Do patient surveys work? The influence of a national survey programme on local quality-improvement initiatives

Objectives: To assess current attitudes towards the national patient survey programme in England, establish the extent to which survey results are used and identify barriers and incentives for using them. Design: Qualitative interviews with hospital staff responsible for implementing the patient surveys (survey leads). Setting: National Health Service (NHS) hospital organisations (trusts) in England. Participants: Twenty-four patient survey leads for NHS trusts. Results: Perceptions of the patient surveys were mainly positive and were reported to be improving. Interviewees welcomed the surveys’ regular repetition and thought the questionnaires, survey methods and reporting of results, particularly inter-organisational benchmark charts, were of a good standard. The survey results were widely used in action planning and were thought to support organisational patient-centredness. There was variation in the extent to which trusts disseminated survey findings to patients, the public, staff and their board members. The most common barrier to using results was difficulty engaging clinicians because survey findings were not sufficiently specific to specialties, departments or wards. Limited statistical expertise and concerns that the surveys only covered a short time frame also contributed to some scepticism. Other perceived barriers included a lack of knowledge of effective interventions, and limited time and resources. Actual and potential incentives for using survey findings included giving the results higher weightings in the performance management system, financial targets, Payment by Results (PbR), Patient Choice, a patient-centred culture, leadership by senior members of the organisation, and boosting staff morale by disseminating positive survey findings. Conclusion: The national patient surveys are viewed positively, their repetition being an important factor in their success. The results could be used more effectively if they were more specific to smaller units

School of Law_Law Student and Paralegal COVID Pro Bono Support Project Email

Email from Rachel Reeves, Director of Field Placement Programs and Adjunct Professor, University of Maine School of Law to students regarding a national law student pro bono support project

Rescue in Space - TDRS Flight 1

On 4 April 1983, the shuttle or biter Challenger released the Flight 1 spacecraft of trie Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System ITDRSS) and Its Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) booster In low altitude orbit. Altho perogee burn of the IDS was accomplished without incident, approximately threequarters of the way through the orbital injection burn, the IDS lost control. At the completion of the IUS burn, the spacecraft- IUS stack was tumbling violently in an anomalous eliptic orbit. During the succeeding hours spacecraft separation was accomplished and the spacecraft was stabilized and placed under positive attitude control. After assuring spacecraft safety and analyzing the state of health of onboard equipment, firings of the spacecraft onboard attitude and velocity control engines were used to raise the spacecraft from its eliptic orbit into the desired circular synchronous orbit. Final orbit correction was accomplished on 29 June 1983, almost 3 months after initial launch. This paper describes the spacecraft and its mission, the sequence of events leading to and following its injection into anomalous orbit, a description of onboard propulsion and attitude control equipment, and how this equipment was used to correct the orbit

Wheat variety trials on research stations, 1952

To test the suitability under local conditions of the newer wheat varieties, whether bred in this State or introduced from the Eastern States, variety trials are conducted each year on five wheatbelt research stations. The results of these trials indicate the varieties most suitable to the various areas of the wheatbelt and serve as a guide to the farmer in the choice of the most suitable varieties to grow

Cereal variety trials

Each year cereal variety trials are conducted on the wheatbelt research stations with the object of determining the most suitable varieties which can be recommended for planting under Western Australian conditions. The location of the five wheatbelt research stations is such that the results obtained from trials on these stations present a reasonably overall picture for the wheatbelt and the farmer is able, by comparison with his own soil and climatic conditions, to translate the results for himself

New cereal varieties in Australia

In 1927 a conference of the State Ministers of Agriculture resolved that to avoid X duplication, the names of new cereal varieties be circulated among the States and subsequently confirmed at a meeting of Ministers. Particulars of new varieties as submitted to the Registrar are as follows