A comparison of parent reported outcome with experience of services

PublishedJournal ArticlePurpose - Routine outcome monitoring (ROM) is currently seen as a key driver for service improvement at individual, team and service level. The purpose this paper is to explore the relationships between a patient (parent) reported outcome measure (PROM), a practitioner reported outcome measure, and a patient (parent) reported experience measure (PREM). Design/methodology/approach - A cohort of 302 primary school-age children was recruited and followed for one year from consecutively accepted referrals to three teams within two English Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (a PROM) and practitioners completed the Clinician Global Assessment Scale at baseline, six and 12 months; parents completed the Experience of Services Questionnaire (a PREM) at six and 12 months. Findings - PROM and practitioner reported outcome measure data suggested poor clinical outcome in terms of symptoms, impact and levels of functioning but were accompanied by PREM evidence of high levels of satisfaction. There was an unexpectedly low correlation (o0.2) between both measures of outcome and satisfaction. Originality/value - This paper fulfils a need to explore the relationships between different outcome measures to contribute to the understanding of ROM its validity

Acessibilidade e utilização dos espaços verdes urbanos nas cidades de Coimbra (Portugal) e Salamanca (Espanha)

ACCESSIBILITY AND USE OF URBAN GREEN SPACES IN THE CITIES OF COIMBRA (PORTUGAL) AND SALAMANCA (SPAIN). In a society that values more and more wellbeing, health and free time, the introduction of urban green spaces (UGS) next to residential areas has become a citizen’s right and requirement. This paper analyses the distribution and accessibility of UGS in the cities of Coimbra and Salamanca and evaluates their influence on the needs of the resident populations, in terms of users’ age, frequency of usage, as well as of motivation and ways to enjoy the facilities. In Coimbra there is a concentration of UGS, whereas in Salamanca there is a dispersion of such spaces, which has resulted in the different usage that people make of them. In fact, although Coimbra offers more urban green space (per inhabitant), their usage is reduced as people go there mainly by car, contrary to what happens in Salamanca. Consequently, Coimbra’s inhabitants choose these green spaces because of the activities they can be used for, whereas Salamanca’s inhabitants choose them for their proximity

Outcomes of elective induction of labour compared with expectant management: population based study

Objective To determine neonatal outcomes (perinatal mortality and special care unit admission) and maternal outcomes (mode of delivery, delivery complications) of elective induction of labour compared with expectant management

Quantitation of thin-layer chromatograms with an Apple II computer-based videodensitometer

An inexpensive, high-speed densitometer made from an Apple II computer, a black-and-white video camera, and an image digitizing board is described. By supplementing the computer with a very fast coprocessor, one can obtain a measurement of a typical thin-layer spot in 30-40 s. Only minimal electronic expertise is required for assembling the system from the commercially available components. Coefficients of variation for multiple readings of a single 500-ng spot of charred lipid were about 0.5%. For lipid spots weighing 250 to 2000 ng, a second-order relationship between weight and density reading was obtained with a correlation coefficient of 0.998.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/25516/1/0000057.pd

Teaching classroom management – A potential public health intervention?

Author's manuscript version. The final published version is available from the publisher via: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/HE-03-2014-0030© Emerald Group Publishing LimitedPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility of a classroom management course as a public health intervention. Improved socio-emotional skills may boost children’s developmental and academic trajectory, while the costs of behaviour problems are enormous for schools with considerable impact on others’ well-being. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 40 teachers attended the Incredible Years (IY) Teacher Classroom Management (TCM) intervention in groups of ten. Afterwards teachers attended focus groups and semi-structured interviews were completed with headteachers to explore whether TCM was feasible, relevant and useful, research processes were acceptable and if it influenced teachers’ practice and pupils. Teachers completed standardised questionnaires about their professional self-efficacy, burnout and well-being before and after attendance. Findings – In all, 37/40 teachers completed the course. Teachers valued sharing experiences, the support of colleagues in the group and time out to reflect on practice and rehearse new techniques. Most teachers reported that they applied the strategies with good effect in their classrooms. Teachers’ questionnaires suggested an improvement in their self-efficacy in relation to classroom management (p=0.03); other scales changed in the predicted direction but did not reach statistical significance. Research limitations/implications – Although preliminary and small, these feasibility study findings suggest that it was worthwhile proceeding to a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT). Practical implications – Should the RCT demonstrate effectiveness, then the intervention is an obvious candidate for implementation as a whole school approach. Originality/value – Successful intervention with one teacher potentially benefits every child that they subsequently teach and may increase the inclusion of socio-economically deprived children living in challenging circumstances in mainstream education. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Relativistic two-body system in (1+1)-dimensions

The relativistic two-body system in (1+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics is studied. It is proved that the eigenvalue problem for the two-body Hamiltonian without the self-interaction terms reduces to the problem of solving an one-dimensional stationary Schr\"odinger type equation with an energy-dependent effective potential which includes the delta-functional and inverted oscillator parts. The conditions determining the metastable energy spectrum are derived, and the energies and widths of the metastable levels are estimated in the limit of large particle masses. The effects of the self-interaction are discussed.Comment: LATEX file, 21 pp., 4 figure

Profiles of Dark Matter Velocity Anisotropy in Simulated Clusters

We report statistical results for dark matter (DM) velocity anisotropy, \beta, from a sample of some 6000 cluster-size halos (at redshift zero) identified in a \Lambda CDM hydrodynamical adaptive mesh refinement simulation performed with the Enzo code. These include profiles of \beta\ in clusters with different masses, relaxation states, and at several redshifts, modeled both as spherical and triaxial DM configurations. Specifically, although we find a large scatter in the DM velocity anisotropy profiles of different halos (across elliptical shells extending to at least ~$1.5 r_{vir}$), universal patterns are found when these are averaged over halo mass, redshift, and relaxation stage. These are characterized by a very small velocity anisotropy at the halo center, increasing outward to about 0.27 and leveling off at about $0.2 r_{vir}$. Indirect measurements of the DM velocity anisotropy fall on the upper end of the theoretically expected range. Though measured indirectly, the estimations are derived by using two different surrogate measurements - X-ray and galaxy dynamics. Current estimates of the DM velocity anisotropy are based on very small cluster sample. Increasing this sample will allow testing theoretical predictions, including the speculation that the decay of DM particles results in a large velocity boost. We also find, in accord with previous works, that halos are triaxial and likely to be more prolate when unrelaxed, whereas relaxed halos are more likely to be oblate. Our analysis does not indicate that there is significant correlation (found in some previous studies) between the radial density slope, \gamma, and \beta\ at large radii, $0.3 r_{vir} < r < r_{vir}$.Comment: 12 pages, 17 figures, accepted to Ap