Pharmacists\u27 satisfaction with their work: Analysis of an alumni survey

Background: The level of job satisfaction among practicing pharmacists is important because it has been found to affect job performance and employee turnover. The Swedish pharmacy market has undergone major changes in recent years, and little is known about pharmacists’ job satisfaction. Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the level of job satisfaction and associated factors among graduates from the web-based pharmacy programs at Umeå University. Methods: Job satisfaction of pharmacists was measured as part of an alumni survey conducted with those who graduated from the pharmacy programmes between 2006 and 2014. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, and logistic regression was used to explore factors affecting job satisfaction. Results: The total number of graduates who completed the survey was 222 (response rate 43%.) The majority of respondents were female (95%), and most were employed at a community pharmacy (85%). The mean age was 39.7 years. The majority of graduates (91%) were satisfied with their job “most of the time” or “all of the time”, and 87% of the respondents would “definitely” or “maybe” choose the same career again. The multivariate analysis showed that increasing years in the current position (OR:0.672 (0.519–0.871)) was associated with lower job satisfaction. Older age (OR: 1.123 (1.022–1.234)), the perception that the knowledge and skills acquired during the education is useful in the current job (OR: 4.643 (1.255–17.182)) and access to continuing professional development (OR:9.472 (1.965–45.662)) were associated with higher job satisfaction. Conclusion: Most graduates from the web-based pharmacy programmes are satisfied with their current job. Access to continuing professional development seems to be important for the level of job satisfaction among pharmacists

Who enrols and graduates from web-based pharmacy education - Experiences from Northern Sweden

Introduction: As a response to the shortage of prescriptionists in Northern Sweden, a web-based Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy program was introduced at Umeå University in 2003. This study explored who is likely to enrol and graduate from the web-based bachelor program and whether the program has addressed the shortage of prescriptionists in rural Northern Sweden. Methods: Data from three different sources were included in this study; the initial cohort including students admitted to the program in 2003 (survey), the entire cohort including all people admitted to the program between 2003 and 2014 (university\u27s admissions data) and the alumni cohort including graduates who participated in an alumni survey in 2015. Results: A typical student of the web-based pharmacy program is female, over 30 years of age, married or in a de-facto relationship and has children. Furthermore, the students graduating before 2009 were more likely to live in Northern Sweden compared to those graduating later. Discussion and conclusion: The results indicate that the introduction of a web-based bachelor of pharmacy program at Umeå University was to some extent able to address the shortage of prescriptionists in Northern Sweden. Web-based education may potentially help address the maldistribution of health professionals by providing flexible education opportunities

Divorce Reform—One State’s Solution

Although New York has long been a leader in reform legislation, it has also had one of the most ineffective divorce laws in the nation. Therefore, it was not unrealistic to hope that when New York recently revised its divorce laws the new product would serve as a model for future reforms in other jurisdictions. While the new law as finally enacted is defective in several respects, its provisions reflect an attempt to accommodate the basic reform trends in current divorce law. This comment investigates briefly the evolution of governmental controls of divorce, the American tradition prior to the New York reform, and the implications of the procedures finally adopted by that state

Propagating phonons coupled to an artificial atom

Quantum information can be stored in micromechanical resonators, encoded as quanta of vibration known as phonons. The vibrational motion is then restricted to the stationary eigenmodes of the resonator, which thus serves as local storage for phonons. In contrast, we couple propagating phonons to an artificial atom in the quantum regime, and reproduce findings from quantum optics with sound taking over the role of light. Our results highlight the similarities between phonons and photons, but also point to new opportunities arising from the unique features of quantum mechanical sound. The low propagation speed of phonons should enable new dynamic schemes for processing quantum information, and the short wavelength allows regimes of atomic physics to be explored which cannot be reached in photonic systems.Comment: 30 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

Exploring physicians, nurses and ward-based pharmacists working relationships in a Swedish inpatient setting: A mixed methods study

Background: In Sweden there has been limited work investigating the integration and nature of collaborative relationships between pharmacists and other healthcare practitioners. Objective: To explore the working relationships of physicians, nurses and ward-based pharmacists in a rural hospital after the introduction of a clinical pharmacy service. Setting General medical ward in a rural hospital in northern Sweden. Method: Mixed methods involving face-to-face semi-structured interviews with nurses, physicians and pharmacists, and a physician survey using the Physician-Pharmacist Collaboration Index to measure the extent of physician-reported collaborative working relationships. Main outcome measure: Perceptions about collaborative working relationships between physician, nurses and pharmacists. Results: All physicians (n = 9) who interacted with the clinical pharmacists completed the survey. The mean total score was 78.6 ± 4.7, total 92 (higher scores represent a more advanced relationship). Mean domain scores were highest for relationship initiation (13.0 ± 1.3, total 15), and trustworthiness (38.9 ± 3.4, total 42), followed by role specification (26.3 ± 2.6, total 30). The interviews (with nurses and physicians), showed how communication, collaboration and joint knowledge-exchange in the intervention changed and developed over time. Conclusion: This study provides new insights into collaborative working relationships from the perspectives of physicians and nurses. The Physician-Pharmacist Collaboration Index scores suggest that physicians felt that clinical pharmacists were active in providing patient care; could be trusted to follow up on recommendations; and were credible. The interviews suggest that the team-based intervention provided good conditions for creating new ways to work to achieve commitment to professional working relationships

Die Rolle von Religionen in Gewaltkonflikten und Friedensprozessen. 2. Interdisziplinärer Workshop von DSF, EAD und FEST zur Einrichtung eines multidisziplinären Forschungsverbundes "Religion und Konflikt" am 12. und 13. Mai 2006 in Loccum

Minor child physical abuse has decreased in Sweden since 1979, when a law banning corporal punishment of children was passed, but more serious forms have not decreased. The aim of this study was to examine risk and background factors in cases of severe child abuse reported to the police. Files from different agencies (e.g., Social services, Adult and Child psychiatry and Pediatric clinic) for 20 children and 34 caretakers were studied. An accumulation of risk factors was found. It is concluded that when the following four factors are present, there is a risk for severe child abuse: 1) a person with a tendency to use violence in conflict situations; 2) a strong level of stress on the perpetrator and the family; 3) an insufficient social network that does not manage to protect the child; 4) a child that does not manage to protect him or herself. Thus, multiple sources of information must be used when investigating child abuse.The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com:Eva-Maria Annerbäck, Carl Göran Svedin and Per Gustafsson, Characteristic Features of Severe Child Physical Abuse-A Multi-informant Approach, 2010, JOURNAL OF FAMILY VIOLENCE, (25), 2, 165-172.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10896-009-9280-1Copyright: Springer Science Business Mediahttp://www.springerlink.com

Carbon loss after forest drainage of three peatlands in southern Sweden

Increased amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere influence the global climate. It is therefore important to understand the effects of forestry measures on the distribution of carbon between soil, plants and atmosphere. In the present study, net changes in the peat carbon stores of mires, as a result of forestry drainage, were investigated. Drainage of a mire generally increases the decomposition of the peat, which leads to an increased flux of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. On the other hand, drainage increases forest growth, which leads to an accumulation of carbon into the biomass of the trees and thereby also an addition of carbon to the peat by an increased production of litter. Three mire areas in southern Sweden were included in the study: the Siksjöbäcken area, where two drained fens, Letjärn and Särkalampi, and one undrained fen, Hamptjärn, were investigated; the Torvbråten area, which consists of one undrained and one drained bog, Myggbotjärn and Torvbråten; and Gillermossen, which is a drained fen. The differences between the areas made it possible to study how changes in the carbon stores after drainage depend on site factors. The two fen areas (the Siksjöbäcken area and Gillermossen), the Torvbråten bog plane and the Torvbråten marginal slope were regarded as four different sites. Drainage was carried out at Gillermossen in 1990, at Torvbråten in 1982 and at Letjärn and Särkalampi in 1981. In connection to the drainage of the mires, a hydrological study was carried out. Groundwater tubes were then installed at some stations at each mire. Using these tubes, the changes in the peat surface level after drainage could be measured for the present study. Volumetric peat samples were also collected in connection to the drainage, at the same stations. The change in the peat surface level, together with volume weights calculated for the early volumetric samples and for new volumetric samples, were used to calculate the total carbon content in the peat, down to a certain level, at a point in time close to the drainage and in the year 2000, i.e. 10-20 years later. The net change in the peat carbon store was determined by comparing the total carbon content of the peat at these two occasions, for each station. For the Siksjöbäcken area, the earlier values of volume weight could not be used and the carbon content calculated for the drained mires for the year 2000, in a certain layer, was instead compared to the carbon content in the corresponding layer in the undrained reference mire, Hamptjärn, in the same year. The main purpose of investigating both drained and undrained mires was that the undrained mires could serve as reference mires for the drained mires in the same area. The changes in the carbon stores of the undrained mires were subtracted from the changes at the drained mires and the resulting values were assumed to represent only the changes in the carbon stores that were actually caused by drainage. No correction could be made for Gillermossen, since there was no reference mire. For Letjärn and Särkalampi, no separate correction was needed, due to the different method used to calculate the carbon loss. The possible effects of the fertilization carried out on some of the mires, in connection to the drainage, were included in the "effects of drainage", since it is common practice to fertilize a mire after it has been drained. The peat was analyzed with respect to pH, C-content and N-content, both in connection to the drainage and in the year 2000. The degree of decomposition was determined for some stations in connection to the drainage and for all stations in the year 2000. The early values of pH, C/N ratio and degree of decomposition were used to analyze why the changes in the carbon stores differed between sites. Another site factor considered was the tree cover. If the different stations could be regarded as having a tree cover or not was decided in the year 2000. The changes in the carbon stores after drainage were also assumed to be related to how much the groundwater level had been lowered. At each station, the average groundwater level, during the frost-free part of the year, was compared for two years with similar amounts of precipitation, one before drainage and one some years after drainage, when the water table was assumed to have stabilized. The difference was interpreted as the change in the groundwater table that was caused by drainage. The water-level drawdown was then 30.4 cm at Letjärn and Särkalampi, 12.9 cm at the Torvbråten marginal slope, 28.8 cm at the Torvbråten bog plane and 50.9 cm at Gillermossen. The peat surface subsided at all stations during the period studied, which was unexpected for the undrained mires. The mean subsidence was 6.9 cm at Hamptjärn, 12.5 cm at Letjärn and Särkalampi, 3.7 cm at Myggbotjärn, 9.7 cm at the Torvbråten marginal slope, 39.4 cm at the Torvbråten bog plane and 11.0 cm at Gillermossen. The preliminary calculations of changes in the carbon stores, before the corrections using the reference mires, also showed a loss of carbon from all stations, even from those that were not drained. This could be an indication of real losses of carbon from the undrained mires, caused by dry periods or possibly by deposition of nutrients from anthropogenic sources. However, it could also be a result of systematic errors in the measurements. Explaining the subsidence and the relatively high values of carbon loss at the undrained mires requires additional information and is beyond the scope of the present study. However, it should be an interesting subject of further investigations. After the correction of the carbon loss values, by the use of the reference mires, the mean loss of carbon was 76 g C m-2a-1 for Letjärn and Särkalampi, 813 g C m-2a-1 for Gillermossen, 8 g C m-2a-1 for the marginal slope at Torvbråten and 635 g C m-2a-1 for the bog plane at Torvbråten. These values can be compared to the average accumulation of carbon for an undrained northern peatland, which is 21 g C m-2a-1 (Clymo et al., 1998). The uncertainties in the determinations of the peat surface level were at many stations relatively large compared to the change in the peat surface level that was caused by drainage. These uncertainties were considered to be the largest source of errors in the carbon loss values. The maximum errors in the carbon loss values were estimated, in two different ways. First, the errors that could arise from the uncertainties regarding the determinations of the peat surface level, at different stages in the investigation, were estimated and added together. Secondly, the errors in the final carbon loss values, that could still be left after the reference mire correction, were estimated by the calculation of confidence intervals, for the mires where the reference mires were used, i.e. for Torvbråten and for Letjärn and Särkalampi. The uncertainties were found to be quite large, but they were regarded to be small enough to allow some conclusions to be drawn about how the amounts of carbon lost may be related to site factors. The drainage impact, the tree cover and perhaps the initial degree of decomposition seemed to be the most important factors influencing the changes in the carbon stores, while the C/N ratio and the pH seemed to be less important. As an example, the losses of carbon from the Torvbråten bog plane were large despite a low pH and a high C/N ratio. Since the change in the groundwater table was virtually the same for the bog plane as for the fens in the Siksjöbäcken area (Letjärn and Särkalampi), 28.8 cm and 30.4 cm respectively, the large difference in carbon loss between these sites was assumed to be caused either by the larger share of tree-covered stations in the fen area or by the initially higher degree of decomposition of the fen peat, or by both. The large difference in carbon loss between the two fen areas, Gillermossen on the one hand and Letjärn and Särkalampi on the other hand, was probably due to a combination of different factors: a difference in drainage impact, a difference in C/N ratio, the lack of a reference mire correction for Gillermossen and a shorter period of study for Gillermossen.En ökad koldioxidhalt i atmosfären påverkar det globala klimatet. Det är därför intressant att undersöka hur åtgärder inom skogsbruket påverkar fördelningen av kol mellan mark, växter och atmosfär. I den föreliggande studien undersöktes nettoförändringar av kolförrådet i myrar efter skogsdikning. En sänkning av grundvattenytan ökar generellt nedbrytningen av torven i en myr och medför därför ett ökat flöde av koldioxid till atmosfären. Samtidigt blir förutsättningarna för skogstillväxt bättre efter dikning, vilket är själva syftet med åtgärden, och kol binds därför in i trädens biomassa och tillförs även torven genom en ökad produktion av förna. Tre myrområden i södra Sverige ingick i undersökningen: Siksjöbäckenområdet, där två dikade kärr, Letjärn och Särkalampi, och ett odikat kärr, Hamptjärn, undersöktes; Torvbråtenområdet, som består av en odikad och en dikad mosse, Myggbotjärn och Torvbråten; samt Gillemossen, som är ett dikat kärr. Skillnaderna mellan områdena gjorde det möjligt att studera hur förändringar i kolförrådet efter dikning beror av olika ståndortsfaktorer. De två kärrområdena (Siksjöbäckenområdet och Gillermossen), mosseplanet på den dikade mossen och randzonen på den dikade mossen betraktades i undersökningen som fyra olika ståndorter. Gillermossen dikades 1990, Torvbråten dikades 1982 och Letjärn och Särkalampi dikades 1981. I samband med dikningen av de undersökta myrarna gjordes en hydrologisk studie, varvid grundvattenrör placerades ut vid några "stationer" på varje myr. Med hjälp av dessa rör kunde förändringar i torvytans läge bestämmas, mellan dikningstillfället och den tidpunkt år 2000 då rörhöjderna mättes för den föreliggande undersökningen. I anslutning till dikningarna bestämdes också torvens volymvikt, på samma stationer. Förändringen i torvytans läge, de äldre volymviktsvärdena samt volymviktsvärden från nya volymbestämda prover användes för att räkna ut det totala kolinnehållet i torven, ned till en bestämd nivå, vid dikningstillfället och år 2000, d.v.s. 10-20 år senare. Nettoförändringen i torvens kolförråd efter dikningen bestämdes genom en jämförelse av kolinnehållet i torven vid dessa två tillfällen. För Siksjöbäcksområdet kunde de äldre volymviktsvärdena inte användas och kolinnehållet år 2000 för de dikade myrarna, Letjärn och Särkalampi, jämfördes istället med kolinnehållet i motsvarande lager i den odikade myren, Hamptjärn. Syftet med att undersöka både dikade och odikade myrar var framför allt att de odikade myrarna kunde användas som referensmyrar för de dikade myrarna inom samma område. Genom att dra bort ändringen i kolförrådet på de odikade myrarna från ändringen på de dikade myrarna erhölls värden för de dikade myrarna som antogs motsvara endast den förändring i kolförrådet som orsakats av själva dikningen. För Gillermossen kunde ingen korrigering göras, eftersom det inte fanns någon användbar referensmyr. För Letjärn och Särkalampi behövdes ingen separat korrigering göras i och med den särskilda metod som användes för att räkna ut kolförlusten. Några av myrarna gödslades efter dikningen. Detta är en standardåtgärd och eventuella effekter av gödslingen räknades därför in i effekterna av dikningen. Torven analyserades med avseende på pH, C-halt och N-halt, både i samband med dikningen och år 2000. Humifieringsgraden bestämdes på vissa stationer i samband med dikningen och på alla stationer år 2000. De tidiga värdena på pH, C/N-kvot och humifieringsgrad användes för att analysera skillnaderna i förändringarna i kolförrådet mellan olika ståndorter. En ytterligare ståndortsegenskap som beaktades var beskogning. Om de olika stationerna kunde anses beskogade eller inte bestämdes år 2000. Förändringarna i kolförrådet efter dikning antogs också vara relaterade till hur starkt dikningen påverkat grundvattennivån. Medelvärden för grundvattennivån över den tjälfria delen av året, på de olika stationerna, jämfördes för två år med liknande nederbördsmängder, ett före dikningen och ett några år senare då grundvattenytan kunde antas ha stabiliserat sig. Skillnaden tolkades som den grundvattensänkning som dikningen orsakat. I genomsnitt sänktes grundvattenytan med 30,4 cm på Letjärn och Särkalampi, 12,9 cm på Torvbråtens randzon, 28,8 cm på Torvbråtens mosseplan och 50,9 cm på Gillermossen. Torvytan sjönk på alla stationer under den undersökta perioden, vilket var oväntat för de odikade myrarna. Medelavsänkningen var 6,9 cm för Hamptjärn, 12,5 cm för Letjärn och Särkalampi, 3,7 cm för Myggbotjärn, 9,7 cm för randzonen på Torvbråten, 39,4 för mosseplanet på Torvbråten och 11,0 cm för Gillermossen. De preliminära värdena på förändringar i kolförrådet, före korrigeringen med hjälp av referensmyrarna, visade samtidigt på en förlust av kol från samtliga stationer, även från de som inte dikats. Detta skulle kunna vara en indikation på reella kolförluster från de odikade myrarna p.g.a. torra perioder eller eventuellt p.g.a. tillförsel av näringsämnen från antropogena källor. Det skulle dock också kunna vara ett resultat av systematiska fel i mätningarna. För att förklara avsänkningen och de relativt höga kolförlustvärdena för de odikade myrarna skulle ytterligare underlag behövas. Eftersom den föreliggande studien behandlar kolförluster orsakade av dikning ligger kolförluster från odikade myrar utanför ämnet. Fenomenet kan dock vara värt att undersöka vidare

Landscape planning : a regional perspective

Regional planering är en högst aktuell fråga. I dagsläget är den regionala planeringen frivillig för alla kommuner i Sverige, med undantag för kommunerna i Stockholms län. Regeringen föreslog den 19 april 2018 en ändring i plan- och bygglagen (SFS 2010:900) som bl.a. skulle innebära att Skåne län likt kommunerna i Stockholms län ska planera regionalt fr.o.m. 1 januari 2019. Detta arbete syftar till att genom litteratur- och dokumentstudier och intervjuer redogöra för hur landskapet påverkas av hur den fysiska planeringen sker idag samt hur detta kan komma att utvecklas i Skåne län om den föreslagna lagändringen träder i kraft. Arbetet fokuserar på de inflytelserika myndigheterna och visar att kommunerna har en avgörande roll när det kommer till hur landskapen i Sverige utvecklas. Kommunerna besitter en stor makt tack vare sitt planmonopol, en makt som kan komma att urholkas något om lagändringen sker. Region Skåne har genom sitt arbete med Strukturbild i Skåne varit med och bidragit till ett uppsving i frågor som rör regional planering i Skåne län, något som bland annat resulterat i att frågan lyfts på nationell nivå. Arbetet visar att den generella uppfattningen är att regional planering fyller ett syfte och behövs, men att den kan ske i olika former (t.ex. mellankommunal planering eller regional planering). I arbetet framkommer det också att förhoppningen och tron är att en starkare regional nivå kan leda till en förändring kring hur man ser på vilka värden som finns i landskapen. Dessa landskap kan därför komma att behandlas med större respekt, mer långsiktighet och få oss att ta fler aspekter i beaktning när vi arbetar med landskapsutveckling.Regional planning is a topical question. At present, regional planning is voluntary for all municipalities in Sweden with the exception of the municipalities in Stockholm County. 19th of April 2018, the Government proposed a change to the Planning and Building Act (SFS 2010: 900), which would result in the fact that Skåne County, like the municipalities in Stockholm County, is supposed to plan regionally from the 1st of January 2019. This essay aims to explain, through literature and document studies and interviews, how the landscape is affected by how the physical planning takes place today and how this may develop in Skåne County if the proposed change in legislation enters into force. The essay focuses on the influential authorities and shows that the municipalities play a decisive role when it comes to the development of landscapes in Sweden. The municipalities have a great power when it comes to planning thanks to their monopoly, a power that may be reduced if the change in the act occurs. Through its work with Structural Picture of Skåne, Region Skåne has contributed to a boost in the regional planning debate not only in Skåne County, but also at national level. The essay discloses that the general perception is that regional planning fills a purpose and is needed but can take place in different forms (inter-municipal planning or regional planning for example). The survey shows that the hope and belief is that a stronger regional level can lead to a change in how we look at existing values found in the different types of landscapes. These landscapes can therefore be treated with greater respect, more longterm view and also make us take even more aspects into consideration while working with landscape developing

Cykelparkering i nybyggeri: Best practice og Københavnske erfaringer

Som led i arbejdet med at gøre forholdene for cykelparkering i nybyggeri bedre har Gehl Architects bistået Københavns Kommune med følgende: Indsamlet en række eksempler på best practice cykelparkering ved nybyggeri. Evalueret cykelparkeringen ved 10 nyere byggerier i Københavns Kommune, med fokus på kontor og boligbyggeri, men også enkelte andre typer af nybyggerier er evalueret. Foretaget en vurdering af hvordan de nuværende normer for cykelparkering fungerer. Denne artikel opsummerer de vigtigste konklusioner fra denne undersøgelse af best practice og fra de Københavnske nybyggerier. Først præsenteres erfaringerne fra best practice for cykelparkering i nybyggeri. Efterfølgende præsenteres Gehl Architects anbefalinger for normer og processer for cykelparkering i nybyggeri. Som bilag er vedlagt fire eksempler på best practice for cykelparkering i nybyggeri fra rapporten udarbejdet af Gehl Architects, der i dag bruges som værktøj i Københavns Kommune til dialog med developere. Artiklen er et uddrag fra Prioriteringsplan for Cykelparkering 2018-2025