Teaching excellence in higher education: lessons from the TEF

Our aims in undertaking this analysis of the Year 2 TEF pilot were to provide readers with an overview of how the process works and to explore what is happening in the sector with regards to ensuring teaching excellence and assuring student success. It was also to highlight examples of innovative or interesting activities, using direct quotes from institutional statements to provide contextual evidence. These documents give an understanding of activities or interventions that appear to make a difference to the student experience and therefore are a resource from which we can all learn. It is not our intension to ‘measure’ how often different activities were mentioned or to draw inferences from such data but to provide a broad description of a range of interventions that may help a wide range of institutions to enhance their performance

Human factors paradigm and customer care perceptions.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine if customer care (CC) can be directly linked to patient safety through a human factors (HF) framework. Design/methodology/approach - Data from an online questionnaire, completed by a convenience healthcare worker sample (n=373), was interrogated using thematic analysis within Vincent et al.'s (1998) HF theoretical framework. This proposes seven areas affecting patient safety: institutional context, organisation and management, work environment, team factors, individual, task and patient. Findings - Analysis identified responses addressing all framework areas. Responses (597) principally focused on work environment 40.7 per cent (n=243), organisation and management 28.8 per cent (n=172). Nevertheless, reference to other framework areas were clearly visible within the data: teams 10.2 per cent (n=61), individual 6.7 per cent (n=40), patients 6.0 per cent (n=36), tasks 4.2 per cent (n=24) and institution 3.5 per cent (n=21). Findings demonstrate congruence between CC perceptions and patient safety within a HF framework. Research limitations/implications - The questionnaire requested participants to identify barriers to rather than CC enablers. Although this was at a single site complex organisation, it was similar to those throughout the NHS and other international health systems. Practical implications - CC can be viewed as consonant with patient safety rather than the potentially dangerous consumerisation stance, which could ultimately compromise patient safety. Originality/value - This work provides an original perspective on the link between CC and patient safety and has the potential to re-focus healthcare perceptions

Flow cytometric measurement of non-specific esterase activity

alpha-Naphthyl acetate esterase (alpha-NAE) is primarily found in mononuclear phagocytes and may be used to distinguish them from other leucocytes. Conventional cytochemical techniques are subjective and may be difficult to interpret, especially with cells which express only low levels of activity. This has caused difficulties in the classification of non-lymphoblastic leukaemias. This paper describes the adaptation of a cytochemical assay for use with the flow cytometer. The alpha-NAE activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was examined and found to be associated with the expression of the surface antigen CD14. The reaction could be inhibited by sodium fluoride. A series of human cell lines were also compared for alpha-NAE activity. Distinct differences in staining observed between the cell lines correlated with the number of cell-associated granules observed under the microscope

Simulation: knowledge transfer from classroom to patient care

This paper is the second in a series that examines clinical simulation and its use within ODP education. This article explores representation and the reality of simulated learning - including discussion of the 'uncanny valley' - before looking at transference into patient care