Classifying nursing organization in wards in Norwegian hospitals: self-identification versus observation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The organization of nursing services could be important to the quality of patient care and staff satisfaction. However, there is no universally accepted nomenclature for this organization. The objective of the current study was to classify general hospital wards based on data describing organizational practice reported by the ward nurse managers, and then to compare this classification with the name used in the wards to identify the organizational model (self-identification).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a cross-sectional postal survey, 93 ward nurse managers in Norwegian hospitals responded to questions about nursing organization in their wards, and what they called their organizational models. K-means cluster analysis was used to classify the wards according to the pattern of activities attributed to the different nursing roles and discriminant analysis was used to interpret the solutions. Cross-tabulation was used to validate the solutions and to compare the classification obtained from the cluster analysis with that obtained by self-identification. The bootstrapping technique was used to assess the generalizability of the cluster solution.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The cluster analyses produced two alternative solutions using two and three clusters, respectively. The three-cluster solution was considered to be the best representation of the organizational models: 32 team leader-dominated wards, 23 primary nurse-dominated wards and 38 wards with a hybrid or mixed organization. There was moderate correspondence between the three-cluster solution and the models obtained by self-identification. Cross-tabulation supported the empirical classification as being representative for variations in nursing service organization. Ninety-four per cent of the bootstrap replications showed the same pattern as the cluster solution in the study sample.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A meaningful classification of wards was achieved through an empirical cluster solution; this was, however, only moderately consistent with the self-identification. This empirical classification is an objective approach to variable construction and can be generally applied across Norwegian hospitals. The classification procedure used in the study could be developed into a standardized method for classifying hospital wards across health systems and over time.</p

Aligning agri-environmental subsidies and environmental needs: A comparative analysis between the US and EU

The global recognition of modern agricultural practices' impact on the environment has fuelled policy responses to ameliorate environmental degradation in agricultural landscapes. In the US and the EU, agri-environmental subsidies (AES) promote widespread adoption of sustainable practices by compensating farmers who voluntarily implement them on working farmland. Previous studies, however, have suggested limitations of their spatial targeting, with funds not allocated towards areas of the greatest environmental need. We analysed AES in the US and EU –specifically through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and selected measures of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)– to identify if AES are going where they are most needed to achieve environmental goals, using a set of environmental need indicators, socio-economic variables moderating allocation patterns, and contextual variables describing agricultural systems. Using linear mixed models and linear models we explored the associations among AES allocation and these predictors at different scales. We found that higher AES spending was associated with areas of low soil organic carbon and high greenhouse gas emissions both in the US and EU, and nitrogen surplus in the EU. More so than successes, however, clear mismatches of funding and environmental need emerged – AES allocation did not successfully target areas of highest water stress, biodiversity loss, soil erosion, and nutrient runoff. Socio-economic and agricultural context variables may explain some of these mismatches; we show that AES were allocated to areas with higher proportions of female producers in the EU but not in the US, where funds were directed towards areas with less tenant farmers. Moreover, we suggest that the potential for AES to remediate environmental issues may be curtailed by limited participation in intensive agricultural landscapes. These findings can help inform refinements to EQIP and EAFRD allocation mechanisms and identify opportunities for improving future targeting of AES spending

Sheep production on medic and weedy pasture in semi-arid Morocco

Most farms in the semi-arid region of Morocco are mixed cereal-livestock producers. Livestock, dominated by sheep, account for more than one third of farm income but production is far below potential. Low quality cereal straw and weeds from fallow land are the main sources of forage, but provide inadequate nutrition. Fall planted wheat is usually grown in rotation following a year of weedy fallow. The replacement of the weedy fallow by sowing a self regenerating annual Medicago spp., a system known as ley farming in Australia, was tested in Morocco to determine if it could increase livestock production. Ewe and lamb liveweight gain, wool yield, and forage standing crop during grazing were compared between medic and weedy fallow pastures. Large significant differences (P < 0.05) in forage standing crop and both lamb and ewe liveweight gain occurred in 1990/91 but no differences occurred the previous 2 years when medic was initially sown nor the following 2 years during severe drought. In 1991 lambs gained 67% and ewes gained 60% more liveweight, plus wool yield was 23% higher on medic as compared to weedy fallow. In addition, 3,000 kg ha-4 of forage remained after grazing medic as compared to 568 kg ha-1 after weedy fallow.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Note on squalodont remains from Charleston, S.C. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 2, article 2.

p. [35]-39, [2] leaves of plates : ill. ; 24 cm