted the incidents into broad categories. A faculty appraisal instrument was developed by listing similar incidents under broad categories. A five-point rating scale was applied to each item. Content validity was assessed by resident and faculty critique of the appraisal instrument. A total of 168 incidents of faculty behavior were generated. The frequency with which similar incidents were reported was recorded. The most common behaviors reported were related to staff expertise and teaching. Interjudge reliability was good, as determined by computing K indices of agreement (overall K = 0.59). There was good agreement regarding instrument content validity among residents but not among faculty. Residents supported the use of the new appraisal instrument, but further tests of validity and reliability and faculty acceptance of the instrument will determine its usefulness as a tool for monitoring faculty teaching performance and making decisions regarding faculty promotion.
Views on authorship: survey among academic staffs of the Korean radiologists
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hwang, Seong Su
2004-01-01
The purpose of my survey is to assess the knowledge and views of the academic staff on authorship criteria. 363 academic staff were invited to fill out the survey via e-mail and the responses were collected for two weeks. A one-page questionnaire was prepared and it included 19 questions with three major groups. The first group of questions was demographic information including the responder's age, sex and academic position. The second group of questions was focused on the individual perception and personal experience for authorship on their publications. The last group of questions included awareness and views of authorship criteria established by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The responders were grouped according to age, sex and grade. To examine the difference of responses among each group, a Chi square test for categorical variables was performed. The overall response rate to the survey was 39.2% (113/288) and 20.7% (75/363) of e-mail address were undeliverable. The grade of respondents is relatively evenly distributed from fellowship (20%) to professor (22%). Most of the respondents (90.6%) had experienced difficulties with authorship. Although 72.2% of respondents had no awareness of ICMJE's criteria, they agreed with criteria fully (56.1%) and partially (42.4%). 42% of respondents expected that more than 50% of the authors per paper didn't fulfill the authorship criteria. Less than 5 authors per paper were adequate (96%). Most of respondents thought that the introduction of a contribution listing to the Journal of the Korean radiological society is necessary (93.5%) but it is not urgently needed (59.0%). I can see that there are authorship problems among the academic members of Korean radiological society. It is necessary to educate the members and to have them justify the validity of their authorship claims
Watkins, Richard R; Haller, Nairmeen; Wayde, Melinda; Armitage, Keith B
2017-01-01
We aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of resident physicians regarding sepsis in general and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines in particular. After institutional review board approval, we surveyed internal medicine (IM) and emergency medicine (EM) house staff from 3 separate institutions. House staff were notified of the survey via e-mail from their residency director or chief resident. The survey was Internet-based (using http://www.surveymonkey.com ), voluntary, and anonymous. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines were used to develop the survey. The survey was open between December 2015 and April 2016. No incentives for participation were given. Reminder e-mails were sent approximately every 3 to 4 weeks to all eligible participants. Comparisons of responses were evaluated using the N-1 2-proportion test. A total of 133 responses were received. These included 84 from IM house staff, 27 from EM house staff, and 22 who selected "other." Eighty (101/126) percent reported managing at least 1 patient with sepsis in the preceding 30 days, 85% (97/114) rated their knowledge of the Surviving Sepsis Guidelines as "very familiar" or at least "somewhat familiar," and 84% (91/108) believed their training in the diagnosis and management of sepsis was "excellent" or at least "good." However, 43% (47/108) reported not receiving any feedback on their treatment of patients with sepsis in the last 30 days, while 24% (26/108) received feedback once. Both IM and EM house staff received comparable rates of feedback (62% vs 48%, respectively; P = .21). For the 3 questions that directly tested knowledge of the guidelines, the scores of the IM and EM house staff were similar. Notably, house staff on the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines is warranted, along with more consistent feedback regarding their diagnosis and management of sepsis.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kateřina Venclová
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Employee performance appraisal is one of the most important human resource management tools. The first part of the article concentrates on the theoretical background. The second part evaluates the results of the quantitative survey. The aim of the article is to evaluate the use of formal appraisal of employees in agricultural organizations in the Czech Republic and to test dependencies between selected qualitative characteristics. The results of the survey show that only 12.3% of agricultural organizations (n = 332 use formal appraisal of employees. They also confirm that the application of the formal appraisal of employees in agricultural organizations depends on the size of the agricultural organization (p-value 0.006, Phi coefficient 0.151 and the existence of a personnel department (p-value 0.000, Phi coefficient 0.210. 49.1% of agricultural organizations did not consider formal appraisal important. Only 5.8% of agricultural organizations that do not use any system of formal employee performance appraisal plan its implementation, despite the fact that currently people are considered to be the most important strategic asset of any organization for achieving a competitive advantage.
COMMUNICATION OPENNESS IN PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEMS ENHANCING JOB SATISFACTION
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
ISMAIL Azman
2014-06-01
Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between communication openness in performance appraisal systems and job satisfaction. A survey method was employed to gather data from employees who have worked in a privatized postal company in Sarawak, Malaysia. SmartPLS version 2.0 was used to determine the validity and reliability of instrument and test the research hypotheses. The outcomes of SmartPLS path model showed that explanation and feedback were positively and significantly related to job satisfaction. This result confirms that the ability of appraisers to clearly explain the performance appraisal practices and adequately provide feedback in determining performance scores have been important predictors of appraises’ job satisfaction in the studied organization. Further, this study provides discussion, implications and conclusion.
Performance appraisal and advancement exercise 2005
Human Resources Department
2004-01-01
The 2005 performance appraisal and advancement exercise will start in the usual way with annual interviews between staff and their supervisors. These interviews should be held in the period from 15 November 2004 to 15 February 2005 [see Administrative Circular No 26 (Rev. 5) Annex II, § 3. For this exercise, the paper MAPS form has been replaced by an electronic form in the EDH system, which is available via EDH (on the EDH desktop under Other Tasks / HR & Training) No changes have been made to the contents of the form. HR Department will shortly provide further information on this subject. Human Resources Department Tel. 73566
A survey of the health needs of hospital staff: implications for health care managers.
Jinks, Annette M; Lawson, Valerie; Daniels, Ruth
2003-09-01
Developing strategies to address the health needs of the National Health Services (NHS) workforce are of concern to many health care managers. Focal to the development of such strategies are of being in receipt of baseline information about employees expressed health needs and concerns. This article addresses obtaining such baseline information and presents the findings of a health needs survey of acute hospital staff in a trust in North Wales. The total population of trust employees were surveyed (n = 2300) and a 44% (n = 1021) response rate was achieved. A number of positive findings are given. Included are that the majority of those surveyed stated that their current health status is good, are motivated to improve their health further, do not smoke and their alcohol consumption is within recommended levels. There appears, however, to be a number of areas where trust managers can help its staff improve their health. Included are trust initiatives that focus on weight control and taking more exercise. In addition, there appears to be a reported lack of knowledge and positive health behaviour amongst the male respondents surveyed that would imply the trust needs to be more effective in promoting well man type issues. Finally there appears to be a general lack of pride in working for the trust and a pervasive feeling that the trust does not care about its employees that needs to be addressed. It is concluded that the findings of this survey have implications for management practices in the trust where the survey was conducted and also wider applicability to the management of health care professionals. For example, addressing work-related psychological and physical problems of employees are of importance to all health care managers. This is especially so when considering recruitment and retention issues.
Evidence appraisal: a scoping review, conceptual framework, and research agenda.
Goldstein, Andrew; Venker, Eric; Weng, Chunhua
2017-11-01
Critical appraisal of clinical evidence promises to help prevent, detect, and address flaws related to study importance, ethics, validity, applicability, and reporting. These research issues are of growing concern. The purpose of this scoping review is to survey the current literature on evidence appraisal to develop a conceptual framework and an informatics research agenda. We conducted an iterative literature search of Medline for discussion or research on the critical appraisal of clinical evidence. After title and abstract review, 121 articles were included in the analysis. We performed qualitative thematic analysis to describe the evidence appraisal architecture and its issues and opportunities. From this analysis, we derived a conceptual framework and an informatics research agenda. We identified 68 themes in 10 categories. This analysis revealed that the practice of evidence appraisal is quite common but is rarely subjected to documentation, organization, validation, integration, or uptake. This is related to underdeveloped tools, scant incentives, and insufficient acquisition of appraisal data and transformation of the data into usable knowledge. The gaps in acquiring appraisal data, transforming the data into actionable information and knowledge, and ensuring its dissemination and adoption can be addressed with proven informatics approaches. Evidence appraisal faces several challenges, but implementing an informatics research agenda would likely help realize the potential of evidence appraisal for improving the rigor and value of clinical evidence. © 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
Appraisal of Information Technology Requirements in Quantity Surveying Firms in Northern Nigeria
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Y. U. Datti
2017-06-01
Full Text Available A worrisome trend in the adoption of emerging technologies for competitive advantages and improved productivities by QSs have been observed in that there is overwhelming evidence that there is an increasing usage of IT in quantity surveying firms but little or no noticeable benefits on the practice. It however becomes pertinent to ask then, that despite the increases adoption of computing and telecommunication technologies, why isn’t there any noticeable change due to the impacts of IT in the Nigerian Construction Industry with particular reference to Quantity Surveying practices. The study appraised the requirement of IT in quantity surveying practice in Nigeria. It examined the position of IT in quantity surveying firms in terms of its requirement and analyzed IT requirements-based problem constraining quantity surveying firms. The study is a survey research designed to obtain information on information technology in QS firms. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to quantity surveyors in consulting firms for responses. Responses were returned and analyzed using severity index and later ranked in order of importance. The results indicate a high level of computerization of professional services among the firms with greater number of their computers being networked. However, despite high level of networking of available computers, sharing of printers and other scarce tools/technologies are not established. Compared to developed countries such as Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and USA, the position of IT requirements in QS firms in Nigeria can be said to be at basic level with organization possessing and applying basic IT tools and technologies (e.g. scanners, digital cameras, dvd/cd-rom, general purpose software, QS application software, chat programs etc. in their daily operation and processes. While most firms are progressing toward intermediate level by possessing intermediate IT tools and technologies (e.g. teleconferencing
Albers, G.; Francke, A.L.; Veer, A.J.E. de; Bilsen, J.; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B.D.
2014-01-01
Objectives: To investigate nursing staff attitudes towards involvement and role in end-of-life decisions (ELD) and the relationships with sociodemographic and work-related characteristics. Methods: Survey study among nationally representative Dutch research sample consisting of care professionals.
Albers, G.; Francke, A.L.; de Veer, A.J.E.; Bilsen, J.; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B.D.
2014-01-01
Objectives: To investigate nursing staff attitudes towards involvement and role in end-of-life decisions (ELDs) and the relationships with sociodemographic and work-related characteristics. Methods: Survey study among nationally representative Dutch research sample consisting of care professionals.
Health system guidance appraisal--concept evaluation and usability testing.
Ako-Arrey, Denis E; Brouwers, Melissa C; Lavis, John N; Giacomini, Mita K
2016-01-05
Health system guidance (HSG) provides recommendations aimed to address health system challenges. However, there is a paucity of methods to direct, appraise, and report HSG. Earlier research identified 30 candidate criteria (concepts) that can be used to evaluate the quality of HSG and guide development and reporting requirements. The objective of this paper was to describe two studies aimed at evaluating the importance of these 30 criteria, design a draft HSG appraisal tool, and test its usability. This study involved a two-step survey process. In step 1, respondents rated the 30 concepts for appropriateness to, relevance to, and priority for health system decisions and HSG. This led to a draft tool. In step 2, respondents reviewed HSG documents, appraised them using the tool, and answered a series of questions. Descriptive analyses were computed. Fifty participants were invited in step 1, and we had a response rate of 82 %. The mean response rates for each concept within each survey question were universally favorable. There was also an overall agreement about the need for a high-quality tool to systematically direct the development, appraisal, and reporting of HSG. Qualitative feedback and a consensus process by the team led to refinements to some of the concepts and the creation of a beta (draft) version of the HSG tool. In step 2, 35 participants were invited and we had a response rate of 74 %. Exploratory analyses showed that the quality of the HSGs reviewed varied as a function of the HSG item and the specific document assessed. A favorable consensus was reached with participants agreeing that the HSG items were easy to understand and easy to apply. Moreover, the overall agreement was high for the usability of the tool to systematically direct the development (85 %), appraisal (92 %), and reporting (81 %) of HSG. From this process, version 1.0 of the HSG appraisal tool was generated complete with 32 items (and their descriptions) and 4 domains. The final
Islam, Muhammad Saiful; Baker, Christine; Huxley, Peter; Russell, Ian T; Dennis, Michael S
2017-01-01
The majority of residents in care homes in the United Kingdom are living with dementia or significant memory problems. Caring in this setting can be difficult and stressful for care staff who work long hours, have little opportunity for training, are poorly paid and yet subject to high expectation. This may affect their mental and physical wellbeing, cause high rates of staff turnover and absenteeism, and affect the quality of care they provide. The main objective of this survey was to explore the nature, characteristics and associations of stress in care home staff. Staff working in a stratified random sample of care homes within Wales completed measures covering: general health and wellbeing (SF-12); stress (Work Stress Inventory); job content (Karasek Job Content); approach to, and experience of, working with people living with dementia (Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire; and Experience of Working with Dementia Patients); and Productivity and Health Status (SPS-6). Multiple linear regressions explored the effects of home and staff characteristics on carers. 212 staff from 72 care homes completed questionnaires. Staff from nursing homes experienced more work stress than those from residential homes (difference 0.30; 95% confidence interval (CI) from 0.10 to 0.51; P work (difference -4.77; CI -7.80 to -1.73; P working in local authority homes than in the private sector (difference 7.75; CI 2.56 to 12.94; P < 0.01). Our study highlights the importance of dementia training in care homes, with a particular need in the private sector. An effective intervention to reduce stress in health and social care staff is required, especially in nursing and larger care homes, and for nursing staff. ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN80487202. Registered 24 July 2013.
Psychosocial Care for Injured Children: Worldwide Survey among Hospital Emergency Department Staff.
Alisic, Eva; Hoysted, Claire; Kassam-Adams, Nancy; Landolt, Markus A; Curtis, Sarah; Kharbanda, Anupam B; Lyttle, Mark D; Parri, Niccolò; Stanley, Rachel; Babl, Franz E
2016-03-01
To examine emergency department (ED) staff's knowledge of traumatic stress in children, attitudes toward providing psychosocial care, and confidence in doing so, and also to examine differences in these outcomes according to demographic, professional, and organizational characteristics, and training preferences. We conducted an online survey among staff in ED and equivalent hospital departments, based on the Psychological First Aid and Distress-Emotional Support-Family protocols. Main analyses involved descriptive statistics and multiple regressions. Respondents were 2648 ED staff from 87 countries (62.2% physicians and 37.8% nurses; mean years of experience in emergency care was 9.5 years with an SD of 7.5 years; 25.2% worked in a low- or middle-income country). Of the respondents, 1.2% correctly answered all 7 knowledge questions, with 24.7% providing at least 4 correct answers. Almost all respondents (90.1%) saw all 18 identified aspects of psychosocial care as part of their job. Knowledge and confidence scores were associated with respondent characteristics (eg, years of experience, low/middle vs high-income country), although these explained no more than 11%-18% of the variance. Almost all respondents (93.1%) wished to receive training, predominantly through an interactive website or one-off group training. A small minority (11.1%) had previously received training. More education of ED staff regarding child traumatic stress and psychosocial care appears needed and would be welcomed. Universal education packages that are readily available can be modified for use in the ED. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Strasser, Sheryl
2011-07-01
Full Text Available Background: The aging population is a rapidly growing demographic. Isolation and limited autonomy render many of the elderly vulnerable to abuse, neglect and exploitation. As the population grows, so does the need for Adult Protective Services (APS. This study was conducted to examine current knowledge of older adult protection laws in Georgia among APS staff and to identify training opportunities to better prepare the APS workforce in case detection and intervention.Methods: The Georgia State University Institute of Public Health faculty developed a primary survey in partnership with the Georgia Division of Aging Services’ leadership to identify key training priority issues for APS caseworkers and investigators. A 47-item electronic questionnaire was delivered to all APS employees via work-issued email accounts. We conducted descriptive analyses, t-tests and chi-square analyses to determine APS employees’ baseline knowledge of Georgia’s elder abuse policies, laws and practices, as well as examine associations of age, ethnicity, and educational attainment with knowledge. We used a p-value of 0.05 and 95% confidence intervals to determine statistical significance of analyses performed.Result: Ninety-two out of 175 APS staff responded to the survey (53% response rate. The majority of respondents were Caucasian (56% women (92%. For over half the survey items, paired sample t-tests revealed significant differences between what APS staff reported as known and what APS staff members indicated they needed to know more about in terms of elder abuse and current policies. Chi-square tests revealed that non-Caucasians significantly preferred video conferencing as a training format (44% compared to 18%, [χ2(1 = 7.102, p < .008], whereas Caucasians preferred asynchronous online learning formats (55% compared to 28% [χ2(1 =5.951, p < .015].Conclusion: Results from this study provide the Georgia Division of Aging with insight into specific policy areas
Strasser, Sheryl M; Kerr, Judith; King, Patricia S; Payne, Brian; Beddington, Sarah; Pendrick, Danielle; Leyda, Elizabeth; McCarty, Frances
2011-07-01
The aging population is a rapidly growing demographic. Isolation and limited autonomy render many of the elderly vulnerable to abuse, neglect and exploitation. As the population grows, so does the need for Adult Protective Services (APS). This study was conducted to examine current knowledge of older adult protection laws in Georgia among APS staff and to identify training opportunities to better prepare the APS workforce in case detection and intervention. The Georgia State University Institute of Public Health faculty developed a primary survey in partnership with the Georgia Division of Aging Services' leadership to identify key training priority issues for APS caseworkers and investigators. A 47-item electronic questionnaire was delivered to all APS employees via work-issued email accounts. We conducted descriptive analyses, t-tests and chi-square analyses to determine APS employees' baseline knowledge of Georgia's elder abuse policies, laws and practices, as well as examine associations of age, ethnicity, and educational attainment with knowledge. We used a p-value of 0.05 and 95% confidence intervals to determine statistical significance of analyses performed. Ninety-two out of 175 APS staff responded to the survey (53% response rate). The majority of respondents were Caucasian (56%) women (92%). For over half the survey items, paired sample t-tests revealed significant differences between what APS staff reported as known and what APS staff members indicated they needed to know more about in terms of elder abuse and current policies. Chi-square tests revealed that non-Caucasians significantly preferred video conferencing as a training format (44% compared to 18%), [χ(2)(1) = 7.102, p < .008], whereas Caucasians preferred asynchronous online learning formats (55% compared to 28%) [χ(2)(1) =5.951, p < .015]. Results from this study provide the Georgia Division of Aging with insight into specific policy areas that are not well understood by APS staff
Positive emotion, appraisal, and the role of appraisal overlap in positive emotion co-occurrence.
Tong, Eddie M W; Jia, Lile
2017-02-01
Appraisal research has traditionally focused on negative emotions but has not addressed issues concerning the relationships between several positive emotions and appraisals in daily life and the extent to which co-occurrence of positive emotions can be explained by overlap in appraisals. Driven by a priori hypotheses on appraisal-emotion relationships, this study investigated 12 positive emotions and 13 appraisal dimensions using Ecological Momentary Assessment. The results provide strong evidence that positive emotions and appraisals correlate significantly in daily life. Importantly, we found that the positive emotions' overlap on theoretically relevant, as compared to irrelevant, appraisals was stronger and more predictive of their co-occurrence. Furthermore, appraisal overlap on theoretically relevant appraisals predicted the co-occurrence of positive emotions even when the appraisal of pleasantness was excluded, indicating that positive emotions do not co-occur just by virtue of their shared valence. Our findings affirmed and refined the appraisal profiles of positive emotions and underscore the importance of appraisals in accounting for the commonality and differences among positive emotions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).
Dancing in pain: pain appraisal and coping in dancers.
Anderson, Ruth; Hanrahan, Stephanie J
2008-01-01
This study investigated the relationships between the type of pain experienced (performance pain and injury pain), the cognitive appraisal of pain and pain coping styles in dancers. Fifty-one professional ballet and contemporary dancers (17 males and 34 females), with the mean age of 25.9 years, completed a general pain questionnaire, the Pain Appraisal Inventory, the Survey of Pain Attitudes Control Subscale, and the Sports Inventory for Pain. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that both the cognitive appraisal of the pain and pain coping styles did not differ according to the type of pain experienced or the pain severity. However, it was found that dancers with performance pain of either low or high severity were more likely to dance in pain than dancers experiencing injury pain. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the appraisal of pain as threatening was predictive of the use of avoidance and catastrophizing pain coping styles. Overall, results indicated that dancers may not differentiate between performance pain and injury pain, or modify their appraisal and coping strategies according to the characteristics of the pain experienced. The study highlighted an opportunity for increased education for dancers in recognizing the difference between pain considered to be a routine aspect of training and pain which is a signal of serious injury.
An American System of Staff Appraisal. Coombe Lodge Case Study. Information Bank Number 1017.
Latcham, J.
Prepared for staff in the British further education system, this report describes and explains the formal staff assessment model used at Richland College, Texas. Introductory material describes the college, its student body, and its organization and structure. Next, the four components of the teacher evaluation system used in the Dallas Community…
Evaluating the Capacity of Standard Investment Appraisal Methods
M.M. Akalu
2002-01-01
textabstractThe survey findings indicate the existence of gap between theory and practice of capital budgeting. Standard appraisal methods have shown a wider project value discrepancy, which is beyond and above the contingency limit. In addition, the research has found the growing trend in the use
Staff - Kenneth R. Papp | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical
Surveys Home About Us Director's Office Alaska Statutes Annual Reports Employment Staff Directory and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Staff - Kenneth R. Papp main
Productivity Implications of Employee Performance Appraisal System : A Critical Survey.
Dr. VSR Subramaniam
2004-01-01
The Productivity of any organisation is directly correlated to the Effectiveness of the Employee Performance Appraisal System, subject to the Effectiveness of the Support Systems, depending upon the type of organizational business. INFERENCE : Technology, Systems and Manpower are linked in an inter- related circle focusing towards Productivity =============================================================== DOCTORAL (Ph.D) RESEARCH WORK OF DR.VSR.SUBRAMANIAM IN JAMNALAL BAJAJ INSTITUTE OF MANA...
Evaluation of a survey tool to measure safety climate in Australian hospital pharmacy staff.
Walpola, Ramesh L; Chen, Timothy F; Fois, Romano A; Ashcroft, Darren M; Lalor, Daniel J
Safety climate evaluation is increasingly used by hospitals as part of quality improvement initiatives. Consequently, it is necessary to have validated tools to measure changes. To evaluate the construct validity and internal consistency of a survey tool to measure Australian hospital pharmacy patient safety climate. A 42 item cross-sectional survey was used to evaluate the patient safety climate of 607 Australian hospital pharmacy staff. Survey responses were initially mapped to the factor structure previously identified in European community pharmacy. However, as the data did not adequately fit the community pharmacy model, participants were randomly split into two groups with exploratory factor analysis performed on the first group (n = 302) and confirmatory factor analyses performed on the second group (n = 305). Following exploratory factor analysis (59.3% variance explained) and confirmatory factor analysis, a 6-factor model containing 28 items was obtained with satisfactory model fit (χ 2 (335) = 664.61 p 0.643) and model nesting between the groups (Δχ 2 (22) = 30.87, p = 0.10). Three factors (blame culture, organisational learning and working conditions) were similar to those identified in European community pharmacy and labelled identically. Three additional factors (preoccupation with improvement; comfort to question authority; and safety issues being swept under the carpet) highlight hierarchical issues present in hospital settings. This study has demonstrated the validity of a survey to evaluate patient safety climate of Australian hospital pharmacy staff. Importantly, this validated factor structure may be used to evaluate changes in safety climate over time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Job satisfaction survey among health centers staff
Shahnazi, Hossein; Daniali, Seyede Shahrbanoo; Sharifirad, Gholamreza
2014-01-01
Background: Due to the importance of health care organizations with significant responsibility for prevention and care, assessment of job satisfaction among health care staff is essential. Quality of health services will be decreased provided they are not satisfied. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of health care staff in Khomeinishahr (centers, buildings, and networks) If they had at least 6 months work experience, they could enter the study. Data included a t...
Research culture and capacity in community health services: results of a structured survey of staff.
Friesen, Emma L; Comino, Elizabeth J
2017-05-01
Developing research capacity is recognised as an important endeavour. However, little is known about the current research culture, capacity and supports for staff working in community-based health settings. A structured survey of Division of Community Health staff was conducted using the research capacity tool. The survey was disseminated by email and in paper format. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. In total, 109 usable responses were received, giving a response rate of 26%. Respondents were predominately nurses (n=71, 65.7%), with ~50% reporting post-graduate vocational qualifications. The highest levels of skills or organisational success were in using evidence to plan, promote and guide clinical practice. Most participants were unsure of organisational and team level skills and success at generating research. Few reported recent experience in research-generating activities. Barriers to undertaking research included lack of skills, time and access to external support and funding. Lack of skills and success in accessing external funding and resources to protect research time or to 'buy-in' technical expertise appeared to exacerbate these barriers. Community health staff have limited capacity to generate research with current levels of skill, funding and time. Strategies to increase research capacity should be informed by knowledge of clinicians' research experience and interests, and target development of skills to generate research. Resources and funding are needed at the organisational and team levels to overcome the significant barriers to research generation reported.
ILearning and EHomeStudy: Multimedia Training and Assessments for Field Survey Staff
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Charles Loftis
2008-04-01
Full Text Available Survey data collection projects strive to collect high quality data from survey respondents. The quality of the data collected is greatly dependent upon the effectiveness of field interviewers (FIs to conduct inperson screenings and interviews. Training FIs and subsequently assessing their knowledge of project protocol, methods and interviewing techniques is critical to the overall success of any data collection effort. For large surveys, as the number of FIs increase, the cost of inperson training can become prohibitively large. As a cost effective solution to increase the quality of the field data, we developed a suite of web and media based training and assessment tools called iLearning and eHomeStudy for training field staff. Besides saving the project costs associated with inperson training, we are also able to provide refresher trainings throughout the year. This application also enables FIs to view standardized training courses at their convenience and at their own pace. This paper describes the technical details, key features and benefits of this application suite, and also it includes some details on user satisfaction and future directions.
Appraisal of Student-Teacher's Attitude Toward Teaching Profession ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The disposition of teachers within and outside the school will in no little amount positively affect the academic achievement of students. Thus, this paper is a descriptive survey which sought to appraise the attitude of student-teacher's relationship across teacher training institutes in Lagos State, Nigeria. This study was ...
Survey and critique of quantitative methods for the appraisal of mineral resources. Progress report
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Harris, D.P.
1976-01-01
Two major categories of appraisal methods (models) for regional mineral resources are identified by virtue of the manner in which mineral endowment is treated in the appraisal: implicit and explicit models. Implicit models do not identify nor specify the mineral endowment model. Mineral resources are inferred to exist as required to fulfill economic or secular relationships. Econometric models of mineral supply and Hubbert's time-rate trend projection are varieties of implicit models. Explicit mineral resource models separate the economic and endowment models and state the endowment model explicitly. Explicit models describe mineral endowment as a function of some physical aspect of the earth's crust, such as geology, volume of rock, density of mineral occurrences, and crustal abundance of an element. Economic factors are introduced subsequent to the appraisal of endowment either as an explicit model which interacts with the deposits inferred by the endowment model, or as a simple adjustment made directly on some aggregate measure of endowment
Vasalampi, Kati; Salmela-Aro, Katariina; Nurmi, Jari-Erik
2010-01-01
This study investigated whether adolescents' appraisals of their education-related goals change during the transition from comprehensive school to postcomprehensive secondary education (academic vs. vocational track) and how such appraisals contribute to their self-esteem. Six hundred and seven 16-year-old adolescents were surveyed three times:…
Lee, Moo-Sik; Lee, Kwan; Park, Ji-Hyuk; Hong, Jee-Young; Jang, Min Young; Jeon, Byoung-Hak; Cho, Sang Yun; Choi, Sun Ja; Hong, Jeong Ik
2017-01-01
We used a survey about the need for an educational training of infectious disease response staff in Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and officer in metropolitan cities and provincial government to conduct field epidemiological investigation. The survey was conducted from January 25 to March 15, 2016. A total of 173 participants were selected from four different groups as follows: 27 clinical specialists, 22 Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers, 82 KCDC staff, and 42 local health department officials. Results revealed that 83% of KCDC staff and 95% of local health department officials agreed on the need for educational training to strengthen capability of personnel to conduct epidemic research and investigation. The level of their need for training was relatively high, while self-confidence levels of individuals to conduct epidemic research and investigation was low. It was concluded that there was a need to develop training programs to enhance the ability of public health officials, EIS officers, KCDC staff, and local health department personnel to conduct epidemic research and investigation.
Phakiti, Aek
2016-01-01
The current study explores the nature and relationships among test takers' performance appraisals, appraisal calibration, and reported cognitive and metacognitive strategy use in a language test situation. Performance appraisals are executive processes of strategic competence for judging test performance (e.g., evaluating the correctness or…
Sato, Hajime; Akabayashi, Akira; Kai, Ichiro
2005-01-01
Background Public satisfaction with policy process influences the legitimacy and acceptance of policies, and conditions the future political process, especially when contending ethical value judgments are involved. On the other hand, public involvement is required if effective policy is to be developed and accepted. Methods Using the data from a large-scale national opinion survey, this study evaluates public appraisal of past government efforts to legalize organ transplant from brain-dead bodies in Japan, and examines the public's intent to participate in future policy. Results A relatively large percentage of people became aware of the issue when government actions were initiated, and many increasingly formed their own opinions on the policy in question. However, a significant number (43.3%) remained unaware of any legislative efforts, and only 26.3% of those who were aware provided positive appraisals of the policymaking process. Furthermore, a majority of respondents (61.8%) indicated unwillingness to participate in future policy discussions of bioethical issues. Multivariate analysis revealed the following factors are associated with positive appraisals of policy development: greater age; earlier opinion formation; and familiarity with donor cards. Factors associated with likelihood of future participation in policy discussion include younger age, earlier attention to the issue, and knowledge of past government efforts. Those unwilling to participate cited as their reasons that experts are more knowledgeable and that the issues are too complex. Conclusions Results of an opinion survey in Japan were presented, and a set of factors statistically associated with them were discussed. Further efforts to improve policy making process on bioethical issues are desirable. PMID:15661080
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tzeng Huey-Ming
2010-02-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Little research has been done on patient call light use and staff response time, which were found to be associated with inpatient falls and satisfaction. Nurses' perspectives may moderate or mediate the aforementioned relationships. This exploratory study intended to understand staff's perspectives about call lights, staff responsiveness, and the reasons for and the nature of call light use. It also explored differences among hospitals and identified significant predictors of the nature of call light use. Methods This cross-sectional, multihospital survey study was conducted from September 2008 to January 2009 in four hospitals located in the Midwestern region of the United States. A brief survey was used. All 2309 licensed and unlicensed nursing staff members who provide direct patient care in 27 adult care units were invited to participate. A total of 808 completed surveys were retrieved for an overall response rate of 35%. The SPSS 16.0 Window version was used. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results The primary reasons for patient-initiated calls were for toileting assistance, pain medication, and intravenous problems. Toileting assistance was the leading reason. Each staff responded to 6 to 7 calls per hour and a call was answered within 4 minutes (estimated. 49% of staff perceived that patient-initiated calls mattered to patient safety. 77% agreed that that these calls were meaningful. 52% thought that these calls required the attention of nursing staff. 53% thought that answering calls prevented them from doing the critical aspects of their role. Staff's perceptions about the nature of calls varied across hospitals. Junior staff tended to overlook the importance of answering calls. A nurse participant tended to perceive calls as more likely requiring nursing staff's attention than a nurse aide participant. Conclusions If answering calls was a high priority among nursing tasks, staff
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Timothy R. Worley
2014-12-01
Full Text Available This study examined the role of friendship sex composition, friendship history, and threat appraisals in the experience of jealousy about a romantic partner’s involvement in extradyadic friendships. Using a survey, 201 individuals responded to scenarios describing a romantic partner’s involvement in a significant friendship outside the romantic dyad. A partner’s involvement in a cross-sex friendship was associated with greater perceptions of threat to both the existence and quality of the romantic relationship than was a partner’s involvement in a same-sex friendship. Further, the specific forms of jealousy experienced about partners’ friendships were dependent on the threat appraisals individuals associated with the friendships. Appraisals of relational existence threat mediated the influence of friendship characteristics (i.e., sex composition and history on sexual jealousy and companionship jealousy, while appraisals of relational quality threat mediated the influence of friendship characteristics on intimacy jealousy, power jealousy, and companionship jealousy. This study points toward the central role of threat appraisals in mediating associations between rival characteristics and various forms of jealousy about a partner’s friendships.
A simulation-based training program improves emergency department staff communication.
Sweeney, Lynn A; Warren, Otis; Gardner, Liz; Rojek, Adam; Lindquist, David G
2014-01-01
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of Project CLEAR!, a novel simulation-based training program designed to instill Crew Resource Management (CRM) as the communication standard and to create a service-focused environment in the emergency department (ED) by standardizing the patient encounter. A survey-based study compared physicians' and nurses' perceptions of the quality of communication before and after the training program. Surveys were developed to measure ED staff perceptions of the quality of communication between staff members and with patients. Pretraining and posttraining survey results were compared. After the training program, survey scores improved significantly on questions that asked participants to rate the overall communication between staff members and between staff and patients. A simulation-based training program focusing on CRM and standardizing the patient encounter improves communication in the ED, both between staff members and between staff members and patients.
12 CFR 564.3 - Appraisals required; transactions requiring a State certified or licensed appraiser.
2010-01-01
... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Appraisals required; transactions requiring a State certified or licensed appraiser. 564.3 Section 564.3 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY APPRAISALS § 564.3 Appraisals required; transactions requiring a State...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Schleimann, Finn; Enemark, Ulrika; Vagnby, Bo Hellisen
Appraisal of continued support to Ghana's health sector for a third phase covering 2003 - 2007. Funding recommended with DKK 340 million over five years.......Appraisal of continued support to Ghana's health sector for a third phase covering 2003 - 2007. Funding recommended with DKK 340 million over five years....
Critical care staff rotation: outcomes of a survey and pilot study.
Richardson, Annette; Douglas, Margaret; Shuttler, Rachel; Hagland, Martin R
2003-01-01
Staff rotation is defined as a reciprocal exchange of staff between two or more clinical areas for a predetermined period of time. The rationale for introducing a 'Critical Care Nurse Rotation Programme' includes important issues such as improving nurses' knowledge and skills, providing development opportunities, networking, the ability to recruit and retain nurses and the provision of a more versatile and flexible workforce. To gain the understanding of nurses' views and opinions on critical care rotation programmes, evidence was collected by means of questionnaires involving 153 critical care nurses and by undertaking semi-structured interviews with four nurses. On the basis of the responses, a pilot of three Critical Care Nurse Rotation Programmes was introduced. An evaluation of the pilot project assessed participants, supervisors and senior nurses' experience of rotation and revealed very positive experiences being reported. The benefits highlighted included improving clinical skills and experience, improving interdepartmental relationships, heightened motivation and opportunities to network. The disadvantages focused on the operational and managerial issues, such as difficulties maintaining supervision and providing an adequate supernumerary period. Evidence from the survey and pilot study suggests that in the future, providing rotational programmes for critical care nurses would be a valuable strategy for recruitment, retention and developing the workforce.
Brouns, Francis; Berlanga, Adriana; Fetter, Sibren; Bitter-Rijpkema, Marlies; Van Bruggen, Jan; Sloep, Peter
2009-01-01
Brouns, F., Berlanga, A. J., Fetter, S., Bitter-Rijpkema, M. E., Van Bruggen, J. M., & Sloep, P. B. (2011). A survey on social networks to determine requirements for Learning Networks for professional development of university staff. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 7(3), 298-311.
Staff nurses as antimicrobial stewards: An integrative literature review.
Monsees, Elizabeth; Goldman, Jennifer; Popejoy, Lori
2017-08-01
Guidelines on antimicrobial stewardship emphasize the importance of an interdisciplinary team, but current practice focuses primarily on defining the role of infectious disease physicians and pharmacists; the role of inpatient staff nurses as antimicrobial stewards is largely unexplored. An updated integrative review method guided a systematic appraisal of 13 articles spanning January 2007-June 2016. Quantitative and qualitative peer-reviewed publications including staff nurses and antimicrobial knowledge or stewardship were incorporated into the analysis. Two predominant themes emerged from this review: (1) nursing knowledge, education, and information needs; and (2) patient safety and organizational factors influencing antibiotic management. Focused consideration to empower and educate staff nurses in antimicrobial management is needed to strengthen collaboration and build an interprofessional stewardship workforce. Further exploration on the integration and measurement of nursing participation is needed to accelerate this important patient safety initiative. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Survey of Emergency Department staff on disaster preparedness and training for Ebola virus disease.
Siddle, Jennica; Tolleson-Rinehart, Sue; Brice, Jane
2016-01-01
In the domestic response to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease from 2013 to 2015, many US hospitals developed and implemented specialized training programs to care for patients with Ebola. This research reports on the effects of targeted training on Emergency Department (ED) staff's Ebola-related perceptions and attitudes. One hundred fifty-nine members of the UNC Health Care System ED staff participated in a voluntary cross-sectional, anonymous Web survey administered using a one-time "post then pre" design. Participants responded to questions about risk, roles, willingness to provide care, preparedness, and the contributions of media, training, or time to opinion change using a Likert agree-disagree scale. The authors conducted t test comparisons of Likert responses to pretraining and post-training attitudes about Ebola preparedness. The authors conducted multinomial logistic regression analyses of index scores of change and positivity of responses, controlling for the effects of independent variables. ED staff's opinions supported training; 73 percent felt all workers should receive Ebola education, 60 percent agreed all hospitals should prepare for Ebola, 66 percent felt UNC was better prepared, and 66 percent felt it had done enough to be ready for an Ebola case. Most staff (79 percent) said they had gotten more training for Ebola than for other disease outbreaks; 58 percent had experienced prior epidemics. After training, workers' attitudes were more positive about Ebola preparation including perceived risk of transmission, readiness and ability to manage a patient case, understanding team roles, and trust in both personal protective equipment and the hospital system's preparations (13 measures, p training period (Mean Difference [MD] = 17.45, SD = 9.89) and in the intended positive direction (MD = 15.80, SD = 0.91, p training (p = 0.003). Despite different occupations, mean scores were similar. Staff rated training most important and media least important
Healthcare librarians and the delivery of critical appraisal training: barriers to involvement.
Maden-Jenkins, Michelle
2011-03-01
Many healthcare librarians are undertaking training in critical appraisal but a significant number are not cascading the training to their end-users. To examine the barriers to healthcare librarian involvement in delivering critical appraisal training. A questionnaire survey of 57 library services across 48 NHS Trust Library Services in north west England followed up with 21 semi-structured interviews. Two types of barriers were noted: extrinsic barriers (organisational, environmental, training, role expectations) and intrinsic barriers (knowledge, skills, attitude). These barriers are not mutually exclusive and by overcoming one of them it does not necessarily follow that healthcare librarians will engage in delivering critical appraisal skills training. The challenge lies in developing strategies to deal effectively with these barriers to encourage and support healthcare librarians in the delivery of critical appraisal training at a level at which they feel confident and able. © 2010 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2010 Health Libraries Group.
Erhabor, Gregory E; Obaseki, Daniel O; Awopeju, Olayemi F; Ijadunola, Kayode T; Adewole, Olufemi O
2016-01-01
Asthma continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. But, its burden among adult populations in university campuses is not well described. Through a multistage cluster sampling of students and staff of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, we obtained a representative sample, each for students and staff. We administered the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) screening questionnaire to all the respondents. A subgroup did a spirometry test and completed a detailed questionnaire. Asthma was considered "possible", if a respondent provided affirmative response to symptoms of "wheezing or whistling", "attack of shortness of breath", "diagnosed attack of asthma" in the last 12 months or "currently taking medicines for asthma". From population of 13,750 students and 1428 staff of the university, we systematically sampled 2750 (20%) students and all the staff. Amongst these, 2372 students and 455 staff completed the screening questionnaire. The mean age (SD) of the responders was 21.9 (3.2) and 46.1 (8.9) for students and staff and most of them were men; 58.6% and 65.9%, respectively. While an estimated 2.6% (95% CI: 1.7-3.5) of students had an asthma attack in the preceding 12 months, 14.5% (95% CI: 12.5-16.5) and 25.2% (95% CI: 22.8-27.7) reported shortness of breath and nocturnal cough, respectively. The staff population reported fewer symptoms. The proportion with "possible asthma" was 18.2% (95% CI: 16.0-20.4) for students and 8.0% (95% CI: 5.4-10.7) for staff. The prevalence of asthma is high among students and staff of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.
Sandberg, Linda; Borell, Lena; Edvardsson, David; Rosenberg, Lena; Boström, Anne-Marie
2018-01-01
An increasing number of older persons worldwide live at home with various functional limitations such as dementia. So, home care staff meet older persons with extensive, complex needs. The staff's well-being is crucial because it can affect the quality of their work, although literature on job strain among home care staff is limited. To describe perceived job strain among home care staff and to examine correlations between job strain, personal factors, and organizational factors. The study applied a cross-sectional survey design. Participants were dementia care specialists who work in home care (n=34) and other home care staff who are not specialized in dementia care (n=35). The Strain in Dementia Care Scale (SDCS) and Creative Climate Questionnaire instruments and demographic variables were used. Descriptive and inferential statistics (including regression modeling) were applied. The regional ethical review board approved the study. Home care staff perceived job strain - particularly because they could not provide what they perceived to be necessary care. Dementia care specialists ranked job strain higher (m=5.71) than other staff members (m=4.71; p =0.04). Job strain (for total score and for all five SDCS factors) correlated with being a dementia care specialist. Correlations also occurred between job strain for SDCS factor 2 (difficulties understanding and interpreting) and not having Swedish as first language and SDCS factor 5 (lack of recognition) and stagnated organizational climate. The study indicates that home care staff and particularly dementia care specialists perceived high job strain. Future studies are needed to confirm or reject findings from this study.
Kelley, Michelle L.; Parsons, Beth
2000-01-01
A survey of all female employees (n=446) and a sample of students (n=319) at a southeastern university with a published policy regarding sexual harassment found 19-43 percent of female staff, faculty, administrators, and students had experienced sexual harassment. Reported perpetrators were most often other employees (by employees), other students…
Maden-Jenkins, Michelle
2010-12-01
Although healthcare librarians are undertaking training in critical appraisal skills, what is not so clear is the impact of the training on the understanding and dissemination of these skills. This study aims to examine the attitudes of healthcare librarians towards delivering critical appraisal training and their level of involvement. A questionnaire survey of 57 library services across 48 NHS Trust Library Services in north-west England followed up with 21 semi-structured interviews. Seventy-three per cent of respondents felt that they ought to be involved in delivering critical appraisal training, however less than a third (29%) are actually involved. Librarians are involved in critical appraisal facilitation at various levels. Debate continues over the extent of librarian involvement in delivering critical appraisal training. As long as healthcare librarians recognise their own capabilities and identify the boundaries within which they feel comfortable then there is no reason why they should not be involved in delivering critical appraisal training. © 2010 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2010 Health Libraries Group.
Clowning as a supportive measure in paediatrics - a survey of clowns, parents and nursing staff
Barkmann, Claus; Siem, Anna-Katharina; Wessolowski, Nino; Schulte-Markwort, Michael
2013-01-01
Background Hospital clowns, also known as clown doctors, can help paediatric patients with the stress of a hospitalization and to circumvent the accompanying feelings of fear, helplessness and sadness, thus supporting the healing process. The objectives of the present study were to clarify the structural and procedural conditions of paediatric clowning in Germany and to document the evaluations of hospital clowns, parents and hospital staff. Methods A nationwide online survey of hospital clow...
2011-11-23
... disciplinary action in any state in which the appraiser is certified; * * * * * (c) * * * (1) Appraisers subject to state disciplinary action. An appraiser whose state certification in any state has been revoked, suspended, or surrendered as a result of a state disciplinary action is automatically suspended from the...
An appraisal profile of nostalgia.
van Tilburg, Wijnand A P; Bruder, Martin; Wildschut, Tim; Sedikides, Constantine; Göritz, Anja S
2018-03-05
The authors aimed to (a) identify the cognitive appraisals underlying nostalgia and (b) compare nostalgia with other emotions in terms of its appraisal profile. In Study 1, participants (N = 1,125) generated narratives. Next, they reported the level of nostalgia and 31 other emotions that these narratives elicited. Subsequently, participants evaluated the narrative events on several cognitive appraisals. Events that elicited nostalgia were pleasant, involved an irretrievable loss, felt psychologically distant, and were unique-an appraisal profile that differed from all other emotions. In Study 2 (N = 1,261), the authors experimentally varied these appraisals in a vignette paradigm and measured anticipated nostalgia and 10 other emotions. Participants anticipated most nostalgia when events were pleasant, involved irretrievable loss, were distant, and were unique-a profile shared only with longing. In Study 3 (N = 994), the authors used a guided autobiographical recall procedure in which they manipulated appraisals and measured the resultant emotions. Corroborating Studies 1-2, nostalgia was most intense for events that were pleasant, irretrievably lost, temporally distant, and unique. This appraisal profile was not shared by other emotions. The findings delineate the distinguishing cognitive appraisal profile of nostalgia. Nostalgia occupies a special place in the pantheon of emotions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
José Luis Fernández-Alemán
2014-12-01
Full Text Available Objective. This work sought to analyze the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs and social networks among the university nursing faculty staff in Spain. Methodology. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study using a questionnaire on ICT skills designed to comply with the research objective, which was evaluated by experts and which was subjected to exploratory analysis of principal components; the reliability of this instrument measured with Cronbach's alpha was 0.85. The information technology tool used to publish the questionnaire on line was Limesurvey. The sample comprised 165 professors from 25 Nursing Faculties and Schools from universities in Spain. Results. Seventy one percent of the total surveyed used internet services to look for information, 63% used the internet as a means for formation and learning, and 72% used it as a communication platform (e-mail and virtual platforms like Sakai and Moodle. Although 51% of the teaching staff surveyed had more than 120 students registered in their courses, hypothesis testing revealed that the number of students in class is not a determining factor for the teaching staff to have greater interest to update its knowledge in ICTs. Younger professors use new technologies more profusely and the most-valued advantage of using ICTs was quick access to information. Professors perceive that after the Bologna Declaration, which requires modifying their teaching-learning processes through the new teaching methodologies, a drop has been produced in their performance and that of their peers in their area of knowledge. Conclusion. The nursing teaching staff is making strong efforts to confront the new challenges posed by ICTs to train the professionals of the 21st century. It is fundamental to pay special attention to improving the university teaching staff's skills in managing ICTs, promoting the implementation of the knowledge acquired.
Fernández-Alemán, José Luis; Sánchez García, Ana Belén; López Montesinos, María José; Marqués-Sánchez, Pilar; Bayón Darkistade, Enrique; Pérez Rivera, Francisco Javier
2014-01-01
This work sought to analyze the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and social networks among the university nursing faculty staff in Spain. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study using a questionnaire on ICT skills designed to comply with the research objective, which was evaluated by experts and which was subjected to exploratory analysis of principal components; the reliability of this instrument measured with Cronbach's alpha was 0.85. The information technology tool used to publish the questionnaire on line was Limesurvey. The sample comprised 165 professors from 25 Nursing Faculties and Schools from universities in Spain. Seventy one percent of the total surveyed used internet services to look for information, 63% used the internet as a means for formation and learning, and 72% used it as a communication platform (e-mail and virtual platforms like Sakai and Moodle). Although 51% of the teaching staff surveyed had more than 120 students registered in their courses, hypothesis testing revealed that the number of students in class is not a determining factor for the teaching staff to have greater interest to update its knowledge in ICTs. Younger professors use new technologies more profusely and the most-valued advantage of using ICTs was quick access to information. Professors perceive that after the Bologna Declaration, which requires modifying their teaching-learning processes through the new teaching methodologies, a drop has been produced in their performance and that of their peers in their area of knowledge. The nursing teaching staff is making strong efforts to confront the new challenges posed by ICTs to train the professionals of the 21st century. It is fundamental to pay special attention to improving the university teaching staff's skills in managing ICTs, promoting the implementation of the knowledge acquired.
Strengths and weaknesses of parent–staff communication in the NICU: a survey assessment
2013-01-01
Background Parents of infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) find themselves in a situation of emotional strain. Communication in the NICU presents special challenges due to parental stress and the complexity of the highly technologized environment. Parents’ need for communication may not always be met by the NICU staff. This study aimed to describe strengths and weaknesses of parent–nurse and parent–doctor communication in a large level III NICU in Sweden in order to improve our understanding of parents’ communication needs. Methods Parents were asked to complete a survey consisting of sixteen questions about their experiences of communication with nurses and doctors in the NICU. In each question the parents evaluated some aspect of communication on a five- or six-point Likert scale. They also had the opportunity on each question to comment on their experiences in their own words. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 and qualitative manifest content analysis. Results 270 parents (71.4%) completed the survey. Parents generally rated communication with the staff in the NICU positively and appreciated having received emotional support and regular information about their child´s care. Although a large majority of the parents were satisfied with their communication with doctors and nurses, only about half of the parents felt the nurses and doctors understood their emotional situation very well. Some parents would have desired easier access to conversations with doctors and wanted medical information to be given directly by doctors rather than by nurses. Parents’ communication with the staff was hampered when many different nurses were involved in caring for the infant or when the transfer of information in connection with shift changes or between the maternity ward and NICU was poor. Parents also desired to be present during doctors’ rounds on their infant. Conclusions Training both doctors and nurses in communication
Morris, Louisa E; Withnall, Rdj
2017-02-01
To provide the first annual audit of Defence Medical Services (DMS) medical appraisal and revalidation activity. A questionnaire-based survey of appraisal and revalidation activity within the 2013-2014 appraisal year (1 April 2013 - 1 March 2014) across the Royal Navy (RN), Army, Royal Air Force (RAF) and Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Defence Postgraduate Medical Deanery (DPMD) Designated Bodies (DBs). Mandatory annual medical appraisal of all DMS doctors was introduced in 2002. The General Medical Council (GMC) introduced licences to practise in November 2011. Revalidation went live in December 2012. In the 2013-2014 appraisal year, there were 1379 DMS doctors. The Responsible Officers (ROs) of the RN, Army, RAF, MOD and Defence Postgraduate Medical Deanery (DPMD) provide appraisal and revalidation services for doctors within their DBs. In the 2013-2014 appraisal year, 82% of DMS doctors completed an annual appraisal. ROs provided positive revalidation recommendations for 90% of DMS doctors without the need for additional supporting information. Additional supporting evidence was required for 10% of DMS trained doctors, but ultimately 100% of DMS doctors due revalidation in the 2013-2014 appraisal year received a positive recommendation. To assist DMS compliance with GMC quality assurance requirements, HQ Surgeon General now maintains a central database of appraisal and revalidation data across the five DMS DBs. Appropriately targeted appraiser training and 'revalidation ready top-up' training should be provided to ensure the demand for military appraisers is met, and that DMS appraisers appropriately maintain their skills. MOD now maintains a central live database for ongoing appraisal and revalidation monitoring. 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/.
2010-01-01
... value of the collateral. All real property appraisals associated with Agency guaranteed loanmaking and... appraise the property in question. All appraisals will include consideration of the potential effects from... value of the collateral. For additional guidance and information concerning the completion of real...
Determinants of staff commitment to hip protectors in long-term care: A cross-sectional survey.
Korall, Alexandra M B; Loughin, Thomas M; Feldman, Fabio; Cameron, Ian D; Leung, Pet Ming; Sims-Gould, Joanie; Godin, Judith; Robinovitch, Stephen N
2018-06-01
If worn, certain models of hip protectors are highly effective at preventing hip fractures from falls in residents of long-term care, but modest acceptance and adherence have limited the effectiveness of hip protectors. Residents of long-term care are more likely to accept the initial offer of hip protectors and to adhere to recommendations concerning the use of hip protectors when staff are committed to supporting the application of hip protectors. Yet, we know very little about the nature of and factors associated with staff commitment to hip protectors in long-term care. To identify factors associated with staff commitment to hip protectors in long-term care. A cross-sectional survey. Thirteen long-term care homes (total beds = 1816) from a single regional health district in British Columbia, Canada. A convenience sample of 535 paid staff who worked most of their time (>50% of work hours) at a participating long-term care home, for at least one month, and for at least 8 h per week. We excluded six (1.1%) respondents who were unaware of hip protectors. Of the remaining 529 respondents, 90% were female and 55% were health care assistants. Respondents completed the Commitment to Hip Protectors Index to indicate their commitment to hip protectors. We used Bayesian Model Averaging logistic regression to model staff commitment as a function of personal variables, experiences with hip protectors, intraorganizational communication and influence, and organizational context. Staff commitment was negatively related to organizational tenure >20 years (posterior probability = 97%; logistic regression coefficient = -0.28; 95% confidence interval = -0.48, -0.08), and awareness of a padded hip fracture (100%; -0.57; -0.69, -0.44). Staff commitment was positively related to the existence of a champion of hip protectors within the home (100%; 0.24; 0.17, 0.31), perceived quality of intraorganizational communication (100%; 0.04; 0.02, 0.05), extent of mutual
Suicide Prevention Exposure, Awareness, and Knowledge Survey (SPEAKS) - Faculty/Staff
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The SPEAKS- faculty/staff dataset contains individual level information from a sample of faculty and staff on GLS funded campuses. These data include faculty...
Alemna, Anaba
1992-01-01
Reports results of a survey of junior staff (i.e., clerical and service personnel) at the University of Ghana library that collected data on background, experience, salaries, recreational facilities, job satisfaction, attitudes of colleagues and supervisors, committees, staff meetings, discipline, appraisal methods, and communication. Suggestions…
Crossley, James G M
2015-01-01
Nurse appraisal is well established in the Western world because of its obvious educational advantages. Appraisal works best with many sources of information on performance. Multisource feedback (MSF) is widely used in business and in other clinical disciplines to provide such information. It has also been incorporated into nursing appraisals, but, so far, none of the instruments in use for nurses has been validated. We set out to develop an instrument aligned with the UK Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) and to evaluate its reliability and feasibility across a wide hospital-based nursing population. The KSF framework provided a content template. Focus groups developed an instrument based on consensus. The instrument was administered to all the nursing staff in 2 large NHS hospitals forming a single trust in London, England. We used generalizability analysis to estimate reliability, response rates and unstructured interviews to evaluate feasibility, and factor structure and correlation studies to evaluate validity. On a voluntary basis the response rate was moderate (60%). A failure to engage with information technology and employment-related concerns were commonly cited as reasons for not responding. In this population, 11 responses provided a profile with sufficient reliability to inform appraisal (G = 0.7). Performance on the instrument was closely and significantly correlated with performance on a KSF questionnaire. This is the first contemporary psychometric evaluation of an MSF instrument for nurses. MSF appears to be as valid and reliable as an assessment method to inform appraisal in nurses as it is in other health professional groups. © 2015 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on Continuing Medical Education, Association for Hospital Medical Education.
Willemse, Bernadette M; De Jonge, Jan; Smit, Dieneke; Visser, Quirijn; Depla, Marja F I A; Pot, Anne Margriet
2015-02-01
To explore the role of nursing staff's person-centredness caring for people with dementia in relation to their work environment and job-related well-being. Given the development towards person-centred care and labour force issues, research has recently focused on the effect of person-centredness on nursing staff's well-being. Findings from occupational stress research suggest that employees' personal characteristics, such as person-centredness, can moderate the impact particular job characteristics have on their job-related well-being. Cross-sectional survey. A national survey was conducted among healthcare staff (n = 1147) in 136 living arrangements for people with dementia in the Netherlands (2008-2009). Hierarchical regression analyses were used. Person-centredness moderates the relationship between coworker support and three outcomes of job-related well-being and between supervisor support and two of these outcomes. For highly person-centred nursing staff, coworker support was found to have a weaker impact and supervisor support to have a stronger impact on their job-related well-being. In addition, direct effects showed that person-centredness was weakly associated with more job satisfaction, more emotional exhaustion and more strongly with more personal accomplishment. Nursing staff's person-centredness does play a modest role in relation to job characteristics and job-related well-being. Findings indicate that person-centredness is not only beneficial to residents with dementia as found earlier, but also for nursing staff themselves; specifically, in case nursing staff members feel supported by their supervisor. Since a more person-centred workforce feels more competent, further implementation of person-centred care might have a positive impact on the attractiveness of the profession. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Tong, Michael Xiaoliang; Hansen, Alana; Hanson-Easey, Scott; Cameron, Scott; Xiang, Jianjun; Liu, Qiyong; Liu, Xiaobo; Sun, Yehuan; Weinstein, Philip; Han, Gil-Soo; Williams, Craig; Bi, Peng
2017-03-31
Though there was the significant decrease in the incidence of malaria in central and southwest China during the 1980s and 1990s, there has been a re-emergence of malaria since 2000. A cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst the staff of eleven Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in China to gauge their perceptions regarding the impacts of climate change on malaria transmission and its control and prevention. Descriptive analysis was performed to study CDC staff's knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and suggestions for malaria control in the face of climate change. A majority (79.8%) of CDC staff were concerned about climate change and 79.7% believed the weather was becoming warmer. Most participants (90.3%) indicated climate change had a negative effect on population health, 92.6 and 86.8% considered that increasing temperatures and precipitation would influence the transmission of vector-borne diseases including malaria. About half (50.9%) of the surveyed staff indicated malaria had re-emerged in recent years, and some outbreaks were occurring in new geographic areas. The main reasons for such re-emergence were perceived to be: mosquitoes in high-density, numerous imported cases, climate change, poor environmental conditions, internal migrant populations, and lack of health awareness. This study found most CDC staff endorsed the statement that climate change had a negative impact on infectious disease transmission. Malaria had re-emerged in some areas of China, and most of the staff believed that this can be managed. However, high densities of mosquitoes and the continuous increase in imported cases of malaria in local areas, together with environmental changes are bringing about critical challenges to malaria control in China. This study contributes to an understanding of climate change related perceptions of malaria control and prevention amongst CDC staff. It may help to formulate in-house training guidelines, community health promotion
Job satisfaction survey among health centers staff.
Shahnazi, Hossein; Daniali, Seyede Shahrbanoo; Sharifirad, Gholamreza
2014-01-01
Due to the importance of health care organizations with significant responsibility for prevention and care, assessment of job satisfaction among health care staff is essential. Quality of health services will be decreased provided they are not satisfied. This study was a cross-sectional analysis of health care staff in Khomeinishahr (centers, buildings, and networks) If they had at least 6 months work experience, they could enter the study. Data included a two-part questionnaire with a standardized questionnaire, demographic variables, and Smith job descriptive index, which is a questionnaire with six domains. Reliability was obtained for each domain and its validity was reported 0.93. The results showed an overall satisfaction score averages 43.55 ± 12.8 (from 100). Job satisfaction score was not significantly different between the sexes. However, within the current attitude toward job satisfaction, men scores was better than women (P = 0.001). Highest score in job satisfaction was related to relationships with colleagues and lowest score was related to the income, benefits, and job promotion. The more the years of work, the less the job satisfaction was. The attitude toward the current job had a direct relationship with income (P = 0.01). There was a significant inverse relationship between educational level and job satisfaction in domains promotion, income, and benefits (P = 0.01). The staff with higher education levels was less satisfied with income and job promotion qualification. Managers should focus on job qualification to increase job satisfaction and improve the quality of work.
Measuring hospital medical staff organizational structure.
Shortell, S M; Getzen, T E
1979-01-01
Based on organization theory and the work of Roemer and Friedman, seven dimensions of hospital medical staff organization structure are proposed and examined. The data are based on a 1973 nationwide survey of hospital medical staffs conducted by the American Hospital Association. Factor analysis yielded six relatively independent dimensions supporting a multidimensional view of medical staff organization structure. The six dimensions include 1) Resource Capability, 2) Generalist Physician Contractual Orientation, 3) Communication/Control, 4) Local Staff Orientation, 5) Participation in Decision Making, and 6) Hospital-Based Physician Contractual Orientation. It is suggested that these dimensions can be used to develop an empirical typology of hospital medical staff organization structure and to investigate the relationship between medical staff organization and public policy issues related to cost containment and quality assurance. PMID:511580
Zicko, Cdr Jennifer M; Schroeder, Lcdr Rebecca A; Byers, Cdr William S; Taylor, Lt Adam M; Spence, Cdr Dennis L
2017-10-01
Staff members working on our nonmental health (non-MH) units (i.e., medical-surgical [MS] units) were not educated in recognizing or deescalating behavioral emergencies. Published evidence suggests a behavioral emergency response team (BERT) composed of MH experts who assist with deescalating behavioral emergencies may be beneficial in these situations. Therefore, we sought to implement a BERT on the inpatient non-MH units at our military treatment facility. The objectives of this evidence-based practice process improvement project were to determine how implementation of a BERT affects staff and patient safety and to examine nursing staffs' level of knowledge, confidence, and support in caring for psychiatric patients and patients exhibiting behavioral emergencies. A BERT was piloted on one MS unit for 5 months and expanded to two additional units for 3 months. Pre- and postimplementation staff surveys were conducted, and the number of staff assaults and injuries, restraint usage, and security intervention were compared. The BERT responded to 17 behavioral emergencies. The number of assaults decreased from 10 (pre) to 1 (post); security intervention decreased from 14 to 1; and restraint use decreased from 8 to 1. MS staffs' level of BERT knowledge and rating of support between MH staff and their staff significantly increased. Both MS and MH nurses rated the BERT as supportive and effective. A BERT can assist with deescalating behavioral emergencies, and improve staff collaboration and patient and staff safety. © 2017 Sigma Theta Tau International.
Experiences of Australian School Staff in Addressing Student Cannabis Use
Gates, Peter J.; Norberg, Melissa M.; Dillon, Paul; Manocha, Ramesh
2013-01-01
Cannabis is the most frequently used illicit drug by Australian secondary school students yet there is scant research investigating school staff responses to student cannabis use. As such, this study surveyed 1,692 school staff who attended "Generation Next" seminars throughout Australia. The self-complete survey identified that the…
32 CFR 644.44 - Fee appraisals.
2010-07-01
... HANDBOOK Appraisal § 644.44 Fee appraisals. (a) Definitions and procedures. (1) The complete and.... The keynote of this approach lies in the sound development of a proper rate. The appraiser must have a...
Wilkinson, Shelley A; Hinchliffe, Fiona; Hough, Judith; Chang, Anne
2012-01-01
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is fundamental to improving patient outcomes. Universal adoption of EBP into the allied health clinical setting has not yet occurred. The primary aim of this project was to capture baseline measurements of the level of EBP self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, knowledge and use at our health service prior to training and organisational changes to support EBP. All allied health staff (n=252) employed across the campus were invited to participate in an online survey consisting of a battery of validated and reliable survey tools. Professional background, knowledge and previous training in EBP and research processes were collected. One hundred eighty-two allied health staff completed the survey (response rate 72%). One-way ANOVAs were used to compare levels of self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, knowledge and use, according to allied health discipline and experience with EBP and research processes. Mean scores for EBP attitudes (self-efficacy and outcome expectancy) and knowledge were higher than for use. Professional group differences were noted in the post-hoc analysis of the significant EBP constructs. Regression analyses indicated that EBP course attendance as well as training in research design and analysis impacted positively on EBP construct scores. Despite positive attitudes about, a belief in and knowledge of EBP, self-reports of EBP processes do not indicate systematic application in the allied health workplace. The results of this research will inform a targeted intervention to foster ongoing training in EBP and research activity for allied health staff.
Conducting effective performance appraisals.
2001-01-01
According to experts, performance appraisals rate just below firing someone as the least favorite thing managers do. Many factors contribute to this view--one is that current systems do a poor job of evaluating performance and in fact often impede both evaluation and performance. When used as part of an ongoing supportive process of goal setting and feedback, performance appraisals can enhance performance and morale. One alternative to traditional employee evaluation methods is full-circle or 360-degree feedback. Contained in this issue are practical suggestions for preparing employees for performance appraisals which, when followed daily, encourage employees to put their best feet forward as part of their regular routine. Also included is a template specific to assessing the performance of clinical laboratory technologists . Additionally, numerous resources are provided to help you refine appraisal systems to fit your needs. Full-circle feedback is proving to be a boon to managers. It relieves them from being the exclusive "heavies" in evaluating performance, integrates appraisal input from several sources, and incorporates increasing employee skills, competencies, and satisfaction, thus improving productivity of people and processes. And aren't integration and continuous improvement what the laboratory is all about?
Usage and appraisal of educational media by homeopathic therapists – A cross sectional survey
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Escher Max
2012-07-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background During recent years the market for homeopathic education media has increasingly diversified with old (books, seminars and new media (video-seminars, pc-programs, homeo-wiki and internet-courses. However, little is known about homeopaths’ preferences in using educational media and their requirements of this topic. Aim This survey was designed to gain a better understanding of the usage and appraisal of educational media by homeopaths. Methods 192 homeopathic practitioners (GPs and health practitioners at a educational conference were asked to answer a standardized questionnaire covering the topics “formal education and context of work” (9 items, “homeopathic practise and usage (24 items, “utilization of educational media” (9 items and “favoured attributes for educational media” (11 items. Results Out of 192 homeopaths who attended the conference, 118 completed the questionnaire (response rate 61.5%. For their continuing homeopathic education they predominantly indicated to use books (scale value from 0 = never to 2 = always: 1.72 and seminars (1.54 whereas journals (0.98 and the internet (0.65 were used less often. The most favoured attributes concerning medical education media were reliability (1.76, relevance for clinical practice (1.74 and user friendliness (1.6. Less favoured attributes were inexpensiveness (1.1, graphical material (0.92 and interactivity (0.88. Conclusions The survey illustrates the current situation of medical education media in homeopathy. Although there are parallels to earlier research conducted in conventional GPs, homeopaths are more likely to refer to classical media. New education tools should be designed according to these preferences.
Bubeck, Philip; Wouter Botzen, W J; Laudan, Jonas; Aerts, Jeroen C J H; Thieken, Annegret H
2017-11-17
Protection motivation theory (PMT) has become a popular theory to explain the risk-reducing behavior of residents against natural hazards. PMT captures the two main cognitive processes that individuals undergo when faced with a threat, namely, threat appraisal and coping appraisal. The latter describes the evaluation of possible response measures that may reduce or avert the perceived threat. Although the coping appraisal component of PMT was found to be a better predictor of protective intentions and behavior, little is known about the factors that influence individuals' coping appraisals of natural hazards. More insight into flood-coping appraisals of PMT, therefore, are needed to better understand the decision-making process of individuals and to develop effective risk communication strategies. This study presents the results of two surveys among more than 1,600 flood-prone households in Germany and France. Five hypotheses were tested using multivariate statistics regarding factors related to flood-coping appraisals, which were derived from the PMT framework, related literature, and the literature on social vulnerability. We found that socioeconomic characteristics alone are not sufficient to explain flood-coping appraisals. Particularly, observational learning from the social environment, such as friends and neighbors, is positively related to flood-coping appraisals. This suggests that social norms and networks play an important role in flood-preparedness decisions. Providing risk and coping information can also have a positive effect. Given the strong positive influence of the social environment on flood-coping appraisals, future research should investigate how risk communication can be enhanced by making use of the observed social norms and network effects. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.
van Vegten, Amanda; Pfeiffer, Yvonne; Giuliani, Francesca; Manser, Tanja
2011-01-01
This article presents the first hospital-wide survey on patient safety climate, involving all staff (medical and non-medical), in the German-speaking area. Its aim is to share our experiences with planning, organising and conducting this survey. The study was performed at the university hospital in Zurich and had a response rate of 46.8% (2,897 valid questionnaires). The survey instrument ("Patientensicherheitsklimainventar") was based on the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (AHRQ). Primarily it allowed for assessing the current patient safety climate as well as identifying specific areas for improvement and creating a hospital-wide awareness and acceptance for patient safety issues and interventions (e.g., the introduction of a Critical Incident Reporting System [CIRS]). We discuss the basic principles and the feedback concept guiding the organisation of the overall project. Critical to the success of this project were the guaranteed anonymity of the respondents, adequate communication through well-established channels within the organisation and the commitment of the management across all project phases. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier GmbH.
An Association Between Implementing Trauma-Informed Care and Staff Satisfaction
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Travis W. Hales
2017-09-01
Full Text Available Despite its widespread adoption there is limited research on the influence of trauma-informed care (TIC. The current study examined the impact of implementing TIC on the satisfaction of agency staff by comparing the results of a satisfaction survey taken in January of 2014, a month prior to the agency's implementation of TIC, and again twelve months later. As collaboration, empowerment, and self-care are primary components of a TIC organizational approach, its implementation was expected to increase staff satisfaction. Following the implementation of TIC, agency staff reported higher scores on all but one of the six satisfaction survey factors. Increases in staff satisfaction have been associated with better staff retention rates, increased organizational commitment and better performance. In consequence, TIC implementation is associated with increased staff satisfaction, and may positively influence organizational characteristics of significance to social service agencies.
Skytt, Bernice; Hagerman, Heidi; Strömberg, Annika; Engström, Maria
2015-11-01
To elucidate first-line managers' descriptions and reflections regarding their staff's access to empowering structures using Kanter's theory of structural empowerment. Good structural conditions within workplaces are essential to employees' wellbeing, and their ability to access empowerment structures is largely dependent on the management. Twenty-eight first-line managers in elderly care were interviewed. Deductive qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data. Managers perceived that staff had varying degrees of access to the empowering structures described in Kanter's theory - and that they possessed formal power in their roles as contact persons and representatives. The descriptions mostly started from the managers' own actions, although some started from the needs of staff members. All managers described their staff's access to the empowering structures in Kanter's theory as important, yet it seemed as though this was not always reflected on and discussed as a strategic issue. Managers could make use of performance and appraisal dialogues to keep up to date on staff's access to empowering structures. Recurrent discussions in the management group based on such current information could promote staff's access to power through empowering structures and make job definitions a strategic issue in the organisation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Some fuzzy techniques for staff selection process: A survey
Md Saad, R.; Ahmad, M. Z.; Abu, M. S.; Jusoh, M. S.
2013-04-01
With high level of business competition, it is vital to have flexible staff that are able to adapt themselves with work circumstances. However, staff selection process is not an easy task to be solved, even when it is tackled in a simplified version containing only a single criterion and a homogeneous skill. When multiple criteria and various skills are involved, the problem becomes much more complicated. In adddition, there are some information that could not be measured precisely. This is patently obvious when dealing with opinions, thoughts, feelings, believes, etc. One possible tool to handle this issue is by using fuzzy set theory. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review the existing fuzzy techniques for solving staff selection process. It classifies several existing research methods and identifies areas where there is a gap and need further research. Finally, this paper concludes by suggesting new ideas for future research based on the gaps identified.
An annual performance appraisal for CERN
2012-01-01
The March Council session is the occasion for CERN’s annual performance appraisal, but instead of the MARS form familiar to CERN staff, the lab’s working document is an Annual Progress Report, linked to the Medium-Term Plan, matching achievements to objectives. This year, I think it’s fair to say, we were firmly able to tick the ‘achieved’ box. Top of the list of objectives was the LHC, which exceeded expectations in 2011 by delivering over five times the anticipated luminosity for protons while improving the lead-ion integrated luminosity by an order of magnitude compared to 2010. As a result, the experiments published over 190 papers and made a staggering 1900 conference presentations. Underpinning this was the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, which routinely performs so well that we hardly notice it's there. Non-LHC physics also had its day in the sun in 2011, with experiments at the PS, SPS, AD, n_TOF and ISOLDE, as well ...
12 CFR 564.4 - Minimum appraisal standards.
2010-01-01
... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Minimum appraisal standards. 564.4 Section 564.4 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY APPRAISALS § 564.4 Minimum appraisal standards. For federally related transactions, all appraisals shall, at a minimum: (a...
The Power of Developmental Performance Appraisal
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nasser Salim Alghanabousi
2013-02-01
Full Text Available Development of employee performance is a must that any organization should take into account to be a successful in achieving its goals. However, the tools of developing that performance are varying based on the type of the organization and the nature of the work performed. Performance appraisal is one of the effective tools that help the organization to measure the accomplishment of its goals, if implemented effectively. In education, it became evident that performance appraisal of educators is an essential element of the development of any educational institution. To make the performance appraisal fruitful, the development element should be dominant in the sense that other elements of the appraisal should serve the broad aim of the appraisal process. Therefore, a well-designed and comprehensive system is needed to cover all the aspects of appraisal process that include of the goals, criteria, instruments, and continuous support.
Winship, Kathy
2012-01-01
In an effort to increase staff engagement and opportunities for greater two-way communication between managers and staff, a strategic plan was developed involving administration of an agency-wide staff satisfaction survey. A comprehensive survey was administered to nearly 1700 employees throughout the agency, which encompasses several diverse bureaus ranging from child and family services, aging and adult services, and a workforce investment board. The online survey included 36 questions aimed at gathering staff perspectives on job satisfaction, work expectations, supervision, and information sharing within the agency. 825 employees responded to the survey, and findings were analyzed and shared agency-wide. Results of the survey have been used to inform ongoing agency change and to facilitate continued engagement of staff in organizational goals and initiatives. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Physician Appraisals: Key Challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Klich Jacek
2017-06-01
Full Text Available The main purpose of the article is to identify key criteria being used for physician appraisals and to find how communication skills of physicians are valued in those appraisals. ScienceDirect and EBSCOhost databases were used for this search. The results show that a physician appraisal is underestimated both theoretically and empirically. The particular gap exists with respect to the communication skills of physicians, which are rarely present in medical training syllabi and physician assessments. The article contributes to the theoretical discourse on physician appraisals and points out at the inconsistency between the high status of physicians as a key hospital resource on the one hand and, on the other hand, at inadequate and poorly researched assessment of their performance with a special emphasis on communication skills. The article may inspire health managers to develop and implement up-to-date assessment forms for physicians and good managerial practices in this respect in hospitals and other health care units.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Benedict Iorzer Labe
2015-07-01
Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to determine the extent of student teachers’ willingness to engage in troubleshooting activities and their technological problem-solving self-appraised ability. The study used a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design to collect data from 310 purposively random sampled students from three universities in Northern Nigeria. Results of data analyses indicated that student teachers from the universities surveyed reported a moderate willingness to engage in troubleshooting activities as well as a moderately positive self-appraisal of their problem-solving ability. The student teachers’ willingness to engage in troubleshooting activities was also significantly related to the pattern of their self-appraised problem-solving ability. It was therefore concluded that the findings from this research do not support the pedestrian view that students from Nigerian universities are reluctant to engage in problem-solving activities.
9 CFR 52.3 - Appraisal of swine.
2010-01-01
... an APHIS employee alone. (b) The appraisal of swine will be based on the fair market value as determined by the meat or breeding value of the animals. Animals may be appraised in groups, provided that where appraisal is by the head, each animal in the group is the same value per head, and where appraisal...
Cao, Weidan; Qi, Xiaona; Cai, Deborah A; Han, Xuanye
2018-01-01
The purpose of the study was to build a model to explain the relationships between social support, uncontrollability appraisal, adaptive coping, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among cancer patients in China. The participants who were cancer patients in a cancer hospital in China filled out a survey. The final sample size was 201. Structural equation modeling was used to build a model explaining PTG. Structural equation modeling results indicated that higher levels of social support predicted higher levels of adaptive coping, higher levels of uncontrollability appraisal predicted lower levels of adaptive coping, and higher levels of adaptive coping predicted higher levels of PTG. Moreover, adaptive coping was a mediator between social support and growth, as well as a mediator between uncontrollability and growth. The direct effects of social support and uncontrollability on PTG were insignificant. The model demonstrated the relationships between social support, uncontrollability appraisal, adaptive coping, and PTG. It could be concluded that uncontrollability appraisal was a required but not sufficient condition for PTG. Neither social support nor uncontrollability appraisal had direct influence on PTG. However, social support and uncontrollability might indirectly influence PTG, through adaptive coping. It implies that both internal factors (eg, cognitive appraisal and coping) and external factors (eg, social support) are required in order for growth to happen. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relationship between mental toughness, stress appraisal, and innovation performance of R&D personnel
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Feng Jin
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Four hundred and two R&D personnel were surveyed through questionnaires to study the relationship between mental toughness, stress appraisal (including experience of stress and stress control, and innovation performance. The findings reveal a significant negative correlation between mental toughness and stress experience and a significant positive correlation between mental toughness and both stress control and innovation performance. Furthermore, although the experience of stress was negatively correlated with innovation performance, stress control had the opposite effect. Experience of stress and stress control were the mediating variables for mental toughness and innovation performance, respectively. There was also a significant interaction effect between stress appraisal and mental toughness.
Medical staff organization in nursing homes: scale development and validation.
Katz, Paul R; Karuza, Jurgis; Intrator, Orna; Zinn, Jacqueline; Mor, Vincent; Caprio, Thomas; Caprio, Anthony; Dauenhauer, Jason; Lima, Julie
2009-09-01
To construct a multidimensional self-report scale to measure nursing home (NH) medical staff organization (NHMSO) dimensions and then pilot the scale using a national survey of medical directors to provide data on its psychometric properties. Instrument development process consisting of the proceedings from the Nursing Home Physician Workforce Conference and focus groups followed by cognitive interviews, which culminated in a survey of a random sample of American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) affiliated medical directors. Analyses were conducted on surveys matched to Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) data from freestanding nonpediatric nursing homes. A total of 202 surveys were available for analysis and comprised the final sample. Dimensions were identified that measured the extent of medical staff organization in nursing homes and included staff composition, appointment process, commitment (physiciancohesion; leadership turnover/capability), departmentalization (physician supervision, autonomy and interdisciplinary involvement), documentation, and informal dynamics. The items developed to measure each dimension were reliable (Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.81 to 0.65).Intercorrelations among the scale dimensions provided preliminary evidence of the construct validity of the scale. This report, for the first time ever, defines and validates NH medical staff organization dimensions, a critical first step in determining the relationship between physician practice and the quality of care delivered in the NH.
Staff Training in Autism: The One-Eyed Wo/Man…
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Karola Dillenburger
2016-07-01
Full Text Available Having well-trained staff is key to ensuring good quality autism services, especially since people affected with autism generally tend to have higher support needs than other populations in terms of daily living, as well as their mental and physical health. Poorly-trained staff can have detrimental effects on service provision and staff morale and can lead to staff burn-out, as well as increased service user anxiety and stress. This paper reports on a survey with health, social care, and education staff who work within the statutory autism services sector in the UK that explored their knowledge and training with regards to autism. Interview data obtained from staff and service users offer qualitative illustrations of survey findings. Overall, the findings expose an acute lack of autism-specific training that has detrimental impacts. At best, this training was based on brief and very basic awareness raising rather than on in-depth understanding of issues related to autism or skills for evidence-based practice. Service users were concerned with the effects that the lack of staff training had on the services they received. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy routes to achieving quality staff training based on international best practice. The focus is on improving the quality of life and mental health for services users and staff, as well as making potentially significant cost-savings for governments.
Staff Training in Autism: The One-Eyed Wo/Man….
Dillenburger, Karola; McKerr, Lyn; Jordan, Julie-Ann; Keenan, Mickey
2016-07-16
Having well-trained staff is key to ensuring good quality autism services, especially since people affected with autism generally tend to have higher support needs than other populations in terms of daily living, as well as their mental and physical health. Poorly-trained staff can have detrimental effects on service provision and staff morale and can lead to staff burn-out, as well as increased service user anxiety and stress. This paper reports on a survey with health, social care, and education staff who work within the statutory autism services sector in the UK that explored their knowledge and training with regards to autism. Interview data obtained from staff and service users offer qualitative illustrations of survey findings. Overall, the findings expose an acute lack of autism-specific training that has detrimental impacts. At best, this training was based on brief and very basic awareness raising rather than on in-depth understanding of issues related to autism or skills for evidence-based practice. Service users were concerned with the effects that the lack of staff training had on the services they received. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy routes to achieving quality staff training based on international best practice. The focus is on improving the quality of life and mental health for services users and staff, as well as making potentially significant cost-savings for governments.
Managerial instrument for didactic staff structure optimization for Distance Learning
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gavrus Cristina
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Distance learning is a modern system for providing educational services and is relatively new in Romania, if related to the date of its emergence in Europe. More and more active working people are interested in this form of education, paying of course a special attention to its quality. It is quite difficult to appraise the quality of educational programs but several instruments and criteria have been developed over time. The present paper proposes an original mathematical instrument that is aiming at human resources, this type of resources being considered extremely important in case of providing educational service. The number of teachers is crucial for a distance learning program study, because the didactic staff must cover a number of didactic classes that take place on weekends. Concretely, this paper is focused on finding an algorithm that allows the didactic staff structure optimization. For accomplishing this objective, two managerial instruments were use. One of them is mathematical linear programing technique, that develops a mathematical model for didactic staff structure and the other one is WinQSB software package that tests the mathematical model.
Robyns, Marcus C
2014-01-01
In an age of scarcity and the challenge of electronic records, can archivists and records managers continue to rely upon traditional methodology essentially unchanged since the early 1950s? Using Functional Analysis in Archival Appraisal: A Practical and Effective Alternative to Traditional Appraisal Methodologies shows how archivists in other countries are already using functional analysis, which offers a better, more effective, and imminently more practical alternative to traditional appraisal methodologies that rely upon an analysis of the records themselves.
Bormann, Lorraine; Abrahamson, Kathleen
2014-04-01
Nurse managers leadership behaviors influence the job satisfaction of staff nurses. Transformational leadership is 1 of the 5 components associated with the Magnet Recognition Program®. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between staff nurse perception of nurse manager leadership behavior and staff nurse job satisfaction in a hospital on the Magnet® journey and the influence of nurse manager leadership style on staff nurse job satisfaction. A descriptive, correlational design using a self-report survey with convenience sampling was used for this quantitative research study. Staff nurses completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X Short Form, the Abridged Job Descriptive Index survey, and a demographic questionnaire. Pearson correlations and regression analyses were completed to explore the relationship and influence of nurse manager leadership style on staff nurse job satisfaction. Transformational and transactional leadership styles of nurse managers were positively related to staff nurse overall job satisfaction and satisfaction with opportunity for promotion. Passive-avoidant leadership style of nurse managers was negatively related to staff nurse satisfaction with work, promotion, supervision, and coworker. Satisfaction with nurse manager leadership was a positive influence on overall nurse job satisfaction when separately controlling for the influence of each leadership style. Transformational and transactional leadership styles should be taught and encouraged among nurse managers to positively influence the job satisfaction of staff nurses.
Staff/population ratios in South African public sector mental health ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
To document existing staff/population ratios per 100 000 population in South African public sector mental health services. Design. Cross-sectional survey. ... The staff/population ratios per 100 000 population for selected personnel categories (with the interprovincial ranges in brackets) were as follows: total nursing staff 15.6 ...
Social appraisal influences recognition of emotions.
Mumenthaler, Christian; Sander, David
2012-06-01
The notion of social appraisal emphasizes the importance of a social dimension in appraisal theories of emotion by proposing that the way an individual appraises an event is influenced by the way other individuals appraise and feel about the same event. This study directly tested this proposal by asking participants to recognize dynamic facial expressions of emotion (fear, happiness, or anger in Experiment 1; fear, happiness, anger, or neutral in Experiment 2) in a target face presented at the center of a screen while a contextual face, which appeared simultaneously in the periphery of the screen, expressed an emotion (fear, happiness, anger) or not (neutral) and either looked at the target face or not. We manipulated gaze direction to be able to distinguish between a mere contextual effect (gaze away from both the target face and the participant) and a specific social appraisal effect (gaze toward the target face). Results of both experiments provided evidence for a social appraisal effect in emotion recognition, which differed from the mere effect of contextual information: Whereas facial expressions were identical in both conditions, the direction of the gaze of the contextual face influenced emotion recognition. Social appraisal facilitated the recognition of anger, happiness, and fear when the contextual face expressed the same emotion. This facilitation was stronger than the mere contextual effect. Social appraisal also allowed better recognition of fear when the contextual face expressed anger and better recognition of anger when the contextual face expressed fear. 2012 APA, all rights reserved
2010-01-01
... part must be appraised at their fair market value by an appraiser selected by APHIS. APHIS may decline... veterinarian in charge may grant a reasonable time for the presentation of their registration papers. [67 FR...
The 2008 Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal
Moore, Thomas E.; Gautier, Donald L.
2017-11-15
Professional Paper 1824 comprises 30 chapters by various U.S. Geological Survey authors, including introduction and methodology chapters, which together provide documentation of the geological basis and methodology of the 2008 Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal, results of which were first released in August 2008. Twenty-eight chapters summarize the petroleum geology and resource potential of individual, geologically defined provinces north of the Arctic Circle, including those of northern Alaska, northern Canada, east and west Greenland, and most of Arctic Russia, as well as certain offshore areas of the north Atlantic Basin and the Polar Sea. Appendixes tabulate the input and output information used during the assessment.
O'Neill, Barbara J; Dwyer, Trudy; Reid-Searl, Kerry; Parkinson, Lynne
2018-03-01
To predict the factors that are most important in explaining nursing staff intentions towards early detection of the deteriorating health of a resident and providing subacute care in the nursing home setting. Nursing staff play a pivotal role in managing the deteriorating resident and determining whether the resident needs to be transferred to hospital or remain in the nursing home; however, there is a dearth of literature that explains the factors that influence their intentions. This information is needed to underpin hospital avoidance programs that aim to enhance nursing confidence and skills in this area. A convergent parallel mixed-methods study, using the theory of planned behaviour as a framework. Surveys and focus groups were conducted with nursing staff (n = 75) at a 94-bed nursing home at two points in time, prior to and following the implementation of a hospital avoidance program. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed separately and merged during final analysis. Nursing staff had strong intentions, a positive attitude that became significantly more positive with the hospital avoidance program in place, and a reasonable sense of control; however, the influence of important referents was the strongest predictor of intention towards managing residents with deteriorating health. Support from a hospital avoidance program empowered staff and increased confidence to intervene. The theory of planned behaviour served as an effective framework for identifying the strong influence referents had on nursing staff intentions around managing residents with deteriorating health. Although nursing staff had a reasonable sense of control over this area of their work, they believed they benefitted from a hospital avoidance program initiated by the nursing home. Managers implementing hospital avoidance programs should consider the role of referents, appraise the known barriers and facilitators and take steps to identify those unique to their local situation
Mental strain among staff at medical rehabilitation clinics in Germany.
Koerner, Mirjam
2011-01-20
The aim of the study is to compare the frequency of mental strain effects on employees in somatic and psychosomatic rehabilitation clinics as well as between the different occupational groups. Associations between mental strain effects and working conditions, cooperation in the team and employee satisfaction are also investigated. The present study is cross-sectional with a descriptive-explorative design. It is composed of a survey with standardized questionnaires (Human Service Workload, Questionnaire on Teamwork and Questionnaire on Staff Satisfaction in Medical Rehabilitation) and global items, and was conducted among all employees of twelve rehabilitation teams (five somatic and seven psychosomatic rehabilitation clinics (n=549)). The response rate of the survey averaged 45% (n=252). One in four participants reported being emotionally exhausted. There were significantly more emotionally exhausted employees working in the psychosomatic (31%) than in the somatic rehabilitation clinics (16%) (X(2)=7.403, df=1, pemployee satisfaction (r=-.38 to r=-.50, pintrinsic motivation, dissatisfaction). The results clearly show that the employees in medical rehabilitation clinics have a high stress level at work, a situation which is also known in other health care organizations. Observations of strong associations between cooperation in the team and strain effects confirm the positive impact of social support in the daily work routine. Correlation between the subjective appraisal of working conditions and the impact of strain is mostly high. It can be assumed that the strain effects can be influenced positively with supportive team and human resource development (person-related interventions) and interventions that enhance working conditions (condition-related interventions).
Investigation of zoonotic infections among Auckland Zoo staff: 1991-2010.
Forsyth, M B; Morris, A J; Sinclair, D A; Pritchard, C P
2012-12-01
Investigation was undertaken to assess the occurrence of zoonotic infection among staff at Auckland Zoological Park, New Zealand, in 1991, 2002 and 2010. Serial cross-sectional health surveys in 1991, 2002 and 2010 comprising a health questionnaire, and serological, immunological and microbiological analysis for a range of potential zoonotic infections were performed. Laboratory results for zoo animals were also reviewed for 2004-2010 to assess the occurrence of potential zoonotic infections. Veterinary clinic, animal handler, grounds, maintenance and administrative staff participated in the surveys, with 49, 42 and 46 participants in the 1991, 2002 and 2010 surveys, respectively (29% of total zoo staff in 2010). A small number of staff reported work-related infections, including erysipelas (1), giardiasis (1) and campylobacteriosis (1). The seroprevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A virus and Toxoplasma gondii closely reflected those in the Auckland community. No carriage of hepatitis B virus (HBV) was detected, and most of those with anti-HBV antibodies had been vaccinated. Few staff had serological evidence of past leptospiral infection. Three veterinary clinic staff had raised Chlamydophila psittaci antibodies, all Auckland Zoo, this was uncommon and risks appear to be adequately managed under current policies and procedures. Nevertheless, ongoing assessment of risk factors is needed as environmental, human and animal disease and management factors change. Policies and procedures should be reviewed periodically in conjunction with disease monitoring results for both animals and staff to minimise zoonotic transmission. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
Smoking in hospital: a survey of attitudes of staff, patients, and visitors.
Garratt, D J; Gough, N A; Taylor, E J; Banks, M H; Sönksen, P H
1978-01-01
A survey was carried out on attitudes to smoking in hospital. Analysis of 411 interviews showed that the majority (64%) of those questioned approved of some restrictions on patients smoking in the wards. Eighteen per cent would have liked to see a complete ban on smoking, while an identical number favoured no restrictions at all. Smoking habit influenced response; only 8% of smokers, compared with 25% of non-smokers, would have liked to see a total ban on smoking. Attitudes to smoking varied according to the status of the persons interviewed; only 6% of visitors and 7% of nurses approved of a complete ban on smoking, compared with 32% of medical students and 27% of doctors. The results suggest that the introduction of smoking and non-smoking areas in hospital wards would be approved by the majority of patients, staff, and visitors. PMID:711983
JOB SATISFACTION SURVEY OF STAFF NURSES WORKING IN THE HOSPITALS.
Sheeja. C. V; K. Reddemma.
2017-01-01
Introduction: Satisfaction of the nurses are key component in delivering inviolable health care in the country. Multiple factors are responsible for nurses? job satisfaction. Satisfied nurses are able to provide quality nursing care for their patients. Staff Nurses? Job satisfaction are influenced by extrinsic and intrinsic factors. The staff nurses attitude towards their job can be measured through the job satisfaction scale. This study has been undertaken in an attempt to explore and descri...
Andrews, Diane Randall; Richard, David C S; Robinson, Patricia; Celano, Patricia; Hallaron, Jeanie
2012-09-01
There is evidence that transformational leadership style promotes nursing excellence. Differences in how supervisees and supervisors perceive the supervisor's leadership style may also be related to satisfaction with leadership. Research demonstrates that satisfaction with leadership is a critical element in the retention of nurses. To evaluate staff nurse and nurse leader perceptions of leadership style. 16 supervisors and 179 supervisees completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and a demographic survey. Data were analyzed using parametric statistical techniques. Although staff perceived leaders as employing largely transformative leadership strategies, differences existed in leader-staff congruence in interpretation of leadership style and as related to the role of the leader. Differences in interpretation of leadership style between supervisors and supervisees were associated with diminished satisfaction with leadership. In addition, those serving in a direct operational role (assistant nurse manager) were viewed as less transformative than leaders who maintained broader administrative responsibilities. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Røen, Irene; Kirkevold, Øyvind; Testad, Ingelin; Selbæk, Geir; Engedal, Knut; Bergh, Sverre
2017-12-04
Person-centered care (PCC) is regarded as good quality care for persons with dementia. This study aimed to explore and understand the association between PCC and organizational, staff and unit characteristics in nursing homes (NHs). Staff from 175 NH units in Norway (n = 1,161) completed a survey, including measures of PCC and questions about staff characteristics and work-related psychosocial factors. In addition, data about organizational and structural factors and assessment of the physical environment in the units were obtained. The distribution of these factors in regular units (RUs) and special care units (SCUs) is described, and the differences between the two types of units are analyzed. Furthermore, multilevel linear regression analyses explored the extent to which variables were associated with PCC. Higher levels of PCC were associated with a greater job satisfaction, three years or more of health-related education, a lower level of quantitative demands and role conflict, a higher level of perception of mastery, empowering leadership, innovative climate and perception of group work, in addition to the type of unit and the physical environment in the NH unit designed for people with dementia. SCU and staff job satisfaction explained most of the variation in PCC. This study shows an association between PCC and organizational, staff and unit characteristics in NH. These findings indicate that providing PCC in NH care is closely linked to how the staff experiences their job situation in addition to both organizational and structural factors and the physical environment. Attention needs to be given to such factors when planning NH care.
The Influence of Nurse Manager Leadership Style on Staff Nurse Work Engagement.
Manning, Jennifer
2016-09-01
Nursing literature supports the importance of an engaged nursing workforce as a means to positively influence performance. Nurse manager leadership style plays a critical role in engaging staff nurses. These relationships have been minimally studied in nurse managers and staff nurses. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of nurse manager leadership style factors on staff nurse work engagement. Using a descriptive correlational research design, 441 staff nurses working in 3 acute care hospitals were surveyed. Survey instruments included the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire 5X short form. Transactional and transformational leadership styles in nurse managers positively influenced staff nurse work engagement. Passive-avoidant leadership style in nurse managers negatively influenced staff nurse work engagement. Nurse managers who provide support and communication through transformational and transactional leadership styles can have a positive impact on staff nurse work engagement and ultimately improve organizational outcomes.
Teaching critical appraisal skills for nursing research.
Jones, Sandra C; Crookes, Patrick A; Johnson, Keryn M
2011-09-01
Evidence-based practice is a major focus in nursing, yet the literature continues to document a research-practice gap. Reasons for this gap stem partly from a lack of skills to critique and synthesize the literature, a lack of search skills and difficulty in understanding research articles, and limited knowledge of research by nursing professionals. An innovative and quality driven subject to improve critical appraisal and critical thinking skills was developed for the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health at the University of Wollongong, based on formative research with postgraduate students and supervisors. Through face-to-face and online teaching modules students worked through a structured process of analysing the key aspects of published papers using structured analysis tools for each study design. Pre and post surveys of students found improvements in perceived knowledge of all key skills of critical appraisal. External independent evaluation determined that it was a high quality subject showing many hallmarks of good assessment practice and good practice in use of information and communication technology (ICT) in support of the learning outcomes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Appraisal of family doctors: an evaluation study.
Lewis, M.I.; Elwyn, G.; Wood, F.
2003-01-01
BACKGROUND: Appraisal has evolved to become a key component of workforce management. However, it is not clear from existing proposals for appraisal of doctors whether employers, health authorities or primary care organisations should take responsibility for appraisal processes. AIMS: To evaluate the
The role of the psychiatrist: job satisfaction of medical directors and staff psychiatrists.
Ranz, J; Stueve, A; McQuistion, H L
2001-12-01
In a previous survey of Columbia University Public Psychiatry Fellowship alumni, medical directors reported experiencing higher job satisfaction compared to staff psychiatrists. To further this inquiry, the authors conducted an expanded survey among the membership of the American Association of Community Psychiatrists (AACP). We mailed a questionnaire to all AACP members. Respondents categorized their positions as staff psychiatrist, program medical director or agency medical director, and rated their overall job satisfaction. The form also included a number of demographic and job characteristic items. Of 479 questionnaires mailed, a total of 286 individuals returned questionnaires (61%-12 forms were undeliverable). As in our previous survey, medical directors experience significantly higher job satisfaction compared to staff psychiatrists. Program and agency medical directors do not differ significantly. In addition, job satisfaction is strongly and negatively correlated with age for staff psychiatrists but not for medical directors. This survey strengthens the previously reported advantage medical directors have over staff psychiatrists regarding job satisfaction. The finding that job satisfaction decreases with increasing age of staff psychiatrists but not medical directors is particularly interesting, suggesting that staff psychiatrist positions may come to be regarded as "dead-end" over time. Psychiatrists are advised to seek promotions to program medical director positions early in their careers, since these positions are far more available, and provide equal job satisfaction, compared to agency medical director positions.
Gowing, Jeremy R; Walker, Kim N; Elmer, Shandell L; Cummings, Elizabeth A
2017-06-01
Introduction It is important that health professionals and support staff are prepared for disasters to safeguard themselves and the community during disasters. There has been a significantly heightened focus on disasters since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York (USA); however, despite this, it is evident that health professionals and support staff may not be adequately prepared for disasters. Report An integrative literature review was performed based on a keyword search of the major health databases for primary research evaluating preparedness of health professionals and support staff. The literature was quality appraised using a mixed-methods appraisal tool (MMAT), and a thematic analysis was completed to identify current knowledge and gaps. Discussion The main themes identified were: health professionals and support staff may not be fully prepared for disasters; the most effective content and methods for disaster preparedness is unknown; and the willingness of health professionals and support staff to attend work and perform during disasters needs further evaluation. Gaps were identified to guide further research and the creation of new knowledge to best prepare for disasters. These included the need for: high-quality research to evaluate the best content and methods of disaster preparedness; inclusion of the multi-disciplinary health care team as participants; preparation for internal disasters; the development of validated competencies for preparedness; validated tools for measurement; and the importance of performance in actual disasters to evaluate preparation. The literature identified that all types of disaster preparedness activities lead to improvements in knowledge, skills, or attitude preparedness for disasters. Most studies focused on external disasters and the preparedness of medical, nursing, public health, or paramedic professionals. There needs to be a greater focus on the whole health care team, including allied health
Chang, Eva; Cohen, Julia; Koethe, Benjamin; Smith, Kevin; Bir, Anupa
2017-04-01
To validate the Satisfaction of Employees in Health Care (SEHC) survey with multidisciplinary, healthcare staff in the United States (U.S.). A cross-sectional psychometric study using confirmatory factor analysis. The original three-factor model was tested and modified using half-samples. Models were assessed using goodness-of-fit measures. Scale reliability and validity were tested with Cronbach's α coefficient and correlation of total SEHC score with two global satisfaction items, respectively. We administered a web-based survey from January to May 2015 to healthcare staff participating in initiatives aimed at delivering better care and reducing costs. The overall response rate was 38% (N = 1089), and respondents were from 86 healthcare projects. A total of 928 respondents completed the SEHC survey in full and were used in this study. Model fit of 18 SEHC items and total SEHC score. The mean SEHC score was 77.6 (SD: 19.0). A one-factor model of job satisfaction had high loadings on all items, and demonstrated adequate model fit (second half-sample RMSEA: 0.069). The scale demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.942) and validity (r = 0.77 and 0.76, both P job satisfaction construct. The scale has adequate reliability and validity to recommend its use to assess satisfaction among multidisciplinary, U.S. healthcare staff. Our findings suggest that this survey is a good candidate for reduction to a short-form, and future research should validate this survey in other healthcare populations. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com
HOW APPRAISERS DEVELOP FAIR VALUE
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
MIROSLAV ŠKODA
2012-01-01
Full Text Available Management is responsible for its own financial decisions. If we take into account, that fair value concept was shown in financial crisis as something that does not work anymore in this way; there is a big need to develop it for the future. Non-professional readers of financial statements believe, however, that company financials are the work of the public accounting firm that had signed the audit certificate. The main reason for bringing this point up is that when companies disclose Fair Value (FV information in their financial statements, they are taking responsibility for the values disclosed. Management may often be encouraged to utilize the services of an outside professional, but at the end of the day, the outside appraiser is a hired gun. Although the appraiser has to take responsibility for his own work, hiring the appraiser does not absolve management of its ultimate responsibility. The obverse of this is also true. Management does not have to hire the appraiser to develop any fair value disclosures made in the financial statements. Developing FV information is not recommended as a do-it yourself undertaking, there is nothing in Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP or Securities Exchange Commission (SEC regulations, however, that requires an outside appraiser.
New Roles, New Responsibilities: Examining Training Needs of Repository Staff
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Natasha Simons
2012-05-01
Full Text Available INTRODUCTION Institutional repositories play a critical role in the research lifecycle. Funding agencies are increasingly seeking an improved return on their investment in research. Repositories facilitate this process by providing storage of, and access to, institutional research outputs and, more recently, research data. While repositories are generally managed within the academic library, repository staff require different skills and knowledge compared with traditional library roles. This study reports on a survey of Australasian institutional repository staff to identify skills and knowledge sets. METHODS Institutional repository staff working at universities in Australia and New Zealand were invited to participate in an online survey which incorporated both open and closed-ended question types. RESULTS The survey found significant gaps in the current provision of formal training and coursework related to institutional repositories, which echoed findings in the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States. DISCUSSION There is clearly a need for more and varied training opportunities for repository professionals. Repository work requires a specific set of skills that can be difficult to find and institutions will benefit from investing in training and ongoing development opportunities for repository staff. CONCLUSION The data from this study could be used to facilitate staff recruitment, development, training, and retention strategies.
Marketing of banana and banana products in Uganda: Results of a rapid rural appraisal
Digges, Philip
1994-01-01
This report concerns a survey undertaken by NRI in Uganda during September and December 1993, which sought to characterise the banana and banana beer marketing systems. The study follows on from the recommendations of the Banana Based Cropping System Rapid Rural Appraisal (1991), and focuses upon the Kampala market.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sandberg L
2018-05-01
Full Text Available Linda Sandberg,1 Lena Borell,1 David Edvardsson,2,3 Lena Rosenberg,1 Anne-Marie Boström1,4,5 1Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS, Division of Occupational Therapy, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden; 2School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia; 3Department of Nursing, Umea University, Umea, Sweden; 4Theme Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; 5Department of Nursing, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Haugesund, Norway Introduction: An increasing number of older persons worldwide live at home with various functional limitations such as dementia. So, home care staff meet older persons with extensive, complex needs. The staff’s well-being is crucial because it can affect the quality of their work, although literature on job strain among home care staff is limited. Aim: To describe perceived job strain among home care staff and to examine correlations between job strain, personal factors, and organizational factors. Methods: The study applied a cross-sectional survey design. Participants were dementia care specialists who work in home care (n=34 and other home care staff who are not specialized in dementia care (n=35. The Strain in Dementia Care Scale (SDCS and Creative Climate Questionnaire instruments and demographic variables were used. Descriptive and inferential statistics (including regression modeling were applied. The regional ethical review board approved the study. Results: Home care staff perceived job strain – particularly because they could not provide what they perceived to be necessary care. Dementia care specialists ranked job strain higher (m=5.71 than other staff members (m=4.71; p=0.04. Job strain (for total score and for all five SDCS factors correlated with being a dementia care specialist. Correlations also occurred between job strain for SDCS factor 2 (difficulties understanding and interpreting and not having Swedish as
Oral Health Knowledge and Practices of WIC Staff at Florida WIC Program.
Gold, Jaana T; Tomar, Scott
2016-06-01
This study was conducted to assess the oral health knowledge, practices and confidence of staff in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant and Children (WIC) by administering an anonymous self-completed survey to 39 WIC Clinic staff in Northern Florida. The survey instrument was a 28-item questionnaire adapted from previous validated surveys and covered questions on oral health knowledge, confidence and general practices related to oral health. Survey data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The majority of WIC staff is knowledgeable about the role of the caregiver in cleaning the child's teeth and the role of bottle use in dental caries. Only 7 (25 %) of total 28 WIC staff indicated that fluoridated toothpaste could be used for children younger than 2 years of age. Only 18 (64 %) agreed that the cariogenic bacteria could be transmitted from mother to child. Nutritionists reported greater confidence compared to others in oral health tasks. Only 6 (67 %) of the nutritionists reported to counsel caregivers on the importance of regular tooth brushing. Only 4 (44 %) nutritionists reported to refer WIC clients to dental care. These results indicate that WIC staff has a limited knowledge on the age recommendations for the fluoride toothpaste use and on the transmission of the cariogenic bacteria. Many do not provide oral health counseling to caregivers. WIC staff with more education is more likely to discuss oral health issues. WIC staff is in need for oral health training and education to provide oral health counseling for at risk WIC population.
Friedman, Joshua; Friedman, Susan Hatters; Collin, Marc; Martin, Richard J
2018-01-01
To characterise neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) staff perceptions regarding factors which may lead to more challenging staff-parent interactions, and beneficial strategies for working with families with whom such interactions occur. A survey of 168 physician and nursing staff at two NICUs in American teaching hospitals inquired about their perceptions of challenging parent-staff interactions and situations in which such interactions were likely to occur. From a medical perspective, staff perceptions of challenging interactions were noted when infants had recent decompensation, high medical complexity, malformations or long duration of stay in the NICU. From a psychological/social perspective, a high likelihood of challenging interactions was noted with parents who were suspicious, interfere with equipment, or parents who hover in the NICU, express paranoid or delusional thoughts, repeat questions, perceive the staff as inaccessible, are managing addictions, or who require child protective services involvement. Frequent family meetings, grieving opportunities, education of parents, social work referrals, clearly defined rules, partnering in daily care and support groups were perceived as the most beneficial strategies for improving difficult interactions. This study delineates what staff perceive as challenging interactions and provides support for an educational and interventional role that incorporates mental health professionals. ©2017 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Gulliver, Amelia; Farrer, Louise; Bennett, Kylie; Ali, Kathina; Hellsing, Annika; Katruss, Natasha; Griffiths, Kathleen M
2018-06-01
University students experience high levels of mental health problems; however, very few seek professional help. Teaching staff within the university are well placed to assist students to seek support. To investigate university teaching staff experiences of, and training needs around, assisting students with mental health problems. A total of 224 teaching staff at the Australian National University completed an anonymous online survey (16.4% response rate from n ∼ 1370). Data on mental health training needs, and experiences of assisting students with mental health problems were described using tabulation. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Most teaching staff (70.1-82.2%) reported at least moderate confidence in their ability to provide emotional support for students. However, many staff (60.0%) felt under-equipped overall to deal with student mental health problems; almost half (49.6%) reported they did not have access to formal training. Specific actions described in assisting students included referrals, offering support, or consulting others for advice. Given the high rates of students who approach staff about mental health problems, there is a critical need to provide and promote both formal mental health response training and explicit guidelines for staff on when, how, and where to refer students for help.
Analysis of Appraising Agricultural Intangible Asset Value by Cost Method
Li, Xiao-Juan
2010-01-01
On the basis of describing the connotation of agricultural intangible asset and cost method, the technical ideas of appraising by cost method are introduced. The article analyzes the advantages (simple appraisal principle and easy to understand and grasp; overall consideration of various factors related to appraisal result value) and disadvantages (high appraisal cost; difficult to appraise and grasp various appraisal factors) of appraising by cost method. The article also summarizes the prec...
Use Of Computer Among Library Staff In Four Universities Of ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
4) selected Universities of Technology Libraries in Northern Nigeria. Survey research was adopted with population of 151 Library staff and a random sample size of 120 staff in four (4) selected Universities of Technology Libraries in Northern ...
HR Department
2010-01-01
Staff members are invited to attend one of the following three information sessions that shall outline the general principles of the 2011 annual Merit, Appraisal and Recognition Scheme (MARS). Monday 10 January at 16:00-17:00 BE Auditorium Prévessin (864-1-D-02) – French; Tuesday 11 January at 15:00-16:00 – Council Chamber (503-1-001) – English; Thursday 13 January at 15:00-16:00 - Kjell Johnsen Auditorium (30-7-018) – French. General information on the MARS exercise may also be found on the Human Resources website: https://hr-eguide.web.cern.ch/hr-eguide/mars/mars.asp Tel. 70674 / 72728
Appraisal patterns of envy and related emotions.
van de Ven, Niels; Zeelenberg, Marcel; Pieters, Rik
2012-06-01
Envy is a frustrating emotion that arises from upward social comparison. Two studies investigated the appraisals that distinguish benign envy (aimed at improving one's own situation) from malicious envy (aimed at pulling down the superior other). Study 1 found that appraisals of deservingness and control potential differentiated both types of envy. We manipulated these appraisals in Study 2 and found that while both did not influence the intensity of envy, they did determine the type of envy that resulted. The more a situation was appraised as undeserved, the more participants experienced malicious envy. Benign envy was experienced more when the situation was not undeserved, and the most when the situation was appraised as both deserved and controllable. The current research also clarifies how the types of envy differ from the related emotions admiration and resentment.
Handoffs causing patient harm: a survey of medical and surgical house staff.
Kitch, Barrett T; Cooper, Jeffrey B; Zapol, Warren M; Marder, Jessica E; Karson, Andrew; Hutter, Matt; Campbell, Eric G
2008-10-01
Communication lapses at the time of patient handoffs are believed to be common, and yet the frequency with which patients are harmed as a result of problematic handoffs is unknown. Resident physicians were surveyed about their handoffpractices and the frequency with which they perceive problems with handoffs lead to patient harm. A survey was conducted in 2006 of all resident physicians in internal medicine and general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) concerning the quality and effects of handoffs during their most recent inpatient rotations. Surveys were sent to 238 eligible residents; 161 responses were obtained (response rate, 67.6%). Fifty-nine percent of residents reported that one or more patients had been harmed during their most recent clinical rotation because of problematic handoffs, and 12% reported that this harm had been major. Overall quality of handoffs was reported to be fair or poor by 31% of residents. A minority of residents (26%) reported that handoffs usually or always took place in a quiet setting, and 37% reported that one or more interruptions during the receipt of handoffs occurred either most of the time or always. Although handoffs have long been recognized as potentially hazardous, further scrutiny of handoffs has followed recent reports that handoffs are often marked by missing, incomplete, or inaccurate information and are associated with adverse events. In this study, reports of harm to patients from problematic handoffs were common among residents in internal medicine and general surgery. Many best-practice recommendations for handoffs are not observed, although the extent to which improvement of these practices could reduce patient harm is not known. MGH has recently launched a handoff-safety educational program, along with other interventions designed to improve the safety and effectiveness of handoffs, for its house staff and clinical leadership.
Current practices in economic appraisal
Mossink, J.C.M.
2000-01-01
By means of economic appraisal, the costs and the benefits of health, environment and safety management can be made clear, both at the national level and at the company level. As such it is a tool in advocating good practices. This paper explores the possibilities of economic appraisal for policy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Karamanoglu Ayla
2002-11-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background We conducted a survey to find out how patients feel about the care they receive in the outpatient chemotherapy unit of Marmara University Hospital. Methods The American College of Physicians Patient Satisfaction survey translated into Turkish was used. A meeting was held with all involved staff, before conducting the survey, to review the purpose and determine the process. The study was conducted with 100 random patients. Results Consistent with cancer frequency, most patients had either lung, colorectal or breast cancer. Their insurance was government sponsored in close to 90%. The educational levels were above Turkish median but consistent with the area the hospital is serving. They were coming to the unit on average 8.5 months. The responses were not influenced by the surveyed diagnosis, age, sex or educational status (p > 0,05. Particularly health care team's attention, trust and courtesy came forward as strong points. The weaknesses noted as difficulties in booking an outpatient doctor visit appointment because the phone line was busy or the secretary was not courteous, the excessive amount of time and effort it required to get laboratory and radiology results. Conclusion The health care system is basically a service based industry and customer satisfaction is at utmost importance just as in other service-oriented sectors. We hope this study will shed light in that area and Turkish health care providers will pay closer attention to how their patients feel about the services that they are getting.
Turhal, Nazim S; Efe, Basak; Gumus, Mahmut; Aliustaoglu, Mehmet; Karamanoglu, Ayla; Sengoz, Meric
2002-11-20
We conducted a survey to find out how patients feel about the care they receive in the outpatient chemotherapy unit of Marmara University Hospital. The American College of Physicians Patient Satisfaction survey translated into Turkish was used. A meeting was held with all involved staff, before conducting the survey, to review the purpose and determine the process. The study was conducted with 100 random patients. Consistent with cancer frequency, most patients had either lung, colorectal or breast cancer. Their insurance was government sponsored in close to 90%. The educational levels were above Turkish median but consistent with the area the hospital is serving. They were coming to the unit on average 8.5 months. The responses were not influenced by the surveyed diagnosis, age, sex or educational status (p > 0,05). Particularly health care team's attention, trust and courtesy came forward as strong points. The weaknesses noted as difficulties in booking an outpatient doctor visit appointment because the phone line was busy or the secretary was not courteous, the excessive amount of time and effort it required to get laboratory and radiology results. The health care system is basically a service based industry and customer satisfaction is at utmost importance just as in other service-oriented sectors. We hope this study will shed light in that area and Turkish health care providers will pay closer attention to how their patients feel about the services that they are getting.
Gray, Selena; Carmichael, Laurence; Barton, Hugh; Mytton, Julie; Lease, Helen; Joynt, Jennifer
2011-11-24
Spatial planning affects the built environment, which in turn has the potential to have a significant impact on health, for good or ill. One way of ensuring that spatial plans take due account of health is through the inclusion of health considerations in the statutory and non statutory appraisal processes linked to plan-making processes. A systematic review to identify evaluation studies of appraisals or assessments of plans where health issues were considered from 1987 to 2010. A total of 6161 citations were identified: 6069 from electronic databases, 57 fromwebsite searches, with a further 35 citations from grey literature, of which 20 met the inclusion criteria. These 20 citations reported on a total of 135 different case studies: 11 UK HIA; 11 non UK high income countries HIA, 5 UK SEA or other integrated appraisal; 108 non UK high income SEA or other integrated appraisal. All studies were in English. No relevant studies were identified reporting on low or middle income countries.The studies were limited by potential bias (no independent evaluation, with those undertaking the appraisal also responsible for reporting outcomes), lack of detail and a lack of triangulation of results. Health impact assessments generally covered the four specified health domains (physical activity, mental health and wellbeing, environmental health issues such as pollution and noise, injury) more comprehensively than SEA or other integrated appraisals, although mental health and wellbeing was an underdeveloped area. There was no evidence available on the incorporation of health in Sustainability Appraisal, limited evidence that the recommendations from any type of appraisal were implemented, and almost no evidence that the recommendations had led to the anticipated outcomes or improvements in health postulated. Research is needed to assess (i) the degree to which statutory plan appraisal processes (SA in the UK) incorporate health; (ii) whether recommendations arising from health
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gray Selena
2011-11-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Spatial planning affects the built environment, which in turn has the potential to have a significant impact on health, for good or ill. One way of ensuring that spatial plans take due account of health is through the inclusion of health considerations in the statutory and non statutory appraisal processes linked to plan-making processes. Methods A systematic review to identify evaluation studies of appraisals or assessments of plans where health issues were considered from 1987 to 2010. Results A total of 6161 citations were identified: 6069 from electronic databases, 57 fromwebsite searches, with a further 35 citations from grey literature, of which 20 met the inclusion criteria. These 20 citations reported on a total of 135 different case studies: 11 UK HIA; 11 non UK high income countries HIA, 5 UK SEA or other integrated appraisal; 108 non UK high income SEA or other integrated appraisal. All studies were in English. No relevant studies were identified reporting on low or middle income countries. The studies were limited by potential bias (no independent evaluation, with those undertaking the appraisal also responsible for reporting outcomes, lack of detail and a lack of triangulation of results. Health impact assessments generally covered the four specified health domains (physical activity, mental health and wellbeing, environmental health issues such as pollution and noise, injury more comprehensively than SEA or other integrated appraisals, although mental health and wellbeing was an underdeveloped area. There was no evidence available on the incorporation of health in Sustainability Appraisal, limited evidence that the recommendations from any type of appraisal were implemented, and almost no evidence that the recommendations had led to the anticipated outcomes or improvements in health postulated. Conclusion Research is needed to assess (i the degree to which statutory plan appraisal processes (SA in the UK
Appraisal of Transport Projects
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jensen, Anders Vestergaard
and robustness measures have been elaborated, which examine the subjective part of the MCDA (in form of criteria weights) and its role in decision support making. For this purpose both deterministic and stochastic sensitivity analyses have been developed. In addition, the focus has been formulating a framework...... into account the interests and preferences of different stakeholders. These various interests and preferences have been revealed by the use of decision conferencing, which engage the stakeholders and provide a common platform for understanding the decision problem. Leading up to this framework, this thesis has......, as robustness of a recommended solution is major concern in the final steps of decision making. As mentioned, the appraisal of transport projects is a complex issues involving conflict of various interests and this calls for new approaches to the practice of appraisal. The presented appraisal framework...
APPRAISAL ANALYSIS IN FREEDOM WRITERS MOVIE
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nani Hidayati
2017-02-01
Full Text Available This study attempts to find out conveyed messages in the movie from the realization of the appraisal and narrative structure as well as to describe the use of the Appraisal System to express LaGravenese's (a Attitudes, (bEngagement & (c Graduation towards the main characters in Freedom Writers movie screenplay. Using both quantitative and qualitative descriptive approach for discourse appraisal system analysis, the result of this study reveals several messages of tolerance, earning respect and trust, honor diversity, and striving for success and trust from the realization of Appraisal and Narrative Structure either in the dialogues or monologues of Freedom Writers’ characters. The result from the Appraisal Devices realizing (a Attitudes reveals that LaGravenese likes to express characters’ negative emotion explicitly than implicitly. He likes to express characters’ negative capability than other kinds of Judgments. He appreciates the characters using more Negative Value which denotes that in his opinion, they see each other negatively. (bEngagement used in the screenplay describes that he emphasizes more on characters’ denial towards each other’s opinion and existence with the use of more Disclaim Heterogloss in the screenplay. (cGraduation used in the screenplay describes that the use of more Sharpening Focus indicates he emphasizes on characters’ category boundary more than scaling of intensity. Keywords: Appraisal Devices, Attitude, Engagement, and Graduation.
Wendt, Oliver; Miller, Bridget
2012-01-01
Critical appraisal of the research literature is an essential step in informing and implementing evidence-based practice. Quality appraisal tools that assess the methodological quality of experimental studies provide a means to identify the most rigorous research suitable for evidence-based decision-making. In single-subject experimental research,…
2005-03-02
The principles and frameworks demonstrated in this book could be used in many other healthcare settings. The text is divided neatly into nine chapters and addresses practical issues such as being an effective appraiser, developing and demonstrating competence, linking appraisal with career development, and evaluation of the appraisal process. The comprehensive approach to all aspects of appraisal makes this a must-have book for all health professionals and managers undertaking appraisals. It should also appeal to clinical governance leads and individuals being appraised. There are excellent tips on how to prepare for appraisals and how to link this with reflection, lifelong learning, career direction, and so on. The book is well referenced and contains an appendix with useful examples for the appraiser.
Research staff and public engagement
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Davies, Sarah Rachael
2013-01-01
focuses on one staff group, contract researchers, to explore the perceived challenges and opportunities of public engagement. Qualitative and quantitative data-from a web-based survey and three focus groups-are used to show that, while engagement activities are often seen as rewarding, the challenges...
McKenna, Hugh; Keeney, Sinead; Kim, Mi Ja; Park, Chang Gi
2014-07-01
To evaluate the quality of doctoral education in nursing in the United Kingdom. In recent decades, doctoral education programmes in nursing are increasing worldwide. There are many reasons for this and concerns have been raised regarding the quality of provision in and across countries. To date, the quality of doctoral education on a global level has not been reported in the literature. This United Kingdom study is part of a seven country investigation into the quality of doctoral education in nursing (Australia, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States of America). A quantitative study using a cross-sectional comparative survey design. An online survey was administered to collect the views of doctoral students and staff members on four domains: programme, faculty/staff, resource and evaluation. The study was carried out between 2010-2012. In most cases, staff perceived these more positively than students and the differences in perception were often statistically significant. Interestingly, many students rated the quality of supervision as excellent, whereas no staff member rated supervision this highly. The crucial importance of resources was confirmed in the path analysis of the four Quality of Doctoral Nursing Education domains. This demonstrates that investment in resources is much more cost-effective than investment in the other domains in relation to improving the overall quality of doctoral education in nursing. This study has wide-ranging implications for how the quality of doctoral education is monitored and enhanced. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Web Use for Symptom Appraisal of Physical Health Conditions: A Systematic Review.
Mueller, Julia; Jay, Caroline; Harper, Simon; Davies, Alan; Vega, Julio; Todd, Chris
2017-06-13
The Web has become an important information source for appraising symptoms. We need to understand the role it currently plays in help seeking and symptom evaluation to leverage its potential to support health care delivery. The aim was to systematically review the literature currently available on Web use for symptom appraisal. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ACM Digital Library, SCOPUS, and Web of Science for any empirical studies that addressed the use of the Web by lay people to evaluate symptoms for physical conditions. Articles were excluded if they did not meet minimum quality criteria. Study findings were synthesized using a thematic approach. A total of 32 studies were included. Study designs included cross-sectional surveys, qualitative studies, experimental studies, and studies involving website/search engine usage data. Approximately 35% of adults engage in Web use for symptom appraisal, but this proportion varies between 23% and 75% depending on sociodemographic and disease-related factors. Most searches were symptom-based rather than condition-based. Users viewed only the top search results and interacted more with results that mentioned serious conditions. Web use for symptom appraisal appears to impact on the decision to present to health services, communication with health professionals, and anxiety. Web use for symptom appraisal has the potential to influence the timing of help seeking for symptoms and the communication between patients and health care professionals during consultations. However, studies lack suitable comparison groups as well as follow-up of participants over time to determine whether Web use results in health care utilization and diagnosis. Future research should involve longitudinal follow-up so that we can weigh the benefits of Web use for symptom appraisal (eg, reductions in delays to diagnosis) against the disadvantages (eg, unnecessary anxiety and health care use) and relate these to health care costs. ©Julia Mueller
Impact of Intervention to Improve Nursing Home Resident-Staff Interactions and Engagement.
Hartmann, Christine W; Mills, Whitney L; Pimentel, Camilla B; Palmer, Jennifer A; Allen, Rebecca S; Zhao, Shibei; Wewiorski, Nancy J; Sullivan, Jennifer L; Dillon, Kristen; Clark, Valerie; Berlowitz, Dan R; Snow, Andrea Lynn
2018-04-30
For nursing home residents, positive interactions with staff and engagement in daily life contribute meaningfully to quality of life. We sought to improve these aspects of person-centered care in an opportunistic snowball sample of six Veterans Health Administration nursing homes (e.g., Community Living Centers-CLCs) using an intervention that targeted staff behavior change, focusing on improving interactions between residents and staff and thereby ultimately aiming to improve resident engagement. We grounded this mixed-methods study in the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior (COM-B) model of behavior change. We implemented the intervention by (a) using a set of evidence-based practices for implementing quality improvement and (b) combining primarily CLC-based staff facilitation with some researcher-led facilitation. Validated resident and staff surveys and structured observations collected pre and post intervention, as well as semi-structured staff interviews conducted post intervention, helped assess intervention success. Sixty-two CLC residents and 308 staff members responded to the surveys. Researchers conducted 1,490 discrete observations. Intervention implementation was associated with increased staff communication with residents during the provision of direct care and decreased negative staff interactions with residents. In the 66 interviews, staff consistently credited the intervention with helping them (a) develop awareness of the importance of identifying opportunities for engagement and (b) act to improve the quality of interactions between residents and staff. The intervention proved feasible and influenced staff to make simple enhancements to their behaviors that improved resident-staff interactions and staff-assessed resident engagement.
The Importance of Sexuality Program Objectives to Long-Term Care Staff.
Walker, Bonnie L.; Osgood, Nancy J.
The opinions of long-term care staff were surveyed regarding the importance of objectives of a program that would provide staff education and training regarding the sexuality of older people. A literature review determined what staff needed to know about elderly sexuality, the needs of elderly people related to their sexuality, and how caregivers…
Implementing cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) in a mental health service: staff training.
Dark, Frances; Newman, Ellie; Harris, Meredith; Cairns, Alice; Simpson, Michael; Gore-Jones, Victoria; Whiteford, Harvey; Harvey, Carol; Crompton, David
2016-04-01
This paper describes the establishment of training in cognitive remediation for psychosis within a community mental health service. Clinical staff working in the community of a mental health service were surveyed to ascertain their interest in cognitive aspects of psychosis and skills training in cognitive remediation (CR). Based on the results of the survey a tiered training programme was established with attendance figures reported for each level of training. Fidelity assessment was conducted on the five CR programmes operating. Of 106 clinical staff working in the community with people diagnosed with a psychotic illness 51 completed the survey (48% response rate). The training needs varied with all 106 staff receiving the fundamental (mandatory) training and 51 staff receiving CR facilitator training. Thirty three percent of staff trained as facilitators were delivering CR. Up skilling the mental health workforce to incorporate an understanding of the cognitive aspects of psychosis into care delivery can be facilitated by a tiered training structure. Fundamental training on the psychosocial aspects of psychosis can act as a platform for focussed CR skills based training. There is also a need for accessible therapy based supervision for staff wishing to develop competencies as CR therapists. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.
Stigma, Reflected Appraisals, and Recovery Outcomes in Mental Illness
Markowitz, Fred E.; Angell, Beth; Greenberg, Jan S.
2011-01-01
Drawing on modified labeling theory and the reflected appraisals process and using longitudinal data from 129 mothers and their adult children with schizophrenia, we estimate models of the effects of mothers' stigmatized identity appraisals of their mentally ill children on reflected and self-appraisals, and how appraisals affect outcomes…
Cultural Awareness Among Nursing Staff at an Academic Medical Center.
McElroy, Jennifer; Smith-Miller, Cheryl A; Madigan, Catherine K; Li, Yin
2016-03-01
The goal is to identify areas for targeted improvement in regard to cultural awareness and competence among nursing staff and in the work environment. Many facilities have initiated programs to facilitate cultural competence development among nursing staff; however, there has been little examination of the effect of these initiatives, assessment of experienced nurses' cultural awareness, or investigation of nurse leader's role in promoting cultural competence in the literature. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, a cultural awareness survey was modified and electronically distributed to all registered nurses and assistive personnel at an academic medical center. The modified survey instrument showed good reliability and validity among the study population. Most nursing staff exhibited a moderate to high level of cultural awareness and held positive opinions about nursing leadership and the work environment with regard to cultural issues. In increasingly diverse work environments, assessing the cultural awareness of nursing staff enables nurse leaders to evaluate efforts in promoting cultural competence and to identify specific areas in which to target staff development efforts and leadership training.
The appraisal of clinical guidelines in dentistry.
Glenny, Anne-Marie; Worthington, Helen V; Clarkson, Jan E; Esposito, Marco
2009-01-01
To appraise the reported processes involved in the development of published dental guidelines. Electronic databases were searched to identify guidelines making recommendations for any health professional within dentistry. All included guidelines were appraised using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument. A total of 105 guidelines met the inclusion criteria. The appraised guidelines showed lack of rigour in their development (median score 14.3%; range 0% to 100%). Only 10 (9.5%) were coded as 'strongly recommend' by at least two assessors. If recommendations within clinical guidelines are to be relied upon, the methods used in their development must be explicit and free from bias. When using the AGREE checklist to make decisions on whether or not to implement individual sets of guidelines, the findings of the present assessment reinforce the need for more than two assessors to be included in the appraisal of each set of guidelines.
The System of Employee Appraisal in a Company
Vaverová, Lucie
2011-01-01
This bachelor study called "The System of Employee Appraisal in a Company" deals with a general subscription of a personal process "Employee appraisal". It describes the principles of the system of employee appraisal and also covers the conditions necessary for its efficiency and operation. The bachelor study is focused on the system of employee appraisal centrally implemented in company ČEZ, a. s. This system is analyzed and compared with generally stated theoretical principles. The study in...
Research report appraisal: how much understanding is enough?
Lipscomb, Martin
2014-07-01
When appraising research papers, how much understanding is enough? More specifically, in deciding whether research results can inform practice, do appraisers need to substantively understand how findings are derived or is it sufficient simply to grasp that suitable analytic techniques were chosen and used by researchers? The degree or depth of understanding that research appraisers need to attain before findings can legitimately/sensibly inform practice is underexplored. In this paper it is argued that, where knowledge/justified beliefs derived from research evidence prompt actions that materially affect patient care, appraisers have an epistemic duty to demand high (maximal) rather than low (minimal) levels of understanding regards finding derivation (i.e. appraisers have a duty to seek a superior epistemic situation). If this argument holds assumptions about appraiser competence/ability and the feasibility of current UK conceptions of evidence based practice are destabilized. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Patterson, David A.; Dulmus, Catherine; Maguin, Eugene; Keesler, John; Powell, Byron
2014-01-01
Several studies have demonstrated the effect of an organization’s culture and climate on the delivery of services to clients and the success of clinical outcomes. Workers’ perceptions are integral components of organizational social context, and in order to create a positive organizational culture and climate, managers and frontline staff need to have a shared understanding of the social context. The existing literature does not adequately address that discrepancies in perceptions of culture and climate between frontline staff and managers impact the implementation of policies and services. The purpose of this study is to compare the workgroup-level culture and climate of a single, large child and family social services organization, based on the reported experiences of front-line workers and senior managers. The results showed that, as a group, senior managers rated the organization as having a culture that was much more proficient and much less rigid and a climate that was more engaged and more functional than the average frontline workgroup. The discrepancies between the perceptions of upper management and workgroup-level staff indicate the need for interventions that can improve communication and cohesiveness between these two groups. PMID:25101308
A framework for assessing Health Economic Evaluation (HEE) quality appraisal instruments.
Langer, Astrid
2012-08-16
Health economic evaluations support the health care decision-making process by providing information on costs and consequences of health interventions. The quality of such studies is assessed by health economic evaluation (HEE) quality appraisal instruments. At present, there is no instrument for measuring and improving the quality of such HEE quality appraisal instruments. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to establish a framework for assessing the quality of HEE quality appraisal instruments to support and improve their quality, and to apply this framework to those HEE quality appraisal instruments which have been subject to more scrutiny than others, in order to test the framework and to demonstrate the shortcomings of existing HEE quality appraisal instruments. To develop the quality assessment framework for HEE quality appraisal instruments, the experiences of using appraisal tools for clinical guidelines are used. Based on a deductive iterative process, clinical guideline appraisal instruments identified through literature search are reviewed, consolidated, and adapted to produce the final quality assessment framework for HEE quality appraisal instruments. The final quality assessment framework for HEE quality appraisal instruments consists of 36 items organized within 7 dimensions, each of which captures a specific domain of quality. Applying the quality assessment framework to four existing HEE quality appraisal instruments, it is found that these four quality appraisal instruments are of variable quality. The framework described in this study should be regarded as a starting point for appraising the quality of HEE quality appraisal instruments. This framework can be used by HEE quality appraisal instrument producers to support and improve the quality and acceptance of existing and future HEE quality appraisal instruments. By applying this framework, users of HEE quality appraisal instruments can become aware of methodological deficiencies
Coates, Dominiek D; Howe, Deborah
2015-11-01
Mental health work presents problems for staff over and above those encountered in other organisations, including other areas of healthcare. Healthcare workers, in particular mental health workers, have poorer job satisfaction and higher job burnout and turnover compared with established norms for other occupational groups. To make sense of why healthcare workers experience high levels of burnout, a strong body of literature points to the emotionally demanding nature of people-work. The negative effects of mental health work on employee health can be mitigated by the provision of appropriate job resources and wellbeing initiatives. As to develop initiatives that appropriately target staff sources of stress and needs, it is important to engage staff in this process. As such, Children and Young People's Mental Health (CYPMH) and headspace Gosford, in Australia, New South Wales (NSW), developed a survey to identify how staff experience and manage the emotional demands of mental health work, what they identify as key stressors and which initiatives they would like to see implemented. Fifty-five staff (response rate of 73 %) completed the survey, and the results suggest that while staff find the work emotionally demanding, they do not appear to be emotionally exhausted and report administrative rather than client issues as their primary concerns. While a strong body of literature identifies the management of emotions in the workplace as a significant cause of stress, organisational stressors such as working in a bureaucratic environment are also important to understanding staff wellbeing.
Workplace Stress and Ethical Challenges Experienced by Nursing Staff in a Nursing Home
Vondras, Dean D.; Flittner, Diane; Malcore, Sylvia A.; Pouliot, Gregory
2009-01-01
This research explores the workplace stress and ethical challenges reported by healthcare staff in a nursing home. A brief self-report survey was administered to 44 members of the nursing staff in a not-for-profit nursing home. The survey included items that elicited identification of specific workplace stressors and ethical challenges and global…
Upton, Penney; Scurlock-Evans, Laura; Williamson, Kathleen; Rouse, Joanne; Upton, Dominic
2015-01-01
Competency in evidence-based practice (EBP) is a requirement for graduate nurses. Despite a growing body of research exploring the EBP profiles of students, little research has explored the EBP profiles of nurse educators. To explore: the differences/similarities in the EBP profiles of US and UK clinical and academic faculty; the barriers nurse educators experience when teaching EBP; the impact of postgraduate education on EBP profile and; what nurse educators perceive "success" in implementing and teaching EBP to be. A cross-sectional online survey design was employed. Two Universities delivering undergraduate nursing education in the US and UK, in partnership with large hospital systems, small community hospitals, community settings, and independent sector health organisations. Eighty-one nurse educators working in academic and clinical contexts in the US and UK (US academic=12, US clinical=17, UK academic=9, UK clinical=43) were recruited opportunistically. Participants were emailed a weblink to an online survey, comprising demographic questions, the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire and open-ended questions about EBP barriers, facilitators and successes. Quantitative results indicated that academic faculty scored significantly higher on knowledge and skills of EBP, than clinical faculty, but revealed no other significant differences on EBP use or attitudes, or between US and UK professionals. Participants with postgraduate training scored significantly higher on EBP knowledge/skills, but not EBP attitudes or use. Qualitative findings identified key themes relating to EBP barriers and facilitators, including: Evidence-, organisational-, and teaching-related issues. Perceptions of successes in EBP were also described. Nurse educators working in the UK and US face similar EBP barriers to teaching and implementation, but view it positively and use it frequently. Clinical staff may require extra support to maintain their EBP knowledge and skills in
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Hayes, Will; Miluk, Gene; Ming, Lisa; Glover, Margaret; Bisgrove, Jane; Cort, Corrine; Penn, Lynn; Jacobson, Nils; Beynon, Don; Allgood, Bruce
2005-01-01
The Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI) provides a well-defined, publicly available set of methodologies for providing appraisals relative to Capability Maturity Model (trademark) Integration (CMMI) models...
2013-01-01
Staff members are invited to attend one of the three following information sessions that shall outline the general principles of the 2013 annual Merit, Appraisal and Recognition Scheme (MARS). Monday 14 January at 10:00-11:30 – Filtration Plant (222-R-001) Thursday 17 January at 10:00-11:30 – Kjell Johnsen Auditorium (30-7-018) Monday 21 January at 10:00-11:30 - BE Amphitheatre Prévessin (864-1-D02) General information on the MARS exercise may also be found in the CERN admin e-guide: https://admin-eguide.web.cern.ch/admin-eguide/mars/mars.asp. Human Resources Department Tel. 72728
Cooper, Claudia; Marston, Louise; Barber, Julie; Livingston, Deborah; Rapaport, Penny; Higgs, Paul; Livingston, Gill
2018-01-01
There are widespread concerns about abuse of care home residents. We report, in the largest care home survey, prevalence of staff anonymously-reported, perpetrated/witnessed abusive behaviours towards care home residents over 3 months. We also report positive care behaviours. 1544 staff in 92 English care home units completed the revised Modified Conflict Tactics Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Most staff reported positive care behaviours, but specific person-centred activities were sometimes infrequent. Many care home staff were never or almost never aware of a resident being taken out of the home for their enjoyment (34%, n = 520); or an activity planned around a resident's interests (15%, n = 234). 763 (51%; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 47% to 54%) of care home staff reported carrying out or observing potentially abusive or neglectful behaviours at least sometimes in the preceding 3 months; some abuse was reported as happening "at least sometimes" in 91/92 care homes. Neglect was most frequently reported: making a resident wait for care (n = 399, 26%), avoiding a resident with challenging behaviour (n = 391, 25%), giving residents insufficient time for food (n = 297, 19%), and taking insufficient care when moving residents (n = 169, 11%). 1.1% of staff reported physical and 5% verbal abuse. More staff reported abusive/neglectful behaviour in homes with higher staff burnout-depersonalisation scores (adjusted odds ratio 1.191, CI 1.052-1.349). Staff anonymous reports of abusive behaviour and neglect could be used to monitor care quality, as cases currently reported are probably tip of the iceberg, and be an outcome in intervention studies.
Psychological impact of the Canterbury earthquakes on university staff.
Bell, Caroline; Carter, Frances; Boden, Joseph; Wilkinson, Tim; McKenzie, Jan; Ali, Anthony
2016-02-19
To assess the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes on the psychological functioning of university staff, to identify predictors of adverse psychological functioning and to survey how different aspects of work roles (academic, teaching, clinical, administrative) were affected. Eighteen months following the most severe earthquake, 119 staff from the University of Otago based in Christchurch completed a retrospective survey. This included demographic information, a measure of earthquake exposure, standardised and self-rated measures to identify psychological distress and measures of how people perceived different aspects of their work roles were impacted. A substantial minority of staff reported moderate-extreme difficulties on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) subscales 18 months following the most severe earthquake (Depression=9%; Anxiety=3%; Stress =13%). Predictors of distress were higher levels of exposure to earthquake-related stressors, neuroticism and prior mental health disorders. There was an association between impact and work roles that was hierarchical; academic and administrative roles were most affected, followed by teaching with the least impact on clinical roles. This study shows that psychological symptoms following a disaster are common, but in a retrospective survey most people report that these improve with time. A minority however, continue to report difficulties which persist even 18 months post disaster. It also gives insights into how different work roles were impacted and from this makes suggestions for how organisations can support staff over difficult times.
Rosen, L N; Martin, L
1998-02-01
This study examines the effects of three types of unwanted sexual experiences in the workplace on the psychological well-being of male and female U.S. Army soldiers, and the mediating or moderating roles of appraisal of sexual harassment, organizational climate, and the sociodemographic profile of victims. A survey was administered to 1,060 male soldiers and 305 female soldiers between May and July, 1995, at three Army posts in the United States. Unwanted sexual experiences were found to be significant predictors of psychological symptoms for male and female soldiers. Certain aspects of organizational climate and appraisal of sexual harassment were also significant predictors of psychological symptoms.
Education in geriatric medicine for community hospital staff.
LENUS (Irish Health Repository)
O'Hanlon, Shane
2010-12-01
Community hospitals provide many services for older people. They are mainly managed by nursing staff, with some specialist input. Little is known about education provided in these facilities. Most education in geriatric medicine is provided in hospitals, despite most elderly care being provided in the community. The authors surveyed senior nursing staff in Irish community hospitals to examine this area in more detail. Staff in all 18hospitals in the Health Service Executive (South) area were invited to participate. The response rate was 100%. Sixteen of the 18 respondents (89%) felt staff did not have enough education in geriatric medicine. Just over half of hospitals had regular staff education sessions in the area, with a minority of sessions led by a geriatrician, and none by GPs. Geriatrician visits were valued, but were requested only every 1-3 months. Staff identified challenging behaviour and dementia care as the areas that posed most difficulty.
[Smoking habits among staff at the Rochefort-sur-Mer Hospital].
Fougere, B; Underner, M; Ingrand, P; Meurice, J-C
2011-11-01
The aim of the study was to establish an inventory of staff in the hospital who smoked to allow better identification of people at risk and thus develop targeted preventive strategies, which we hoped would be more effective. This survey was conducted at the Rochefort-sur-Mer Hospital in March 2008. The sociodemographic characteristics of the population responding and differences in characteristics between smokers and non-smokers were examined. The level of dependence of smokers and patterns of smoking in the workplace were also evaluated. The results were compared with those of the survey "Baromètre tabac personnel hospitalier 2003". The response rate was 57%, with the study population characterized by a high proportion of women (82%). The proportion of smokers was 29%, similar to that found in the general population (30%) but higher than 24% of the survey of hospital staff Tobacco Barometer 2003. The hospital staff is still weakly dependent on tobacco. The attitude to smoking was strongly linked to socioeconomic group and the domestic staff and health care assistants were most likely to smoke and were also the most dependent. Finally, the hospital has itself become a smoke free environment without tobacco. It is essential to promote measures to prevent smoking among hospital staff taking into account its specific features (high proportion of women). Targeted actions should in particular be conducted amongst the groups of workers who are the most affected. Copyright © 2011 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Occupational injury history and universal precautions awareness: a survey in Kabul hospital staff
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Garner Paul
2010-01-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Health staff in Afghanistan may be at high risk of needle stick injury and occupational infection with blood borne pathogens, but we have not found any published or unpublished data. Methods Our aim was to measure the percentage of healthcare staff reporting sharps injuries in the preceding 12 months, and to explore what they knew about universal precautions. In five randomly selected government hospitals in Kabul a total of 950 staff participated in the study. Data were analyzed with Epi Info 3. Results Seventy three percent of staff (72.6%, 491/676 reported sharps injury in the preceding 12 months, with remarkably similar levels between hospitals and staff cadres in the 676 (71.1% people responding. Most at risk were gynaecologist/obstetricians (96.1% followed by surgeons (91.1%, nurses (80.2%, dentists (75.4%, midwives (62.0%, technicians (50.0%, and internist/paediatricians (47.5%. Of the injuries reported, the commonest were from hollow-bore needles (46.3%, n = 361/780, usually during recapping. Almost a quarter (27.9% of respondents had not been vaccinated against hepatitis B. Basic knowledge about universal precautions were found insufficient across all hospitals and cadres. Conclusion Occupational health policies for universal precautions need to be implemented in Afghani hospitals. Staff vaccination against hepatitis B is recommended.
Hughes, Elizabeth; Rawlings, Victoria; McDermott, Elizabeth
2018-01-01
Young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) experience higher levels of suicidality compared to heterosexual or cisgender peers, and face significant barriers accessing mental health services including prejudice from staff. In a cross-sectional survey, mental health staff who reported receiving LGBT awareness training were significantly more likely to report in relation to working with LGBT youth that they routinely discussed issues of sexuality and gender (χ 2 =8.782, df=2, p LGBTQ awareness, and these findings indicate that awareness training could impact positively on practice.
Meaningfully incorporating staff input to enhance frontline engagement.
Strumwasser, Sarah; Virkstis, Katherine
2015-04-01
Nurses play a critical role in care transformation. To achieve transformation, frontline staff must be engaged in their work, committed to their organization's mission, and capable of delivering high-quality care. Data from the Advisory Board Survey Solutions show that nurses are both the least engaged and most disengaged among all frontline staff. To identify the most promising opportunities for driving engagement, researchers from The Advisory Board Company analyzed engagement survey responses from more than 343,000 employees at 575 healthcare organizations. This article describes 3 strategies for addressing 1 of the greatest opportunities identified from the data: ensuring that nurses feel that their ideas and suggestions are valued by the organization.
Impact of hospital mergers on staff job satisfaction: a quantitative study
Lim, Ka Keat
2014-01-01
Background Hospital mergers began in the UK in the late 1990s to deal with underperformance. Despite their prevalence, there is a lack of research on how such organizational changes affect the staff morale. This study aims to assess the impact of NHS hospital mergers between financial years 2009/10 and 2011/12 on staff job satisfaction and to identify factors contributing to satisfaction. Methods Data on staff job satisfaction were obtained from the annual NHS Staff Survey. A list of mergers ...
12 CFR 722.5 - Appraiser independence.
2010-01-01
... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Appraiser independence. 722.5 Section 722.5 Banks and Banking NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AFFECTING CREDIT UNIONS APPRAISALS... interest, financial or otherwise, in the property. If the only qualified persons available to perform an...
Appraisal patterns of envy and related emotions
van de Ven, Niels; Zeelenberg, Marcel; Pieters, Rik
2011-01-01
Envy is a frustrating emotion that arises from upward social comparison. Two studies investigated the appraisals that distinguish benign envy (aimed at improving one’s own situation) from malicious envy (aimed at pulling down the superior other). Study 1 found that appraisals of deservingness and control potential differentiated both types of envy. We manipulated these appraisals in Study 2 and found that while both did not influence the intensity of envy, they did determine the type of envy ...
Pluye, Pierre; Gagnon, Marie-Pierre; Griffiths, Frances; Johnson-Lafleur, Janique
2009-04-01
A new form of literature review has emerged, Mixed Studies Review (MSR). These reviews include qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies. In the present paper, we examine MSRs in health sciences, and provide guidance on processes that should be included and reported. However, there are no valid and usable criteria for concomitantly appraising the methodological quality of the qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies. To propose criteria for concomitantly appraising the methodological quality of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies or study components. A three-step critical review was conducted. 2322 references were identified in MEDLINE, and their titles and abstracts were screened; 149 potentially relevant references were selected and the full-text papers were examined; 59 MSRs were retained and scrutinized using a deductive-inductive qualitative thematic data analysis. This revealed three types of MSR: convenience, reproducible, and systematic. Guided by a proposal, we conducted a qualitative thematic data analysis of the quality appraisal procedures used in the 17 systematic MSRs (SMSRs). Of 17 SMSRs, 12 showed clear quality appraisal procedures with explicit criteria but no SMSR used valid checklists to concomitantly appraise qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies. In two SMSRs, criteria were developed following a specific procedure. Checklists usually contained more criteria than needed. In four SMSRs, a reliability assessment was described or mentioned. While criteria for quality appraisal were usually based on descriptors that require specific methodological expertise (e.g., appropriateness), no SMSR described the fit between reviewers' expertise and appraised studies. Quality appraisal usually resulted in studies being ranked by methodological quality. A scoring system is proposed for concomitantly appraising the methodological quality of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies for SMSRs. This
Fumis, Renata Rego Lins; Costa, Eduardo Leite Vieira; Martins, Paulo Sergio; Pizzo, Vladimir; Souza, Ivens Augusto; Schettino, Guilherme de Paula Pinto
2014-01-01
Objective To evaluate the satisfaction of the intensive care unit staff with a computerized physician order entry and to compare the concept of the computerized physician order entry relevance among intensive care unit healthcare workers. Methods We performed a cross-sectional survey to assess the satisfaction of the intensive care unit staff with the computerized physician order entry in a 30-bed medical/surgical adult intensive care unit using a self-administered questionnaire. The questions used for grading satisfaction levels were answered according to a numerical scale that ranged from 1 point (low satisfaction) to 10 points (high satisfaction). Results The majority of the respondents (n=250) were female (66%) between the ages of 30 and 35 years of age (69%). The overall satisfaction with the computerized physician order entry scored 5.74±2.14 points. The satisfaction was lower among physicians (n=42) than among nurses, nurse technicians, respiratory therapists, clinical pharmacists and diet specialists (4.62±1.79 versus 5.97±2.14, pdigitalization decreased the workload and contributed to the intensive care unit quality with a user-friendly and accurate system and that digitalization provided concise information within a reasonable time frame. PMID:24770682
Gates, Peter J; Norberg, Melissa M; Dillon, Paul; Manocha, Ramesh
2013-01-01
The high prevalence of cannabis use by Australian secondary school students makes schools an ideal setting for the delivery of substance use prevention programs. Although efficacious school-based cannabis prevention programs exist, there is scant research investigating the perceived role legitimacy and role importance of school staff. As such, this study surveyed a sample of 1691 Australian school staff by utilizing Generation Next seminars which are attended by professionals working with young people. The self-completed survey identified that, despite elevated contact with students relative to other school staff, teachers reported the least role importance and legitimacy of all school staff. Further, teachers reported the lowest level of staff drug education training, which was an important predictor of an increased feeling of role importance and legitimacy among school staff.
Job and task analysis for technical staff
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Toline, B.C.
1991-01-01
In September of 1989 Cooper Nuclear Station began a project to upgrade the Technical Staff Training Program. This project's roots began by performing job and Task Analysis for Technical Staff. While the industry has long been committed to Job and Task Analysis to target performance based instruction for single job positions, this approach was unique in that it was not originally considered appropriate for a group as diverse as Tech Staff. Much to his satisfaction the Job and Task Analysis Project was much less complicated for Technical Staff than the author had imagined. The benefits of performing the Job and Task Analysis for Technical Staff have become increasingly obvious as he pursues lesson plan development and course revisions. The outline for this presentation will be as follows: philosophy adopted; preparation of the job survey document; performing the job analysis; performing task analysis for technical staff and associated pitfalls; clustering objectives for training and comparison to existing program; benefits now and in the future; final phase (comparison to INPO guides and meeting the needs of non-degreed engineering professionals); and conclusion. By focusing on performance based needs for engineers rather than traditional academics for training the author is confident the future Technical Staff Program will meet the challenges ahead and will exceed requirements for accreditation
12 CFR 34.45 - Appraiser independence.
2010-01-01
... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Appraiser independence. 34.45 Section 34.45 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY REAL ESTATE LENDING AND... appraiser shall be engaged directly by the regulated institution or its agent, and have no direct or...
45 CFR 1160.12 - Appraisal procedures.
2010-10-01
... the amount of partial loss, or damage to, or any reduction in the fair market value as a result..., any reduction in the fair market value of, the indemnified item(s). The appraisers' agreement with... appropriate, such reduction in the fair market value. Disputes between the appraisers with respect to partial...
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Marzouk Moussa, I.; Kamoun, H.
2016-01-01
The aim of our study was to assess the knowledge of radiation protection of hospital staff directly assigned to work with ionizing radiation (DATR). We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study, with the DATR personnel in the orthopedic, interventional cardiology, and diagnostic and interventional radiology operating rooms of the Mongi Slim University hospital in La Marsa (Tunisia), using a self-administered questionnaire. The overall knowledge score (OKS) was calculated from the number of correct answers to the evaluation questions (n = 20). Fifty-four people participated in the survey, with a response rate of 58%. The average age was 36 years (LV: 25-63). The OKS was 11.8/20 (SD: 2.9), and about 50% had an average score less than 12/20. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the level of knowledge varied significantly depending on the professional category, the assignment department and seniority. The average score in the radiology department was better than the other ones. Wearing a dosimeter was not complied with by 70% (38 persons) of the staff interviewed due to non-availability. 83% (45 persons) of respondents expressed interest in being trained in radiation protection. (authors)
7 CFR 1980.444 - Appraisal of property serving as collateral.
2010-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 14 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Appraisal of property serving as collateral. 1980.444... Program § 1980.444 Appraisal of property serving as collateral. (a) Appraisal reports prepared by independent qualified fee appraisers will be required on all property that will serve as collateral. In the...
41 CFR 102-42.40 - When is an appraisal necessary?
2010-07-01
... DISPOSAL OF FOREIGN GIFTS AND DECORATIONS General Provisions Appraisals § 102-42.40 When is an appraisal necessary? An appraisal is necessary when— (a) An employee indicates an interest in purchasing a gift or decoration. In this situation, the appraisal must be obtained before the gift or decoration is reported to...
Theoretical foundations of shareholders' right to appraisal
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vasiljević Mirko
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Shareholders' right to appraisal represents a controversial topic of corporation law, which is why a relatively small number of countries accept it. In this article, the authors analyze the goals that are supposed to be achieved with the introduction of shareholders' appraisal rights. In this respect, traditional and modern explanations for the introduction or maintaining of this right have been presented. In the second part of this article, shareholders' right to appraisal has been critically examined, mostly from corporations' perspective. Afterwards, several potential causes of inefficiency of using this right have been identified. Perceiving pros and cons of shareholders' right to appraisal is of particular importance for Serbia, in order to draw a conclusion about harmonization of our legislative solutions with the theoretical foundations of this right.
O'Connor, Shawn; Carlson, Elizabeth
2016-04-01
This report describes how staff-designed behavior changes among senior leaders can have a positive impact on clinical nursing staff and enhance the culture of safety in a community hospital. A positive culture of safety in a hospital improves outcomes for patients and staff. Senior leaders are accountable for developing an environment that supports a culture of safety. At 1 community hospital, surveys demonstrated that staff members did not view senior leaders as supportive of or competent in creating a culture of safety. After approval from the hospital's institutional review board was obtained, clinical nurses generated and selected ideas for senior leader behavior change. The new behaviors were assessed by a convenience sample survey of clinical nurses. In addition, culture of safety survey results were compared. Risk reports and harm events were also measured before and after behavior changes. The volume of risk and near-miss reports increased, showing that clinical staff were more inclined to report events after senior leader communication, access, and visibility increased. Harm events went down. The culture of safety survey demonstrated an improvement in the senior leadership domain in 4 of 6 units. The anonymous convenience survey demonstrated that staff members recognized changes that senior leaders had made and felt that these changes positively impacted the culture of safety. By developing skills in communication, advocacy, visibility, and access, senior leaders can enhance a hospital's culture of safety and create stronger ties with clinical staff.
Using Expectancy Theory to Explain Performance Appraisal ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
pc
2018-03-05
Mar 5, 2018 ... appraisal conducting style, the relation between the performance appraisal system and task ... the article first explains the theory model which is based expectancy theory. II. ... which in return lead to rewards. According to [12],.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Meloni Serena
2006-05-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background United Kingdom public health policy has recently re-emphasised the role of primary health care professionals in tackling increasing levels of physical inactivity within the general population. However, little is known about the impact that this has had in practice. This study explores Scottish primary care staff's knowledge, attitudes and experiences associated with advising patients about physical activity during routine consultations. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of general practitioners (or family physicians, practice nurses and health visitors based in four health regions was conducted during 2004. The main outcome measures included: (i health professionals' knowledge of the current physical activity recommendations; (ii practice related to routine physical activity advising; and (iii associated attitudes. Results Questionnaires were returned by 757 primary care staff (response rate 54%. Confidence and enthusiasm for giving advice was generally high, but knowledge of current physical activity recommendations was low. In general, respondents indicated that they routinely discuss and advise patients about physical activity regardless of the presenting condition. Health visitors and practice nurses were more likely than general practitioners to offer routine advice. Lack of time and resources were more likely to be reported as barriers to routine advising by general practitioners than other professional groups. However, health visitors and practice nurses were also more likely than general practitioners to believe that patients would follow their physical activity advice giving. Conclusion If primary health care staff are to be fully motivated and effective in encouraging and supporting the general population to become more physically active, policymakers and health professionals need to engage in efforts to: (1 improve knowledge of current physical activity recommendations and population trends amongst
Effects of appraisal training on responses to a distressing autobiographical event.
Woud, Marcella L; Zlomuzica, Armin; Cwik, Jan C; Margraf, Jürgen; Shkreli, Lorika; Blackwell, Simon E; Gladwin, Thomas E; Ehring, Thomas
2018-04-14
Dysfunctional appraisals are a key factor suggested to be involved in the development and maintenance of PTSD. Research has shown that experimental induction of a positive or negative appraisal style following a laboratory stressor affects analogue posttraumatic stress symptoms. This supports a causal role of appraisal in the development of traumatic stress symptoms and the therapeutic promise of modifying appraisals to reduce PTSD symptoms. The present study aimed to extend previous findings by investigating the effects of experimentally induced appraisals on reactions to a naturally occurring analogue trauma and by examining effects on both explicit and implicit appraisals. Participants who had experienced a distressing life event were asked to imagine themselves in the most distressing moment of that event and then received either a positive or negative Cognitive Bias Modification training targeting appraisals (CBM-App). The CBM-App training induced training-congruent appraisals, but group differences in changes in appraisal over training were only seen for explicit and not implicit appraisals. However, participants trained positively reported less intrusion distress over the subsequent week than those trained negatively, and lower levels of overall posttraumatic stress symptoms. These data support the causal relationship between appraisals and trauma distress, and further illuminate the mechanisms linking the two. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The dynamic interplay between appraisal and core affect in daily life
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Peter eKuppens
2012-10-01
Full Text Available Appraisals and core affect are both considered central to the experience of emotion. In this study we examine the bidirectional relationships between these two components of emotional experience by examining how core affect changes following how people appraise events and how appraisals in turn change following how they feel in daily life. In an experience sampling study, participants recorded their core affect and appraisals of ongoing events; data were analyzed using cross-lagged multilevel modeling. Valence-appraisal relationships were found to be characterized by congruency: The same appraisals that were associated with a change in pleasure-displeasure (motivational congruency, other-agency, coping potential, and future expectancy, changed themselves as a function of pleasure-displeasure. In turn, mainly secondary appraisals of who is responsible and how one is able to cope with events were associated with changes in arousal, which itself is followed by changes in the future appraised relevance of events. These results integrate core affect and appraisal approaches to emotion by demonstrating the dynamic interplay of how appraisals are followed by changes in core affect which in turn change our basis for judging future events.
Hospital staff experiences of their relationships with adults who self-harm: A meta-synthesis.
O'Connor, Sophie; Glover, Lesley
2017-09-01
This review aimed to synthesize qualitative literature exploring inpatient hospital staff experiences of their relationships with people who self-harm. Nine studies were identified from a systematic search of five research databases. Papers included the experiences of physical health and mental health staff working in inpatient settings. The studies employed various qualitative research methods and were appraised using an adapted quality assessment tool (Tong, Sainsbury, & Craig, 2007). A meta-synthesis was conducted using traditional qualitative analysis methods including coding and categorizing data into themes. Three main themes derived from the data. 'The impact of the system' influenced the extent to which staff were 'Fearing the harm from self-harm', or were 'Working alongside the whole person'. A fear-based relationship occurred across mental health and physical health settings despite differences in training; however, 'Working alongside the whole person' primarily emerged from mental health staff experiences. Systemic factors provided either an inhibitory or facilitative influence on the relational process. Staff experiences of their relationship with people who self-harm were highlighted to have an important impact on the delivery and outcome of care. Increasing support for staff with a focus on distress tolerance, managing relational issues, and developing self-awareness within the relationship may lead to a more mutually beneficial experience of care. Equally, structure, clarity, and support within inpatient systems may empower staff to feel more confident in utilizing their existing skills. Working with people who self-harm can be emotionally challenging and how staff cope with this can significantly impact on the engagement of staff and patients. Increasing the skills of staff in managing relational issues and tolerating distress, as well as providing support and reflective practice groups may be useful in managing emotional responses to working with
The value of registered nurses in ambulatory care settings: a survey.
Mastal, Margaret; Levine, June
2012-01-01
Ambulatory care settings employ 25% of the three million registered nurses in the United States. The American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) is committed to improving the quality of health care in ambulatory settings, enhancing patient outcomes, and realizing greater health care efficiencies. A survey of ambulatory care registered nurses indicates they are well positioned to lead and facilitate health care reform activities with organizational colleagues. They are well schooled in critical thinking, triage, advocating for patients, educating patients and families, collaborating with medical staff and other professionals, and care coordination. The evolving medical home concept and other health care delivery models reinforces the critical need for registered nurses to provide chronic disease management, care coordination, health risk appraisal, care transitions, health promotion, and disease prevention services. Recommendations are offered for organizational leaders, registered nurses, and AAACN to utilize nursing knowledge and skills in the pursuit of leading change and advancing health.
12 CFR 528.2a - Nondiscriminatory appraisal and underwriting.
2010-01-01
... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Nondiscriminatory appraisal and underwriting. 528.2a Section 528.2a Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY NONDISCRIMINATION REQUIREMENTS § 528.2a Nondiscriminatory appraisal and underwriting. (a) Appraisal. No savings...
Staff perceptions of community health centre team function in Ontario.
Rayner, Jennifer; Muldoon, Laura
2017-07-01
To examine perceptions of different staff groups about team functioning in mature, community-governed, interprofessional primary health care practices. Cross-sectional online survey. The 75 community health centres (CHCs) in Ontario at the time of the study, which have cared for people with barriers to access to traditional health services in community-governed, interprofessional settings, providing medical, social, and community services since the 1970s. Managers and staff of primary care teams in the CHCs. Scores on the short version of the Team Climate Inventory (with subscales addressing vision, task orientation, support for innovation, and participative safety), the Organizational Justice Scale (with subscales addressing procedural justice and interactional justice), and the Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale, stratified by staff group (clinical manager, FP, nurse practitioner [NP], registered nurse, medical secretary, social worker, allied health provider, counselor, outreach worker, and administrative assistant). A total of 674 staff members in 58 of 75 (77%) CHCs completed surveys. All staff groups generally reported positive perceptions of team function. The procedural justice subscale showed the greatest variation between groups. Family physicians and NPs rated procedural justice much lower than nurses and administrators did. This study provides a unique view of the perceptions of different groups of staff in a long-standing interprofessional practice model. Future research is needed to understand why FPs and NPs perceive procedural justice more negatively than other team members do, and whether such perceptions affect outcomes such as staff turnover and health outcomes for patients. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Cooptation of Peer Support Staff: Quantitative Evidence
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anthony J. Alberta
2014-03-01
Full Text Available Objective In 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS sent a letter to state Medicaid directors outlining requirements for implementing peer-based recovery support services (P-BRSS as a Medicaid-funded service. Since then, 30 states have implemented these services. Although the literature describing implementation of P-BRSS has identified the cooptation of peer support staff (PSS as a barrier to the effective provision of P-BRSS, the evidence for it remains anecdotal. This study attempts to determine if the context of employment in either a treatment organization or peer organization affected cooptation. Methods We conducted a survey of PSS in the fall of 2013. In all, 92 of the 181 respondents were working as PSS at the time, 53 in treatment organizations. Chi-square analysis was used to determine if the context of employment had an effect on the cooptation of peer staff. Results Peer staff working in treatment organizations reported that they were supervised by treatment staff and participated in employment-related training to improve their skills at providing treatment services more frequently than their counterparts in peer organizations. Peer staff working in treatment organizations also participated in training and education to prepare for employment as treatment professionals more frequently than peer staff working in peer organizations. Conclusions and Implications for Practice Peer staff members working in treatment organizations are subject to processes of acculturation into professional cultures that peer staff working in peer organizations are not. Effective implementation of P-BRSS should include specific efforts to minimize the cooptation of peer staff.
Yanson, Adam; Hilts, Asante Shipp; Mack, Stephanie; Eidson, Millicent; Nguyen, Trang; Birkhead, Guthrie
This study collected and summarized feedback from staff at the New York State (NYS) Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and three county OEMs within NYS to understand lessons learned from the 2012 Superstorm Sandy. Cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative analysis. One staff person from each identified critical role from the state and county OEMs who were still employed in the roles identified. In-person interviews in 2014 followed by an anonymous survey in 2015 examined the response strengths, challenges, and recommendations using federally and study-defined Public Health Preparedness Capabilities. Quantitative analysis of staff survey ratings was used to summarize perceptions of interagency collaboration, communication effectiveness, and differences by staff position. Response rates were 78 percent for interviews (n = 7) and 45 percent for surveys (n = 36). In interviews, "emergency operations coordination" was cited most frequently (48 percent), specifically for successful interagency coordination. "Emergency operations coordination" was also cited most among challenges (45 percent), with emphasis on problems with uniformity of software systems across agencies. Survey responses indicated that "volunteer management" (50 percent) and the "safety and health of responders" (40 percent) were frequently reported as challenges. Additionally, 38 percent of OEM staff reported that situation reports submitted by health departments need improvement. Recommendations from OEM staff included "emergency operations coordination" (36 percent) such as sharing of resources and "training" (16 percent) including hospital evacuation training. Analysis of OEM staff feedback identified specific challenges, and concrete recommendations were made to improve response going forward.
Wind power or uranium mine: Appraisal of two energy-related environmental changes in a local context
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pedersen, Eja; Johansson, Maria
2012-01-01
This study explores factors associated with the individual's appraisal of anticipated environmental changes caused by energy production facilities. The study took place in a Swedish village where exploratory drilling, that could eventually lead to a uranium mine, was being conducted at the same time as a wind farm was approved. Results from the survey, which included the total population, were interpreted in the light of cognitive stress theory. Most residents thought that the wind farm would have a positive impact on the village but that the uranium drilling would have a negative impact; these opinions were closely related to attitudes towards wind and nuclear power. Perceiving the wind farm as positive was further predicted by young age, high education, being an ordinary rather than a committed recycler and having attended a meeting about the wind farm. A negative view of uranium drilling was predicted by the individual valuing closeness to nature, being a recycler, and having attended the uranium meeting. Psychological factors such as concerns for the environment (manifested as pro-environmental behaviour), valuing closeness to nature, and involvement impinge on the appraisal process and should be considered when new developments are presented. - Highlights: ► We studied the appraisal of proposed local environmental changes due to energy facilities. ► A wind farm was appraised as beneficial and drilling for uranium mine as threatening. ► Attitudes towards wind and nuclear power were strongly associated with appraisal outcome. ► Concern for the environment, closeness to nature and participation also played a role.
Kokkonen, Taru-Maija; Cheston, Richard I L; Dallos, Rudi; Smart, Cordet A
2014-07-01
Past research suggests that dementia care staff are vulnerable to the development of burnout, which has implications for staff well-being and hence the quality of care for people with dementia. Studying personal vulnerability factors in burnout is important as it can guide staff training and support. Attachment theory suggests that adult attachment styles affect caregiving relationships and individuals' responses to stress, providing a framework for understanding caregivers' styles of coping. This cross-sectional survey study examined relationships between staff attachment styles, geriatric nursing self-efficacy, and approaches to dementia in burnout. Seventy-seven members of dementia care staff working on inpatient wards for older people completed self-report questionnaires. Insecure attachment, lower levels of self-efficacy, and more optimistic attitudes in staff were related to higher levels of burnout. Staff training on the role of attachment in dementia care is recommended. Further research is required to explore mediating factors between adult attachment styles and burnout. © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.
Work-family conflict and job burnout among correctional staff.
Lambert, Eric G; Hogan, Nancy L
2010-02-01
Work-family conflict and job burnout are both issues for 272 correctional staff (response rate of 68%). The two major forms of work-family conflict are work-on-family conflict and family-on-work conflict. Multivariate analysis of survey data from 272 correctional staff at a state prison indicated work-on-family conflict had a significant positive relation with job burnout, while family-on-work conflict did not.
Appraisal patterns of envy and related emotions
van de Ven, N.; Zeelenberg, M.; Pieters, R.
2012-01-01
Envy is a frustrating emotion that arises from upward social comparison. Two studies investigated the appraisals that distinguish benign envy (aimed at improving one’s own situation) from malicious envy (aimed at pulling down the superior other). Study 1 found that appraisals of deservingness and
Effects of a Staff Training Intervention on Seclusion Rates on an Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Unit.
Newman, Julie; Paun, Olimpia; Fogg, Louis
2018-06-01
The current article presents the effects of a 90-minute staff training intervention aimed at reducing inpatient psychiatric seclusion rates through strengthened staff commitment to seclusion alternatives and improved de-escalation skills. The intervention occurred at an 18-bed adult inpatient psychiatric unit whose seclusion rates in 2015 were seven times the national average. Although the project's primary outcome compared patient seclusion rates before and after the intervention, anonymous staff surveys measured several secondary outcomes. Seclusion rates were reduced from a 6-month pre-intervention average of 2.95 seclusion hours per 1,000 patient hours to a 6-month post-intervention average of 0.29 seclusion hours per 1,000 patient hours, a 90.2% reduction. Completed staff surveys showed significant staff knowledge gains, non-significant changes in staff attitudes about seclusion, non-significant changes in staff de-escalation skill confidence, and use of the new resource sheet by only 17% of staff. The key study implication is that time-limited, focused staff training interventions can have a measurable impact on reducing inpatient seclusion rates. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 56(6), 23-30.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.
Engaging Frontline Leaders and Staff in Real-Time Improvement.
Phillips, Jennifer; Hebish, Linda J; Mann, Sharon; Ching, Joan M; Blackmore, C Craig
2016-04-01
The relationship of staff satisfaction and engagement to organizational success, along with the integral influence of frontline managers on this dimension, is well established in health care and other industries. To specifically address staff engagement, Virginia Mason Medical Center, an integrated, single-hospital health system, developed an approach that involved leaders, through the daily use of standard work for leaders, as well as staff, through a Lean-inspired staff idea system. Kaizen Promotion Office (KPO) staff members established three guiding principles: (1) Staff engagement begins with leader engagement; (2) Integrate daily improve- ment (kaizen) as a habitual way of life not as an add-on; and (3) Create an environment in which staff feel psycho- logically safe and valued. Two design elements--Standard Work for Leaders (SWL) and Everyday Lean Ideas (ELIs) were implemented. For the emergency department (ED), an early adopter of the staff engagement work, the challenge was to apply the guiding principles to improve staff engagement while improving quality and patient and staff satisfaction, even as patient volumes were increasing. Daily huddles for the KPO staff members and weekly leader rounds are used to elicit staff ideas and foster ELIs in real time. Overall progress to date has been tracked in terms of staff satisfaction surveys, voluntary staff turnover, adoption of SWL, and testing and implementation of staff ideas. For example, voluntary turnover of ED staff decreased from 14.6% in 2011 to 7.5% in 2012, and 2.0% in 2013. Organizationwide, at least 800 staff ideas are in motion at any given time, with finished ones posted in an idea supermarket website. A leadership and staff engagement approach that focuses on SWL and on capturing staff ideas for daily problem solving and improvement can contribute to organization success and improve the quality of health care delivery.
For society, state and self: juggling the logics of professionalism in general practice appraisal.
Entwistle, Tom; Matthews, Elaine
2015-11-01
Sociologists repeatedly appeal to notions of altruism, bureaucratisation and self interest in their efforts to explain the changing place of the professions in contemporary society. We treat these three readings as institutional logics that are key to understanding the way in which doctors respond to the appraisal system at the heart of the UK's approach to revalidation. Our analysis of a survey of 998 general practitioners (GPs) working in Wales finds an altruistic commitment to learning and improvement, bureaucratic demands for reporting information and self-regarding resentment of changes in the occupational package provided by general practice. But the data also demonstrate that the maintenance of the appraisal regime is dependent on the preparedness and capacity of individual GPs to do micro-level institutional work on all fronts. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.
User Violence and Nursing Staff Burnout: The Modulating Role of Job Satisfaction.
Galián-Muñoz, Inmaculada; Ruiz-Hernández, Jose Antonio; Llor-Esteban, Bartolomé; López-García, Cecilia
2016-01-01
Exposure to patient violence in health staff can lead to the onset of burnout in these workers. The main goal of this investigation is to study how exposure to this kind of violence affects onset of burnout and to appraise the role of job satisfaction as a modulating variable. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out using a self-administered anonymous questionnaire with the nursing staff of all the public hospitals of the Region of Murcia (Spain), obtaining a sample of 1,489 health professionals. From the results obtained, we underline the modulating role of extrinsic job satisfaction in the relationship between nonphysical violence and emotional exhaustion, and the protective effect of job satisfaction on the impact of nonphysical violence and the level of cynicism. No effects of job satisfaction in the relationship between physical violence and burnout were observed. We therefore conclude that experiencing nonphysical aggression has a lower impact on the psychological health of workers who are satisfied with their job, and interventions aimed at increasing these workers' extrinsic job satisfaction are highly recommended. © The Author(s) 2014.
Shah, N; Castro-Sánchez, E; Charani, E; Drumright, L N; Holmes, A H
2015-06-01
Improving behaviour in infection prevention and control (IPC) practice remains a challenge, and understanding the determinants of healthcare workers' (HCWs) behaviour is fundamental to develop effective and sustained behaviour change interventions. To identify behaviours of HCWs that facilitated non-compliance with IPC practices, focusing on how appraisals of IPC duties and social and environmental circumstances shaped and influenced non-compliant behaviour. This study aimed to: (1) identify how HCWs rationalized their own behaviour and the behaviour of others; (2) highlight challenging areas of IPC compliance; and (3) describe the context of the working environment that may explain inconsistencies in IPC practices. Clinical staff at a National Health Service hospital group in London, UK were interviewed between December 2010 and July 2011 using qualitative methods. Responses were analysed using a thematic framework. Three ways in which HCWs appraised their behaviour were identified through accounts of IPC policies and practices: (1) attribution of responsibilities, with ambiguity about responsibility for certain IPC practices; (2) prioritization and risk appraisal, which demonstrated a divergence in values attached to some IPC policies and practices; and (3) hierarchy of influence highlighted that traditional clinical roles challenged work relationships. Overall, behaviours are not entirely independent of policy rules, but often an amalgamation of local normative practices, individual preferences and a degree of professional isolation. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
When goals diverge: Staff consensus and the organizational climate.
Melnick, Gerald; Ulaszek, Wendy R; Lin, Hsiu-Ju; Wexler, Harry K
2009-08-01
A sample of correctional officers and prison substance abuse treatment staff collected by the National Criminal Justice Treatment Practices Survey is used to provide an exploratory study of an aspect of organizational culture consisting of consensus (agreement) among prison personnel regarding their beliefs about rehabilitation in the presence of conflicting organizational goals and aspects of the organizational climate important to change. Findings show that among those staff members responding to the survey, the belief in rehabilitation scale mean score was associated with higher levels of organizational commitment, and interdepartmental coordination. However, an hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis that used an index score derived from the standard deviation for staff consensus regarding these same beliefs about rehabilitation produced a different pattern of results, showing that high levels of consensus were associated with job frustration, cynicism towards the ability of the institution to change, and lower levels of organizational commitment. The authors conclude that, although the sample may not express the beliefs of corrections officers or prison-based treatment staff at large, within the sample, consensus appeared to play a unique role in evaluating the effect of divergent goals on organizational climate as it relates to change, and warrants consideration when considering the effects of organizational climate.
5 CFR 430.405 - Procedures for certifying agency appraisal systems.
2010-01-01
... SERVICE REGULATIONS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Performance Appraisal Certification for Pay Purposes § 430.405... appraisals of their relative performance against performance expectations in any given appraisal period..., requirements, or expectations for the employees they supervise to ensure that they clearly link to...
Job Satisfaction of Catholic Primary School Staff: A Study of Biographical Differences
De Nobile, John J.; McCormick, John
2008-01-01
Purpose: This study's purpose is to examine the relationships between the biographical characteristics gender, age, years of experience and employment position, and job satisfaction of staff members in Catholic primary schools. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected from 356 staff members from Catholic primary schools. Research…
12 CFR 950.10 - Collateral valuation; appraisals.
2010-01-01
... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Collateral valuation; appraisals. 950.10...-BALANCE SHEET ITEMS ADVANCES Advances to Members § 950.10 Collateral valuation; appraisals. (a) Collateral valuation. Each Bank shall determine the value of collateral securing the Bank's advances in accordance with...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nguyen Khac Hai
Full Text Available Breach of confidentiality or invasion of privacy from the collection and use of medical records, particularly those of patients with HIV/AIDS or other diseases sensitive to stigmatization, should be prevented by all related stakeholders in healthcare settings. The main focus of this study was to assess practices regarding security and confidentiality of HIV-related information among staff at HIV outpatient clinics (HIV-OPCs in Vietnam.A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at all 312 HIV-OPCs across the country using an online survey technique.In general, the staff practices for securing and protecting patient information were at acceptable levels. Most staff had proper measures and practices for maintaining data security; however, the protection of patient confidentiality, particularly for data access, sharing, and transfer still required improvement. Most HIV-OPC staff had good or moderate knowledge and positive perceptions towards security and confidentiality issues. Staff who were not trained in the practice of security measures differed significantly from those who were trained (OR: 3.74; 95%CI: 1.44-9.67; staff needing improved knowledge levels differed significantly from those with good (OR: 5.20; 95%CI: 2.39-11.32 and moderate knowledge levels (OR: 5.10; 95%CI: 2.36-11.00; and staff needing improved perception levels differed significantly from those with good (i.e., with 100% proper practices and moderate perception levels (OR: 5.67; 95%CI: 2.93-10.95. Staff who were not trained in the protection of data confidentiality differed significantly from those who were trained (OR: 2.18; 95%CI: 1.29-3.65.Training is an important factor to help raise the levels of proper practices regarding confidentiality and security, to improve knowledge and raise awareness about change among staff. The operation and management of HIV treatment and care in Vietnam are currently transitioning from separate healthcare clinics (HIV-OPC into units
Khac Hai, Nguyen; Lawpoolsri, Saranath; Jittamala, Podjanee; Thi Thu Huong, Phan; Kaewkungwal, Jaranit
2017-01-01
Breach of confidentiality or invasion of privacy from the collection and use of medical records, particularly those of patients with HIV/AIDS or other diseases sensitive to stigmatization, should be prevented by all related stakeholders in healthcare settings. The main focus of this study was to assess practices regarding security and confidentiality of HIV-related information among staff at HIV outpatient clinics (HIV-OPCs) in Vietnam. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at all 312 HIV-OPCs across the country using an online survey technique. In general, the staff practices for securing and protecting patient information were at acceptable levels. Most staff had proper measures and practices for maintaining data security; however, the protection of patient confidentiality, particularly for data access, sharing, and transfer still required improvement. Most HIV-OPC staff had good or moderate knowledge and positive perceptions towards security and confidentiality issues. Staff who were not trained in the practice of security measures differed significantly from those who were trained (OR: 3.74; 95%CI: 1.44-9.67); staff needing improved knowledge levels differed significantly from those with good (OR: 5.20; 95%CI: 2.39-11.32) and moderate knowledge levels (OR: 5.10; 95%CI: 2.36-11.00); and staff needing improved perception levels differed significantly from those with good (i.e., with 100% proper practices) and moderate perception levels (OR: 5.67; 95%CI: 2.93-10.95). Staff who were not trained in the protection of data confidentiality differed significantly from those who were trained (OR: 2.18; 95%CI: 1.29-3.65). Training is an important factor to help raise the levels of proper practices regarding confidentiality and security, to improve knowledge and raise awareness about change among staff. The operation and management of HIV treatment and care in Vietnam are currently transitioning from separate healthcare clinics (HIV-OPC) into units integrated
Khac Hai, Nguyen; Lawpoolsri, Saranath; Jittamala, Podjanee; Thi Thu Huong, Phan
2017-01-01
Introduction Breach of confidentiality or invasion of privacy from the collection and use of medical records, particularly those of patients with HIV/AIDS or other diseases sensitive to stigmatization, should be prevented by all related stakeholders in healthcare settings. The main focus of this study was to assess practices regarding security and confidentiality of HIV-related information among staff at HIV outpatient clinics (HIV-OPCs) in Vietnam. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at all 312 HIV-OPCs across the country using an online survey technique. Results In general, the staff practices for securing and protecting patient information were at acceptable levels. Most staff had proper measures and practices for maintaining data security; however, the protection of patient confidentiality, particularly for data access, sharing, and transfer still required improvement. Most HIV-OPC staff had good or moderate knowledge and positive perceptions towards security and confidentiality issues. Staff who were not trained in the practice of security measures differed significantly from those who were trained (OR: 3.74; 95%CI: 1.44–9.67); staff needing improved knowledge levels differed significantly from those with good (OR: 5.20; 95%CI: 2.39–11.32) and moderate knowledge levels (OR: 5.10; 95%CI: 2.36–11.00); and staff needing improved perception levels differed significantly from those with good (i.e., with 100% proper practices) and moderate perception levels (OR: 5.67; 95%CI: 2.93–10.95). Staff who were not trained in the protection of data confidentiality differed significantly from those who were trained (OR: 2.18; 95%CI: 1.29–3.65). Conclusions Training is an important factor to help raise the levels of proper practices regarding confidentiality and security, to improve knowledge and raise awareness about change among staff. The operation and management of HIV treatment and care in Vietnam are currently transitioning from separate
A Survey of Violence Against Staff Working in the Emergency Department in Ankara, Turkey
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Melek Serpil Talas, RN, PhD
2011-12-01
Conclusion: Based on results of the study, it is suggested that every hospital institute reliable reporting procedures that staff members feel comfortable using, and also provide a comprehensive program of support services for staff that has been assaulted.
Dale, Jeremy; Potter, Rachel; Owen, Katherine; Leach, Jonathan
2016-07-20
The general practice (GP) workforce in England is in crisis, with declining morale and job satisfaction, increasing early retirement and declining interest in training to become a GP. We recently reported on factors that are influencing this, with appraisal and revalidation emerging as an unexpected finding; 28.6 % of GPs stating an intention to leave general practice within the next 5 years included this as 'very important' or 'important' to their decision. In this study we undertook a secondary analysis to identify how the experience of appraisal and revalidation might be influencing intentions to leave general practice. Qualitative analysis of free text comments made by GPs in a survey of career intentions. All comments that included mention of appraisal or revalidation were extracted. Emergent themes were identified and a coding framework devised. Forty-two participants made comments that related to appraisal and revalidation. Compared to all 1192 participants who completed the main survey, they were older (76.2 % compared to 46.2 % aged 50 years and older), with more years' general practice experience (80.0 % compared to 48.0 % with >20 years' experience) and more likely to state an intention to retire within 5 years (72.2 % compared to 41.9 %). Key themes were appraisal and revalidation as: a bureaucratic, inflexible exercise that added to an already pressured workload; an activity that has little educational value, relevance to professional development or quality of care; and an issue that contributes to low morale, work-related distress and intentions to leave general practice. Revalidation was depicted as a cumbersome tick-box exercise that had little to do with quality of care or protecting patients. There were no comments that countered these negative views. While the representativeness of these comments to the experience of GPs as a whole cannot be judged, it is likely that that they reflect the concerns of GPs whose experience of appraisal
The IAEA Transport Safety Appraisal Service (TranSAS)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dicke, G.J.
2004-01-01
Representatives of all Member States of the IAEA meet once a year in September at the General Conference in Vienna, Austria, to consider and approve the Agency's programme and budget and to address matters brought before it by the Board of Governors, the Director General, or Member States. In September 1998 the General Conference adopted resolution GC(42)/RES/13 on the Safety of Transport of Radioactive Materials. In adopting that resolution the General Conference recognized that compliance with regulations that take account of the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (the IAEA Transport Regulations) is providing a high level of safety during the transport of radioactive material. Good compliance requires that the regulations are implemented effectively. The General Conference therefore requested the IAEA Secretariat to provide a service for carrying out, at the request of any State, an appraisal of the implementation of the Transport Regulations by that State. In response to this request the Director General of the IAEA offered such an appraisal service to all States in letter J1.01.Circ, dated 10 December 1998. The first Transport Safety Appraisal Service (TranSAS) was undertaken and completed at the request of Slovenia in 1999. A report on the results of that appraisal was published and released for general distribution in the early fall of 1999. In each of the General Conferences since 1998, resolutions focused on transport safety have commended the Secretariat for establishing the TranSAS, commended those States that have requested the appraisal service and encouraged other States to avail themselves of this service see GC(43)/RES/11, GC(44)/RES/17, GC(45)/RES/10, GC(46)/RES/9 and GC(47)/RES/7. Six appraisals have been carried out to date as follows: Slovenia, Brazil, United Kingdom, Turkey, Panama and France. This presentation provides an overview of the Transport Safety Appraisal Service and summarizes the major findings from the
The IAEA Transport Safety Appraisal Service (TranSAS)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Dicke, G.J. [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
2004-07-01
Representatives of all Member States of the IAEA meet once a year in September at the General Conference in Vienna, Austria, to consider and approve the Agency's programme and budget and to address matters brought before it by the Board of Governors, the Director General, or Member States. In September 1998 the General Conference adopted resolution GC(42)/RES/13 on the Safety of Transport of Radioactive Materials. In adopting that resolution the General Conference recognized that compliance with regulations that take account of the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (the IAEA Transport Regulations) is providing a high level of safety during the transport of radioactive material. Good compliance requires that the regulations are implemented effectively. The General Conference therefore requested the IAEA Secretariat to provide a service for carrying out, at the request of any State, an appraisal of the implementation of the Transport Regulations by that State. In response to this request the Director General of the IAEA offered such an appraisal service to all States in letter J1.01.Circ, dated 10 December 1998. The first Transport Safety Appraisal Service (TranSAS) was undertaken and completed at the request of Slovenia in 1999. A report on the results of that appraisal was published and released for general distribution in the early fall of 1999. In each of the General Conferences since 1998, resolutions focused on transport safety have commended the Secretariat for establishing the TranSAS, commended those States that have requested the appraisal service and encouraged other States to avail themselves of this service see GC(43)/RES/11, GC(44)/RES/17, GC(45)/RES/10, GC(46)/RES/9 and GC(47)/RES/7. Six appraisals have been carried out to date as follows: Slovenia, Brazil, United Kingdom, Turkey, Panama and France. This presentation provides an overview of the Transport Safety Appraisal Service and summarizes the major findings from
Nikolic, Amanda; Wickramasinghe, Nilmini; Claydon-Platt, Damian; Balakrishnan, Vikram; Smart, Philip
2018-02-09
The use of communication apps on mobile phones offers an efficient, unobtrusive, and portable mode of communication for medical staff. The potential enhancements in patient care and education appear significant, with clinical details able to be shared quickly within multidisciplinary teams, supporting rapid integration of disparate information, and more efficient patient care. However, sharing patient data in this way also raises legal and ethical issues. No data is currently available demonstrating how widespread the use of these apps are, doctor's attitudes towards them, or what guides clinician choice of app. The objective of this study was to quantify and qualify the use of communication apps among medical staff in clinical situations, their role in patient care, and knowledge and attitudes towards safety, key benefits, potential disadvantages, and policy implications. Medical staff in hospitals across Victoria (Australia) were invited to participate in an anonymous 33-question survey. The survey collected data on respondent's demographics, their use of communication apps in clinical settings, attitudes towards communication apps, perceptions of data "safety," and why one communication app was chosen over others. Communication apps in Victorian hospitals are in widespread use from students to consultants, with WhatsApp being the primary app used. The median number of messages shared per day was 12, encompassing a range of patient information. All respondents viewed these apps positively in quickly communicating patient information in a clinical setting; however, all had concerns about the privacy implications arising from sharing patient information in this way. In total, 67% (60/90) considered patient data "moderately safe" on these apps, and 50% (46/90) were concerned the use of these apps was inconsistent with current legislation and policy. Apps were more likely to be used if they were fast, easy to use, had an easy login process, and were already in
Wickramasinghe, Nilmini; Claydon-Platt, Damian; Balakrishnan, Vikram; Smart, Philip
2018-01-01
Background The use of communication apps on mobile phones offers an efficient, unobtrusive, and portable mode of communication for medical staff. The potential enhancements in patient care and education appear significant, with clinical details able to be shared quickly within multidisciplinary teams, supporting rapid integration of disparate information, and more efficient patient care. However, sharing patient data in this way also raises legal and ethical issues. No data is currently available demonstrating how widespread the use of these apps are, doctor’s attitudes towards them, or what guides clinician choice of app. Objective The objective of this study was to quantify and qualify the use of communication apps among medical staff in clinical situations, their role in patient care, and knowledge and attitudes towards safety, key benefits, potential disadvantages, and policy implications. Methods Medical staff in hospitals across Victoria (Australia) were invited to participate in an anonymous 33-question survey. The survey collected data on respondent’s demographics, their use of communication apps in clinical settings, attitudes towards communication apps, perceptions of data “safety,” and why one communication app was chosen over others. Results Communication apps in Victorian hospitals are in widespread use from students to consultants, with WhatsApp being the primary app used. The median number of messages shared per day was 12, encompassing a range of patient information. All respondents viewed these apps positively in quickly communicating patient information in a clinical setting; however, all had concerns about the privacy implications arising from sharing patient information in this way. In total, 67% (60/90) considered patient data “moderately safe” on these apps, and 50% (46/90) were concerned the use of these apps was inconsistent with current legislation and policy. Apps were more likely to be used if they were fast, easy to use, had
A review of NRC staff uses of probabilistic risk assessment
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
1994-03-01
The NRC staff uses probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) and risk management as important elements its licensing and regulatory processes. In October 1991, the NRC`s Executive Director for Operations established the PRA Working Group to address concerns identified by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards with respect to unevenness and inconsistency in the staff`s current uses of PRA. After surveying current staff uses of PRA and identifying needed improvements, the Working Group defined a set of basic principles for staff PRA use and identified three areas for improvements: guidance development, training enhancements, and PRA methods development. For each area of improvement, the Working Group took certain actions and recommended additional work. The Working Group recommended integrating its work with other recent PRA-related activities the staff completed and improving staff interactions with PRA users in the nuclear industry. The Working Group took two key actions by developing general guidance for two uses of PRA within the NRC (that is, screening or prioritizing reactor safety issues and analyzing such issues in detail) and developing guidance on basic terms and methods important to the staff`s uses of PRA.
Introduction to the 2008 Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA) professional paper
Gautier, Donald L.; Moore, Thomas E.; Moore, Thomas E.; Gautier, D.L.
2017-11-15
The amount of yet-to-find oil and gas in the high northern latitudes is one of the great uncertainties of future energy supply. The possibility of extensive new petroleum developments in the Arctic Ocean is of interest to the Arctic nations, to petroleum companies, and to those concerned with the delicate and changing Arctic environment. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 2008 Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA) had the express purpose of conducting a geologically based assessment of undiscovered petroleum north of the Arctic Circle, thereby providing an initial evaluation of resource potential.
The Consequences of Emotional Burnout Among Correctional Staff
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Eric G. Lambert
2015-06-01
Full Text Available The vast majority of past correctional staff burnout studies have focused on the possible antecedents of job burnout. Far fewer studies have been published on the possible outcomes of burnout among correctional staff. This study examined the effects of the emotional exhaustion dimension of burnout on life satisfaction, support for treatment, support for punishment, absenteeism, views on use of sick leave, and turnover intent among 272 staff at a state-run Midwestern maximum security prison. Ordinary least squares (OLS regression analysis of survey data indicated that emotional burnout had significant negative associations with life satisfaction and support for treatment and significant positive relationships with support for punishment, absenteeism, views on use of sick leave (i.e., a right to be used however the employee wishes, and turnover intent. The results indicate that job burnout has negative outcomes for both staff and correctional institutions.
Performance appraisal of coaches: Acomparative study | Surujlal ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Within the sport environment, the performance appraisal of coaches continues to be an issue. The performance appraisal of coaches is critical to sport organizations since major decisions like rewarding or terminating coaches is based on it. The purpose of this study was to examine whether any differences exist with regard ...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hickey Anne
2012-05-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background The extent of stroke-related disability typically becomes most apparent after patient discharge to the community. As part of the Irish National Audit of Stroke Care (INASC, a national survey of community-based allied health professionals and public health nurses was conducted. The aim was to document the challenges to service availability for patients with stroke in the community and to identify priorities for service improvement. Methods The study was a cross-sectional tailored interview survey with key managerial and service delivery staff. As comprehensive listings of community-based health professionals involved in stroke care were not available, a cascade approach to information gathering was adopted. Representative regional managers for services incorporating stroke care (N = 7 and disciplinary allied health professional and public health nurse managers (N = 25 were interviewed (94% response rate. Results Results indicated a lack of formal, structured community-based services for stroke, with no designated clinical posts for stroke care across disciplines nationally. There was significant regional variation in availability of allied health professionals. Considerable inequity was identified in patient access to stroke services, with greater access, where available, for older patients (≥ 65 years. The absence of a stroke strategy and stroke prevalence statistics were identified as significant impediments to service planning, alongside organisational barriers limiting the recruitment of additional allied health professional staff, and lack of sharing of discipline-specific information on patients. Conclusions This study highlighted major gaps in the provision of inter-disciplinary team community-based services for people with stroke in one country. Where services existed, they were generic in nature, rarely inter-disciplinary in function and deficient in input from salient disciplines. Challenges to optimal care
2012-01-01
Background The extent of stroke-related disability typically becomes most apparent after patient discharge to the community. As part of the Irish National Audit of Stroke Care (INASC), a national survey of community-based allied health professionals and public health nurses was conducted. The aim was to document the challenges to service availability for patients with stroke in the community and to identify priorities for service improvement. Methods The study was a cross-sectional tailored interview survey with key managerial and service delivery staff. As comprehensive listings of community-based health professionals involved in stroke care were not available, a cascade approach to information gathering was adopted. Representative regional managers for services incorporating stroke care (N = 7) and disciplinary allied health professional and public health nurse managers (N = 25) were interviewed (94% response rate). Results Results indicated a lack of formal, structured community-based services for stroke, with no designated clinical posts for stroke care across disciplines nationally. There was significant regional variation in availability of allied health professionals. Considerable inequity was identified in patient access to stroke services, with greater access, where available, for older patients (≥ 65 years). The absence of a stroke strategy and stroke prevalence statistics were identified as significant impediments to service planning, alongside organisational barriers limiting the recruitment of additional allied health professional staff, and lack of sharing of discipline-specific information on patients. Conclusions This study highlighted major gaps in the provision of inter-disciplinary team community-based services for people with stroke in one country. Where services existed, they were generic in nature, rarely inter-disciplinary in function and deficient in input from salient disciplines. Challenges to optimal care included the need for
Alienation appraisals distinguish adults diagnosed with DID from PTSD.
DePrince, Anne P; Huntjens, Rafaële J C; Dorahy, Martin J
2015-11-01
Studies are beginning to show the importance of appraisals to different types and severities of psychiatric disorders. Yet, little work in this area has assessed whether trauma-related appraisals can differentiate complex trauma-related disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative identity disorder (DID). The current study evaluated whether any of 6 trauma-related appraisals distinguished adults diagnosed with DID from those diagnosed with PTSD. To accomplish this, we first examined the basic psychometric properties of a Dutch-translated short-form of the Trauma Appraisals Questionnaire (TAQ) in healthy control (n = 57), PTSD (n = 27) and DID (n = 12) samples. The short-form Dutch translation of the TAQ showed good internal reliability and criterion-related validity for all 6 subscales (betrayal, self-blame, fear, alienation, shame, anger). Of the 6 subscales, the alienation appraisal subscale specifically differentiated DID from PTSD, with the former group reporting more alienation. Abuse-related appraisals that emphasize disconnection from self and others may contribute to reported problems of memory and identity common in DID. The current findings suggest that addressing experiences of alienation may be particularly important in treatment for clients diagnosed with DID. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
Haesler, Emily; Bauer, Michael; Nay, Rhonda
2006-12-01
was conducted through review of reference lists of studies retrieved during the first search stage. The search was limited to published and unpublished material in English language. Selection criteria The review was limited to studies involving residents and patients within acute, subacute, rehabilitation and residential settings, aged over 65 years, their family and healthcare staff. Papers addressing family members and healthcare staff perceptions of their relationships with each other were considered for this review. Studies in this review also included those relating to interventions to promote constructive staff-family relationships including organisational strategies, staff-family meetings, case conferencing, environmental approaches, etc. The review considered both quantitative and qualitative research and opinion papers for inclusion. Data collection and analysis All retrieved papers were critically appraised for eligibility for inclusion and methodological quality independently by two reviewers, and the same reviewers collected details of eligible research. Appraisal forms and data extraction forms designed by the Joanna Briggs Institute as part of the QARI and NOTARI systematic review software packages were used for this review. Findings Family members' perceptions of their relationships with staff showed that a strong focus was placed on opportunities for the family to be involved in the patient's care. Staff members also expressed a theoretical support for the collaborative process, however, this belief often did not translate to the staff members' clinical practice. In the studies included in the review staff were frequently found to rely on traditional medical models of care in their clinical practice and maintaining control over the environment, rather than fully collaborating with families. Four factors were found to be essential to interventions designed to support a collaborative partnership between family members and healthcare staff
Haesler, Emily; Bauer, Michael; Nay, Rhonda
2004-01-01
lists of studies retrieved during the first search stage. The search was limited to published and unpublished material in English language. The review was limited to studies involving residents and patients within acute, subacute, rehabilitation and residential settings, aged over 65 years, their family and health care staff. Papers addressing family members and health care staff perceptions of their relationships with each other were considered for this review. Studies in this review also included those relating to interventions to promote constructive staff-family relationships including organisational strategies, staff-family meetings, case conferencing, environmental approaches etc. The review considered both quantitative and qualitative research and opinion papers for inclusion. All retrieved papers were critically appraised for eligibility for inclusion and methodological quality independently by two reviewers, and the same reviewers collected details of eligible research. Appraisal forms and data extraction forms designed by the Joanna Briggs Institute as part of the QARI and NOTARI systematic review software packages were used for this review. Family members' perceptions of their relationships with staff showed that a strong focus was placed on opportunities for the family to be involved in the patient's care. Staff members also expressed a theoretical support for the collaborative process, however this belief often did not translate to the staff members' clinical practice. In the studies included in the review staff were frequently found to rely on traditional medical models of care in their clinical practice and maintaining control over the environment, rather than fully collaborating with families. Four factors were found to be essential to interventions designed to support a collaborative partnership between family members and health care staff: communication, information, education and administrative support. Based on the evidence analysed in this
An S-shaped relationship between changes in appraisals and changes in emotions.
Tong, Eddie M W; Ellsworth, Phoebe C; Bishop, George D
2009-12-01
Previous research on appraisal theories of emotion has shown that emotions and appraisals are related but has not specified the nature of the relationships. This research examined the functional forms of appraisal-emotion relationships and demonstrated that for all seven appraisals studied, appraisals relate to emotions in an S-shaped (ogival) fashion: Changes in appraisals at extreme levels are associated with only small changes in emotions, but changes at moderate levels are associated with substantial changes in emotions. With a few exceptions, ogival relationships were found for the relationships between seven appraisals (Goal Achievement Expectancy, Agency, Control, Certainty, Fairness, Pleasantness, and Motive Congruence) and numerous relevant emotions across different sample-types, cultures, and methods.
Exams? Why worry? Interpreting anxiety as facilitative and stress appraisals.
Strack, Juliane; Esteves, Francisco
2015-01-01
The present study examined why people differ in how they appraise the same stressful situation (an approaching exam). We explored whether interpreting anxiety as a facilitative emotion can affect the type of stress appraisal people make. One hundred and three undergraduate students took part in this study, which lasted for 10 days (leading up to an exam). The students completed a daily self-reported evaluation of anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and stress experienced. The findings suggest a process by which a stressful time can be experienced as motivating rather than threatening or emotionally exhausting. For example, interpreting anxiety as facilitative moderated the relationship between anxiety and stress appraisals. When interpreting their anxiety as facilitative, individuals showed a higher tendency to make challenge stress appraisals and a lower tendency to appraising the stressor as a threat. These differences were especially visible with high levels of anxiety. Furthermore, interpreting anxiety as facilitative was negatively associated with emotional exhaustion, but positively associated with the academic performance. These findings suggest an explanation why people differ in how they appraise the same stressor: how people interpret their anxiety may to a large part affect how they appraise difficult events and situations.
Appraisals to affect: Testing the integrative cognitive model of bipolar disorder.
Palmier-Claus, Jasper E; Dodd, Alyson; Tai, Sara; Emsley, Richard; Mansell, Warren
2016-09-01
Cognitive models have suggested that extreme appraisals of affective states and maladaptive affect regulation strategies are important in the development of bipolar symptomatology. Little is known about the pathway by which these appraisals and behaviours interact in the formation of activated and depressed affective states. This study tested the predictions that (1) ascent behaviours mediate the relationship between positive appraisals of activated mood and activation; and (2) descent behaviours mediate the relationship between negative appraisals of activated mood and depression. A total of 52 individuals with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder (confirmed by structured interview) completed biweekly assessments of affect regulation behaviours and mood for 4 weeks. Positive and negative appraisals of affective states were assessed at baseline through the Hypomanic Attitudes and Positive Prediction Inventory. Multilevel mediation analysis was used to explore the data. Ascent behaviours partially mediated the relationship between positive appraisals of activated mood and activation. Descent behaviours, but not negative appraisals of activated mood, predicted levels of depression indicating the absence of a mediation effect. The results suggest that positive appraisals of activated mood can escalate activation in individuals with bipolar disorder. Such appraisals may be inherently rewarding and reinforcing directly elevating levels of activation, whilst increasing individuals' use of ascent behaviours. The results are consistent with the view that appraisals and behaviours should be targeted during cognitive behavioural therapy for bipolar disorder. It may be beneficial to target positive appraisals of activated mood in cognitive behavioural therapy for mania. Cognitive behavioural therapists may also wish to focus on identifying and targeting individuals' use of ascent behaviours to reduce highly activated states. © 2015 The British Psychological
Maurits, Erica E M; de Veer, Anke J E; Groenewegen, Peter P; Francke, Anneke L
2017-10-01
The aims of this study were: (1) To examine whether working in a self-directed team is related to home-care nursing staff's job satisfaction; (2) To assess the mediating effect of self-perceived autonomy over patient care; (3) To investigate the moderating effect of educational level on the association between autonomy over patient care and job satisfaction. Self-directed teams are being introduced in home care in several countries. It is unknown whether working in a self-directed team is related to nursing staff's job satisfaction. It is important to gain insight into this association since self-directed teams may help in retaining nursing staff. A cross-sectional study based on two questionnaire surveys in 2014 and 2015. The study involved 191 certified nursing assistants and registered nurses employed in Dutch home-care organizations (mean age of 50). These were members of the Dutch Nursing Staff Panel, a nationwide panel of nursing staff working in various healthcare settings. Self-direction is positively related to nursing staff's job satisfaction. This relationship is partly mediated by autonomy over patient care. For certified nursing assistants and registered nurses with a bachelor's degree, a greater sense of autonomy over patient care in self-directed teams is positively related to job satisfaction. No significant association was found between autonomy over patient care and job satisfaction for registered nurses with an associate degree. This study suggests that home-care organizations should consider the use of self-directed teams as this increases nursing staff's job satisfaction and may therefore help to retain nursing staff in home care. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
50 CFR 34.6 - Schedule of appraisals.
2010-10-01
... Secretary shall make fair market value appraisals of areas administered by the Service within five years... reappraised on a schedule of at least once every five years. Until areas are appraised, the fair market value... fee lands added to such areas after that date shall be on the basis of fair market value. ...
[Schistosomiasis status of staff in Hydrology Bureau of Yangtze Water Resources Committee in 2013].
Fu, Jun; Leng, Cheng-mei; Tang, Min; Yao, Wei-gang
2014-08-01
To understand the status of schistosomiasis of staff in the Hydrology Bureau of Yangtze Water Resources Committee and the Oncomelania hupensis snail condition of their work areas in 2013, so as to provide the evidences for the schistosomiasis control in the industry. The physical examination data about schistosomiasis of the staff from 2006 to 2013 were collected and analyzed to understand the schistosomiasis prevalence condition of the staff and the changes of their liver parenchyma. Meanwhile, the snail status in the work areas was surveyed. There were 1,393 staff involved in the physical examinations of schistosomiasis in 2003, 197 of them were schistosomiasis patients, the prevalence rate was 14.14%, and no new acute schistosomiasis case occurred. The cases whose liver parenchyma were classified as Grade 0, I , II , III occupied 28.9%, 67.0%, 3.05% and 1.02%, respectively. A total of 24 work areas were involved in the snail survey, and 71 snails were captured. Among the whole snails captured, 39 were living snails, but no schistosome infected snails were found. The prevalence rate of schistosomiasis in staff of the Hydrology Bureau of Yangtze Water Resources Committee is relatively high, so the schistosomiasis surveillance as well as the snail survey and control still should be carried out consistently.
Energy considerations in real estate appraising
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
None
1980-04-01
Purposes of the seminar on the subject, the basis of this report, include the following: (1) to provide the appraiser an opportunity to learn how to identify and analyze the actual physical consumption of energy as well as the energy-saving improvements in properties under appraisal and in comparable sale and lease properties; (2) to help the appraiser in developing methods to keep meaningful records on the energy consumption of subject and comparable properties so as to observe in an orderly way the behavior of buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords, borrowers, and lenders with respect to energy efficiency; and (3) to assist the appraiser in learning to measure the relative sensitivities of the various segments of the market to energy considerations as indicated by differences in sale prices and rentals. To achieve these goals, the seminar employed two case studies, one for a angle-family residence and one for a multi-family building, both in Topeka, Kansas. The case studies are for illustrative purposes only; in applying the lessons of the seminar to their own daily work, students should be careful to develop information that is pertinent to their subject properties and subject areas and not rely on any of the particulars laid out in the cases.
Real estate market and building energy performance: Data for a mass appraisal approach.
Bonifaci, Pietro; Copiello, Sergio
2015-12-01
Mass appraisal is widely considered an advanced frontier in the real estate valuation field. Performing mass appraisal entails the need to get access to base information conveyed by a large amount of transactions, such as prices and property features. Due to the lack of transparency of many Italian real estate market segments, our survey has been addressed to gather data from residential property advertisements. The dataset specifically focuses on property offer prices and dwelling energy efficiency. The latter refers to the label expressed and exhibited by the energy performance certificate. Moreover, data are georeferenced with the highest possible accuracy: at the neighborhood level for a 76.8% of cases, at street or building number level for the remaining 23.2%. Data are related to the analysis performed in Bonifaci and Copiello [1], about the relationship between house prices and building energy performance, that is to say, the willingness to pay in order to benefit from more efficient dwellings.
Technical Safety Appraisal of the Rocky Flats Plant
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Brown, Blake P.
1989-01-01
This report provides the results of a Technical Safety Appraisal (TSA) of the Rocky Flats Plant (RFP) conducted November 14 to 18 and November 28 to December 9, 1988. This appraisal covered the effectiveness and improvements in the RFP safety program across the site, evaluating progress to date against standards of accepted practice. The appraisal included coverage of the timeliness and effectiveness of actions taken in response to the recommendations/concerns in three previous Technical Safety Appraisals (TSAs) of RFP Bldg. 707 conducted in July 1986, Bldgs. 771/774 conducted in October/November 1986, and Bldgs. 776/777 conducted in January/February 1988. Results of this appraisal are given in Section IV for each of 14 technical safety areas at RFP. These results include a discussion, conclusions and any new safety concerns for each technical safety area. Appendix A contains a description of the system for categorizing concerns, and the concerns are tabulated in Appendix B. Appendix C reports on the evaluation of the contractor's actions and the current status of each of the 230 recommendations and concerns contained in the three previous TSA reports.
Crovelli, R.A.
1988-01-01
The geologic appraisal model that is selected for a petroleum resource assessment depends upon purpose of the assessment, basic geologic assumptions of the area, type of available data, time available before deadlines, available human and financial resources, available computer facilities, and, most importantly, the available quantitative methodology with corresponding computer software and any new quantitative methodology that would have to be developed. Therefore, different resource assessment projects usually require different geologic models. Also, more than one geologic model might be needed in a single project for assessing different regions of the study or for cross-checking resource estimates of the area. Some geologic analyses used in the past for petroleum resource appraisal involved play analysis. The corresponding quantitative methodologies of these analyses usually consisted of Monte Carlo simulation techniques. A probabilistic system of petroleum resource appraisal for play analysis has been designed to meet the following requirements: (1) includes a variety of geologic models, (2) uses an analytic methodology instead of Monte Carlo simulation, (3) possesses the capacity to aggregate estimates from many areas that have been assessed by different geologic models, and (4) runs quickly on a microcomputer. Geologic models consist of four basic types: reservoir engineering, volumetric yield, field size, and direct assessment. Several case histories and present studies by the U.S. Geological Survey are discussed. ?? 1988 International Association for Mathematical Geology.
Are there individual and sibling differences in appraisals of interparental conflict?
Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G; George, Melissa W
2017-10-01
Despite decades of empirical literature documenting the harmful effects of frequent, intense, violent, and unresolved interparental conflict on children's adjustment, there is considerable variability in the extent to which marital conflict contributes to the development of children's emotional and behavioral problems. Past research has documented links between properties of interparental conflict itself (e.g., intensity, frequency), children's appraisals of conflict, and children's outcomes, yet less is known about the role of individual and family characteristics in predicting children's conflict appraisals. Sibling studies may be especially helpful in understanding these individual differences yet are notably lacking in marital conflict research. The current study examines individual- and family-characteristic predictors of adolescents' appraisals of conflict in a study of 153 adolescents as well as sibling similarities in conflict appraisals in a subsample of 50 pairs of siblings. Controlling for parent reports of the frequency, intensity, and resolution of interparental conflict, parent-child relationship quality and stressful life events predicted conflict appraisals. In addition, there was nonindependence of sibling appraisals of conflict properties, but self-blame and threat appraisals appeared independent across siblings. Greater discrepancies in siblings' conflict appraisals were related to more negative marital conflict and discrepancies in parent-child relationship quality, and were found in mixed-sex sibling dyads. Implications for future studies on factors that impact children's appraisals of conflict and in particular making use of sibling studies to examine shared environmental and individual influences on appraisals is highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).
[Evaluation of Wits appraisal with superimposition method].
Xu, T; Ahn, J; Baumrind, S
1999-07-01
To compare the conventional Wits appraisal with superimposed Wits appraisal in evaluation of sagittal jaw relationship change between pre and post orthodontic treatment. The sample consists of 48-case pre and post treatment lateral head films. Computerized digitizing is used to get the cephalometric landmarks and measure conventional Wits value, superimposed Wits value and ANB angle. The correlation analysis among these three measures was done by SAS statistical package. The change of ANB angle has higher correlation with the change of superimposed Wits than that of the conventional Wits. The r-value is as high as 0.849 (P < 0.001). The superimposed Wits appraisal reflects the change of sagittal jaw relationship more objectively than the conventional one.
Appraisal tools for clinical practice guidelines: a systematic review.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ulrich Siering
Full Text Available Clinical practice guidelines can improve healthcare processes and patient outcomes, but are often of low quality. Guideline appraisal tools aim to help potential guideline users in assessing guideline quality. We conducted a systematic review of publications describing guideline appraisal tools in order to identify and compare existing tools.Among others we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from 1995 to May 2011 for relevant primary and secondary publications. We also handsearched the reference lists of relevant publications. On the basis of the available literature we firstly generated 34 items to be used in the comparison of appraisal tools and grouped them into thirteen quality dimensions. We then extracted formal characteristics as well as questions and statements of the appraisal tools and assigned them to the items.We identified 40 different appraisal tools. They covered between three and thirteen of the thirteen possible quality dimensions and between three and 29 of the possible 34 items. The main focus of the appraisal tools were the quality dimensions "evaluation of evidence" (mentioned in 35 tools; 88%, "presentation of guideline content" (34 tools; 85%, "transferability" (33 tools; 83%, "independence" (32 tools; 80%, "scope" (30 tools; 75%, and "information retrieval" (29 tools; 73%. The quality dimensions "consideration of different perspectives" and "dissemination, implementation and evaluation of the guideline" were covered by only twenty (50% and eighteen tools (45% respectively.Most guideline appraisal tools assess whether the literature search and the evaluation, synthesis and presentation of the evidence in guidelines follow the principles of evidence-based medicine. Although conflicts of interest and norms and values of guideline developers, as well as patient involvement, affect the trustworthiness of guidelines, they are currently insufficiently considered. Greater focus should be
Sleep Characteristics of the Staff Working in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Based on a Survey
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yolanda Puerta
2017-12-01
Full Text Available The objective is to evaluate the sleep characteristics of the staff working in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU. They were asked to complete an anonymous survey concerning the characteristics and quality of their sleep, as well as the impact of sleep disturbances on their work and social life, assessed by Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ-10 questionnaire. The response rate was 84.6% (85% females: 17% were doctors, 57% nurses, 23% nursing assistants, and 3% porters. 83.8% of them worked on fix shifts and 16.2% did 24-h shifts. 39.8% of workers considered that they had a good sleep quality and 39.8% considered it to be poor or bad. The score was good in 18.2% of the staff and bad in 81.8%. Night shift workers showed significantly worse sleep quality on both the objective and subjective evaluation. There was a weak concordance (kappa 0.267; p = 0.004 between the perceived quality of sleep and the FOSQ-10 evaluation. Sleep disorders affected their emotional state (30.2% of workers and relationships or social life (22.6%. In conclusion, this study finds that a high percentage of health professionals from PICU suffer from sleep disorders that affect their personal and social life. This negative impact is significantly higher in night shift workers. Many health workers are not aware of their bad sleep quality.
Sleep Characteristics of the Staff Working in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Based on a Survey.
Puerta, Yolanda; García, Mirian; Heras, Elena; López-Herce, Jesús; Fernández, Sarah N; Mencía, Santiago
2017-01-01
The objective is to evaluate the sleep characteristics of the staff working in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). They were asked to complete an anonymous survey concerning the characteristics and quality of their sleep, as well as the impact of sleep disturbances on their work and social life, assessed by Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ)-10 questionnaire. The response rate was 84.6% (85% females): 17% were doctors, 57% nurses, 23% nursing assistants, and 3% porters. 83.8% of them worked on fix shifts and 16.2% did 24-h shifts. 39.8% of workers considered that they had a good sleep quality and 39.8% considered it to be poor or bad. The score was good in 18.2% of the staff and bad in 81.8%. Night shift workers showed significantly worse sleep quality on both the objective and subjective evaluation. There was a weak concordance (kappa 0.267; p = 0.004) between the perceived quality of sleep and the FOSQ-10 evaluation. Sleep disorders affected their emotional state (30.2% of workers) and relationships or social life (22.6%). In conclusion, this study finds that a high percentage of health professionals from PICU suffer from sleep disorders that affect their personal and social life. This negative impact is significantly higher in night shift workers. Many health workers are not aware of their bad sleep quality.
Fumis, Renata Rego Lins; Costa, Eduardo Leite Vieira; Martins, Paulo Sergio; Pizzo, Vladimir; Souza, Ivens Augusto; Schettino, Guilherme de Paula Pinto
2014-01-01
To evaluate the satisfaction of the intensive care unit staff with a computerized physician order entry and to compare the concept of the computerized physician order entry relevance among intensive care unit healthcare workers. We performed a cross-sectional survey to assess the satisfaction of the intensive care unit staff with the computerized physician order entry in a 30-bed medical/surgical adult intensive care unit using a self-administered questionnaire. The questions used for grading satisfaction levels were answered according to a numerical scale that ranged from 1 point (low satisfaction) to 10 points (high satisfaction). The majority of the respondents (n=250) were female (66%) between the ages of 30 and 35 years of age (69%). The overall satisfaction with the computerized physician order entry scored 5.74±2.14 points. The satisfaction was lower among physicians (n=42) than among nurses, nurse technicians, respiratory therapists, clinical pharmacists and diet specialists (4.62±1.79 versus 5.97±2.14, phealthcare workers were satisfied, albeit not entirely, with the computerized physician order entry. The overall users' satisfaction with computerized physician order entry was lower among physicians compared to other healthcare professionals. The factors associated with satisfaction included the belief that digitalization decreased the workload and contributed to the intensive care unit quality with a user-friendly and accurate system and that digitalization provided concise information within a reasonable time frame.
Use of a dementia training designed for nurse aides to train other staff.
Irvine, A Blair; Beaty, Jeff A; Seeley, John R; Bourgeois, Michelle
2013-12-01
Problematic resident behaviors may escalate in long-term care facilities (LTCs). If nurse aides (NAs) are not nearby, the nearest staff to intervene may be non-direct care workers (NDCWs), who have little or no dementia training. This pilot research tested Internet dementia-training program, designed for NAs, on NDCWs in a LTC setting. Sixty-eight NDCWs participated, filling out two baseline surveys at 1-month intervals and a posttest survey after training. The surveys included video-situation testing, items addressing psychosocial constructs associated with behavior change, and measures training-acceptance. Paired t tests showed significant positive effects on measures of knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions, with small-moderate effect sizes. Nursing staff as well as non-health care workers showed improved scores, and the web-site training program was well received by all participants. These results suggest that Internet training may allow staff development coordinators to conserve limited resources by cross-training of different job categories with the same program.
Enhancing Training of Staff of the Agricultural Development
African Journals Online (AJOL)
PROF. MADUKWE
Effective Agricultural Extension Service Delivery in Nigeria. Wahab, A. A. 1 ... from Annual Performance Survey (APS) report of NAERLS and NPAFS between ... strengthen the staff's skills, increase productivity and achieve higher organizational .... Production & processing. 2 .... technology and sourcing .... industry used for.
Staff development and library services in academic libraries in ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Staff development and library services in academic libraries in Bayelsa and Delta States. ... Information Impact: Journal of Information and Knowledge Management ... Descriptive survey research design was used for this study, data was ...
Environmental Performance Information Use by Conservation Agency Staff
Wardropper, Chloe Bradley
2018-04-01
Performance-based conservation has long been recognized as crucial to improving program effectiveness, particularly when environmental conditions are dynamic. Yet few studies have investigated the use of environmental performance information by staff of conservation organizations. This article identifies attitudinal, policy and organizational factors influencing the use of a type of performance information—water quality information—by Soil and Water Conservation District staff in the Upper Mississippi River Basin region. An online survey ( n = 277) revealed a number of important variables associated with greater information use. Variables included employees' prosocial motivation, or the belief that they helped people and natural resources through their job, the perceived trustworthiness of data, the presence of a U.S. Clean Water Act Total Maximum Daily Load standard designation, and staff discretion to prioritize programs locally. Conservation programs that retain motivated staff and provide them the resources and flexibility to plan and evaluate their work with environmental data may increase conservation effectiveness under changing conditions.
Negative Trauma Appraisals and PTSD Symptoms in Sri Lankan Adolescents.
Ponnamperuma, Thyagi; Nicolson, Nancy A
2016-02-01
The cognitive model posits that negative appraisals play an important role in posttraumatic stress disorder, in children as well as in adults. This study examined correlates of negative appraisals in relation to trauma exposure and their relationship to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in 414 Sri Lankan adolescents, aged 12 to 16, living in areas impacted in varying degrees by the 2004 tsunami. In 2008, participants completed measures of negative appraisals, lifetime traumatic events, posttraumatic stress symptoms, internalizing symptoms, ongoing adversity, and social support. The majority (70 %) of the participants reported multiple traumatic events; 25 % met DSM-IV criteria for full or partial PTSD. Adolescents who had experienced more severe events, abusive events, greater cumulative trauma, or greater current adversity reported more negative appraisals. In regression analyses controlling for known risk factors such as female gender, cumulative trauma, ongoing adversity, and low social support, negative appraisals were the best predictor of PTSS, explaining 22 % of the variance. This relationship appeared specific to PTSS, as negative appraisals did not predict internalizing symptoms. Findings confirm the link between negative cognitions concerning traumatic events and persistent PTSS in adolescents, but longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether appraisals contribute to symptom maintenance over time.
Characteristics of Appraisal Systems That Promote Job Satisfaction of Teachers
Deneire, Alexia; Vanhoof, Jan; Faddar, Jerich; Gijbels, David; Van Petegem, Peter
2014-01-01
This article examines if and how characteristics of appraisal systems used for secondary school teachers affect job satisfaction. Using multilevel analyses on data of 3 473 teachers in Flanders (Belgium), we found that appraisals with a developmental purpose and appraisals perceived as being a fair judgement, both have a positive impact on job…
Smoking and its treatment in addiction services: clients' and staff behaviour and attitudes.
Cookson, Camilla; Strang, John; Ratschen, Elena; Sutherland, Gay; Finch, Emily; McNeill, Ann
2014-07-14
High smoking prevalence has been observed among those misusing other substances. This study aimed to establish smoking behaviours and attitudes towards nicotine dependence treatment among clients and staff in substance abuse treatment settings. Cross-sectional questionnaire survey of staff and clients in a convenience sample of seven community and residential addiction services in, or with links to, Europe's largest provider of mental health care, the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Survey items assessed smoking behaviour, motivation to quit, receipt of and attitudes towards nicotine dependence treatment. Eighty five percent (n = 163) and 97% (n = 145) response rates of clients and staff were achieved. A high smoking prevalence was observed in clients (88%) and staff (45%); of current smokers, nearly all clients were daily smokers, while 42% of staff were occasional smokers. Despite 79% of clients who smoked expressing a desire to quit and 46% interested in receiving advice, only 15% had been offered support to stop smoking during their current treatment episode with 56% reported never having been offered support. Staff rated smoking treatment significantly less important than treatment of other substances (p smoking cessation interventions to an extraordinarily high prevalence population of smokers in addiction services. This is despite the majority of smokers reporting motivation to quit. Staff smoking and attitudes may be a contributory factor in these findings.
Appraisal patterns of emotions in human-product interaction
Demir, E.; Desmet, P.M.A.; Hekkert, P.
2009-01-01
Emotional design, i.e., designing with an intention to evoke or to prevent a particular emotion, can be facilitated by understanding the processes underlying emotions. A promising approach to understanding these processes in the current psychological literature is appraisal theory. Appraisal theory
Automatic affective appraisal of sexual penetration stimuli in women with vaginismus or dyspareunia.
Huijding, Jorg; Borg, Charmaine; Weijmar-Schultz, Willibrord; de Jong, Peter J
2011-03-01
Current psychological views are that negative appraisals of sexual stimuli lie at the core of sexual dysfunctions. It is important to differentiate between deliberate appraisals and more automatic appraisals, as research has shown that the former are most relevant to controllable behaviors, and the latter are most relevant to reflexive behaviors. Accordingly, it can be hypothesized that in women with vaginismus, the persistent difficulty to allow vaginal entry is due to global negative automatic affective appraisals that trigger reflexive pelvic floor muscle contraction at the prospect of penetration. To test whether sexual penetration pictures elicited global negative automatic affective appraisals in women with vaginismus or dyspareunia and to examine whether deliberate appraisals and automatic appraisals differed between the two patient groups. Women with persistent vaginismus (N = 24), dyspareunia (N = 23), or no sexual complaints (N = 30) completed a pictorial Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST), and then made a global affective assessment of the EAST stimuli using visual analogue scales (VAS). The EAST assessed global automatic affective appraisals of sexual penetration stimuli, while the VAS assessed global deliberate affective appraisals of these stimuli. Automatic affective appraisals of sexual penetration stimuli tended to be positive, independent of the presence of sexual complaints. Deliberate appraisals of the same stimuli were significantly more negative in the women with vaginismus than in the dyspareunia group and control group, while the latter two groups did not differ in their appraisals. Unexpectedly, deliberate appraisals seemed to be most important in vaginismus, whereas dyspareunia did not seem to implicate negative deliberate or automatic affective appraisals. These findings dispute the view that global automatic affect lies at the core of vaginismus and indicate that a useful element in therapeutic interventions may be the modification of
Regan, Julie-Anne; Dollard, Emma; Banks, Nicci
2014-01-01
This study examined the perceptions of professional staff on their contribution to student outcomes. An online Delphi survey method was used to collect data from two expert panels: professional staff based in faculties and professional staff based in central university departments. The aim of this method is for the panels to reach consensus. The…
What do surgical oncology staff nurses know about colorectal cancer ostomy care?
Gemmill, Robin; Kravits, Kathy; Ortiz, Mildred; Anderson, Casandra; Lai, Lily; Grant, Marcia
2011-02-01
For most patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, dealing with the adjustment and rehabilitation after treatment can be overwhelming. There is a significant need for expert educational and counseling support, especially for the patient with a new ostomy. This pilot study describes acute care oncology staff nurses' knowledge about and attitudes toward providing direct ostomy care support and education. This study is part of a larger project assessing gaps in education and services in support of patients with colorectal cancer. The Survey on Ostomy Care questionnaire designed to assess nurses' knowledge about and attitudes toward ostomy care was administered to oncology staff nurses at a comprehensive cancer center. Only 30% of staff nurses surveyed strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, "I care for ostomy patients often enough to keep up my skills in ostomy care." Maintaining staff nurses' ability to teach and demonstrate to patients complex care such as ostomy care depends on the ability to practice both education and hands-on skills. Staff nurses identify that lack of opportunity to care for the new ostomy patient influences their ability to maintain skill expertise. The results show the need to explore the provision of ongoing staff education for low-volume patient populations using creative teaching strategies, such as clinical simulation and short videos. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.
Leadership styles of nursing home administrators and their association with staff turnover.
Donoghue, Christopher; Castle, Nicholas G
2009-04-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between nursing home administrator (NHA) leadership style and staff turnover. We analyzed primary data from a survey of 2,900 NHAs conducted in 2005. The Online Survey Certification and Reporting database and the Area Resource File were utilized to extract organizational and local economic characteristics of the facilities. A general linear model (GLM) was used to estimate the effects of NHA leadership style, organizational characteristics, and local economic characteristics on nursing home staff turnover for registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and nurse's aides (NAs). The complete model estimates indicate that NHAs who are consensus managers (leaders who solicit, and act upon, the most input from their staff) are associated with the lowest turnover levels, 7% for RNs, 3% for LPNs, and 44% for NAs. Shareholder managers (leaders who neither solicit input when making a decision nor provide their staffs with relevant information for making decisions on their own) are associated with the highest turnover levels, 32% for RNs, 56% for LPNs, and 168% for NAs. The findings indicate that NHA leadership style is associated with staff turnover, even when the effects of organizational and local economic conditions are held constant. Because leadership strategies are amenable to change, the findings of this study may be used to develop policies for lowering staff turnover.
Supporting staff in employment: the emotional wellbeing of staff in an NHS psychiatric hospital.
Patterson, I D; Bell, J S
2000-09-01
The objective of this study was to assess the emotional wellbeing of a broad sample of NHS employees in a psychiatric setting; to seek their views on sources of distress; and to identify preferred ways of dealing with it. A cross-sectional postal survey, employing two questionnaires: GHQ-28, and a semi-structured questionnaire. These were sent to a nominal 50% sample (n = 599). The population was the staff of a large Scottish psychiatric service. A 47.9% response rate was achieved; 32.9% of respondents exceeded a cut-off score of four on the GHQ-28. Neither occupational, group nor gender effects were significant on this measure. The reporting of emotionally-distressing problems affecting their performance was found to be more common amongst doctors; males, overall, showed a non-significant trend towards having been affected more than females by such problems; and older staff (above 45) were affected significantly more often than younger staff. Almost a third of staff were unaware of the availability of an internal organisational resource (the Occupational Health service). NHS Trusts should ensure the culture at work is appropriate from a preventative point of view and be aware that factors outwith the workplace can affect employees emotional wellbeing and performance. Preventative and supportive measures to minimise psychological distress in the workforce should be considered; the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme: Mental Health in the Workplace offers useful guidance.
He, W J; Xia, J H; Lv, X; Li, L M
2018-02-20
Objective: To investigate the current status of depression and anxiety among female staff in a maternal and child health hospital, and to provide a basis for developing related prevention and intervention measures and promoting the mental health of female staff. Methods: The female staff from a provincial maternal and child health hospital completed a psycho-health questionnaire survey on Internet from June to October, 2016. The questionnaires used in the survey consisted of Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) , Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) , and Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) . The distribution features of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety were analyzed according to the results: of the questionnaire survey. Results Of all female staff surveyed, 42.04% showed depression symptoms, 28.90% showed anxiety symptoms, and 26.12% showed comorbid symptoms of depression and anxiety. Moderate or severe depression (anxiety) was mainly distributed among the female staff with comorbid symptoms (90.63% and 97.01%, respectively) . There were significant differences in the distribution of moderate or severe anxiety symptoms between the medical staff and nursing staff (χ(2)= 5.81, P =0.05) and between those with intermediate and junior professional titles (χ(2)=7.99, P =0.018) . As for SCL-90 results, the total score, total average score, and scores on factors of somatization, compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, and anxiety in the female staff with comorbid symptoms, moderate or severe depression, and moderate or severe anxiety were significantly higher than the national norm ( P staff with comorbid symptoms than in the female staff with a single symptom and asymptomatic female staff (both P staff in the maternal and child health hospital, mainly characterized by comorbid symptoms of moderate or severe depression and anxiety. Comorbidity is accompanied by mental health problems such as interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive compulsion
Job Satisfaction of Faculty and Staff at the College of Eastern Utah.
Seegmiller, Jesse F.
Faculty and staff at the College of Eastern Utah were surveyed in order to ascertain the level of job satisfaction of the college's personnel. Over 90% of the faculty completed a 94-item job satisfaction questionnaire which was based on Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene theory of motivation. College staff completed a slightly modified form of the…
76 FR 49787 - Rural Water Supply Program Approved Appraisal Reports; Availability
2011-08-11
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Reclamation Rural Water Supply Program Approved Appraisal...: Reclamation provides assistance for appraisal investigations and feasibility studies for rural water supply... the findings and conclusions of the appraisal investigations that identified the water supply problems...
The impact of automation on pharmacy staff experience of workplace stressors.
James, K Lynette; Barlow, Dave; Bithell, Anne; Hiom, Sarah; Lord, Sue; Oakley, Pat; Pollard, Mike; Roberts, Dave; Way, Cheryl; Whittlesea, Cate
2013-04-01
Determine the effect of installing an original pack automated dispensing system (ADS) on staff experience of occupational stressors. Pharmacy staff in a National Health Service hospital in Wales, UK, were administered an anonymous occupational stressor questionnaire pre- (n = 45) and post-automation (n = 32). Survey responses pre- and post-automation were compared using Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was P ≤ 0.05. Four focus groups were conducted (two groups of accredited checking technicians (ACTs) (group 1: n = 4; group 2: n = 6), one group of pharmacists (n = 17), and one group of technicians (n = 4) post-automation to explore staff experiences of occupational stressors. Focus group transcripts were analysed according to framework analysis. Survey response rate pre-automation was 78% (n = 35) and 49% (n = 16) post-automation. Automation had a positive impact on staff experience of stress (P = 0.023), illogical workload allocation (P = 0.004) and work-life balance (P = 0.05). All focus-group participants reported that automation had created a spacious working environment. Pharmacists and ACTs reported that automation had enabled the expansion of their roles. Technicians felt like 'production-line workers.' Robot malfunction was a source of stress. The findings suggest that automation had a positive impact on staff experience of stressors, improving working conditions and workload. Technicians reported that ADS devalued their skills. When installing ADS, pharmacy managers must consider the impact of automation on staff. Strategies to reduce stressors associated with automation include rotating staff activities and role expansions. © 2012 The Authors. IJPP © 2012 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
Radiation Safety Awareness Among Medical Staff
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Szarmach, Arkadiusz; Piskunowicz, Maciej; Świętoń, Dominik; Muc, Adam; Mockałło, Gabor; Dzierżanowski, Jarosław; Szurowska, Edyta
2015-01-01
The common access to imaging methods based on ionizing radiation requires also radiation protection. The knowledge of ionizing radiation exposure risks among the medical staff is essential for planning diagnostic procedures and therapy. Evaluation of the knowledge of radiation safety during diagnostic procedures among the medical staff. The study consisted of a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire consisted of seven closed-ended questions concerning the knowledge of the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation as well as questions related to responder’s profession and work experience. The study group included a total of 150 individuals from four professional groups: nurses, doctors, medical technicians, support staff. The study was carried out in the three largest hospitals in Gdańsk between July and October 2013. The highest rates of correct answers to questions related to the issue of radiation protection were provided by the staff of radiology facilities and emergency departments with 1–5 years of professional experience. The most vulnerable group in terms of the knowledge of these issues consisted of individuals working at surgical wards with 11–15 years of professional experience. Education in the field of radiological protection should be a subject of periodic training of medical personnel regardless of position and length of service
Precompetitive achievement goals, stress appraisals, emotions, and coping among athletes.
Nicholls, Adam R; Perry, John L; Calmeiro, Luis
2014-10-01
Grounded in Lazarus's (1991, 1999, 2000) cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotions, we tested a model of achievement goals, stress appraisals, emotions, and coping. We predicted that precompetitive achievement goals would be associated with appraisals, appraisals with emotions, and emotions with coping in our model. The mediating effects of emotions among the overall sample of 827 athletes and two stratified random subsamples were also explored. The results of this study support our proposed model in the overall sample and the stratified subsamples. Further, emotion mediated the relationship between appraisal and coping. Mediation analyses revealed that there were indirect effects of pleasant and unpleasant emotions, which indicates the importance of examining multiple emotions to reveal a more accurate representation of the overall stress process. Our findings indicate that both appraisals and emotions are just as important in shaping coping.
Ye, Jiali; Leep, Carolyn; Robin, Nathalie; Newman, Sarah
2015-01-01
To examine how top executives and staff from local health departments (LHDs) perceive the importance of various types of workforce skills, and to assess the differences in the perception of the importance of these workforce skills between these 2 groups and among LHDs serving different-sized jurisdictions. Data for this study were drawn from the 2014 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) and the 2015 Forces of Change survey. While PH WINS collected data from LHD staff, the Forces of Change survey was administered to LHD top executives. Ratings of perceived importance of workforce skills from LHD staff and top executives were compared. Overall, LHD workers at all levels believe that core competencies are important for their jobs. The perceived importance of these skills differed somewhat across supervisory level (nonsupervisory staff vs supervisory staff vs top executives). Communication was rated as one of the most important skills by all groups. For top executives, ensuring that programs are managed within budget constraints was the most important skill for their employees. However, this skill was rated much lower among staff. Policy development skills were rated to be of lowest importance by LHD leaders and staff. LHD leaders and staff agree on the relative importance of some competencies, although they also show some clear differences in the relative importance that they place on other competencies. It is essential to strengthen the communication between public health leaders and staff regarding the importance of workforce skills. More investigation is needed to assess whether and how gaps in staff competencies are addressed in the workforce development strategies.
Training and Practices of Cannabis Dispensary Staff.
Haug, Nancy A; Kieschnick, Dustin; Sottile, James E; Babson, Kimberly A; Vandrey, Ryan; Bonn-Miller, Marcel O
2016-01-01
Introduction: The proliferation of cannabis dispensaries within the United States has emerged from patient demand for the legalization of cannabis as an alternative treatment for a number of conditions and symptoms. Unfortunately, nothing is known about the practices of dispensary staff with respect to recommendation of cannabis strains/concentrations for specific patient ailments. To address this limitation, the present study assessed the training and practices of cannabis dispensary staff. Materials and Methods: Medical and nonmedical dispensary staff ( n =55) were recruited via e-mail and social media to complete an online survey assessing their demographic characteristics, dispensary features, patient characteristics, formal training, and cannabis recommendation practices. Results: Fifty-five percent of dispensary staff reported some formal training for their position, with 20% reporting medical/scientific training. A majority (94%) indicated that they provide specific cannabis advice to patients. In terms of strains, dispensary staff trended toward recommendations of Indica for anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia, nightmares, and Tourette's syndrome. They were more likely to recommend Indica and hybrid plants for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)/trauma and muscle spasms. In contrast, staff were less likely to recommend Indica for depression; hybrid strains were most often recommended for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In terms of cannabinoid concentrations, dispensary staff were most likely to recommend a 1:1 ratio of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC):cannabidiol (CBD) for patients suffering from anxiety, Crohn's disease, hepatitis C, and PTSD/trauma, while patients seeking appetite stimulation were most likely to be recommended THC. Staff recommended high CBD for arthritis and Alzheimer's disease and a high CBD or 1:1 ratio for ALS, epilepsy, and muscle spasms. Conclusions: Although many dispensary staff are making recommendations consistent with
Evaluating School Health Appraisal scheme in Primary Schools ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Objectives: This study assessed school health appraisal implementation in primary schools within Abakaliki Metropolis. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive study of the forms of health appraisal in all 31 primary schools in Abakaliki metropolis. Relevant information was obtained from the head ...
Whitehead, Andrew L
2018-01-01
Although a growing body of research focuses on Americans' attitudes toward same-sex couples as parents, very few include measures of religion, and those that do fail to capture its multidimensional nature. Furthermore, many past studies relied on convenience samples of college students, or samples gathered outside the United States. Multivariate analyses of the 2012 General Social Survey-a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States-reveal that a slim majority of Americans still do not believe same-sex couples can parent as well as male-female couples, and the religious beliefs, behaviors, and affiliations of Americans are significantly and at times differentially associated with appraisals of same-sex couples' parenting abilities. It appears that although religion is generally associated with more negative appraisals of the parenting abilities of same-sex couples, it is not uniformly so. Americans' immediate religious and cultural context can shape their appraisals of homosexuality in diverse ways.
Schnelle, John F; Bertrand, Rosanna; Hurd, Donna; White, Alan; Squires, David; Feuerberg, Marvin; Hickey, Kelly; Simmons, Sandra F
2009-10-01
Guidelines written for government surveyors who assess nursing home (NH) compliance with federal standards contain instructions to observe the quality of mealtime assistance. However, these instructions are vague and no protocol is provided for surveyors to record observational data. This study compared government survey staff observations of mealtime assistance quality to observations by research staff using a standardized protocol that met basic standards for accurate behavioral measurement. Survey staff used either the observation instructions in the standard survey process or those written for the revised Quality Improvement Survey (QIS). Trained research staff observed mealtime care in 20 NHs in 5 states during the same time period that survey staff evaluated care in the same facilities, although it could not be determined if survey and research staff observed the same residents during the same meals. Ten NHs were evaluated by government surveyors using the QIS survey instructions and 10 NHs were evaluated by surveyors using the standard survey instructions. Research staff observations using a standardized observation protocol identified a higher proportion of residents receiving inadequate feeding assistance during meals relative to survey staff using either the standard or QIS survey instructions. For example, more than 50% of the residents who ate less than half of their meals based on research staff observation were not offered an alternative to the served meal, and the lack of alternatives, or meal substitutions, was common in all 20 NHs. In comparison, the QIS survey teams documented only 2 instances when meal substitutes were not offered in 10 NHs and the standard survey teams documented no instances in 10 NHs. Standardized mealtime observations by research staff revealed feeding assistance care quality issues in all 20 study NHs. Surveyors following the instructions in either the standard or revised QIS surveys did not detect most of these care quality
Problems of Clinical Nurse Performance Appraisal System: A Qualitative Study
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nasrin Nikpeyma
2014-03-01
Conclusion: The findings of this study reveal that the nurse performance appraisal system confronts with various problems. Some of these problems are related to organizational context while the others concerned structure, process and results of the performance appraisal system. In order to achieve high quality of patient care as the final goal of performance appraisal, changing and revision of this system is necessary.
B plant/WESF integrated annual safety appraisal
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Anderson, J.K.
1990-12-01
This report provides the results of the Fiscal Year 1990 Annual Integrated Safety Appraisal of the B Plant and Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. The appraisal was conducted in August and September 1990, by the Defense Waste Disposal Safety group, in conjunction with Health Physics and Emergency Preparedness. Reports of these three organizations for their areas of responsibility are presented. The purpose of the appraisal was to determine if the areas being appraised meet US Department of Energy (DOE) and Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) requirements and current industry standards of good practice. A further purpose was to identify areas in which program effectiveness could be improved. In accordance with the guidance of WHC Management Requirements and Procedures 5.6, previously identified deficiencies which are being resolved by line management were not repeated as Findings or Observations unless progress or intended disposition was considered to be unsatisfactory. The overall assessment is that there are no major safety problems associated with current operations. Programs are in place to provide the necessary safety controls, evaluations, overviews, and support. In most respects these programs are being implemented effectively. However, there are a number of deficiencies in details of program design and implementation. The appraisal identified a total of 23 Findings and 27 Observations of deficiencies. All Observations are Seriousness Category 3. Fifteen Findings were Category 2 and 8 were Category 3. Most of the Category 2 Findings were so categorized on the basis of noncompliance with mandatory DOE Orders or WHC policies and procedures, rather than potential risk to personnel
A review of NRC staff uses of probabilistic risk assessment
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1994-03-01
The NRC staff uses probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) and risk management as important elements its licensing and regulatory processes. In October 1991, the NRC's Executive Director for Operations established the PRA Working Group to address concerns identified by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards with respect to unevenness and inconsistency in the staff's current uses of PRA. After surveying current staff uses of PRA and identifying needed improvements, the Working Group defined a set of basic principles for staff PRA use and identified three areas for improvements: guidance development, training enhancements, and PRA methods development. For each area of improvement, the Working Group took certain actions and recommended additional work. The Working Group recommended integrating its work with other recent PRA-related activities the staff completed and improving staff interactions with PRA users in the nuclear industry. The Working Group took two key actions by developing general guidance for two uses of PRA within the NRC (that is, screening or prioritizing reactor safety issues and analyzing such issues in detail) and developing guidance on basic terms and methods important to the staff's uses of PRA
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kirsty Thomson
2012-06-01
Full Text Available Objective – To discover students’ perceptionsof information commons staff, and todetermine how these perceptions influence theuse of library resources.Design – Post-experience survey with onefollow-up interview.Setting – The University of Sheffield, a postsecondaryinstitution in England.Subjects – All undergraduate andpostgraduate students were invited to takepart. Just over 1% of the student population, or250 students, completed the survey.Methods – Information about the survey wassent to students’ institutional email addresses.One follow up interview was carried out viaemail using the critical incident technique.Main Results – Students do not understandthe academic roles of librarians. They areunlikely to approach library staff for academicsupport, preferring to turn to instructors, otherstudents, friends, and family. Most studentshad positive opinions about assistancereceived in the Information Commons, but asmall number reflected on previous badexperiences with staff, or on a fear of beingmade to feel foolish. The vast majority ofstudents who did not seek help in theInformation Commons stated that this wasbecause they did not require assistance. Most students do not perceive a difference between Information Commons staff and library staff.Conclusion – Students have positive views of Information Commons staff at the University of Sheffield, but have low awareness of the roles of professional librarians. Librarians need to develop partnerships with academic staff and strengthen their presence in both physical and online learning environments to promote their academic roles.
Nurse manager engagement: what it means to nurse managers and staff nurses.
Gray, Linda R; Shirey, Maria R
2013-01-01
To describe what nurse manager engagement means to nurse managers and staff nurses by incorporating an organizational dashboard to document engagement outcomes. Retaining engaged nurse managers is crucial for individual performance and organizational outcomes. However, nurse manager engagement is currently underreported in the literature. Existing data from the 2010 Employee Opinion Survey at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, were used to measure staff engagement among 28 nurse managers and 1497 staff nurses. The data showed a 21% gap between manager and staff nurse engagement levels, with managers showing higher engagement levels than staff. No clear depiction of nurse manager engagement emerged. Consequently, an expanded definition of nurse manager engagement was developed alongside a beginning dashboard of engagement outcomes. The findings have implications for overcoming barriers that affect staff nurse engagement, improving outcomes, and creating definitions of nurse manager engagement.
Highly task-related diversity vs. less task-related diversity among university staff
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Lauring, Jakob; Selmer, Jan
2013-01-01
from 489 university staff members showed that age diversity and cultural diversity, representing highly task-related diversity, were positively associated with most of the variables depicting group cohesiveness. On the other hand, gender diversity, illustrating less task-related diversity, seemed......As only very few large-scale studies have investigated multi-cultural university staff and as none of these studies have dealt with diversity and group processes, this survey was directed toward staffs in 16 science departments from three large universities in Denmark. Results based on the response...
Organizational Consequences of Staff Turnover in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Programs
Knight, Danica K.; Edwards, Jennifer R.; Flynn, Patrick M.
2014-01-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of staff turnover on perceptions of organizational demands and support among staff who remained employed in substance abuse treatment programs. The sample consisted of 353 clinical staff from 63 outpatient agencies. Two scales from the Survey of Organizational Functioning (SOF) measured work-environment demands (Stress, Inadequate Staffing), and three measured supportive work relationships (Communication, Cohesion, Peer Collaboration). Results from a series of multilevel models documented that counselors working in programs that had previously experienced high staff turnover perceived higher demands and lower support within their organization, even after controlling for other potentially burdensome factors such as budget, census, and individual measures of workload. Two individual-level variables, caseload and tenure, were important determinants of work-environment demands, but were not related to supportive work relationships. Findings suggest that staff turnover increases workplace demands and decreases perceptions of support, and underscore the need to reduce stress and minimize subsequent turnover among clinical staff. PMID:22154028
Alcohol and drug use among staff at licensed premises in Norway.
Buvik, Kristin; Bye, Elin K; Gripenberg, Johanna
2018-03-01
There is increased concern about the use of alcohol and illicit drugs in nightlife settings. Most studies of substance use in nightlife settings are from the patrons' perspective, which leaves an understudied population - the nightclub staff. The aim of this paper is to study self-reported alcohol and substance use among staff at licensed premises in Norway: types of illicit drugs used, attitudes towards drugs, and observed drug use among patrons. A survey was conducted at server-training courses in 20 different cities in Norway during 2015. The survey included: demographics, respondents' own alcohol and drug experience, attitudes towards drug use, and observed drug use among patrons at licensed premises. Data were collected from 912 staff working at licensed premises. A majority reported alcohol use in the past year, and 61% reported alcohol use two or more times a month. Overall, 45% of the respondents reported ever-used of illicit drugs. The four most commonly used drugs among staff were cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy/MDMA, and amphetamine. The majority of respondents supported Norway's strict drug laws, and 63% reported observing drug-intoxicated patrons at licensed premises during the past six months. The proportion of frequent drinkers and heavy episodic drinking among staff at licensed premises was high, and the prevalence of illicit drug use was much higher compared with the general population. Thus, staff at licensed premises can be considered a risk-group for alcohol and illicit drug use and therefore represent an important target population in club drug-prevention programmes.
A Field Study of Discrete Emotions: Athletes' Cognitive Appraisals during Competition
Martinent, Guillaume; Ferrand, Claude
2015-01-01
Purpose: Cognitive-motivational-relational theory (CMRT) emphasizes that cognitive appraisal components and core relational themes (in which the 6 separate appraisal judgments are brought together as 1) are the proximal determinants of athletes' emotions. This study aimed to explore appraisals associated with discrete emotions experienced by…
Health smart cards: differing perceptions of emergency department patients and staff.
Mohd Rosli, Reizal; Taylor, David McD; Knott, Jonathan C; Das, Atandrila; Dent, Andrew W
2009-02-01
An analytical, cross-sectional survey of 270 emergency department patients and 92 staff undertaken in three tertiary referral hospital emergency departments was completed to compare the perceptions of patients and staff regarding the use of health smart cards containing patient medical records. The study recorded data on a range of health smart card issues including awareness, privacy, confidentiality, security, advantages and disadvantages, and willingness to use. A significantly higher proportion of staff had heard of the card. The perceived disadvantages reported by patients and staff were, overall, significantly different, with the staff reporting more disadvantages. A significantly higher proportion of patients believed that they should choose what information is on the card and who should have access to the information. Patients were more conservative regarding what information should be included, but staff were more conservative regarding who should have access to the information. Significantly fewer staff believed that patients could reliably handle the cards. Overall, however, the cards were considered acceptable and useful, and their introduction would be supported.
Bond, Emma; Tyrrell, Katie
2018-02-01
Online abuse, facilitated via social media and mobile technologies, has recently attracted considerable academic attention. The nonconsensual sharing of intimate images-revenge pornography-can have a devastating effect on victims, is a global problem, and constitutes interpersonal violence. The national helpline in the United Kingdom has now received over 7,000 calls. In the United Kingdom, new legislation making revenge pornography a crime was introduced in 2014, yet the police do not always respond appropriately to victims. This article presents the findings of a national online survey of police understanding of revenge pornography, undertaken in the United Kingdom in March 2017. The study set out to investigate police knowledge of revenge pornography legislation, their confidence in responding to cases of revenge pornography, and what level of training they had received. A total of 783 members of the police force responded to the survey and, to the authors' knowledge, this the first study to seek to quantify the understanding of revenge pornography by police officers and staff in England and Wales. The findings suggest that the police in the United Kingdom have a limited understanding of revenge pornography legislation and lack confidence both in investigating cases and in effectively responding to victims. The implications of the study demonstrate that there is an urgent need for training across police forces to ensure that cases of revenge pornography are appropriately responded to, victims are safeguarded, and offenders brought to justice.
2008 Staff Survey: no. 1 priority – Consolidate our Pension Scheme
Association du personnel
2009-01-01
The Organization has a fundamental obligation to ensure its active and retired staff and the members of their families a solid and durable social security system, in conformity with Article 21 of the Statutory Agreement signed by CERN and the Host State (Switzerland) in 1955.
Hullmann, Stephanie E; Eddington, Angelica R; Molzon, Elizabeth S; Mullins, Larry L
2013-01-01
The current study sought to: 1) assess differences in levels of physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL), illness uncertainty, and intrusiveness in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with allergies and asthma, as well as 2) examine the effect of illness appraisals on HRQOL. Participants were undergraduate students with self-reported allergies (n=74) and asthma (n=74) who completed the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS), the Illness Intrusiveness Scale (IIS), and the SF-36 Health Survey Questionnaire. Paired t-tests indicated that AYAs with allergies reported higher levels of illness uncertainty and poorer mental HRQOL than AYAs with asthma; the groups did not differ on reported levels of illness intrusiveness or physical HRQOL. Hierarchical regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between illness appraisals and HRQOL. Results revealed that poorer mental HRQOL was associated with higher illness uncertainty in AYAs with allergies and higher illness intrusiveness in AYAs with asthma. Poorer physical HRQOL was associated with higher illness uncertainty in AYAs with asthma and higher illness intrusiveness in AYAs with allergies and asthma. The current examination suggests that illness appraisals may be differentially related to HRQOL in AYAs with allergies compared to those with asthma.
Minogue, Virginia; McCaffry, Rebecca
2017-03-13
Purpose The Department of Health and the National Health Service (NHS) Future Focused Finance (FFF) programme promotes effective engagement between clinical and finance staff. Surveys undertaken by the Department of Health between 2013 and 2015 found few NHS Trusts reported high levels of engagement. The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of current working relationships between NHS clinical and finance professionals and how they might be supported to become more effective. Design/methodology/approach Ipsos MORI were commissioned by the NHS FFF programme to undertake an online survey of NHS clinical and finance staff between June and August 2015. Findings The majority of clinicians had a member of a finance team linked to their speciality or directorate. Clinical and finance professionals have a positive view of joint working preferring face-to-face contact. Clinician's confidence in their understanding of finance was generally good and finance staff felt they had a good understanding of clinical issues. Effective working relationships were facilitated by face-to-face contact, a professional relationship, and the availability of clear, well presented finance and activity data. Research limitations/implications Data protection issues limited the accessibility of the survey team to NHS staff resulting in a relatively low-response rate. Other forms of communication, including social media, were utilised to increase access to the survey. Originality/value The FFF programme is a unique programme aimed at making the NHS finance profession fit for the future. The close partnering work stream brings together the finance and clinical perspective to share knowledge, evidence, training, and to develop good practice and engagement.
Thomas, John Charles
2008-01-01
Findings of 957 surveyed employees from four evangelical higher education institutions found a negative correlation for climate and commitment and staff members. Administrators were found to have a more favorable view of their institutional climate than staff. Employee age, tenure, and classification had predictive value for organizational…
Bowblis, John R; Hyer, Kathryn
2013-08-01
To study the effect of minimum nurse staffing requirements on the subsequent employment of nursing home support staff. Nursing home data from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) System merged with state nurse staffing requirements. Facility-level housekeeping, food service, and activities staff levels are regressed on nurse staffing requirements and other controls using fixed effect panel regression. OSCAR surveys from 1999 to 2004. Increases in state direct care and licensed nurse staffing requirements are associated with decreases in the staffing levels of all types of support staff. Increased nursing home nurse staffing requirements lead to input substitution in the form of reduced support staffing levels. © Health Research and Educational Trust.
Personal Staff - Joint Staff - The National Guard
the ARNG Deputy Director of the ARNG Chief of Staff of the ARNG Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Site Maintenance Battle Focused Training Strategy Battle Staff Training Resources News Publications March Today in Guard History Leadership CNGB VCNGB SEA DANG DARNG Joint Staff J-1 J-2 J-3 J-4 J-5 J-6 J
MASS APPRAISAL AND REAL ESTATE TAXATION
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
VORONIN V. О.
2015-12-01
Full Text Available Raising of problem. The government at the legislative level fixed the definition of market value for tax purposes as mandatory in the implementation of real estate transactions. In order to meet the requirements of objectivity, uniformity and consistency of the results obtained during the evaluation procedures, as well as minimize the influence of subjective factors, there is a need to develop a methodology for evaluating an automated procedure for determining the estimated value of the property based on its market value. To solve this problem, we use special techniques and methods of mass appraisal that incorporates computer-supported statistical analyses, such as multiple regression analysis and adaptive estimation procedure for use in the field of property valuation and property rights. Purpose. Realization of this goal involves the development of the concept of a computer-assisted mass appraisal. The basis of this concept is an adaptive hybrid models of market pricing in different market segments that incorporates software adaptive algorithms for determining the market value by the three evaluation approaches using the results of a multi-level real estate market analysis. It was proposed the utility automated valuation models which is intended for the implementation of a computerized real estate valuation based on the developed software adaptive algorithms. Con-clusion. To achieve this goal have been developed and used concepts underlying of computerized mass appraisal. The basis of this concept is adaptive hybrid pricing models in various segments of the real estate market of Ukraine. The problem is solved by the application of the developed software-based adaptive algorithms for determining the market value of three evaluation approaches using the results of a multi-level analysis of the real estate market. It was pro-posed the model of automated appraisal, according to it was implemented computerization of appraisal procedures on the
Renker, Paula; Scribner, Shellie A; Huff, Pam
2015-01-01
Violence committed by patients and their families and visitors against Emergency Department staff in the United States is common and detrimental to staff well being, morale, and care practices. Hospitals losses occur due to decreased staff retention, prestige, and patient and visitor satisfaction. The purpose of the baseline survey reported here was to identify and describe staff experiences, concerns, and perceptions related to violence and abuse perpetrated by patients, family, and non-family visitors in a Level 1 emergency department. The survey sample was composed of 41 registered nurses and 10 paramedics. The majority of the participants (84%, n= 41) were female and worked full time (82%, n= 41) on the 7P-7A (49%, n= 25) shift. The cross-sectional mixed-method descriptive design used a survey to measure violence experiences and interviews with key informants. Specific analytical methods included descriptive and inferential statistics and ethnography. The findings are summarized by a model that portrays 1) Contributing factors to the development of violence in the ED, 2) maladaptive reactions to workplace violence of Cynicism, Concern for focus on customer service, and Conflict, and 3) three themes that, depending on their presence or absence, serve as barriers or facilitators to violence: Consistency, Consequences and Collaboration. Interventions developed to minimize violence in the ED must focus on modifiable risk factors and address what is in the department's control including staff education in recognizing escalating anxious or aggressive behavior, policy development and implementation, and environmental changes.
The effects of conscientiousness on the appraisals of daily stressors.
Gartland, Nicola; O'Connor, Daryl B; Lawton, Rebecca
2012-02-01
Conscientiousness (C) is positively associated with health and longevity although the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully understood. Stress may play a role in explaining the C-longevity relationship. This study investigated whether C predicted the cognitive appraisals of daily stressors/hassles. Participants (N=102) completed measures of C and cognitive appraisal in relation to the most stressful hassle they had experienced in the last 7 days. Correlational analysis revealed that Total C, Order and Industriousness were positively correlated with primary appraisals, and Responsibility was positively correlated with secondary appraisals. The facets of C were then entered into hierarchical regression models, controlling for age and gender. This demonstrated that Order (β=0.27, paccounting for 15.8% of the variance. Responsibility significantly predicted secondary appraisals (β=0.44, paccounting for 16.3% of the variance. These findings indicate that higher Order and Industriousness are related to having a greater stake in daily stressors, whereas higher Responsibility is related to greater confidence in one's ability to deal with daily stressors. These results are the first demonstration that C is related to the appraisals of daily hassles and suggest that C may moderate the experience of stress in daily life. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hoogeboom, Marcella; Hoogeboom, Marcella; Wilderom, Celeste P.M.; Allen, Joseph A.; Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nale; Rogelberg, Steven G.
2015-01-01
In this chapter, we report on two studies that took an exploratory behavioral approach to leaders in regular staff meetings. The goal of both studies, which used a still rarely deployed observation method, was to identify effective behavioral repertoires of leaders in staff meetings; we specifically
An assessment of nursing staffs' knowledge of radiation protection and practice.
Badawy, Mohamed Khaldoun; Mong, Kam Shan; Paul Lykhun, U; Deb, Pradip
2016-03-01
Although the exposure to nursing staff is generally lower than the allowable radiation worker dose limits, awareness and overcoming fears of radiation exposure is essential in order to perform routine activities in certain departments. Furthermore, the nursing staff, whether they are defined as radiation workers or not, must be able to respond to any radiological emergencies and provide care to any patient affected by radiation. This study aims to gauge the awareness of radiation safety among the nursing staff at a major hospital in different departments and recommend if further radiation safety training is required. A prospective multiple choice questionnaire was distributed to 200 nurses in 9 different departments. The questionnaire tested knowledge that would be taught at a basic radiation safety course. 147 nurses (74%) completed the survey with the average score of 40%. Furthermore, 85% of nurses surveyed felt there was a need for radiation safety training in their respective departments to assist with day to day work in the department. An increase in radiation safety materials that are specific to each department is recommended to assist with daily work involving radiation. Moreover, nursing staff that interact with radiation on a regular basis should undertake radiation safety courses before beginning employment and regular refresher courses should be made available thereafter.
Extra-team connections for knowledge transfer between staff teams
Ramanadhan, Shoba; Wiecha, Jean L.; Emmons, Karen M.; Gortmaker, Steven L.; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula
2009-01-01
As organizations implement novel health promotion programs across multiple sites, they face great challenges related to knowledge management. Staff social networks may be a useful medium for transferring program-related knowledge in multi-site implementation efforts. To study this potential, we focused on the role of extra-team connections (ties between staff members based in different site teams) as potential channels for knowledge sharing. Data come from a cross-sectional study of afterschool childcare staff implementing a health promotion program at 20 urban sites of the Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Boston. We conducted a sociometric social network analysis and attempted a census of 91 program staff members. We surveyed 80 individuals, and included 73 coordinators and general staff, who lead and support implementation, respectively, in this study. A multiple linear regression model demonstrated a positive relationship between extra-team connections (β = 3.41, P knowledge transfer. We also found that intra-team connections (within-team ties between staff members) were also positively related to skill receipt. Connections between teams appear to support knowledge transfer in this network, but likely require greater active facilitation, perhaps via organizational changes. Further research on extra-team connections and knowledge transfer in low-resource, high turnover environments is needed. PMID:19528313
Attitudes of nursing staff towards electronic patient records: a questionnaire survey.
Veer, A.J.E. de; Francke, A.L.
2010-01-01
BACKGROUND: A growing number of health care organizations are implementing a system of electronic patient records (EPR). This implies a change in work routines for nursing staff, but it could also be regarded as an opportunity to improve the quality of care. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is
Sustainability appraisal and flood risk management
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Carter, Jeremy G.; White, Iain; Richards, Juliet
2009-01-01
This research establishes that sustainability appraisal (SA) has a role to play in strengthening spatial plans in the context of flooding issues. Indeed, evidence has been gathered to indicate that tentative steps are being taken in this direction during the SA of English regional spatial plans, which are used as an illustrative case study. In England as in many other countries, appraisal procedures including SA and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) are enshrined in planning law. An opportunity therefore exists to utilise existing and familiar planning tools to embed flooding considerations within spatial plans at an early stage in the planning process. SA (and similar appraisal tools such as SEA) can therefore usefully aid in the implementation of decision making principles and government policy relating to flooding. Moreover, with the threats associated with climate change becoming increasingly apparent, of which increased flood risk is a particular concern in many countries, there is a need develop appropriate adaptation responses. This article emphasizes the role that SA can play in managing future flood risk in this context
McKeown, Sandra; Konrad, Shauna-Lee; McTavish, Jill; Boyce, Erin
2017-04-01
The research evaluated the perceived quality of librarian-mediated literature searching services at one of Canada's largest acute care teaching hospitals for the purpose of continuous quality improvement and investigation of relationships between variables that can impact user satisfaction. An online survey was constructed using evidence-based methodologies. A systematic sample of staff and physicians requesting literature searches at London Health Sciences Centre were invited to participate in the study over a one-year period. Data analyses included descriptive statistics of closed-ended questions and coding of open-ended questions. A range of staff including clinicians, researchers, educators, leaders, and analysts submitted a total of 137 surveys, representing a response rate of 71%. Staff requested literature searches for the following "primary" purposes: research or publication (34%), teaching or training (20%), informing a policy or standard practice (16%), patient care (15%), and "other" purposes (15%). While the majority of staff (76%) submitted search requests using methods of written communication, including email and search request forms, staff using methods of verbal communication, including face-to-face and telephone conversations, were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian's interpretation of the search request ( p =0.004) and to rate the perceived quality of the search results as excellent ( p =0.005). In most cases, librarians followed up with staff to clarify the details of their search requests (72%), and these staff were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian's interpretation of the search request ( p =0.002). Our results demonstrate the limitations of written communication in the context of librarian-mediated literature searching and suggest a multifaceted approach to quality improvement efforts.
A survey of violence against staff working in the emergency department in ankara, Turkey.
Talas, Melek Serpil; Kocaöz, Semra; Akgüç, Selma
2011-12-01
Workplace violence in the emergency department is a significant problem world wide. The aims of this study were to identify the proportion of staff subjected to the types of violence, its sources, factors affecting violence experiences, reporting the incidence and the emotions of the victims after violence. This descriptive study was conducted between March and August 2009 in the the emergency department of six hospitals in Ankara, Turkey. Data were collected from 270 staff working in various emergency settings. The instrument was a 36-item questionnaire on types of violence, its sources, feelings, and ways to cope with violent behaviors. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for data analysis. The results showed 85.2% of participants had been subjected to at least one kind of violence: 41.1% to physical assault, 79.6% to verbal abuse, 55.5% to verbal threats and 15.9% to sexual harassment. Patients' companions (90.9%) were identified as the primary perpetrators of violence. The rates of violence types were highest towards security officers and housekeepers. The most common reactions to violence were sadness and anger. "Did nothing and keeping silent" was the coping method used most commonly by the staff. Participants exposed to physical assaults and verbal threat did not report the incidence of violence to managers were at 43.3% and 65.3% respectively. Based on results of the study, it is suggested that every hospital institute reliable reporting procedures that staff members feel comfortable using, and also provide a comprehensive program of support services for staff that has been assaulted. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Towards culturally competent health care: language use of bilingual staff.
Johnson, M; Noble, C; Matthews, C; Aguilar, N
1998-01-01
The presence of diverse language skills within health staff provides opportunities to better meet the needs of a multicultural population. A cross-sectional survey of all staff within the South Western Sydney Area Health Service was undertaken to compare language skills with population needs and examine the context of language use. Thirty-one per cent of staff (n = 964) were bilingual or multilingual, with the predominant languages spoken being Tagalog (Filipino), Cantonese, Hindi, Spanish, Vietnamese and Italian. Thirty-seven per cent of bilingual staff used their language skills at least weekly, predominantly in situations of simple conversation and giving directions. Bilingual staff are a valuable resource for the organisation and the presence of a similar overall proportion of bilingual and bicultural staff may engender tolerance and adaptability in providing care to a diverse population. However, supply does not directly match community demand. This mismatch will continue unless recruitment is focused towards identified language groups. The high proportion of staff who rarely used their language skills (37%) may be due to lack of opportunity or limited need, and suggests that further research needs to examine service models that locate bilingual workers close to client need. This study takes a crucial first step towards realising equitable and culturally appropriate care utilising the principles of productive diversity.
Lemke, Sonne; Brennan, Penny L; SooHoo, Sonya; Schutte, Kathleen K
2017-08-01
In 2011, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) began implementing consistent staff assignment in its nursing homes (called Community Living Centers or CLCs). Consistent assignment, a cornerstone of culture change, minimizes the number of staff who provide a resident's care. The present research assessed the level and stability of consistent assignment in units within VHA CLCs and identified unit characteristics related to implementation of this staff assignment model. Schedulers in 185 of 335 organizational units that make up VHA CLCs completed a Staffing Practices Survey. For the month prior to the survey, 53% of CLC units had full implementation of consistent assignment. Tracked back over time, 37% of CLC units had stable high consistent assignment, 29% had stable low consistent assignment, and 34% were variable. Units with stable high consistent assignment were most likely to use care teams with stable membership and to obtain staff input for care assignments. Schedulers in these units reported more positive experiences with consistent staff assignment and better unit functioning in terms of staff absences, complaints about workload fairness, and resolution of scheduling problems. Units with stable low and variable consistent assignment were similar in most of these respects; however, units with variable consistent assignment made greater use of stable care teams and were less likely to change assignments at a staff member's request. Overall, consistent assignment implementation was not related to unit size, nursing hours per resident day, or specialty focus. Findings can help guide consistent staff assignment implementation in VHA and community nursing homes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).
Organizational consequences of staff turnover in outpatient substance abuse treatment programs.
Knight, Danica K; Becan, Jennifer E; Flynn, Patrick M
2012-03-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of staff turnover on perceptions of organizational demands and support among staff who remained employed in substance abuse treatment programs. The sample consisted of 353 clinical staff from 63 outpatient agencies. Two scales from the Survey of Organizational Functioning measured work environment demands (stress and inadequate staffing), and 3 measured supportive work relationships (communication, cohesion, and peer collaboration). Results from a series of multilevel models documented that counselors working in programs that had previously experienced high staff turnover perceived higher demands and lower support within their organization, even after controlling for other potentially burdensome factors such as budget, census, and individual measures of workload. Two individual-level variables, caseload and tenure, were important determinants of work environment demands but were not related to supportive work relationships. Findings suggest that staff turnover increases workplace demands, decreases perceptions of support, and underscores the need to reduce stress and minimize subsequent turnover among clinical staff. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Reeves, R; Seccombe, I
2008-12-01
To assess current attitudes towards the national patient survey programme in England, establish the extent to which survey results are used and identify barriers and incentives for using them. Qualitative interviews with hospital staff responsible for implementing the patient surveys (survey leads). National Health Service (NHS) hospital organisations (trusts) in England. Twenty-four patient survey leads for NHS trusts. Perceptions of the patient surveys were mainly positive and were reported to be improving. Interviewees welcomed the surveys' regular repetition and thought the questionnaires, survey methods and reporting of results, particularly inter-organisational benchmark charts, were of a good standard. The survey results were widely used in action planning and were thought to support organisational patient-centredness. There was variation in the extent to which trusts disseminated survey findings to patients, the public, staff and their board members. The most common barrier to using results was difficulty engaging clinicians because survey findings were not sufficiently specific to specialties, departments or wards. Limited statistical expertise and concerns that the surveys only covered a short time frame also contributed to some scepticism. Other perceived barriers included a lack of knowledge of effective interventions, and limited time and resources. Actual and potential incentives for using survey findings included giving the results higher weightings in the performance management system, financial targets, Payment by Results (PbR), Patient Choice, a patient-centred culture, leadership by senior members of the organisation, and boosting staff morale by disseminating positive survey findings. The national patient surveys are viewed positively, their repetition being an important factor in their success. The results could be used more effectively if they were more specific to smaller units.
Smoking behavior among hospital staff still influences attitudes and counseling on smoking
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Willaing, Ingrid; Ladelund, Steen
2004-01-01
individual smoking behavior among hospital staff and (a). smoking-related knowledge, (b). attitudes toward counseling on smoking, and (c). self-reported smoking-related counseling provided by the staff. The study was based on a survey using self-administered questionnaires given to all hospital staff...... in a large university hospital in Denmark. Altogether, 82% of staff (2561) returned a completed questionnaire. Analyses focused on a subsample consisting of health professionals in the clinical wards (1429). Multivariate analyses were performed in which smoking-related knowledge, attitudes toward smoking...... qualified to counsel patients about smoking than did never-smokers (ex-smokers, OR=1.8, 95% CI=1.3-2.5; smokers, OR=1.4, 95% CI=1.0-1.9). Individual smoking behavior among hospital staff was strongly associated with smoking-related knowledge, attitudes, and counseling practices. Lack of self...
A Composite Model for Employees' Performance Appraisal and Improvement
Manoharan, T. R.; Muralidharan, C.; Deshmukh, S. G.
2012-01-01
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop an innovative method of performance appraisal that will be useful for designing a structured training programme. Design/methodology/approach: Employees' performance appraisals are conducted using new approaches, namely data envelopment analysis and an integrated fuzzy model. Interpretive structural…
Archard, Nicole
2012-01-01
This paper reports on a qualitative study regarding the phenomenon of student leadership development as reported by staff members in girls' schools located in Australia and New Zealand. Electronic survey was used as the method of data collection, facilitating both closed and open-ended responses. Using staff responses, the understanding and type…
Safety and health practice among laboratory staff in Malaysian education sector
Husna Che Hassan, Nurul; Rasdan Ismail, Ahmad; Kamilah Makhtar, Nor; Azwadi Sulaiman, Muhammad; Syuhadah Subki, Noor; Adilah Hamzah, Noor
2017-10-01
Safety is the most important issue in industrial sector such as construction and manufacturing. Recently, the increasing number of accident cases reported involving school environment shows the important of safety issues in education sector. Safety awareness among staff in this sector is crucial in order to find out the method to prevent the accident occurred in future. This study was conducted to analyze the knowledge of laboratory staff in term of safety and health practice in laboratory. Survey questionnaires were distributing among 255 of staff laboratory from ten District Education Offices in Kelantan. Descriptive analysis shows that the understanding of safety and health practice are low while doing some job activities in laboratory. Furthermore, some of the staff also did not implemented safety practice that may contribute to unplanned event occur in laboratory. Suggestion that the staff at laboratory need to undergo on Occupational Safety and Health training to maintain and create safe environment in workplaces.
ORIGINAL Is the Role of Teacher Performance Appraisal in Ethiopia ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
aware of the purposes of the current teacher performance appraisal. However, the ... building, and expensive equipment (Daniel,. 2009). ... development of teachers, teachers' job ...... Appraisers' tend to rate high a person who is similar.
Anxiety and burnout in young athletes: The mediating role of cognitive appraisal.
Gomes, A R; Faria, S; Vilela, C
2017-12-01
This study tested the relationship between trait anxiety, cognitive appraisal, and athletes' burnout proposing two hypotheses: (a) there is a direct relationship between athletes' trait anxiety and cognitive appraisal and burnout, and (b) cognitive appraisal mediates the relationship between trait anxiety and burnout, and this mediation occurs despite the competitive level and sport records of athletes. The study included 673 young athletes and provided measures of trait anxiety, cognitive appraisal, and burnout. Structural equation modeling indicated that cognitive appraisal mediates the relationship between trait anxiety and burnout, confirming hypothesis 2, and this model provided better fit than the direct model of hypothesis 1. However, the mediation also indicated that the direct relationship between trait anxiety and burnout should be considered. The mediating model was invariant according to competitive levels and sport records. In conclusion, cognitive appraisal is an important variable in explaining athletes' burnout. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Affecting others: social appraisal and emotion contagion in everyday decision making.
Parkinson, Brian; Simons, Gwenda
2009-08-01
In a diary study of interpersonal affect transfer, 41 participants reported on decisions involving other people over 3 weeks. Reported anxiety and excitement were reliably related to the perceived anxiety and excitement of another person who was present during decision making. Risk and importance appraisals partially mediated effects of other's anxiety on own anxiety as predicted by social appraisal theory. However, other's emotion remained a significant independent predictor of own emotion after controlling for appraisals, supporting the additional impact of more direct forms of affect transfer such as emotion contagion. Significant affect-transfer effects remained even after controlling for participants' perceptions of the other's emotion in addition to all measured appraisals, confirming that affect transfer does not require explicit registration of someone else's feelings. This research provides some of the clearest evidence for the operation of both social appraisal and automatic affect transfer in everyday social life.
Staff immunisation: policy and practice in child care.
Spokes, Paula J; Ferson, Mark J; Ressler, Kelly-Anne
2011-08-01
The aims of this study were to determine the level of knowledge among child-care centre directors regarding the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommendations for the immunisation of child-care workers, the extent to which this knowledge was translated into practice and any organisational barriers to the development and implementation of staff immunisation policy. A cross-sectional survey, conducted in August 2006, in which a postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 784 NSW child-care centres. Centre directors were asked to complete the questionnaire on immunisation knowledge, policy and practice for the centre. A multivariate logistic-regression model was used to identify factors independently associated with centres with an immunisation policy for staff and centres that offered to pay all or part of the cost of vaccination of staff. Directors from 437 centres participated in the study for a response rate of 56%. Of these, 49% were aware of the NHMRC recommendations, and 57% had a staff immunisation policy in place. In the logistic regression model, centres with a written immunisation policy for staff were more likely to be aware of the NHMRC guidelines and offer long day care services. Centres that offered to pay all or part of the cost of immunisation for staff were more likely to be aware of the NHMRC guidelines, offer other child-care services and not operate for profit. Barriers to staff immunisation were related to the implementation of policy and included cost, time and access to information. The level of awareness of specific staff immunisation recommendations was relatively low. The transition of knowledge to policy was encouraging, although implementation of policies requires further commitment. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2011 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).
Attitudes of Nursing Facilities' Staff Toward Pharmacy Students' Interaction with its Residents.
Adkins, Donna; Gavaza, Paul; Deel, Sharon
2017-06-01
All Appalachian College of Pharmacy second-year students undertake the longitudinal geriatric early pharmacy practice experiences (EPPE) 2 course, which involves interacting with geriatric residents in two nursing facilities over two semesters. The study investigated the nursing staff's perceptions about the rotation and the pharmacy students' interaction with nursing facility residents. Cross-sectional study. Academic setting. 63 nursing facility staff. A 10-item attitude survey administered to nursing staff. Nursing staff attitude toward pharmacy students' interaction with geriatric residents during the course. Sixty-three responses were received (84% response rate). Most respondents were female (95.2%), who occasionally interacted with pharmacy students (54.8%) and had worked at the facilities for an average of 6.8 years (standard deviation [SD] = 6.7) years. Staff reported that pharmacy students practiced interacting with geriatric residents and nursing facility staff, learned about different medications taken by residents as well as their life as a nursing facility resident. In addition, the student visits improved the mood of residents and staff's understanding of medicines, among others. Staff suggested that students spend more time with their residents in the facility as well as ask more questions of staff. The nursing facility staff generally had favorable attitudes about pharmacy students' visits in their nursing facility. Nursing facility staff noted that the geriatric rotation was a great learning experience for the pharmacy students.
Student feedback on an adapted appraisal model in resource ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Background. An appraisal model, a type of formal mentorship programme for a cohort of student doctors, is used at the University of Leeds, UK. The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa implemented an adapted version of the appraisal process that uses fewer resources. Objective. To explore ...
A Survey of Job Satisfaction among Health Sector Staff of Tabriz Taleghani Educational Hospital
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Leila Rastgar-Farajzadeh
2016-03-01
Full Text Available Background and Objectives : Job satisfaction is one of the most important variables in organizational behavior and the key variable in organizational researches and theories as well. The aim of present investigation was to determine the level of job satisfaction among health sector staff of Tabriz Taleghani Educational Hospital. Material and Methods : This cross-sectional study was performed in 2014. Health sector staffs of Taleghani Educational Hospital were studied through census method. Data collection tool was a questionnaire based on previous studies and consisted of 3 parts: demographic information (7 items, job satisfaction (21 questions and factors related to employee dissatisfaction (10 items. After collecting and entering data into IBM SPSS software, independent t tests, chi-square and ANOVA were applied. Results : The highest level of job satisfaction was in the field of relationship with colleagues and lowest level of job satisfaction was related to salary and benefits. The most common cause of employee dissatisfaction was pressure and stressful working environment and the least cause was the improper distribution of employees based on workload . Conclusion : According to the findings, the majority of job satisfaction among staff was at low and medium-level. Since job satisfaction is an important factor in the performance and quality of services provided by the hospital staff, it is recommended that managers and officials pay attention to defects and shortcomings and remove barriers.
Individual Differences in Children's Risk Perception and Appraisals in Outdoor Play Environments
Little, Helen; Wyver, Shirley
2010-01-01
Child characteristics including age, gender, risk-taking behaviour and sensation seeking are thought to influence children's ability to appraise risks. The present study investigated children's risk perceptions and appraisals in the context of common outdoor physical play activities. Risk perceptions and appraisal of four- and five-year olds were…
Bibliometrics and academic staff assessment in Polish university libraries - current trends
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Danuta Ryś
2016-12-01
Full Text Available Academic staff assessment in Poland is, to a large extent, based on bibliographic indicators, such as the number of scientific publications produced, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education score pertaining to the journal rank and the publication type, as well as the number of citations and derivatives. Relevant data is retrieved from bibliographic databases developed by libraries, international citation indexes available for Polish scientific institutions under a national licence, and from open-access international and Polish sources, which are briefly presented in the article. The workload entailed, and in consequence, the results of this citation search vary depending on the search method applied. For this reason university staff members and university authorities often seek assistance for this from the university library staff. This in return provides an opportunity for libraries to increase their role within the academic community.In order to investigate the matter further, the authors conducted a survey among the largest academic libraries in Poland. The findings confirm that bibliometric processes (namely, the registration and the formal acceptance of university staff scientific publications, and compilation of citation reports have become a vital part of modern library work. Bibliographies of university staff publications developed by libraries include various bibliometric indicators (those most frequently used being identified in the article, and have become an important source of statistical and bibliometric information. The survey results highlight the most frequently used bibliometric sources and methods. Examples of bibliographic databases created by the libraries and bibliometric indicators used within these databases are also presented.
Appraising and comparing pressure ulcer guidelines.
Wimpenny, Peter; van Zelm, Ruben
2007-01-01
Whilst considerable activity has been related to guideline development for nurses regarding pressure ulcer prevention and management, no attempt has been made to comparatively evaluate these guidelines against some form of quality indicators. To compare and contrast four national pressure ulcer guidelines, and identify similarities and differences in their quality and content. An international comparative appraisal method, using the AGREE (Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation) instrument, was undertaken to appraise four published pressure ulcer guidelines. Two further domains were added to the AGREE instrument to assess comparability of the guidelines and their perceived contribution to practice. An international group undertook the comparative appraisal. The domain scores for each guideline show some but not total agreement among reviewers. One particular set of guidelines was identified as scoring highest in a majority of AGREE domains. Overall, evidence of variability exists between pressure ulcer guidelines and common areas of development to consider for all guidelines. The results raise many questions concerning the "best" pressure ulcer guideline to use, particularly related to the AGREE scoring. Some notable shortcomings exist in all the pressure ulcer guidelines reviewed and these shortcomings need to be addressed from a quality perspective. However, other issues such as style of reporting and potential contribution to practice might more fully affect choice by practitioners as opposed to guideline developers. Notable differences exist among the four guidelines that are possibly explained by different approaches to development and also because of different cultural factors and intentions for use. Whilst the AGREE tool identifies the quality of the guideline development process it still requires local engagement with practitioners to determine which guideline should be implemented.
Procedural justice in prison: the importance of staff characteristics.
Beijersbergen, Karin A; Dirkzwager, Anja J E; Molleman, Toon; van der Laan, Peter H; Nieuwbeerta, Paul
2015-04-01
A humane and fair treatment of prisoners is of intrinsic value in itself, and is generally acclaimed to reduce prisoners' psychological distress and misconduct in prison, and their criminal behavior after release from prison. To create a more just prison climate, scholars have emphasized the importance of correctional staff. However, there is a lack of empirical research on the relationship between correctional officers' characteristics and prisoners' perceptions of a just treatment in prison. Our study fills this gap in knowledge. Data were used from (a) the Prison Project, a large-scale study in which prisoners held in all Dutch remand centers were surveyed (n = 1,610) and (b) the Dutch Correctional Staff Survey 2011 (n = 690). Multilevel analyses showed that prisoners perceived their treatment in prison as more procedurally just in units where there are more female officers, where officers held more positive attitudes toward rehabilitation, and where there is a higher officer-to-inmate ratio. © The Author(s) 2013.
Nursing teamwork, staff characteristics, work schedules, and staffing.
Kalisch, Beatrice J; Lee, Hyunhwa
2009-01-01
This study aimed to explore whether and how staff characteristics, staffing, and scheduling variables are associated with the level of teamwork in nursing staff on acute care hospital patient units. This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 1,758 nursing staff members from two different hospitals on 38 patient care units who completed the Nursing Teamwork Survey in 2008. This study focused on nursing teams who are stationed on a particular patient care unit (as opposed to visitors to the units). The return rate was 56.9%. The sample was made up of 77.4% nurses (registered nurses and licensed practical nurses), 11.9% assistive personnel, and 7.9% unit secretaries. Teamwork varied by unit and service type, with the highest scores occurring in pediatrics and maternity and the lowest scores on the medical-surgical and emergency units. Staff with less than 6 months of experience, those working 8- or 10-hour shifts (as opposed to 12 hours or a combination of 8 and 12 hours), part-time staff (as opposed to full time), and those working on night shift had higher teamwork scores. The higher teamwork scores were also associated with no or little overtime. The higher perception of the adequacy of staffing and the fewer patients cared for on a previous shift, the higher the teamwork scores. There is a relationship between selected staff characteristics, aspects of work schedules, staffing, and teamwork. Nursing staff want to work where teamwork is high, and perceptions of good staffing lead to higher teamwork. Higher teamwork scores correlated with those who worked less overtime.
Attitudes and beliefs towards methadone maintenance treatment among Australian prison health staff.
Gjersing, Linn R; Butler, Tony; Caplehorn, John R M; Belcher, Josephine M; Matthews, Richard
2007-09-01
Justice Health NSW has one of the most extensive prison-based methadone programmes in the world. We examine prison health staff attitudes towards methadone treatment and compare these with community methadone staff. A cross-sectional survey of 202 staff employed by Justice Health New South Wales was undertaken in 2003. Results. The mean scores on the various sub-scales were: abstinence-orientation (AO) 2.9 (95% CI 2.8 - 3.0); disapproval of drug use (DDU) 3.3 (95% CI 3.2 - 3.4); knowledge (Know) 2.7 (95% CI 2.4 - 2.9); and toxicity 4.6 (95% CI 4.2 - 5.0). Both the AO and DDU score were correlated negatively with the Know score (r = -0.37 and r = -0.13, respectively). Prison health staff had higher AO (2.9 vs. 2.6, p US community methadone staff about the toxicity of methadone (4.6 vs. 0.0, p prison health staff attitudes to methadone treatment. Correctional health staff tend to be more abstinence-orientated, more likely to disapprove of drug use, and less knowledgeable about the risks and benefits of methadone than Australian community methadone staff. The findings have important implications for training health staff working in the prison environment with regard to client retention on methadone treatment.
Special Staff - Joint Staff - Leadership - The National Guard
the ARNG Deputy Director of the ARNG Chief of Staff of the ARNG Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Site Maintenance Battle Focused Training Strategy Battle Staff Training Resources News Publications March Today in Guard History Leadership CNGB VCNGB SEA DANG DARNG Joint Staff J-1 J-2 J-3 J-4 J-5 J-6 J
Twohig, Aoife; Reulbach, Udo; Figuerdo, Ricardo; McCarthy, Anthony; McNicholas, Fiona; Molloy, Eleanor Joan
2016-01-01
The infant-parent relationship has been shown to be of particular significance to preterm infant socioemotional development. Supporting parents and infants in this process of developing their relationships is an integral part of neonatal intensive care; however, there is limited knowledge of NICU staff perceptions about this aspect of care. To explore NICU staff perceptions about attachment and socioemotional development of preterm infants, experience of training in this area and the emotional impact of their work. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of staff perceptions of the emotional experiences of parents and the developing parent-infant relationship in an NICU was conducted in a Level III NICU, after pilot testing, revision, and ethical approval. Fifty-seven (68%) of NICU staff responded to the survey. Respondents identified parents' emotional experiences such as "anxiety," "shock," "loss of control," and "lack of feelings of competence as parents" as highly prevalent. Infant cues of "responding to parent's voice" and "quieting-alerting" were ranked most highly; "crying" and "physiological changes" were ranked lowest. Preterm infant medical risk, maternal emotional state, and mental health are perceived to impact most highly on the developing relationship, as compared with infant state or behavior and socioeconomic factors. Fifty-three (93%) respondents felt confident, and 50 (87.8%) felt competent discussing their emotional experiences with parents. Fifty-four (95%) responded that attending to these areas was an integral part of their role; however, staff had seldom received education in this area. Respondents also perceived that specific psychological support for parents was lacking both during and after the infant's discharge. While all staff surveyed perceived the nature of their work to be emotionally stressful, there were differences among NICU staff disciplines and with years of experience in the NICU in terms of their perceptions about education in
Artificial Neural Networks and the Mass Appraisal of Real Estate
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gang Zhou
2018-03-01
Full Text Available With the rapid development of computer, artificial intelligence and big data technology, artificial neural networks have become one of the most powerful machine learning algorithms. In the practice, most of the applications of artificial neural networks use back propagation neural network and its variation. Besides the back propagation neural network, various neural networks have been developing in order to improve the performance of standard models. Though neural networks are well known method in the research of real estate, there is enormous space for future research in order to enhance their function. Some scholars combine genetic algorithm, geospatial information, support vector machine model, particle swarm optimization with artificial neural networks to appraise the real estate, which is helpful for the existing appraisal technology. The mass appraisal of real estate in this paper includes the real estate valuation in the transaction and the tax base valuation in the real estate holding. In this study we focus on the theoretical development of artificial neural networks and mass appraisal of real estate, artificial neural networks model evolution and algorithm improvement, artificial neural networks practice and application, and review the existing literature about artificial neural networks and mass appraisal of real estate. Finally, we provide some suggestions for the mass appraisal of China's real estate.
Hempel, Susanne; Shekelle, Paul G; Liu, Jodi L; Sherwood Danz, Margie; Foy, Robbie; Lim, Yee-Wei; Motala, Aneesa; Rubenstein, Lisa V
2015-12-01
Valid, reliable critical appraisal tools advance quality improvement (QI) intervention impacts by helping stakeholders identify higher quality studies. QI approaches are diverse and differ from clinical interventions. Widely used critical appraisal instruments do not take unique QI features into account and existing QI tools (eg, Standards for QI Reporting Excellence) are intended for publication guidance rather than critical appraisal. This study developed and psychometrically tested a critical appraisal instrument, the QI Minimum Quality Criteria Set (QI-MQCS) for assessing QI-specific features of QI publications. Approaches to developing the tool and ensuring validity included a literature review, in-person and online survey expert panel input, and application to empirical examples. We investigated psychometric properties in a set of diverse QI publications (N=54) by analysing reliability measures and item endorsement rates and explored sources of disagreement between reviewers. The QI-MQCS includes 16 content domains to evaluate QI intervention publications: Organisational Motivation, Intervention Rationale, Intervention Description, Organisational Characteristics, Implementation, Study Design, Comparator Description, Data Sources, Timing, Adherence/Fidelity, Health Outcomes, Organisational Readiness, Penetration/Reach, Sustainability, Spread and Limitations. Median inter-rater agreement for QI-MQCS items was κ 0.57 (83% agreement). Item statistics indicated sufficient ability to differentiate between publications (median quality criteria met 67%). Internal consistency measures indicated coherence without excessive conceptual overlap (absolute mean interitem correlation=0.19). The critical appraisal instrument is accompanied by a user manual detailing What to consider, Where to look and How to rate. We developed a ready-to-use, valid and reliable critical appraisal instrument applicable to healthcare QI intervention publications, but recognise scope for
Holzman, Jacob B; Valentiner, David P
2016-03-01
Cognitive-behavioral models highlight the conjoint roles of self-focused attention (SFA), post-event processing (PEP), and performance appraisals in the maintenance of social anxiety. SFA, PEP, and biased performance appraisals are related to social anxiety; however, limited research has examined how SFA affects information-processing following social events. The current study examined whether SFA affects the relationships between performance appraisals and PEP following a social event.. 137 participants with high (n = 72) or low (n = 65) social anxiety were randomly assigned to conditions of high SFA or low SFA while engaging in a standardized social performance. Subsequent performance appraisals and PEP were measured. Immediate performance appraisals were not affected by SFA. High levels of SFA led to a stronger, inverse relationship between immediate positive performance appraisals and subsequent negative PEP. High levels of SFA also led to a stronger, inverse relationship between negative PEP and changes in positive performance appraisals.. Future research should examine whether the current findings, which involved a standardized social performance event, extend to interaction events as well as in a clinical sample. These findings suggest that SFA affects the processing of positive information following a social performance event. SFA is particularly important for understanding how negative PEP undermines positive performance appraisals.. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Chen, Haiping; Li, Meina; Dai, Zhixin; Deng, Qiangyu; Zhang, Lulu
2016-01-01
Dual practice is defined as a physician's performance of medical activities in different health care institutions (two or more) simultaneously. This study aimed to examine the perception and acceptance of medical staff and outpatients of dual practice and explore the possible factors affecting people's perception. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 public hospitals in Shanghai. Participants included medical staff and outpatients. We distributed 1,000 questionnaires to each participant group, and the response rates were 66.7% and 69.4%, respectively. Statistical differences in variables were tested, and multinomial logistic regression methods were employed for statistical analysis. The study included two parts: medical staff survey and outpatient survey. The results of medical staff survey showed that 63.0% of the respondents supported dual practice. Medical staff who belonged to the surgical department or held positive belief of dual practice were more willing to participate in dual practice. Moreover, the publicity activities of dual practice and hospitals' human resource management system were important factors affecting the willingness of the medical staff. The results of outpatient survey showed that 44.5% of respondents believed that dual practice could reduce difficulty in consulting a doctor. Regarding the perceived benefits of dual practice, the proportion of outpatients who believed that dual practice could meet the demand for health convenience, minor illness, and chronic disease were 45.4%, 42.4%, and 53.7%, respectively. Additionally, demographic characteristics significantly influenced the perception of outpatients. This study confirmed that both medical staff and outpatients generally held positive attitudes toward dual practice. Medical staff who belonged to the surgical department or held positive belief of dual practice were more willing to participate in dual practice. Moreover, the existence of publicity activities and more flexible
Staff development and secondary science teachers: Factors that affect voluntary participation
Corley, Theresa Roebuck
2000-10-01
A researcher-designed survey assessed the perceptions of Alabama secondary science public school teachers toward the need for staff development and toward certain staff development strategies and programs. Factors that encouraged or discouraged attendance at voluntary staff development programs and opinions regarding effective and ineffective features of programs were identified. Data were analyzed using descriptive techniques. Percentages and frequencies were noted. Average rankings were computed for the staff development techniques considered most and least effective and for the preferred designs of future staff development offerings. Chi squares were computed to respond to each of the 4 research hypotheses. Narrative discussions and tables were utilized to report the data and provide clarification. This study related demographic information to the research hypotheses. Analysis of the research hypotheses revealed that experienced teachers agree more strongly about the features of staff development programs that they consider effective and about the factors that may affect participation in staff development programs. Analysis of the research questions revealed that secondary science teachers in Alabama agree that staff development is a personal responsibility but that the school systems are responsible for providing staff development opportunities. Teachers believe that staff development is needed annually in both science content and teaching strategies and favor lengthening the school year for staff development. Teachers identified interest level, graduate credit, ability to implement material, scheduling factors, and the reputation of the organizer as the most important factors in determining participation in voluntary staff development programs. Hands-on workshops were identified as the most effective type of voluntary staff development and teachers requested that future staff development experiences include hands-on workshops, networking, curriculum
Implementing a 6-day physiotherapy service in rehabilitation: exploring staff perceptions.
Caruana, Erin L; Kuys, Suzanne S; Clarke, Jane; Brauer, Sandra G
2017-11-20
Objective Australian weekend rehabilitation therapy provision is increasing. Staff engagement optimises service delivery. The present mixed-methods process evaluation explored staff perceptions regarding implementation of a 6-day physiotherapy service in a private rehabilitation unit. Methods All multidisciplinary staff working in the rehabilitation unit were surveyed regarding barriers, facilitators and perceptions of the effect of a 6-day physiotherapy service on length of stay (LOS) and patient goal attainment at three time points: before and after implementation, as well as after modification of a 6-day physiotherapy service. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Fifty-one staff (50%) responded. Before implementation, all staff identified barriers, the most common being staffing (62%) and patient selection (29%). After implementation, only 30% of staff identified barriers, which differed to those identified before implementation, and included staff rostering and experience (20%), timing of therapy (10%) and increasing the allocation of patients (5%). Over time, staff perceptions changed from being unsure to being positive about the effect of the 6-day service on LOS and patient goal attainment. Conclusion Staff perceived a large number of barriers before implementation of a 6-day rehabilitation service, but these did not eventuate following implementation. Staff perceived improved LOS and patient goal attainment after implementation of a 6-day rehabilitation service incorporating staff feedback. What is known about this topic? Rehabilitation weekend services improve patient quality of life and functional independence while reducing LOS. What does this study add? Staff feedback during implementation and modification of new services is important to address potential barriers and ensure staff satisfaction and support. What are the implications for practitioners? Staff engagement and open communication are important to
[Informed consent right of the appraised individuals in forensic clinical examination].
Li, Ju-Ping; Han, Wei; Gu, Shan-Zhi; Chen, Teng
2015-02-01
Informed consent right is not just for basic ethical consideration, but is important for protecting patient's right by law, which is expressed through informed consent contract. The appraised individuals of forensic clinical examination have the similar legal status as the patients in medical system. However, the law does not require informed consent right for the appraised individuals. I recommend giving certain informed consent right to the appraised individuals in the forensic clinical examination. Under the contracted relationship with the institution, the appraised individuals could participate in the examination process, know the necessary information, and make a selected consent on the examination results, which can assure the justice and fairness of judicial examination procedure.
The use of ecological momentary assessment to test appraisal theories of emotion.
Tong, Eddie M W; Bishop, George D; Enkelmann, Hwee Chong; Why, Yong Peng; Diong, Siew Maan; Khader, Majeed; Ang, Jansen
2005-12-01
Although appraisal theories have received strong empirical support, there are methodological concerns about the research, including biased recall, heuristic responding, ethical issues, and weak and unrealistic induction of emotions in laboratories. To provide a more ecologically valid test of appraisal theories, the authors used ecological momentary assessment, in which the emotions and appraisals of Singaporean police officers were measured online over the course of an ordinary workday. The research focused on happiness. Support was obtained for predictions, demonstrating the generalizability of appraisal theories to a nonlaboratory setting and circumventing the shortcomings of previously used methodologies. Also, evidence was obtained that happiness was reported primarily in association with a specific combination of 3 relevant appraisals: high pleasantness, high perceived control, and low moral violation. Copyright (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved.
Holmes, Kathryn A.; Prieto-Rodriguez, Elena
2018-01-01
Higher education institutions routinely use Learning Management Systems (LMS) for multiple purposes; to organise coursework and assessment, to facilitate staff and student interactions, and to act as repositories of learning objects. The analysis reported here involves staff (n = 46) and student (n = 470) responses to surveys as well as data…
Leadership styles in nursing management: implications for staff outcomes
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
James Avoka Asamani
2016-03-01
Full Text Available Introduction: Nursing is a people-centred profession and therefore the issue of leadership is crucial for success. Nurse managers’ leadership styles are believed to be important determinant of nurses’ job satisfaction and retention. In the wake of a global nursing shortage, maldistribution of health workforce, increasing healthcare costs and expanding workload, it has become imperative to examine the role of nurse managers’ leadership styles on their staff outcomes. Using the Path-Goal Leadership theory as an organised framework, this study investigated the leadership styles of nurse managers and how they influence the nursing staff job satisfaction and intentions to stay at their current workplaces.Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from a sample of 273 nursing staff in five hospitals in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Descriptive and regression analyses were performed using SPSS version 18.0Results: Nurse managers used different leadership styles depending on the situation, but were more inclined to the supportive leadership style, followed by the achievement-oriented leadership style and participative leadership style. The nursing staff exhibited moderate levels of job satisfaction. The nurse managers’ leadership styles together explained 29% of the variance in the staff job satisfaction. The intention to stay at the current workplace was low (2.64 out of 5 among the nursing staff. More than half (51.7% of the nursing staff intended to leave their current workplaces, and 20% of them were actively seeking the opportunities to leave. The nurse managers’ leadership styles statistically explained 13.3% of the staff intention to stay at their current job position.Conclusions: These findings have enormous implications for nursing practice, management, education, and human resource for health policy that could lead to better staff retention and job satisfaction, and ultimately improve patient care.
Effects of appraisal purpose and rating format on performance appraisal accuracy
Carter, Marta L.
1989-01-01
The principle of encoding specificity states that effective information retrieval relies upon consistency of encoding and retrieval cues. The present study generalized this principle to a complex social interaction in order to investigate the relation between certain combinations of pre- and post-observational cues and their effects on information categorization, recognition accuracy, and judgment accuracy. It was hypothesized that two experimental factors, appraisal pur...
Kim, Young Ju; Xiao, Yan; Hu, Peter; Dutton, Richard
2009-08-01
To understand staff acceptance of a remote video monitoring system for operating room (OR) coordination. Improved real-time remote visual access to OR may enhance situational awareness but also raises privacy concerns for patients and staff. Survey. A system was implemented in a six-room surgical suite to display OR monitoring video at an access restricted control desk area. Image quality was manipulated to improve staff acceptance. Two months after installation, interviews and a survey were conducted on staff acceptance of video monitoring. About half of all OR personnel responded (n = 63). Overall levels of concerns were low, with 53% rated no concerns and 42% little concern. Top two reported uses of the video were to see if cases are finished and to see if a room is ready. Viewing the video monitoring system as useful did not reduce levels of concern. Staff in supervisory positions perceived less concern about the system's impact on privacy than did those supervised (p < 0.03). Concerns for patient privacy correlated with concerns for staff privacy and performance monitoring. Technical means such as manipulating image quality helped staff acceptance. Manipulation of image quality resulted overall acceptance of monitoring video, with residual levels of concerns. OR nurses may express staff privacy concern in the form of concerns over patient privacy. This study provided suggestions for technological and implementation strategies of video monitoring for coordination use in OR. Deployment of communication technology and integration of clinical information will likely raise concerns over staff privacy and performance monitoring. The potential gain of increased information access may be offset by negative impact of a sense of loss of autonomy.
Suzuki, Tomoyuki; Kamiya, Nobuyuki; Yahata, Yuichiro; Ozeki, Yukie; Kishimoto, Tsuyoshi; Nadaoka, Yoko; Nakanishi, Yoshiko; Yoshimura, Takesumi; Shimada, Tomoe; Tada, Yuki; Shirabe, Komei; Kozawa, Kunihisa
2013-03-01
The objective of this study was to assess the need for and usefulness of training programs for Local Infectious Disease Surveillance Center (LIDSC) staff. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the needs and usefulness of training programs. The subjects of the survey were participants of a workshop held after an annual conference for the LIDSC staff. Data on demographic information, the necessity of training programs for LIDSC staff, the themes and contents of the training program, self-assessment of knowledge on epidemiology and statistics were covered by the questionnaire. A total of 55 local government officials responded to the questionnaire (response rate: 100%). Among these, 95% of participants believed that the training program for the LIDSC staff was necessary. Basic statistical analysis (85%), descriptive epidemiology (65%), outline of epidemiology (60%), interpretation of surveillance data (65%), background and objectives of national infectious disease surveillance in Japan (60%), methods of field epidemiology (60%), and methods of analysis data (51%) were selected by over half of the respondents as suitable themes for training programs. A total of 34 LIDSC staff answered the self-assessment question on knowledge of epidemiology. A majority of respondents selected "a little" or "none" for all questions about knowledge. Only a few respondents had received education in epidemiology. The results of this study indicate that LIDSC staff have basic demands for fundamental and specialized education to improve their work. Considering the current situation regarding the capacity of LIDSC staff, these training programs should be started immediately.
An analysis of knowledge and attitudes of hospice staff towards organ and tissue donation.
Wale, J; Arthur, A; Faull, C
2014-03-01
Only a minority of hospice patients eligible to donate tissue and organs choose to do so. Hospice care staff play a key role in discussions about donation, but their willingness to engage in these discussions and their understanding of issues around tissue and organ donation is poorly understood. To (i) identify factors associated with the wish of hospice doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants to donate their own organs after death; (ii) survey the experience of discussing the subject with patients; (iii) determine staff members' knowledge of organ and tissue donation and (iv) identify factors associated with knowledge of organ and tissue donation. Cross-sectional questionnaire survey of hospice care staff. 76 of the 94 care staff of one large UK hospice completed and returned the questionnaire. Staff wishing to donate their organs after death (43/76 56.6%) were more likely to be doctors or nurses than healthcare assistants (p=0.011) and more likely to have discussed organ or tissue donation with their family (pdonation with patients had more years' experience (p=0.045) and had similarly discussed donation with their own family (p=0.039). Those with greater knowledge were more likely to have discussed organ or tissue donation with a patient (p=0.042). A reluctance to instigate discussions about organ and tissue donation may prevent palliative patients and their families being allowed the opportunity to donate. Suboptimal knowledge among hospice staff suggests the need for greater liaison between hospice staff, and the organ and tissue donation teams.
Magnusson, Lina; Ahlström, Gerd
2012-01-01
In Sierra Leone, West Africa, there are many people with disabilities in need of rehabilitation services after a long civil war. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of prosthetic and orthotic service delivery in Sierra Leone from the local staff's perspective. Fifteen prosthetic and orthotic technicians working at all the rehabilitation centres providing prosthetic and orthotic services in Sierra Leone were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to latent content analysis. One main theme emerged: sense of inability to deliver high-quality prosthetic and orthotic services. This main theme was generated from eight sub-themes: Desire for professional development; appraisals of work satisfaction and norms; patients neglected by family; limited access to the prosthetic and orthotic services available; problems with materials and machines; low public awareness concerning disabilities; marginalisation in society and low priority on the part of government. The findings illustrated traditional beliefs about the causes of disability and that the public's attitude needs to change to include and value people with disabilities. Support from international organisations was considered necessary as well as educating more prosthetic and orthotic staff to a higher level.
25 CFR 11.706 - Appointment and duties of appraiser.
2010-04-01
... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Appointment and duties of appraiser. 11.706 Section 11... OFFENSES AND LAW AND ORDER CODE Probate Proceedings § 11.706 Appointment and duties of appraiser. (a) Upon ordering an estate to be probated, the court shall appoint a disinterested and competent person as an...
107 an appraisal of the scope of provisions under
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Fr. Ikenga
EZE & EZE: An Appraisal of the Scope of Provisions Under The 1999 Nigerian Constitution for the Control of Pollution. Arising from the Oil and Gas Industry. AN APPRAISAL OF THE .... However, in a historic judgment, a Federal High Court sitting in Benin-City and presided over by Nwokorie J, held that continued gas flaring ...
242-A Evaporator crystallizer facility integrated annual safety appraisal
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1991-01-01
This report provides the results of the Fiscal Year (FY) 1991 Annual Integrated Safety Appraisal of the 242-A Evaporator Crystallizer Facility in the Hanford 200 East Area. The appraisal was conducted in December 1990 and January 1991, by the Waste Tank Safety Assurance (WTSA) organizations in conjunction with Radiological Engineering, Criticality Safety, Packaging and Shipping Safety, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Compliance, and Quality Assurance. Reports of these eight organizations are presented as Sections 2 through 7 of this report. The purpose of the appraisal was to verify that the 242-A Evaporator meets US Department of Energy (DOE) and Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) requirements and current industry standards of good practice for the areas being appraised. A further purpose was to identify areas in which program effectiveness could be improved. In accordance with the guidance of WHC Management Requirements and Procedures (MRP)5.6, previously identified deficiencies which are being resolved by line management were not repeated as Findings or Observations unless progress or intended disposition was considered to be unsatisfactory
Negative appraisals and fear extinction are independently related to PTSD symptoms.
Zuj, Daniel V; Palmer, Matthew A; Gray, Kate E; Hsu, Chia-Ming K; Nicholson, Emma L; Malhi, Gin S; Bryant, Richard A; Felmingham, Kim L
2017-08-01
Considerable research has revealed impaired fear extinction to be a significant predictor of PTSD. Fear extinction is also considered the primary mechanism of exposure therapy, and a critical factor in PTSD recovery. The cognitive theory of PTSD proposes that symptoms persist due to excessive negative appraisals about the trauma and its sequelae. Research has not yet examined the relationship between fear extinction and negative appraisals in PTSD. A cross-sectional sample of participants with PTSD (n =21), and trauma-exposed controls (n =33) underwent a standardized differential fear conditioning and extinction paradigm, with skin conductance response (SCR) amplitude serving as the index of conditioned responses. The Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI) was used to index catastrophic negative appraisals. Participants with PTSD demonstrated a slower decrease in overall SCR responses during extinction and greater negative appraisals compared to the group. A moderation analysis revealed that both negative trauma-relevant appraisals and fear extinction learning were independently associated with PTSD symptoms, but there was no moderation interaction. The current study was limited by a modest sample size, leading to the inclusion of participants with subclinical PTSD symptoms. Further, the current study only assessed fear extinction learning; including a second day extinction recall task may show alternative effects. These findings indicate that negative appraisals and fear extinction did not interact, but had independent relationships with PTSD symptoms. Here we show for the first time in an experimental framework that negative appraisals and fear extinction play separate roles in PTSD symptoms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Staff satisfaction and its components in residential aged care.
Chou, Shu-Chiung; Boldy, Duncan P; Lee, Andy H
2002-06-01
The purpose of this study was to assess the direction and magnitude of the effects among the components of staff satisfaction in residential aged care and to examine whether the relationships among satisfaction components vary according to facility type (i.e. nursing homes and hostels). A hostel is a low care facility in which residents are more independent, have a lower level of care needs, and receive personal but not nursing care. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to collect the required information, and a stratified random sampling approach was utilized to select facilities. Structural equation modeling was used to examine relationships among satisfaction components. Seventy residential aged care facilities in Western Australia. The sample includes 610 nursing home and 373 hostel care staff. The relationships among satisfaction components are different for nursing home and hostel staff. Professional support is found to have a strong and positive effect on all other aspects of staff satisfaction. The findings lead to an improved understanding of the interrelationship among staff satisfaction components, which has important implications through enhancing professional support. This needs to be recognized and emphasized by managers, care providers, and policy makers so as to maintain stable personnel and continuity of care.
Automatic Affective Appraisal of Sexual Penetration Stimuli in Women with Vaginismus or Dyspareunia
Huijding, Jorg; Borg, Charmaine; Weijmar-Schultz, Willibrord; de Jong, Peter J.
Introduction. Current psychological views are that negative appraisals of sexual stimuli lie at the core of sexual dysfunctions. It is important to differentiate between deliberate appraisals and more automatic appraisals, as research has shown that the former are most relevant to controllable
A Preliminary Study of Staff Meetings as Viewed by Dental Hygienists
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Patrick Anderson
2011-12-01
Full Text Available Staff meetings in general dental practices represent what is be-lieved to be a key management strategy to build teams and to enhance efficiency and effec-tiveness. However, very little research has been done regarding staff meetings in dental offices. This study examined staff meetings from the viewpoint of dental hygienists who grow in unique careers in that they work largely independently of the dentist and yet typically within a dental practice while providing patient care and education. One-hundred-six dental hygienists completed a survey about staff meetings in dental offices. Key findings include: only approximately 43% of dental offices conduct morning huddles to get the day off to a smooth and organized start, 72% of dental practices conduct longer staff meetings with largely positive outcomes, including increasing practice efficiency and productivity, few practices (12% hold specific meetings only for the hygiene-department (and probably thereby miss some opportunities for practice im-provement, the most important variable by far to hygienists' job satisfaction is respect from the owner-dentist, and there exists an important and synergistic relationship among job sa-tisfaction, relationships with other staff and relationship with the owner-dentist.
Factors impacting perceived safety among staff working on mental health wards.
Haines, Alina; Brown, Andrew; McCabe, Rhiannah; Rogerson, Michelle; Whittington, Richard
2017-09-01
Safety at work is a core issue for mental health staff working on in-patient units. At present, there is a limited theoretical base regarding which factors may affect staff perceptions of safety. This study attempted to identify which factors affect perceived staff safety working on in-patient mental health wards. A cross-sectional design was employed across 101 forensic and non-forensic mental health wards, over seven National Health Service trusts nationally. Measures included an online staff survey, Ward Features Checklist and recorded incident data. Data were analysed using categorical principal components analysis and ordinal regression. Perceptions of staff safety were increased by ward brightness, higher number of patient beds, lower staff to patient ratios, less dayroom space and more urban views. The findings from this study do not represent common-sense assumptions. Results are discussed in the context of the literature and may have implications for current initiatives aimed at managing in-patient violence and aggression. None. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Dixon, Martin; Turner, Martin J; Gillman, Jamie
2017-12-01
Previous research demonstrates that sports coaching is a stressful activity. This article investigates coaches' challenge and threat cognitive appraisals of stressful situations and their impact on coaching behaviour, using Blascovich and Mendes' (2000) biopsychosocial model as a theoretical framework. A cross-sectional correlational design was utilised to examine the relationships between irrational beliefs (Shortened general attitude and belief scale), challenge and threat appraisals (Appraisal of life events scale), and coaching behaviours (Leadership scale for sports) of 105 professional football academy coaches. Findings reveal significant positive associations between challenge appraisals and social support, and between threat appraisals and autocratic behaviour, and a significant negative association between threat appraisals and positive feedback. Results also show that higher irrational beliefs are associated with greater threat, and lesser challenge cognitive appraisals. However, no associations were revealed between irrational beliefs and challenge cognitive appraisals. Additionally, findings demonstrate a positive relationship between age and training and instruction. Results suggest that practitioners should help coaches to appraise stressful situations as a challenge to promote positive coaching behaviours.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vivek Agarwal
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Nosocomial infections in critically ill/ventilated patients result from bacterial load in oropharyngeal regions. Oral decontamination serves as the easiest effective means of controlling infections. Knowledge, attitude, and practices followed by healthcare personnel in intensive care settings need to be assessed to implement concrete measures in health-care. Survey questionnaire was constructed and implemented following its validation on seventy nursing and paramedical staff working in government and private intensive care units throughout Lucknow city. 21-item questionnaire consisted of three parts of seven questions each. 78% of respondents had knowledge regarding oral care and its importance in critical settings but 44% of respondents considered it to be unpleasant task. 36% of respondents claimed to have provided oral care to all patients in ICU. Uniform guidelines for translation of oral healthcare in ICU settings are not being implemented. Previous studies in literature from various geographic diverse regions also point out to similar lacunae. Based on present survey, most respondents were aware of importance of oral care with protocols covered in academic curriculum. Attitude towards oral care is positive but respondents feel a need for specialised training. Practice for oral care is not sufficient and needs improvement and proper implementation.
How Might Your Staff React to News of an Institutional Merger? A Psychological Contract Approach
Senior, Chris; Fearon, Colm; Mclaughlin, Heather; Manalsuren, Saranzaya
2017-01-01
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the nature of staff/employee (i.e. learning and teaching, curriculum support and administrative staff) perceptions, anxieties and worries about early merger change in the UK further education (FE) sector. Design/Methodology/Approach: Survey data were collected from 128 out of 562 employees to…
Major, B; Richards, C; Cooper, M L; Cozzarelli, C; Zubek, J
1998-03-01
We hypothesized that the effects of personality (self-esteem, control, and optimism) on postabortion adaptation (distress, well-being, and decision satisfaction) would be fully mediated by preabortion cognitive appraisals (stress appraisals and self-efficacy appraisals) and postabortion coping. We further proposed that the effects of preabortion appraisals on adaptation would be fully mediated by postabortion coping. Results of a longitudinal study of 527 women who had first-trimester abortions supported our hypotheses. Women with more resilient personalities appraised their abortion as less stressful and had higher self-efficacy for coping with the abortion. More positive appraisals predicted greater acceptance/reframing coping and lesser avoidance/denial, venting, support seeking, and religious coping. Acceptance-reframing predicted better adjustment on all measures, whereas avoidance-denial and venting related to poorer adjustment on all measures. Greater support seeking was associated with reduced distress, and greater religious coping was associated with less decision satisfaction.
5 CFR 1330.405 - Procedures for certifying agency appraisal systems.
2010-01-01
... Certification for Pay Purposes § 1330.405 Procedures for certifying agency appraisal systems. (a) General. To... senior employees based on appraisals of their relative performance against performance expectations in... responsibilities— (A) The performance standards, requirements, or expectations for the employees they supervise to...
Staff and parents are discriminators for outcomes in neonatal intensive care units.
Pick, Verena; Halstenberg, Katrin; Demel, Anja; Kirchberger, Valerie; Riedel, Rainer; Schlößer, Rolf; Wollny, Caroline; Woopen, Christiane; Kuntz, Ludwig; Roth, Bernhard
2014-11-01
We investigated the associations between staff work characteristics, parents' experiences and a number of medical outcome measures. This explorative multicentre study took place in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of five German university hospitals between 2009 and 2011. We assessed staff work characteristics by surveying 126 NICU nurses and 57 physicians and asked 214 parents about their relationships with staff. The outcome variables of 230 premature infants with birth weights of less than 1500 g were collected over a period of 18 months. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analyses for statistical purposes. We found differences in outcome measures between the NICUs, particularly parameters of respiratory support, weight gain and length of stay. When we controlled for the NICUs' baseline factors, perceptions of the relationship between staff and parents (empathy, p staff work characteristics (workload, p Staff and parents were discriminators for neonatal outcomes through perceptions of work characteristics and the relationship between staff and parents, respectively. Respiratory support and nutrition measures were particularly sensitive. This research has prompted a nationwide, multicentre study of 66 NICUs. ©2014 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Evaluation of radiation doses received by the staff in nuclear medicine department of Rick
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ali, Naemat Abdalla Mohamed
2001-01-01
Environmental monitoring in nuclear medicine rooms at Radiation and Isotopes Center Khartoum RICK were carried out using survey meter and thermoluminescent dosimetry. Staff bodies and hands doses measurements are being conducted using thermoluminescent dosimetry. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the radiation received by the staff work in the nuclear medicine department at RICK. Survey meter (RDS-120) and TLD clips of LiF. (Mg.Ti) were used to measure the environment leading of the staff. The associated annual doses have been determined to the staff bodies and hands. It was found that the dose-equivalent rates from bodies and hands of the staff obtained through this work using TLD clips are: nuclear medicine technologist body reading 6.75 mSv per year, physicist body reading 7.89 mSv per year, chemist body reading 6.1 mSv per year, and nurse body reading 8.1 mSv per year. On the other hand the nuclear medicine technologist hands reading 24.19 mSv per year, physicist hands reading 19.15 mSv per year, chemist hands reading 14.616 mSv per year, and nurse hands reading 277.96 mSv per year. All the staff reading in this study agree with the national regulations and international recommendations. It is clear that the dose of nurse hands is the highest one, this is because when they inject the patient with the Tc-99 m they use to spend relatively long time. (Author)
An Empirical Study of the Relationship between Performance Appraisal Politics and Job Satisfaction
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Azman Ismail
2011-02-01
Full Text Available Performance appraisal politics are viewed as a vital human resource management issuewhere it consists of two salient features: motivational motive and punishment motive. The ability ofappraisers (e.g., immediate bosses/managers to properly implement such appraisal politics inallocating performance ratings may have significant impact on job satisfaction. Although the nature ofthis relationship is important, little is known about the role of performance appraisal politics as apredicting variable in the performance appraisal models. Therefore, this study was conducted toexamine the effect of performance appraisal politics on job satisfaction using 150 usablequestionnaires gathered from employees who have worked in a national postal company in Sarawak,Malaysia. In initial data analysis, the results of exploratory factor analysis confirmed that themeasurement scales used in this study satisfactorily met the standards of validity and reliabilityanalyses. Further, in hypothesis testing, the outcomes of stepwise regression analysis showed thatperformance appraisal politics (i.e., motivational motive and punishment motive significantlycorrelated with job satisfaction. Statistically, this result confirms that performance appraisal politicsact as important predictors of job satisfaction in the studied organization. In addition, discussion,implications and conclusion are elaborated.
Disability on campus: a perspective from faculty and staff.
Shigaki, Cheryl L; Anderson, Kim M; Howald, Carol L; Henson, Lee; Gregg, Bonnie E
2012-01-01
To identify employee perceptions regarding disability-related workplace issues in Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). Faculty and staff (N=1,144) at a large, Midwestern university. A voluntary on-line survey of disability-related employment issues was developed by the university's Chancellor's Committee of Persons with Disabilities. Item responses were analyzed using descriptive and Pearson chi-square statistical methods. Fifteen percent of faculty and staff respondents were found to have disabilities, with 26% reporting experience of job discrimination, and 20% reporting harassment because of their disability. Results indicated significant differences on gender, employment standing (i.e., faculty or staff) and disability status (i.e., with or without a disability), in regard to perceptions of disability acceptance, campus accessibility, disability awareness, ADA policy, and knowledge of work accommodation procedures. Recommendations for IHEs are provided to promote a welcoming and inclusive campus that ultimately supports work success for persons with a disability.
Instructional Staff Salary and Benefits Spending: 1991-2011. Data Point. NCES 2016-156
Malkus, Nat; Hoyer, Kathleen Mulvaney
2016-01-01
This report uses expenditure data from the Common Core of Data (CCD) "National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS)" for fiscal years 1991 to 2011 and instructional staff data from the CCD "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education" for school years 1990-91 to 2010-11. The CCD annually collects fiscal…
An appraisal of the quality of published qualitative dental research.
Masood, Mohd; Thaliath, Ebin T; Bower, Elizabeth J; Newton, J Timothy
2011-06-01
To appraise the quality of published qualitative research in dentistry and identify aspects of quality, which require attention in future research. Qualitative research studies on dental topics were appraised using the critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) appraisal framework for qualitative research. The percentage of CASP criteria fully met during the assessment was used as an indication of the quality of each paper. Individual criteria were not weighted. Forty-three qualitative studies were identified for appraisal of which 48% had a dental public health focus. Deficiencies in detail of reporting, research design, methodological rigour, presentation of findings, reflexivity, credibility of findings and relevance of study were identified. Problems with quality were apparent irrespective of journal impact factor, although papers from low impact factor journals exhibited the most deficiencies. Journals with the highest impact factors published the least qualitative research. The quality of much of the qualitative research published on dental topics is mediocre. Qualitative methods are underutilized in oral health research. If quality guidelines such as the CASP framework are used in the context of a thorough understanding of qualitative research design and data analysis, they can promote good practice and the systematic assessment of qualitative research. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
(A Research on Professional Stress of Accounting Profession Staff andAccountings lecturers)
Yıldırım, Suat
2008-01-01
Nowadays, commonly used word “stress“ became the part of work life. Stress is inevitable in work life. Some jobs are more stressful than other jobs. Thinking that everybody lives in stressful condition, determining of stress level has vital importance. Due to this importance, in this study, stress level has been researched for Accounting Profession Staff and Accounting lecturers. To achieve this purpose, a survey was conducted on 73 Accounting Profession Staff and Accounting lecturers. In thi...
Health systems guidance appraisal--a critical interpretive synthesis.
Ako-Arrey, Denis E; Brouwers, Melissa C; Lavis, John N; Giacomini, Mita K
2016-01-22
Health systems guidance (HSG) are systematically developed statements that assist with decisions about options for addressing health systems challenges, including related changes in health systems arrangements. However, the development, appraisal, and reporting of HSG poses unique conceptual and methodological challenges related to the varied types of evidence that are relevant, the complexity of health systems, and the pre-eminence of contextual factors. To address this gap, we are conducting a program of research that aims to create a tool to support the appraisal of HSG and further enhance HSG development and reporting. The focus of this paper was to conduct a knowledge synthesis of the published and grey literatures to determine quality criteria (concepts) relevant for this process. We applied a critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) approach to knowledge synthesis that enabled an iterative, flexible, and dynamic analysis of diverse bodies of literature in order to generate a candidate list of concepts that will constitute the foundational components of the HSG tool. Using our review questions as compasses, we were able to guide the search strategy to look for papers based on their potential relevance to HSG appraisal, development, and reporting. The search strategy included various electronic databases and sources, subject-specific journals, conference abstracts, research reports, book chapters, unpublished data, dissertations, and policy documents. Screening the papers and data extraction was completed independently and in duplicate, and a narrative approach to data synthesis was executed. We identified 43 papers that met eligibility criteria. No existing review was found on this topic, and no HSG appraisal tool was identified. Over one third of the authors implicitly or explicitly identified the need for a high-quality tool aimed to systematically evaluate HSG and contribute to its development/reporting. We identified 30 concepts that may be relevant to the
Directorate of Management - Special Staff - Joint Staff - Leadership - The
NGB Official March Today in Guard History Leadership CNGB VCNGB SEA DANG DARNG Joint Staff J-1 J-2 J-3 J-4 J-5 J-6 J-7 J-8 Personal Staff Inspector General Judge Advocate General Officer Management Public Affairs Executive Support Services Legislative Liaison Special Staff Directorate of Management
Chen, Haiping; Li, Meina; Dai, Zhixin; Deng, Qiangyu; Zhang, Lulu
2016-01-01
Objective Dual practice is defined as a physician’s performance of medical activities in different health care institutions (two or more) simultaneously. This study aimed to examine the perception and acceptance of medical staff and outpatients of dual practice and explore the possible factors affecting people’s perception. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 public hospitals in Shanghai. Participants included medical staff and outpatients. We distributed 1,000 questionnaires to each participant group, and the response rates were 66.7% and 69.4%, respectively. Statistical differences in variables were tested, and multinomial logistic regression methods were employed for statistical analysis. Results The study included two parts: medical staff survey and outpatient survey. The results of medical staff survey showed that 63.0% of the respondents supported dual practice. Medical staff who belonged to the surgical department or held positive belief of dual practice were more willing to participate in dual practice. Moreover, the publicity activities of dual practice and hospitals’ human resource management system were important factors affecting the willingness of the medical staff. The results of outpatient survey showed that 44.5% of respondents believed that dual practice could reduce difficulty in consulting a doctor. Regarding the perceived benefits of dual practice, the proportion of outpatients who believed that dual practice could meet the demand for health convenience, minor illness, and chronic disease were 45.4%, 42.4%, and 53.7%, respectively. Additionally, demographic characteristics significantly influenced the perception of outpatients. Conclusion This study confirmed that both medical staff and outpatients generally held positive attitudes toward dual practice. Medical staff who belonged to the surgical department or held positive belief of dual practice were more willing to participate in dual practice. Moreover, the existence of
Appraising into the Sun: Six-State Solar Home Paired-Sale Analysis
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
2015-11-12
Although residential solar photovoltaic (PV) installations have proliferated, PV systems on some U.S. homes still receive no value during an appraisal because comparable home sales are lacking. To value residential PV, some previous studies have employed paired-sales appraisal methods to analyze small PV home samples in depth, while others have used statistical methods to analyze large samples. Our first-of-its-kind study connects the two approaches. It uses appraisal methods to evaluate sales price premiums for owned PV systems on single-unit detached houses that were also evaluated in a large statistical study. Independent appraisers evaluated 43 recent home sales pairs in six states: California, Oregon, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. We compare these results with contributory-value estimates—based on income (using the PV Value® tool), gross cost, and net cost—as well as hedonic modeling results from the recent statistical study. The results provide strong, appraisal-based evidence of PV premiums in all states. More importantly, the results support the use of cost- and incomebased PV premium estimates when paired-sales analysis is impossible. PV premiums from the paired-sales analysis are most similar to net PV cost estimates. PV Value® income results generally track the appraised premiums, although conservatively. The appraised premiums are in agreement with the hedonic modeling results as well, which bolsters the suitability of both approaches for estimating PV home premiums. Therefore, these results will benefit valuation professionals and mortgage lenders who increasingly are encountering homes equipped with PV and need to understand the factors that can both contribute to and detract from market value.
12 CFR 564.8 - Appraisal policies and practices of savings associations and subsidiaries.
2010-01-01
... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Appraisal policies and practices of savings associations and subsidiaries. 564.8 Section 564.8 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY APPRAISALS § 564.8 Appraisal policies and practices of savings associations and...
Impact of staff organizational culture on the implementation of ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
This study surveyed the Impact of Library Staff Organizational Culture on the Implementation of Automation in Libraries of Federal Universities in the North- East Zone of Nigeria. The objectives of the Study were to determine: the level of implementation of automation of libraries in Federal Universities of the North- East Zone ...
Naturalizing aesthetics: brain areas for aesthetic appraisal across sensory modalities.
Brown, Steven; Gao, Xiaoqing; Tisdelle, Loren; Eickhoff, Simon B; Liotti, Mario
2011-09-01
We present here the most comprehensive analysis to date of neuroaesthetic processing by reporting the results of voxel-based meta-analyses of 93 neuroimaging studies of positive-valence aesthetic appraisal across four sensory modalities. The results demonstrate that the most concordant area of activation across all four modalities is the right anterior insula, an area typically associated with visceral perception, especially of negative valence (disgust, pain, etc.). We argue that aesthetic processing is, at its core, the appraisal of the valence of perceived objects. This appraisal is in no way limited to artworks but is instead applicable to all types of perceived objects. Therefore, one way to naturalize aesthetics is to argue that such a system evolved first for the appraisal of objects of survival advantage, such as food sources, and was later co-opted in humans for the experience of artworks for the satisfaction of social needs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Tidwell, Owen Alan
2011-01-01
Given the nature of the valuation task environment appraisers are often made aware of previous value opinions rendered by appraisers, commonly in the form of an historic appraisal. And, because an appraisal task involves the rendering of market value, a hypothetical, unobservable construct based on probabilities, direct feedback against this…
Joint Chiefs of Staff > About > The Joint Staff > Senior Enlisted Advisor
Skip to main content (Press Enter). Toggle navigation Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Chiefs of Staff Facebook Twitter YouTube Flickr Blog Instagram Search JCS: Search Search Search JCS: Search Home Media News Photos Videos Publications About The Joint Staff Chairman Vice Chairman
University staff adoption of iPads: An empirical study using an extended TAM model
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Michael Steven Lane
2014-11-01
Full Text Available This research examined key factors influencing adoption of iPads by university staff. An online survey collected quantitative data to test hypothesised relationships in an extended TAM model. The findings show that university staff consider iPads easy to use and useful, with a high level of compatibility with their work. Social status had no influence on their attitude to using an iPad. However older university staff and university staff with no previous experience in using a similar technology such as an iPhone or smartphone found iPads less easy to use. Furthermore, a lack of formal end user ICT support impacted negatively on the use of iPads.
Chambers, Suzanne K; Baade, Peter; Youl, Philippa; Aitken, Joanne; Occhipinti, Stefano; Vinod, Shalini; Valery, Patricia C; Garvey, Gail; Fong, Kwun M; Ball, David; Zorbas, Helen; Dunn, Jeff; O'Connell, Dianne L
2015-11-01
Health-related stigma is associated with negative psychological and quality of life outcomes in lung cancer patients. This study describes the impact of stigma on lung cancer patients' psychological distress and quality of life and explores the role of social constraints and illness appraisal as mediators of effect. A self-administered cross-sectional survey examined psychological distress and quality of life in 151 people (59% response rate) diagnosed with lung cancer from Queensland and New South Wales. Health-related stigma, social constraints and illness appraisals were assessed as predictors of adjustment outcomes. Forty-nine percent of patients reported elevated anxiety; 41% were depressed; and 51% had high global distress. Health-related stigma was significantly related to global psychological distress and quality of life with greater stigma and shame related to poorer outcomes. These effects were mediated by illness appraisals and social constraints. Health-related stigma appears to contribute to poorer adjustment by constraining interpersonal discussions about cancer and heightening feelings of threat. There is a need for the development and evaluation of interventions to ameliorate the negative effects of health-related stigma among lung cancer patients. © 2015 The Authors. Psycho-Oncology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Religion, Psychology and Globalisation Process: Attitudinal Appraisal
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Emmanuel Orok Duke
2016-10-01
Full Text Available A key consequence of globalisation is the integrative approach to reality whereby emphasis is placed on interdependence. Religion being an expression of human culture is equally affected by this cultural revolution. The main objective of this paper is to examine how religious affiliation, among Christians, influences attitudes towards the application of psychological sciences to the assuagement of human suffering. The sociological theory of structural functionalism was deployed to explain attitudinal appraisal. Ethnographic methodology, through quantitative analysis of administered questionnaire, was also used. The study reveals that religious tenets largely shape attitudinal appraisal and redefine the borders of globalisation’s metanarratives.
Kelly, Erin L.; Fenwick, Karissa; Brekke, John S.; Novaco, Raymond W.
2015-01-01
Psychiatric staff are faced with multiple forms of hostility, aggression, and assault at work, collectively referred to as workplace violence, which typically is activated by patients but can also come from coworkers and supervisors. Whether workplace violence adversely affects staff well-being may be related not only to its presence, but also to an individual’s stress reactivity. At a large public psychiatric hospital, an online survey was completed by 323 clinical care staff, of whom 69.5% had experienced physical assault in the previous 12 months. Staff well-being (depression, anger, and physical health) and staff safety concerns were adversely affected by conflicts with other staff members and by individual reactivity to social conflict and to assault. To improve staff well-being, in addition to safety protocols, interventions should target staff relationships, personal health maintenance practices, and individual coping skills for dealing with adverse workplace experiences. PMID:26377816
Self-appraisal of hockey players of high class of different playing position
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Oleksiy Mikhnov
2014-12-01
Full Text Available Purpose: to expose the features of display of self-appraisal for the hockey players of high class of different playing position. Material and Methods: for the exposure of level of self-appraisal for hockey players, information of sportsmen of high class, taking part in the matches of the Kontinental hockey league (KHL in a season 2013–2014 was probed sixteen hockey players, having a sporting digit MS and MSWC, took part in researches. Methods were used: pedagogical supervision, pedagogical analysis and generalization of front-rank experience, psychological testing, analysis of data of the special scientific-methodical literature, expert questioning, an analysis of data is the Internet. Results: findings allowed to set that the players of line of attack (central and extreme forward have more high level of self-appraisal for certain, than players of defence and hockey goalkeepers. This tendency is looked over both on the separate constituents of self-appraisal and on the whole on all spectrums of the studied indexes. The got results of researches rotined that the hockey players of high class had or middle or high level of self-appraisal. Among testable hockey players, players were not exposed with the low level of self-appraisal. Conclusions: the exposed distinctions in the level of self-appraisal of hockey players of high class can be used for diagnostics of playing predisposition and choice of playing line of business in a command.
Staff perceptions of leadership during implementation of task-shifting in three surgical units.
Henderson, Amanda; Paterson, Karyn; Burmeister, Liz; Thomson, Bernadette; Young, Louise
2013-03-01
Registered nurses are difficult to recruit and retain. Task shifting, which involves reallocation of delegation, can reduce demand for registered nurses. Effective leadership is needed for successful task shifting. This study explored leadership styles of three surgical nurse unit managers. Staff completed surveys before and after the implementation of task shifting. Task shifting involved the introduction of endorsed enrolled nurses (licensed nurses who must practise under registered nurse supervision) to better utilize registered nurses. Implementation of task shifting occurred over 4 months in a 700-bed tertiary hospital, in southeast Queensland, Australia. A facilitator assisted nurse unit managers during implementation. The impact was assessed by comparison of data before (n = 49) and after (n = 72) task shifting from registered nurses and endorsed enrolled nurses (n = 121) who completed the Ward Organization Features Survey. Significant differences in leadership and staff organization subscales across the settings suggest that how change involving task shifting is implemented influences nurses' opinions of leadership. Leadership behaviours of nurse unit managers is a key consideration in managing change such as task shifting. Consistent and clear messages from leaders about practice change are viewed positively by nursing staff. In the short term, incremental change possibly results in staff maintaining confidence in leadership. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Technical safety appraisal of the West Valley Demonstration Project
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1989-09-01
This report presents the results of one in a series of Technical Safety Appraisals (TSAs) being conducted of DOE nuclear operations by the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health Office of Safety Appraisals TSAs are one of the ititiatives announced by the Secretary of Energy on September 18, 1985, to enhance the DOE environment, safety and health program. This report presents the results of a TSA of the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). The appraisal was conducted by a team of exerts assembled by the DOE Office of Safety Appraisal and was conducted during onsite visits of June 26-30 and July 10-21, 1989. West Valley, about 30 miles south of Buffalo, New York is the location of the only commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing facility operated in the United States. Nuclear Fuels Services, Inc. (NFS) operated the plant from 1966 to 1972 and processed about 640 metric tons of spent reactor fuel. The reprocessing operation generated about 560,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste, which was transferred into underground tanks for storage. In 1972 NFS closed the plant and subsequently decided not to reopen it
Maurits, Erica E M; de Veer, Anke J E; van der Hoek, Lucas S; Francke, Anneke L
2015-09-02
It is important to learn how employers in European countries can prevent nursing staff from changing occupation or taking early retirement in order to counteract expected nursing shortages. However, to date research on nursing staff's ability to remain working until retirement age has been limited. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the associations between different job and organisational characteristics, job satisfaction, occupational commitment and the self-perceived ability to continue working in the current line of work until the official retirement age. The questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study included 730 nursing staff members employed in Dutch hospitals, nursing homes, organisations for psychiatric care, homes for the elderly, care organisations for disabled people and home care organisations (mean age: 48; 89% female). Linear and logistic regression analyses and mediation analyses were applied to test hypothesised associations. Reducing work pressure and increasing appreciation by senior management in particular have positive consequences for nursing staff's self-perceived ability to continue working until the official retirement age. The job and organisational characteristics of autonomy, work pressure, supportive leadership, educational opportunities, communication within the organisation and appreciation of nursing staff by senior management together have substantial impact on nursing staff's job satisfaction. Job satisfaction in turn is related to the self-perceived ability to continue working until the retirement age. However, job satisfaction mainly summarises the joint effect of job and organisational characteristics and has no supplementary effect on the self-perceived ability to continue working. Employers should primarily focus on work pressure and the appreciation of nursing staff by senior management in order to retain nursing staff even as they get older.
Innovative public library services - staff-less or staff-intensive?
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Johannsen, Carl Gustav Viggo
2014-01-01
Purpose – Several recent library innovations seem to make professional and clerical staff superfluous such as automated loan and delivery equipment, staff-less libraries open in 80 hours a week, and virtual services, enabling users to search the library catalogue and make reservations of library...... materials from their home address. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether such developments will necessarily lead to a situation where public libraries become self-service institutions or to what extent self-service and innovative staff-intensive library services can develop and co......-exist. Furthermore, the paper will examine what challenges library leaders face and what they can do, and actually have done, to handle staff resistance and other related problems to the benefit of both the users, the local communities, and also, the staff, in particular, when introducing new and innovative services...
Bradbury, Katherine J; Bishop, Felicity L; Yardley, Lucy; Lewith, George
2013-10-01
Patients have previously reported differences in their experiences of treatments received in the public and private sectors; it remains unclear whether such perceived differences are particular to or shared across different interventions. This study explored whether patients' appraisals of public and private treatments are similar when appraising a complementary therapy (osteopathy) compared to a mainstream therapy (physiotherapy). Thirty-five qualitative interviews were analysed thematically. Patients' appraisals varied by health-care sector and therapy type: physiotherapy was appraised more negatively in the National Health Service than the private sector but osteopathy was appraised similarly within both health-care sectors. Potential reasons for this are discussed.
Fjell, Ylva; Osterberg, Mia; Alexanderson, Kristina; Karlqvist, Lena; Bildt, Carina
2007-10-01
The main aim of this study was to explore the associations between appraised leadership styles, psychosocial work factors and musculoskeletal pain among subordinates in four different public service sectors from an epidemiological perspective. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted; data from 2,403 public sector employees in subordinate positions (86% women) were analysed. The appraised leadership styles were measured through items from a modified version of the CPE questionnaire (C change, P production/structure, E employee/relation). The structure validity of the CPE-model was examined by principal component analysis (PCA). Univariate and multivariate analyses of associations between levels of musculoskeletal pain and appraised leadership styles and with psychosocial work factors were conducted. Odds ratios (ORs) with confidence intervals (CIs) of 95% were used as a measure of associations. There were small variations in the appraisals of the immediate manager among the subordinates. However, the associations between musculoskeletal pain and leadership styles varied according to sector. Poor appraisals (low scores) on "change" and "employee relation" dimensions were associated with high levels of musculoskeletal pain in two sectors: home and health care services. In the domestic catering services, poor appraisals of managers in the "production/structure" dimension had the strongest association with high levels of pain. In general, poor appraisals of the "change" dimension was most strongly associated with high levels of musculoskeletal pain. "High work demands" had the strongest association with high levels of pain, particularly among the men. Poor appraisals of managers and their leadership styles were associated with high levels of musculoskeletal pain among both female and male subordinates in different public service sectors. There is therefore a great need of further studies of the mechanisms behind the relationships between the leadership
Preliminary ethical appraisal of a trial - what's it all about?
Siipi, Helena
Preliminary ethical appraisal of medical trials is often based on the following four principles: respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Preliminary ethical appraisal should, however, not be understood solely as application of these four principles to practice. Ethical committees will inevitably interpret the principles and make decisions about their reciprocal importance in connection with each trial. Reasoning does not always proceed from above towards practical recommendations of action, but can instead also be based on a moral rule or practice relating to a certain action. A good preliminary ethical appraisal will also take into account everyday standards of morality, law and shared moral values of the society.
Nonlinear Appraisal Modeling: An Application of Machine Learning to the Study of Emotion Production
Meuleman, Ben; Scherer, Klaus R.
2013-01-01
Appraisal theory of emotion claims that emotions are not caused by "raw" stimuli, as such, but by the subjective evaluation (appraisal) of those stimuli. Studies that analyzed this relation have been dominated by linear models of analysis. These methods are not ideally suited to examine a basic assumption of many appraisal theories, which is that appraisal criteria interact to differentiate emotions, and hence show nonlinear effects. Studies that did model interactions were either l...
Freeman, Nancy S.
As part of a study appraising the industrial cooperative education program at Macomb County Community College (MCCC), 54 women enrolled from 1970 to 1975 in Design and Mechanical Technology and Graphic and Commercial Arts programs, and their employers were surveyed. A comparison of the 30 women in the cooperative programs and the 24 non co-op…
Expectations of hospital treatment. Conflicting views of patients and staff.
Skodol, A E; Plutchik, R; Karasu, T B
1980-02-01
A 40-item therapeutic community questionnaire, developed from a survey of experts, was used to assess the treatment needs and expectations of a group of 30 hospitalized psychiatric patients. The patients' attitudes regarding an ideal ward atmosphere were compared to those, as measured previously by the identical instrument, of the treating staff. The results indicated that psychiatric inpatients found the therapeutic community modality consistent with their needs and expectations. However, staff and patients were divided in attitude toward the therapeutic community concept. The staff's definition of therapeutic community was broad and exceeded the principles of the therapeutic community experts. The patients desired a more conservative approach which combined respect and responsibility with a ward structure that was unambiguous and less democratic. Studies of ward atmosphere as well as premature termination in psychotherapy indicate that such conflicts in viewpoint between patients and staff might have detrimental effects on hospital outcome. A negotiated approach to inpatient treatment is suggested as a means to establish greater autonomy, growth in self-esteem, sense of responsibility, and increased trust on the part of hospitalized patients.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Katarzyna Szymona-Pałkowska
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Social support and knowledge of the disease have been shown to facilitate adaptation to a chronic disease. However, the adaptation process is not fully understood. We hypothesized that these factors can contribute to better adaptation to the disease through their impact on disease-related cognitive appraisal. To analyze the links between social support and the knowledge of the disease, on one hand, and disease-related appraisals, on the other hand, one hundred fifty-eight women with stress UI, aged 32 to 79, took part in the study. Questionnaire measures of knowledge of UI, social support, and disease-related appraisals were used in the study. The level of knowledge correlated significantly negatively with the appraisal of the disease as Harm. The global level of social support correlated significantly positively with three disease-related appraisals: Profit, Challenge, and Value. Four subgroups of patients with different constellations of social support and knowledge of the disease were identified in cluster analysis and were demonstrated to differ significantly on four disease-related appraisals: Profit, Challenge, Harm, and Value. Different cognitive appraisals of UI may be specifically related to social support and knowledge of the disease, with social support affective positive disease-related appraisals, and the knowledge affecting the appraisal of Harm.
Wolf, Svenja A; Eys, Mark A; Sadler, Pamela; Kleinert, Jens
2015-10-01
Athletes' precompetitive appraisal is important because it determines emotions, which may impact performance. When part of a team, athletes make their appraisal within a social context, and in this study we examined whether perceived team cohesion, as a characteristic of this context, related to appraisal. We asked 386 male and female intercollegiate team-sport athletes to respond to measures of cohesion and precompetitive appraisal before an in-season game. For males and females, across all teams, (a) an appraisal of increased competition importance was predicted by perceptions of higher task cohesion (individual level), better previous team performance, and a weaker opponent (team level) and (b) an appraisal of more positive prospects for coping with competitive demands was predicted by higher individual attractions to the group (individual level). Consequently, athletes who perceive their team as more cohesive likely appraise the pending competition as a challenge, which would benefit both emotions and performance.
Financial capital appraisal in the system of industrial enterprise development management
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Akhtyamov M.K.
2017-01-01
Full Text Available The paper studies an objective appraisal of financial capital value in industrial enterprise development management. The authors draw attention to a limited scope of work in the area of financial management under application of a traditional approach to appraisal of enterprise financial capital value and describe a new advanced approach to this problem solving. The paper focuses on reformation of balance sheet statement, in which economic benefit and reserves of financial capital are included by the authors; the author’s methodology for appraisal of financial capital value and its application sphere are denoted. In accordance with a case study, we confirm possibility of more accurate appraisal of enterprise investment opportunities by taking into account economic benefit from reserve of liquidity and borrowing capacity, which increases financial capital value. The practical approval results affirm that application of proprietary methodology for appraisal of financial capital and its elements has practical utility in solving problems of determination of required amount of attracted foreign investments and problems of determination of fair value of company take of an external investor, which are aimed at minimizing risks of corporate ownership dissemination and improving managerial efficiency of an industrial enterprise.
A field study of discrete emotions: athletes' cognitive appraisals during competition.
Martinent, Guillaume; Ferrand, Claude
2015-03-01
Cognitive-motivational-relational theory (CMRT) emphasizes that cognitive appraisal components and core relational themes (in which the 6 separate appraisal judgments are brought together as 1) are the proximal determinants of athletes' emotions. This study aimed to explore appraisals associated with discrete emotions experienced by athletes during competition by adopting a naturalistic, qualitative video-assisted approach. Thirty self-confrontation interviews were conducted with 11 national table-tennis players. Qualitative inductive and deductive content analyses were conducted on the participants' transcripts. Content analyses suggested that primary and secondary appraisal components (goal relevance, goal congruence, ego involvement, blame or credit, coping potential, and future expectations) were associated with a range of positive and negative discrete emotions: self-, other-, and environmental-oriented anger, anxiety, discouragement, disappointment, disgust, joy, serenity, relief, hope, and pride. Hierarchical content analyses also provided some support for the concept of core relational themes. Findings of the present study are consistent with a CMRT approach and highlight that primary and secondary appraisals as well as core relational themes are associated with discrete emotions experienced by athletes while competing. Limitations and practical applications of this study are discussed.
Effects of noise on the well-being of railway staff
Smith, Andrew Paul; Smith, Hugo
2017-01-01
The present study involved a survey of over 1,000 rail staff and the objective was to determine\\ud the effects of noise on well-being. One of the major problems with noise surveys has been the\\ud lack of control of confounding factors and the present study used a measuring instrument (the\\ud Smith Well-being Questionnaire - SWELL) that records information on demographics, lifestyle\\ud and personality, as well as job characteristics. The outcomes measured included illness\\ud caused or made wor...
2010-01-01
... type of properties (such as large farms and business property) requiring valuation. For Farmer Programs... REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Disposal of Inventory Property Use of Contractors to Dispose of Inventory Property § 1955.128 Appraisers. (a) Real property. The State Director may authorize the County...
2010-07-01
....9 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LANDOWNERSHIP... contributory value of any interest in land such as water rights, minerals, or timber, to the extent they are... the physical characteristics of the land being appraised; a statement of all encumbrances; title...
Exploratory study of Australian aged care staff knowledge and attitudes of later life sexuality.
Chen, Yung-Hui; Jones, Cindy; Osborne, Debora
2017-06-01
To explore aged care staff knowledge and attitudes towards later life sexuality and attitudes about intimacy in people with dementia. Fifty-two care staff working in two aged care facilities with secure dementia care units were recruited. Knowledge and attitudes on later life sexuality and attitudes towards later life sexuality in people with dementia were surveyed using the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale and the selected eight items of the Staff Attitudes about Intimacy and Dementia, respectively. The results indicated that aged care staff knowledge of later life sexuality is inadequate, but attitudes towards later life sexuality and about intimacy and dementia were relatively permissive. Improving aged care staff knowledge of later life sexuality is needed. Continuing education and training should provide to support the expression of later life sexuality including those with dementia. © 2017 AJA Inc.
Li, Min; Huang, Chengyu; Lu, Xiangchan; Chen, Siyuan; Zhao, Pan; Lu, Hongzhou
2015-06-01
Our goal is to establish criteria for evaluating satisfaction of medical staff and patients of Chinese hospitals and propose measures for improvement. A survey was conducted among medical staff and patients of infectious disease hospitals in three locations, i.e., Shanghai, Chongqing, and Nanning. The analyses included item analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation and one-way analysis of variance. For the patient group, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) = 0.973, Cronbach's α = 0.962 and the Pearson correlation coefficients among the five dimensions of satisfaction ranged from 0.583 to 0.795. For the medical staff group, KMO = 0.972, Cronbach's α = 0.970, and the Pearson correlation coefficients among the five dimensions of satisfaction ranged from 0.603 to 0.854. The means on the five dimensions of satisfaction for the patient group were 0.74 to 1.34, 0.81 to 1.17, 0.78 to 1.07, 0.89 to 1.34, and 0.71 to 1.10. The means on the five dimensions of satisfaction for the medical staff group were 0.17 to 1.03, ‒ 0.16 to 0.60, ‒ 0.18 to 0.74, 0.23 to 0.72, and ‒ 0.39 to 0.37. The clinicians were less satisfied with the hospitals than the patients. Medical staff and patients in Shanghai were relatively more satisfied. Improving the evaluation criteria and survey methods with respect to medical staff and patient satisfaction with Chinese hospitals may increase clinician and patient satisfaction and improve the health care environment in China.
Use of university libraries by academic staff of Nigerian universities ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The study employed descriptive survey research method to sample 318 respondents from a population of 326 academic staff. Questionnaire was used for data collections and descriptive statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics 2.0 in computing the statistical table to determine its frequencies and percentages. The findings of this ...
Jacobs, G.; Belschak, F.D.; den Hartog, D.N.
2014-01-01
Performance appraisals are widely used as an HR instrument. This study among 332 police officers examines the effects of performance appraisals from a behavioral ethics perspective. A mediation model relating justice perceptions of police officers’ last performance appraisal to their work affect,
Gautier, D.L.; Stemmerik, L.; Christiansen, F.G.; Sorensen, K.; Bidstrup, T.; Bojesen-Koefoed, J. A.; Bird, K.J.; Charpentier, R.R.; Houseknecht, D.W.; Klett, T.R.; Schenk, C.J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.
2011-01-01
Geological features of NE Greenland suggest large petroleum potential, as well as high uncertainty and risk. The area was the prototype for development of methodology used in the US Geological Survey (USGS) Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA), and was the first area evaluated. In collaboration with the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), eight "assessment units" (AU) were defined, six of which were probabilistically assessed. The most prospective areas are offshore in the Danmarkshavn Basin. This study supersedes a previous USGS assessment, from which it differs in several important respects: oil estimates are reduced and natural gas estimates are increased to reflect revised understanding of offshore geology. Despite the reduced estimates, the CARA indicates that NE Greenland may be an important future petroleum province. ?? 2011 The Geological Society of London.
2011-07-14
... verifiable education in the appraisal requirements established by FHA. Under amended section 202(g) of the... areas and hinder use of FHA single-family programs at a time when use of those programs has increased... higher education and experience standards that HERA sought to be used for FHA-insured transactions (all...
How Adolescents Search for and Appraise Online Health Information: A Systematic Review.
Freeman, Jaimie L; Caldwell, Patrina H Y; Bennett, Patricia A; Scott, Karen M
2018-04-01
To conduct a systematic review of the evidence concerning whether and how adolescents search for online health information and the extent to which they appraise the credibility of information they retrieve. A systematic search of online databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ERIC) was performed. Reference lists of included papers were searched manually for additional articles. Included were studies on whether and how adolescents searched for and appraised online health information, where adolescent participants were aged 13-18 years. Thematic analysis was used to synthesize the findings. Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. In line with the research questions, 2 key concepts were identified within the papers: whether and how adolescents search for online health information, and the extent to which adolescents appraise online health information. Four themes were identified regarding whether and how adolescents search for online health information: use of search engines, difficulties in selecting appropriate search strings, barriers to searching, and absence of searching. Four themes emerged concerning the extent to which adolescents appraise the credibility of online health information: evaluation based on Web site name and reputation, evaluation based on first impression of Web site, evaluation of Web site content, and absence of a sophisticated appraisal strategy. Adolescents are aware of the varying quality of online health information. Strategies used by individuals for searching and appraising online health information differ in their sophistication. It is important to develop resources to enhance search and appraisal skills and to collaborate with adolescents to ensure that such resources are appropriate for them. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Riveros S, Jorge; Berné M, Carmen
2006-03-01
The implementation of the marketing strategies in public hospitals provides management advantages and improves the relationship between customers and staff. To analyze the application of marketing strategies in a public hospital, from the perspective of the staff. A structured survey that asked about perceptions in 50 items about communication between personnel and customers/users, customer satisfaction, participation in the development of new policies and incentives for efficiency was applied to a stratified sample of the staff. Factorial and regression analyses were performed to define the impact of marketing strategies on the degree of preoccupation and orientation of the organization towards the satisfaction of customer needs. The survey was applied to 74 males and 122 females. The survey showed that the orientation of the hospital towards the satisfaction of its beneficiaries basically depends on the generation of an organizational culture oriented towards them and the implementation of adequate policies in staff management and quality of service. These basic aspects can be accompanied with practices associated to the new marketing approaches such as a market orientation, customer orientation and relational marketing. All these factors presented positive and significant relations. New marketing strategies should be applied, to achieve an efficient and customer oriented hospital management.
Analysis of appraisal tool of system security engineering capability maturity based on component
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Liu Zhenghai; Yang Xiaohua; Zou Shuliang; Liu Yachun; Xiao Jiantian; Liu Zhiming
2012-01-01
Spent Fuel Reprocessing is a part of nuclear fuel cycle and is the inevitably choice of nuclear power sustainable development. Reprocessing needs to face with radiological, criticality, chemical hazards. Besides using the tradition appraisal methods based on the security goals, it is a beneficial supplement that using the appraisal method of system security engineering capability maturity model based on the process. Experts should check and approve large numbers of documents during the appraisal based on system security engineering capability maturity model, so it is necessary that developing a tool to assist the expert to complete the appraisal. The method of developing software based on component is highly effective, nimble and reliable. Component technology is analyzed, the methods of extraction model domain components and general components is introduced, and the appraisal system is developed based on component technology. (authors)
Wright, Breanna; Forbes, Andrew; Kelsall, Helen; Clarke, David; Ikin, Jill; Sim, Malcolm
2015-12-01
Understanding how veterans appraise their post-deployment experiences could provide insight into better assisting their deployment transitions. We aimed to assess the factor structure of positive and negative post-deployment appraisals in Australian veterans and to examine the resultant factors in their relationship with military stress and psychological health. Questions capturing post-deployment attitudes were developed by the researchers in collaboration with veterans. The questions were administered to 1938 veterans and the results factor analysed. The relationships between post-deployment appraisal, military stress and psychological health were examined using Structural Equation Modelling. A three-factor solution was found for the post-deployment appraisal questions; representing personal development, lack of recognition, and appreciation of life and country. Military stress was associated with the three factors and psychological health. The three factors were weakly to moderately associated with psychological health. Mediation between military stress and psychological health by any post-deployment appraisal factor was minimal. Post-deployment appraisal measures three important attitudes and concerns of veterans after deployment. Military stress is associated with the post-deployment appraisal factors. However, the factors did not mediate the relationship between military stress and psychological health. These factors provide insight into how veterans appraise their complex array of post-deployment experiences, and may provide useful in regard to transitions and integration into civilian life.
Potter, Marcia A; Wilson, Candy
Patient activation and engagement can be powerful enablers for health outcomes that are just as important as staff engagement and satisfaction. The authors applied the Bureaucratic Caring Theory and the Chronic Care Model to a process improvement project designed to link activation, engagement, satisfaction, and health outcomes. Twenty-two adults with diabetes and 7 staff members caring for them participated in a 12-week process improvement project that incorporated a time-based element of longitudinal care with skill-based competencies to provide collaborative, team-based care to patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients completed satisfaction surveys at the end of their clinical encounters. Staff members completed satisfaction surveys pre- and postimplementation. The authors analyzed hemoglobin A1C levels pre- and postimplementation. As engagement and activation increased for both staff and patients, hemoglobin A1C levels decreased. The clinical implication is that the use of Bureaucratic Caring Theory may foster caring while broad application of the Chronic Care Model may improve self-efficacy, create healthier populations, and reduce health care costs.
32 CFR 644.42 - Appraisal report.
2010-07-01
... appraisal report shall be divided into four parts as outlined below: PART I—INTRODUCTION 1. TITLE PAGE. This... photograph. The use of color film and photographs is encouraged, especially wherein development cost either...
American Samoa Shore-based Creel Survey
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The DMWR staff has also conducted shore-based creel surveys which also have 2 major sub-surveys; one to estimate participation (fishing effort), and one to provide...
Linking the Teacher Appraisal Process to the School Improvement Plan
Reddekopp, Therese
2007-01-01
If a school improvement plan includes input from all stakeholders and focuses on data-driven processes that are linked to teacher appraisal, it can be powerful in leading the school toward the common mission of achieving student success. Linking the school improvement plan to the teacher appraisal process creates a system whereby all individuals…
Multi-criteria decision analysis for assessment and appraisal of orphan drugs
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Georgi Iskrov
2016-09-01
Full Text Available Background: Limited resources and expanding expectations push all countries and types of health systems to adopt new approaches in priority setting and resources allocation. Despite best efforts, it is difficult to reconcile all competing interests and trade-offs are inevitable. This is why multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA has played a major role in recent uptake of value-based reimbursement. MCDA framework enables exploration of stakeholders’ preferences, as well as explicit organization of broad range of criteria on which real-world decisions are made.Assessment and appraisal of orphan drugs tend to be one of the most complicated health technology assessment (HTA tasks. Access to market approved orphan therapies remains an issue. Early constructive dialogue among rare disease stakeholders and elaboration of orphan drug-tailored decision support tools could set the scene for ongoing accumulation of evidence, as well as for proper reimbursement decision-making.Objective: The objective of this study was to create a MCDA value measurement model to assess and appraise orphan drugs. This was achieved by exploring the preferences on decision criteria’s weights and performance scores through a stakeholder-representative survey and a focus group discussion that were both organized in Bulgaria.Results/Conclusions: Decision criteria that describe the health technology’s characteristics were unanimously agreed as the most important group of reimbursement considerations. This outcome, combined with the high individual weight of disease severity and disease burden criteria underlined some of the fundamental principles of healthcare – equity and fairness. Our study proved that strength of evidence may be a key criterion in orphan drug assessment and appraisal. Evidence is not only used to shape reimbursement decision-making, but also to lend legitimacy to policies pursued. The need for real-world data on orphan drugs was largely stressed
Front-office staff can improve clinical tobacco intervention: health coordinator pilot project.
Bass, Frederic; Naish, Brigham; Buwembo, Isaac
2013-11-01
To learn whether front-line personnel in primary care practices can increase delivery of clinical tobacco interventions and also help smokers address physical inactivity, at-risk alcohol use, and depression. Uncontrolled before-and-after design. Vancouver, BC, area (4 practices); northern British Columbia (2 practices). Six practices, with 1 staff person per practice serving as a "health coordinator" who tracked and, after the baseline period, delivered preventive interventions to all patients who smoked. To assess delivery of preventive interventions, each practice was to sample 300 consecutive patient records, both at baseline and at follow-up 15 months later. Front-office staff were recruited, trained, paid, and given ongoing support to provide preventive care. Clinicians supplemented this care with advice and guided the use of medication. Effectiveness of the intervention was based on comparison, at baseline and at follow-up, of the proportion of patients with any of the following 6 proven intervention components documented in their medical records: chart reminder, advice received, self-management plan, target quit date, referral, and follow-up date (as they applied to tobacco, physical inactivity, at-risk alcohol use, and depression). A Tobacco Intervention Flow Sheet cued preventive care, and its data were entered into a spreadsheet (which served as a smokers' registry). Qualitative appraisal data were noted. For tobacco, substantial increases occurred after the intervention period in the proportion of patients with each of the intervention components noted in their charts: chart reminder (20% vs 94%); provision of advice (34% vs 79%); self-management plan (14% vs 57%); target quit date (5% vs 11%); referral (6% vs 11%); and follow-up date (7% vs 42%). Interventions for physical inactivity and depression showed some gains, but there were no gains for at-risk alcohol use. Front-line staff, patients, and clinicians were enthusiastic about the services offered
Reward and attitudes: The unintended outcomes of an effective performance appraisal
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Solomon M. Semakula-Katende
2013-10-01
Full Text Available Orientation: Focus was on the role of reward and attitudes as major determinants in enhancing the effectiveness of performance appraisal systems. Research purpose: To develop a structural model from the qualitative and quantitative findings from which to address the identified gaps in order to improve the effectiveness of appraisals. Motivation for the study: The attention that role players tended to give to the rewarding of employees during the appraisal process made it appear as the only important determinant of an appraisal’s success. In appraisals in many public institutions, reward has been given unnecessary prominence over other drivers, such as management and development. That led most key role players (leaders, managers and employees to perceive the current employee performance management and development system (EPMDS to be purely for monetary (salary increments and cash bonuses and non-monetary (promotion purposes, which, in turn, compromised its effectiveness. Research design, approach and method: Structural equation modelling (SEM was utilised as a statistical technique for testing and estimating causal relations using a combination of statistical data and qualitative causal assumptions. This allowed both confirmatory and exploratory modelling to be undertaken, which is suited to both theory testing and theory development. A triangulation of quantitative (questionnaire and qualitative (interview study was conducted. A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed to nine government hospitals in the Free State province, namely Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli, Dihlabeng, and Boitumelo regional hospitals, as well as Elizabeth Ross, Thebe, Phekolong, Mpumelelo, Reitz and Ficksburg district hospitals. There was a high response rate of 96 per cent, a total of 287 completed questionnaires. Respondents ranged from top executives, middle management, line management, to employees of all categories. Main findings: Reward and attitudes were found to
Nuclear safeguards surveys as performed by the Albuquerque operations office
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jewell, D.
1987-01-01
The nuclear safeguards survey program as administered by the Albuquerque Operations Office (AL) is comprehensive in scope and evaluates the facility's safeguards program for an entire appraisal period. The survey program focuses on both the integrated and graded safeguards concepts and includes both compliance and performance evaluations. The program utilizes independent measurement support to verify facility inventory values and measurement system capabilities. The AL survey program is oriented towards facility development and management as opposed to development and management by numerous detailed departmental directives
Staff perceptions of end-of-life care in the acute care setting: a New Zealand perspective.
Sheward, Karen; Clark, Jean; Marshall, Bridget; Allan, Simon
2011-05-01
Understanding current end of life (EOL) care delivery in acute care is an important prerequisite to positively influencing practice, and published New Zealand (NZ) and international data are limited. Therefore, staff perceptions of EOL care in the hospital setting were investigated via survey. This article presents key findings. A total of 610 staff members in a 194-bed regional hospital were surveyed regarding their perceptions of EOL care, which yielded a response rate of 29% with 179 surveys returned. Respondents were from medical, nursing, and allied health staff working in medical, surgical, elder health, and a regional cancer treatment service. Responses to Likert scale statements regarding the Care of the dying, Communication, Teamwork, Documentation, Attitudes to death and dying in the workplace, and Barriers to the care of patients, their whānau (a NZ Māori word that refers to extended family or family group), and families frequently contrasted with additional and explanatory comments. The thematic analysis of written text identified five themes: The reality of care, The team dynamic, The direction of care, Knowledge and education, and Environmental and organizational factors. The quality and timeliness of EOL care was significantly influenced by the elements informing the themes and the pervasive nature and importance of communication. Meeting the needs of dying patients in acute care was complex but a significant priority for staff.
Assessing Mentoring Culture: Faculty and Staff Perceptions, Gaps, and Strengths
Sheridan, Lynn; Murdoch, Natasha Hubbard; Harder, Emily
2015-01-01
The purpose of this non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive research was to survey faculty and staff perceptions of mentorship in a postsecondary institution in order to determine gaps and strengths in the current mentorship environment. The anecdotal activities we present reflect our educational practice environment through the work of our…
Evaluating the implementation of a multicomponent asthma education program for Head Start staff.
Ruvalcaba, Elizabeth; Chung, Shang-En; Rand, Cynthia; Riekert, Kristin A; Eakin, Michelle
2018-03-15
Asthma disproportionately affects minority groups, low income populations, and young children under 5. Head Start (HS) programs predominantly serve this high-risk population, yet staff are not trained on asthma management. The objective of this study was to assess a 5-year, multicomponent HS staff asthma education program in Baltimore City HS programs. All HS programs were offered annual staff asthma education by a medical research team that included didactic lectures and hands-on training. Attendees received continuing education credits. HS staff were anonymously surveyed on asthma knowledge and skills and asthma medication management practices in Year 1 (preimplementation) and Year 5. There was an estimated response rate of 94% for Year 1 and 82% for Year 5. Compared to staff in Year 1, Year 5 staff were significantly more likely to report they had very good knowledge and skills related to asthma [odds ratio (OR) 1.63; p staff reported higher self-assessed knowledge and skills, self-reports of asthma medication management practices, and self-reports of asthma activities compared to Year 1 staff. HS serves high-risk children with asthma, and a multicomponent program can adequately prepare staff to manage asthma in the child care setting. Our results indicate the feasibility of providing efficacious health skill education into child care provider training to reduce asthma knowledge gaps.
Communication Efficacy and Couples' Cancer Management: Applying a Dyadic Appraisal Model.
Magsamen-Conrad, Kate; Checton, Maria G; Venetis, Maria K; Greene, Kathryn
2015-06-01
The purpose of the present study was to apply Berg and Upchurch's (2007) developmental-conceptual model to understand better how couples cope with cancer. Specifically, we hypothesized a dyadic appraisal model in which proximal factors (relational quality), dyadic appraisal (prognosis uncertainty), and dyadic coping (communication efficacy) predicted adjustment (cancer management). The study was cross-sectional and included 83 dyads in which one partner had been diagnosed with and/or treated for cancer. For both patients and partners, multilevel analyses using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) indicated that proximal contextual factors predicted dyadic appraisal and dyadic coping. Dyadic appraisal predicted dyadic coping, which then predicted dyadic adjustment. Patients' confidence in their ability to talk about the cancer predicted their own cancer management. Partners' confidence predicted their own and the patient's ability to cope with cancer, which then predicted patients' perceptions of their general health. Implications and future research are discussed.
The Impact of Performance Appraisal on the Motivational Level of the Employees
Hemani, Amir Ali
2012-01-01
The study aims to highlight the impact of performance appraisal on the motivational level of the employees. It is of great importance for an organization to retain its employees; this can be done by giving them opportunities and appraisals. The agenda of the study is to identify the relationship of compensation, promotion and motivation with performance appraisal. The research aims at the executive and labor class in the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Open-ended structured interviews were conducted...
Not so critical appraisal of dapagliflozin
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Doggrell SA
2014-08-01
Full Text Available Sheila A Doggrell School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaA recent review by Salvo et al published in Patient Preference and Adherence concerned dapagliflozin, and was titled “Patient considerations in the management of type 2 diabetes – critical appraisal of dapagliflozin”.1 Having read the article, I do not consider it to be a critical appraisal of dapagliflozin. Thus, after comparing dapagliflozin with other oral antidiabetic medications, the authors concluded that “Dapagliflozin’s noted blood pressure reduction, weight loss, and low potential to cause hypoglycemia are advantageous, when compared with currently available oral medications”.1 This statement is not supported by the content of the review and/or the literature. Read the original article
Innovative and Traditional Elements in the Work of Academic Staff: The Views of Pre-Service Teachers
Jurgena, Inese; Cedere, Dagnija; Keviša, Ingrida
2015-01-01
The academic staff of the institutions of higher education plays a key role in the implementation of innovations in the study process. This article aims to analyze the views of students, pre-service teachers, on the role of innovations and traditions in the work of the academic staff at their institution of higher education. The survey data from…
Anstey, Sally; Powell, Tom; Coles, Bernadette; Hale, Rachel; Gould, Dinah
2016-09-01
The delivery of end-of-life care in nursing homes is challenging. This situation is of concern as 20% of the population die in this setting. Commonly reported reasons include limited access to medical care, inadequate clinical leadership and poor communication between nursing home and medical staff. Education for nursing home staff is suggested as the most important way of overcoming these obstacles. To identify educational interventions to enhance end-of-life care for nursing home staff and to identify types of study designs and outcomes to indicate success and benchmark interventions against recent international guidelines for education for palliative and end-of-life care. Thirteen databases and reference lists of key journals were searched from the inception of each up to September 2014. Included studies were appraised for quality and data were synthesised thematically. Twenty-one studies were reviewed. Methodological quality was poor. Education was not of a standard that could be expected to alter clinical behaviour and was evaluated mainly from the perspectives of staff: self-reported increase in knowledge, skills and confidence delivering care rather than direct evidence of impact on clinical practice and patient outcomes. Follow-up was often short term, and despite sound economic arguments for delivering effective end-of-life care to reduce burden on the health service, no economic analyses were reported. There is a clear and urgent need to design educational interventions that have the potential to improve end-of-life care in nursing homes. Robust evaluation of these interventions should include impact on residents, families and staff and include economic analysis. 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/
Enhancing staff motivation in publicly funded research and industrial R&D
Omta, SWF; vanEngelen, JML; Kocaoglu, DF; Anderson, TR
1997-01-01
This paper presents a survey in the main European R&D laboratories of innovative pharmaceutical companies and Dutch Health Research Institutes, It points at human resources management directed towards staff motivation as the main faster In effective management control, It ends with a list of
Attitudes towards preventive tuberculosis treatment among hospital staff
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vidya Pathak
2016-02-01
Full Text Available Background. Healthcare workers have an increased risk of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI, but previous studies suggested that they might be reluctant to accept preventive tuberculosis (TB treatment. We aimed to examine doctors’ and nurses’ experience of TB screening and to explore their attitudes towards preventive TB treatment. Methods. We conducted a survey among randomly selected healthcare workers at a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia, using a paper-based questionnaire. Results. A total of 1,304 questionnaires were distributed and 311 (24% responses were received. The majority of hospital staff supported preventive TB treatment in health care workers with evidence of latent TB infection (LTBI in general (74%, 164/223 and for them personally (81%, 198/244 while 80 and 53 healthcare workers respectively had no opinion on the topic. Staff working in respiratory medicine were significantly less likely to support preventive TB treatment in health care workers in general or for them personally if they would have evidence of LTBI compared to other specialties (p = 0.001. Only 13% (14/106 of respondents with evidence of LTBI indicated that they had been offered preventive TB treatment. Twenty-one percent (64/306 of respondents indicated that they did not know the difference between active and latent TB. Among staff who had undergone testing for LTBI, only 33% (75/230 felt adequately informed about the meaning of their test results. Discussion. Hospital staff in general had positive attitudes towards preventive TB treatment, but actual treatment rates were low and perceived knowledge about LTBI was insufficient among a significant proportion of staff. The gap between high support for preventive TB treatment among staff and low treatment rates needs to be addressed. Better education on the concept of LTBI and the meaning of screening test results is required.
The role of appraisal distortion, contempt, and morality in couple conflict: a grounded theory.
Whiting, Jason B
2008-01-01
A common goal of couples' therapy is to help individuals modify their view of each other and the relationship. Distorted views and appraisals contribute to conflict, and these can be manifest by use of rationalization or denial. This study explored appraisal distortion as an evaluative and moral process that occurs during partner conflict, particularly when it becomes contemptuous and aggressive. Using a philosophical base that is grounded in the ethical relationship, a model of appraisal distortion and couple conflict was created using constructivist grounded theory methods. The theoretical concepts derived from the data show relationships between one's relational stance, appraisal distortion, and verbal and physical aggression. This model implies that helping individuals take responsibility for appraisals is important in treating conflict.
Occupational exposure of medical staff due to diagnostic X-ray examinations in veterinary medicine
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mergel, E.; Feige, S.; Haeusler, U.
2007-01-01
The implementation of the Council directive 96/29 EURATOM and the corresponding national Radiation Protection Ordinance and the X-ray Protection Ordinance coming subsequently into effect led to a changed situation regarding the occupational radiation protection in the medical sector. To reduce the occupational exposure of veterinarians and assisting staff in veterinary radiography is particularly challenging as, in opposite to human radiological examination, the presence of staff is indispensable to restrain the patient. Beyond that the relevant literature reports about too high and/or about unnecessary radiation exposures. To gain a comprehensive knowledge upon the possible exposure of involved staff, the variety of typical examination methods in veterinary clinics and at practitioners had been investigated during the daily routine. Dose measurements were performed for different employees during the examinations taking into account several places of exposure (lens, thyroid, chest, hand, gonad, and feet). Veterinary X-ray diagnostic examinations for pets as well as in equine radiography had been accounted for this study. In total, 101 examination methods, 4.484 accompanied examinations and 53.892 single dose readings resulted in a reliable statistical base to set up a 'Job-Exposure-Matrix' allowing the dose assessment for a variable number and kind of examinations. The 'Job-Exposure-Matrix' is believed to be a useful tool for optimization of occupational radiation exposure of veterinarians by appraising the height of a possible dose, forcing a review of the status quo and triggering the improvement of personal protection by establishing adequate measures. (orig.)
Occupational exposure of medical staff due to diagnostic X-ray examinations in veterinary medicine
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Mergel, E.; Feige, S. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH (GRS) (Germany); Haeusler, U. [Bundesamt fuer Strahlenschutz (BfS), Salzgitter (Germany)
2007-07-01
The implementation of the Council directive 96/29 EURATOM and the corresponding national Radiation Protection Ordinance and the X-ray Protection Ordinance coming subsequently into effect led to a changed situation regarding the occupational radiation protection in the medical sector. To reduce the occupational exposure of veterinarians and assisting staff in veterinary radiography is particularly challenging as, in opposite to human radiological examination, the presence of staff is indispensable to restrain the patient. Beyond that the relevant literature reports about too high and/or about unnecessary radiation exposures. To gain a comprehensive knowledge upon the possible exposure of involved staff, the variety of typical examination methods in veterinary clinics and at practitioners had been investigated during the daily routine. Dose measurements were performed for different employees during the examinations taking into account several places of exposure (lens, thyroid, chest, hand, gonad, and feet). Veterinary X-ray diagnostic examinations for pets as well as in equine radiography had been accounted for this study. In total, 101 examination methods, 4.484 accompanied examinations and 53.892 single dose readings resulted in a reliable statistical base to set up a 'Job-Exposure-Matrix' allowing the dose assessment for a variable number and kind of examinations. The 'Job-Exposure-Matrix' is believed to be a useful tool for optimization of occupational radiation exposure of veterinarians by appraising the height of a possible dose, forcing a review of the status quo and triggering the improvement of personal protection by establishing adequate measures. (orig.)
Settles, Isis H; Buchanan, Nicole T; Yap, Stevie C Y; Harrell, Zaje A T
2014-04-01
This study examined data from U.S. military personnel (1,764 men; 4,540 women) to determine whether appraisals of sexual harassment as frightening mediate the relationship between perpetrator characteristics (perpetrator sex and rank) and three psychological/job outcomes (psychological distress, role limitations, and work satisfaction), and whether these relationships were stronger for women than men. Results indicated that frightening appraisals mediated the relationship between perpetrator rank and all outcomes for both sexes. However, frightening appraisals mediated the relationship between perpetrator sex and outcomes only for women. As predicted, having a male perpetrator or a higher status perpetrator was more strongly related to frightening appraisals for women than men. However, unexpectedly, the relationship between frightening appraisals and more psychological distress, more role limitations, and less work satisfaction was stronger for men than women. We discuss the results in terms of expectancy norm violations and sexual harassment as a form of dominance.
Maben, Jill; Adams, Mary; Peccei, Riccardo; Murrells, Trevor; Robert, Glenn
2012-06-01
Few empirical studies have directly examined the relationship between staff experiences of providing healthcare and patient experience. Present concerns over the care of older people in UK acute hospitals - and the reported attitudes of staff in such settings - highlight an important area of study. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES. To examine the links between staff experience of work and patient experience of care in a 'Medicine for Older People' (MfOP) service in England. A mixed methods case study undertaken over 8 months incorporating a 149-item staff survey (66/192 - 34% response rate), a 48-item patient survey (26/111 - 23%), 18 staff interviews, 18 patient and carer interviews and 41 hours of non-participant observation. Variation in patient experience is significantly influenced by staff work experiences. A high-demand/low-control work environment, poor staffing, ward leadership and co-worker relationships can each add to the inherent difficulties staff face when caring for acutely ill older people. Staff seek to alleviate the impact of such difficulties by finding personal satisfaction from caring for 'the poppets'; those patients they enjoy caring for and for whom they feel able to 'make a difference'. Other patients - noting dehumanising aspects of their care - felt like 'parcels'. Patients are aware of being seen by staff as 'difficult' or 'demanding' and seek to manage their relationships with nursing staff accordingly. The work experiences of staff in a MfOP service impacted directly on patient care experience. Poor ward and patient care climates often lead staff to seek job satisfaction through caring for 'poppets', leaving less favoured - and often more complex patients - to receive less personalised care. Implications for practice. Investment in staff well-being and ward climate is essential for the consistent delivery of high-quality care for older people in acute settings. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Personal Audiovisual Aptitude Influences the Interaction Between Landscape and Soundscape Appraisal.
Sun, Kang; Echevarria Sanchez, Gemma M; De Coensel, Bert; Van Renterghem, Timothy; Talsma, Durk; Botteldooren, Dick
2018-01-01
It has been established that there is an interaction between audition and vision in the appraisal of our living environment, and that this appraisal is influenced by personal factors. Here, we test the hypothesis that audiovisual aptitude influences appraisal of our sonic and visual environment. To measure audiovisual aptitude, an auditory deviant detection experiment was conducted in an ecologically valid and complex context. This experiment allows us to distinguish between accurate and less accurate listeners. Additionally, it allows to distinguish between participants that are easily visually distracted and those who are not. To do so, two previously conducted laboratory experiments were re-analyzed. The first experiment focuses on self-reported noise annoyance in a living room context, whereas the second experiment focuses on the perceived pleasantness of using outdoor public spaces. In the first experiment, the influence of visibility of vegetation on self-reported noise annoyance was modified by audiovisual aptitude. In the second one, it was found that the overall appraisal of walking across a bridge is influenced by audiovisual aptitude, in particular when a visually intrusive noise barrier is used to reduce highway traffic noise levels. We conclude that audiovisual aptitude may affect the appraisal of the living environment.
Does Finnish hospital staff job satisfaction vary across occupational groups?
Kvist, Tarja; Mäntynen, Raija; Vehviläinen-Julkunen, Katri
2013-10-02
Job satisfaction of staff is an essential outcome variable in research when describing the work environment of successful hospitals. Numerous studies have evaluated the topic, but few previous studies have assessed the job satisfaction of all staff in hospital settings. It is important to discover if there are any unsatisfied groups of people working in hospitals, the aspects they are unsatisfied with and why. The aim of this study was to evaluate job satisfaction of all staff working at a Finnish university hospital, identify differences in job satisfaction between staff groups, and explore the relationship between their self-evaluated quality of work and job satisfaction. Data were collected from 1424 employees of the hospital using the web-based Kuopio University Job Satisfaction Scale survey instrument in autumn 2010. The research data were analysed by using SPSS 19.0 for Windows. Frequency and percentage distributions, as well as mean values, were used to describe the data. A non-parametric test (Kruskal-Wallis test) was used to determine the significance of differences in scores between different groups of staff members and between quality evaluations. The overall job satisfaction of the employees was good. They rated both motivating factors of their work and work welfare as excellent. The areas causing most dissatisfaction were work demands and participation in decision making. Physicians formed the most satisfied group, nurses and maintenance staff were the least satisfied, and office and administrative staff were fairly satisfied. Staff who rated the quality of work in their units as high usually also considered their job satisfaction to be excellent. Every staff member has an influence on job satisfaction in her/his unit. A culture of participation should be developed and maintained in the units and the whole hospital to ensure that all staff feel they play important roles in the hospital. A university hospital is a complex, continuously changing work
Does Finnish hospital staff job satisfaction vary across occupational groups?
2013-01-01
Background Job satisfaction of staff is an essential outcome variable in research when describing the work environment of successful hospitals. Numerous studies have evaluated the topic, but few previous studies have assessed the job satisfaction of all staff in hospital settings. It is important to discover if there are any unsatisfied groups of people working in hospitals, the aspects they are unsatisfied with and why. The aim of this study was to evaluate job satisfaction of all staff working at a Finnish university hospital, identify differences in job satisfaction between staff groups, and explore the relationship between their self-evaluated quality of work and job satisfaction. Methods Data were collected from 1424 employees of the hospital using the web-based Kuopio University Job Satisfaction Scale survey instrument in autumn 2010. The research data were analysed by using SPSS 19.0 for Windows. Frequency and percentage distributions, as well as mean values, were used to describe the data. A non-parametric test (Kruskal–Wallis test) was used to determine the significance of differences in scores between different groups of staff members and between quality evaluations. Results The overall job satisfaction of the employees was good. They rated both motivating factors of their work and work welfare as excellent. The areas causing most dissatisfaction were work demands and participation in decision making. Physicians formed the most satisfied group, nurses and maintenance staff were the least satisfied, and office and administrative staff were fairly satisfied. Staff who rated the quality of work in their units as high usually also considered their job satisfaction to be excellent. Conclusions Every staff member has an influence on job satisfaction in her/his unit. A culture of participation should be developed and maintained in the units and the whole hospital to ensure that all staff feel they play important roles in the hospital. A university hospital is
Quality Service Standard of Food and Beverage Service Staff in Hotel
Thanasit Suksutdhi
2014-01-01
This survey research aims to study the standard of service quality of food and beverage service staffs in hotel business by studying the service standard of three sample hotels, Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, and Banyan Tree Phuket. In order to find the international service standard of food and beverage service, triangular research, i.e. quantitative, qualitative, and survey were employed. In this research, questionnaires and in-depth interview were used for ge...
OCCUPATIONAL BURNOUT LEVELS OF ACADEMIC STAFF: TURKEY-MALTA STUDY GROUP SAMPLE
Demirtas, Cagri; Kapusuzoglu, Saduman
2016-01-01
The study group of this survey comprises of 185academic staff working in the University, Faculty of Education and Faculty ofEconomics and Administrative Sciences, in Turkey, and Malta University, Facultyof Education and Faculty of Economy, Management and Accounting. This study is adescriptive survey model, in which the assessment tool of Maslach BurnoutInventory is used. The burnout levels of academic personnel are investigated interm of gender, age and Faculty variables. As a result, it was ...
Boyd, Carolyn M; Tuckey, Michelle R; Winefield, Anthony H
2014-02-01
In response to global financial pressures, retail companies have introduced measures to reduce costs by cutting staff allocations to individual outlets. On the basis of interview data from four employees of a large retail organization, this paper employs an ideographic case-study approach to illustrate how the processes linking job characteristics to job-related strain and well-being (e.g. appraisal, action regulation, coping, resource utilization) unfold within four individual workers, as they attempt to manage perceived increases in demands resulting from staff cuts. We highlight the importance that these employees place on their own psychological resources (e.g. self-efficacy) and coping mechanisms (e.g. disengagement) in dealing with these changes, as well as how the perceived availability or absence of job resources (e.g. social support, decision authority, organizational justice) influences their ability to cope with increased demands. We use the insights gained from the case studies to illustrate the value of integrating multiple theoretical perspectives towards achieving a nuanced understanding of the intricacies involved in these experiences and to suggest ways in which the coping capacities of individual employees might be increased. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of knowledge regarding Shaken Baby Syndrome among parents and medical staff.
Marcinkowska, Urszula; Tyrala, Kinga; Paniczek, Monika; Ledwon, Martyna; Josko-Ochojska, Jadwiga
2016-06-08
Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), currently functioning as Abusive Head Trauma (AHT), is a form of violence against children mainly under 2 years of age. The number of SBS might be underestimated, as many cases of violence remain unreported. The aim of the study was evaluation of the state of knowledge of the SBS phenomenon, its scale and diagnostic methods among parents, medical staff and medical students. 639 people were examined: 39% of parents, 32,5% medical staff members and 28,5% of medical students. 82% were women. The average age was 34,9 years (SD=9,78). 70% of them had children. The research tool was an anonymous survey. The 34 questions concerned numerous aspects of violence against children as well as knowledge about SBS. According to 90% of the interviewees shaking a baby may be dangerous but 43% have ever heard about shaken baby syndrome. 'SBS is a form of violence' said 88% of respondents but 57% realize that one-time shaking can lead to death and only 19% indicated men as aggressors. 16% of medical staff members did not know how long it takes for the consequences of shaking a baby to be revealed. Majority of the medical staff members working with children have never heard about SBS. Only half of the surveyed understands the connection of shaking with vision loss or child's death. Among the long-term consequences of shaking a baby the greatest knowledge concerns emotional consequences of shaking.
AECB staff annual report on Pickering NGS for the year 1989
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1990-06-01
This report presents a review of major licensing issues and the operational performance of Pickering NGS-A (Units 1-4) and Pickering NGS-B (Units 5-8) by the staff of the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) during 1989. Operations are monitored to ensure compliance with licensing requirements. This report is limited to those aspects that AECB staff consider to have particular safety significance. The number of infractions of the operating licence and the AECB Regulations doubled in 1989 compared to 1988. Three workers were exposed to radiation doses in excess of the regulatory limits. The AECB also found inadequate procedural compliance and an unacceptable level of housekeeping. Performance also requires improvement in response to AECB Health Physics appraisals; surveillance of systems by the Technical Section; chemical control performance; response to outstanding AECB action items; availability of special safety systems; operating memos, jumper records, call-ups and deficiency reports in effect; and fire fighting capability. Ontario Hydro has initiated a number of programs that are expected to result in improvements in these areas: an in-service station quality improvement plan; a program to improve and give assurance of compliance with the AECB Regulations, the operating licenses and the Operating Policies and Principles; a housekeeping and material condition improvement plan; and an action plan undertaken following radiation over-exposures. Given adequate resources and management support these programs should result in a noticeable improvement in station performance in 1990
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Carsten Lausberg
2013-08-01
Full Text Available Real estate appraisal is usually regarded as both a science and an art: “science” because the appraiser uses mathematical calculations and other objective elements, “art” because he also uses his experience and other subjective elements. This dual character requires—among others—that new insights from other disciplines and current trends are taken into account. The central proposition of the article is that this requirement is not met. The author provides evidence that real estate risk management has made tremendous progress since the mid-1990s which has not found its way into appraisal practice, thereby creating a situation where appraisals by risk analysts differ greatly from appraisals by real estate appraisers. According to the author the gap between real estate appraisal and risk analysis should be closed from both sides. The article begins with an overview of the most important trends which will impact real estate values in the future. From these trends, an exemplary economic scenario for European real estate markets is derived in order to demonstrate that scenario writing is a powerful tool for risk management. After that the author discusses some other methods of risk management and their potential benefits for real estate appraisal.
Communication Efficacy and Couples’ Cancer Management: Applying a Dyadic Appraisal Model
Magsamen-Conrad, Kate; Checton, Maria G.; Venetis, Maria K.; Greene, Kathryn
2014-01-01
The purpose of the present study was to apply Berg and Upchurch’s (2007) developmental-conceptual model to understand better how couples cope with cancer. Specifically, we hypothesized a dyadic appraisal model in which proximal factors (relational quality), dyadic appraisal (prognosis uncertainty), and dyadic coping (communication efficacy) predicted adjustment (cancer management). The study was cross-sectional and included 83 dyads in which one partner had been diagnosed with and/or treated for cancer. For both patients and partners, multilevel analyses using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) indicated that proximal contextual factors predicted dyadic appraisal and dyadic coping. Dyadic appraisal predicted dyadic coping, which then predicted dyadic adjustment. Patients’ confidence in their ability to talk about the cancer predicted their own cancer management. Partners’ confidence predicted their own and the patient’s ability to cope with cancer, which then predicted patients’ perceptions of their general health. Implications and future research are discussed. PMID:25983382
Why is discrimination stressful? The mediating role of cognitive appraisal.
King, Kimberly R
2005-08-01
This study attempts to shed light on past findings that experiences of racial and gender discrimination are associated with poor psychological and physical health outcomes by investigating the role of cognitive appraisal as a mediator of the relationship between experiences of discrimination and affective stress reactions. African American female college students (N = 115) imagined themselves in an audiotaped scenario in which they overheard 2 European American male classmates make negative evaluations of them. Participants then completed measures of causal attributions, cognitive appraisal, and affective stress reactions. Multiple regression analyses supported the hypotheses that attributions to racism and to discrimination that combines racism and sexism were associated with increased stress reactions. This relationship was mediated by cognitive appraisals of centrality. (c) 2005 APA
Hospital staff responses to workplace violence in a psychiatric hospital in Taiwan.
Chen, Wen-Ching; Hwu, Hai-Gwo; Wang, Jung-Der
2009-01-01
We surveyed 222 nurses, nursing assistants, and clerks at a psychiatric hospital in Taiwan on responses to workplace violence, treatment of violent patients, and reporting behavior. Staff reported 78 incidents of physical violence (PV), 113 of verbal abuse (VA), 35 of bullying/ mobbing (BM), 21 of sexual harassment (SH), and 10 of racial harassment (RH) over the course of one year. Among affected staff, only 31% of those experiencing PV and consequences, especially for BM, and shame for SH. Reliable systems for responding to and reporting patient violence should be developed.
Brown, Theresa C; Fry, Mary D
2014-06-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between members' perceptions of staffs behaviors, motivational climate, their own behaviors, commitment to future exercise, and life satisfaction in a group-fitness setting. The theory-driven hypothesized mediating role of perceptions of the climate was also tested. Members (N = 5,541) of a national group-fitness studio franchise completed a survey regarding their class experiences. The survey included questions that measured participants' perceptions of the motivational climate (caring, task-involving, ego-involving), perceptions of staff's behaviors, their own behaviors, commitment to exercise, and life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling was used to assess both the association between variables and the theoretically driven predictive relationships. The participants perceived the environment as highly caring and task-involving and low ego-involving. They reported high exercise commitment and moderately high life satisfaction and perceived that the staffs and their own behaviors reflected caring, task-involving characteristics. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that those who perceived a higher caring, task-involving climate and lower ego-involving climate were more likely to report more task-involving, caring behaviors among the staff and themselves as well as greater commitment to exercise. In addition, a theory-driven mediational model suggested that staff behaviors may be an antecedent to members' exercise experiences by impacting their perceptions of the climate. The results of this study give direction to specific behaviors in which staff of group-fitness programs might engage to positively influence members' exercise experiences.
Henderson, Amanda; Burmeister, Liz; Schoonbeek, Sue; Ossenberg, Christine; Gneilding, Julieanne
2014-11-01
This study evaluated the impact of different levels of engaging middle management in ward based strategies implemented by a project educator. The challenge for learning in practice is to develop effective teams where experienced staff engage and foster learning with students and other novice staff. A quasi-experimental pre- and post- intervention four group design was conducted from November 2009 to May 2010 across four general surgical and four general medical inpatient matched units in two settings in South East Queensland, Australia. Staff survey data was used to compare control and intervention groups (one actively engaging nurse managers) before and after 'practice learning' interventions. The survey comprised demographic data and data from two validated scales (support instrument for nurses facilitating learning and clinical learning organisational culture). Number of surveys returned pre- and post-intervention was 336 from 713 (47%). There were significant differences across many subscales pertaining to staff perception of support in the intervention groups, with only one change in the control group. The number of significant different subscales in the learning culture was also greater when middle management supported the intervention. Middle management should work closely with facilitators to assist embedding practice interventions. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ewings Paul E
2004-12-01
Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Critical appraisal skills are believed to play a central role in an evidence-based approach to health practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and costs of a critical appraisal skills educational intervention aimed at health care professionals. Methods This prospective controlled trial randomized 145 self-selected general practitioners, hospital physicians, professions allied to medicine, and healthcare managers/administrators from the South West of England to a half-day critical appraisal skills training workshop (based on the model of problem-based small group learning or waiting list control. The following outcomes were assessed at 6-months follow up: knowledge of the principles necessary for appraising evidence; attitudes towards the use of evidence about healthcare; evidence seeking behaviour; perceived confidence in appraising evidence; and ability to critically appraise a systematic review article. Results At follow up overall knowledge score [mean difference: 2.6 (95% CI: 0.6 to 4.6] and ability to appraise the results of a systematic review [mean difference: 1.2 (95% CI: 0.01 to 2.4] were higher in the critical skills training group compared to control. No statistical significant differences in overall attitude towards evidence, evidence seeking behaviour, perceived confidence, and other areas of critical appraisal skills ability (methodology or generalizability were observed between groups. Taking into account the workshop provision costs and costs of participants time and expenses of participants, the average cost of providing the critical appraisal workshops was approximately £250 per person. Conclusions The findings of this study challenge the policy of funding 'one-off' educational interventions aimed at enhancing the evidence-based practice of health care professionals. Future evaluations of evidence-based practice interventions need to take in account this trial's negative findings
Baade, Peter; Youl, Philippa; Aitken, Joanne; Occhipinti, Stefano; Vinod, Shalini; Valery, Patricia C.; Garvey, Gail; Fong, Kwun M.; Ball, David; Zorbas, Helen; Dunn, Jeff; O'Connell, Dianne L.
2015-01-01
Abstract Objective Health‐related stigma is associated with negative psychological and quality of life outcomes in lung cancer patients. This study describes the impact of stigma on lung cancer patients' psychological distress and quality of life and explores the role of social constraints and illness appraisal as mediators of effect. Methods A self‐administered cross‐sectional survey examined psychological distress and quality of life in 151 people (59% response rate) diagnosed with lung cancer from Queensland and New South Wales. Health‐related stigma, social constraints and illness appraisals were assessed as predictors of adjustment outcomes. Results Forty‐nine percent of patients reported elevated anxiety; 41% were depressed; and 51% had high global distress. Health‐related stigma was significantly related to global psychological distress and quality of life with greater stigma and shame related to poorer outcomes. These effects were mediated by illness appraisals and social constraints. Conclusions Health‐related stigma appears to contribute to poorer adjustment by constraining interpersonal discussions about cancer and heightening feelings of threat. There is a need for the development and evaluation of interventions to ameliorate the negative effects of health‐related stigma among lung cancer patients. © 2015 The Authors. Psycho‐Oncology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. PMID:25920906
Cheema, Jehanzeb R.; Asrar-ul-Haq, Muhammad
2017-01-01
Prior research has suggested that staff-centred organisational factors such as participation, morale and shortage can have a significant effect on organisational outcomes. However, relatively little attention has been paid to cross-country examination of these relationships specifically for educational organisations such as schools, colleges, and…
Staff assignment practices in nursing homes: review of the literature.
Rahman, Anna; Straker, Jane K; Manning, Lydia
2009-01-01
Consistent assignment, whereby nursing home staff members, particularly certified nurse aides, are assigned to the same residents on most shifts, is increasingly viewed as a cornerstone of culture change in nursing homes. It has been advocated as a best-care model that increases residents' quality of life while contributing to a more stable frontline staff. Given these potential benefits, consistent assignment is now widely viewed as superior to rotating assignment, an alternative staffing model that aims to distribute care burden more fairly among staff and ensure that workers are familiar with most residents. Despite favorable anecdotal reports about the benefits of consistent assignment, the research literature reports mixed and sometimes contradictory findings for this staffing practice. This article reviews the research pertaining to staff assignment practices in nursing homes. Reviewed here are 13 reports on experimental trials (6 reports), evaluation research (4 reports), and nursing home surveys (3 reports). The review reveals broad diversity in staffing practices and raises questions that challenge popular assumptions about consistent assignment. The article closes with a discussion of the research, policy, and practice implications of the research findings.
Chamberlain, Stephanie A; Gruneir, Andrea; Hoben, Matthias; Squires, Janet E; Cummings, Greta G; Estabrooks, Carole A
2017-06-01
Our study examined care aide characteristics, organizational context, and frequency of dementia-related resident responsive behaviours associated with burnout. Burnout is the experience of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and professional inefficacy. Care aide burnout has implications for turnover, staff health, and quality of care. We used surveys collected from 1194 care aides from 30 urban nursing homes in three Western Canadian provinces. We used a mixed-effects regression analysis to assess care aide characteristics, dementia-related responsive behaviours, unit and facility characteristics, and organizational context predictors of care aide burnout. We measured burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Short Form. We found that care aides were at high risk for emotional exhaustion and cynicism, but report high professional efficacy. Statistically significant predictors of emotional exhaustion included English as a second language, medium facility size, organizational slack-staff, organizational slack-space, health (mental and physical) and dementia-related responsive behaviours. Statistically significant predictors of cynicism were care aide age, English as a second language, unit culture, evaluation (feedback of data), formal interactions, health (mental and physical) and dementia-related responsive behaviours. Statistically significant predictors of professional efficacy were unit culture and structural resources. Greater care aide job satisfaction was significantly associated with increased professional efficacy. This study suggests that individual care aide and organization features are both predictive of care aide burnout. Unlike care aide or structural characteristics of the facility elements of the organizational context are potentially modifiable, and therefore amenable to intervention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Delegation and Staff Commitment in the School of Finance and ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between Delegation of Authority and Staff Commitment in the School of Finance and Banking in Kigali Rwanda. A cross-sectional survey design was used with the target sample size of 97 out of 130 parent population. The total number of questionnaires that were ...
Sources of Social Support After Patient Assault as Related to Staff Well-Being.
Kelly, Erin L; Fenwick, Karissa M; Brekke, John S; Novaco, Raymond W
2017-10-01
Patient assault is a serious issue for the well-being of staff in psychiatric hospitals. To guide workplace responses to patient assault, more information is needed about social support from different sources and whether those supports are associated with staff well-being. The present study examines social support after patient assault from work-based and nonwork-based sources, and whether inpatient psychiatric staff desires support from them and perceive the support received as being effective. Received support across sources was examined in relations to staff well-being (physical health, mental health, anger, sleep quality) and perceptions of safety. Survey data was collected from 348 clinical staff in a large public forensic mental hospital. Among the 242 staff who reported an assault in the last year, 71% wanted support and 72% found effective support from at least one source. Generally, effective support from supervisors, coworkers, and their combination was associated with better well-being. Support from nonwork sources was related to less concerns about safety, but not to other well-being measures. However, 28% of staff did not receive effective support from any source postassault. Gaps in support as reported in this study and as found by other investigators call for systematic programming by hospital organizations to enhance the well-being of clinical staff, which in turn has implications for patient care.
Appraisal Psychology, Neurobiology, and Language.
Schumann, John H.
2001-01-01
Proposes that the confluence of stimulus appraisal and social cognition that is effected by the neural system in the brain has important implications for language and learning theories. Describes the anatomy and functions of this neural system and discusses how it may operate in motivation for second language acquisition and how in conjunction…
Kaur, Jasjit; Stone, Patricia W; Travers, Jasmine L; Cohen, Catherine C; Herzig, Carolyn T A
2017-09-01
Health care-associated infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in US nursing home residents. Ongoing training of nursing home staff is vital to the implementation of infection prevention and control processes. Our aim was to describe associations between methods, frequency, and timing of staff infection prevention and control training and infection-related quality measures. In this national survey of nursing homes, timing of staff infection prevention and control training was associated with reduced indwelling urinary catheter use. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Panesar, Narinder; Valachova, Iveta; Schmidtman, Robert; Chan, Daniel Kam Yin
2018-02-01
The study aimed to survey hospital staff knowledge of the application of the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW) (MHA) and the Guardianship Act 1987 (NSW) (GA) in the care and treatment of older persons in a teaching hospital in Sydney. Method Over a two-month period in 2017, a survey questionnaire was distributed to staff involved in older persons' care across the hospital. The majority of the hospital staff demonstrated basic theoretical knowledge of both the GA (76%) and of the MHA (84.5%). Fewer (64.5%) appeared to understand the practical application of the MHA in the hypothetical clinical situations. An even lower proportion of staff appeared to understand the application of the GA either to obtain consent for medical treatment or to appoint a guardian through the Guardianship Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). Although clinical staff of the hospital displayed fair knowledge and awareness about the application of the MHA and the GA to inpatient care of older adults, further education is necessary, particularly about the application of the GA. The authors suggest similar findings may occur at other New South Wales hospitals, which may raise concern and need for education.
Staff Association
2014-01-01
Remove of the staff association office The Staff Association offices are going to be renovated during the coming four months, February to May 2014. The physical move from our current premises 64/R-002 to our temporary office in 510/R-010 will take place on Friday January 31st, so the Secretariat will be closed on that day. Hence, from Monday February 3rd until the end of May 2014 the Staff Association Secretariat will be located in 510/R-010 (entrance just across the CERN Printshop).
The Roles of Dyadic Appraisal and Coping in Couples With Lung Cancer.
Lyons, Karen S; Miller, Lyndsey M; McCarthy, Michael J
2016-11-01
Given the high symptom burden and low survivability of lung cancer, patients and their spouses have been found to experience poor mental health. The current study examined the roles of dyadic appraisal and dyadic coping on the mental health of 78 couples living with non-small cell lung cancer. Multilevel modeling revealed that spouses, on average, reported significantly worse mental health than patients. Dyadic appraisal and dyadic coping played important roles in predicting mental health, controlling for known developmental and contextual covariates. Dyadic appraisal of the patient's pain and fatigue was significantly associated with spouse mental health, albeit in opposite directions. Dyadic coping significantly predicted patient mental health. The study underlines the need to incorporate routine screening of both patient and spouse mental health, and highlights the complex role of appraisal within the couple in a life-threatening context. Viewing the couple as a unit, rather than separate individuals, raises important awareness about the role of disparate illness appraisals and coping strategies within the dyad on the health of both members. Nurses are particularly well situated to engage in a collaborative family-focused approach to the couple with cancer that promotes communication and health. © The Author(s) 2016.
Impact of relational coordination on staff and patient outcomes in outpatient surgical clinics.
Gittell, Jody Hoffer; Logan, Caroline; Cronenwett, Jack; Foster, Tina C; Freeman, Richard; Godfrey, Marjorie; Vidal, Dale Collins
2018-01-05
Pressures are increasing for clinicians to provide high-quality, efficient care, leading to increased concerns about staff burnout. This study asks whether staff well-being can be achieved in ways that are also beneficial for the patient's experience of care. It explores whether relational coordination can contribute to both staff well-being and patient satisfaction in outpatient surgical clinics where time constraints paired with high needs for information transfer increase both the need for and the challenge of achieving timely and accurate communication. We studied relational coordination among surgeons, nurses, residents, administrators, technicians, and secretaries in 11 outpatient surgical clinics. Data were combined from a staff and a patient survey to conduct a cross-sectional study. Data were analyzed using ordinary least squares and random effects regression models. Relational coordination among all workgroups was significantly associated with staff outcomes, including job satisfaction, work engagement, and burnout. Relational coordination was also significantly associated with patients' satisfaction with staff and their overall visit, though the association between relational coordination and patients' satisfaction with their providers did not reach statistical significance. Even when patient-staff interactions are relatively brief, as in outpatient settings, high levels of relational coordination among interdependent workgroups contribute to positive outcomes for both staff and patients, and low levels tend to have the opposite effect. Clinical leaders can increase the expectation of positive outcomes for both staff and their patients by implementing interventions to strengthen relational coordination.
Mikkola, Riitta; Huhtala, Heini; Paavilainen, Eija
2017-10-01
To describe fear, the threats causing fear and the occurrence of fear among emergency department nursing staff and physicians. The emergency department is a challenging workplace where the staff is often confronted by factors that cause fear. A cross-sectional study. A survey was conducted in 16 hospitals (n = 544). Nurses, practical nurses, orderlies and physicians from those hospitals participated in the survey. The survey questionnaire was based on the analysis of interviews of 30 nurses from one university hospital and one central hospital. The results of the interviews were analysed using the inductive content analysis method. The analysis of the survey was performed using statistical methods, such as frequencies, cross-tabulation and principal component analysis. The results showed that nearly all of the emergency department personnel had experienced work-related fear. Generally, the fear had been momentary. According to the survey results, fear was most often caused by medication errors, the resuscitation of a child, a catastrophic accident, urgent or violent situations or patients armed with weapons. Threats that caused fear included insecurity, danger in the work environment, threat of loss of one's health and threat of the consequences of one's mistakes and actions. The staff of emergency departments often encountered factors or situations that caused fear. The main threats causing fear that were raised by the respondents were insecurity and danger in the work environment. The data obtained from this study can be utilised in identifying and describing work-related fear and threats of fear among emergency department nursing staff and physicians. Based on the information herein, it will be possible to develop methods to prevent situations that cause fear in emergency departments. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Maintenance of Physical Activity among Faculty and Staff in University Settings
Whipple, Kerry; Kinney, Judy; Kattenbraker, Mark
2008-01-01
Previous studies have placed little emphasis on maintenance of healthy behaviors longer than six months. This study examined factors that contribute to maintenance of physical activity among faculty and staff in university settings. A 55-item survey on physical activity maintenance was used to assess attitudes towards exercise, exercise…
Sex differences in the appraisal of traumatic events and psychopathology.
Kucharska, Justyna
2017-09-01
The current study is an investigation of the relationship between the appraisal of traumatic events and mental disorder symptoms: internalizing symptoms and externalizing/substance-abuse symptoms. Cumulative trauma over the lifetime was taken into account. Also, specific effects related to traumatic events of various types (i.e., betrayal trauma, accident involving a family member, physical violence, and natural disaster) were assessed. Participants, 190 young men and 277 young women, were asked to evaluate the strength with which the traumatic event impacted their lives. It was hypothesized that the relationship between traumatic experiences and mental disorder symptoms would be stronger in women than in men, and also that cognitive appraisal, in interaction with gender, would be related to the severity of the symptoms. Women showed higher levels of internalizing symptoms, but lower levels of externalizing/substance-abuse symptoms than men. Still, the correlation between cumulative trauma and both types of symptoms was stronger in women. For all types of trauma, women reported a stronger negative appraisal of the event than men. Interaction of sex and cognitive appraisal was demonstrated to be related to the severity of internalizing disorders. In the present study, women, as compared with men, evaluated traumatic events more negatively (for all types of trauma) and the relationship between trauma and mental disorder symptoms was also stronger in women. These results show the importance of the appraisal of trauma in the development of psychiatric symptoms in women and men following trauma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).
Medical staff involvement in nursing homes: development of a conceptual model and research agenda.
Shield, Renée; Rosenthal, Marsha; Wetle, Terrie; Tyler, Denise; Clark, Melissa; Intrator, Orna
2014-02-01
Medical staff (physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians' assistants) involvement in nursing homes (NH) is limited by professional guidelines, government policies, regulations, and reimbursements, creating bureaucratic burden. The conceptual NH Medical Staff Involvement Model, based on our mixed-methods research, applies the Donabedian "structure-process-outcomes" framework to the NH, identifying measures for a coordinated research agenda. Quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews conducted with medical directors, administrators and directors of nursing, other experts, residents and family members and Minimum Data Set, the Online Certification and Reporting System and Medicare Part B claims data related to NH structure, process, and outcomes were analyzed. NH control of medical staff, or structure, affects medical staff involvement in care processes and is associated with better outcomes (e.g., symptom management, appropriate transitions, satisfaction). The model identifies measures clarifying the impact of NH medical staff involvement on care processes and resident outcomes and has strong potential to inform regulatory policies.
SCAMPI Lead Appraiser (Service Mark) Body of Knowledge (SLA BOK)
2007-10-01
University. 34 | CMU/SEI-2007-TR-019 CC 3 Project Planning and Management Moeller, Robert R. COSO Enterprise Risk Management : Understanding the...appraisal participants) to specific amounts of time when the sponsor agrees to having the appraisal. CMP 3.1.2 Employing risk management techniques...contingency and management reserves appropriately • Ensuring the risk management strategy accounts for the OU’s process improvement history • Assessing
A Survey on Dementia Training Needs among Staff at Community-Based Outpatient Clinics
Adler, Geri; Lawrence, Briana M.; Ounpraseuth, Songthip T.; Asghar-Ali, Ali Abbas
2015-01-01
Dementia is a major public health concern. Educating health-care providers about dementia warning signs, diagnosis, and management is paramount to fostering clinical competence and improving patient outcomes. The objective of this project was to describe and identify educational and training needs of staff at community-based outpatient clinics…
Associations of Coping and Appraisal Styles with Emotion Regulation during Preadolescence
Zalewski, Maureen; Lengua, Liliana J.; Wilson, Anna C.; Trancik, Anika; Bazinet, Alissa
2011-01-01
We investigated the associations of appraisal and coping styles with emotion regulation in a community sample of preadolescents (N = 196, 9-12 years of age), with appraisal, coping styles, and emotion regulation measured at a single time point. In a previous study, we identified five frustration and four anxiety emotion regulation profiles based…
Abraham, Louisa J; Thom, Ogilvie; Greenslade, Jaimi H; Wallis, Marianne; Johnston, Amy Nb; Carlström, Eric; Mills, Donna; Crilly, Julia
2018-06-01
Clinical staff in EDs are subject to a range of stressors. The objective of this study was to describe and compare clinical staff perceptions of their ED's working environment across two different Australian EDs. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, research design that included distribution of three survey tools to clinical staff in two Australian EDs in 2016. Descriptive statistics were reported to characterise workplace stressors, coping styles and the ED environment. These data were compared by hospital and the employee's clinical role (nurse or physician). In total, 146 ED nurses and doctors completed the survey (response rate: 67%). Despite geographical variation, the staff at the two locations had similar demographic profiles in terms of age, sex and years of experience. Staff reported moderate levels of workload and self-realisation but low levels of conflict or nervousness in the workplace. Nurses and physicians reported similar perceptions of the work environment, although nurses reported slightly higher median levels of workload. Staff rated the death or sexual abuse of a child as most stressful, followed by workplace violence and heavy workload. Staff used a large range of coping strategies, and these were similar across both sites. These findings are the first multi-site and multidisciplinary examinations of Australian ED staff perceptions, improving our understanding of staff stressors and coping strategies and highlighting similarities across different EDs. These data support the development and implementation of strategies to improve ED working environments to help ensure professional longevity of ED staff. © 2018 The Authors. Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.
Public Library Staff as Community Health Partners: Training Program Design and Evaluation.
Morgan, Anna U; D'Alonzo, Bernadette A; Dupuis, Roxanne; Whiteman, Eliza D; Kallem, Stacey; McClintock, Autumn; Fein, Joel A; Klusaritz, Heather; Cannuscio, Carolyn C
2018-05-01
Public libraries are free and open to all-and accessed at high rates by vulnerable populations-which positions them to be key public health allies. However, library staff themselves often feel ill-equipped to address the health and social concerns of their patrons. To fill this gap, we developed a case-based training curriculum to help library staff recognize, engage, and refer vulnerable patrons to appropriate resources. Topics addressed in the training, including homelessness, mental health and substance use disorders, immigration, and trauma, were selected based on findings from a prior community needs assessment. Using a modified measure of self-efficacy, participants ( n = 33) were surveyed before and after each session. Several participants ( n = 7) were also interviewed 4 months after the training was completed. Overall, staff reported significant increases in comfort, confidence, and preparedness in assisting vulnerable patrons across all topic areas. Qualitative findings reflected positive perceived impact and value of the trainings. Staff felt training resources should be made more readily accessible. Improving library staff capacity to address the health and social needs of their patrons can further establish public libraries as partners in improving population health.
12 CFR 225.66 - Professional association membership; competency.
2010-01-01
... appraiser may not be excluded from consideration for an assignment for a federally related transaction...) Competency. All staff and fee appraisers performing appraisals in connection with federally related... relate to the particular appraisal assignment for which he or she is being considered. ...
Batra, Peter; Aquilino, Mary L; Farris, Karen B
2015-01-01
To evaluate pharmacy staff perspectives of a 2-year pharmacy intervention aimed at reducing unintended pregnancy in 18- to 30-year-old women. Pharmacy staff completed a 48-item, self-administered paper survey consisting of scaled and open-ended questions. 55 community pharmacies in 12 Iowa counties. All pharmacy staff participated, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and other pharmacy employees. Online continuing education (CE) training was made available to all pharmacy staff. Promotional materials including posters, brochures, and shelf talkers were displayed in all of the pharmacies. Pharmacy staff perceptions and self-reported behaviors related to displaying posters, brochures, and shelf talkers in their pharmacies and providing contraceptive information and counseling to patients/customers. A total of 192 (43% return rate) pharmacy staff responded. Only 44% of respondents consistently provided contraceptive information and counseling, yet more than 90% felt that talking with patients/customers about contraceptives was easy, and more than 50% could do so privately. The study showed increased pharmacy staff desire to make this topic a priority. Community pharmacy staff can play a key role in educating and counseling young adult women about contraceptive health and pregnancy planning. This study indicates that staff are comfortable providing this service and that patients/customers are open to receiving guidance from pharmacists. However, pharmacy staff are missing additional opportunities to provide information and counseling. There is also a need for greater attention to provision of nonprescription contraceptive education.
Staff Performance Analysis: A Method for Identifying Brigade Staff Tasks
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Ford, Laura
1997-01-01
... members of conventional mounted brigade staff. Initial analysis of performance requirements in existing documentation revealed that the performance specifications were not sufficiently detailed for brigade battle staffs...
Makhumula-Nkhoma, Nellie; Whittaker, Vicki; McSherry, Robert
2015-02-01
To investigate the association between confidence level in venepuncture and knowledge in determining causes of blood sample haemolysis among clinical staff and phlebotomists. Various collection methods are used to perform venepuncture, also called phlebotomy, the act of drawing blood from a patient using a needle. The collection method used has an impact on preanalytical blood sample haemolysis. Haemolysis is the breakdown of red blood cells, which makes the sample unsuitable. Despite available evidence on the common causes, extensive literature search showed a lack of published evidence on the association of haemolysis with staff confidence and knowledge. A quantitative primary research design using survey method. A purposive sample of 290 clinical staff and phlebotomists conducting venepuncture in one North England hospital participated in this quantitative survey. A three-section web-based questionnaire comprising demographic profile, confidence and competence levels, and knowledge sections was used to collect data in 2012. The chi-squared test for independence was used to compare the distribution of responses for categorical data. anova was used to determine mean difference in the knowledge scores of staff with different confidence levels. Almost 25% clinical staff and phlebotomists participated in the survey. There was an increase in confidence at the last venepuncture among staff of all categories. While doctors' scores were higher compared with healthcare assistants', p ≤ 0·001, nurses' were of wide range and lowest. There was no statistically significant difference (at the 5% level) in the total knowledge scores and confidence level at the last venepuncture F(2,4·690) = 1·67, p = 0·31 among staff of all categories. Evidence-based measures are required to boost staff knowledge base of preanalytical blood sample haemolysis for standardised and quality service. Monitoring and evaluation of the training, conducting and monitoring haemolysis rate are
Staff Association
2011-01-01
Elections to fill all seats in the Staff Council are being organized this month. The voting takes place from the 31st of October to the 14th of November, at noon. As you may have noted when reading Echo, many issues concerning our employment conditions are on the agenda of the coming months and will keep the next Staff Council very busy. So, make your voice heard and take part in the elections for a new Staff Council. By doing so, you will be encouraging the men and women who will be representing you over the next two years and they will doubtless appreciate your gratitude. Every member of the Staff Association will have received an email containing a link to the webpage which will allow voting. If you are a member of the Staff Association and you did not receive such an email, please contact the Staff Association secretariat (staff.association@cern.ch). Do not forget to vote * * * * * * * Vote Make your voice heard and be many to elect the new Staff Council. More details on the election...
Pisanti, Renato; Lombardo, Caterina; Luszczynska, Aleksandra; Poli, Luca; Bennardi, Linda; Giordanengo, Luca; Berloco, Pasquale Bartolomeo; Violani, Cristiano
2017-10-01
This study examined the relations between appraisal of transplant-related stressors, coping, and adjustment dimensions following kidney transplantation (KT). Two models were tested: (1) the main effects model proposing that stress appraisal and coping strategies are directly associated with adjustment dimensions; and (2) the moderating model of stress proposing that each coping strategy interacts with stress appraisal. Importantly, there is a lack of research examining the two models simultaneously among recipients of solid organ transplantation. A total of 174 KT recipients completed the questionnaires. Predictors of post-transplant adjustment included appraisal of transplant-related stressors and coping strategies (task-, emotion-, and avoidance-focused). Adjustment dimensions were psychological distress, worries about the transplant, feelings of guilt, fear of disclosure of transplant, adherence, and responsibility for the functioning of the new organ. The main and moderating effects were tested with regression analyses. Appraisal of transplant-related stressors and emotion-oriented coping were related to all adjustment dimensions, except of adherence and responsibility. Task-oriented coping was positively related to responsibility. Avoidance-oriented coping was negatively correlated with adherence. Only 1 out of 18 hypothesized interactive terms was significant, yielding a synergistic interaction between appraisal of transplant-related stressors and emotion-oriented coping on the sense of guilt. The findings have the potential to inform interventions promoting psychosocial adjustment among KT recipients. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Henderson, Amanda; Schoonbeek, Sue; Ossenberg, Christine; Caddick, Alison; Wing, Diane; Capell, Lorna; Gould, Karen
2014-06-01
To critically analyse the success of staff's behaviour changes in the practice setting. Facilitators were employed to initiate and facilitate a four-step process (optimism, overcoming obstacles, oversight and reinforcing outcomes) that fostered development of behaviours consistent with learning in everyday practice. Many studies seek to engage staff in workplace behaviour improvement. The success of such studies is highly variable. Little is known about the work of the facilitator in ensuring success. Understanding the contextual factors that contribute to effective facilitation of workplace improvement is essential to ensure best use of resources. Mixed methods Facilitators employed a four-step process - optimism, overcoming obstacles, oversight and reinforcing outcomes - to stage behaviour change implementation. The analysis of staff engagement in behaviour changes was assessed through weekly observation of workplaces, informal discussions with staff and facilitator diaries. The impact of behaviour change was informed through pre- and postsurveys on staff's perception across three midwifery sites. Surveys measured (1) midwives' perception of support for their role in facilitating learning (Support Instrument for Nurses Facilitating the Learning of Others) and (2) development of a learning culture in midwifery practice settings (Clinical Learning Organisational Culture Survey). Midwives across three sites completed the presurvey (n = 216) and postsurvey (n = 90). Impact varied according to the degree that facilitators were able to progress teams through four stages necessary for change (OOORO). Statistically significant results were apparent in two subscales important for supporting staff, namely teamwork and acknowledgement; in the two areas, facilitators worked through 'obstacles' and coached staff in performing the desired behaviours and rewarded them for their success. Elements of the learning culture also statistically improved in one site. Findings suggest
Secondhand smoke in psychiatric units: patient and staff misperceptions.
Ballbè, Montse; Sureda, Xisca; Martínez-Sánchez, Jose M; Fu, Marcela; Saltó, Esteve; Gual, Antoni; Fernández, Esteve
2015-10-01
Mental health units have usually been exempted from complete smoke-free policies. The aim of this study was to compare the self-reported level of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) of patients and staff in psychiatric units to objective measures, and examine preference for different types of smoking bans. Cross-sectional survey about ban preferences and self-reported exposure to SHS by means of a self-administered questionnaire administered to patients and staff from 65 inpatient psychiatric units in Catalonia (95.5% of all units). We measured air concentrations of particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5 in µg/m(3)) as a marker of SHS in these units. 600 patients and 575 professionals completed the questionnaire. 78.7% of them were objectively exposed to SHS (PM2.5>10 μm/m(3)) but 56.9% of patients and 33.6% of staff believed they were not exposed at all and 41.6% of patients and 28.4% of staff believed the environment was not at all unhealthy. Nurses had a higher smoking prevalence than psychiatrists (35.8% vs 17.2%; psmoke-free bans. It is particularly noteworthy that less that one-third of mental health staff supported smoke-free units, suggesting an urgent need for further education about the harmful health effects of SHS. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
Critical appraisal of nonrandomized studies-A review of recommended and commonly used tools.
Quigley, Joan M; Thompson, Juliette C; Halfpenny, Nicholas J; Scott, David A
2018-02-27
When randomized controlled trial data are limited or unavailable, or to supplement randomized controlled trial evidence, health technology assessment (HTA) agencies may rely on systematic reviews of nonrandomized studies (NRSs) for evidence of the effectiveness of health care interventions. NRS designs may introduce considerable bias into systematic reviews, and several methodologies by which to evaluate this risk of bias are available. This study aimed to identify tools commonly used to assess bias in NRS and determine those recommended by HTA bodies. Appraisal tools used in NRS were identified through a targeted search of systematic reviews (January 2013-March 2017; MEDLINE and EMBASE [OVID SP]). Recommendations for the critical appraisal of NRS by expert review groups and HTA bodies were reviewed. From the 686 studies included in the narrative synthesis, 48 critical appraisal tools were identified. Commonly used tools included the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, the methodological index for NRS, and bespoke appraisal tools. Neither the Cochrane Handbook nor the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination recommends a particular instrument for the assessment of risk of bias in NRS, although Cochrane has recently developed their own NRS critical appraisal tool. Among HTA bodies, only the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health recommends use of a specific critical appraisal tool-SIGN 50 (for cohort or case-control studies). Several criteria including reporting, external validity, confounding, and power were examined. There is no consensus between HTA groups on the preferred appraisal tool. Reviewers should select from a suite of tools on the basis of the design of studies included in their review. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.