Community-Based Experiential Learning: An Emerging Framework for Transformative Learning in Social Work Education

There is growing recognition of the need to implement critical and emancipatory teaching models in social work as a means of fostering liberatory thinking and actions to address an expanding global climate of economic and social inequalities. A critical pedagogy (CP) project that incorporated transformative learning was initiated in a graduate social work program. The program was designed to create opportunities for students to participate in transformative experiential learning encounters with community-based social justice mentors or Journey Guides. A qualitative research approach was used to evaluate the experiences of students and Journey Guides with data collected from focus groups. An Emerging Framework for Transformative Learning (EFTL) was developed from the insights of students, Journey Guides, and faculty who participated in the program. The EFTL offers an approach to fostering critical consciousness and social justice action while resisting colonial and neoliberal demands for skills-based managerial social work education

A Transformative Approach to Social Work Education

[EN] The paper presents an overview of “The Journey Guides Program” - a mentorship and experiencial learning framework developed by the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary in Canada. This program was implemented in an Advanced Graduate Seminar, a preparatory course for graduate Social Work students prior to entering their field placements. This article begins by discussing critical pedagogy, the theoretical framework that undepinned the “The Journey Guides Program”, followed by a description of the eight-step process we adopted to implement this program. The authors conclude by discussing the benefits of the Journey Guides program, and plans for ongoing development and transferability of this model. Keywords: Journey guides, transformative learning; mentorship; social workLorenzetti, L.; Dhungel, R.; Lorenzetti, D.; Oschepkova, T.; Haile, L. (2017). A Transformative Approach to Social Work Education. En Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 801-809. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD17.2017.5422OCS80180

Mentorat par les pairs dans la résidence en médecine: une revue systématique

Background: Medical residents may experience burnout during their training, and a lack of social support. This can impact their overall wellbeing and ability to master key professional competencies. We explored, in this study, the extent to which peer mentorship promotes psychosocial wellbeing and the development of professional competencies in medical residency education. Methods: We searched six databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Academic Research Complete, ERIC, Education Research Complete) for studies on peer mentoring relationships in medical residency. We selected any study where authors reported on outcomes associated with peer mentoring relationships among medical residents. We applied no date, language, or study design limits to this review. Results: We included nine studies in this systematic review. We found that medical residents received essential psychosocial supports from peers, and motivation to develop academic and career competencies. Medical residents in peer-mentoring relationships also reported increased overall satisfaction with their residency training programs. Conclusions: Peer-mentoring relationships can enhance the development of key professional competencies and coping mechanisms in medical residency education. Further rigorous research is needed to examine the comparative benefits of informal and formal peer mentoring, and identify best practices with respect to effective design of peer-mentorship programs.Contexte : Les résidents en médecine peuvent ressentir un épuisement professionnel durant leur formation, et un manque de soutien social. Ceci peut affecter bien-être global et leur capacité à maîtriser des compétences professionnelles essentielles.  Au cours de cette étude, nous avons examiné dans quelle mesure le mentorat par des pairs favorisait le bien-être psychosocial et l’acquisition de compétences professionnelles chez les médecins résidents. Méthodologie : Nous avons cherché dans six bases de données (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Academic Research Complete, ERIC, Education Research Complete) des études sur le mentorat par des pairs pendant la résidence en médecine.  Nous avons retenu toutes les études dont les auteurs avaient présenté des résultats associés aux relations de mentorat par des pairs chez les résidents en médecine, sans limite de date, la langue ou le devis. Résultats : Nous avons inclus 9 études dans cette revue systématique. Nous avons découvert que les médecins résidents recevaient un soutien psychosocial essentiel de la part des pairs et que ceux-ci les motivaient à acquérir des compétences universitaires et professionnelles.  On a aussi constaté que les médecins résidents qui bénéficiaient d’un mentorat par des pairs étaient, de façon globale, plus satisfaits de leur programme de résidence. Conclusions : Le mentorat par des pairs peut favoriser l’acquisition de compétences professionnelles clés et de mécanismes d’adaptation au cours de la résidence en médecine.  Il faudrait mener d’autres recherches rigoureuses pour comparer les avantages du mentorat informel à ceux du mentorat structuré et cerner les pratiques exemplaires de conception de programmes efficaces de mentorat par des pairs

A Systematic Review of Cost-Sharing Strategies Used within Publicly-Funded Drug Plans in Member Countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development

Peer reviewe

Overview of a formal scoping review on health system report cards

Background: There is an extensive body of literature on health system quality reporting that has yet to be characterized. Scoping is a novel methodology for systematically assessing the breadth of a body of literature in a particular research area. Our objectives were to showcase the scoping review methodology in the review of health system quality reporting, and to report on the extent of the literature in this area.Methods: A scoping review was performed based on the York methodology outlined by Arksey and O'Malley from the University of York, United Kingdom. We searched 14 peer reviewed and grey literature databases limiting the search to English language and non-English language articles with English abstracts published between 1980 and June 2006 with an update to November 2008. We also searched specific websites, reference lists, and key journals for relevant material and solicited input from key stakeholders. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied to select relevant material and qualitative information was charted from the selected literature.Results: A total of 10,102 articles were identified from searching the literature databases, 821 were deemed relevant to our scoping review. An additional 401 were identified from updates, website searching, references lists, key journals, and stakeholder suggestions for a total of 1,222 included articles. These were categorized and catalogued according to the inclusion criteria, and further subcategories were identified through the charting process. Topic areas represented by this review included the effectiveness of health system report cards (n = 194 articles), methodological issues in their development (n = 815 articles), stakeholder views on report cards (n = 144 articles), and ethical considerations around their development (n = 69 articles).Conclusions: The scoping review methodology has permitted us to characterize and catalogue the extensive body of literature pertaining to health system report cards. The resulting literature repository that our review has created can be of use to researchers and health system stakeholders interested in the topic of health system quality measurement and reporting. © 2010 Brien et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

The Efficacy of Pharmacotherapy for Decreasing the Expansion Rate of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Pharmacotherapy may represent a potential means to limit the expansion rate of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Studies evaluating the efficacy of different pharmacological agents to slow down human AAA-expansion rates have been performed, but they have never been systematically reviewed or summarized. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Two independent reviewers identified studies and selected randomized trials and prospective cohort studies comparing the growth rate of AAA in patients with pharmacotherapy vs. no pharmacotherapy. We extracted information on study interventions, baseline characteristics, methodological quality, and AAA growth rate differences (in mm/year). Fourteen prospective studies met eligibility criteria. Five cohort studies raised the possibility of benefit of beta-blockers [pooled growth rate difference: -0.62 mm/year, (95%CI, -1.00 to -0.24)], but this was not confirmed in three beta-blocker RCTs [pooled RCT growth rate difference: -0.05 mm/year (-0.16 to 0.05)]. Statins have been evaluated in two cohort studies that yield a pooled growth rate difference of -2.97 (-5.83 to -0.11). Doxycycline and roxithromycin have been evaluated in two RCTs that suggest possible benefit [pooled RCT growth rate difference: -1.32 mm/year (-2.89 to 0.25)]. Studies assessing NSAIDs, diuretics, calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors, meanwhile, did not find statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Beta-blockers do not appear to significantly reduce the growth rate of AAAs. Statins and other anti-inflammatory agents appear to hold promise for decreasing the expansion rate of AAA, but need further evaluation before definitive recommendations can be made

Family-based programmes for preventing smoking by children and adolescents (Review)

Background There is evidence that children's decisions to smoke are influenced by family and friends. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of interventions to help family members to strengthen non‐smoking attitudes and promote non‐smoking by children and other family members. Search methods We searched 14 electronic bibliographic databases, including the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group specialized register, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL. We also searched unpublished material, and the reference lists of key articles. We performed both free‐text Internet searches and targeted searches of appropriate web sites, and we hand‐searched key journals not available electronically. We also consulted authors and experts in the field. The most recent search was performed in November 2007. Selection criteria Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions with children (aged 5‐12) or adolescents (aged 13‐18) and family members to deter the use of tobacco. The primary outcome was the effect of the intervention on the smoking status of children who reported no use of tobacco at baseline. Included trials had to report outcomes measured at least six months from the start of the intervention. Data collection and analysis We reviewed all potentially relevant citations and retrieved the full text to determine whether the study was an RCT and matched our inclusion criteria. Two authors independently extracted study data and assessed them for methodological quality. The studies were too limited in number and quality to undertake a formal meta‐analysis, and we present a narrative synthesis. Main results We identified 22 RCTs of family interventions to prevent smoking. We identified six RCTs in Category 1 (minimal risk of bias on all counts); ten in Category 2 (a risk of bias in one or more areas); and six in Category 3 (risks of bias in design and execution such that reliable conclusions cannot be drawn from the study). Considering the sixteen Category 1 and 2 studies together: (1) four of the nine that tested a family intervention against a control group had significant positive effects, but one showed significant negative effects; (2) one of the five RCTs that tested a family intervention against a school intervention had significant positive effects; (3) none of the seven that compared the incremental effects of a family plus a school programme to a school programme alone had significant positive effects; (4) the one RCT that tested a family tobacco intervention against a family non‐tobacco safety intervention showed no effects; and (5) the trial that used general risk reduction interventions found the group which received the parent and teen interventions had less smoking than the one that received only the teen intervention, and in the trial of CD‐ROMs to reduce alcohol use, both groups which received the alcohol reduction intervention had less smoking than the control. In neither trial was there a tobacco intervention, but tobacco outcomes were measured. For the included trials the amount of implementer training and the fidelity of implementation are related to positive outcomes, but the number of sessions is not. Authors' conclusions Some well‐executed RCTs show family interventions may prevent adolescent smoking, but RCTs which were less well executed had mostly neutral or negative results. There is thus a need for well‐designed and executed RCTs in this area

Identifying Appropriate Quantitative Study Designs for Library Research

This paper is concerned with the identification of quantitative study designs suitable for library research. Identifying a researchable question and selecting a research method best suited to it are key to the successful design and execution of any research project. Each research situation is unique, and each researcher must find the method that best suits both their situation and the question at hand. Following a brief discussion of issues related to question development, the author outlines a checklist that may assist the process of selecting study designs for quantitative research projects. When faced with options in terms of study design selection, pragmatic issues such as expertise, funding, time, and access to participants may influence this decision‐making process