21st Century Human Resources: Employee Advocate, Business Partner, or Both?

[Excerpt] The human resources (“HR”) field can be segmented into three eras. The first era developed in the late 19th century out of labor tensions as public concern grew due to the sometimes violent relations between employers and employees. Some characterize HR’s beginning as a managerial function as well as a steward of the employee experience. As labor and employment laws were enacted HR was also tasked with ensuring firms’ legal compliance. Over time, HR moved into a second era where it developed knowledge in employment staffing activities such as recruitment, training, compensation, and benefits.In the 1980s, the HR function was extended to include the role of strategic business partner. The evolution of HR has been driven by enhanced competition for skilled employees, globalization, increased workforce diversity, and a shift to more technologically grounded positions. This essay explores the tension between HR’s original role as employee advocate, and the later shift toward HR as business partner. This tension not only has important implications for employee expectations regarding how HR will serve them, but more broadly, what they expect from their firms. The conclusion is that these tensions are so fundamental that while the HR “function” must include both, the roles of individual HR professionals should not confuse the two

Exploring patient and family satisfaction in pediatric neurological surgery

Introduction Patient and family satisfaction during outpatient visits is correlated with a continuance of care and likelihood to recommend the practice to others. Additionally, patient-family satisfaction can determine the success of the practice and influence medical outcomes. Utilizing a well-validated surveys instrument, patient and family satisfaction can be explored in the office setting. Methods During a consecutive 36 month period, a standardized and validated patient satisfaction survey instrument was provided to the family members of patients who presented to two pediatric neurosurgery clinics associated with Nemours Children\u27s Health System. The completed surveys were analyzed statistically to identify correlations between overall satisfaction, defined as “Likelihood to Recommend (LTR) the Practice”, and relevant practice and provider variables. Results The factors that exhibited the greatest correlation to LTR were: ‘Cheerfulness of Practice’ (r = 0.74), ‘Ability to Get Desired Appointment’ (r = 0.70), ‘Likelihood of Recommending Care Provider’ (r = 0.65), ‘Staff Worked Together’ (r = 0.65), and ‘Waiting Area Comfort and Pleasantness’ (r = 0.60). Discussion and conclusions Patient and family satisfaction surveys are useful for gaining insight into pediatric neurosurgical practices. Data from this cohort suggest that the environment in which patient care is delivered, timeliness of appointments and positive perceptions of the healthcare team correlate most strongly with overall satisfaction. © 201

Best practices for the care of pregnant people living with TB

BACKGROUND: Each year more than 200,000 pregnant people become sick with TB, but little is known about how to optimize their diagnosis and therapy. Although there is a need for further research in this population, it is important to recognize that much can be done to improve the services they currently receive.METHODS: Following a systematic review of the literature and the input of a global team of health professionals, a series of best practices for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of TB during pregnancy were developed.RESULTS: Best practices were developed for each of the following areas: 1) screening and diagnosis; 2) reproductive health services and family planning; 3) treatment of drug-susceptible TB; 4) treatment of rifampicin-resistant/multidrug-resistant TB; 5) compassionate infection control practices; 6) feeding considerations; 7) counseling and support; 8) treatment of TB infection/TB preventive therapy; and 9) research considerations.CONCLUSION: Effective strategies for the care of pregnant people across the TB spectrum are readily achievable and will greatly improve the lives and health of this under-served population

Ontological addiction: classification, etiology, and treatment

Despite the fact that there is increasing integration of Buddhist principles and practices into Western mental health and applied psychological disciplines, there appears to be limited understanding in Western psychology of the assumptions that underlie a Buddhist model of mental illness. The concept of ontological addiction was introduced and formulated in order to narrow some of the disconnect between Buddhist and Western models of mental illness, and to foster effective assimilation of Buddhist practices and principles into mental health research and practice. Ontological addiction refers to the maladaptive condition whereby an individual is addicted to the belief that they inherently exist. The purposes of the present paper are to: (i) classify ontological addiction in terms of its definition, symptoms, prevalence, and functional consequences, (ii) examine the etiology of the condition, and (iii) appraise both the traditional Buddhist and contemporary empirical literature in order to outline effective treatment strategies. An assessment of the extent to which ontological addiction meets the clinical criteria for addiction suggests that ontological addiction is a chronic and valid – albeit functionally distinct (i.e., when compared to chemical and behavioral addictions) – form of addiction. However, despite the protracted and pervasive nature of the condition, recent empirical findings add support to ancient Buddhist teachings and suggest that addiction to selfhood can be overcome by a treatment process involving phases of: (i) becoming aware of the imputed self, (ii) deconstructing the imputed self, and (iii) reconstructing a dynamic and non-dual self