Responding to COVID-19 in the National Health Service in England: positive changes and learning for Knowledge for Healthcare

The article provides an overview of the response from the Health Education England library and knowledge services team to the COVID-19 pandemic. The article covers activity and initiatives that were put in place in England from March 2020 to address challenges and issues arising for library and knowledge services delivering to the National Health Service. The article reflects on the learning from the developments that have been implemented to date and considers the positive changes that have arisen in the continued delivery against five national, strategic drivers

Content and discontent: a qualitative exploration of obstacles to elearning engagement in medical students

BACKGROUND: Elearning is ubiquitous in healthcare professions education. Its equivalence to ‘traditional’ educational delivery methods is well established. There is a research imperative to clarify when and how to use elearning most effectively to mitigate the potential of it becoming merely a ‘disruptive technology.’ Research has begun to broadly identify challenges encountered by elearning users. In this study, we explore in depth the perceived obstacles to elearning engagement amongst medical students. Sensitising concepts of achievement emotions and the cognitive demands of multi-tasking highlight why students’ deeply emotional responses to elearning may be so important in their learning. METHODS: This study used focus groups as a data collection tool. A purposeful sample of 31 participated. Iterative data gathering and analysis phases employed a constant comparative approach to generate themes firmly grounded in participant experience. RESULTS: Key themes that emerged from the data included a sense of injustice, passivity and a feeling of being ‘lost at sea’. The actual content of the elearning resource provided important context. CONCLUSIONS: The identified themes have strong emotional foundations. These responses, interpreted through the lens of achievement emotions, have not previously been described. Appreciation of their importance is of benefit to educators involved in curriculum development or delivery. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12909-016-0710-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Preparedness for dental practice in Australia:a qualitative study on the experiences of final-year students and new graduates

Background: Limited data exists regarding the perspectives of newly graduated dental practitioners (NGDPs) and final-year students (FYS) about their preparedness for dental practice. This information is crucial to inform developments in ongoing professional development for newly qualified dental practitioners and future reviews and development of accreditation standards, policies, and the professional competencies of newly qualified dental practitioners. Thus, the primary goal of this paper was to describe the perceptions of preparedness for dental practice of NGDPs and FYSs.Methods: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted between March and July 2020. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analysed using a thematic analysis.Results: Eighteen NGDPs and four FYS from across Australia participated in the qualitative interviews. A strong theme from the data was that respondents believed they were well prepared for common challenges in dental practice and patient care. A second prominent theme was participants’ awareness of specific areas of limitation in their knowledge and specific skills including (list them). This data highlights a high level of self-awareness and potential for self-directed learning of NGDPs. It also provides specific content areas for future curriculum developers.Conclusions: Newly graduated dental practitioner and final-year student participants were satisfied with the theoretical and evidence-based information in their formal learning and teaching activities to begin practicing as dental practitioners. In some areas, NGDPs felt underprepared, mostly attributed to limited clinical treatment exposure, and other contextual elements of clinical practice, and thought transitional support may be required. The research reinforces the value of seeking and learning from students’ and NGDPs’ perspectives.</p

Congressional intelligence oversight evolution in progress 1947-2005

From the creation of the Intelligence Community as part of the National Security Act of 1947 to present day, congressional oversight has varied depending on popular interest generated by media reports of scandal or due to perceived failures. Conversely the Intelligence Community has used the varying degrees of oversight as an opportunity to participate in activities outside its charter. This thesis examines the evolution of congressional oversight from virtually non-existent to the current efforts to reform the Intelligence Community. What this study demonstrates is that oversight has primarily been driven in response to an abuse or a failure. It has been popular interest fueled by media involvement that has forced congressional action. This is demonstrated by examining the wave of reform after the publication of the Central Intelligence Agency's abuse of power in 1970, again after the revelation of the Iran-contra affair in 1986 and lastly after the September 11th attacks. The study also uncovers a reoccurrence in the recommended reforms, particularly the recommendation for the creation of a Director of National Intelligence and the need for greater congressional involvement.http://archive.org/details/congressionalint109452069Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Hydrothermal activity lowers trophic diversity in Antarctic sedimented hydrothermal vents

Sedimented hydrothermal vents are those in which hydrothermal fluid vents through sediment and are among the least studied deep-sea ecosystems. We present a combination of microbial and biochemical data to assess trophodynamics between and within hydrothermally active and off-vent areas of the Bransfield Strait (1050–1647 m depth). Microbial composition, biomass and fatty acid signatures varied widely between and within vent and non-vent sites and provided evidence of diverse metabolic activity. Several species showed diverse feeding strategies and occupied different trophic positions in vent and non-vent areas and stable isotope values of consumers were generally not consistent with feeding structure morphology. Niche area and the diversity of microbial fatty acids reflected trends in species diversity and was lowest at the most hydrothermally active site. Faunal utilisation of chemosynthetic activity was relatively limited but was detected at both vent and non-vent sites as evidenced by carbon and sulphur isotopic signatures, suggesting that the hydrothermal activity can affect trophodynamics over a much wider area than previously thought

Chapter 15- Things are Different Now A Student, Staff, and Faculty Course Design Institute Collaboration

Like other institutions across the world, Georgetown University in Washington, DC switched to remote learning in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. Our Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS), which serves as both a center for teaching and learning as well as a center for technology innovation, responded quickly with a series of offerings to prepare and support faculty to teach remotely. Options included a virtual conference on digital pedagogy, a series of cohort-based Course Design Institutes (CDI) throughout the summer where faculty engaged with intertwined principles and best practices from inclusive pedagogy and online course design; and a series of workshops on select teaching topics. As with so many other centers for teaching and learning, we saw a rapid increase in faculty participation as instructors planned for fall 2020 remote courses. We worked with over 1,800 unique faculty through our summer conference, CDIs, and other engagements

Communicating with Adolescents and Young Adults about Cancer-associated Weight Loss

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Over the past two decades, advances have been made in understanding the pathophysiology of cancer-associated weight loss, termed &quot;cachexia.&quot; To date, there is no proven effective intervention to completely reverse cachexia and there are no approved drug therapies to treat it. This paper will review relevant literature in relation to communicating with adolescents and young adults about cancer-associated weight loss. RECENT FINDINGS: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) who have cancer are a unique group of patients due to their stage of development and maturity. This article outlines issues specific to this patient cohort that need to be considered to better understand the impact of cachexia and explore pertinent matters when communicating with AYAs in relation to cachexia