The Coping Skills of Child Protection Workers Exposed to Primary and Secondary Trauma in the Workplace

The University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history.Session 4. Presenter: Diane Carol Jacobs, Ph.D. Arizona State University (2003) - "The Coping Skills of Child Protection Workers Exposed to Primary and Secondary Trauma in the Workplace"The Ohio State University College of Social Wor

Sources of Errors on Visuoperceptual Tasks: Role of Education, Literacy, and Search Strategy

The current study explored possible sources of demographic effects through analyses of errors from modified formats of the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) completed by African American elders. Results indicate that: (1) reading level was a stronger predictor of BVRT performance than years of education; (2) on the single-item matching format of the task, individuals with lower reading levels disproportionately produced errors on items that differed in geometric, rather than spatial features; and (3) on a multiple-choice matching format, individuals with lower reading levels committed more errors on items where the target was located in the lower half of a 2 × 2 matrix

Optimal Weighting of Preclinical Alzheimer’s Cognitive Composite (PACC) Scales to Improve their Performance as Outcome Measures for Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials

Introduction: Cognitive composite scales constructed by combining existing neuropsychometric tests are seeing wide application as endpoints for clinical trials and cohort studies of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) predementia conditions. Preclinical Alzheimer’s Cognitive Composite (PACC) scales are composite scores calculated as the sum of the component test scores weighted by the reciprocal of their standard deviations at the baseline visit. Reciprocal standard deviation is an arbitrary weighting in this context, and may be an inefficient utilization of the data contained in the component measures. Mathematically derived optimal composite weighting is a promising alternative. Methods: Sample size projections using standard power calculation formulas were used to describe the relative performance of component measures and their composites when used as endpoints for clinical trials. Power calculations were informed by (n=1,333) amnestic mild cognitive impaired participants in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set. Results: A composite constructed using PACC reciprocal standard deviation weighting was both less sensitive to change than one of its component measures and less sensitive to change than its optimally weighted counterpart. In standard sample size calculations informed by NACC data, a clinical trial using the PACC weighting would require 38% more subjects than a composite calculated using optimal weighting. Discussion: These findings illustrate how reciprocal standard deviation weighting can result in inefficient cognitive composites, and underscore the importance of component weights to the performance of composite scales. In the future, optimal weighting parameters informed by accumulating clinical trial data may improve the efficiency of clinical trials in AD

Neuropsychological Detection and Characterization of Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

We attempted to characterize the changes in cognition associated with the earliest, or preclinical, stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by administering a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery to a group of initially nondemented older adults participating in a prospective epidemiologic study of dementia. Using Cox regression analyses, we examined the associations between baseline neuropsychological test scores and subsequent development of AD. Results confirmed preliminary findings that baseline scores on the Boston Naming Test, Immediate Recall on the Selective Reminding Test, and the Similarities subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised were significantly and independently associated with later diagnosis of AD. Analyses controlled for the effects of age, education, sex, and language of test administration. These results lend support to the notion of a preclinical phase of AD and indicate that this very early stage of AD is characterized by poor word-finding ability, abstract reasoning, and memory

Developing new approaches to measuring NHS outputs and productivity

The Centre for Health Economics and National Institute of Economic and Social Research have recently completed a project funded by the Department of Health to improve measurement of the productivity of the NHS. The researchers have suggested better ways of measuring both outputs and inputs to improve estimates of productivity growth. Past estimates of NHS output growth have not taken account of changes in quality. The CHE/NIESR team conclude that the routine collection of health outcome data on patients is vital to measure NHS quality. They also propose making better use of existing data to quality adjust output indices to capture improvements in hospital survival rates and reductions in waiting times. With these limited adjustments the team estimate that annual NHS output growth averaged 3.79% between 1998/99 and 2003/04.The research team has also developed improved ways of measuring NHS inputs, particularly by drawing on better information about how many people are employed in the NHS and by recognising that staff are becoming increasingly better qualified. There have been substantial increases in staffing levels, pharmaceutical use and investment in equipment and buildings since 1998/99. The net effect of this growth in both outputs and inputs is that, according to the research team’s estimates, NHS productivity declined by about 1.59% a year since 1998/99. This is not out of line with estimates of growth rates in other UK and US service sectors, including insurance and business services. Nor is it surprising that recent years have seen negative growth in the NHS. There are at least two reasons. First, there has been an unprecedented increase in NHS expenditure. The NHS has had to employ more staff to meet the requirements of the European Working Time Directive and hospital consultants and general practitioners, in particular, have benefited from new pay awards.Second, the NHS collects very little information about what actually happens to patients as a result of their contact with the health service. Until there is routine collection of health outcomes data, measurement of the quality of NHS output will remain partial and productivity growth is likely to be underestimated.