Assessment instrument for leadership skills in nursing managers: study of psychometric properties

RESUMO - Introdução: As competências de liderança são consideradas ferramentas essenciais para o sucesso das organizações em geral e dos seus colaboradores em particular. Assim, tornase fundamental a existência de instrumentos capazes de proporcionar a sua medição. Objetivo: Este artigo tem como objetivo avaliar as propriedades psicométricas do questionário de competências de liderança, desenvolvido por Robert Quinn. Métodos: Neste estudo transversal, foram incluídos 248 enfermeiros a exercer funções no Centro Hospitalar do Porto, que avaliaram as competências de liderança nas chefias de enfermagem. A validade e fiabilidade do instrumento foram estimadas com recurso a uma análise descritiva, correlacional, fatorial confirmatória e de consistência interna. Resultados: O questionário das competências de liderança apresenta um bom poder discriminativo, dado que as correlações entre os itens e as dimensões (papéis de liderança) são moderadas a fortes, apresentando valores mais elevados relativamente ao fator a que conceptualmente pertencem. As correlações dos itens com as dimensões sem sobreposição apresentam valores moderados, na sua maioria superiores a 0,60, indicando relativa interdependência entre dimensões. Este facto confirma uma estrutura fatorial representativa de um constructo que está de acordo com o modelo conceptual que lhe deu origem. Os valores da consistência interna (alfa de Cronbach), para todos os papéis de liderança, variam entre 0,86 e 0,94. Discussão e conclusões: À semelhança de outros estudos de referência, este, revelou que o questionário em análise apresenta boas propriedades psicométricas, indicando ser um instrumento adequado para avaliar a perceção das competências de liderança na população em estudo.ABSTRACT - Introduction: Leadership skills are seen as essential tools for the success of organizations in general and their employees, in particular. Thus, it becomes crucial to have instruments which provide the measurement of the mentioned skills. Objective: This article aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the leadership skills questionnaire developed by Robert Quinn. Methods: In this crosssectional study, 248 nurses were included who work in Centro Hospitalar do Porto, evaluating the leadership skills of nursing managers. The validity and reliability of the instrument of study were estimated using a descriptive, correlation, confirmatory factor and internal consistency analysis. Results: The questionnaire of leadership skills has a good discriminative power, as the correlations between items and dimensions (leadership roles) are moderate to high, with higher values for the factor where they conceptually belong. The correlations of the items with the dimensions, without any overlaps, show moderate values, mostly higher than 0.60, which indicates relative interdependency between dimensions. This fact confirms a representative factor structure of a construct which agrees with the conceptual model that originated it. The values of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), for all leadership roles, fluctuate between 0.86 and 0.94. Discussion and Conclusions: Like other reference studies, this study revealed that the questionnaire analysis has good psychometric properties and could be a suitable instrument to evaluate the perception of leadership skills in the study population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transaction Cost Theory and Choice of Ways to Enter the International Market

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar, a partir de la teoría del costo de transacción (TCT), la elección de la forma de ingresar al mercado internacional del mayor comercializador de metales finos del nordeste brasileño, con sede en la ciudad de Maceió-AL. Esta investigación se plantea como un estudio de caso único, de carácter cualitativo. La recolección de datos se realizó mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas, observación participante y análisis documental. Los resultados indican que los cinco supuestos, generados sobre la base de la TCT, son relativamente exitosos en explicar la influencia de los factores propuestos en la elección del modo de ingreso de la empresa analizada. Los supuestos más relevantes en la elección fueron el que analiza el costo de transacción, las exigencias legales de internacionalización y el que considera la especificidad del activo. Los demás supuestos no influyeron en la elección en el caso estudiado.Esta pesquisa possui o objetivo de analisar, a partir da Teoria de Custo de Transação (TCT), a escolha do modo de entrada em mercado internacional, do maior trader comercial de metais finos do nordeste brasileiro, sediado na cidade de Maceió-AL. Esta investigação se classifica como um estudo de caso único, de caráter qualitativo. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, observação participante e análise documental. Os resultados indicam que os cinco pressupostos, gerados com base na TCT, têm relativo sucesso ao explicar a influência dos fatores propostos na escolha do modo de entrada da empresa analisada. Os pressupostos mais relevantes na escolha foram: o que analisa o custo de transação, as demandas legais para internacionalização e o que pondera sobre a especificidade do ativo. Os demais pressupostos não apresentaram influência na escolha do modo de entrada.This research aims to analyze, based on the Transaction Cost Theory (TCT), the choice of the way to enter the international market, of the largest commercial trader of fine metals in the Brazilian Northeast, based in the city of Maceió-AL. This investigation is classified as a single case study, with a qualitative character. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and document analysis. The results indicate that the five assumptions, generated based on the TCT, are relatively successful in explaining the influence of the factors proposed in the choice of the entry mode of the analyzed company. The most relevant assumptions in the choice were the one that analyzes the transaction cost, the legal demands for internationalization and the one that considers the specificity of the asset. The other assumptions had no influence on the choice in the case studied

Viral genetic clustering and transmission dynamics of the 2022 mpox outbreak in Portugal

Pathogen genome sequencing during epidemics enhances our ability to identify and understand suspected clusters and investigate their relationships. Here, we combine genomic and epidemiological data of the 2022 mpox outbreak to better understand early viral spread, diversification and transmission dynamics. By sequencing 52% of the confirmed cases in Portugal, we identified the mpox virus sublineages with the highest impact on case numbers and fitted them into a global context, finding evidence that several international sublineages probably emerged or spread early in Portugal. We estimated a 62% infection reporting rate and that 1.3% of the population of men who have sex with men in Portugal were infected. We infer the critical role played by sexual networks and superspreader gatherings, such as sauna attendance, in the dissemination of mpox virus. Overall, our findings highlight genomic epidemiology as a tool for the real-time monitoring and control of mpox epidemics, and can guide future vaccine policy in a highly susceptible population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Both “illness and temptation of the enemy”: melancholy, the medieval patient and the writings of King Duarte of Portugal (r. 1433–38)

Recent historians have rehabilitated King Duarte of Portugal, previously maligned and neglected, as an astute ruler and philosopher. There is still a tendency, however, to view Duarte as a depressive or a hypochondriac, due to his own description of his melancholy in his advice book, the Loyal Counselor. This paper reassesses Duarte's writings, drawing on key approaches in the history of medicine, such as narrative medicine and the history of the patient. It is important to take Duarte's views on his condition seriously, placing them in the medical and theological contexts of his time and avoiding modern retrospective diagnosis. Duarte's writings can be used to explore the impact of plague, doubt and death on the life of a well-educated and conscientious late-medieval ruler

Solid Dispersions Containing Ibuprofen

Mestrado em Tecnologia FarmacêuticaMSc in Pharmaceutical Technolog