The Ethical Review of Health Care Quality Improvement Initiatives: Findings From the Field

Based on surveys, examines the review mechanisms of quality improvement initiatives, including frequency; type, such as use of independent review boards; and consideration for ethical issues such as minimal risk and patient privacy and confidentiality

Self-Adjusting Biofeedback with a Dynamic Feedback Signal Set (DyFSS)

Abstract - A lack of control over their autonomic nervous system presents a major challenge for many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Autonomic biofeedback training is a promising treatment for managing anxiety and ASD symptoms more generally. We describe software that tunes four autonomic measurements to the best abilities and needs of each individual patient. Using this dynamic feedback signal set (DyFSS), a strength-based, self-customizing algorithm, we aim to address the autonomic heterogeneity of youth with ASD. The DyFSS may improve autonomic biofeedback training for the user by making it more understandable and easier to accomplish. Because it is self-adjusting, it may also ease the integration of autonomic biofeedback training into clinical work. Initial feasibility testing of this algorithm in youth with ASD with a five-session autonomic biofeedback training protocol showed improved behavior in relation to ASD symptoms Initial reactions show that youth with ASD are readily engaged through technological interventions such as autonomic biofeedback

Predictors of drinking and functional outcomes for men and women following inpatient alcohol treatment

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106952/1/ajad12098.pd

Improving the Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the Dynamic Feedback Signal Set (DyFSS): Increasing Accessibility for the Neurodiverse

Peripheral biofeedback is an explicit learning tool that allows for real-time evaluation and control of physiological proxies by means of computerized signals. Its integration into health practice allows users to calibrate self-awareness and self regulation then apply these skills to everyday life. People with neurodevelopmental differences encounter limitations when using commercially available clinical biofeedback due to variation in their autonomic response. Principles of Universal Design dictate that biofeedback inputs and displays allow effective access and benefit for as many individuals as possible. Our Dynamic Feedback Signal Set (DyFSS, nonprovisional patent-in-process) algorithm adjusts signal processing by dynamically weighting feedback signals to the best abilities of the user, increasing the efficacy of biofeedback for the neurodiverse. The software includes an interactive graphical tutorial and quiz, a variety of graphical user interfaces to honor individual preferences and abilities, and a game that can be played by blind and hard of hearing individuals alike

Shared Governance Task Force Report

The VCU Libraries Shared Governance Task Force was convened in September 2019 and charged with reviewing and describing the current VCU Libraries’ governance structure, identifying gaps and areas for improvement, and recommending changes. The task force defined shared governance as a model where decision-making is collaborative, transparent, well-communicated, and informed by the perspectives of all those who are impacted by the decision. The report includes recommendations for specific decision-making groups such as the Administrative Council, Management Council, and Faculty Organization, as well as a recommendation to create an All Staff Organization that represents employees of all job categories within decision-making processes. Other areas of focus in recommendations include decision-making and communication practices within committees, workgroups, and task forces; support, compensation, and recognition for engaging in shared governance; and employee dynamics across job categories

Using performance-based regulation to reduce childhood obesity

BackgroundWorldwide, the public health community has recognized the growing problem of childhood obesity. But, unlike tobacco control policy, there is little evidence about what public policies would work to substantially reduce childhood obesity. Public health leaders currently tend to support traditional "command and control" schemes that order private enterprises and governments to stop or start doing specific things that, is it hoped, will yield lower childhood obesity rates. These include measures such as 1) taking sweetened beverages out of schools, 2) posting calorie counts on fast-food menu boards, 3) labeling foods with a "red light" if they contain high levels of fat or sugar, 4) limiting the density of fast food restaurants in any neighborhood, 5) requiring chain restaurants to offer "healthy" alternatives, and 6) eliminating junk food ads on television shows aimed at children. Some advocates propose other regulatory interventions such as 1) influencing the relative prices of healthy and unhealthy foods through taxes and/or subsidies and 2) suing private industry for money damages as a way of blaming childhood obesity on certain practices of the food industry (such as its marketing, product composition, or portion size decisions). The food industry generally seeks to deflect blame for childhood obesity onto others, such as parents and schools

Duhamel versus transanal endorectal pull through (TERPT) for the surgical treatment of Hirschsprung’s disease

For the surgical treatment of Hirschsprung’s disease, several surgical techniques are used to resect the distal aganglionic colon. Two frequently used techniques are the Duhamel procedure and the transanal endorectal pull-through procedure. During the ‘8th Pediatric Colorectal Course’ in Nijmegen, November 2015, a workshop was organized to share experiences of both techniques by several experts in the field and to discuss (long term) outcomes. Specifically, the objective of the meeting was to discuss the main controversies in relation to the technical execution of both procedures in order to make an initial assessment of the limitations of available evidence for clinical decision-making and to formulate a set of preliminary recommendations for current clinical care and future research