TeamSTEPPS: Radiologic Sciences Students’ Perspective

Purpose: Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) provides participants with a simulated interprofessional education experience. TeamSTEPPS focuses on skills that support teamwork performance and communication principles with the goal of improving quality and patient safety. Background: Thomas Jefferson University is a leader in providing its students with interprofessional training and education opportunities. Students in the Department of Radiologic Sciences, Jefferson School of Health Professions (JSHP), participate in interprofessional education sessions with other health professional disciplines including nursing and bioscience technology. For the past two years, radiologic sciences students have participated in the TeamSTEPPS program. The simulated case scenarios provided an opportunity for multiple medical and healthcare professional disciplines to participate. Description of program: Student representatives from various medical and health professional programs at Thomas Jefferson University participated in TeamSTEPPS in the Spring of 2013 and the Spring of 2014. During the TeamSTEPPS program, students participated in the simulated case scenarios and provided feedback in the debriefing session. Results: Feedback from the radiologic sciences students was positive and insightful. Radiologic science students were proud to be a valued member of the team. In a literature review of radiologic science participation in interprofessional education activities, there appears to be a want and need for radiologic science inclusion in both interprofessional education and the interprofessional healthcare delivery. Conclusion: Radiologic sciences students express a want and need for continued participation in interprofessional education and training opportunities including TeamSTEPPS. Relevance to Interprofessional Education and Practice: Interprofessional education and training provides healthcare professionals with effective collaborative working skills and knowledge to improve patient outcomes, patient safety, teamwork and communication among healthcare professionals. At the conclusion of this session participants will be able to: 1. Discuss the importance of interprofessional education and training. 2. Identify the role radiologic science professionals have in the interprofessional team

Effects of Perceived Treatment on Quality of Life and Medical Outcomesin a Double-blind Placebo Surgery Trial

Context This study was part of a large double-blind sham surgery–controlled trial designed to determine the effectiveness of transplantation of human embryonic dopamine neurons into the brains of persons with advanced Parkinson\u27s disease. This portion of the study investigated the quality of life (QOL) of participants during the 1 year of double-blind follow-up. Objectives To determine whether QOL improved more in the transplant group than in the sham surgery group and to investigate outcomes at 1 year based on perceived treatment (the type of surgery patients thought they received). Design Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the transplant or sham surgery. Reported results are from the 1-year double-blind period. Setting Participants were recruited from across the United States and Canada. Assessment and surgery were conducted at 2 separate university medical centers. Participants A volunteer sample of 40 persons with idiopathic Parkinson\u27s disease participated in the transplant ( parent ) study, and 30 agreed to participate in the related QOL study: 12 received the transplant and 18 received sham surgery. Interventions Interventions in the parent study were transplantation and sham brain surgery. Assessments of QOL were made at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months after surgery. Main Outcome Measures Comparison of the actual transplant and sham surgery groups and the perceived treatment groups on QOL and medical outcomes. We also investigated change over time. Results There were 2 differences or changes over time in the transplant and sham surgery groups. Based on perceived treatment, or treatment patients thought they received, there were numerous differences and changes over time. In all cases, those who thought they received the transplant reported better scores. Blind ratings by medical staff showed similar results. Conclusions The placebo effect was very strong in this study, demonstrating the value of placebo-controlled surgical trials

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum