Case studies of interprofessional education initiatives from five countries

Background Although teamwork and interprofessional collaboration are critical to patient safety, healthcare graduates frequently report that they often feel ill-prepared to confidently communicate and collaborate with other team members. While interprofessional education has been advocated as a way of addressing this issue, there are multiple barriers to its systematic and sustained integration in undergraduate healthcare programs. Despite these challenges, examples of effective IPE initiatives have emerged. Purpose This paper profiles seven case studies of innovative interprofessional education activities that have been successfully implemented across five countries, for a variety of learners and using different delivery modalities. The evaluation results from these interprofessional education activities attest to their impact and positive outcomes. Conclusion These case studies demonstrate that the barriers to interprofessional education can be overcome when creative and targeted approaches are used. This paper provides a wealth of ideas for the successful design and implementation of interprofessional education initiatives and will be of benefit to educators wishing to expand their repertoire of teaching approaches. Clinical Relevance: A body of research attests to the relationship between interprofessional communication, teamwork and patient outcomes. Interprofessional education is imperative for facilitating the development of graduates’ communication and teamwork skills, however, innovative approaches are needed to overcome the perceived and actual impediments to its implementation

Empirical likelihood and quantile regression in longitudinal data analysis

10.1093/biomet/asr050Biometrika9841001-1006BIOK

An empirical likelihood approach to quantile regression with auxiliary information

10.1016/j.spl.2011.09.003Statistics and Probability Letters82129-36SPLT

A joint modelling approach for longitudinal studies

Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series B: Statistical Methodolog

The Impact of Health Insurance on Employee Job Anxiety, Withdrawal Behaviors, and Task Performance

One aspect of the continuing debate in the U.S. regarding health insurance that has received little attention, to date, is the impact of health insurance coverage on employees, notably with regard to individual employees’ attitudes, behavior, and performance. Although the debate was not over when this report was published in January 2011, in 2010 the U.S. passed legislation that extends or requires health insurance coverage for employees, depending on an employer’s specific situation. This report incorporates the findings of two studies that touch on these considerations. In these studies we used samples comprising healthcare and senior-services customer-contact employees who had worked for at least six months at one of sixteen facilities operated by Berkshire Healthcare. In Study A, within a sample of 591 employees, we found that health insurance coverage had no significant impact on individual employees’ job anxiety or withdrawal behaviors. However, health insurance coverage did have a significant, positive impact on individual employees’ task performance. In Study B we compared the impact of health insurance that included mental illness coverage and health insurance that did not include mental illness coverage on individual employees’ job anxiety, withdrawal behaviors, and task performance. Study B showed a puzzling result; specifically, that individual employees with health insurance that included mental illness coverage had significantly higher company-documented tardiness for the six-month period preceding the study than those with health insurance that did not include mental illness coverage.Way_202011_20The_20impact_20of_20health.pdf: 163 downloads, before Aug. 1, 2020

The Impact of Health Insurance on Employee Job Anxiety, Withdrawal Behaviors, and Task Performance

One aspect of the continuing debate in the U.S. regarding health insurance that has received little attention, to date, is the impact of health insurance coverage on employees, notably with regard to individual employees’ attitudes, behavior, and performance. Although the debate was not over when this report was published in January 2011, in 2010 the U.S. passed legislation that extends or requires health insurance coverage for employees, depending on an employer’s specific situation. This report incorporates the findings of two studies that touch on these considerations. In these studies we used samples comprising healthcare and senior-services customer-contact employees who had worked for at least six months at one of sixteen facilities operated by Berkshire Healthcare. In Study A, within a sample of 591 employees, we found that health insurance coverage had no significant impact on individual employees’ job anxiety or withdrawal behaviors. However, health insurance coverage did have a significant, positive impact on individual employees’ task performance. In Study B we compared the impact of health insurance that included mental illness coverage and health insurance that did not include mental illness coverage on individual employees’ job anxiety, withdrawal behaviors, and task performance. Study B showed a puzzling result; specifically, that individual employees with health insurance that included mental illness coverage had significantly higher company-documented tardiness for the six-month period preceding the study than those with health insurance that did not include mental illness coverage

Biochemical characterizations of Escherichia coli-expressed protective antigen Ag473 of Neisseria meningitides group B

Polysaccharide-based vaccines against Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) serogroups A,C,Y and W135 have been available since 1970, but similar vaccine candidates developed for Nm group B (NmB) have not been successful due to both poor immunogenicity and their potential immunological cross-reactivity with human neurological tissue. In previous reports, a protective antigen and vaccine candidate, Ag473, was identified using proteomics and NmB-specific bactericidal monoclonal antibody. To initiate human phase one clinical trials, antigen production and characterization, pre-clinical toxicology and animal studies are required. In the present study, we report the biochemical characterization of Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant Ag473 (rAg473). Using MALDI-TOF mass analysis, chromatographically purified rAg473 was found to have two major isoforms that have molecular masses of 11,306 and 11,544 amu, respectively. The isoforms were separated using RP-HPLC and pooled into two fractions. Based on the chromatogram, the ratio of lipoproteins in fractions #1 and #2 was found to be 1-2. GC-MS analysis of lipoproteins was performed, and the acylated fatty acids were identified. The results indicated that the first lipoproteins in fraction #1 contained the lipids palmitic acid (C16:0), cyclopropaneoctanoic acid (C17:1) and, predominately, stearic acid (C18:0). A different lipid composition of cyclopropaneoctanoic acid (C17:1), oleic acid (C18:1) and, predominately, palmitic acid (C16:0) was found in the second lipoprotein fraction. Both lipoprotein isoforms were tested and found to have Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist activity in stimulating cytokine secretion from THP-1 cells. Circular dichroism (CD) analysis showed the secondary structure of rAg473 to be dominated by alpha-helices (48%), and the overall protein structure was stable up to 60 degrees C and could refold after having been exposed to a temperature cycle from 20 to 90 degrees C. In addition, the solubility of rAg473 (5 mg/mL) was not affected after several freeze-thaw cycles. These biophysical and immunological properties make rAg473 a good vaccine candidate against NmB. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

A novel technology for the production of a heterologous lipoprotein immunogen in high yield has implications for the field of vaccine design

We have developed a novel platform technology that can express high levels of recombinant lipoproteins with intrinsic adjuvant properties. In this study, Ag473 (a lipoprotein from Neisseria meningitidis) can be produced in high yields using Escherichia coli strain C43 (DE3). After testing a non-lipoimmunogen (E3, from dengue virus) fused with different lipid signal peptides from other lipoproteins as well as Ag473 fragments of different lengths, we identified that the fusion sequence has to contain at least the N-terminal 40 residues, D1, of Ag473 to achieve high expression levels of the recombinant lipo-immunogen (rlipo-D1E3). The rlipo-D1E3 was found to elicit stronger anti-E3 and virus neutralizing antibody responses in animal studies than those from rE3 alone or rE3 formulated with alum adjuvant. These results have successfully demonstrated the merit of lipo-immunogens for novel vaccine development. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Land Use/Cover Change and its Impact on Net Primary Productivity in Huangfuchuan Watershed Temperate Grassland, China

This study take the Huangfuchuan Watershed temperate grassland as the study area, RS and GIS techniques are used to explore the relationship between LUCC and NPP. With the combination of CASA model, the dynamic characteristics of NPP in 1987-2011 are studied. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) land use structure changes obviously in Huangfuchuan Watershed. The main trend of land use change was the gradual increase of construction land and woodland, the gradual decrease of water. Arable land, grass, shrub, bare rock and sand were fluctuant. It could be seen from land use dynamic degree. (2) Through the calculation of NPP model, the total value of NPP in 1987, 1995, 2000, 2007 and 2011 was 28.12GgC, 53.47GgC, 73.23GgC, 157.92GgC and 78.52GgC. (3) Through the analysis of land use change effects on NPP, it indicates the main reason for the increase of NPP is due to grassland transfer to shrub between 1987 and 1995. The decade of bare rock is the main reason for the increase of NPP in 1995-2000. Shrub transferring to grassland is the main reason for the increase of NPP in 2000-2007. Grassland transferring to shrub is the main reason for the reduction of NPP in 2007-2011. The results of the study is very meaningful for rational using of temperate grassland resources and improvement of the fragile ecological environment