A survey of homelessness and homeless services in West Dorset: A way forward

This report reviews the nature and extent of homelessness in West Dorset District Council (WDDC). In particular it focuses on: • exploring current levels of homelessness; • identifying the causes of homelessness within the local authority area; • gauging current service provision for homeless people/households; • identifying gaps in the provision of current services. In an attempt to reflect the local authority’s desire to develop a more proactive and preventative approach in addressing housing need, this report identifies a number of strategies that it may wish to adopt to ensure that this particular aspect of housing need is tackled effectively

A review of homelessness and homelessness services in Weymouth and Portland

This report reviews the nature and extent of homelessness in the Borough of Weymouth and Portland. In particular, it focuses on: Existing levels of homelessness; The causes of homelessness within the local authority area; Current service provision for homeless people/households; Identifying gaps in the provision of current services. Reflecting the local authority’s desire to develop a more pro-active and preventative approach to addressing housing need, this report identifies a number of strategies that it may wish to adopt in ensuring that this particular aspect of housing need is tackled effectively, with targeted resources aimed at preventing and addressing homelessness issues

Responding to homelessness in North Dorset: A snapshot of current service provision and an estimate of service needs

This report reviews the nature and extent of homelessness in NorthDorset. In particular, it focuses on: - Existing levels of homelessness; - The causes of homelessness within the local authority area; - Current service provision for homeless people/households; - Identifying gaps in the provision of current services. Reflecting the local authority’s desire to develop a more pro-active and preventative approach to addressing housing need, this report identifies a number of strategies that it may wish to adopt in ensuring that this particular aspect of housing need is tackled effectively, with targeted resources aimed at preventing and addressing homelessness issues

A review of homelessness and homelessness services in East Dorset

This report reviews the nature and extent of homelessness in East Dorset. In particular it focuses on: - Existing levels of homelessness; - The causes of homelessness within the local authority area; - Current service provision for homeless people/households; - Identifying gaps in the provision of current services. Reflecting the local authority’s desire to develop a more pro-active and preventative approach to addressing housing need, this report identifies a number of strategies that it may wish to adopt in ensuring that this particular aspect of housing need is tackled effectively, with targeted resources aimed at preventing and addressing homelessness issues

What factors affect student opinions of computer-assisted assessment?

During the introduction of computer-assisted assessment in a number of first- and second-year modules, we have been monitoring student performance and asking students to evaluate the use of on-line examinations. Initial results (Ricketts & Wilks, in press) suggested that both student performance and student opinions were strongly affected by the on-screen style of the assessment. We standardised the style of the assessment interface and continued the evaluation. Modules that involved the teaching of statistics to first-year students in three different subject areas (Biology, Business and Geography) all used on-line examinations, as did a second-year Computing module. We were surprised to find that students from one subject area found the use of on-line examinations considerably less acceptable than the other subjects. Only 55% of students in Geography preferred on-line examinations compared with 72% to 90% in the other subject areas. We have considered a number of possible explanations for the difference between the subject areas: a difference in preparedness for the on-line examination; a difference in performance; a difference in IT skills. As part of the evaluation we asked students about how well they were prepared for the on-line examinations, and whether they revised differently. Although there were differences in the responses in the four subject areas, this was not related to the acceptability of the on-line assessment. As part of the evaluation of the effectiveness of computer-assisted assessment we monitored student performance in successive years. In three of the subject areas there was an improvement and in the fourth there was a poorer performance, but the poorer performance did not occur in the group which found on-line assessment least acceptable. We compared the opinions of the students in the three first-year subject areas with second-year students of Computing, who have more highly developed IT skills. The three first-year subject areas all have similar development of IT skills, and if poor IT skills was an issue we would expect all three groups to have a lower opinion of on-line assessment than the second-year Computing students do. This was not the case, with the second-year Computing students showing no greater preference for on-line testing than the two subject areas which liked it most. This paper asks whether we should be concerned that student opinions of computer-assisted assessment may vary between cohorts and subject areas

Meeting Stakeholder Energy Technology Education Needs Using a Mobile Demonstration

Understanding the impact of workshops that include mobile demonstrations for describing technical applications can be useful when planning an Extension program on new energy technologies. We used a mobile demonstration in a workshop that provided information on small-scale on-farm biodiesel production. Evaluation of the workshop outcomes identified significant increases in attendees\u27 perceptions, awareness, interest, and knowledge related to the topic. On the basis of our process for planning and conducting the workshop and the results of the evaluation, we recommend implementing a well-distributed needs assessment and using a mobile demonstration to present technology that is economically feasible to use. The workshop we describe can be used as a model for other Extension programs

Progress Testing of Basic Science Application During a Clinical Competency-Based Curriculum Pilot

Background: In a clinical comptentency-based curriculum, assessment of students' basic science knowledge is important. During a feasibility pilot of such a curriculum, six students acquired basic science knowledge about three clinical domains (renal failure, trauma, hyperglycemia) from clinical encounters with real patients as well as traditional learning resources. Summary of Work: Multiple choice items used for progress tests at Peninsula Medical School were assembled into three 50 item tests, administered online at 2-week intervals. Items used clinical scenarios to test knowledge in the 3 domains plus a control domain (infectious disease). Complete item and answers were provided after each test as formative feedback. Summary of Results: Tests were difficult (mean topic scores from 32\% to 80\%). Repeated items were easier (80\%) than novel items (58\%). Scores on items that specifically addressed learning objectives improved, though not statistically significantly. Conclusions: Brief progress tests are feasible assessments of student learning, though the reliability is a concern in this pilot. Take home messages: Short progress tests may not be the most sensitive way to evaluate basic science knowledge in a clinical competence curriculum. Longer or more focused tests given at longer intervals may be more sensitive to knowledge application abilities acquired during training.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71389/3/article.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71389/1/slides.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71389/7/stansfield01.pd

Empathy Levels in Canadian Paramedic Students: A Longitudinal Study

BackgroundEmpathy in healthcare delivery is an essential component to providing high-quality patient care. Empathy in paramedics and paramedic students has been subject to limited study to date. This study aimed to determine the empathy levels demonstrated by first year paramedic students over the course of their first year of study.MethodsThis study employed a longitudinal design of a convenience sample of first year paramedic students in a community college program in Ontario, Canada. The Medical Condition Regard Scale (MCRS) was used to measure empathy levels across four medical conditions: intellectual disability, suicide attempt, substance abuse and mental health emergency. Surveys were conducted three times approximately 2-3 months apart; before first semester field placements (Nov/17), after first semester field placements (Jan/18) and near the end of second semester field placements (Mar/18).ResultsA total of 20 students completed all three surveys. Females, respondents aged 22-24, and participants with previous post-secondary education demonstrated higher mean empathy scores than their counterparts. Substance abuse was associated with the lowest mean empathy score for every demographic. Mean scores for intellectual disability, attempted suicide and mental health emergency decreased from the first survey to the last. Mean scores for substance abuse increased from 43.3 (SD±8.2) to 46.45 (SD±7.04).ConclusionResults from this study suggest that in general, empathy levels among paramedic students decline over the course of their education. Male paramedic students are less empathetic than their female counterparts, and those with previous post-secondary education displayed higher mean empathy scores. The findings in this research support previous findings, and suggest that paramedic education programs may benefit from the inclusion of additional empathy training and education. 

Impact of fatigue as the primary determinant of functional limitations among patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome: a cross-sectional observational study

OBJECTIVES: To describe self-reported characteristics and symptoms of treatment-seeking patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS). To assess the impact of symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and patients' ability to work and undertake activities of daily living. DESIGN: Cross-sectional single-arm service evaluation of real-time user data. SETTING: 31 post-COVID-19 clinics in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: 3754 adults diagnosed with PCS in primary or secondary care deemed suitable for rehabilitation. INTERVENTION: Patients using the Living With Covid Recovery digital health intervention registered between 30 November 2020 and 23 March 2022. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the baseline Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). WSAS measures the functional limitations of the patient; scores of ≥20 indicate moderately severe limitations. Other symptoms explored included fatigue (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-Eight Item Depression Scale), anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale, Seven-Item), breathlessness (Medical Research Council Dyspnoea Scale and Dyspnoea-12), cognitive impairment (Perceived Deficits Questionnaire, Five-Item Version) and HRQoL (EQ-5D). Symptoms and demographic characteristics associated with more severe functional limitations were identified using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: 3541 (94%) patients were of working age (18-65); mean age (SD) 48 (12) years; 1282 (71%) were female and 89% were white. 51% reported losing ≥1 days from work in the previous 4 weeks; 20% reported being unable to work at all. Mean WSAS score at baseline was 21 (SD 10) with 53% scoring ≥20. Factors associated with WSAS scores of ≥20 were high levels of fatigue, depression and cognitive impairment. Fatigue was found to be the main symptom contributing to a high WSAS score. CONCLUSION: A high proportion of this PCS treatment-seeking population was of working age with over half reporting moderately severe or worse functional limitation. There were substantial impacts on ability to work and activities of daily living in people with PCS. Clinical care and rehabilitation should address the management of fatigue as the dominant symptom explaining variation in functionality

Garden and landscape-scale correlates of moths of differing conservation status: significant effects of urbanization and habitat diversity

Moths are abundant and ubiquitous in vegetated terrestrial environments and are pollinators, important herbivores of wild plants, and food for birds, bats and rodents. In recent years, many once abundant and widespread species have shown sharp declines that have been cited by some as indicative of a widespread insect biodiversity crisis. Likely causes of these declines include agricultural intensification, light pollution, climate change, and urbanization; however, the real underlying cause(s) is still open to conjecture. We used data collected from the citizen science Garden Moth Scheme (GMS) to explore the spatial association between the abundance of 195 widespread British species of moth, and garden habitat and landscape features, to see if spatial habitat and landscape associations varied for species of differing conservation status. We found that associations with habitat and landscape composition were species-specific, but that there were consistent trends in species richness and total moth abundance. Gardens with more diverse and extensive microhabitats were associated with higher species richness and moth abundance; gardens near to the coast were associated with higher richness and moth abundance; and gardens in more urbanized locations were associated with lower species richness and moth abundance. The same trends were also found for species classified as increasing, declining and vulnerable under IUCN (World Conservation Union) criteria