Evaluation von Kommunikationstrainings. Eine Studie zu Ist-Stand, Bedarfen und Möglichkeiten der Evaluation von Kommunikationstrainings, die von Sprecherzieherinnen und Sprecherziehern (DGSS) durchgeführt werden.

Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Evaluation von Kommunikationstrainings, die von ausgebildeten Sprecherzieherinnen und Sprecherziehern der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Sprechwissenschaft und Sprecherziehung e. V. (DGSS) durchgeführt werden. Dabei liegt der Fokus darauf, wie die Evaluationspraxis gestaltet wird und welche Bedeutung Evaluation für die durchfürenden Trainerinnen und Trainer hat. Neben der Auswertung der verschiedenen Studienelementen wie Online-Befragungen und Telefoninterviews bildet ein praxisorientierter Leitfaden den Abschluss der Dissertation

Psychosocial impact of multiple sclerosis on couples : relationship between anxiety, depression, and stress communication of both partners

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) influences the relationships of affected couples, whereby the disease-related stress can lead to a deterioration of communication. This, in turn, makes it difficult for the couples to cope successfully. To support couples affected by MS for coping with the disease, the first step in developing an intervention is to examine whether this situation also applies in the Swiss context

Patients’ sexual harassment of nurses and nursing students : a cross-sectional study

Background: Workplace sexual harassment towards nurses is a global phenomenon: approximately one quarter of all nurses are affected by sexual harassment. The extent and type of sexual harassment vary greatly depending on the country, culture, level of education, and care setting. Notably, patients are amongst the main perpetrators. Importantly, sexual harassment has serious consequences on nurses’ health and work performance. Objective: This study examined the prevalence of patients’ workplace sexual harassment towards nurses and nursing students at a University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. Design: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used. Setting: The survey was conducted at the university’s Institute of Nursing under the Department of Health. Participants: Nurses and nursing students who were studying or attending a continuing education programme and had worked as a nurse with direct contact with patients in the last 12 months could qualify as participants. A final sample of 251 participants was used for the analysis. Methods: Data were collected using the ‘Sexually Harassing Behaviour Questionnaire from an extraorganizational perspective’. Preliminary analysis involved computing the percentage and absolute frequencies, mean scores, standard deviations, and ranges. The hypotheses were tested using non-parametric tests, such as the Wilcoxon test for two independent samples, Spearman correlation test, and Kruskal-Wallis H test. Results were considered statistically significant at alpha < 0.05. Results: Most participating nurses were women (88.5%) and worked in adult acute care (54.2%). The mean age was 25.5 (SD = 7.5) years. On average, they had worked in the nursing profession for 7 years. 17.1% of the participants had received training on sexual harassment. Overall, 95.6% of the participants reported experiencing sexual harassment of any type at least once in the last 12 months. The most common type of harassment was verbal sexual harassment. Notably, sexual harassment was statistically significantly more frequent the younger the nurses were [rs = -0.13, p = 0.046]. Furthermore, it was statistically significantly more prevalent in adult acute care than in paediatrics [H (10) = 18.4; p = 0.048; Cohen’s d = 0.4]. Conclusions: Patients’ sexual harassment of participant nurses and nursing students is highly common. The high prevalence of sexual harassment and low number of nurses who have received training on sexual harassment demonstrate the need for initiatives to address this phenomenon in the basic education of nurses. Furthermore, evidence-based interventions against sexual harassment in the nursing profession are needed

The Effect of Metronidazole versus a Synbiotic on Clinical Course and Core Intestinal Microbiota in Dogs with Acute Diarrhea

The usefulness of antibiotics in dogs with acute diarrhea (AD) is controversial. It is also unclear what effect metronidazole has on potential enteropathogens such as Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of metronidazole vs. a synbiotic on the clinical course and core intestinal bacteria of dogs with AD. Twenty-seven dogs with AD were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, blinded clinical trial and treated with either metronidazole (METg) or a synbiotic (SYNg; E. faecium DSM 10663; NCIMB 10415/4b170). The Canine Acute Diarrhea Severity (CADS) index was recorded daily for eleven days. Bacteria were quantified using qPCR. Data were analyzed using mixed models with repeated measures. A higher concentration of E. coli was observed in the METg group vs. the SYNg group on Day 6 (p < 0.0001) and Day 30 (p = 0.01). Metronidazole had no effect on C. perfringens. C. hiranonis was significantly lower in the METg group than in the SYNg group on Days 6 and 30 (p < 0.0001; p = 0.0015). No significant differences were observed in CADS index, fecal consistency, or defecation frequency between treatment groups (except for the CADS index on one single day). In conclusion, metronidazole negatively impacts the microbiome without affecting clinical outcomes. Thus, synbiotics might be a preferred treatment option for dogs with AD

Exploring health-related needs of elderly people (70+) at home : a qualitative study from Switzerland

Background: The elderly represents the fastest growing group in our population. Since there is a close relationship between the number of older people and health care expenditure, promoting healthy aging has become an important topic. However, it is essential to understand first the needs of this population in order to create suitable programs and activities. Methods: A qualitative design was used in this study to explore the subjective views of elderly people and to learn more about their health-related needs. A total of 12 participants were recruited using a consecutive sampling strategy. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed by employing a summarizing content analysis. Results: This study has identified 4 areas of health-related needs: Independence and autonomy, social security, structure in daily life and community and belonging, where all categories are interrelated and interact with one other. Conclusion: Focusing more on community-based approaches would support creating a conducive environment. Also, home visits undertaken by a specialized nurse focused on health risks and disabilities could be an adequate approach to support the elderly population in an efficient way and to offer targeted programs and activities

Reconciling Flux Experiments for Quantitative Modeling of Normal and Malignant Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Dynamics.

Hematopoiesis serves as a paradigm for how homeostasis is maintained within hierarchically organized cell populations. However, important questions remain as to the contribution of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) toward maintaining steady state hematopoiesis. A number of in vivo lineage labeling and propagation studies have given rise to contradictory interpretations, leaving key properties of stem cell function unresolved. Using processed flow cytometry data coupled with a biology-driven modeling approach, we show that in vivo flux experiments that come from different laboratories can all be reconciled into a single unifying model, even though they had previously been interpreted as being contradictory. We infer from comparative analysis that different transgenic models display distinct labeling efficiencies across a heterogeneous HSC pool, which we validate by marker gene expression associated with HSC function. Finally, we show how the unified model of HSC differentiation can be used to simulate clonal expansion in the early stages of leukemogenesis

Effect of probiotic treatment on the clinical course, intestinal microbiome, and toxigenic Clostridium perfringens in dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea

Introduction The impact of probiotics on dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (AHDS) has not been evaluated so far. The study aim was to assess the effect of probiotic treatment on the clinical course, intestinal microbiome, and toxigenic Clostridium perfringens in dogs with AHDS in a prospective, placebo-controlled, blinded trial. Methods Twenty-five dogs with AHDS with no signs of sepsis were randomly divided into a probiotic (PRO;Visbiome, ExeGi Pharma) and placebo group (PLAC). Treatment was administered for 21 days without antibiotics. Clinical signs were evaluated daily from day 0 to day 8. Key bacterial taxa, C. perfringens encoding NetF toxin and enterotoxin were assessed on days 0, 7, 21. Results Both groups showed a rapid clinical improvement. In PRO a significant clinical recovery was observed on day 3 (p = 0.008), while in PLAC it was observed on day 4 (p = 0.002) compared to day 0. Abundance of Blautia (p<0.001) and Faecalibacterium (p = 0.035) was significantly higher in PRO on day 7 compared to day 0, while in PLAC the abundance of Faecalibacterium was not significantly higher on any study day and Blautia (p = 0.016) was only significantly higher on day 21 compared to day 0. Abundance of C. perfringens was significantly lower on day 7 (p = 0.011) compared to day 0 in PRO but not in PLAC. Enterotoxin genes were significantly lower in PRO on day 21 (p = 0.028) compared to PLAC. Fecal samples of 57% of all dogs were positive for netF toxin genes on day 0 and the abundance was significantly lower on day 7 compared to day 0 in PRO (p = 0.016) and PLAC (p = 0.031). Conclusion The probiotic treatment was associated with an accelerated normalization of the intestinal microbiome. Dogs with aseptic AHDS showed a rapid decrease of netF toxin genes and fast clinical recovery in both groups under symptomatic treatment without antibiotics