Acceptability and feasibility of peer assisted supervision and support for intervention practitioners: a Q-methodology evaluation

Evidence-based interventions often include quality improvement methods to support fidelity and improve client outcomes. Clinical supervision is promoted as an effective way of developing practitioner confidence and competence in delivery; however, supervision is often inconsistent and embedded in hierarchical line management structures that may limit the opportunity for reflective learning. The Peer Assisted Supervision and Support (PASS) supervision model uses peer relationships to promote the self-regulatory capacity of practitioners to improve intervention delivery. The aim of the present study was to assess the acceptability and feasibility of PASS amongst parenting intervention practitioners. A Q-methodology approach was used to generate data and 30 practitioners volunteered to participate in the study. Data were analyzed and interpreted using standard Q-methodology procedures and by-person factor analysis yielded three factors. There was consensus that PASS was acceptable. Participants shared the view that PASS facilitated an environment of support where negative aspects of interpersonal relationships that might develop in supervision were not evident. Two factors represented the viewpoint that PASS was also a feasible model of supervision. However, the third factor was comprised of practitioners who reported that PASS could be time consuming and difficult to fit into existing work demands. There were differences across the three factors in the extent to which practitioners considered PASS impacted on their intervention delivery. The findings highlight the importance of organizational mechanisms that support practitioner engagement in supervision

Depiction of pneumothoraces in a large animal model using x-ray dark-field radiography

The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of x-ray dark-field radiography to detect pneumothoraces in a pig model. Eight pigs were imaged with an experimental grating-based large-animal dark-field scanner before and after induction of a unilateral pneumothorax. Image contrast-to-noise ratios between lung tissue and the air-filled pleural cavity were quantified for transmission and dark-field radiograms. The projected area in the object plane of the inflated lung was measured in dark-field images to quantify the collapse of lung parenchyma due to a pneumothorax. Means and standard deviations for lung sizes and signal intensities from dark-field and transmission images were tested for statistical significance using Student’s two-tailed t-test for paired samples. The contrast-to-noise ratio between the air-filled pleural space of lateral pneumothoraces and lung tissue was significantly higher in the dark-field (3.65 ± 0.9) than in the transmission images (1.13 ± 1.1; p = 0.002). In case of dorsally located pneumothoraces, a significant decrease (−20.5%; p > 0.0001) in the projected area of inflated lung parenchyma was found after a pneumothorax was induced. Therefore, the detection of pneumothoraces in x-ray dark-field radiography was facilitated compared to transmission imaging in a large animal model

Promoting programme fidelity through peer-assisted supervision and support

This chapter makes the case for the adoption of practitioner supervision as a quality assurance mechanism for the implementation of parenting interventions. This chapter addresses the need for effective and efficient supervision and posttraining support for the evidence-based program workforce to ensure the sustainability of delivery and the ongoing maintenance of program fidelity. Alongside other fidelity mechanisms, supervision can help develop practitioners’ confidence and competence in delivery and promote adherence to intervention protocols. Peer supervision has the potential to be both efficient and effective and may be more acceptable to stakeholders than traditional hierarchical supervision models. The Peer-Assisted Supervision and Support model is described, and findings describing its acceptability and feasibility to parenting program practitioners are presented.</p

Detection of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor with a Novel Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Pair Using a Two-Component System

In this paper we describe a two-component BRET (bioluminescence resonance energy transfer)-based method to detect vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) molecules in unknown samples as the basis for subsequent in vivo use. A luminescent VEGF binding molecule, which binds in the receptor binding motif of VEGF, is used as the energy donor, transferred to a fluorophore-coupled VEGF binding molecule (acceptor), which binds to the neuropilin binding motif of VEGF, thus enabling energy transfer from the donor to the acceptor molecule. This leads to the emission of light at a longer wavelength and thus the generation of an increased BRET signal only when VEGF is bound to both the donor and acceptor molecules. We further describe a novel BRET pair that uses the Renilla reniformis mutant luciferase RLuc8 and the chemically engineered fluorophore PerCP-Cy5.5®, which exhibits superior peak separation of approximately 300 nm. The implantation of capsules consisting of the two BRET components in solution, permeable for VEGF for its in vivo detection, would provide a new and improved method for monitoring VEGF-induced pathologies and thus an adjustment of therapy to patient needs

Erfolgskontrollen von berufsfoerdernden Massnahmen fuer auslaendische Jugendliche in Berlin (West) und Vorschlaege zur Erhoehung ihrer Wirksamkeit

IAB-95-2600-51-BE AF 560 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman