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Sample records for unit checklist located

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-10-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2009-10-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2015-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-08-01

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

  5. A cluster-randomised trial of a multifaceted quality improvement intervention in Brazilian intensive care units (Checklist-ICU trial): statistical analysis plan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damiani, Lucas P; Cavalcanti, Alexandre B; Moreira, Frederico R; Machado, Flavia; Bozza, Fernando A; Salluh, Jorge I F; Campagnucci, Valquiria P; Normilio-Silva, Karina; Chiattone, Viviane C; Angus, Derek C; Berwanger, Otavio; Chou H Chang, Chung-

    2015-06-01

    The Checklist During Multidisciplinary Visits for Reduction of Mortality in Intensive Care Units (Checklist- ICU) trial is a pragmatic, two-arm, cluster-randomised trial involving 118 intensive care units in Brazil, with the primary objective of determining if a multifaceted qualityimprovement intervention with a daily checklist, definition of daily care goals during multidisciplinary daily rounds and clinician prompts can reduce inhospital mortality. To describe our trial statistical analysis plan (SAP). This is an ongoing trial conducted in two phases. In the preparatory observational phase, we collect three sets of baseline data: ICU characteristics; patient characteristics, processes of care and outcomes; and completed safety attitudes questionnaires (SAQs). In the randomised phase, ICUs are assigned to the experimental or control arms and we collect patient data and repeat the SAQ. Our SAP includes the prespecified model for the primary and secondary outcome analyses, which account for the cluster-randomised design and availability of baseline data. We also detail the multiple mediation models that we will use to assess our secondary hypothesis (that the effect of the intervention on inhospital mortality is mediated not only through care processes targeted by the checklist, but also through changes in safety culture). We describe our approach to sensitivity and subgroup analyses and missing data. We report our SAP before closing our study database and starting analysis. We anticipate that this should prevent analysis bias and enhance the utility of results.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    1982-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2015-03-19

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2010-09-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-03-01

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

  10. Surgical checklists: the human factor.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O Connor, Paul

    2013-05-14

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

  11. Checklists for external validity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

    2014-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliane Cristina Sanches Maziero

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hindmarsh, D; Lees, L

    2012-01-01

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

  14. Geriatric Rehabilitation Patients’ Perceptions of Unit Dining Locations

    OpenAIRE

    Baptiste, Françoise; Egan, Mary; Dubouloz-Wilner, Claire-Jehanne

    2014-01-01

    Background Eating together is promoted among hospitalized seniors to improve their nutrition. This study aimed to understand geriatric patients’ perceptions regarding meals in a common dining area versus at the bedside. Methods An exploratory qualitative study was conducted. Open-ended questions were asked of eight patients recruited from a geriatric rehabilitation unit where patients had a choice of meal location. Results Eating location was influenced by compliance with the perceived rules ...

  15. Distributed System Design Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Brendan; Driscoll, Kevin

    2014-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-07-10

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

  17. A Feminist Family Therapist Behavior Checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaney, Sita E.; Piercy, Fred P.

    1988-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-03-01

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

  19. ACER Checklists for School Beginners: Manual.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rowe, Helga A. H.

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

  20. Checklist for clinical readiness published

    Science.gov (United States)

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

  1. Geriatric rehabilitation patients' perceptions of unit dining locations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baptiste, Françoise; Egan, Mary; Dubouloz-Wilner, Claire-Jehanne

    2014-06-01

    Eating together is promoted among hospitalized seniors to improve their nutrition. This study aimed to understand geriatric patients' perceptions regarding meals in a common dining area versus at the bedside. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted. Open-ended questions were asked of eight patients recruited from a geriatric rehabilitation unit where patients had a choice of meal location. Eating location was influenced by compliance with the perceived rules of the unit, physical and emotional well-being, and quarantine orders. Certain participants preferred eating in the common dining room where they had more assistance from hospital staff, a more attractive physical environment, and the opportunity to socialize. However, other participants preferred eating at their bedsides, feeling the quality of social interaction was poor in the dining room. Participants' experiences of, and preferences for, communal dining differed. If the benefits of communal dining are to be maximized, different experiences of this practice must be considered.

  2. Geriatric Rehabilitation Patients’ Perceptions of Unit Dining Locations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baptiste, Françoise; Egan, Mary; Dubouloz-Wilner, Claire-Jehanne

    2014-01-01

    Background Eating together is promoted among hospitalized seniors to improve their nutrition. This study aimed to understand geriatric patients’ perceptions regarding meals in a common dining area versus at the bedside. Methods An exploratory qualitative study was conducted. Open-ended questions were asked of eight patients recruited from a geriatric rehabilitation unit where patients had a choice of meal location. Results Eating location was influenced by compliance with the perceived rules of the unit, physical and emotional well-being, and quarantine orders. Certain participants preferred eating in the common dining room where they had more assistance from hospital staff, a more attractive physical environment, and the opportunity to socialize. However, other participants preferred eating at their bedsides, feeling the quality of social interaction was poor in the dining room. Conclusions Participants’ experiences of, and preferences for, communal dining differed. If the benefits of communal dining are to be maximized, different experiences of this practice must be considered. PMID:24883161

  3. Checklist of Serengeti Ecosystem Grasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

  4. Checklist of Serengeti Ecosystem Grasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ficinski, Paweł; Vorontsova, Maria

    2016-01-01

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

  5. Developing an English Language Textbook Evaluation Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukundan, Jayakaran; Hajimohammadi, Reza; Nimehchisalem, Vahid

    2011-01-01

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

  6. The Phase of Illness Paradigm: A Checklist Centric Model to Improve Patient Care in the Burn Intensive Care Unit

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-04-01

    checklist changes to support improved communication. Tools can help teams change. Our previous use of daily checklists and read -back task lists...hemodynamic instability psot OR Task Task: Nurse: assess EKG Task Task: Nurse: Assess EKG , notify resident of changes Task Task: Nurse: Assess...medication Task Task: Nurse: Give specified nutrition Task Task: Nurse: Maintain adequate MAP Task Task: Nurse: monitor EKG for changes Task Task: Nurse

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tantely Michaël Luciano

    2016-01-01

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

  9. A revised annotated checklist of the Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) of the southeastern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldwell, Broughton A.; Hudson, Patrick L.; Lenat, David R.; Smith, David

    1997-01-01

    A revised annotated checklist for the chironomid midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) of the southeastern United States is presented that includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Much of the information concerns occurrence and habitat preference records based upon the authors' data, as well as published and unpublished data. Some information is also presented that includes aspects of biology, habitat preference, bibliographic sources, and nomenclatorial changes. Based upon the present work, the chironomid fauna of the southeastern states is comprised of 189 genera (172 described, 17 informally or unofficially described) and 754 species (505 described, 17 informally or unofficially described, 33 that are assumed for generic or subgeneric presence only, 197 estimated species, and 2 species groups). Several new species synonyms and generic placements are recognized. Thirty-eight genera known from the Nearctic region remain unknown from the southeastern states. Diversity of species was greatest in the subfamily Chironominae, considering named as well as unnamed and estimated species. There were no significant changes in overall regional distribution patterns of subfamilies or habitat preferences form that which has been previously reported. The greatest totals for regional records, habitat types, and state occurrences were the Coastal Plain (378), streams (271), and North Carolina (373), respectively.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vahid Nimehchisalem

    2014-02-01

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

  11. A Checklist to Improve Patient Safety in Interventional Radiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2013-01-01

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

  12. Impact of Locality on Location Aware Unit Disk Graphs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evangelos Kranakis

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Due to their importance for studies oi wireless networks, recent years have seen a surge of activity on the design of local algorithms for the solution of a variety of network tasks. We study the behaviour of algorithms with very low localities. Despite of this restriction we propose local constant ratio approximation algorithms for solving minimum dominating and connected dominating set, maximum independent set and minimum vertex cover in location aware Unit Disk Graphs. We also prove the first ever lower bounds for local algorithms for these problems with a given locality in the location aware setting.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maartje Cm Schouten

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-04-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-10-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-03-01

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

  19. DIALECT CHECKLIST - PACIFIC NORTHWEST. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL FOR ELEVENTH GRADE UNIT ON "LINGUISTIC GEOGRAPHY AND DIALECT."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Portland Public Schools, OR.

    THE CHECKLIST WAS DESIGNED TO STUDY CHARACTERISTIC WORD USAGE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THE STUDENT IS ASKED TO CIRCLE THE WORD IN A GROUP OF WORDS WHICH HE ORDINARILY USES TO DESIGNATE A SPECIFIC THING. FOR INSTANCE--SELF OVER FIREPLACE - MANTEL, MANTEL BOARD, MANTEL PIECE, SHELF, CHILDHOOD WORD FOR MOTHER - MA, MAMA, MOM, MOTHER, MOMMY. ONE…

  20. Benchmarking of World Health Organization surgical safety checklist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Messahel, Farouk M.; AlQahtani, Ali S.

    2009-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2002-01-01

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

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

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

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

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

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    2012-02-01

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

  4. Heuristic Evaluation on Mobile Interfaces: A New Checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Yáñez Gómez

    2014-01-01

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

  5. Heuristic Evaluation on Mobile Interfaces: A New Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-12-12

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norton, Elizabeth K; Rangel, Shawn J

    2010-07-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-02-27

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-07-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Breen, Stephen L.; Zhang Beibei

    2010-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lossius Hans

    2011-10-01

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

  13. A Decision Support System for the Location of Naval Surface Reserve Units

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Venable, Laura

    1998-01-01

    .... The research suggests the feasibility of a PC based Decision Support System to assist Commander, Naval Surface Reserve Force improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the unit location decision...

  14. WHO safe surgery checklist: Barriers to universal acceptance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Divya Jain

    2018-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Jin; Chen Song; Liu Jingquan

    2013-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-02-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-09-23

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2015-06-10

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2015-07-01

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

  20. Point prevalence of surgical checklist use in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jammer, I; Ahmad, T; Aldecoa, C

    2015-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shkrum, Michael James; Kent, Jessica

    2016-09-01

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

  2. Asthma Home Environment Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enchev, Yavor

    2015-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

  6. Disclosure Checklists and Auditors’ Judgments of Aggressive Accounting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2018-01-01

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

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

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2011-07-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-02-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1995-03-01

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

  11. Checklists for quality assurance and audit in nuclear medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1989-01-01

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

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

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2008-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersson, Jonas E; Skehan, Terry

    2016-01-01

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

  14. Timing and locations of reef fish spawning off the southeastern United States.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicholas A Farmer

    Full Text Available Managed reef fish in the Atlantic Ocean of the southeastern United States (SEUS support a multi-billion dollar industry. There is a broad interest in locating and protecting spawning fish from harvest, to enhance productivity and reduce the potential for overfishing. We assessed spatiotemporal cues for spawning for six species from four reef fish families, using data on individual spawning condition collected by over three decades of regional fishery-independent reef fish surveys, combined with a series of predictors derived from bathymetric features. We quantified the size of spawning areas used by reef fish across many years and identified several multispecies spawning locations. We quantitatively identified cues for peak spawning and generated predictive maps for Gray Triggerfish (Balistes capriscus, White Grunt (Haemulon plumierii, Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus, Vermilion Snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens, Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata, and Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax. For example, Red Snapper peak spawning was predicted in 24.7-29.0°C water prior to the new moon at locations with high curvature in the 24-30 m depth range off northeast Florida during June and July. External validation using scientific and fishery-dependent data collections strongly supported the predictive utility of our models. We identified locations where reconfiguration or expansion of existing marine protected areas would protect spawning reef fish. We recommend increased sampling off southern Florida (south of 27° N, during winter months, and in high-relief, high current habitats to improve our understanding of timing and location of reef fish spawning off the southeastern United States.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1995-03-01

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

  17. Cyanobacteria of Greece: an annotated checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ourailidis, Iordanis; Panou, Manthos; Pappas, Nikos

    2016-01-01

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

  18. Cyanobacteria of Greece: an annotated checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-03-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erika Sigvardsdotter

    2017-10-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-10-04

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-08-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-06-01

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

  4. 40 CFR Figure E-2 to Subpart E of... - Product Manufacturing Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, Danielle

    2006-01-01

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

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

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, L.G.

    1976-06-10

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2008-07-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majideh Heravi-Karimooi

    2013-10-01

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

  10. Field Audit Checklist Tool (FACT)

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2011-06-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-01-01

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

  13. Assessment of a Standardized Pre-Operative Telephone Checklist Designed to Avoid Late Cancellation of Ambulatory Surgery: The AMBUPROG Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonia Gaucher

    Full Text Available To assess the impact of a standardized pre-operative telephone checklist on the rate of late cancellations of ambulatory surgery (AMBUPROG trial.Multicenter, two-arm, parallel-group, open-label randomized controlled trial.11 university hospital ambulatory surgery units in Paris, France.Patients scheduled for ambulatory surgery and able to be reached by telephone.A 7-item checklist designed to prevent late cancellation, available in five languages and two versions (for children and adults, was administered between 7 and 3 days before the planned date of surgery, by an automated phone system or a research assistant. The control group received standard management alone.Rate of cancellation on the day of surgery or the day before.The study population comprised 3900 patients enrolled between November 2012 and September 2013: 1950 patients were randomized to the checklist arm and 1950 patients to the control arm. The checklist was administered to 68.8% of patients in the intervention arm, 1002 by the automated phone system and 340 by a research assistant. The rate of late cancellation did not differ significantly between the checklist and control arms (109 (5.6% vs. 113 (5.8%, adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 0.91 [0.65-1.29], (p = 0.57. Checklist administration revealed that 355 patients (28.0% had not undergone tests ordered by the surgeon or anesthetist, and that 254 patients (20.0% still had questions concerning the fasting state.A standardized pre-operative telephone checklist did not avoid late cancellations of ambulatory surgery but enabled us to identify several frequent causes.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01732159.

  14. An updated checklist of Echinoderms from Indian waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-11-27

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

  15. Checklist for Staff Technology Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Mary Alice

    1997-01-01

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

  16. The Hriday Card: A checklist for heart failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandeep Seth

    2017-01-01

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

  17. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae of Andorra

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abel Bernadou

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Within the last decade, checklists of the ant fauna of several European countries have been published or updated. Nevertheless, no ant checklists have hitherto been published for the principality of Andorra, a small landlocked country located in the eastern part of the Pyrenees. This work presents a critical list of the ant species of Andorra based on a review of the literature and on the biological material we collected during several field campaigns conducted in Andorra since the year 2005. Seventy-five species belonging to 21 genera of Formicidae were recorded. Nine species were recorded for the first time in Andorra: Aphaenogaster gibbosa (Latreille, 1798, Camponotus lateralis (Olivier, 1792, Camponotus piceus (Leach, 1825, Formica exsecta Nylander, 1846, Lasius piliferus Seifert, 1992, Tapinoma madeirense Forel, 1895, Temnothorax lichtensteini (Bondroit, 1918, Temnothorax niger (Forel, 1894, Temnothorax nigriceps (Mayr, 1855. The most speciose genera were Formica Linnaeus, 1758 and Temnothorax Forel, 1890 with 14 and 12 species, respectively. The ant fauna of Andorra is mostly dominated by Central European species (some are typical cold climate specialists; however species belonging to the Mediterranean ant fauna were also found. This can be explained by the particular geographic situation of Andorra which is characterized by a high mountain Mediterranean climate.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

  19. Standardization of Safety Checklists for Sport Fields in Schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Arghami

    2015-01-01

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

  20. Application of a good manufacturing practices checklist and enumeration of total coliform in swine feed mills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debora da Cruz Payao Pellegrini

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available A cross-sectional study in four swine feed mills aimed to evaluate the correlation between the score of the inspection checklist defined in the Normative Instruction 4 (IN 4/ Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, and the enumeration of total coliforms throughout the manufacturing process. The most of non-conformities was found in the physical structure of the feed mills. Feed mill B showed the lowest number of unconformities while units A and D had the largest number of nonconformities. In 38.53% (489/1269 of the samples the presence of total coliform was detected, however no significant difference in the bacterial counts was observed between sampling sites and feed mills. The logistic regression pointed higher odds ratio (OR for total coliforms isolation at dosing (OR = 9.51, 95% CI: 4.43 to 20.41, grinding (OR = 7.10, 95% CI = 3.27 to 15.40 and residues (OR = 6.21, 95% CI: 3.88 to 9.95 In spite of having the second score in the checklist inspection, feed mill C presented the highest odds for total coliforms isolation (OR= 2,43, IC 95%: 1,68-3,53. The data indicate no association between the score of checklist and the presence of hygienic indicators in feed mills.

  1. United States paper, paperboard, and market pulp capacity trends by process and location, 1970-2000

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peter J. Ince; Xiaolei Li; Mo Zhou; Joseph Buongiorno; Mary Reuter

    This report presents a relational database with estimates of annual production capacity for all mill locations in the United States where paper, paperboard, or market pulp were produced from 1970 to 2000. Data for more than 500 separate mill locations are included in the database, with annual capacity data for each year from 1970 to 2000 (more than 17, 000 individual...

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carl J. Dunst

    2017-08-01

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

  3. 32 CFR Appendix G to Part 505 - Management Control Evaluation Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

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

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

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fowler, K.D.

    1998-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    FOWLER, K.D.

    1999-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-12-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-10-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2015-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    1998-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-12-01

    Outcome benefits of using the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist rely on compliance with checklist administration. To evaluate engagement of operating room (OR) subteams (anaesthesia, surgery and nursing), and compliance with administering checklist domains (Sign In, Time Out and Sign Out) and checklist items, after introducing a wall-mounted paperless checklist with migration of process leadership (Sign In, Time Out and Sign Out led by anaesthesia, surgery and nursing, respectively). This was a pre-post observational study in which 261 checklist domains in 111 operations were observed 2 months after changing the checklist administration paradigm. Compliance with administration of the checklist domains and individual checklist items was recorded, as was the number of OR subteams engaged. Comparison was made with 2013 data from the same OR suite prior to the paradigm change. Data are presented as 2013 versus the present study. The Sign In, Time Out and Sign Out domains were administered in 96% vs 98% (p=0.69), 99% vs 99% (p=1.00) and 22% vs 84% (pImprovements in team engagement and compliance with administering checklist items followed introduction of migrated leadership of checklist administration and a wall-mounted checklist. This paradigm change was relatively simple and inexpensive. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S N Oak

    2015-01-01

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

  13. Checklist for transition to new highway fuel(s).

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Risch, C.; Santini, D.J. (Energy Systems)

    2011-12-15

    Transportation is vital to the U.S. economy and society. As such, U.S. Presidents have repeatedly stated that the nation needs to reduce dependence on petroleum, especially for the highway transportation sector. Throughout history, highway transportation fuel transitions have been completed successfully both in United States and abroad. Other attempts have failed, as described in Appendix A: Historical Highway Fuel Transitions. Planning for a transition is critical because the changes can affect our nation's ability to compete in the world market. A transition will take many years to complete. While it is tempting to make quick decisions about the new fuel(s) of choice, it is preferable and necessary to analyze all the pertinent criteria to ensure that correct decisions are made. Doing so will reduce the number of changes in highway fuel(s). Obviously, changes may become necessary because of occurrences such as significant technology breakthroughs or major world events. With any and all of the possible transitions to new fuel(s), the total replacement of gasoline and diesel fuels is not expected. These conventional fuels are envisioned to coexist with the new fuel(s) for decades, while the revised fuel and vehicle infrastructures are implemented. The transition process must analyze the needs of the primary 'players,' which consist of the customers, the government, the fuel industry, and the automotive industry. To maximize the probability of future successes, the prime considerations of these groups must be addressed. Section 2 presents a succinct outline of the Checklist. Section 3 provides a brief discussion about the groupings on the Checklist.

  14. Kommenteret checkliste over Danmarks bier – Del 3

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Henning Bang; Calabuig, Isabel

    2010-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-07-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afrouz Armal

    2016-01-01

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

  17. Checklists Change Communication About Key Elements of Patient Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Child Development Centers of the Bluegrass, Lexington, KY.

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2015-12-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-11-01

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

  1. Does the Role Checklist Measure Occupational Participation?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tore Bonsaksen

    2015-07-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Paula de Oliveira Pires

    2013-09-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidlička, Lubomír

    2013-01-09

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Hsiu-Hsin; Tsai, Yun-Fang

    2018-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heltne Jon-Kenneth

    2010-12-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1998-03-01

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

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

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørgaard, Kirsten; Ringsted, Charlotte; Dolmans, Diana

    2004-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, William T; Ko'ou, Alfred

    2018-04-19

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Paula de Oliveira Pires

    2015-12-01

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

  11. Women's Studies Collections: A Checklist Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolton, Brooke A.

    2009-01-01

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

  12. Checklist for Reviewing EPA Quality Management Plans

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-01-01

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

  14. Impact of trucking network flow on preferred biorefinery locations in the southern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timothy M. Young; Lee D. Han; James H. Perdue; Stephanie R. Hargrove; Frank M. Guess; Xia Huang; Chung-Hao Chen

    2017-01-01

    The impact of the trucking transportation network flow was modeled for the southern United States. The study addresses a gap in existing research by applying a Bayesian logistic regression and Geographic Information System (GIS) geospatial analysis to predict biorefinery site locations. A one-way trucking cost assuming a 128.8 km (80-mile) haul distance was estimated...

  15. Optimally Locating MARFORRES Units

    OpenAIRE

    Salmeron, Javier; Dell, Rob

    2015-01-01

    Javier Salmeron and Rob Dell The U.S. Marine Forces Reserve (USMCR, MARFORRES) is conducting realignment studies where discretionary changes may benefit from formal mathematical analysis. This study has developed an optimization tool to guide and/or support Commander, MARFORRES (CMFR) decisions. A prototype of the optimization tool has been tested with data from the units and Reserve Training Centers (RTCs) in the San Francisco, CA and Sacramento, CA areas. Prepared for: MARFORRES, POC:...

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cicero Luciano Alves Costa

    2018-03-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Karyadinata

    2012-09-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wesley Hochachka

    2012-12-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-11-01

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

  20. 32 CFR Appendix B to Part 327 - Internal Management Control Review Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

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

  1. Three Mile Island: a preliminary checklist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drazan, J.G.

    1981-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-01

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

  3. Checklist of vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. territories, and Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banks, Richard C.; McDiarmid, Roy W.; Gardner, Alfred L.

    1987-01-01

    On 30 January 1980 the Policy Group of the 1978 Interagency Agreement on Classifications and Inventory established a work group on fish and wildlife species names. The participating agencies were the Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Geological Survey, and Soil Conservation Service. The Fish and Wildlife Service was assigned the role of establishing and leading this work group in developing a national list of standard vertebrate species names that is up-to-date and accurate. The Association of Systematic Collections was contracted to develop the reference list. This publication is a revision of portions of the list (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals), including updating to the end of 1985. The geographic areas encompassed by this list are: the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Navassa Island; the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (the Caroline Islands, Palau Islands, Marshall Islands, and northern Mariana Islands); and the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, the Johnston Islands, Kingman Reef, the Midway Islands, and Wake Islands. Canadian species that do not also occur in the United States have been included. This list includes the names of all Recent species known to occur, or to have occurred, in the geographic areas indicated above. No distinction is made between resident and migratory species or between those that occur regularly and those of casual or accidentally occurrence. The occurrence of all species listed is documented by specimen or photographic evidence. Zoo, aquarium, game park, and hunting preserve populations are not listed, nor are unestablished escapes from such populations. Species that are extinct are marked with a 1. Species whose only occurrence in an area is the result of introduction by man are marked with a 2. Species introduced into one area but native to another

  4. A Checklist of Legal Considerations for Museums.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weil, Stephen E.

    1980-01-01

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

  5. Pocket Checklists of Indonesian timber trees

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    1984-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-12-24

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-02-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael T. Nappier

    2017-06-01

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

  12. Cone penetrometer demonstration standard startup review checklist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    KRIEG, S.A.

    1998-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-07-26

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

  14. Making species checklists understandable to machines - a shift from relational databases to ontologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laurenne, Nina; Tuominen, Jouni; Saarenmaa, Hannu; Hyvönen, Eero

    2014-01-01

    The scientific names of plants and animals play a major role in Life Sciences as information is indexed, integrated, and searched using scientific names. The main problem with names is their ambiguous nature, because more than one name may point to the same taxon and multiple taxa may share the same name. In addition, scientific names change over time, which makes them open to various interpretations. Applying machine-understandable semantics to these names enables efficient processing of biological content in information systems. The first step is to use unique persistent identifiers instead of name strings when referring to taxa. The most commonly used identifiers are Life Science Identifiers (LSID), which are traditionally used in relational databases, and more recently HTTP URIs, which are applied on the Semantic Web by Linked Data applications. We introduce two models for expressing taxonomic information in the form of species checklists. First, we show how species checklists are presented in a relational database system using LSIDs. Then, in order to gain a more detailed representation of taxonomic information, we introduce meta-ontology TaxMeOn to model the same content as Semantic Web ontologies where taxa are identified using HTTP URIs. We also explore how changes in scientific names can be managed over time. The use of HTTP URIs is preferable for presenting the taxonomic information of species checklists. An HTTP URI identifies a taxon and operates as a web address from which additional information about the taxon can be located, unlike LSID. This enables the integration of biological data from different sources on the web using Linked Data principles and prevents the formation of information silos. The Linked Data approach allows a user to assemble information and evaluate the complexity of taxonomical data based on conflicting views of taxonomic classifications. Using HTTP URIs and Semantic Web technologies also facilitate the representation of the

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Stock-Schröer

    2011-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2011-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-12-01

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

  18. Grief and culture: a checklist

    OpenAIRE

    Walter, Tony

    2010-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-04-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heiko T. Santana

    2016-09-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-04-06

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

  3. Ethical checklist for dental practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    1995-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-12-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-06-01

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

  6. Incident Command System - Environmental Unit responsibilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hillman, S. O.

    1997-01-01

    The Incident Command System (ICS) for crisis management, used for response to oil spills by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company throughout its facilities, including the Trans Alaska Pipeline and the Valdez Marine Terminal, was described. Special attention was given to the Environmental Unit within the ICS which functions as a primary support unit for the Incident Operations Section. Details of the Unit's function were provided. These include the collection, evaluation and dissemination of information on all environmental issues concerning the crisis, provision of advice and direction on environmental aspects, and up-front agency interaction. A checklist of tasks is included. 7 refs

  7. Checklist/Guide to Selecting a Small Computer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Wilma E.

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2007-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2017-01-01

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

  12. Advisory Circular checklist and status of other FAA publications

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-08-15

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tyrone Donnon

    2011-06-01

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

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

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2009-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agha, Riaz; Edison, Eric; Fowler, Alexander

    2014-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-11-28

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-11-10

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

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

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Dhillon, P

    2012-02-01

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

  19. An annotated checklist of the Chilopoda and Diplopoda (Myriapoda) of the Abrau Peninsula, northwestern Caucasus, Russia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semenyuk, Irina I.; Tuf, Ivan H.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Background The Abrau Peninsula is located in northwestern Caucasus between the cities of Novorossiysk and Anapa, Krasnodar Province, Russia. This paper contains an annotated checklist of the Chilopoda and Diplopoda inhabiting the Abrau Peninsula. New information The fauna of the Abrau Peninsula comprises 17 centipede (4 orders) and 16 millipede (6 orders) species. Henia taurica, hitherto known only from the Crimea, has now been reported from several localities in the studied region. The study also reveals two possibly new millipede species. Statistical analyses showed that habitat preferences of myriapod species within the Abrau Peninsula are caused by species geographic distribution pattern and microbiotope preferences. PMID:27346949

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-08-01

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

  1. Checklist of the family Simuliidae (Diptera of Finland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jari Ilmonen

    2014-09-01

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

  2. Checklist of accessibility in Web informational environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christiane Gomes dos Santos

    2017-01-01

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

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

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Henning Bang; Calabuig, Isabel

    2008-01-01

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

  4. Onshore industrial wind turbine locations for the United States up to March 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diffendorfer, James E.; Kramer, Louisa; Ancona, Zachary H.; Garrity, Christopher P.

    2015-01-01

    Wind energy is a rapidly growing form of renewable energy in the United States. While summary information on the total amounts of installed capacity are available by state, a free, centralized, national, turbine-level, geospatial dataset useful for scientific research, land and resource management, and other uses did not exist. Available in multiple formats and in a web application, these public domain data provide industrial-scale onshore wind turbine locations in the United States up to March 2014, corresponding facility information, and turbine technical specifications. Wind turbine records have been collected and compiled from various public sources, digitized or position verified from aerial imagery, and quality assured and quality controlled. Technical specifications for turbines were assigned based on the wind turbine make and model as described in public literature. In some cases, turbines were not seen in imagery or turbine information did not exist or was difficult to obtain. Uncertainty associated with these is recorded in a confidence rating.

  5. Onshore industrial wind turbine locations for the United States up to March 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diffendorfer, Jay E; Kramer, Louisa A; Ancona, Zach H; Garrity, Christopher P

    2015-11-24

    Wind energy is a rapidly growing form of renewable energy in the United States. While summary information on the total amounts of installed capacity are available by state, a free, centralized, national, turbine-level, geospatial dataset useful for scientific research, land and resource management, and other uses did not exist. Available in multiple formats and in a web application, these public domain data provide industrial-scale onshore wind turbine locations in the United States up to March 2014, corresponding facility information, and turbine technical specifications. Wind turbine records have been collected and compiled from various public sources, digitized or position verified from aerial imagery, and quality assured and quality controlled. Technical specifications for turbines were assigned based on the wind turbine make and model as described in public literature. In some cases, turbines were not seen in imagery or turbine information did not exist or was difficult to obtain. Uncertainty associated with these is recorded in a confidence rating.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

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

  7. Checklist for Evaluating SREB-SCORE Learning Objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), 2007

    2007-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-03-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2006-12-15

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

  10. A Time-Out Checklist for Pediatric Regional Anesthetics

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-11-01

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

  12. Evaluation of the Children's Environmental Health Network's environmental stewardship checklist responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilden, Robyn; McElroy, Katie; Friedmann, Erika; Witherspoon, Nsedu Obot; Paul, Hester

    2015-03-01

    Children are subject to multiple hazards on a daily basis, including in child care facilities. Research has shown that children in the child care setting may be exposed to lead, radon, pesticides, and multiple chemicals that are associated with known or suspected adverse health effects. The authors' study used an existing environmental health endorsement program to describe current practices of child care facilities as related to environmental health and safety. The facilities varied greatly in size and were located mainly in the U.S. with a few from Canada and Australia. A few checklist items had nearly a 100% positive response rate; however, some of the items had more than 10% of the facilities answer "false" or "don't know." Although many areas exist in which these sampled child care facilities are being environmentally responsible, further education is needed, particularly as related to the use of wall-to-wall carpeting, radon testing, aerosols, and air fresheners.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2004-10-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kutuzović, Davorka Hackenberger; Kutuzović, Branimir Hackenberger

    2013-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-03-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2003-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2010-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-01-01

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

  19. Survey of Complications of Peripheral Venous Catheterization at an Intensive Care Unit of (ICU of Susa City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hedayatinejad

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Background Peripheral catheters are the most common invasive procedures in patients, and have several therapeutic uses, yet result in infectious and non-infectious complications as well as problems such as pain and bruising, drug and fluid leakage out of the vessels, ecchymosis, hematoma, thrombosis, embolism, infection and phlebitis. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the complications of peripheral veins catheterization and some related factors at an intensive care unit (ICU of Susa city. Methods This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted on 224 catheters in patients, who were hospitalized for at least 48 hours at the intensive care unit. Data was collected through a questionnaire (demographic information, medications, catheter number, catheter site and placement and a checklist of catheter mechanical complications and phlebitis checklist. Review of the catheter site was done as well (at first, second, third and fourth, twelfth hour. To analyze the data, descriptive and analytical statistics (chi-square and Mann-Whitney were used, and the significance level was considered as P 0.05. A significant correlation was reported between variables such as type of drugs, catheter survival time, and work shift (P < 0.05. Conclusions Due to mechanical problems and phlebitis caused by peripheral catheters, choosing the right location and proper care and management of catheters can reduce the risk of complications and prevent overload to the patient and system due to increased skills by using educational programs.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, J Haxby

    2016-03-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1989-09-29

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1989-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2011-10-01

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

  5. Informing Leadership Models: Nursing and Organizational Characteristics of Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Freestanding Children's Hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toole, Cheryl A; DeGrazia, Michele; Connor, Jean Anne; Gauvreau, Kimberlee; Kuzdeba, Hillary Bishop; Hickey, Patricia A

    Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) located in freestanding children's hospitals may exhibit significant variation in nursing and organizational characteristics, which can serve as opportunities for collaboration to understand optimal staffing models and linkages to patient outcomes. Adopting methods used by Hickey et al in pediatric cardiovascular critical care, the purpose of this study was to provide a foundational description of the nursing and organizational characteristics for NICUs located in freestanding children's hospitals in the United States. Clinical nurse leaders in NICUs located in freestanding children's hospitals were invited to participate in an electronic cross-sectional survey. Descriptive analyses were used to summarize nursing and organizational characteristics. The response rate was 30% (13/43), with 69.2% of NICUs classified as level III/IV and 30.8% classified as level II/III. Licensed bed capacity varied significantly (range, 24-167), as did the proportion of full-time equivalent nurses (range, 71.78-252.3). Approximately three-quarters of staff nurses held baccalaureate degrees or higher. A quarter of nurses had 16 or more years (26.3%) of experience, and 36.9% of nurses had 11 or more years of nursing experience. Nearly one-third (29.2%) had 5 or less years of total nursing experience. Few nurses (10.6%) held neonatal specialty certification. All units had nurse educators, national and unit-based quality metrics, and procedural checklists. This study identified (1) variation in staffing models signaling an opportunity for collaboration, (2) the need to establish ongoing processes for sites to participate in future collaborative efforts, and (3) survey modifications necessary to ensure a more comprehensive understanding of nursing and organizational characteristics in freestanding children's hospital NICUs.

  6. First supplement to the lichen checklist of South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teuvo Ahti

    2016-07-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azadbakhsh, Saeed; Nozari, Jamasb

    2015-09-30

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

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

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2012-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, Frank

    2014-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-08-20

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

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

    CERN Document Server

    Wilson, Chauncey

    2013-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-01

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

  13. Development of an indoor air quality checklist for risk assessment of indoor air pollutants by semiquantitative score in nonindustrial workplaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syazwan AI

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available AI Syazwan1, B Mohd Rafee1, Juahir Hafizan2, AZF Azman1, AM Nizar3, Z Izwyn4, AA Muhaimin5, MA Syafiq Yunos6, AR Anita1, J Muhamad Hanafiah1, MS Shaharuddin1, A Mohd Ibthisham7, Mohd Hasmadi Ismail8, MN Mohamad Azhar1, HS Azizan1, I Zulfadhli9, J Othman101Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; 2Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; 3Pharmacology Unit, Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; 4Department of Therapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Science and Biomedical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia; 5Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; 6Plant Assessment Technology (PAT, Industrial Technology Division (BTI, Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuklear Malaysia, Bangi, Kajang, Malaysia; 7Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Skudai, Johor, Malaysia; 8Department of Forest Production, Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; 9Faculty of Built Environment and Architect, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia; 10Department of Counsellor Education and Counselling Psychology (DCECP, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, MalaysiaBackground: To meet the current diversified health needs in workplaces, especially in nonindustrial workplaces in developing countries, an indoor air quality (IAQ component of a participatory occupational safety and health survey should be included.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and suggest a multidisciplinary, integrated IAQ checklist for evaluating the health risk of building occupants. This IAQ checklist proposed to support

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almvik, R; Woods, P

    1999-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cleary Kevin

    2011-04-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009

    2009-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyons, Vanessa E; Popejoy, Lori L

    2014-02-01

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

  18. Post-Closure Inspection Report for Corrective Action Unit 424: Area 3 Landfill Complexes Tonopah Test Range, Nevada Calendar Year 2001; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    K. B. Campbell

    2002-01-01

    Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 424, the Area 3 Landfill Complexes at Tonopah Test Range, consists of eight Corrective Action Sites (CASs), seven of which are landfill cells that were closed previously by capping. (The eighth CAS, A3-7, was not used as a landfill site and was closed without taking any corrective action.) Figure 1 shows the general location of the landfill cells. Figure 2 shows in more detail the location of the eight landfill cells. CAU 424 closure activities included removing small volumes of soil containing petroleum hydrocarbons, repairing cell covers that were cracked or had subsided, and installing above-grade and at-grade monuments marking the comers of the landfill cells. Post-closure monitoring requirements for CAU 424 are detailed in Section 5.0, Post-Closure Inspection Plan, contained in the Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 424: Area 3 Landfill Complexes, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, report number DOE/NV-283, July 1999. The Closure Report (CR) was approved by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) in July 1999. The CR includes compaction and permeability results of soils that cap the seven landfill cells. As stated in Section 5.0 of the NDEP-approved CR, post-closure monitoring at CAU 424 consists of the following: (1) Site inspections conducted twice a year to evaluate the condition of the unit. (2) Verification that landfill markers and warning signs are in-place, intact, and readable. (3) Notice of any subsidence, erosion, unauthorized use, or deficiencies that may compromise the integrity of the landfill covers. (4) Remedy of any deficiencies within 90 days of discovery. (5) Preparation and submittal of an annual report. Site inspections were conducted on May 16, 2001, and November 6, 2001. The inspections were preformed after the NDEP approval of the CR. This report includes copies of the inspection checklist, photographs, recommendations, and conclusions. The Post-Closure Inspection Checklists are found in

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

  20. Checklist of the birds of the Nylsvley nature reserve

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Tarboton, WR

    1977-09-01

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

  1. Permian Basin location recommendation report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-09-01

    Candidate study areas are screened from the Palo Duro and Dalhart Basin areas using data obtained from studies to date and criteria and specifications that consider: rock geometry; rock characteristics; human intrusion potential; surface characteristics; and environmental and socioeconomic conditions. Two preferred locations are recommended from among these areas for additional characterization to identify potential National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) salt repository sites. One location, in northeastern Deaf Smith County and southeastern Oldham County, is underlain by two salt units that meet the adopted screening specifications. The other location, in northcentral Swisher County, is underlain by one salt unit that meets the adopted screening specifications. Both locations have several favorable features, relative to surrounding areas, and no obviously undesirable characteristics. Both lie wholly on the Southern High Plains surface, are in relatively sparsely populated areas, contain no unique land use conflicts, and comprise large enough geographic areas to provide flexibility in site selection. Data gathered to date indicate that these locations contain salt units sufficient in thickness and in depth for the safe construction and operation of the underground facilities under consideration. 93 references, 34 figures, 6 tables

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowie, Paul; McKay, John; Kelly, Moya

    2012-06-21

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

  3. 39 CFR 958.7 - Hearing location.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Hearing location. 958.7 Section 958.7 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO CIVIL... location. An oral hearing under this part shall be held: (a) In the judicial district of the United States...

  4. An annotated checklist of the orchids of Nepal

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

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

    2013-01-01

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

  5. New Danish standardization of the Child Behaviour Checklist

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

    2012-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvador Chacón-Moscoso

    2016-11-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-12-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Ito

    2014-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-02-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-01-01

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

  12. DIVERSITY IN DIAK JÄRVENPÄÄ CAMPUS UNIT : Diversity and Relation among Different Institutions Located Within the Campus Premises

    OpenAIRE

    Shakya, Samasty; Singh, Sadin Kumar

    2012-01-01

    Sadin Kumar Singh & Samasty Shakya. Diversity in Diak Järvenpää Campus Unit: Diversity and Relation among Different Institution Located within the campus premises. Järvenpää, Spring 2012. 48p. Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, Diak South, Järvenpää Unit, Degree program in Social Services (UAS) Focus on Community Development Work The primary purpose of this research was to find the biggest issue of diversity in the campus area. All three educational institutions operating from t...

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Bauer

    2016-12-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-01-01

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

  16. Sustainable Urban Development? Exploring the Locational Attributes of LEED-ND Projects in the United States through a GIS Analysis of Light Intensity and Land Use

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Russell M. Smith

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available LEED®-ND™ is the latest attempt to develop more sustainable urban environs in the United States. The LEED®-ND™ program was created to provide a green rating system that would improve the quality of life for all people through the inclusion of sustainable development practices. To achieve this, a premium is placed on the locational attributes of proposed projects under the “Smart Location and Linkages” credit category. The purpose of this paper is to explore the locational attributes of LEED®-ND™ projects in the United States to determine if projects are being located in areas that will result in achieving the program’s stated objectives. Specifically, this paper will examine two locational variables (i.e., night-time light intensity and land use cover through the use of GIS to determine the effectiveness of these criteria.

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

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

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

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

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bosch, in den H.A.J.

    1985-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johnson Dare Ogunlusi

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-11-06

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

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

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2006-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-09-08

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novoa, Nuria M

    2015-04-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-10-16

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

  5. A checklist of mammals of Kerala, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. O. Nameer

    2015-11-01

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

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

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vice, Janna P.; Carnes, Lana W.

    2002-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-06-01

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

  9. Forest resources, government policy, and investment location decisions of the forest products industry in the southern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Changyou Sun; Daowei Zhang

    2010-01-01

    In this article, the results of an initial attempt to estimate the effects of state attributes on plant location and investment expenditure were presented for the forest products industry in the southern United States. A conditional logit model was used to analyze new plant births, and a time-series cross-section model to assess the total capital expenditure....

  10. Uranium Location Database

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — A GIS compiled locational database in Microsoft Access of ~15,000 mines with uranium occurrence or production, primarily in the western United States. The metadata...

  11. Development and Reliability of the Comprehensive Crisis Plan Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2011-01-01

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

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

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

    2018-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagro, Sarah A.

    2015-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2004-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheig Associates, Inc., Gig Harbor, WA.

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Egli, S.

    2005-07-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitra Amini

    2009-11-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Marín-Armijos

    2017-08-01

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

  20. Engine Tune-Up Service. Unit 1: Battery and Cranking System. Review Exercise Book. Automotive Mechanics Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodson-Roberts, Ludy; And Others

    This book of pretests and review exercises is designed to accompany the Engine Tune-Up Service Student Guide for Unit 1, Battery and Cranking System. Focus of the exercises and pretests is testing the battery and cranking system. Pretests and performance checklists are provided for each of the four performance objectives contained in the unit.…

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-10-01

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

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

    OpenAIRE

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

    2014-01-01

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

  3. An Annotated Checklist of the Mammals of Kuwait

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter J. Cowan

    2013-12-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-03-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-01-01

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

  6. A nuclear power plant certification test plan and checklist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Halverson, S.M.

    1989-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-01

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

  8. Analysis of indoor air pollutants checklist using environmetric technique for health risk assessment of sick building complaint in nonindustrial workplace.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syazwan, Ai; Rafee, B Mohd; Juahir, Hafizan; Azman, Azf; Nizar, Am; Izwyn, Z; Syahidatussyakirah, K; Muhaimin, Aa; Yunos, Ma Syafiq; Anita, Ar; Hanafiah, J Muhamad; Shaharuddin, Ms; Ibthisham, A Mohd; Hasmadi, I Mohd; Azhar, Mn Mohamad; Azizan, Hs; Zulfadhli, I; Othman, J; Rozalini, M; Kamarul, Ft

    2012-01-01

    To analyze and characterize a multidisciplinary, integrated indoor air quality checklist for evaluating the health risk of building occupants in a nonindustrial workplace setting. A cross-sectional study based on a participatory occupational health program conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Malaysia) and Universiti Putra Malaysia. A modified version of the indoor environmental checklist published by the Department of Occupational Health and Safety, based on the literature and discussion with occupational health and safety professionals, was used in the evaluation process. Summated scores were given according to the cluster analysis and principal component analysis in the characterization of risk. Environmetric techniques was used to classify the risk of variables in the checklist. Identification of the possible source of item pollutants was also evaluated from a semiquantitative approach. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis resulted in the grouping of factorial components into three clusters (high complaint, moderate-high complaint, moderate complaint), which were further analyzed by discriminant analysis. From this, 15 major variables that influence indoor air quality were determined. Principal component analysis of each cluster revealed that the main factors influencing the high complaint group were fungal-related problems, chemical indoor dispersion, detergent, renovation, thermal comfort, and location of fresh air intake. The moderate-high complaint group showed significant high loading on ventilation, air filters, and smoking-related activities. The moderate complaint group showed high loading on dampness, odor, and thermal comfort. This semiquantitative assessment, which graded risk from low to high based on the intensity of the problem, shows promising and reliable results. It should be used as an important tool in the preliminary assessment of indoor air quality and as a categorizing method for further IAQ

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2015-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafie, A. R.; Nartea, Theresa

    2012-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canales, Genevieve

    2013-01-01

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

  12. Measure Guideline. Five Steps to Implement the Public Housing Authority Energy-Efficient Unit Turnover Checklist

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liaukus, Christine [Building American Research Alliance, Kent, WA (United States)

    2015-07-09

    Five Steps to Implementing the PHA Energy Efficient Unit Turnover Package (ARIES, 2014) is a guide to prepare for the installation of energy efficient measures during a typical public housing authority unit turnover. While a PHA is cleaning, painting and readying a unit for a new resident, there is an opportunity to incorporate energy efficiency measures to further improve the unit's performance. The measures on the list are simple enough to be implemented by in-house maintenance personnel, inexpensive enough to be folded into operating expenses without needing capital budget, and fast enough to implement without substantially changing the number of days between occupancies, a critical factor for organizations where the demand for dwelling units far outweighs the supply. The following guide lays out a five step plan to implement the EE Unit Turnover Package in your PHA, from an initial Self-Assessment through to Package Implementation.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark E Boyes

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Christopher Cwik

    2016-11-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-11-15

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-05-15

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evangelia Tsiga

    2017-09-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-05-24

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weldon, J.; Price, R.

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Torrejón

    2014-06-01

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

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

    OpenAIRE

    Andersson, Jonas E; Skehan, Terry

    2016-01-01

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

  7. General minisum circle location

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Körner, Mark; Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik

    2009-01-01

    In our paper we approximate a set of given points by a general circle. More precisely, we consider the problem of locating and scaling the unit ball of some given norm k1 with respect to xed points on the plane such that the sum of weighted distances between the circle and the xed points is minim......In our paper we approximate a set of given points by a general circle. More precisely, we consider the problem of locating and scaling the unit ball of some given norm k1 with respect to xed points on the plane such that the sum of weighted distances between the circle and the xed points...

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Amalia Arboleda

    2014-04-01

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

  9. Analysis of indoor air pollutants checklist using environmetric technique for health risk assessment of sick building complaint in nonindustrial workplace

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syazwan AI

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available AI Syazwan,1 B Mohd Rafee,1 Hafizan Juahir,2 AZF Azman,1 AM Nizar,3 Z Izwyn,4 K Syahidatussyakirah,1 AA Muhaimin,5 MA Syafiq Yunos,6 AR Anita,1 J Muhamad Hanafiah,1 MS Shaharuddin,7 A Mohd Ibthisham,8 I Mohd Hasmadi,9 MN Mohamad Azhar,1 HS Azizan,1 I Zulfadhli,10 J Othman,11 M Rozalini,12 FT Kamarul131Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 2Department of Environmental Science/ Environmental Forensics Research Center (ENFORCE, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 3Pharmacology Unit, Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, 4Department of Therapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Science and Biomedical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, 5Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 6Plant Assessment Technology (PAT, Industrial Technology Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Bangi, 7Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 8Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, 9Department of Forest Production, Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 10Faculty of Built Environment and Architect, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, 11Department of Counselor Education and Psychology Counseling, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 12Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Unit, Multimedia University, Jalan Multimedia 63100 Cyberjaya, Selangor, 13ERALAB SDN. BHD. (Environmental Research and Analytical Laboratory Sdn. Bhd., Selangor, MALAYSIAPurpose: To analyze and characterize a multidisciplinary, integrated indoor air quality checklist for evaluating the health risk of building occupants in a nonindustrial

  10. A checklist and adult key to the Chinese stonefly (Plecoptera) genera.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Zhi-Teng; Du, Yu-Zhou

    2018-01-23

    The first checklist of the known stonefly genera of China is presented. Using relevant literature and available specimens, a diagnostic key to the ten families representing 65 genera is provided. In addition, illustrations for the key characters are provided.

  11. Bird checklist, Guánica Biosphere Reserve, Puerto Rico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wayne J. Arendt; John Faaborg; Miguel Canals; Jerry Bauer

    2015-01-01

    This research note compiles 43 years of research and monitoring data to produce the first comprehensive checklist of the dry forest avian community found within the Guánica Biosphere Reserve. We provide an overview of the reserve along with sighting locales, a list of 185 birds with their resident status and abundance, and a list of the available bird habitats....

  12. The use of a written assessment checklist for the provision of emergency contraception via community pharmacies: a simulated patient study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schneider CR

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia recommends use of a written assessment checklist prior to supply of emergency contraception by pharmacists. Objective: The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of use of a written assessment checklist by community pharmacists and secondly, to ascertain the effect of the checklist on appropriate assessment and supply.Methods: Three female simulated patients visited 100 randomly selected pharmacies requesting supply of ‘the morning after pill’. Information provided when assessed by the pharmacist was that she had missed one inactive pill of her regular hormonal contraception. The amount of assessment provided and the appropriateness of supply were used as comparative outcome measures.Results: Eighty-three pharmacies used a written assessment checklist. Twenty-four of the pharmacies visited provided the appropriate outcome of non-supply. Pharmacies that used a written assessment checklist provided a greater quantity and consistency of assessment (11.3 ±2.5 v. 6.5 ±3.8 questions, p<0.0001 but this did not result in an improved frequency of an appropriate outcome (20%, n=16 v. 23%, n=3. Conclusions: While a written patient assessment checklist improved the quantity and consistency of patient assessment, it did not improve the advice provided by community pharmacies when handling requests for emergency contraception.

  13. Development of Electrode Units for Electrokinetic Desalination of Masonry and Pilot Scale Test at Three locations for Removal of Chlorides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ottosen, Lisbeth M.; Christensen, Iben Vernegren; Skibsted, Gry

    2010-01-01

    which allows continuous pressure between clay and masonry so good electrical contact is remained. The electrode units were tested at three different locations, two on baked brick masonry (inside in a heated room and outside on a masonry with severe plaster peeling) and the third pilot scale experiment...

  14. Factor Structure of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version in German Female and Male Detainees and Community Adolescents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sevecke, Kathrin; Pukrop, Ralf; Kosson, David S.; Krischer, Maya K.

    2009-01-01

    Substantial evidence exists for 3- and 4-factor models of psychopathy underlying patterns of covariation among the items of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) in diverse adult samples. Although initial studies conducted with the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) indicated reasonable fit for these models in incarcerated male…

  15. OAS :: Our Locations

    Science.gov (United States)

    the Human Resources of the OAS, including its organizational structure, each organizational unit's contract and travel control measure reports, the applicable procurement rules and regulations, and the Charter Organizational Charts Organizational List Authorities Our Locations Contact Us Telephone: +1 (202

  16. Implementation of the surgical safety checklist in Switzerland and perceptions of its benefits: cross-sectional survey.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stéphane Cullati

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: To examine the implementation of the Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC among surgeons and anaesthetists working in Swiss hospitals and clinics and their perceptions of the SSC. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey at the 97th Annual Meeting of the Swiss Society of Surgery, Switzerland, 2010. Opinions of the SSC were assessed with a 6-item questionnaire. RESULTS: 152 respondents answered the questionnaire (participation rate 35.1%. 64.7% respondents acknowledged having a checklist in their hospital or their clinic. Median implementation year was 2009. More than 8 out of 10 respondents reported their team applied the Sign In and the Time Out very often or quasi systematically, whereas almost half of respondents acknowledged the Sign Out was applied never or rarely. The majority of respondents agreed that the checklist improves safety and team communication, and helps to develop a safety culture. However, they were less supportive about the opinion that the checklist facilitates teamwork and eliminates social hierarchy between caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: This survey indicates that the SSC has been largely implemented in many Swiss hospitals and clinics. Both surgeons and anaesthetists perceived the SSC as a valuable tool in improving intraoperative patient safety and communication among health care professionals, with lesser importance in facilitating teamwork (and eliminating hierarchical categories.

  17. A social media self-evaluation checklist for medical practitioners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visser, Benjamin J; Huiskes, Florian; Korevaar, Daniel A

    2012-01-01

    Increasing numbers of medical practitioners and medical students are using online social and business-related networking websites such as Facebook, Doc2doc and LinkedIn. These rapidly evolving and growing social media have potential to promote public health by providing powerful instruments for communication and education. However, evidence is emerging from studies, legal cases, and media reports that the use of these new technologies is creating several ethical problems for medical practitioners as well as medical students. Improper online activities may harm not only individual reputations and careers, but also the medical profession as a whole, for example by breach of patient confidentiality, defamation of colleagues and employers, undisclosed conflict of interests that bias the medical practitioner's medical advice, posting of advice/information without an evidence base, and infringement of copyright. We developed a self-evaluation checklist for medical practitioners using social media. The checklist addresses three key elements in the use of social media: personal information and accessibility, connections, and postings. It contains questions specifically formulated to evaluate a medical practitioner's social media profile, to prevent unintended, improper online activities and to promote professional online behaviour.

  18. Preliminary Checklist for Reporting Observational Studies in Sports Areas: Content Validity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chacón-Moscoso, Salvador; Sanduvete-Chaves, Susana; Anguera, M. Teresa; Losada, José L.; Portell, Mariona; Lozano-Lozano, José A.

    2018-01-01

    Observational studies are based on systematic observation, understood as an organized recording and quantification of behavior in its natural context. Applied to the specific area of sports, observational studies present advantages when comparing studies based on other designs, such as the flexibility for adapting to different contexts and the possibility of using non-standardized instruments as well as a high degree of development in specific software and data analysis. Although the importance and usefulness of sports-related observational studies have been widely shown, there is no checklist to report these studies. Consequently, authors do not have a guide to follow in order to include all of the important elements in an observational study in sports areas, and reviewers do not have a reference tool for assessing this type of work. To resolve these issues, this article aims to develop a checklist to measure the quality of sports-related observational studies based on a content validity study. The participants were 22 judges with at least 3 years of experience in observational studies, sports areas, and methodology. They evaluated a list of 60 items systematically selected and classified into 12 dimensions. They were asked to score four aspects of each item on 5-point Likert scales to measure the following dimensions: representativeness, relevance, utility, and feasibility. The judges also had an open-format section for comments. The Osterlind index was calculated for each item and for each of the four aspects. Items were considered appropriate when obtaining a score of at least 0.5 in the four assessed aspects. After considering these inclusion criteria and all of the open-format comments, the resultant checklist consisted of 54 items grouped into the same initial 12 dimensions. Finally, we highlight the strengths of this work. We also present its main limitation: the need to apply the resultant checklist to obtain data and, thus, increase quality indicators of

  19. Preliminary Checklist for Reporting Observational Studies in Sports Areas: Content Validity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvador Chacón-Moscoso

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Observational studies are based on systematic observation, understood as an organized recording and quantification of behavior in its natural context. Applied to the specific area of sports, observational studies present advantages when comparing studies based on other designs, such as the flexibility for adapting to different contexts and the possibility of using non-standardized instruments as well as a high degree of development in specific software and data analysis. Although the importance and usefulness of sports-related observational studies have been widely shown, there is no checklist to report these studies. Consequently, authors do not have a guide to follow in order to include all of the important elements in an observational study in sports areas, and reviewers do not have a reference tool for assessing this type of work. To resolve these issues, this article aims to develop a checklist to measure the quality of sports-related observational studies based on a content validity study. The participants were 22 judges with at least 3 years of experience in observational studies, sports areas, and methodology. They evaluated a list of 60 items systematically selected and classified into 12 dimensions. They were asked to score four aspects of each item on 5-point Likert scales to measure the following dimensions: representativeness, relevance, utility, and feasibility. The judges also had an open-format section for comments. The Osterlind index was calculated for each item and for each of the four aspects. Items were considered appropriate when obtaining a score of at least 0.5 in the four assessed aspects. After considering these inclusion criteria and all of the open-format comments, the resultant checklist consisted of 54 items grouped into the same initial 12 dimensions. Finally, we highlight the strengths of this work. We also present its main limitation: the need to apply the resultant checklist to obtain data and, thus, increase

  20. Preliminary Checklist for Reporting Observational Studies in Sports Areas: Content Validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chacón-Moscoso, Salvador; Sanduvete-Chaves, Susana; Anguera, M Teresa; Losada, José L; Portell, Mariona; Lozano-Lozano, José A

    2018-01-01

    Observational studies are based on systematic observation, understood as an organized recording and quantification of behavior in its natural context. Applied to the specific area of sports, observational studies present advantages when comparing studies based on other designs, such as the flexibility for adapting to different contexts and the possibility of using non-standardized instruments as well as a high degree of development in specific software and data analysis. Although the importance and usefulness of sports-related observational studies have been widely shown, there is no checklist to report these studies. Consequently, authors do not have a guide to follow in order to include all of the important elements in an observational study in sports areas, and reviewers do not have a reference tool for assessing this type of work. To resolve these issues, this article aims to develop a checklist to measure the quality of sports-related observational studies based on a content validity study. The participants were 22 judges with at least 3 years of experience in observational studies, sports areas, and methodology. They evaluated a list of 60 items systematically selected and classified into 12 dimensions. They were asked to score four aspects of each item on 5-point Likert scales to measure the following dimensions: representativeness, relevance, utility, and feasibility. The judges also had an open-format section for comments. The Osterlind index was calculated for each item and for each of the four aspects. Items were considered appropriate when obtaining a score of at least 0.5 in the four assessed aspects. After considering these inclusion criteria and all of the open-format comments, the resultant checklist consisted of 54 items grouped into the same initial 12 dimensions. Finally, we highlight the strengths of this work. We also present its main limitation: the need to apply the resultant checklist to obtain data and, thus, increase quality indicators of

  1. A checklist of South African theses and dissertations on Shakespeare

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This checklist is in two parts. The first lists South African Shakespearean theses and dissertations, as well as some work on Shakespeare completed abroad by South Africans recently or currently active in the country. A few items in which Shakespeare is an important subordinate focus are included. The second list is ...

  2. An updated and annotated list of Indian lizards (Reptilia: Sauria based on a review of distribution records and checklists of Indian reptiles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P.D. Venugopal

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Over the past two decades many checklists of reptiles of India and adjacent countries have been published. These publications have furthered the growth of knowledge on systematics, distribution and biogeography of Indian reptiles, and the field of herpetology in India in general. However, the reporting format of most such checklists of Indian reptiles does not provide a basis for direct verification of the information presented. As a result, mistakes in the inclusion and omission of species have been perpetuated and the exact number of reptile species reported from India still remains unclear. A verification of the current listings based on distributional records and review of published checklists revealed that 199 species of lizards (Reptilia: Sauria are currently validly reported on the basis of distributional records within the boundaries of India. Seventeen other lizard species have erroneously been included in earlier checklists of Indian reptiles. Omissions of species by these checklists have been even more numerous than erroneous inclusions. In this paper, I present a plea to report species lists as annotated checklists which corroborate the inclusion and omission of species by providing valid source references or notes.

  3. Checklists, safety, my culture and me.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raghunathan, Karthik

    2012-07-01

    The world is not flat. Hierarchy is a fact of life in society and in healthcare institutions. National, specialty-specific and institutional cultures may play an important role in shaping today's patient-safety climate. The influence of power distance on safety interventions is under-studied. Checklists may make power distance-hampered negotiations easier by providing a standardised aviation-like framework for communications and by democratising the environment. By using surveys and simulation, we might discover patterns of potentially hidden yet problematic interactions that might foster maintenance of the error swamp. We need to understand how people interact as members of a group as this is crucial for the development of generalisable safety interventions.

  4. The Persian Checklist of Pleasant Events (PCPE: ‎Development, Validity and Reliability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sepideh Bakht

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Experiencing ‎pleasant events during daily life ‎has a significant positive role in ‎the personal mental health and ‎acts as a keystone for “behavioral ‎activation” (BA interventions. ‎There are serious differences in ‎the pleasant event schedules in ‎different cultures and countries. ‎We aimed to develop a Persian ‎checklist of pleasant events ‎‎(PCPE to provide and validate a ‎culturally compatible checklist for ‎Iranians.‎Methods: To develop a checklist ‎of pleasant events, inspired by ‎Pleasant Events Schedule (PES ‎‎(MacPhillamy & Lewinsohn, ‎‎1982, we held three focused ‎group discussions with 24 normal ‎healthy participants from both ‎genders (female = 12 and asked ‎them to mention as much ‎pleasant events as possible. ‎When the list reached saturation ‎level, the inappropriate items with ‎respect to legal, cultural and ‎religious concerns were omitted. ‎The final checklist of PCPE ‎consists of two subscales: ‎Frequency (frequency of events ‎during last month and ‎pleasantness (perceived ‎pleasantness of events. The total ‎score consists of frequency ‎multiplied by pleasantness. To ‎test the reliability and validity of ‎the checklist, the PCPE, ‎Depression, Anxiety and Stress ‎Scale (DASS, the Persian ‎version of WHO Quality of Life ‎and the Demographic ‎Questionnaire were administered ‎in a sample of 104 participants ‎‎(50 male and 54 female.‎Results: Frequency, ‎pleasantness and the total scores ‎of PCPE showed high levels of ‎internal consistency (Cronbach’s ‎alpha, .976, .976 & .974, ‎respectively. Further support for ‎the convergent validity of the ‎PCPE was obtained via ‎moderate negative correlations ‎with depression, anxiety, stress ‎scores in DASS and positive ‎correlation with quality of life as ‎well as respondent’s perceived ‎happiness. There were negative ‎correlations between

  5. ICF-DOC: the ICF dedicated checklist for evaluating functioning and disability in people with disorders of consciousness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonardi, Matilde; Covelli, Venusia; Giovannetti, Ambra M; Raggi, Alberto; Sattin, Davide

    2014-09-01

    Clinicians need a comprehensive description of patients' functioning state to capture the complex interaction between symptoms and environmental factors, and to determine the actual level of functioning in patients in a vegetative state or a minimally conscious state. The aim of this study is to develop an International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) checklist for patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) so as to capture and describe, with a tailored list of categories, the most common health, disability, and functioning issues of adult patients with DOC. The WHO ICF checklist was used as a basis for collecting data. This was an observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study conducted in 69 Italian centers. Specific methodological procedures were used to identify the most appropriate categories for DOC patients to be added to or deleted from the ICF checklist so as to develop the ICF-DOC checklist. A total of 566 adult patients were enrolled: 398 in a vegetative state and 168 in a minimally conscious state. A total of 127 ICF categories reached the threshold of 20% concerning the presence of a problem: 37 categories from the body functions chapter, 13 from the body structures chapter, 46 from the activities and participations chapter, and 31 from the environmental factors chapter. ICF categories identified in this study can be useful guidelines for clinicians and researchers to collect data on functioning and disability of adult patients with DOC. The new ICF-DOC checklist allows monitoring of the effects of interventions on functional areas and possible changes in each patient in follow-up studies.

  6. Effect of Clinically Discriminating, Evidence-Based Checklist Items on the Reliability of Scores from an Internal Medicine Residency OSCE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniels, Vijay J.; Bordage, Georges; Gierl, Mark J.; Yudkowsky, Rachel

    2014-01-01

    Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are used worldwide for summative examinations but often lack acceptable reliability. Research has shown that reliability of scores increases if OSCE checklists for medical students include only clinically relevant items. Also, checklists are often missing evidence-based items that high-achieving…

  7. Checklist of vertebrate animals of the Cascade Head Experimental Forest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chris Maser; Jerry F. Franklin

    1974-01-01

    Three months, April and August 1971 and August 1972, were spent studying the vertebrate fauna of Cascade Head Experimental Forest. The resulting annotated checklist includes 9 amphibians, 2 reptiles, 35 birds, and 40 mammals. A standardized animal habitat classification is presented in an effort to correlate the vertebrates in some meaningful way to their environment...

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

    OpenAIRE

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

    2017-01-01

    The number of companion animal wellness visits in private practice has been decreasing, and one important factor cited is the lack of effective communication between veterinarians and pet owners regarding the importance of preventive care. Checklists have been widely used in many fields and are especially useful in areas where a complex task must be completed with multiple small steps, or when cognitive fatigue is evident. The use of checklists in veterinary medical education has not yet been...

  9. Analysis of QA audit checklist for equipment suppliers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian Xuehang

    2012-01-01

    Eleven aspects during the equipment manufacturing by the suppliers, including the guidelines and objectives of quality assurance, management department review, document and record control, staffing and training, design control, procurement control, control of items, process control, inspection and testing control, non-conformance control, and internal and external QA audit, are analyzed in this article. The detailed QA audit checklist on these above mentioned aspects are described and the problems found in real QA audit are listed in this article. (authors)

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-11-01

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

  12. Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... for Safety A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults For more information, contact: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 770-488-1506 www.cdc.gov/injury “Making changes in ... AT HOME Each year, thousands of older Americans fall at home. Many of them are ...

  13. Genome-Wide Association Study of the Child Behavior Checklist Dysregulation Profile

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mick, Eric; McGough, James; Loo, Sandra; Doyle, Alysa E.; Wozniak, Janet; Wilens, Timothy E.; Smalley, Susan; McCracken, James; Biederman, Joseph; Faraone, Stephen V.

    2011-01-01

    Objective: A potentially useful tool for understanding the distribution and determinants of emotional dysregulation in children is a Child Behavior Checklist profile, comprising the Attention Problems, Anxious/Depressed, and Aggressive Behavior clinical subscales (CBCL-DP). The CBCL-DP indexes a heritable trait that increases susceptibility for…

  14. REVISED AND COMMENTED CHECKLIST OF MAMMAL SPECIES OF THE ROMANIAN FAUNA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dumitru Murariu

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Due to the permanent influences of different factors (habitat degradation and fragmentation, deforestation, infrastructure and urbanization, natural extension or decreasing of some species’ distribution, increasing number of alien species etc., from time to time the faunistic structure of a certain area is changing. As a result of the permanent and increasing anthropic and invasive species’ pressure, our previous checklist of recent mammals from Romania (since 1984 became out of date. A number of 108 taxa are mentioned in this checklist, representing 7 orders of mammals: Insectivora (10 species, Chiroptera (30 sp., Lagomorpha (2 sp., Rodentia (35 sp., Cetacea (3 sp., Carnivora (19 sp., Artiodactyla (8 sp.. In this list are mentioned the scientific and vernacular names (in Romanian and English languages, species distribution and conservation status, according to the Romanian regulations. Thus, only 21 species have stable populations while 76 have populations in decline or in drastic decline. Other categories are not evaluated or even present an increase in their population.

  15. Violence Risk Assessment and Facet 4 of the Psychopathy Checklist: Predicting Institutional and Community Aggression in Two Forensic Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walters, Glenn D.; Heilbrun, Kirk

    2010-01-01

    The Psychopathy Checklist and Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL/PCL-R) were used to predict institutional aggression and community violence in two groups of forensic patients. Results showed that Facet 4 (Antisocial) of the PCL/PCL-R or one of its parcels consistently achieved incremental validity relative to the first three facets, whereas the…

  16. GAP-REACH: a checklist to assess comprehensive reporting of race, ethnicity, and culture in psychiatric publications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis-Fernández, Roberto; Raggio, Greer A; Gorritz, Magdaliz; Duan, Naihua; Marcus, Sue; Cabassa, Leopoldo J; Humensky, Jennifer; Becker, Anne E; Alarcón, Renato D; Oquendo, María A; Hansen, Helena; Like, Robert C; Weiss, Mitchell; Desai, Prakash N; Jacobsen, Frederick M; Foulks, Edward F; Primm, Annelle; Lu, Francis; Kopelowicz, Alex; Hinton, Ladson; Hinton, Devon E

    2013-10-01

    Growing awareness of health and health care disparities highlights the importance of including information about race, ethnicity, and culture (REC) in health research. Reporting of REC factors in research publications, however, is notoriously imprecise and unsystematic. This article describes the development of a checklist to assess the comprehensiveness and the applicability of REC factor reporting in psychiatric research publications. The 16-item GAP-REACH checklist was developed through a rigorous process of expert consensus, empirical content analysis in a sample of publications (N = 1205), and interrater reliability (IRR) assessment (N = 30). The items assess each section in the conventional structure of a health research article. Data from the assessment may be considered on an item-by-item basis or as a total score ranging from 0% to 100%. The final checklist has excellent IRR (κ = 0.91). The GAP-REACH may be used by multiple research stakeholders to assess the scope of REC reporting in a research article.

  17. Location-based Scheduling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersson, Niclas; Christensen, Knud

    on the market. However, CPM is primarily an activity based method that takes the activity as the unit of focus and there is criticism raised, specifically in the case of construction projects, on the method for deficient management of construction work and continuous flow of resources. To seek solutions...... to the identified limitations of the CPM method, an alternative planning and scheduling methodology that includes locations is tested. Location-based Scheduling (LBS) implies a shift in focus, from primarily the activities to the flow of work through the various locations of the project, i.e. the building. LBS uses...... the graphical presentation technique of Line-of-balance, which is adapted for planning and management of work-flows that facilitates resources to perform their work without interruptions caused by other resources working with other activities in the same location. As such, LBS and Lean Construction share...

  18. Data for the elaboration of the CIPROS checklist with items for a patient registry software system: Examples and explanations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Doris Lindoerfer

    2017-10-01

    The data presented per checklist item provide the relevant textual information (examples and a first qualitative summary (explanation. The examples and explanations provide the background information on CIPROS. They elucidate how to implement the checklist items in other projects. The literature list and the selected texts serve as a reference for scientists and system developers.

  19. Human Capital: A Self-Assessment Checklist for Agency Leaders. Version 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comptroller General of the U.S., Washington, DC.

    This document presents and discusses a self-assessment checklist that the General Accounting Office (GAO) developed to enable agency leaders to examine their human capital efforts through a process consisting of the following stages: analyze and plan; implement change; and evaluate and continuously improve. The preface defines the term "human…

  20. 12 CFR 905.3 - Location and business hours.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Location and business hours. (a) Location. All office units of the Finance Board are located at 1777 F... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Location and business hours. 905.3 Section 905.3 Banks and Banking FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE BOARD FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE BOARD ORGANIZATION AND...

  1. Compilation of a preliminary checklist for the differential diagnosis of neurogenic stuttering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariska Lundie

    2014-06-01

    Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe and highlight the characteristics of NS in order to compile a preliminary checklist for accurate diagnosis and intervention. Method: An explorative, applied mixed method, multiple case study research design was followed. Purposive sampling was used to select four participants. A comprehensive assessment battery was compiled for data collection. Results: The results revealed a distinct pattern of core stuttering behaviours in NS, although discrepancies existed regarding stuttering severity and frequency. It was also found that DS and NS can co-occur. The case history and the core stuttering pattern are important considerations during differential diagnosis, as these are the only consistent characteristics in people with NS. Conclusion: It is unlikely that all the symptoms of NS are present in an individual. The researchers scrutinised the findings of this study and the findings of previous literature to compile a potentially workable checklist.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Antonio dos Santos Diego

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

  5. Current practices in clinical neurofeedback with functional MRI-Analysis of a survey using the TIDieR checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randell, Elizabeth; McNamara, Rachel; Subramanian, Leena; Hood, Kerenza; Linden, David

    2018-04-01

    A core principle of creating a scientific evidence base is that results can be replicated in independent experiments and in health intervention research. The TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) checklist has been developed to aid in summarising key items needed when reporting clinical trials and other well designed evaluations of complex interventions in order that findings can be replicated or built on reliably. Neurofeedback (NF) using functional MRI (fMRI) is a multicomponent intervention that should be considered a complex intervention. The TIDieR checklist (with minor modification to increase applicability in this context) was distributed to NF researchers as a survey of current practice in the design and conduct of clinical studies. The aim was to document practice and convergence between research groups, highlighting areas for discussion and providing a basis for recommendations for harmonisation and standardisation. The TIDieR checklist was interpreted and expanded (21 questions) to make it applicable to neurofeedback research studies. Using the web-based Bristol Online Survey (BOS) tool, the revised checklist was disseminated to researchers in the BRAINTRAIN European research collaborative network (supported by the European Commission) and others in the fMRI-neurofeedback community. There were 16 responses to the survey. Responses were reported under eight main headings which covered the six domains of the TIDieR checklist: What, Why, When, How, Where and Who. This piece of work provides encouraging insight into the ability to be able to map neuroimaging interventions to a structured framework for reporting purposes. Regardless of the considerable variability of design components, all studies could be described in standard terms of diagnostic groups, dose/duration, targeted areas/signals, and psychological strategies and learning models. Recommendations are made which include providing detailed rationale of intervention design in

  6. Apparatus for locating defective nuclear fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lawrie, W.E.

    1979-01-01

    An ultrasonic search unit for locating defective fuel elements within a fuel assembly used in a water cooled nuclear reactor is presented. The unit is capable of freely traversing the restricted spaces between the fuel elements

  7. Standardization of Safety Checklists for Sport Fields in Schools

    OpenAIRE

    S. Arghami; G. Zahirian; T. Allahverdi

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: Nowadays in all human societies, sport is considered as a human-training matter, which often occurs in sport fields. Many people, including students in schools, occasionally deal with these fields. Therefore, a standard tool is required to frequently inspection of sport fields. The aim of this study was to standardize checklists for sport fields in schools. .Material and Method: This study is a kind of tool and technique evaluation was done in Zanjan in 2013. The studied populat...

  8. A checklist approach to caring for women seeking pregnancy testing: effects on contraceptive knowledge and use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jessica; Papic, Melissa; Baldauf, Erin; Updike, Glenn; Schwarz, E Bimla

    2015-02-01

    To assess how a checklist reminding clinicians to deliver a bundled intervention affects contraceptive knowledge and use 3 months after women seek walk-in pregnancy testing. Pre-intervention, an inner-city family planning clinic provided unstructured care; during the intervention period, clinic staff used a checklist to ensure women received needed services. Women seeking walk-in pregnancy testing who wished to avoid pregnancy for at least 6 months were asked to complete surveys about their contraceptive knowledge and use immediately after and 3-months after visiting the study clinic. To assess the significance of changes over time, we used logistic regression models. Between January 2011 and May 2013, over 1500 women sought pregnancy testing from the study clinic; 323 completed surveys (95 pre-intervention and 228 during the intervention period). With this checklist intervention, participants were more likely to receive emergency contraception (EC) (22% vs. 5%, [aOR 4.66 (1.76-12.35)], [corrected] have an intrauterine device or implant placed at the time of their clinic visit (5% vs. 0%, p=0.02), or receive a contraceptive prescription (23% vs. 10%, pcontraception and were more likely to report at 3-month follow-up a method of contraception more effective than the method they used prior to seeking pregnancy testing from the study clinic (aOR=2.02, 95% CI=1.03-3.96). The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused. [corrected]. Women seeking walk-in pregnancy testing appear more likely to receive EC and to have switched to a more effective form of birth control in the 3 months following their visit when clinic staff used a 3-item checklist and provided scripted counseling. A checklist reminding clinic staff to assess pregnancy intentions, provide scripted counseling about both emergency and highly-effective reversible contraception, and offer same-day contraceptive initiation to women seeking walk-in pregnancy testing appears to increase use of

  9. Hazard identification checklist: Occupational safety and health issues associated with green building

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Terwoert, J.; Ustailieva, E.

    2013-01-01

    This checklist accompanies the e-fact on the same topic and aims to help identify the potential hazards to workers’ safety and health associated with the planning and construction of green buildings, their maintenance, renovation (retrofitting), demolition, and on-site waste collection. It also

  10. A checklist of macroparasites of Liza haematocheila (Temminck & Schlegel) (Teleostei: Mugilidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kostadinova, Aneta

    2008-12-31

    The mugilid fish Liza haematocheila (syn. Mugil soiuy), native to the Western North Pacific, provides opportunities to examine the changes of its parasite fauna after its translocation to the Sea of Azov and subsequent establishment in the Black Sea. However, the information on macroparasites of this host in both ranges of its current distribution comes from isolated studies published in difficult-to-access literature sources. Data from 53 publications, predominantly in Chinese, Russian and Ukrainian, were compiled from an extensive search of the literature and the Host-Parasite Database maintained up to 2005 at the Natural History Museum, London. The complete checklist of the metazoan parasites of L. haematocheila throughout its distributional range comprises summarised information for 69 nominal species of helminth and ectoparasitic crustacean parasites, from 45 genera and 27 families (370 host-parasite records in total) and includes the name of the parasite species, the area/locality of the host capture, and the author and date of the published record. The taxonomy is updated and the validity of the records and synonymies are critically evaluated. A comparison of the parasite faunas based on the records in the native and introduced/invasive range of L. haematocheila suggests that a large number of parasite species was 'lost' in the new distributional range whereas an even greater number was 'gained'. Although the present checklist provides information that will facilitate future studies, the interesting question of macroparasite faunal diversity in L. haematocheila in its natural and introduced/invasive ranges cannot be dealt with the current data because of unreliability associated with the large number of non-documented and questionable records. This stresses the importance of data quality analysis in using host-parasite database and checklist data.

  11. A checklist of macroparasites of Liza haematocheila (Temminck & Schlegel (Teleostei: Mugilidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kostadinova Aneta

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The mugilid fish Liza haematocheila (syn. Mugil soiuy, native to the Western North Pacific, provides opportunities to examine the changes of its parasite fauna after its translocation to the Sea of Azov and subsequent establishment in the Black Sea. However, the information on macroparasites of this host in both ranges of its current distribution comes from isolated studies published in difficult-to-access literature sources. Materials and methods Data from 53 publications, predominantly in Chinese, Russian and Ukrainian, were compiled from an extensive search of the literature and the Host-Parasite Database maintained up to 2005 at the Natural History Museum, London. Results The complete checklist of the metazoan parasites of L. haematocheila throughout its distributional range comprises summarised information for 69 nominal species of helminth and ectoparasitic crustacean parasites, from 45 genera and 27 families (370 host-parasite records in total and includes the name of the parasite species, the area/locality of the host capture, and the author and date of the published record. The taxonomy is updated and the validity of the records and synonymies are critically evaluated. A comparison of the parasite faunas based on the records in the native and introduced/invasive range of L. haematocheila suggests that a large number of parasite species was 'lost' in the new distributional range whereas an even greater number was 'gained'. Conclusion Although the present checklist provides information that will facilitate future studies, the interesting question of macroparasite faunal diversity in L. haematocheila in its natural and introduced/invasive ranges cannot be dealt with the current data because of unreliability associated with the large number of non-documented and questionable records. This stresses the importance of data quality analysis in using host-parasite database and checklist data.

  12. Vertebrate fauna of the San Joaquin Experimental Range, California: a checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas F. Newman; Don A. Duncan

    1973-01-01

    This report updates an earlier checklist, published in 1955, of vertebrate fauna found on the San Joaquin Experimental Range, in Madera County, California. Nineteen new species have been recorded since 1955. This report records the occurrences of seven fish, eight amphibians, 19 reptiles, 38 mammals, and 149 buds. References to research on individual species are...

  13. Post-Closure Inspection Report for Corrective Action Unit 90: Area 2 Bitcutter Containment, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    NSTec Environmental Restoration

    2007-01-01

    Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 90, Area 2 Bitcutter Containment, is identified in the ''Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order'' of 1996. The post-closure requirements for CAU 90 are described in Section VII.B.8.b of the Nevada Test Site ''Resource Conservation and Recovery Act'' Permit for a Hazardous Waste Management Facility Number NEV HW0021, dated November 2005. Post-closure activities consist of the following: Semiannual inspections of the site using inspection checklists; Photographic documentation; Field note documentation; and Preparation and submittal of an annual Post-Closure Inspection Report. This annual report covers the period of July 2006 to June 2007 and consists of a summary of the results of the inspections, copies of the inspection checklists and field notes, maintenance and repair records (if any), photographs, and conclusions and recommendations. The inspection checklists are provided in Appendix A, a copy of the field notes is provided in Appendix B, and copies of photographs taken during the inspections are provided in Appendix C

  14. Is it possible for chronic urticaria diagnostic approach to be simplified? A clinical data checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iván Chérrez-Ojeda

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Existing clinical guidelines do not offer an efficient alternative for the collection of data on relevant clinical traits during history and physical of the patient with chronic urticaria. Objective: Our aim was to provide a clinical data checklist together with its guide to allow for thorough information to be obtained and for a physical exam that identifies the main features and triggering factors of the disease to be carried out. Methods: A search was conducted for relevant literature on chronic urticaria in Medline, the Cochrane library and PubMed. Results: We developed an easy-to-use clinical data checklist with its corresponding clinical guide, comprised by 42 items based on two components: essential clues for history taking and chronic urticaria diagnosis (typical symptoms according to subgroups, etiology and laboratory results. Some components are the time of disease onset, wheals’ duration, shape, size, color and distribution, associated angioedema, atopy, triggering factors and others. Conclusions: The clinical data checklist and its guide constitute a tool to focus, guide and save time in medical consultation, with the main purpose to aid physicians in providing better diagnosis and management of the disease.

  15. Engine Tune-Up Service. Unit 3: Primary Circuit. Review Exercise Book. Automotive Mechanics Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bacon, E. Miles

    This book of pretests and review exercises is designed to accompany the Engine Tune-Up Service Student Guide for Unit 3, Primary Circuit, available separately as CE 031 211. Focus of the exercises and pretests is testing the primary ignition circuit. Pretests and performance checklists are provided for each of the eight performance objectives…

  16. Engine Tune-up Service. Unit 2: Charging System. Review Exercise Book. Automotive Mechanics Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, Roger L.; Bacon, E. Miles

    This book of pretests and review exercises is designed to accompany the Engine Tune-Up Service Student Guide for Unit 2, Charging System, available separately as CE 031 208. Focus of the exercises and pretests is testing the charging system. Pretests and performance checklists are provided for each of the three performance objectives contained in…

  17. Engine Tune-up Service. Unit 4: Secondary Circuit. Review Exercise Book. Automotive Mechanics Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bacon, E. Miles

    This book of pretests and review exercises is designed to accompany the Engine Tune-Up Service Student Guide for Unit 4, Secondary Circuit, available separately as CE 031 214. Focus of the exercises and pretests is testing and servicing the secondary ignition circuit. Pretests and performance checklists are provided for each of the seven…

  18. Checklist of mammals from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walfrido Moraes Tomas

    Full Text Available Abstract We updated the checklist of mammals from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil based on primary records only. One hundred and sixty-six mammal species were listed as occurring in the state, 47 of them being medium to large, 47 small mammal and 73 bat species. The listed species are distributed in 31 families: Didelphidae (17 spp., Dasypodidae (7 spp., Myrmecophagidae (2 spp., Cebidae (1 sp., Callithrichidae (2 spp., Aotidae (1 sp., Pitheciidae (1 sp., Atelidae (1 sp., Leporidae (1 sp., Felidae (7 spp., Canidae (4 spp., Mustelidae (5 spp., Mephitidae (2 spp., Procyonidae (2 spp., Tapiridae (1 sp., Tayassuidae (2 spp., Cervidae (4 spp., Sciuridae (1 sp., Cricetidae (22 spp., Erethizontidae (1 sp., Caviidae (3 spp., Dasyproctidae (1 sp., Cuniculidae (1 sp., Echimyidae (4 spp., Phyllostomidae (41 spp., Emballonuridae (2 spp., Molossidae (16 spp., Vespertilionidae (9 spp., Mormoopidae (1 sp., Noctilionidae (2 spp., and Natalidade (1 sp.. These numbers represent an increase of fourteen species with primary records for the state in comparison with the previously published checklist. However, it is evident the scarcity of information at several regions of the state, and the need of implementation of regional zoological collections. The state of Mato Grosso do Sul represent only 4.19% of the Brazilian territory, but the number of mammal species reach 24.13% of the known species occurring in the country.

  19. Implementation of a national bundle care program to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infection in high-risk units of hospitals in Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chih-Cheng Lai

    2017-08-01

    Conclusions: The implementation of CA-UTI bundle care successfully reduced CA-UTI in Taiwanese high-risk units. A process surveillance checklist can be helpful for understanding which parts of the bundle care require improvements.

  20. Vascular access and infection prevention and control: a national survey of routine practices in Irish haemodialysis units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCann, Margaret; Clarke, Michael; Mellotte, George; Plant, Liam; Fitzpatrick, Fidelma

    2013-04-01

    National and international guidelines recommend the use of effective vascular access (VA) and infection prevention and control practices within the haemodialysis environment. Establishing an arterio-venous fistula (AVF) and preventing central venous catheter (CVC)-related infections are ongoing challenges for all dialysis settings. We surveyed VA and routine infection prevention and control practices in dialysis units, to provide national data on these practices in Ireland. A descriptive survey was emailed to nurse managers at all adult (n = 19) and children (n = 1) outpatient haemodialysis units in the Republic of Ireland. Data collected included AVF formation, CVC insertion and maintenance practices, VA use and surveillance of infection and screening protocols. Nineteen of the 20 units responded to the survey. The AVF prevalence was 49% for 1370 patients in 17 units who provided these data [mean prevalence per unit: 45.7% (SD 16.2)]; the CVC mean prevalence per unit was 52.5% (SD 16.0). Fourteen dialysis units experienced inadequate access to vascular surgical procedures either due to a lack of dedicated theatre time or hospital beds. Six units administered intravenous prophylactic antimicrobials prior to CVC insertion with only two units using a CVC insertion checklist at the time of catheter insertion. In general, dialysis units in Ireland show a strong adherence to national guidelines. Compared with the 12 countries participating in the Dialysis Outcomes Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS 4), in 2010, AVF prevalence in Irish dialysis units is the second lowest. Recommendations include establishing an AVF national prevalence target rate, discontinuing the administration of intravenous prophylactic antimicrobials prior to CVC insertion and promoting the use of CVC insertion checklists.

  1. Annotated checklist of the living sharks, batoids and chimaeras (Chondrichthyes) of the world, with a focus on biogeographical diversity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weigmann, S

    2016-03-01

    An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, batoids and chimaeras) of the world is presented. As of 7 November 2015, the number of species totals 1188, comprising 16 orders, 61 families and 199 genera. The checklist includes nine orders, 34 families, 105 genera and 509 species of sharks; six orders, 24 families, 88 genera and 630 species of batoids (skates and rays); one order, three families, six genera and 49 species of holocephalans (chimaeras). The most speciose shark orders are the Carcharhiniformes with 284 species, followed by the Squaliformes with 119. The most species-rich batoid orders are the Rajiformes with 285 species and the Myliobatiformes with 210. This checklist represents the first global checklist of chondrichthyans to include information on maximum size, geographic and depth distributions, as well as comments on taxonomically problematic species and recent and regularly overlooked synonymizations. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the biogeographical diversity of the species across 10 major areas of occurrence is given, including updated figures for previously published hotspots of chondrichthyan biodiversity, providing the detailed numbers of chondrichthyan species per major area, and revealing centres of distribution for several taxa. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

  2. Screening for pragmatic language impairment: The potential of the children's communication checklist

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ketelaars, M.P.; Cuperus, J.M.; Daal, J.G.H.L. van; Jansonius-Schultheiss, K.; Verhoeven, L.T.W.

    2009-01-01

    The present study examines the validity of the Dutch Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) for children in kindergarten in a community sample, in order to assess the feasibility of using it as a screening instrument in the general population. Teachers completed the CCC for a representative sample

  3. Predicting Recidivism with the Psychopathy Checklist: Are Factor Score Composites Really Necessary?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walters, Glenn D.; Wilson, Nick J.; Glover, Anthony J. J.

    2011-01-01

    In two previous studies on general and violent recidivism (Walters & Heilbrun, 2010; Walters, Knight, Grann, & Dahle, 2008), the summed composite antisocial facet of the Psychopathy Checklist displayed incremental validity relative to the other 3 facets (interpersonal, affective, lifestyle), whereas the other 3 facets generally failed to…

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priscila Farage

    2017-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-01-06

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

  6. From local checklists to online identification portals: a case study on vascular plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martellos, Stefano; Nimis, Pier Luigi

    2015-01-01

    Checklists, the result of time-consuming exploration and painstaking bibliographic research, can be easily converted into online databases, which have the advantage of being updatable online in real time, and of reaching a much wider audience. However, thousands of local checklists (Natural Parks, protected areas, etc.) are still available on paper only, and most of those published online appear as dry lists of latin names, which strongly reduces their outreach for a wider audience. The University of Trieste has recently started the publication of several local checklists in a way that may be more appealing for the general public, by linking species' names to archives of digital resources, and especially to digital identification tools produced by software FRIDA (FRiendly IDentificAtion). The query interfaces were developed on the basis of feedback from a wide range of users. The result is no longer a simple list of names accessible on the Web, but a veritable multimedial, interactive portal to the biodiversity of a given area. This paper provides an example of how relevant added value can be given to local lists of taxa by embedding them in a complex system of biodiversity-related resources, making them usable for a much wider audience than a restricted circle of specialists, as testified by the almost 1.000.000 unique visitors reached in 2014. A critical mass of digital resources is also put at disposal of the scientific community by releasing them under a Creative Commons license.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo de Paula Lima

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

  8. Reporting the characteristics of the policy context for population-level alcohol interventions: a proposed 'Transparent Reporting of Alcohol Intervention ContExts' (TRAICE) checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, John; Meier, Petra S; Booth, Andrew; Brennan, Alan

    2014-11-01

    Effectiveness of alcohol policy interventions varies across times and places. The circumstances under which effective polices can be successfully transferred between contexts are typically unexplored with little attention given to developing reporting requirements that would facilitate systematic investigation. Using purposive sampling and expert elicitation methods, we identified context-related factors impacting on the effectiveness of population-level alcohol policies. We then drew on previous characterisations of alcohol policy contexts and methodological-reporting checklists to design a new checklist for reporting contextual information in evaluation studies. Six context factor domains were identified: (i) baseline alcohol consumption, norms and harm rates; (ii) baseline affordability and availability; (iii) social, microeconomic and demographic contexts; (iv) macroeconomic context; (v) market context; and (vi) wider policy, political and media context. The checklist specifies information, typically available in national or international reports, to be reported in each domain. The checklist can facilitate evidence synthesis by providing: (i) a mechanism for systematic and more consistent reporting of contextual data for meta-regression and realist evaluations; (ii) information for policy-makers on differences between their context and contexts of evaluations; and (iii) an evidence base for adjusting prospective policy simulation models to account for policy context. Our proposed checklist provides a tool for gaining better understanding of the influence of policy context on intervention effectiveness. Further work is required to rationalise and aggregate checklists across interventions types to make such checklists practical for use by journals and to improve reporting of important qualitative contextual data. © 2014 The Authors. Drug and Alcohol Review published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and

  9. 39 CFR 962.7 - Hearing location.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Hearing location. 962.7 Section 962.7 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PROGRAM FRAUD CIVIL REMEDIES ACT § 962.7 Hearing location. An oral hearing under this part shall be held (a) In...

  10. [Effectiveness of an intervention to improve the implementation of a surgical safety check-list in a tertiary hospital].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vázquez-González, A; Luque-Ramírez, J M; Del Nozal-Nalda, M; Barroso-Gutierrez, C; Román-Fuentes, M; Vilaplana-Garcia, A

    2016-06-01

    To determine the percentage of verification of a Surgical Safety Checklist and improvements made. Quasi-experimental study in 28 Clinical Management Units with surgical activity in the University Hospital Virgen del Rocio (HUVR) and University Hospital Virgen Macarena (HUVM). A situation analysis was made to estimate the completing of a Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC), after which a new system of completing the SSC was introduced as an element of improvement, which included a reusable vinyl board. Subsequently, the prevalence over two periods was calculated, to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. A total 1,964 SSC were reviewed in the HUVR-HUVM in June (baseline), and in December 2013 and June 2014. A percentage completion of 65.8%, 86.2%, and 88% was obtained in the HUVR, and 70.9%, 77.2%, and 75% in the HUVM, respectively. Of these SSC, 15.1% (baseline) were completed entirely in the HUVR, increasing to 36.6% (P<.001), and 89.8% (P<.001) in the last measurement. In the HUVM, 15.6% (baseline) were fully completed, increasing to 18.3% (P=.323), and 29.4% (P=.001) in the last measurement. The percentage of completion of SSC obtained is around 80%, and is similar to that reported in the literature. The re-design of the SSC procedure, including the use of a vinyl board, the designation of SSC coordinator role, and professional staff training, is effective for improve outcomes in terms of completing the SSC, and quality of the completion. Copyright © 2016 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  11. Location. Unit 9. Level 1. Instructor Guide. PACE: Program for Acquiring Competence in Entrepreneurship. Third Edition. Research & Development Series No. 301-09.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Center on Education and Training for Employment.

    This instructor guide for a unit on locating a business in the PACE (Program for Acquiring Competence in Entrepreneurship) curriculum includes the full text of the student module and lesson plans, instructional suggestions, and other teacher resources. The competencies that are incorporated into this module are at Level 1 of…

  12. The role and reliability of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised in U.S. sexually violent predator evaluations: a case law survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeMatteo, David; Edens, John F; Galloway, Meghann; Cox, Jennifer; Smith, Shannon Toney; Formon, Dana

    2014-06-01

    The civil commitment of offenders as sexually violent predators (SVPs) is a highly contentious area of U.S. mental health law. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) is frequently used in mental health evaluations in these cases to aid legal decision making. Although generally perceived to be a useful assessment tool in applied settings, recent research has raised questions about the reliability of PCL-R scores in SVP cases. In this report, we review the use of the PCL-R in SVP trials identified as part of a larger project investigating its role in U.S. case law. After presenting data on how the PCL-R is used in SVP cases, we examine the reliability of scores reported in these cases. We located 214 cases involving the PCL-R, 88 of which included an actual score and 29 of which included multiple scores. In the 29 cases with multiple scores, the intraclass correlation coefficient for a single evaluator for the PCL-R scores was only .58, and only 41.4% of the difference scores were within 1 standard error of measurement unit. The average score reported by prosecution experts was significantly higher than the average score reported by defense-retained experts, and prosecution experts reported PCL-R scores of 30 or above in nearly 50% of the cases, compared with less than 10% of the cases for defense witnesses (κ = .29). In conjunction with other recently published findings demonstrating the unreliability of PCL-R scores in applied settings, our results raise questions as to whether this instrument should be admitted into SVP proceedings.

  13. Postoperative Adverse Events Inconsistently Improved by the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist: A Systematic Literature Review of 25 Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jager, Elzerie; McKenna, Chloe; Bartlett, Lynne; Gunnarsson, Ronny; Ho, Yik-Hong

    2016-08-01

    The World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) has been widely implemented in an effort to decrease surgical adverse events. This systematic literature review examined the effects of the SSC on postoperative outcomes. The review included 25 studies: two randomised controlled trials, 13 prospective and ten retrospective cohort trials. A meta-analysis was not conducted as combining observational studies of heterogeneous quality may be highly biased. The quality of the studies was largely suboptimal; only four studies had a concurrent control group, many studies were underpowered to examine specific postoperative outcomes and teamwork-training initiatives were often combined with the implementation of the checklist, confounding the results. The effects of the checklist were largely inconsistent. Postoperative complications were examined in 20 studies; complication rates significantly decreased in ten and increased in one. Eighteen studies examined postoperative mortality. Rates significantly decreased in four and increased in one. Postoperative mortality rates were not significantly decreased in any studies in developed nations, whereas they were significantly decreased in 75 % of studies conducted in developing nations. The checklist may be associated with a decrease in surgical adverse events and this effect seems to be greater in developing nations. With the observed incongruence between specific postoperative outcomes and the overall poor study designs, it is possible that many of the positive changes associated with the use of the checklist were due to temporal changes, confounding factors and publication bias.

  14. Psychometric properties of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Checklist as a screening instrument for children with a developmental co-ordination disorder

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schoemaker, MM; Smits-Engelsman, BCM; Jongmans, MJ

    Background. The Checklist of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) was developed to screen children for movement difficulties in the school situation. However, the psychometric properties of the Checklist have not been investigated in detail. Aim. The psychometric properties of the

  15. A Unified Checklist for Observational and Experimental Research in Software Engineering (Version 1)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wieringa, Roelf J.

    2012-01-01

    Current checklists for empirical software engineering cover either experimental research or case study research but ignore the many commonalities that exist across all kinds of empirical research. Identifying these commonalities, and explaining why they exist, would enhance our understanding of

  16. The location choice of graduate entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Polonyová Eva

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The graduates’ startup formation process represents a possible future role for universities in the form of active-participation, when speaking of the regional development. Tracking the path of entrepreneurial graduates who are moving between home, university, and employment, allows us to identify the specific motives that determine their migration decisions. The choice of location of graduate entrepreneurs is naturally affected by the context of their home region, as the availability of resources leads to a rising entrepreneurial intention. Similarly, the location of the startups flourish in densely populated urban regions, as well as in wealthier locations. At the same time, the vibrancy of the local entrepreneurial ecosystems is enhanced through mutual exchange and collaboration; and the higher the number of startups already present in a region, the higher the probability becomes for interaction and creativity. A leading tendency, not least to be mentioned, is that the preference to start new businesses is connected to highly-skilled creative sectors of the economy.

  17. Location. Unit 9. Level 2. Instructor Guide. PACE: Program for Acquiring Competence in Entrepreneurship. Third Edition. Research & Development Series No. 302-09.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Center on Education and Training for Employment.

    This instructor guide for a unit on locating a business in the PACE (Program for Acquiring Competence in Entrepreneurship) curriculum includes the full text of the student module and lesson plans, instructional suggestions, and other teacher resources. The competencies that are incorporated into this module are at Level 2 of learning--planning for…

  18. Location. Unit 9. Level 3. Instructor Guide. PACE: Program for Acquiring Competence in Entrepreneurship. Third Edition. Research & Development Series No. 303-09.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Center on Education and Training for Employment.

    This instructor guide for a unit on location in the PACE (Program for Acquiring Competence in Entrepreneurship) curriculum includes the full text of the student module and lesson plans, instructional suggestions, and other teacher resources. The competencies that are incorporated into this module are at Level 3 of learning--starting and managing…

  19. Comparing the use of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale and the Autism Behavior Checklist protocols to identify and characterize autistic individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, Thaís Helena Ferreira; Barbosa, Milene Rossi Pereira; Pimentel, Ana Gabriela Lopes; Lacerda, Camila Andrioli; Balestro, Juliana Izidro; Amato, Cibelle Albuquerque de la Higuera; Fernandes, Fernanda Dreux Miranda

    2012-01-01

    To compare the results obtained in the Autism Behavior Checklist with those obtained in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale to identify and characterize children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Participants were 28 children with psychiatric diagnosis within the autism spectrum that were enrolled in language therapy in a specialized service. These children were assessed according to the Autism Behavior Checklist and Childhood Autism Rating Scale criteria, based on information obtained with parents and therapists, respectively. Data were statistically analyzed regarding the agreement between responses. Results indicating high or moderate probability of autism in the Autism Behavior Checklist were considered concordant with the results indicating mild-to-moderate or severe autism in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. Results indicating low probability of autism in the Autism Behavior Checklist and without autism in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale were also considered concordant. There was agreement on most of the responses. Cases in which there was disagreement between results obtained on both protocols corroborate literature data, showing that the instruments may not be sufficient, if applied alone, to define the diagnosis. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale may not effectively diagnose autistic children, while the Autism Behavior Checklist may result in over- diagnose, including within the autism spectrum children with other disorders. Therefore, the associated use of both protocols is recommended.

  20. Engine Tune-up Service. Unit 6: Emission Control Systems. Review Exercise Book. Automotive Mechanics Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bacon, E. Miles

    This book of pretests and review exercises is designed to accompany the Engine Tune-Up Service Student Guide for Unit 6, Emission Control Systems, available separately as CE 031 220. Focus of the exercises and pretests is inspecting, testing, and servicing emission control systems. Pretests and performance checklists are provided for each of the…

  1. Strategic Management and Innovation: A Checklist for Readiness Evaluation of AACSB Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kundu, Goutam Kumar; Bairi, Jayachandra

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of a checklist, focusing on the detailed analysis of the requirement of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) standards related to strategic management and innovation area, for evaluation of implementation readiness in a business school setting.…

  2. An Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Flora of Guinea-Bissau (West Africa)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Catarino, L.; Martins, E.S.; Pinto Basto, M.F.; Diniz, M.A.

    2008-01-01

    A Checklist of Guinea-Bissau’s vascular flora is presented, based on the inventory of herbarium material and on recent collections. In addition to the name, we cite for each taxon the basionym and synonyms, the life form and habitat, as well as the chorology, Raunkiaer’s biological type, phenology

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-02-01

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

  4. A checklist of land snails from the west coast islands of Sabah, Borneo (Mollusca, Gastropoda

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chee-Chean Phung

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Sabah, situated in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, has the largest number of islands in Malaysia with more than 500 of various sizes and degrees of isolation. However, information on the islands’ biodiversity is limited. This study provides an up-to-date checklist of land snail species found on 24 west coast islands in Sabah. A total of 67 species (nearly 20% of the total number of land snail species in the state representing 37 genera and 19 families is enumerated based on systematic field surveys of 133 sampling plots, BORNEENSIS database records and species checklists published between 2000 and 2016. The number of species on the islands ranges from four to 29. Labuan Island has the highest number of species (29, followed by Tiga Island (25, Mantanani Besar Island (24 and Gaya Island (23. However, the populations of some land snail species may have declined as several previously recorded species on the islands were not found in a recent systematic field sampling. This checklist is provided as a baseline inventory for future island land snail studies and to better inform biodiversity conservation plans of marine parks and other islands on the Sabah west coast.

  5. Location, Location: Jurisdiction & Conflicts in Transborder Contract Litigation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lookofsky, Joseph

    In transborder contract litigation place-based factors are often decisive, both as regards jurisdiction to adjudicate as well as the rules which determine the applicable substantive law. Relevant locations include the place where the contract was made, where the parties reside, transact business...... or own property, the place of delivery, payment or other performance etc. Using concrete case-based examples, Professor Lookofsky explains how rules of jurisdiction and contract conflicts in Europe are tied to rigidly defined, single-place-based factors. In the United States, by contrast...

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-09-01

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

  7. A Comprehensive Quality Assurance Program for Personnel and Procedures in Radiation Oncology: Value of Voluntary Error Reporting and Checklists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalapurakal, John A.; Zafirovski, Aleksandar; Smith, Jeffery; Fisher, Paul; Sathiaseelan, Vythialingam; Barnard, Cynthia; Rademaker, Alfred W.; Rave, Nick; Mittal, Bharat B.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: This report describes the value of a voluntary error reporting system and the impact of a series of quality assurance (QA) measures including checklists and timeouts on reported error rates in patients receiving radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: A voluntary error reporting system was instituted with the goal of recording errors, analyzing their clinical impact, and guiding the implementation of targeted QA measures. In response to errors committed in relation to treatment of the wrong patient, wrong treatment site, and wrong dose, a novel initiative involving the use of checklists and timeouts for all staff was implemented. The impact of these and other QA initiatives was analyzed. Results: From 2001 to 2011, a total of 256 errors in 139 patients after 284,810 external radiation treatments (0.09% per treatment) were recorded in our voluntary error database. The incidence of errors related to patient/tumor site, treatment planning/data transfer, and patient setup/treatment delivery was 9%, 40.2%, and 50.8%, respectively. The compliance rate for the checklists and timeouts initiative was 97% (P<.001). These and other QA measures resulted in a significant reduction in many categories of errors. The introduction of checklists and timeouts has been successful in eliminating errors related to wrong patient, wrong site, and wrong dose. Conclusions: A comprehensive QA program that regularly monitors staff compliance together with a robust voluntary error reporting system can reduce or eliminate errors that could result in serious patient injury. We recommend the adoption of these relatively simple QA initiatives including the use of checklists and timeouts for all staff to improve the safety of patients undergoing radiation therapy in the modern era

  8. Preliminary checklist of the vascular flora of the Sub-Andean forest at Cuchilla El Fara (Santander-Colombia)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medina, Ruth; Reina, Miriam; Herrera, Edna; Avila, Fabio Andres; Chaparro, Omar; Cortes B, Rocio

    2010-01-01

    A preliminary checklist of the vascular flora of the sub-Andean forest of the Cuchilla El Fara is present ed. El Fara is located at the Guantiva - La Rusia - Iguaque biological corridor, in the municipalities of Charala, Gambita, and Suaita (Santander-Colombia). Information on habit, local altitudinal range, and collection number is recorded for each species. A total of 409 species of vascular plants included in 226 genera, and 105 families were recorded. The families with the highest number of genera were Rubiaceae (18), Asteraceae (10), Melastomataceae (10), Orchidaceae (10), Euphorbiaceae (8), Arecaceae (7) and Fabaceae (7). At specific level, the best represented families were Rubiaceae (33), Melastomataceae (28), Lauraceae (21), Asteraceae (17), Araceae (17), Orchidaceae (17) and Gesneriaceae (15). The affinities of the flora with other Neotropical sub-Andean forests are discussed. Finally, species of all IUCN threat categories are highlighted so that the information presented here can make a contribution to restoration and conservation programs.

  9. If I were a band-aid, where would I be? Researching the use and location of supplies on two patient units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bazuin, Doug; Martinez, Jessica; Harper, Kathy; Okland, Kathy; Bergquist, Patricia; Kumar, Shilpi

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the use and storage of supplies in the neonatal intensive care and women's health units of Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Construction of a new Parkland Hospital is underway, with completion of the 862-bed, 2.5-million square feet hospital in 2014. Leaders from the hospital and representatives from one of its major vendors collaborated on a research study to evaluate the hospital's current supply management system and develop criteria to create an improved system to be implemented at the new hospital. Approach includes qualitative and quantitative methods, that is, written survey, researcher observations, focus groups, and evaluation of hospital supply reports. Approaching the ideal location of supplies can be best approached by defining a nurse's activity at the point of care. Determining an optimal supply management system must be approached by understanding the "what" of caregivers' activities and then determining the "where" of the supplies that support those activities. An ideal supply management system locates supplies as close as possible to the point of use, is organized by activity, and is standardized within and across units. © The Author(s) 2015.

  10. Analyzing and Predicting Micro-Location Patterns of Software Firms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Kinne

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available While the effects of non-geographic aggregation on statistical inference are well studied in economics, research on the effects of geographic aggregation on regression analysis is rather scarce. This knowledge gap, together with the use of aggregated spatial units in previous firm location studies, results in a lack of understanding of firm location determinants at the microgeographic level. Suitable data for microgeographic location analysis has become available only recently through the emergence of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI, especially the OpenStreetMap (OSM project, and the increasing availability of official (open geodata. In this paper, we use a comprehensive dataset of three million street-level geocoded firm observations to explore the location pattern of software firms in an Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA. Based on the ESDA results, we develop a software firm location prediction model using Poisson regression and OSM data. Our findings offer novel insights into the mode of operation of the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP in the context of a microgeographic location analysis: We find that non-aggregated data can be used to detect information on location determinants, which are superimposed when aggregated spatial units are analyzed, and that some findings of previous firm location studies are not robust at the microgeographic level. However, we also conclude that the lack of high-resolution geodata on socio-economic population characteristics causes systematic prediction errors, especially in cities with diverse and segregated populations.

  11. Checklist for One Health Epidemiological Reporting of Evidence (COHERE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meghan F. Davis

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available One Health is defined as the intersection and integration of knowledge regarding humans, animals, and the environment, yet as the One Health scientific literature expands, there is considerable heterogeneity of approach and quality of reporting in One Health studies. In addition, many researchers who publish such studies do not include or integrate data from all three domains of human, animal, and environmental health. This points to a critical need to unify guidelines for One Health studies. This report details the Checklist for One Health Epidemiological Reporting of Evidence (COHERE to guide the design and publication format of future One Health studies. COHERE was developed by a core writing team and international expert review group that represents multiple disciplines, including human medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, allied professionals, clinical laboratory science, epidemiology, the social sciences, ecohealth and environmental health. The twin aims of the COHERE standards are to 1 improve the quality of reporting of observational or interventional epidemiological studies that collect and integrate data from humans, animals and/or vectors, and their environments; and 2 promote the concept that One Health studies should integrate knowledge from these three domains. The 19 standards in the COHERE checklist address descriptions of human populations, animal populations, environmental assessment, spatial and temporal relationships of data from the three domains, integration of analyses and interpretation, and inclusion of expertise in the research team from disciplines related to human health, animal health, and environmental health.

  12. Using the modified checklist for autism in toddlers in a well-child clinic in Turkey: adapting the screening method based on culture and setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kara, Bülent; Mukaddes, Nahit Motavalli; Altınkaya, Isılay; Güntepe, Dilek; Gökçay, Gülbin; Özmen, Meral

    2014-04-01

    We aimed to adapt the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers to Turkish culture. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers was filled out independently by 191 parents while they were waiting for the well-child examination of their child. A high screen-positive rate was found. Because of this high false-positive rate, a second study was done in which the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers was administered by health-care staff in a short interview with two groups of parents. The first group (the high-risk group) comprised 80 children aged 18-36 months, who were initially diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders. The second group (the low-risk group) comprised 538 children of the same age, who were followed regularly by the well-child clinic. Two screen positives were found in the low-risk group. These two children, a random sample of 120 children from the low-risk group, and all the high-risk group were invited to a clinical evaluation. The diagnostic power of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers was assessed against clinical diagnosis and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. The positive predictive value of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers was found to be 75%. Our findings led us to conclude that the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers is a useful tool in Turkey for screening of pervasive developmental disorders in primary care, but in our culture, it is completed more accurately when health-care personnel ask the parents the questions. This study shows that Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers screening should be adapted based on culture and setting.

  13. Outbreak of Ampicillin/Piperacillin-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU: Investigation and Control Measures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrizia Farruggia

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Klebsiella pneumoniae is a frequent cause of infectious outbreaks in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs. The aim of this paper is to describe an outbreak occurred in a 13-bed NICU and the control measures adopted in order to interrupt the chain of transmission. We described the microbiological investigations, the NICU staff compliance to the infection control measures by means of a specifically designed check-list and the control measures adopted. Six cases of primary bloodstream infections sustained by ampicillin/piperacillin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae were observed over a two-month period. One culture obtained from a 12% saccarose multiple-dose solution allowed the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae. During the inspections performed by the Hospital Infection Control Team, using the check-list for the evaluation of the NICU staff compliance to the infection control measures, several breaches in the infection control policy were identified and control measures were adopted. In our case the definition of a specific check-list led to the adoption of the correct control measures. Further studies would be helpful in order to develop a standard check-list able to identify critical flows in the adhesion to the guidelines. It could be used in different NICUs and allow to obtain reproducible levels of infection control.

  14. Outbreak of ampicillin/piperacillin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): investigation and control measures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fabbri, Giuliana; Panico, Manuela; Dallolio, Laura; Suzzi, Roberta; Ciccia, Matilde; Sandri, Fabrizio; Farruggia, Patrizia

    2013-02-26

    Klebsiella pneumoniae is a frequent cause of infectious outbreaks in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). The aim of this paper is to describe an outbreak occurred in a 13-bed NICU and the control measures adopted in order to interrupt the chain of transmission. We described the microbiological investigations, the NICU staff compliance to the infection control measures by means of a specifically designed check-list and the control measures adopted. Six cases of primary bloodstream infections sustained by ampicillin/piperacillin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae were observed over a two-month period. One culture obtained from a 12% saccarose multiple-dose solution allowed the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae. During the inspections performed by the Hospital Infection Control Team, using the check-list for the evaluation of the NICU staff compliance to the infection control measures, several breaches in the infection control policy were identified and control measures were adopted. In our case the definition of a specific check-list led to the adoption of the correct control measures. Further studies would be helpful in order to develop a standard check-list able to identify critical flows in the adhesion to the guidelines. It could be used in different NICUs and allow to obtain reproducible levels of infection control.

  15. Being Prepared for Climate Change: Checklists of Potential Climate Change Risks, from Step 3

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Being Prepared for Climate Change workbook is a guide for constructing a climate change adaptation plan based on identifying risks and their consequences. These checklists (from Step 3 of the workbook) help users identify risks.

  16. A commented check-list of the Ephemeroptera of Mongolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Soldán, Tomáš; Enktaivan, S.; Godunko, R. J.

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 31, suppl. 1 (2009), s. 653-670 ISSN 0165-0424. [International Perspectives in Mayfly and Stonefly Research. Proceedings of the International Conference on Ephemeroptera /12./ and International Symposium on Plecoptera /16./. Stuttgart, 08.06.2008-14.06.2008] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1QS500070505; GA ČR GA206/08/1389 Grant - others:USA NSF Biotic Survey and Inventories(US) DEB 0206674 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : Ephemeroptera * Mongolia * checklist Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 0.311, year: 2009

  17. The Epimed Monitor ICU Database®: a cloud-based national registry for adult intensive care unit patients in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zampieri, Fernando Godinho; Soares, Márcio; Borges, Lunna Perdigão; Salluh, Jorge Ibrain Figueira; Ranzani, Otávio Tavares

    2017-01-01

    To describe the Epimed Monitor Database®, a Brazilian intensive care unit quality improvement database. We described the Epimed Monitor® Database, including its structure and core data. We presented aggregated informative data from intensive care unit admissions from 2010 to 2016 using descriptive statistics. We also described the expansion and growth of the database along with the geographical distribution of participating units in Brazil. The core data from the database includes demographic, administrative and physiological parameters, as well as specific report forms used to gather detailed data regarding the use of intensive care unit resources, infectious episodes, adverse events and checklists for adherence to best clinical practices. As of the end of 2016, 598 adult intensive care units in 318 hospitals totaling 8,160 intensive care unit beds were participating in the database. Most units were located at private hospitals in the southeastern region of the country. The number of yearly admissions rose during this period and included a predominance of medical admissions. The proportion of admissions due to cardiovascular disease declined, while admissions due to sepsis or infections became more common. Illness severity (Simplified Acute Physiology Score - SAPS 3 - 62 points), patient age (mean = 62 years) and hospital mortality (approximately 17%) remained reasonably stable during this time period. A large private database of critically ill patients is feasible and may provide relevant nationwide epidemiological data for quality improvement and benchmarking purposes among the participating intensive care units. This database is useful not only for administrative reasons but also for the improvement of daily care by facilitating the adoption of best practices and use for clinical research.

  18. Is it time to use checklists in mental health care auditing?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abramowitz, Moshe Z; Polackiewicz, Jacob; Grinshpoon, Alexander

    2011-02-22

    A key strategy for improving the quality of mental health care is the design and implementation of a mechanism for on-site inspection and clinical auditing. We discuss the use of checklists in auditing providing an objective, comprehensive system for recording and analyzing multi-disciplinary, clinical auditing in mental health services. We believe such an approach can identify potential risks and allow for better decision making.

  19. Is it time to use checklists in mental health care auditing?

    OpenAIRE

    Jacob Polackiewicz; Alexander Grinshpoon; Moshe Z. Abramowitz

    2011-01-01

    A key strategy for improving the quality of mental health care is the design and implementation of a mechanism for on-site inspection and clinical auditing. We discuss the use of checklists in auditing providing an objective, comprehensive system for recording and analyzing multi-disciplinary, clinical auditing in mental health services. We believe such an approach can identify potential risks and allow for better decision making.

  20. Validity of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaat, Aaron J.; Lecavalier, Luc; Aman, Michael G.

    2014-01-01

    The Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) is a widely used measure in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) treatment studies. We conducted confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses of the ABC in 1,893 children evaluated as part of the Autism Treatment Network. The root mean square error of approximation was .086 for the standard item assignment, and in…

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-08-03

    to elaborate and validate a checklist to identify compliance with the recommendations for the structure of medication prescriptions, based on the Protocol of the Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency. methodological research, conducted through the validation and reliability analysis process, using a sample of 27 electronic prescriptions. the analyses confirmed the content validity and reliability of the tool. The content validity, obtained by expert assessment, was considered satisfactory as it covered items that represent the compliance with the recommendations regarding the structure of the medication prescriptions. The reliability, assessed through interrater agreement, was excellent (ICC=1.00) and showed perfect agreement (K=1.00). the Medication Prescription Safety Checklist showed to be a valid and reliable tool for the group studied. We hope that this study can contribute to the prevention of adverse events, as well as to the improvement of care quality and safety in medication use. elaborar e validar um instrumento tipo checklist para identificar a adesão às recomendações na estrutura das prescrições de medicamentos, a partir do Protocolo do Ministério da Saúde e Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária. pesquisa metodológica, conduzida por meio do processo de validade e análise de confiabilidade, com amostra de 27 prescrições eletrônicas. análises realizadas confirmaram a validade de conteúdo e a confiabilidade da versão do instrumento. A validade de conteúdo, obtida por meio da avaliação de juízes, foi considerada satisfatória por contemplar itens que representam a adesão às recomendações na estrutura das prescrições de medicamentos. A confiabilidade, avaliada por interobservadores, apresentou-se excelente (ICC=1,00) e de concordância perfeita (K=1,00). o instrumento Lista de Verificação de Segurança na Prescrição de Medicamentos demonstrou-se válido e confiável para o grupo estudado. Espera

  2. Screening for pragmatic language impairment: the potential of the children’s communication checklist

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ketelaars, M.P.; Cuperus, J.; van Daal, J.; Jansonius, K.; Verhoeven, L.

    2009-01-01

    The present study examines the validity of the Dutch Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) for children in kindergarten in a community sample, in order to assess the feasibility of using it as a screening instrument in the general population. Teachers completed the CCC for a representative sample

  3. Psychometric validation and clinical validity of the Minor Melancholia Mood Checklist (MMCL-32)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bech, Per; Christensen, Ellen Margrethe; Vinberg, Maj

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The Minor Melancholia Mood Checklist (MMCL-32) was developed to identify sub-threshold states of major depression. The MMCL-32 can be considered as the counterpole to the Hypomanic Check List (HCL-32). METHODS: Principal component analysis (PCA) without rotation was used to identify a...

  4. Testing the 8-syndrome structure of the child behavior checklist in 30 societies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ivanova, Masha Y; Dobrean, Anca; Dopfner, Manfred

    2007-01-01

    There is a growing need for multicultural collaboration in child mental health services, training, and research. To facilitate such collaboration, this study tested the 8-syndrome structure of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in 30 societies. Parents' CBCL ratings of 58,051 6- to 18-year-olds ...

  5. Post-Closure Inspection Report for Corrective Action Unit 90: Area 2 Bitcutter Containment, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    NSTec Environmental Restoration

    2008-01-01

    Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 90, Area 2 Bitcutter Containment, is identified in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order of 1996, as amended February 2008. The post-closure requirements for CAU 90 are described in Section VII.B.8.b of the Nevada Test Site Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Permit for a Hazardous Waste Management Facility Number NEV HW0021, dated November 2005. Post-closure activities consist of the following: (1) Semiannual inspections of the site using inspection checklists; (2) Photographic documentation; (3) Field note documentation; and (4) Preparation and submittal of an annual Post-Closure Inspection Report. This annual report covers the period of July 2007 to June 2008 and consists of a summary of the results of the inspections, copies of the inspection checklists and field notes, maintenance and repair records (if any), photographs, and conclusions and recommendations. The inspection checklists are provided in Appendix A, a copy of the field notes is provided in Appendix B, and copies of photographs taken during the inspections are provided in Appendix C

  6. Minimizing Co-location Potential of Moving Entities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Evans, Will; Kirkpatrick, David; Löffler, Maarten; Staals, Frank

    2016-01-01

    We study the problem of maintaining knowledge of the locations of $n$ entities that are moving, each with some, possibly different, upper bound on their speed. We assume a setting where we can query the current location of any one entity, but this query takes a unit of time, during which we cannot

  7. 6 CFR 13.32 - Location of hearing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 6 Domestic Security 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Location of hearing. 13.32 Section 13.32 Domestic Security DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY PROGRAM FRAUD CIVIL REMEDIES § 13.32 Location of hearing. (a) The hearing may be held: (1) In any judicial district of the United...

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, F.

    2014-01-01

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

  9. STS-31 crewmembers review checklist with instructor on JSC's FB-SMS middeck

    Science.gov (United States)

    1988-01-01

    STS-31 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, Mission Specialist (MS) Bruce McCandless II (left) and Pilot Charles F. Bolden (right) discuss procedures with a training instructor on the middeck of JSC's fixed-based (FB) Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS). The three are pointing to a checklist during this training simulation in the Mission Simulation and Training Facility Bldg 5.

  10. Vegetation map and plant checklist of Ol Ari Nyiro ranch and the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ol Ari Nyiro is a 360 km2 ranch of the Laikipia Plateau, in a semi-arid part of Kenya. The vegetation of the ranch and nearby Mukutan Gorge was mapped, and a preliminary check-list of fungi and vascular plants compiled. The vegetation was classified in 16 different types. A total of 708 species and subspecies were ...

  11. Comparison of Child Behavior Checklist subscales in screening for obsessive-compulsive disorder

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Pia Aaron Skovby; Bilenberg, Niels

    2012-01-01

    Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents associated with significant functional impairment. Early and correct diagnosis is essential for an optimal treatment outcome. The purpose of this study was to determine which of four subscales...... derived from the Child Behavior Checklist best discriminates OCD patients from clinical and population-based controls....

  12. Checklist of the benthic marine macroalgae from Algeria. I. Phaeophyceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ould-Ahmed, Nora

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The seaweed diversity of the Mediterranean is still not completely known, especially in some areas of its African coasts. As an effort to complete a more detailed catalogue to fill such gap, an updated checklist of the brown seaweeds (Phaeophyceae from Algeria, based on updated literature records, is provided using as starting point the checklist of Perret- Boudouresque & Seridi published in 1989. As a result, the total number of taxa at specific and infraspecific levels accepted for Algeria, under current taxonomy and nomenclature, is 93.La diversidad de las algas marinas del Mediterráneo no es del todo conocida, especialmente en algunas áreas de su costa africana. Como parte de un esfuerzo para completar un catálogo más detallado, que permita reducir esta carencia, se aporta una lista crítica de las algas pardas (Phaeophyceae de Argelia mediante la recopilación y actualización de todas las citas publicadas, tomando como punto de partida la de Perret-Boudou - resque & Seridi publicada el año 1989. Como resultado, el número total de táxones, a nivel específico e infraespecífico, aceptado para las costas de Argelia es de 93, de acuerdo con la taxonomía y la nomenclatura actuales

  13. Engine Tune-Up Service. Unit 5: Fuel and Carburetion Systems. Review Exercise Book. Automotive Mechanics Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodson, Ludy

    This book of pretests and review exercises is designed to accompany the Engine Tune-Up Service Student Guide for Unit 5, Fuel and Carburetion Systems, available separately as CE 031 217. Focus of the exercises and pretests is inspecting and servicing the fuel and carburetion systems. Pretests and performance checklists are provided for each of the…

  14. TU-C-201-03: The Use of Checklists and Audit Tools for Safety and QA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prisciandaro, J. [University of Michigan (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Recent use of HDR has increased while planning has become more complex often necessitating 3D image-based planning. While many guidelines for the use of HDR exist, they have not kept pace with the increased complexity of 3D image-based planning. Furthermore, no comprehensive document exists to describe the wide variety of current HDR clinical indications. This educational session aims to summarize existing national and international guidelines for the safe implementation of an HDR program. A summary of HDR afterloaders available on the market and their existing applicators will be provided, with guidance on how to select the best fit for each institution’s needs. Finally, the use of checklists will be discussed as a means to implement a safe and efficient HDR program and as a method by which to verify the quality of an existing HDR program. This session will provide the perspective of expert HDR physicists as well as the perspective of a new HDR user. Learning Objectives: Summarize national and international safety and staffing guidelines for HDR implementation Discuss the process of afterloader and applicator selection for gynecologic, prostate, breast, interstitial, surface treatments Learn about the use of an audit checklist tool to measure of quality control of a new or existing HDR program Describe the evolving use of checklists within an HDR program.

  15. Angst en depressie bij craniomandibulaire dysfunctie. Het gebruik van de Symptom Checklist 90

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Broersma-van der Meulen, M. J.; Sprangers, M. A.; Naeije, M.

    1994-01-01

    Anxiety and depression of CMD-patients in a Clinic for Special Dental Care were assessed with the Symptom Checklist-90. The results of the female patients did not differ from the general population; the men showed significantly higher scores. Approximately one third of the patients scored 'high' or

  16. Optimal location of centralized biodigesters for small dairy farms: A case study from the United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deep Mukherjee

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Anaerobic digestion technology is available for converting livestock waste to bio-energy, but its potential is far from fully exploited in the United States because the technology has a scale effect. Utilization of the centralized anaerobic digester (CAD concept could make the technology economically feasible for smaller dairy farms. An interdisciplinary methodology to determine the cost minimizing location, size, and number of CAD facilities in a rural dairy region with mostly small farms is described. This study employs land suitability analysis, operations research model and Geographical Information System (GIS tools to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic constraints in selecting appropriate sites for CADs in Windham County, Connecticut. Results indicate that overall costs are lower if the CADs are of larger size and are smaller in number.

  17. Transcultural adaptation into Spanish of the Induction Compliance Checklist for assessing children's behaviour during induction of anaesthesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jerez-Molina, Carmen; Lázaro-Alcay, Juan J; Ullán-de la Fuente, Ana M

    2017-10-17

    Cross-cultural adaptation into Spanish of the Induction Compliance Checklist (ICC) for assessing children's behaviour during induction of anaesthesia. A descriptive cross-sectional observational study was conducted on a sample of 81 children aged 2 to 12 years operated in an ambulatory surgery unit of a paediatric hospital in Barcelona. Adaptation by translation-back translation of the tool and analysis of the scale's validity and reliability. Face validity of the tool was guaranteed through a discussion group and inter-observer reliability was evaluated, obtaining an intraclass correlation index of r = 0.956. The ICC scale validated for the Spanish population can be an effective tool for the presurgical evaluation of activities carried out to minimise children's anxiety. The ICC is an easy-to-use scale completed by operating room staff in one minute and would provide important information about children's behaviour, specifically during induction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  18. A checklist of Ropalidiini wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae in Indochina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pham Phong Huy

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available As a basis for intensive study of the taxonomy and biogeography of Ropalidiini wasps in Indochina (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae, a checklist of Ropalidiini wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae is presented. A total of 57 Ropalidiini species and subspecies belonging to three genera from Indochina are listed, together with information of the type material deposited in the Natural History Collection, Ibaraki University, Japan (IUNH and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR. References of their distribution in Indochina are also provided.

  19. A checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae of the department of Antioquia, Colombia and new records for the country

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erika Valentina Vergara-Navarro

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Antioquia is a state (department of Colombia, located in the northwestern Andes of South America. Geologically, the northwestern region of the Western Range in Antioquia and Chocó includes the fault resulting from the connection between the Isthmus of Panamá and South America. The Occidental and Central cordilleras in Colombia are characterized by a number of reliefs, valleys and water basins, containing historical biological refuges and endemisms. In this study, we present the first species-level checklist of the 255 species (in 64 genera and 14 subfamilies of ants currently known in Antioquia. One hundred and fifty-two (152 species had previously been registered for the state in different publications. Here, 103 additional species are recognized. Most of these species are distributed in other bioregions of the country as well. Forty-six percent are present in the Amazon Province and 36% in the Colombian Orinoco River basin. Less than 3% are found in the arid lands of the Colombian Caribbean area, Guyana, and the Colombian Pacific Province, plus the Caribbean islands. Sixty-three percent of the species are shared with Costa Rica. Our checklist constitutes the largest roster of ants at the species level for a state in Colombia to date and constitutes the beginning of the assessment of ant diversity in Antioquia. Many more field trips are necessary to gain a better understanding of the ant composition of this state. The following 13 species are new to the records for Colombia: Azteca diabolica, Camponotus amoris, C. eurynotus, C. pachylepis, C. propinquus, C. tonduzi, Cerapachys toltecus, Cylindromyrmex whymperi, Myrmicocrypta urichi, Pheidole angulifera, Pseudomyrmex lisus, Solenopsis subterranea and Trachymyrmex zeteki

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Mohebbifar

    2014-01-01

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

  1. Checklist for imaging methods. Vol. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenz, W.

    1988-01-01

    The checklists in current medicine are intended as a source of information and reference. The first part of this issue explains examination techniques in practice and in hospitals. The second part deals with aetiology, pathogenesis and clinical symptomatology, with findings and examination techniques leading to the specific diagnosis, and, where appropriate, with differential diagnosis and conservative therapy of the various diseases. The third part gives concise information on possible surgery, surgical principles and techniques, which in this context means interventional radiology. The chapters of the second part each discuss a specific body area or disease, such as the abdominal cavity, the extraperitoneal region, the retroperitoneum, acute abdomen, acute abdominal trauma, acute affections of the abdominal wall, the stomach, the post-surgery stomach, duodenum, the small intestine, the colon, sigma and rectum, the gallbladder and bile ducts, the liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and the peritoneum. (orig./MG) With 256 figs., 24 tabs [de

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2010-01-01

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

  3. Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation in Spain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canal-Bedia, Ricardo; Garcia-Primo, Patricia; Martin-Cilleros, Maria Victoria; Santos-Borbujo, Jose; Guisuraga-Fernandez, Zoila; Herraez-Garcia, Lorena; Herraez-Garcia, Maria del Mar; Boada-Munoz, Leticia; Fuentes-Biggi, Joaquin; Posada-de La Paz, Manuel

    2011-01-01

    Early detection and treatment have been shown to be effective in reducing disability severity caused by Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). As Spanish pediatricians have no detection tool, the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) was first translated into and culturally adapted to Spanish. Validity and reliability studies were…

  4. Internalizing Behaviors among Kindergarten Children: Measuring Dimensions of Social Withdrawal with a Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thijs, Jochem T.; Koomen, Helma M. Y.; de Jong, Peter F.; van der Leij, Aryan; van Leeuwen, Mirella G. P.

    2004-01-01

    Three studies examined whether different types of withdrawal among young children could be assessed with a short checklist. In Study 1, kindergarten teachers rated 487 children on a modified version of the Behavior Questionnaire for Two- to Six-Year-Olds (BQTSYO). Exploratory factor analyses yielded 2 withdrawal factors, Social Inhibition and…

  5. 78 FR 18425 - Proposed Information Collection VA Police Officer Pre-Employment Screening Checklist); Comment...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-26

    ... techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Title: VA Police Officer Pre-Employment... Police Officer Pre-Employment Screening Checklist); Comment Request AGENCY: Office of Operations... approved collection. Abstract: VA personnel complete VA Form 0120 to document pre- employment history and...

  6. Latent class analysis shows strong heritability of the Child Behavior Checklist-Juvenile Bipolar Phenotype.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Althoff, R.; Rettew, D.C.; Faraone, S.V.; Boomsma, D.I.; Hudziak, J.

    2006-01-01

    Background: The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) has been used to provide a quantitative description of childhood bipolar disorder (BPAD). Many have reported that children in the clinical range on the Attention Problems (AP), Aggressive Behavior (AGG), and Anxious-Depressed (A/D) syndromes

  7. The empirical versus DSM-oriented approach of the child behavior checklist: Similarities and dissimilarities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wolff, M.S. de; Vogels, A.G.C.; Reijneveld, S.A.

    2014-01-01

    The DSM-oriented approach of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a relatively new classification of problem behavior in children and adolescents. Given the clinical and scientific relevance of the CBCL, this study examines similarities and dissimilarities between the empirical and the

  8. The Empirical Versus DSM-Oriented Approach of the Child Behavior Checklist Similarities and Dissimilarities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Wolff, Marianne S.; Vogels, Anton G. C.; Reijneveld, Sijmen A.

    2014-01-01

    The DSM-oriented approach of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a relatively new classification of problem behavior in children and adolescents. Given the clinical and scientific relevance of the CBCL, this study examines similarities and dissimilarities between the empirical and the

  9. A proposal to design a Location-based Mobile Cardiac Emergency System (LMCES).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keikhosrokiani, Pantea; Mustaffa, Norlia; Zakaria, Nasriah; Sarwar, Muhammad Imran

    2012-01-01

    Healthcare for elderly people has become a vital issue. The Wearable Health Monitoring System (WHMS) is used to manage and monitor chronic disease in elderly people, postoperative rehabilitation patients and persons with special needs. Location-aware healthcare is achievable as positioning systems and telecommunications have been developed and have fulfilled the technology needed for this kind of healthcare system. In this paper, the researchers propose a Location-Based Mobile Cardiac Emergency System (LMCES) to track the patient's current location when Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has been activated as well as to locate the nearest healthcare unit for the ambulance service. The location coordinates of the patients can be retrieved by GPS and sent to the healthcare centre using GPRS. The location of the patient, cell ID information will also be transmitted to the LMCES server in order to retrieve the nearest health care unit. For the LMCES, we use Dijkstra's algorithm for selecting the shortest path between the nearest healthcare unit and the patient location in order to facilitate the ambulance's path under critical conditions.

  10. Annotated checklist of the recent and extinct pythons (Serpentes, Pythonidae), with notes on nomenclature, taxonomy, and distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schleip, Wulf D.; O’Shea, Mark

    2010-01-01

    Abstract McDiarmid et al. (1999) published the first part of their planned taxonomic catalog of the snakes of the world. Since then, several new python taxa have been described in both the scientific literature and non-peer-reviewed publications. This checklist evaluates the nomenclatural status of the names and discusses the taxonomic status of the new taxa, and aims to continue the work of McDiarmid et al. (1999) for the family Pythonidae, covering the period 1999 to 2010. Numerous new taxa are listed, and where appropriate recent synonymies are included and annotations are made. A checklist and a taxonomic identification key of valid taxa are provided. PMID:21594030

  11. A Location-Based Service Using Geometric Location Methods to Unite Mobile Users

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen-Chen Hu

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Since the introduction of iPhone in 2007, many location-based services (LBSs have been created and new LBSs are found every day. This research proposes yet another LBS, which is practical and was not found before to the best of authors' knowledge. The problem is described as follows. It happens all the times while several groups of people are traveling towards a destination, they lose contact from each other on the way. This research tries to have the groups travel as closely as possible until they reach the destination. It uses a method of minimum covering ellipses to find whether the groups are separated by more than a threshold/distance. If they are, the system will find a convenient rendezvous for all groups by using a method of geometric median. After meeting at the rendezvous, the groups reset the service and continue their journey. By using this LBS, travelers do not need to worry about losing connections with others. This method can also be applied to the problem of finding a convenient meeting place for mobile users.

  12. [On-site quality control of acupuncture randomized controlled trial: design of content and checklist of quality control based on PICOST].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hong-Jiao; He, Li-Yun; Liu, Zhi-Shun; Sun, Ya-Nan; Yan, Shi-Yan; Liu, Jia; Zhao, Ye; Liu, Bao-Yan

    2014-02-01

    To effectively guarantee quality of randomized controlld trial (RCT) of acupuncture and develop reasonable content and checklist of on-site quality control, influencing factors on quality of acupuncture RCT are analyzed and scientificity of quality control content and feasibility of on-site manipulation are put into overall consideration. Based on content and checklist of on-site quality control in National 11th Five-Year Plan Project Optimization of Comprehensive Treatment Plan for TCM in Prevention and Treatment of Serious Disease and Clinical Assessment on Generic Technology and Quality Control Research, it is proposed that on-site quality control of acupuncture RCT should be conducted with PICOST (patient, intervention, comparison, out come, site and time) as core, especially on quality control of interveners' skills and outcome assessment of blinding, and checklist of on-site quality control is developed to provide references for undertaking groups of the project.

  13. 42 CFR 1007.7 - Organization and location requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Organization and location requirements. 1007.7 Section 1007.7 Public Health OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL-HEALTH CARE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OIG AUTHORITIES STATE MEDICAID FRAUD CONTROL UNITS § 1007.7 Organization and location requirements...

  14. Rating the methodological quality in systematic reviews of studies on measurement properties: a scoring system for the COSMIN checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terwee, Caroline B; Mokkink, Lidwine B; Knol, Dirk L; Ostelo, Raymond W J G; Bouter, Lex M; de Vet, Henrica C W

    2012-05-01

    The COSMIN checklist is a standardized tool for assessing the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties. It contains 9 boxes, each dealing with one measurement property, with 5-18 items per box about design aspects and statistical methods. Our aim was to develop a scoring system for the COSMIN checklist to calculate quality scores per measurement property when using the checklist in systematic reviews of measurement properties. The scoring system was developed based on discussions among experts and testing of the scoring system on 46 articles from a systematic review. Four response options were defined for each COSMIN item (excellent, good, fair, and poor). A quality score per measurement property is obtained by taking the lowest rating of any item in a box ("worst score counts"). Specific criteria for excellent, good, fair, and poor quality for each COSMIN item are described. In defining the criteria, the "worst score counts" algorithm was taken into consideration. This means that only fatal flaws were defined as poor quality. The scores of the 46 articles show how the scoring system can be used to provide an overview of the methodological quality of studies included in a systematic review of measurement properties. Based on experience in testing this scoring system on 46 articles, the COSMIN checklist with the proposed scoring system seems to be a useful tool for assessing the methodological quality of studies included in systematic reviews of measurement properties.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2011-04-01

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

  16. Testing the 8-Syndrome Structure of the Child Behavior Checklist in 30 Societies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanova, Masha Y.; Dobrean, Anca; Dopfner, Manfred; Erol, Nese; Fombonne, Eric; Fonseca, Antonio Castro; Frigerio, Alessandra; Grietens, Hans; Hannesdottir, Helga; Kanbayashi, Yasuko; Lambert, Michael; Achenbach, Thomas M.; Larsson, Bo; Leung, Patrick; Liu, Xianchen; Minaei, Asghar; Mulatu, Mesfin S.; Novik, Torunn S.; Oh, Kyung Ja; Roussos, Alexandra; Sawyer, Michael; Simsek, Zeynep; Dumenci, Levent; Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Metzke, Christa Winkler; Wolanczyk, Tomasz; Yang, Hao-Jan; Zilber, Nelly; Zukauskiene, Rita; Verhulst, Frank C.; Rescorla, Leslie A.; Almqvist, Fredrik; Weintraub, Sheila; Bilenberg, Niels; Bird, Hector; Chen, Wei J.

    2007-01-01

    There is a growing need for multicultural collaboration in child mental health services, training, and research. To facilitate such collaboration, this study tested the 8-syndrome structure of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in 30 societies. Parents' CBCL ratings of 58,051 6- to 18-year-olds were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses,…

  17. Erstellung einer Checkliste zur Beurteilung des Arbeitsplatzes eines Physiotherapeuten nach ergonomischen Gesichtspunkten

    OpenAIRE

    Gauermann, Christoph

    2013-01-01

    Einleitung: Arbeitsbedingte Erkrankungen des Muskel-Skelett-Systems sind unter Physiotherapeuten sehr häufig. Die präventive Forschung hat diese Berufsgruppe bisher kaum untersucht. In diesem Zusammenhang stellt die Veränderung des Arbeitsumfeldes einen vielversprechenden Ansatz für die Verhinderung arbeitsbedingter Erkrankungen dar. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Erstellung einer Checkliste zur Bewertung des Arbeitsplatzes eines Physiotherapeuten zu erstellen. Material und Methoden: ...

  18. A checklist of chiggers from Brazil, including new records (Acari: Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacinavicius, Fernando de Castro; Bassini-Silva, Ricardo; Mendoza-Roldan, Jairo Alfonso; Pepato, Almir Rogério; Ochoa, Ronald; Welbourn, Cal; Barros-Battesti, Darci Moraes

    2018-01-01

    Abstract A checklist of the family Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae is presented, containing 63 species in 30 genera of chiggers from 80 different hosts and 146 localities in Brazil. The type locality and depository are provided, including new locality and host records for the country. PMID:29670435

  19. Increasing Direct Care Staff Compliance to Individualized Physical Therapy Body Positioning Prescriptions: Prescriptive Checklists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lattimore, Jennifer; And Others

    1984-01-01

    The study confirmed previous research indicating that workshop training by itself is an ineffective method of increasing direct care staff compliance to treatment prescriptions, and that providing direct staff supervisors with a training and management tool (prescriptive checklists) may be an effective alternative for serving multihandicapped…

  20. 78 FR 18865 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Proposal Adequacy Checklist (DFARS Case 2011...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-28

    ... inconsistencies with your established estimating and accounting principles and procedures?'' Checklist item 4 is... costs?'' and now includes the list of eight sample factors that appear in the definition of ``cost or... 10 has added the phrase ``including breakdown by year'' after ``consistent with your cost accounting...

  1. Global checklist of species of Grania (Clitellata: Enchytraeidae with remarks on their geographic distribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandro Prantoni

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available A checklist of all currently accepted species of Grania Southern, 1913 (Annelida, Clitellata, Enchytraeidae is presented. The genus is widespread over the world and comprises 81 species described to date. Remarks on their geographical distribution, habitat, synonymies and museum catalogue numbers are provided.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2010-05-01

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

  3. Best-practice checklists for tephra collection, analysis and reporting - a draft consensus from the Tephra 2014 workshop

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, K.; Bursik, M. I.; Kuehn, S. C.

    2015-12-01

    The Tephra 2014 Workshop (3-7 August 2014) discussed major developments, best practices, future directions, and critical needs in tephra studies from both volcanological and tephrochronological perspectives. In a consensus-seeking session held at the end of the workshop, the international group of over 70 tephra scientists focused on two complementary themes: (A) the need for common best practices in tephra data collection and reporting among different scientific disciplines, and (B) the need to establish common, accessible mechanisms for tephra data archiving and retrieval. Tephra is the focus of a wide range of research in volcanology, petrology, tephrochronology and tephrostratigraphy (with applications in studies of environmental/climate change, surface processes, paleolimnology, etc.), ash dispersion and fallout modeling, and archaeology, paleoanthropology, and human origins. Researchers in each field have specific objectives that may or may not overlap. The focus on best practices is a first step towards standardized protocols for the collection, analysis and reporting of tephra data across and within disciplines. Such uniformity will facilitate the development and population of useful tephra databases. Current initiatives include the development of best practice checklists as a starting point for ensuring uniformity and completeness. The goals of the checklists are to: 1) ensure consistency among tephra scientists, regardless of research focus, 2) provide basic, comprehensible, metadata requirements, especially those who collect tephra as a peripheral part of their research, 3) help train students, and 4) help journal editors to know which essential metadata should be included in published works. Consistency in tephra sample collection, analysis, and reporting attained by use of these checklists should ultimately aid in improving correlation of tephras across geographically large areas, and facilitate collaborative tephra research. Current and future

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-09-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-09-01

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

  6. Psychometric Evaluation of the Diabetes Symptom Checklist-Revised (DSC-R)-A Measure of Symptom Distress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arbuckle, R.A.; Humphrey, L.; Vardeva, K.; Arondekar, B.; Scott, J.A.; Snoek, F.J.

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To assess the psychometric validity, reliability, responsiveness, and minimal important differences of the Diabetes Symptoms Checklist-Revised (DSC-R), a widely used patient-reported outcome measure of diabetes symptom distress. Research Design and Methods: Psychometric validity of the

  7. A Multimedia Child Developmental Screening Checklist: Design and Validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Hsin-Yi Kathy; Chen, Li-Ying; Cheng, Chih-Hsiu; Ju, Yan-Ying; Chen, Chia-Ling; Tseng, Kevin C

    2016-10-24

    Identifying disability early in life confers long-term benefits for children. The Taipei City Child Development Screening tool, second version (Taipei II) provides checklists for 13 child age groups from 4 months to 6 years. However, the usability of a text-based screening tool largely depends on the literacy level and logical reasoning ability of the caregivers, as well as language barriers caused by increasing numbers of immigrants. The objectives of this study were to (1) design and develop a Web-based multimedia version of the current Taipei II developmental screening tool, and (2) investigate the measurement equivalence of this multimedia version to the original paper-based version. To develop the multimedia version of Taipei II, a team of experts created illustrations, translations, and dubbing of the original checklists. The developmental screening test was administered to a total of 390 primary caregivers of children aged between 4 months and 6 years. Psychometric testing revealed excellent agreement between the paper and multimedia versions of Taipei II. Good to excellent reliabilities were demonstrated for all age groups for both the cross-mode similarity (mode intraclass correlation range 0.85-0.96) and the test-retest reliability (r=.93). Regarding the usability, the mean score was 4.80 (SD 0.03), indicating that users were satisfied with their multimedia website experience. The multimedia tool produced essentially equivalent results to the paper-based tool. In addition, it had numerous advantages, such as it can facilitate active participation and promote early screening of target populations. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02359591; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02359591 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6l21mmdNn).

  8. A checklist of the bats of Peninsular Malaysia and progress towards a DNA barcode reference library.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Voon-Ching; Ramli, Rosli; Bhassu, Subha; Wilson, John-James

    2017-01-01

    Several published checklists of bat species have covered Peninsular Malaysia as part of a broader region and/or in combination with other mammal groups. Other researchers have produced comprehensive checklists for specific localities within the peninsula. To our knowledge, a comprehensive checklist of bats specifically for the entire geopolitical region of Peninsular Malaysia has never been published, yet knowing which species are present in Peninsular Malaysia and their distributions across the region are crucial in developing suitable conservation plans. Our literature search revealed that 110 bat species have been documented in Peninsular Malaysia; 105 species have precise locality records while five species lack recent and/or precise locality records. We retrieved 18 species from records dated before the year 2000 and seven species have only ever been recorded once. Our search of Barcode of Life Datasystems (BOLD) found that 86 (of the 110) species have public records of which 48 species have public DNA barcodes available from bats sampled in Peninsular Malaysia. Based on Neighbour-Joining tree analyses and the allocation of DNA barcodes to Barcode Index Number system (BINs) by BOLD, several DNA barcodes recorded under the same species name are likely to represent distinct taxa. We discuss these cases in detail and highlight the importance of further surveys to determine the occurences and resolve the taxonomy of particular bat species in Peninsular Malaysia, with implications for conservation priorities.

  9. Checklist of sea turtles endohelminth in Neotropical region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Werneck M. R.

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a list of parasites described in sea turtles from the Neotropical region. Through the review of literature the occurrence of 79 taxa of helminthes parasites were observed, mostly consisting of the Phylum Platyhelminthes with 76 species distributed in 14 families and 2 families of the Phylum Nematoda within 3 species. Regarding the parasite records, the most studied host was the green turtle (Chelonia mydas followed by the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata, olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea, loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta and leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea. Overall helminths were reported in 12 countries and in the Caribbean Sea region. This checklist is the largest compilation of data on helminths found in sea turtles in the Neotropical region.

  10. Brief Report: Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder--Most Discriminating Items for Diagnosing Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayes, Susan D.

    2018-01-01

    The smallest subset of items from the 30-item Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) that differentiated 607 referred children (3-17 years) with and without autism with 100% accuracy was identified. This 6-item subset (CASD-Short Form) was cross-validated on an independent sample of 397 referred children (1-18 years) with and without autism…

  11. Examination of the Korean Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers: Item Response Theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seung, HyeKyeung; Ji, Juye; Kim, Soo-Jin; Sung, Inkyung; Youn, Young-Ah; Hong, Gyunghun; Lee, Hyeonjin; Lee, Young Hwan; Lee, Hyunsuk; Youm, Hyun Kyung

    2015-01-01

    The study examined the clinical utility and psychometric properties of the Korean Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers (K-M-CHAT)-2. A sample of 2300 parents of 16- to 36-month-old children was recruited across South Korea. A phone interview was utilized to follow up with participants who initially screened positive for autism spectrum…

  12. CVISN operational and architectural compatibility handbook (COACH). Part 1, Operational concept and top-level design checklists

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-04-22

    The CVISN Operational and Architectural Compatibility Handbook (COACH) provides a comprehensive checklist of what is required to conform with the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) operational concepts and architecture. It is...

  13. Behavioral Profiles of Children with Williams Syndrome from Spain and the United States: Cross-Cultural Similarities and Differences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez-García, Débora; Brun-Gasca, Carme; Pérez-Jurado, Luis A.; Mervis, Carolyn B.

    2017-01-01

    To identify similarities and differences in the behavioral profile of children with Williams syndrome from Spain (n = 53) and the United States (n = 145), we asked parents of 6- to 14-year-olds with Williams syndrome to complete the Child Behavior Checklist 6-18. The distribution of raw scores was significantly higher for the Spanish sample than…

  14. Problems reported by parents of children in multiple cultures: the Child Behavior Checklist syndrome constructs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A.A.M. Crijnen (Alfons); T.M. Achenbach (Thomas); F.C. Verhulst (Frank)

    1999-01-01

    textabstractOBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare syndromes of parent-reported problems for children in 12 cultures. METHOD: Child Behavior Checklists were analyzed for 13,697 children and adolescents, ages 6 through 17 years, from general population

  15. Norovirus GII.17 Outbreak Linked to an Infected Post-Symptomatic Food Worker in a French Military Unit Located in France.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, Marc-Antoine; Corcostégui, Simon-Pierre; De Broucker, Charles-Arnaud; Cabre, Olivier; Watier-Grillot, Stéphanie; Perelle, Sylvie; Ambert-Balay, Katia; Pommier de Santi, Vincent

    2017-06-01

    In February 2016, an outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred in a French military unit located in Poitiers, France. Attack rate was of 34% (103/300). A case-control study identified association between illness and cake consumption. Stool samples were tested positive for Norovirus GII.17 for one patient and one post-symptomatic food worker (FW). The FW presented vomiting one day before cake preparation. The NoV strain was probably spread through food worker hand contact. Prevention of Norovirus foodborne outbreaks implies new guidelines for FWs management in France and Europe.

  16. Validity of a Checklist for the Design, Content, and Instructional Qualities of Children's Books

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çer, Erkan; Sahin, Ertugrul

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a checklist whose validity has been tested in assessing children's books. Participants consisted of university students who had taken a course in children's literature. They were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Participants in the…

  17. Consensus guidelines for the uniform reporting of study ethics in anatomical research within the framework of the anatomical quality assurance (AQUA) checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Brandon Michael; Vikse, Jens; Pekala, Przemyslaw; Loukas, Marios; Tubbs, R Shane; Walocha, Jerzy A; Jones, D Gareth; Tomaszewski, Krzysztof A

    2018-05-01

    Unambiguous reporting of a study's compliance with ethical guidelines in anatomical research is imperative. As such, clear, universal, and uniform reporting guidelines for study ethics are essential. In 2016, the International Evidence-Based Anatomy Working group in collaboration with international partners established reporting guidelines for anatomical studies, the Anatomical Quality Assurance (AQUA) Checklist. In this elaboration of the AQUA Checklist, consensus guidelines for reporting study ethics in anatomical studies are provided with in the framework of the AQUA Checklist. The new guidelines are aimed to be applicable to research across the spectrum of the anatomical sciences, including studies on both living and deceased donors. The authors hope the established guidelines will improve ethical compliance and reporting in anatomical research. Clin. Anat. 31:521-524, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. [Reliability and validity of warning signs checklist for screening psychological, behavioral and developmental problems of children].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, X N; Zhang, Y; Feng, W W; Wang, H S; Cao, B; Zhang, B; Yang, Y F; Wang, H M; Zheng, Y; Jin, X M; Jia, M X; Zou, X B; Zhao, C X; Robert, J; Jing, Jin

    2017-06-02

    Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of warning signs checklist developed by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China (NHFPC), so as to determine the screening effectiveness of warning signs on developmental problems of early childhood. Method: Stratified random sampling method was used to assess the reliability and validity of checklist of warning sign and 2 110 children 0 to 6 years of age(1 513 low-risk subjects and 597 high-risk subjects) were recruited from 11 provinces of China. The reliability evaluation for the warning signs included the test-retest reliability and interrater reliability. With the use of Age and Stage Questionnaire (ASQ) and Gesell Development Diagnosis Scale (GESELL) as the criterion scales, criterion validity was assessed by determining the correlation and consistency between the screening results of warning signs and the criterion scales. Result: In terms of the warning signs, the screening positive rates at different ages ranged from 10.8%(21/141) to 26.2%(51/137). The median (interquartile) testing time for each subject was 1(0.6) minute. Both the test-retest reliability and interrater reliability of warning signs reached 0.7 or above, indicating that the stability was good. In terms of validity assessment, there was remarkable consistency between ASQ and warning signs, with the Kappa value of 0.63. With the use of GESELL as criterion, it was determined that the sensitivity of warning signs in children with suspected developmental delay was 82.2%, and the specificity was 77.7%. The overall Youden index was 0.6. Conclusion: The reliability and validity of warning signs checklist for screening early childhood developmental problems have met the basic requirements of psychological screening scales, with the characteristics of short testing time and easy operation. Thus, this warning signs checklist can be used for screening psychological and behavioral problems of early childhood

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2015-02-01

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

  20. A checklist of fishes of Kerala, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Bijukumar

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available A checklist of the fishes of Kerala State is presented, along with their scientific and common names (English and Malayalam, endemism, IUCN Red List status, listing under different Schedules of the Indian Wildlife (Protection Act and in the Appendices of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES. Nine Hundred and five species of fishes are recorded from the inland and marine waters of Kerala comprising of 41 orders and 172 families. Close to 30% of the freshwater fish species found in Kerala are endemic to the State. Only 8% of the total fishes of Kerala are listed as threatened in the IUCN Red List, of which the majority are freshwater species. Several hundred fish species occurring in the marine waters of Kerala have not yet been assessed for their conservation status by IUCN.  

  1. Araneae Sloveniae: a national spider species checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kostanjšek, Rok; Kuntner, Matjaž

    2015-01-01

    The research of the spider fauna of Slovenia dates back to the very beginning of binomial nomenclature, and has gone through more and less prolific phases with authors concentrating on taxonomy, faunistics, ecology and zoogeographic reviews. Although the body of published works is remarkable for a small nation, the faunistic data has remained too scattered for a thorough understanding of regional biotic diversity, for comparative and ecological research, and for informed conservation purposes. A national checklist is long overdue. Here, a critical review of all published records in any language is provided. The species list currently comprises 738 species, is published online at http://www.bioportal.si/katalog/araneae.php under the title Araneae Sloveniae, and will be updated in due course. This tool will fill the void in cataloguing regional spider faunas and will facilitate further araneological research in central and southern Europe.

  2. Araneae Sloveniae: a national spider species checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rok Kostanjšek

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The research of the spider fauna of Slovenia dates back to the very beginning of binomial nomenclature, and has gone through more and less prolific phases with authors concentrating on taxonomy, faunistics, ecology and zoogeographic reviews. Although the body of published works is remarkable for a small nation, the faunistic data has remained too scattered for a thorough understanding of regional biotic diversity, for comparative and ecological research, and for informed conservation purposes. A national checklist is long overdue. Here, a critical review of all published records in any language is provided. The species list currently comprises 738 species, is published online at http://www.bioportal.si/katalog/araneae.php under the title Araneae Sloveniae, and will be updated in due course. This tool will fill the void in cataloguing regional spider faunas and will facilitate further araneological research in central and southern Europe.

  3. Wind power installations in Switzerland - Checklist for investors in large-scale installations; Eoliennes en Suisse. Liste de controle pour investisseurs de grandes installations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2008-07-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiman, Arto; Sormunen, Erja; Morris, Drew

    2016-11-22

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

  5. Measurement Properties of the Non-Communicating Adult Pain Checklist (NCAPC): A Pain Scale for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Scored in a Clinical Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lotan, M.; Moe-Nilssen, R.; Ljunggren, A. E.; Strand, L. I.

    2010-01-01

    The 18 items' Non-Communicating Adult Pain Checklist (NCAPC) has been developed from the 27 items Non-Communicating Children Pain Checklist to better capture pain behavior of adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). As part of the NCAPC's measurement properties, internal consistency, reliability and sensitivity to pain have…

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-04-03

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

  7. The endemic plants of Micronesia: a geographical checklist and commentary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorence, D.H.

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available The Micronesia-Polynesia bioregion is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. However, until now estimates regarding the number of endemic plant species for the region were not supported by any comprehensive published work for the region. The results of this study indicate that Micronesia has the world’s highest percentage of plant endemism per square kilometer out of all globally recognized insular biodiversity hotspots. A checklist of all endemic plant species for Micronesia is presented here with their corresponding geographical limits within the region. A summary of previous work and estimates is also provided noting the degree of taxonomic progress in the past several decades. A total of 364 vascular plant species are considered endemic to Micronesia, most of them being restricted to the Caroline Islands with a large percentage restricted to Palau. The checklist includes seven new combinations, one new name, and two unverified names that require additional study to verify endemic status. Overviews of each respective botanical family represented in the list are given including additional information on the Micronesian taxa. Recommendations for future work and potential projects are alluded to throughout the text highlighting major data gaps and very poorly known taxa. The following new combinations and names are made: Cyclosorus carolinensis (Hosokawa Lorence, comb. nov. , Cyclosorusgretheri (W. H. Wagner Lorence, comb. nov., Cyclosorusguamensis (Holttum Lorence, comb. nov., Cyclosorus palauensis (Hosokawa Lorence, comb. nov. , Cyclosorus rupiinsularis (Fosberg Lorence, comb. nov., Dalbergia hosokawae (Hosokawa Costion nom. nov., Syzygium trukensis (Hosokawa Costion & E. Lucas comb. nov.

  8. Factor Structure of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV) in Adolescent Females

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosson, David S.; Neumann, Craig S.; Forth, Adelle E.; Salekin, Randall T.; Hare, Robert D.; Krischer, Maya K.; Sevecke, Kathrin

    2013-01-01

    Despite substantial evidence for the fit of the 3- and 4-factor models of Psychopathy Checklist-based ratings of psychopathy in adult males and adolescents, evidence is less consistent in adolescent females. However, prior studies used samples much smaller than recommended for examining model fit. To address this issue, we conducted a confirmatory…

  9. Critical Ethical Issues in Online Counseling: Assessing Current Practices with an Ethical Intent Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, Holly E.; Shaw, Sarah F.

    2006-01-01

    The authors used a 16-item Ethical Intent Checklist, developed from the American Counseling Association's (1999) Ethical Standards for Internet Online Counseling, to assess the current practices of 88 online counseling Web sites. Results showed fewer than half of online counselors were following the accepted practice on 8 of the 16 items. Online…

  10. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY PROTOCOL FOR STANDARDIZED PRODUCTION OF CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES, ALGORITHMS, AND CHECKLISTS - 2017 UPDATE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mechanick, Jeffrey I; Pessah-Pollack, Rachel; Camacho, Pauline; Correa, Ricardo; Figaro, M Kathleen; Garber, Jeffrey R; Jasim, Sina; Pantalone, Kevin M; Trence, Dace; Upala, Sikarin

    2017-08-01

    Clinical practice guideline (CPG), clinical practice algorithm (CPA), and clinical checklist (CC, collectively CPGAC) development is a high priority of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and American College of Endocrinology (ACE). This 2017 update in CPG development consists of (1) a paradigm change wherein first, environmental scans identify important clinical issues and needs, second, CPA construction focuses on these clinical issues and needs, and third, CPG provide CPA node/edge-specific scientific substantiation and appended CC; (2) inclusion of new technical semantic and numerical descriptors for evidence types, subjective factors, and qualifiers; and (3) incorporation of patient-centered care components such as economics and transcultural adaptations, as well as implementation, validation, and evaluation strategies. This third point highlights the dominating factors of personal finances, governmental influences, and third-party payer dictates on CPGAC implementation, which ultimately impact CPGAC development. The AACE/ACE guidelines for the CPGAC program is a successful and ongoing iterative exercise to optimize endocrine care in a changing and challenging healthcare environment. AACE = American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists ACC = American College of Cardiology ACE = American College of Endocrinology ASeRT = ACE Scientific Referencing Team BEL = best evidence level CC = clinical checklist CPA = clinical practice algorithm CPG = clinical practice guideline CPGAC = clinical practice guideline, algorithm, and checklist EBM = evidence-based medicine EHR = electronic health record EL = evidence level G4GAC = Guidelines for Guidelines, Algorithms, and Checklists GAC = guidelines, algorithms, and checklists HCP = healthcare professional(s) POEMS = patient-oriented evidence that matters PRCT = prospective randomized controlled trial.

  11. A checklist for health research priority setting: nine common themes of good practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viergever, Roderik F; Olifson, Sylvie; Ghaffar, Abdul; Terry, Robert F

    2010-12-15

    Health research priority setting processes assist researchers and policymakers in effectively targeting research that has the greatest potential public health benefit. Many different approaches to health research prioritization exist, but there is no agreement on what might constitute best practice. Moreover, because of the many different contexts for which priorities can be set, attempting to produce one best practice is in fact not appropriate, as the optimal approach varies per exercise. Therefore, following a literature review and an analysis of health research priority setting exercises that were organized or coordinated by the World Health Organization since 2005, we propose a checklist for health research priority setting that allows for informed choices on different approaches and outlines nine common themes of good practice. It is intended to provide generic assistance for planning health research prioritization processes. The checklist explains what needs to be clarified in order to establish the context for which priorities are set; it reviews available approaches to health research priority setting; it offers discussions on stakeholder participation and information gathering; it sets out options for use of criteria and different methods for deciding upon priorities; and it emphasizes the importance of well-planned implementation, evaluation and transparency.

  12. Post-Closure Inspection Report for Corrective Action Unit 453: Area 9 UXO Landfill Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, Calendar Year 2000; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    K. B. Campbell

    2001-01-01

    Post-closure monitoring requirements for the Area 9 Unexploded Ordnance Landfill (Corrective Action Unit[CAU] 453) (Figure 1) are described in Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 453: Area 9 UXO Landfill, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, report number DOE/NV-284. The Closure Report (CR) was submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) on August 5,1999. The CR (containing the Post-Closure Monitoring Plan) was approved by the NDEP on September 10,1999. Post-closure monitoring at CAU 453 consists of the following: (1) Site inspections done twice a year to evaluate the condition of the unit; (2) Verification that the site is secure; (3) Notice of any subsidence or deficiencies that may compromise the integrity of the unit; (4) Remedy of any deficiencies within 90 days of discovery; and (5) Preparation and submittal of an annual report. Site inspections were conducted on June 20, 2000 and November 21, 2000. Both site inspections were conducted after NDEP approval of the CR, and in accordance with the Post-Closure Monitoring Plan in the NDEP-approved CR. This report includes copies of the inspection checklists, photographs, recommendations, and conclusions. The Post-Closure Inspection Checklists are found in Attachment A, a copy of the field notes is found in Attachment B, and inspection photographs are found in Attachment C

  13. Mathematics-Literacy Checklists: A Pedagogical Innovation to Support Teachers as They Implement the Common Core

    Science.gov (United States)

    del Prado Hill, Pixita; Friedland, Ellen S.; McMillen, Susan

    2016-01-01

    This article presents two innovative tools--the Mathematics-Literacy Planning Framework and Mathematics-Literacy Implementation Checklist--which are designed to help instructional coaches and specialists support teachers to meet the challenges of the mathematics-literacy integration goals of the Common Core. Developed with teacher input, these…

  14. A Psychometric Analysis of the Child Behavior Checklist for Elementary School Children in Qatar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Hendawi, Maha; Keller, Clayton; Cloninger, Lea

    2016-01-01

    The Child Behavior Checklist for children 6 to 18 (CBCL/6-18) is a widely used, standardized parent rating scale. However, few studies have tested the psychometric properties of this instrument in the Arab world despite the great need for such instruments to support the identification and education of children with emotional, behavioral, and…

  15. A Multidisciplinary Delphi Consensus-Based Checklist to Define Clinical Documentation Tools for Both Routine and Research Purposes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cecilia Veraar

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: To the best of our knowledge, a strategic approach to define the contents of structured clinical documentation tools for both clinical routine patient care and research purposes has not been reported so far, although electronic health record will become more and more structured and detailed in the future. Objective: To achieve an interdisciplinary consensus on a checklist to be considered for the preparation of disease- and situation-specific clinical documentation tools. Methods: A 2-round Delphi consensus-based process was conducted both with 19 physicians of different disciplines and 14 students from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. Agreement was defined as 80% or more positive votes of the participants. Results: The participants agreed that a working group should be set up for the development of structured disease- or situation-specific documentation tools (97% agreement. The final checklist included 4 recommendations concerning the setup of the working group, 12 content-related recommendations, and 3 general and technical recommendations (mean agreement [standard deviation] = 97.4% [4.0%], ranging from 84.2% to 100.0%. Discussion and Conclusion: In the future, disease- and situation-specific structured documentation tools will provide an important bridge between registries and electronic health records. Clinical documentation tools defined according to this Delphi consensus-based checklist will provide data for registries while serving as high-quality data acquisition tools in routine clinical care.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amir Shakibamanesh

    2017-09-01

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

  17. FAA aircraft certification human factors and operations checklist for standalone GPS receivers (TSO C129 Class A)

    Science.gov (United States)

    1995-04-01

    This document is a checklist designed to assist Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) certification personnel and global : positioning system (GPS) receiver manufacturers in the evaluation of the pilot-system interface characteristlcs of GPS : recieve...

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-01-01

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

  19. Checklist of American sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae: genera, species, and their distribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paloma Helena Fernandes Shimabukuro

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Phlebotomine sand flies are dipteran insects of medical importance because many species are involved in the transmission of pathogens between human and non-human animals. A total of 530 American species of sand flies is presented in an updated checklist, along with their author(s and year of publication using the classification by Galati (1995, 2003. Distribution by country is also provided.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-05-08

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

  1. Effect of a Quality Improvement Intervention With Daily Round Checklists, Goal Setting, and Clinician Prompting on Mortality of Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavalcanti, Alexandre B; Bozza, Fernando Augusto; Machado, Flavia R; Salluh, Jorge I F; Campagnucci, Valquiria Pelisser; Vendramim, Patricia; Guimaraes, Helio Penna; Normilio-Silva, Karina; Damiani, Lucas Petri; Romano, Edson; Carrara, Fernanda; Lubarino Diniz de Souza, Juliana; Silva, Aline Reis; Ramos, Grazielle Viana; Teixeira, Cassiano; Brandão da Silva, Nilton; Chang, Chung-Chou H; Angus, Derek C; Berwanger, Otavio

    2016-04-12

    The effectiveness of checklists, daily goal assessments, and clinician prompts as quality improvement interventions in intensive care units (ICUs) is uncertain. To determine whether a multifaceted quality improvement intervention reduces the mortality of critically ill adults. This study had 2 phases. Phase 1 was an observational study to assess baseline data on work climate, care processes, and clinical outcomes, conducted between August 2013 and March 2014 in 118 Brazilian ICUs. Phase 2 was a cluster randomized trial conducted between April and November 2014 with the same ICUs. The first 60 admissions of longer than 48 hours per ICU were enrolled in each phase. Intensive care units were randomized to a quality improvement intervention, including a daily checklist and goal setting during multidisciplinary rounds with follow-up clinician prompting for 11 care processes, or to routine care. In-hospital mortality truncated at 60 days (primary outcome) was analyzed using a random-effects logistic regression model, adjusted for patients' severity and the ICU's baseline standardized mortality ratio. Exploratory secondary outcomes included adherence to care processes, safety climate, and clinical events. A total of 6877 patients (mean age, 59.7 years; 3218 [46.8%] women) were enrolled in the baseline (observational) phase and 6761 (mean age, 59.6 years; 3098 [45.8%] women) in the randomized phase, with 3327 patients enrolled in ICUs (n = 59) assigned to the intervention group and 3434 patients in ICUs (n = 59) assigned to routine care. There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality between the intervention group and the usual care group, with 1096 deaths (32.9%) and 1196 deaths (34.8%), respectively (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.82-1.26; P = .88). Among 20 prespecified secondary outcomes not adjusted for multiple comparisons, 6 were significantly improved in the intervention group (use of low tidal volumes, avoidance of heavy sedation, use of

  2. Prematurity and parental self-efficacy: the Preterm Parenting & Self-Efficacy Checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pennell, Claire; Whittingham, Koa; Boyd, Roslyn; Sanders, Matthew; Colditz, Paul

    2012-12-01

    There is a lack of research investigating parental self-efficacy in parents of infants born preterm as well as a paucity of parental self-efficacy measures that are domain-specific and theoretically grounded. This study aimed to compare parental self-efficacy in parents of infants born term, preterm and very preterm as well as to test whether parental self-efficacy mediates the relationship between psychological symptoms and parental competence. In order to achieve this, a new measure of parental self-efficacy and parental competence relevant for the preterm population and consistent with Bandura's (1977, 1986, 1989) conceptualisation of self-efficacy was developed. Participants included 155 parents, 83 of whom were parents of very preterm (GAparents of preterm (GAparents of term born infants. Parents completed the Preterm Parenting & Self-Efficacy Checklist (the new measure), Family Demographic Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. This initial study indicates that the Preterm Parenting & Self-Efficacy Checklist has adequate content validity, construct validity, internal consistency and split half reliability. Contrary to expectations, parents of very preterm infants did not report significantly lower overall levels of parental self-efficacy or significantly higher levels of psychological symptoms compared to parents of preterm and term infants. Parental self-efficacy about parenting tasks mediated the relationship between psychological symptoms and self perceived parental competence as predicted. Clinical implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Construção e validação de conteúdo de checklist para a segurança do paciente em emergência

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marly Ryoko Amaya

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available RESUMO Objetivo Construir e validar checklist de ações de segurança do paciente em atendimento de emergência. Método Pesquisa metodológica realizada em Curitiba, em 2015, com etapas de construção e validação. O checklist foi norteado pelas diretrizes do programa brasileiro para a segurança do paciente e validado pela Técnica Delphi online; com utilização de questionário próprio, e participação de 23 especialistas brasileiros na primeira rodada e 20 na segunda. Para a análise, utilizou-se o Índice de Validade de Conteúdo (IVC, o α de Cronbach e o Teste Exato de Fisher. Resultados Obteve-se checklist com 18 itens válidos e confiáveis (94% de IVC, α de Cronbach=0,91. Conclusões O checklist contempla ações para segurança do paciente, permite verificar situações preditivas de risco, direcionar ações de correção e promover a segurança em serviços de emergência e outros contextos de saúde.

  4. Location, location, location: Extracting location value from house prices

    OpenAIRE

    Kolbe, Jens; Schulz, Rainer; Wersing, Martin; Werwatz, Axel

    2012-01-01

    The price for a single-family house depends both on the characteristics of the building and on its location. We propose a novel semiparametric method to extract location values from house prices. After splitting house prices into building and land components, location values are estimated with adaptive weight smoothing. The adaptive estimator requires neither strong smoothness assumptions nor local symmetry. We apply the method to house transactions from Berlin, Germany. The estimated surface...

  5. Checklist of butterfly (Insecta: Lepidoptera) fauna of Tehsil Tangi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    OpenAIRE

    Farzana Khan Perveen; Haroon

    2015-01-01

    The butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera)are well known insects, play an important role in the ecosystem as bioindicators and pollinators. They have bright colours, remarkable shapes and supple flight. The present study was conducted to prepare the checklist of butterfly fauna of Tehsil Tangi during August, 2014 to May, 2015. A total of 506 specimens were collected belong to 3 families with 18 genera and 23 species. The collected species are the common or lemon emigrant, Catopsila ponoma Fabrici...

  6. Assessment of competency for execution: professional guidelines and an evaluation checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zapf, Patricia A; Boccaccini, Marcus T; Brodsky, Stanley L

    2003-01-01

    The issue of whether mental health professionals should be involved in conducting evaluations of competency for execution is a topic that has elicited controversy and heated debate. This article picks up at a point beyond the controversy and addresses issues of professionalism and the objective assessment of competency for execution. Specifically, this article identifies professional standards for conducting competence for execution (CFE) evaluations, describes current practices in this area, and provides an interview checklist that can be used as an evaluation guide by involved professionals. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Quasi-experimental study designs series-paper 5: a checklist for classifying studies evaluating the effects on health interventions-a taxonomy without labels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reeves, Barnaby C; Wells, George A; Waddington, Hugh

    2017-09-01

    The aim of the study was to extend a previously published checklist of study design features to include study designs often used by health systems researchers and economists. Our intention is to help review authors in any field to set eligibility criteria for studies to include in a systematic review that relate directly to the intrinsic strength of the studies in inferring causality. We also seek to clarify key equivalences and differences in terminology used by different research communities. Expert consensus meeting. The checklist comprises seven questions, each with a list of response items, addressing: clustering of an intervention as an aspect of allocation or due to the intrinsic nature of the delivery of the intervention; for whom, and when, outcome data are available; how the intervention effect was estimated; the principle underlying control for confounding; how groups were formed; the features of a study carried out after it was designed; and the variables measured before intervention. The checklist clarifies the basis of credible quasi-experimental studies, reconciling different terminology used in different fields of investigation and facilitating communications across research communities. By applying the checklist, review authors' attention is also directed to the assumptions underpinning the methods for inferring causality. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Can the Children's Communication Checklist differentiate between children with autism, children with ADHD, and normal controls?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geurts, H.M.; Verte, S.; Osterlaan, J.; Roeyers, H; Hartman, C.A.; Mulder, Erik J.; Berckelaer-Onnes, I.A.; Sergeant, J.A.; van Berckelaer-Onnes, IA

    2004-01-01

    Background:  The Children's Communication Checklist (CCC; Bishop, 1998) is a questionnaire that was developed to measure pragmatic language use and may be completed by parents and teachers. Two studies are reported, which were designed to investigate: (1) whether children with Attention Deficit

  9. From items to syndromes in the Hypomania Checklist (HCL-32): Psychometric validation and clinical validity analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bech, P; Christensen, E M; Vinberg, M

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The Hypomania Checklist (HCL-32) was developed to identify subthreshold bipolarity in patients with major depression. An HCL-32 version with fewer items has been suggested. METHODS: Principal component analysis (PCA) without rotation was used to identify active/elevated mood versus ri...

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahid Abdel Rahim Osman

    2016-02-01

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

  11. Narrowing the Broader Autism Phenotype: A Study Using the Communication Checklist-Adult Version (CC-A)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitehouse, Andrew J. O.; Coon, Hilary; Miller, Judith; Salisbury, Bryanna; Bishop, Dorothy V. M.

    2010-01-01

    This study investigated whether the Communication Checklist-Adult (CC-A) could identify subtypes of social and communication dysfunction in autism probands and their parents. The CC-A is divided into subscales measuring linguistic ability as well as two aspects of social communication: the Pragmatic Skills subscale assesses the level of pragmatic…

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-05-01

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

  13. Use of a Surgical Safety Checklist to Improve Team Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabral, Richard A; Eggenberger, Terry; Keller, Kathryn; Gallison, Barry S; Newman, David

    2016-09-01

    To improve surgical team communication, a team at Broward Health Imperial Point Hospital, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, implemented a program for process improvement using a locally adapted World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist. This program included a standardized, comprehensive time out and a briefing/debriefing process. Postimplementation responses to the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire revealed a significant increase in the surgical team's perception of communication compared with that reported on the pretest (6% improvement resulting in t79 = -1.72, P improved surgical teamwork behaviors and an enhanced culture of safety in the OR. Copyright © 2016 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. An annotated checklist of earthworms of Greece (Clitellata: Megadrili).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szederjesi, Tímea; Vavoulidou, Evangelia; Chalkia, Christina; Dányi, László; Csuzdi, Csaba

    2017-05-26

    The earthworm fauna of Greece is reviewed. According to the up-to-date checklist, the earthworm fauna of Greece consists of 67 species and subspecies, of which 59 taxa belong to the family Lumbricidae, three to Megascolecidae, two to Acanthodrilidae and to Ocnerodrilidae and one taxon to the family Criodrilidae. Three species are recorded for the first time from the country: Allolobophora kosowensis kosowensis Karaman, 1968, Amynthas gracilis (Kinberg, 1867) and Eukerria saltensis (Beddard, 1895). Eisenia spelaea var. athenica Černosvitov, 1938 is proposed to be a synonym of Aporrectodea rosea (Savigny, 1826). The earthworm fauna of Greece is characterized by a large number of strict endemic species belonging to the family Lumbricidae (9 taxa), together with the occurrence of another 10 Balkanic endemic species.

  15. Effect of object location on the density measurement and Hounsfield conversion in a NewTom 3G cone beam computed tomography unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lagravère, M O; Carey, J; Ben-Zvi, M; Packota, G V; Major, P W

    2008-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an object's location in a cone beam CT imaging chamber (CBCT-NewTom 3G) on its apparent density and to develop a linear conversion coefficient for Hounsfield units (HU) to material density (g cm(-3)) for the NewTom 3G Scanner. Three cylindrical models of materials with different densities were constructed and scanned at five different locations in a NewTom 3G Volume Scanner. The average HU value for each model at each location was obtained using two different types of software. Next, five cylinders of different known densities were scanned at the exact centre of a NewTom 3G Scanner. The collected data were analysed using the same two types of software to determine a standard linear relationship between density and HU for each type of software. There is no statistical significance of location of an object within the CBCT scanner on determination of its density. A linear relationship between the density of an object and the HU of a scan was rho = 0.001(HU)+1.19 with an R2 value of 0.893 (where density, rho, is measured in g cm(-3)). This equation is to be used on a range between 1.42 g cm(-3) and 0.4456 g cm(-3). A linear relationship can be used to determine the density of materials (in the density range of bone) from the HU values of a CBCT scan. This relationship is not affected by the object's location within the scanner itself.

  16. Experiences in Using Practitioner’s Checklists to Evaluate the Relevance of Experiments Reported in Requirements Engineering

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Daneva, Maia; Sikkel, Nicolaas; Condori-Fernandez, Nelly; Herrmann, Andrea

    Background: Requirements Engineering (RE) researchers recognize that for RE methods to be adopted in industry, practitioners should be able to evaluate the relevance of a study to their practice. Kitchenham et al proposed a set of perspective-based checklists, which demonstrated to be a useful

  17. Syndrome dimensions of the Child Behavior Checklist and the Teacher Report Form : a critical empirical evaluation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hartman, CA; Hox, J; Auerbach, J; Erol, N; Fonseca, AC; Mellenbergh, GJ; Novik, TS; Oosterlaan, J; Roussos, AC; Shalev, RS; Zilber, N; Sergeant, JA

    1999-01-01

    The construct representation of the cross-informant model of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Teacher Report Form (TRF) was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. Samples were collected in seven different countries. The results are based on 13,226 parent ratings and 8893 teacher

  18. Factorial validity of the Personality Adjective Checklist in a Dutch-speaking sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van den Broeck, Joke; Bastiaansen, Leen; Rossi, Gina; Dierckx, Eva; Mikolajczak-Degrauwe, Kalina; Hofmans, Joeri

    2014-01-01

    We examined the factorial structure of the Dutch version of the Personality Adjective Checklist (PACL-D) in a Belgian sample of 3,012 community-dwelling adults. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a 5-factor structure (Neurotic, Aggressive/Dominant, Introverted vs. Extraverted, Conscientious, and Cooperative), that showed considerable overlap with 3 of the Big Five factors (i.e., Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness). Moreover, the 5-factor structure closely resembled the structure found in the original American PACL and was equivalent across gender and age.

  19. A checklist for health research priority setting: nine common themes of good practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terry Robert F

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Health research priority setting processes assist researchers and policymakers in effectively targeting research that has the greatest potential public health benefit. Many different approaches to health research prioritization exist, but there is no agreement on what might constitute best practice. Moreover, because of the many different contexts for which priorities can be set, attempting to produce one best practice is in fact not appropriate, as the optimal approach varies per exercise. Therefore, following a literature review and an analysis of health research priority setting exercises that were organized or coordinated by the World Health Organization since 2005, we propose a checklist for health research priority setting that allows for informed choices on different approaches and outlines nine common themes of good practice. It is intended to provide generic assistance for planning health research prioritization processes. The checklist explains what needs to be clarified in order to establish the context for which priorities are set; it reviews available approaches to health research priority setting; it offers discussions on stakeholder participation and information gathering; it sets out options for use of criteria and different methods for deciding upon priorities; and it emphasizes the importance of well-planned implementation, evaluation and transparency.

  20. Environmental Restoration Program pollution prevention checklist guide for the facility characterization project phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-09-01

    A facility characterization (FC) is conducted to determine the nature and extent contamination at a potential hazardous facility waste site. The information gathered during an FC includes (1) data on the volume and chemical nature of the waste, (2) information on the extent of contamination and the migration potential of the contaminants, (3) preliminary information on evaluation of alternative concepts that can or cannot be considered, and (4)supportive technical and cost data. For the purposes of identification, the following operational phases will be used for definition for this phase of the decommissioning and decontamination process (1) facility characterization before clean up, (2) characterization during clean up, (3) characterization of waste materials, and (4) site characterization after clean up. A key consideration in this process is the prevention of any waste to be generated from these characterization activities. The purpose of this checklist guide is to assist users with incorporating pollution prevention/waste minimization (PP/WM) in all FC phase projects of the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. This guide will help users document PP/WM activities for technology transfer and reporting requirements. Automated computer screens will be created from the checklist data to assist users with implementing and evaluating waste reduction

  1. Ecology of the Nevada Test Site. I. Geographic and ecologic distributions of the vascular flora (annotated checklist)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beatley, J C

    1965-04-01

    A checklist of vascular plants of the Nevada Test Site is presented for use in studies of plant ecology. Data on the occurrence and distribution of plant species are included. Collections were made from both undisturbed and disturbed sites.

  2. Gradual reduction of free sugars in beverages on sale by implementing the beverage checklist as a public health strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luger, Maria; Winzer, Eva; Schätzer, Manuel; Dämon, Sabine; Moser, Nadine; Blagusz, Karin; Rittmannsberger, Barbara; Schätzer, Julia; Lechleitner, Monika; Rieder, Anita; Hoppichler, Friedrich

    2018-03-15

    Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major source of free sugar intake and contribute to obesity and obesity-related diseases. Therefore, we analyzed the effect of a gradual sugar reduction strategy within the so-called 'beverage checklist' on free sugar content in beverages on sale in Austria. From 2010 until 2017, data on the amount of free sugar of sweetened beverages (sweetened with sugars, fruit juice and artificial sweeteners) with 0.20-0.75l serving sizes in all main supermarkets and from industry was collected. These data were published annually as the beverage checklist, which displays beverages on sale in Austria. The checklist aims to encourage beverage production with a free sugar content of ≤7.4 g/100 ml and no artificial sweeteners. Free sugar content in the total supply decreased significantly [7.53 (2.86) vs. 6.75 (2.79) g/100 ml; 10.4%; P strategy, conducted by a small non-profit organization, showed a reduction in the mean free sugar content by working with the industry to voluntarily reformulate beverages. More beverages with less added sugar were brought to the market, which implies healthier choices. The challenge now is to further engage the industry and also policy makers to achieve a greater reduction in the future.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowe, Melissa; Sellers, Tyra P.

    2018-01-01

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

  4. Structural, Item, and Test Generalizability of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised to Offenders with Intellectual Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrissey, Catrin; Cooke, David; Michie, Christine; Hollin, Clive; Hogue, Todd; Lindsay, William R.; Taylor, John L.

    2010-01-01

    The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) is the most widely used measure of psychopathy in forensic clinical practice, but the generalizability of the measure to offenders with intellectual disabilities (ID) has not been clearly established. This study examined the structural equivalence and scalar equivalence of the PCL-R in a sample of 185 male…

  5. A checklist of the genus Blosyrus Schoenherr (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae of the world

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Mahendiran

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available An annotated checklist of Blosyrus Schoenherr (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae comprising 101 species with their updated nomenclature, synonyms and distribution is given. The distribution pattern indicates that the genus is diversified mostly in the Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia regions. Out of 101 species, 92 occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. From India, eight species were recorded. In India, the distribution is mainly in West Bengal, Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

  6. Developing a Mobile Electronic D2B Checklist for Treatment of ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Who Need a Primary Coronary Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Hung-Jung; Hsu, Min-Huei; Huang, Chien-Cheng; Tan, Che-Kim; Chou, Shu-Lien; Huang, Shou-Yung; Chen, Chia-Jung

    2015-01-01

    Abstract ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), one main type of acute myocardial infarction with high mortality, requires percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with balloon inflation. Current guidelines recommend a door-to-balloon (D2B) interval (i.e., starts with the patient's arrival in the emergency department and ends when PCI with a catheter guidewire and balloon inflation crosses the culprit lesion) of no more than 90 min. However, promptly implementing PCI requires coordinating various medical teams. Checklists can be used to ensure consistency and operating sequences when executing complex tasks in a clinical routine. Developing an effective D2B checklist would enhance the care of STEMI patients who need PCI. Mobile information and communication technologies have the potential to greatly improve communication, facilitate access to information, and eliminate duplicated documentation without the limitations of space and time. In a research project by the Chi Mei Medical Center, “Developing a Mobile Electronic D2B Checklist for Managing the Treatment of STEMI Patients Who Need Primary Coronary Intervention,” a prototype version of a mobile checklist was developed. This study describes the research project and the four phases of the system development life cycle, comprising system planning and selection, analysis, design, and implementation and operation. Face-to-face interviews with 16 potential users were conducted and revealed highly positive user perception and use intention toward the prototype. Discussion and directions for future research are also presented. PMID:25615278

  7. Developing a mobile electronic D2B checklist for treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction patients who need a primary coronary intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Hung-Jung; Hsu, Min-Huei; Huang, Chien-Cheng; Liu, Chung-Feng; Tan, Che-Kim; Chou, Shu-Lien; Huang, Shou-Yung; Chen, Chia-Jung

    2015-04-01

    ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), one main type of acute myocardial infarction with high mortality, requires percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with balloon inflation. Current guidelines recommend a door-to-balloon (D2B) interval (i.e., starts with the patient's arrival in the emergency department and ends when PCI with a catheter guidewire and balloon inflation crosses the culprit lesion) of no more than 90 min. However, promptly implementing PCI requires coordinating various medical teams. Checklists can be used to ensure consistency and operating sequences when executing complex tasks in a clinical routine. Developing an effective D2B checklist would enhance the care of STEMI patients who need PCI. Mobile information and communication technologies have the potential to greatly improve communication, facilitate access to information, and eliminate duplicated documentation without the limitations of space and time. In a research project by the Chi Mei Medical Center, "Developing a Mobile Electronic D2B Checklist for Managing the Treatment of STEMI Patients Who Need Primary Coronary Intervention," a prototype version of a mobile checklist was developed. This study describes the research project and the four phases of the system development life cycle, comprising system planning and selection, analysis, design, and implementation and operation. Face-to-face interviews with 16 potential users were conducted and revealed highly positive user perception and use intention toward the prototype. Discussion and directions for future research are also presented.

  8. A preliminaryfloristic checklist of thal desert punjab, pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaheen, H.; Qureshi, R.

    2014-01-01

    The floristic survey of the Thal desert, Punjab, Pakistan was carried out during 2010 to 2013. So far, 248 species distributed across 166 genera and 38 families were identified during the report period. Besides, one species viz., Themeda triandra was recorded for the first time from Pakistan. Of them, one fern, 4 monocots and 33 dicots families were determined. The most dominating family was Poaceae that contributed 52 species (21.49%), followed by Fabaceae (34 spp., 13.05%) and Amaranthaceae and Asteraceae (17 spp., 7.02% each). The largest genera were Euphorbia (6 spp.), Cyperus, Eragrostis and Solanum (5 spp. each), Mollugo, Heliotropium and Cenchrus (4 spp. each), Acacia, Prosopis, Tephrosia, Corchorus, Boerhavia and Ziziphus (3 spp. each). This checklist consists of updated systematic families and plants names that will provide a useful starting point for further ecological and bioprospective research of the area under study. (author)

  9. Simulation of motor unit recruitment and microvascular unit perfusion: spatial considerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuglevand, A J; Segal, S S

    1997-10-01

    Muscle fiber activity is the principal stimulus for increasing capillary perfusion during exercise. The control elements of perfusion, i.e., microvascular units (MVUs), supply clusters of muscle fibers, whereas the control elements of contraction, i.e., motor units, are composed of fibers widely scattered throughout muscle. The purpose of this study was to examine how the discordant spatial domains of MVUs and motor units could influence the proportion of open capillaries (designated as perfusion) throughout a muscle cross section. A computer model simulated the locations of perfused MVUs in response to the activation of up to 100 motor units in a muscle with 40,000 fibers and a cross-sectional area of 100 mm2. The simulation increased contraction intensity by progressive recruitment of motor units. For each step of motor unit recruitment, the percentage of active fibers and the number of perfused MVUs were determined for several conditions: 1) motor unit fibers widely dispersed and motor unit territories randomly located (which approximates healthy human muscle), 2) regionalized motor unit territories, 3) reversed recruitment order of motor units, 4) densely clustered motor unit fibers, and 5) increased size but decreased number of motor units. The simulations indicated that the widespread dispersion of motor unit fibers facilitates complete capillary (MVU) perfusion of muscle at low levels of activity. The efficacy by which muscle fiber activity induced perfusion was reduced 7- to 14-fold under conditions that decreased the dispersion of active fibers, increased the size of motor units, or reversed the sequence of motor unit recruitment. Such conditions are similar to those that arise in neuromuscular disorders, with aging, or during electrical stimulation of muscle, respectively.

  10. Steam generator replacement in Bruce A Unit 1 and Unit 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hart, R.S.

    2006-01-01

    The Bruce A Generating Station consists of four 900 MW class CANDU units. The reactor and Primary Heat Transport System for each Unit are housed within a reinforced concrete reactor vault. A large duct running below the reactor vaults accommodates the shared fuel handling system, and connects the four reactor vaults to the vacuum building. The reactor vaults, fuelling system duct and the vacuum building constitute the station vacuum containment system. Bruce A Unit 2 was shut down in 1995 and Bruce A Units 1, 3 and 4 were shutdown in 1997. Bruce A Units 3 and 4 were returned to service in late 2003 and are currently operating. Units 1 and 2 remain out of service. Bruce Power is currently undertaking a major rehabilitation of Bruce A Unit 1 and Units 2 that will extend the in-service life of these units by at least 25 years. Replacement of the Steam Generators (eight in each unit) is required; this work was awarded to SNC-Lavalin Nuclear (SLN). The existing steam drums (which house the steam separation and drying equipment) will be retained. Unit 2 is scheduled to be synchronized with the grid in 2009, followed by Unit 1 in 2009. Each Bruce A unit has two steam generating assemblies, one located above and to each end of the reactor. Each steam generating assembly consists of a horizontal cylindrical steam drum and four vertical Steam Generators. The vertical Steam Generators connect to individual nozzles that are located on the underside of the Steam Drum (SD). The steam drums are located in concrete shielding structures (steam drum enclosures). The lower sections of the Steam Generators penetrate the top of the reactor vaults: the containment pressure boundary is established by bellows assemblies that connect between the reactor vault roof slab and the Steam Generators. Each Steam Generators is supported from the bottom by a trapeze that is suspended from the reactor vault top structure. The Steam Generator Replacement (SGR) methodology developed by SLN for Unit 1

  11. Tardigrada of Ireland: a review of records and an updated checklist of species including a new addition to the Irish fauna

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erica DeMilio

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The phylum Tardigrada was not recorded in Ireland until the Clare Island Survey of 1909–1911, with only rare subsequent reports on Irish tardigrade species. In recent decades, significant taxonomic revision has occurred within Tardigrada. This has resulted in the need for a review of all known historical records from Ireland and Northern Ireland in order to produce an updated checklist of valid taxa. The new checklist includes fifty-one tardigrade species and subspecies including a new addition to the Irish fauna reported herein, Echiniscus quadrispinosus quadrispinosus Richters, 1902 from Newtown, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare.

  12. Steam generator replacement in Bruce A Unit 1 and Unit 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hart, R.S.

    2007-01-01

    The Bruce A Generating Station consists of four 900 MW class CANDU units. The reactor and Primary Heat Transport System for each Unit are housed within a reinforced concrete reactor vault. A large duct running below the reactor vaults accommodates the shared fuel handling system, and connects the four reactor vaults to the vacuum building. The reactor vaults, fuelling system duct and the vacuum building constitute the station vacuum containment system. Bruce A Unit 2 was shut down in 1995 and Bruce A Units 1, 3 and 4 were shutdown in 1997. Bruce A Units 3 and 4 were returned to service in late 2003 and are currently operating. Units 1 and 2 remain out of service. Bruce Power is currently undertaking a major rehabilitation of Bruce A Unit 1 and Unit 2 that will extend the in-service tile of these units by at least 25 years. Replacement of the Steam Generators (eight in each unit) is required; this work was awarded to SNC-Lavalin Nuclear (SLN). The existing steam drums (which house the steam separation and drying equipment) will be retained. Unit 2 is scheduled to be synchronized with the grid in 2009, followed by Unit 1 in 2009. Each Bruce A unit has two steam generating assemblies, one located above and to each end of the reactor. Each steam generating assembly consists of a horizontal cylindrical steam drum and four vertical Steam Generators. The vertical Steam Generators connect to individual nozzles that are located on the underside of the Steam Drum (SD). The steam drums are located in concrete shielding structures (steam drum enclosures). The lower sections of the Steam Generators penetrate the top of the reactor vaults: the containment pressure boundary is established by bellows assemblies that connect between the reactor vault roof slab and the Steam Generators. Each Steam Generators is supported from he bottom by a trapeze that is suspended from the reactor vault top structure. The Steam Generator Replacement (SGR) methodology developed by SLN for Unit 1

  13. Application of safety checklist to the analysis of the IEA-R1 reactor water retreatment system; Utilizacao do checklist de seguranca na analise do sistema de retratamento de agua do reator IEA-R1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sauer, Maria Eugenia Lago Jacques; Sara Neto, Antonio Jorge; Lima, Toni Carlos Caboclo de; Ribeiro, Maria Alice Morato [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)]. E-mail: melsauer@ipen.br

    2005-07-01

    In 1999, the management of the IEA-R1 Research Reactor (pool type - 5 MWth), located at IPEN/CNEN-SP, started the evaluation of the Reactor Pool Water Retreatment System to identify operational aspects, which could compromise the operators safety. The purpose was to identify and propose enhancements to the system which would be installed to substitute for the existing one. This process was conducted through a qualitative study of the system in operation. This study was carried out by a team composed of specialists in reactor operation, systems maintenance and radiological protection, and one safety analyst. The study consisted, basically, in local inspections to verify the physical and operational conditions of each equipment / component as well as aspects related to maintenance activities of the system. The process control and the operator procedures associated with the retreatment of the reactor pool water were also reviewed. The methodology adopted to develop the study was based in process hazard analysis technique named Safety Checklist. This paper presents a summary of this study and the main results obtained. Some operational and safety problems identified, the prevention and/or correction means to avoid them, and the recommendations and suggestions that have been implemented to the new design of the IEA-R1 Reactor Water Retreatment System, whose installation was concluded in 2003, are also presented. (author)

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shih-hsion Huang

    1998-09-01

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

  15. Self-Monitoring Checklists for Inquiry Problem-Solving: Functional Problem-Solving Methods for Students with Intellectual Disability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Bridget; Taber-Doughty, Teresa

    2014-01-01

    Three students with mild to moderate intellectual and multiple disability, enrolled in a self-contained functional curriculum class were taught to use a self-monitoring checklist and science notebook to increase independence in inquiry problem-solving skills. Using a single-subject multiple-probe design, all students acquired inquiry…

  16. Using a Critical Incident Scenario With Virtual Humans to Assess Educational Needs of Nurses in a Postanesthesia Care Unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Casey; Chuah, Joon; Robb, Andrew; Lok, Benjamin; Lampotang, Samsun; Lizdas, David; Martindale, James; Pi, Guillermo; Wendling, Adam

    2015-01-01

    During critical incidents, teamwork failures can compromise patient safety. This study provides evidence that virtual humans can be used in simulated critical incidents to assess the learning needs of health professionals, and provide important information that can inform the development of continuing education programs in patient safety. We explored the effectiveness of information transfer during a devolving medical situation between postanesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses and a virtual attending physician. We designed a three-stage scenario: tutorial, patient transfer, and critical incident. We developed 2 checklists to assess information transfer: Critical Patient Information and Interprofessional Communication Skills. All participants were videotaped; 2 raters reviewed all videos and assessed performance using the checklists. Participants (n = 43) who completed all 3 stages scored 62.3% correct on critical patient information transfer and 61.6% correct on interprofessional communication skills. Almost 87% missed a fatal drug error. The checklists measured each item on a 1/0 (done/not) calculation. Additionally, no relationship was found between years of nursing experience and performance on either checklist. The PACU nurses in this study did not consistently share critical information with an attending (virtual) physician during a critical incident, and most missed a fatal dosage error. These findings strongly suggest a crucial need for additional structured team training among practicing health care teams, and they demonstrate the utility of using virtual humans to simulate team members. © 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.

  17. Working to improve the management of sarcoma patients across Europe: a policy checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasper, Bernd; Lecointe-Artzner, Estelle; Wait, Suzanne; Boldon, Shannon; Wilson, Roger; Gronchi, Alessandro; Valverde, Claudia; Eriksson, Mikael; Dumont, Sarah; Drove, Nora; Kanli, Athanasia; Wartenberg, Markus

    2018-04-16

    The Sarcoma Policy Checklist was created by a multidisciplinary expert group to provide policymakers with priority areas to improve care for sarcoma patients. This paper draws on this research, by looking more closely at how France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom are addressing each of these priority areas. It aims to highlight key gaps in research, policy and practice, as well as ongoing initiatives that may impact the future care of sarcoma patients in different European countries. A pragmatic review of the published and web-based literature was undertaken. Telephone interviews were conducted in each country with clinical and patient experts to substantiate findings. Research findings were discussed within the expert group and developed into five core policy recommendations. The five identified priority areas were: the development of designated and accredited centres of reference; more professional training; multidisciplinary care; greater incentives for research and innovation; and more rapid access to effective treatments. Most of the countries studied have ongoing initiatives addressing many of these priorities; however, many are in early stages of development, or require additional funding and resources. Gaps in access to quality care are particularly concerning in many of Europe's lower-resourced countries. Equitable access to information, clinical trials, innovative treatments and quality specialist care should be available to all sarcoma patients. Achieving this across Europe will require close collaboration between all stakeholders at both the national and European level.

  18. Assessing Face Validity of a Food Behavior Checklist for Limited-resource Filipinos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banna, Jinan C; Buchthal, Opal Vanessa; Tauyan, Socorro

    2015-10-01

    Diet-related chronic health conditions are prevalent in the Filipino American community; however, there is a lack of rigorously validated nutrition education evaluation tools in Tagalog for use in this population. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the face validity of a Tagalog-language food behavior checklist (FBC). A multi-step method was used, involving translation of questionnaire text from English to Tagalog by a team of professionals, creation of accompanying color photographs, cognitive testing with the target population, final review by the team of professionals, and assessment of readability. Subjects for cognitive testing were men (n=6) and women (n=14) 18 years or older in Hawai'i who received or were eligible to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, self-identified as Filipino, and preferred Tagalog rather than English. Participants were recruited from churches, the Filipino Center, and other community sites. Cognitive interviews revealed several issues with text and photographs, such as preferences for specific terms, and images that did not adequately illustrate the text. Image changes were made to reflect items most commonly consumed. The team of professionals agreed with participant suggestions. Assessment of readability revealed a reading level appropriate for a low-literacy population of grade 5.9. The multi-step process, which allowed members of the target audience to reveal the appropriateness of the questionnaire, yielded a Tagalog-language FBC found to have adequate face validity. After further evaluation of validity and reliability, this tool may be used to evaluate behavior change resulting from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) nutrition education programs.

  19. Infant Sleep Location and Breastfeeding Practices in the United States, 2011-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Lauren A; Geller, Nicole L; Kellams, Ann L; Colson, Eve R; Rybin, Denis V; Heeren, Timothy; Corwin, Michael J

    2016-08-01

    To describe the prevalence of breastfeeding and sleep location practices among US mothers and the factors associated with these behaviors, including advice received regarding these practices. A nationally representative sample of 3218 mothers who spoke English or Spanish were enrolled at a sample of 32 US birth hospitals between January 2011 and March 2014. Exclusive breastfeeding was reported by 30.5% of mothers, while an additional 29.5% reported partial breastfeeding. The majority of mothers, 65.5%, reported usually room sharing without bed sharing, while 20.7% reported bed sharing. Compared to mothers who room shared without bed sharing, mothers who bed shared were more likely to report exclusive breastfeeding (adjusted odds ratio 2.46, 95% confidence interval 1.76, 3.45) or partial breastfeeding (adjusted odds ratio 1.75, 95% confidence interval 1.33, 2.31). The majority of mothers reported usually room sharing without bed sharing regardless of feeding practices, including 58.2% of exclusively breastfeeding mothers and 70.0% of nonbreastfeeding mothers. Receiving advice regarding sleep location or breastfeeding increased adherence to recommendations in a dose response manner (the adjusted odds of room sharing without bed sharing and exclusive breastfeeding increased as the relevant advice score increased); however, receiving advice regarding sleep location did not affect feeding practices. Many mothers have not adopted the recommended infant sleep location or feeding practices. Receiving advice from multiple sources appears to promote adherence in a dose response manner. Many women are able to both breastfeed and room share without bed sharing, and advice to adhere to both of these recommendations did not decrease breastfeeding rates. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Relationship between Training Programs being Offered in State and Federal Penal Institutions and the Unfilled Job Openings in the Major Occupations in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torrence, John Thomas

    Excluding military installations, training programs in state and federal penal institutions were surveyed, through a mailed checklist, to test the hypotheses that (1) training programs in penal institutions were not related to the unfilled job openings by major occupations in the United States, and (2) that training programs reported would have a…