PERCEPTION OF SUPERVISORY STYLES AND SATISFACTION

Supervision is a dynamic and challenging leadership process that remains an essential element within the field of speech-language pathology. This study utilized a descriptive research design in attempt to amass quantifiable information that can be used to statistically analyze elements within the supervisor-supervisee relationship. Agreement of perceived supervisory styles and satisfaction between supervisor-supervisee dyads (n=74) were examined. External and personal characteristics including age, clinical setting, experience, and previous training were also examined in relation to supervisee satisfaction and agreement of supervisory styles within dyads. Data was collected through completion of a demographic questionnaire as well as the Supervisory Style Inventory (SSI) to identify supervisory style as being attractive, interpersonally sensitive, or task oriented. Results indicate that there is not a significant relationship between satisfaction of supervisees and agreement of supervisory styles with over half (66%) of dyads in disagreement of perceived style employed. However, interpersonal and task oriented styles were strongly correlated with supervisee satisfaction. There was not a significant relationship between age, training, and experience of the supervisor related to supervisee satisfaction. Discussions include practical implications, limitations of the study as well as recommendations for future research. Additional research in the area of supervision is necessary to continue increasing positive outcomes through evidence-based practice

From favours to entitlements: community voice and action and health service quality in Zambia

Social accountability is increasingly invoked as a way of improving health services. This article presents a theory-driven qualitative study of the context, mechanisms and outcomes of a social accountability program, Citizen Voice and Action (CVA), implemented by World Vision (WV) in Zambia. Primary data were collected between November 2013 and January 2014. It included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with program stakeholders. Secondary data were used iteratively—to inform the process for primary data collection, to guide primary data analysis and to contextualize findings from the primary data. CVA positively impacted the state, society, state–society relations and development coordination at the local level. Specifically, sustained improvements in some aspects of health system responsiveness, empowered citizens, the improved provision of public goods (health services) and increased consensus on development issues appeared to flow from CVA. The central challenge described by interviewees and FGD participants was the inability of CVA to address problems that required central level input. The mechanisms that generated these outcomes included productive state–society communication, enhanced trust, and state–society co-production of priorities and the provision of services. These mechanisms were activated in the context of existing structures for state–society interaction, willing political leaders, buy-in by traditional leaders, and WV’s strong reputation and access to resources. Prospective observational research in multiple contexts would shed more light on the context, mechanisms and outcomes of CVA programs. In addition to findings that are intuitive and well supported in the literature we identified new areas that are promising areas for future research. These include (1) the context of organizational reputation by the organization(s) spearheading social accountability efforts; (2) the potential relationship between social accountability efforts and making ambitious national programs operational at the frontlines of the health system and (3) the feasibility of scale up for certain types of local level responsiveness

The community health worker as service extender, cultural broker and social change agent: a critical interpretive synthesis of roles, intent and accountability

This paper is a critical interpretive synthesis of community health workers (CHWs) and accountability in low-income and middle-income countries. The guiding questions were: What factors promote or undermine CHWs as accountability agents? (and) Can these factors be intentionally fostered or suppressed to impel health system accountability? We conducted an iterative search that included articles addressing the core issue of CHWs and accountability, and articles addressing ancillary issues that emerged in the initial search, such as 'CHWs and equity.' CHWs are intended to comprise a 'bridge' between community members and the formal health system. This bridge function is described in three key ways: service extender, cultural broker, social change agent. We identified several factors that shape the bridging function CHWs play, and thus, their role in fomenting health system accountability to communities, including the local political context, extent and nature of CHW interactions with other community-based structures, health system treatment of CHWs, community perceptions of CHWs, and extent and type of CHW unionisation and collectivisation. Synthesising these findings, we elaborated several analytic propositions relating to the self-reinforcing nature of the factors shaping CHWs' bridging function; the roles of local and national governance; and the human resource and material capacity of the health system. Importantly, community embeddedness, as defined by acceptability, social connections and expertise, is a crucial attribute of CHW ability to foment local government accountability to communities

Structured Ethics Education in Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students

This investigation compared the effect of ethics training embedded within a curriculum to structured ethics training regarding the ethics knowledge and self-reported comfort levels of first-year graduate students in speech-language pathology. Two equal, non-randomized groups of participants completed an ethics test and survey at three different times over the course of the investigation. The test and survey were administered prior to and after structured ethics training and ethics training embedded within the curriculum. The results of this study showed a significant difference in ethics knowledge after completion of the structured ethics training module for both groups. After receiving structured ethics training, there was no difference between groups regarding comfort in identifying and solving ethics problems. These findings add to the literature regarding the need for structured ethics training for graduate students in healthcare professions. Structured ethics training in speech-language pathology graduate students increased the knowledge of ethical foundations and decision-making models prior to clinical practice in the field

Incidence of and risks associated with Giardia infections in herds on dairy farms in the New York City Watershed

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The primary aims of this study were to determine the incidence of <it>Giardia </it>infections in dairy herds on farms in the New York City Watershed region and to evaluate risk factors associated with infections. Because co-infections of <it>Giardia </it>and <it>Cryptosporidium </it>spp. are common in this population, we also evaluated the effect of herd infection status on <it>Giardia </it>infections.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Farms were grouped into three cohorts based on their prior infection status with <it>Giardia </it>and/or <it>Cryptosporidium </it>spp. The sampling plan included collecting fecal samples from all calves below 30 days of age and proportional sampling of calves, young stock, and adults. A total of 10,672 fecal samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of <it>Giardia </it>cysts using zinc sulfate flotation. Herds enrolled in the study were sampled seasonally for a study period of two years. The probability of shedding cysts past a certain age and the factors that influenced the likelihood of shedding were evaluated using survival analysis. Linear regression was used to evaluate factors that were associated with the intensity of shedding.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of <it>Giardia </it>infections occurred in calves within their first 180 days of age, with the most number of calves shedding <it>Giardia </it>cysts between 11 and 20 days of age. The incidence of shedding of <it>Giardia </it>cysts ranged from 0.0004 per animal day for cattle in the low risk cohort to 0.0011 per animal day for cattle in the high risk cohort. The likelihood of shedding was influenced by the prior infection status of the herd and the season of collection. Infected animals shed on average 9,658 cysts/gram and the intensity of shedding <it>Giardia </it>cysts varied significantly with the age (p < 0.0001) and the season of collection (p = 0.0151 for Spring).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>Giardia </it>infections are common in dairy herds in the New York City watershed, particularly in calves less than 6 months of age. Seasonality may be an important factor in the perpetuation of infections based on changes in management practices corresponding to weather patterns of a particular season. A dairy herd's prior infection status with <it>Cryptosporidium </it>influences the likelihood of infection with <it>Giardia</it>.</p

The Struggle of Differential Diagnosis for Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Qualitative Case Study

This study addresses the controversial diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) and the struggle many clinicians face with differential diagnosis through a retrospective qualitative case study following a participant who received the diagnosis of CAS. Research questions targeted the characteristics the participant presented with, whether they were consistent or not, as well as if they were unique to CAS or evidence of a phonological disorder, and the treatment approaches that were implemented throughout the participant’s history of receiving speech-language services and the effectiveness of those approaches. These research questions were answered through the records and documents obtained from the participant’s therapeutic journey. The participant presents with characteristics that could evidence CAS, however, presentation of some characteristics of CAS are not necessarily indicative of the diagnosis. This case study highlights the discrepancy between diagnoses and goals given to the same individual in a short time span with a variety of targets. As evidenced through this study, there continues to be a need for a diagnostic standard for CAS easily accessible to practicing speech-language pathologists

A summative content analysis of how programmes to improve the right to sexual and reproductive health address power.

Introduction Power shapes all aspects of global health. The concept of power is not only useful in understanding the current situation, but it is also regularly mobilised in programmatic efforts that seek to change power relations. This paper uses summative content analysis to describe how sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programmes in low-income and middle-income countries explicitly and implicitly aim to alter relations of power. Methods Content analysis is a qualitative approach to analysing textual data; in our analysis, peer-reviewed articles that describe programmes aiming to alter power relations to improve SRH constituted the data. We searched three databases, ultimately including 108 articles. We extracted the articles into a spreadsheet that included basic details about the paper and the programme, including what level of the social ecological model programme activities addressed. Results The programmes reviewed reflect a diversity of priorities and approaches to addressing power, though most papers were largely based in a biomedical framework. Most programmes intervened at multiple levels simultaneously; some of these were ‘structural’ programmes that explicitly aimed to shift power relations, others addressed multiple levels using a more typical programme theory that sought to change individual behaviours and proximate drivers. This prevailing focus on proximate behaviours is somewhat mismatched with the broader literature on the power-related drivers of SRH health inequities, which explores the role of embedded norms and structures. Conclusion This paper adds value by summarising what the academic public health community has chosen to test and research in terms of power relations and SRH, and by raising questions about how this corresponds to the significant task of effecting change in power relations to improve the right to SRH

Community health workers and accountability: Reflections from an international "think-in"

Community health workers (CHWs) are frequently put forward as a remedy for lack of health system capacity, including challenges associated with health service coverage and with low community engagement in the health system, and expected to enhance or embody health system accountability. During a ‘think in’, held in June of 2017, a diverse group of practitioners and researchers discussed the topic of CHWs and their possible roles in a larger “accountability ecosystem.” This jointly authored commentary resulted from our deliberations. While CHWs are often conceptualized as cogs in a mechanistic health delivery system, at the end of the day, CHWs are people embedded in families, communities, and the health system. CHWs’ social position and professional role influence how they are treated and trusted by the health sector and by community members, as well as when, where, and how they can exercise agency and promote accountability. To that end, we put forward several propositions for further conceptual development and research related to the question of CHWs and accountability.publishedVersio

Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in”

Community health workers (CHWs) are frequently put forward as a remedy for lack of health system capacity, including challenges associated with health service coverage and with low community engagement in the health system, and expected to enhance or embody health system accountability. During a ‘think in’, held in June of 2017, a diverse group of practitioners and researchers discussed the topic of CHWs and their possible roles in a larger “accountability ecosystem.” This jointly authored commentary resulted from our deliberations. While CHWs are often conceptualized as cogs in a mechanistic health delivery system, at the end of the day, CHWs are people embedded in families, communities, and the health system. CHWs’ social position and professional role influence how they are treated and trusted by the health sector and by community members, as well as when, where, and how they can exercise agency and promote accountability. To that end, we put forward several propositions for further conceptual development and research related to the question of CHWs and accountability

“That never happened”: Adults' discernment of children's true and false memory reports.

Adults’ evaluations of children’s reports can determine whether legal proceedings are undertaken and whether they ultimately lead to justice. The current study involved 92 undergraduates and 35 laypersons who viewed and evaluated videotaped interviews of 3- and 5-year-olds providing true or false memory reports. The children’s reports fell into the following categories based on a 2 (event type: true vs. false) × 2 (child report: assent vs. denial) factorial design: Accurate reports, false reports, accurate denials, and false denials. Results revealed that adults were generally better able to correctly judge accurate reports, accurate denials, and false reports compared to false denials: For false denials, adults were, on average, “confident” that the event had not occurred, even though the event had in fact been experienced. Participant age predicted performance. These findings underscore the greater difficulty adults have in evaluating young children’s false denials compared to other types of reports. Implications for law-related situations in which adults are called upon to evaluate children’s statements are discussed