Optical and structural properties of ions in crystals

1. The Atomic Position and Size of the Thallium Ions in KC1 (T1) Phosphors. W. A. Runciman and E. G. Steward, Proc.Phys.Soc., 66A, 484, 1953. • 2. Alkaline Earth Uranates of the R3MX6 Type. E. G. Steward and W. A. Runciman, Nature, 172, 75, 1953. • 3. Atomic Configurations in Luminescent Centres. W. A. Runciman, Brit.J.App.Phys.Supp. No. 4, S78, 1955. • 4. Absorption and Emission Spectra of Bismuth -Activated Phosphors. W. A. Runciman, Proc.Phys.Soc., 68A, 647, 1955. • 5. Fluorescent Centres in Uranium-Activated Sodium Fluoride. W. A. Runciman, Nature, 175, 1082, 1955. • 6. Atomic Wave Functions for Gold and Thallium. A. S. Douglas, D. R. Hartree and W. A. Runciman, Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc., a, 486, 1955. • 7. Centres Luminogens dans les Fluorures Actives a L'Uranium. W. A. Runciman, J.Phys. Radium, 17, 645, 1956. • 8. The Luminescence of Uranium-Activated Sodium Fluoride. W. A. Runciman, Proc.Roy.Soc., 237A, 39, 1956. • 9. Stark-splitting in Crystals. W. A. Runciman, Phil.Mag., (8)1, 1075, 1956. • 10. Optical Fluorescence in Non-Destructive Testing. W. A. Runciman, Brit.J. DD.Phys.Supp. No. 6, S34, 1957. • 11. Energy levels in Rare-Earth Ions. J. P. Elliott, B. R. Judd and W. A. Runciman, Proc.Roy. Soc., 240A, 509, 1957. • 12. Absorption and Fluorescence Spectra. of Ions in Crystals. W. A. Runciman, Rep.Progr.Phys., 21, 30, 1958. • 13. The Absorption Spectrum of Vanadium Corundum. M.H.L. Pryce and W. A. Runciman, Faraday Soc. Disc. No. 26, 34, 1958. • 14. A Neutron- Diffraction Study of Potassium Cobalticyanide. N. A. Curry and W. A. Runciman, Acta Cryst., 12, 674, 1959. • 15. Analysis of the Spectra of Gadolinium Salts. W. A. Runciman, J.Chem.Phys., 30, 1632, 1959. • 16. Spectra of Trivalent Praseodymium and Thulium Salts. W. A. Runciman and B. G. Wybourne, J.Chem.Phys., 31, 1149, 1959

Australians with osteoarthritis: satisfaction with health care providers and the perceived helpfulness of treatments and information sources

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of Australian patients who suffer from osteoarthritis (OA) with their health care providers and the perceived helpfulness of treatments and information sources.Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was conducted with a sample of 560 Australian patients who suffer from OA with questions about satisfaction with health care providers and the helpfulness of different treatment options and information sources. Logistic regression models were used to assess potential predictors of satisfaction. Thematic analysis was undertaken for attitudinal factors associated with satisfaction.Results: A total of 435 participants returned questionnaires (response rate 78%). Most respondents were highly satisfied with the care provided by their general practitioner (GP) (84%), communication with their GP (88%), time spent with their GP (84%), and their ability to talk freely with their GP about their medical problem (93%), but less satisfied with their ability to talk freely about associated emotional problems (77%). Satisfaction with pharmacists (80%), rheumatologists (76%), and orthopedic surgeons (72%) was high. Joint replacement surgery (91%), prescription anti-inflammatory medications (66%), aids and assistive devices (65%), intra-articular injections (63%), and prescription painkiller medications (62%) were perceived as effective treatments. Less highly rated treatments were exercise (48%), physiotherapy (43%), and complementary medicines (29%). A majority of patients were satisfied with the information to manage their OA (65%). From the multivariable logistic regression analysis, four GP satisfaction factors were found to be predictors of overall satisfaction with GP care: the amount of time that the GP spends with the patient (P=0.005), the information the GP provides about what to expect (P<0.001), the communication between patient and GP (P=0.001), and the information that the GP provides about medications (P=0.042).Conclusion: The study showed that although patients with OA were generally satisfied with their health care providers, there was notable variation in the perceived helpfulness of therapeutic options. The importance to patients of having access to good quality information about their condition was emphasized

Revisión bibliográfica sobre las transferencias monetarias condicionadas en Colombia

Trabajo de investigaciónEstudio del proceso de implementación de los Programas de Transferencias Monetarias Condicionadas como herramienta para combatir la pobreza en Latinoamérica, su influencia en Colombia y un breve análisis del Programa Jóvenes en Acción para verificar su accionar como estrategia generadora de capital humano y su enfoque para la disminución de brechas sociales; representada en el aumento de posibilidades de acceso a la educación superior por parte de jóvenes en estado de pobreza y vulnerabilidad.INTRODUCCIÓN 1. POBREZA Y PROTECCIÓN SOCIAL 2. MARCO TEÓRICO 3. ESTADO DEL ARTE 4. PROGRAMAS DE TRANSFERENCIAS MONETARIAS CONDICIONADAS EN COLOMBIA 5. JÓVENES EN ACCIÓN CONCLUSIONES BIBLIOGRAFÍAPregradoEconomist

CareTrack Australia: assessing the appropriateness of adult healthcare: protocol for a retrospective medical record review

Introduction: In recent years in keeping with international best practice, clinical guidelines for common conditions have been developed, endorsed and disseminated by peak national and professional bodies. Yet evidence suggests that there remain considerable gaps between the care that is regarded as appropriate by such guidelines and the care received by patients. With an ageing population and increasing treatment options and expectations, healthcare is likely to become unaffordable unless more appropriate care is provided. This paper describes a study protocol that seeks to determine the percentage of healthcare encounters in which patients receive appropriate care for 22 common clinical conditions and the reasons why variations exist from the perspectives of both patients and providers. Methods/design: A random stratified sample of at least 1000 eligible participants will be recruited from a representative cross section of the adult Australian population. Participants' medical records from the years 2009 and 2010 will be audited to assess the appropriateness of the care received for 22 common clinical conditions by determining the percentage of healthcare encounters at which the care provided was concordant with a set of 522 indicators of care, developed for these conditions by a panel of 43 disease experts. The knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of participants and healthcare providers will be examined through interviews and questionnaires to understand the factors influencing variations in care.Tamara D Hunt, Shanthi A Ramanathan, Natalie A Hannaford, Peter D Hibbert, Jeffrey Braithwaite, Enrico Coiera, Richard O Day, Johanna I Westbrook, William B Runcima

Towards an International Classification for Patient Safety: the conceptual framework

Global advances in patient safety have been hampered by the lack of a uniform classification of patient safety concepts. This is a significant barrier to developing strategies to reduce risk, performing evidence-based research and evaluating existing healthcare policies relevant to patient safety. Since 2005, the World Health Organization's World Alliance for Patient Safety has undertaken the Project to Develop an International Classification for Patient Safety (ICPS) to devise a classification which transforms patient safety information collected from disparate systems into a common format to facilitate aggregation, analysis and learning across disciplines, borders and time. A drafting group, comprised of experts from the fields of patient safety, classification theory, health informatics, consumer/patient advocacy, law and medicine, identified and defined key patient safety concepts and developed an internationally agreed conceptual framework for the ICPS based upon existing patient safety classifications. The conceptual framework was iteratively improved through technical expert meetings and a two-stage web-based modified Delphi survey of over 250 international experts. This work culminated in a conceptual framework consisting of ten high level classes: incident type, patient outcomes, patient characteristics, incident characteristics, contributing factors/hazards, organizational outcomes, detection, mitigating factors, ameliorating actions and actions taken to reduce risk. While the framework for the ICPS is in place, several challenges remain. Concepts need to be defined, guidance for using the classification needs to be provided, and further real-world testing needs to occur to progressively refine the ICPS to ensure it is fit for purpos

Towards an International Classification for Patient Safety: the conceptual framework

Global advances in patient safety have been hampered by the lack of a uniform classification of patient safety concepts. This is a significant barrier to developing strategies to reduce risk, performing evidence-based research and evaluating existing healthcare policies relevant to patient safety. Since 2005, the World Health Organization's World Alliance for Patient Safety has undertaken the Project to Develop an International Classification for Patient Safety (ICPS) to devise a classification which transforms patient safety information collected from disparate systems into a common format to facilitate aggregation, analysis and learning across disciplines, borders and time. A drafting group, comprised of experts from the fields of patient safety, classification theory, health informatics, consumer/patient advocacy, law and medicine, identified and defined key patient safety concepts and developed an internationally agreed conceptual framework for the ICPS based upon existing patient safety classifications. The conceptual framework was iteratively improved through technical expert meetings and a two-stage web-based modified Delphi survey of over 250 international experts. This work culminated in a conceptual framework consisting of ten high level classes: incident type, patient outcomes, patient characteristics, incident characteristics, contributing factors/hazards, organizational outcomes, detection, mitigating factors, ameliorating actions and actions taken to reduce risk. While the framework for the ICPS is in place, several challenges remain. Concepts need to be defined, guidance for using the classification needs to be provided, and further real-world testing needs to occur to progressively refine the ICPS to ensure it is fit for purpose

Characterising the types of paediatric adverse events detected by the global trigger tool - CareTrack Kids

Introduction A common method of learning about adverse events (AEs) is by reviewing medical records using the global trigger tool (GTT). However, these studies generally report rates of harm. The aim of this study is to characterise paediatric AEs detected by the GTT using descriptive and qualitative approaches. Methods Medical records of children aged 0–15 were reviewed for presence of harm using the GTT. Records from 2012–2013 were sampled from hospital inpatients, emergency departments, general practice and specialist paediatric practices in three Australian states. Nurses undertook a review of each record and if an AE was suspected a doctor performed a verification review of a summary created by the nurse. A qualitative content analysis was undertaken on the summary of verified AEs. Results A total of 232 AEs were detected from 6,689 records reviewed. Over four-fifths of the AEs (193/232, 83%) resulted in minor harm to the patient. Nearly half (112/232, 48%) related to medication/intravenous (IV) fluids. Of these, 83% (93/112) were adverse drug reactions. Problems with medical devices/equipment were the next most frequent with nearly two-thirds (32/51, 63%) of these related to intravenous devices. Problems associated with clinical processes/procedures comprise one in six AEs (38/232, 16%), of which diagnostic problems (12/38, 32%) and procedural complications (11/38, 29%) were the most frequent. Conclusion Adverse drug reactions and issues with IVs are frequently identified AEs reflecting their common use in paediatrics. The qualitative approach taken in this study allowed AE types to be characterised, which is a prerequisite for developing and prioritising improvements in practice

Governing terrorism through risk: Taking precautions, (un)knowing the future

The events of 9/11 appeared to make good on Ulrich Beck's claim that we are now living in a (global) risk society. Examining what it means to ‘govern through risk’, this article departs from Beck's thesis of risk society and its appropriation in security studies. Arguing that the risk society thesis problematically views risk within a macro-sociological narrative of modernity, this article shows, based on a Foucauldian account of governmentality, that governing terrorism through risk involves a permanent adjustment of traditional forms of risk management in light of the double infinity of catastrophic consequences and the incalculability of the risk of terrorism. Deploying the Foucauldian notion of ‘dispositif’, this article explores precautionary risk and risk analysis as conceptual tools that can shed light on the heterogeneous practices that are defined as the ‘war on terror’

A four-year, systems-wide intervention promoting interprofessional collaboration

Background: A four-year action research study was conducted across the Australian Capital Territory health system to strengthen interprofessional collaboration (IPC) through multiple intervention activities. Methods: We developed 272 substantial IPC intervention activities involving 2,407 face-to-face encounters with health system personnel. Staff attitudes toward IPC were surveyed yearly using Heinemann et al’s Attitudes toward Health Care Teams and Parsell and Bligh’s Readiness for Interprofessional Learning scales (RIPLS). At study’s end staff assessed whether project goals were achieved. Results: Of the improvement projects, 76 exhibited progress, and 57 made considerable gains in IPC. Educational workshops and feedback sessions were well received and stimulated interprofessional activities. Over time staff scores on Heinemann’s Quality of Interprofessional Care subscale did not change significantly and scores on the Doctor Centrality subscale increased, contrary to predictions. Scores on the RIPLS subscales of Teamwork & Collaboration and Professional Identity did not alter. On average for the assessment items 33% of staff agreed that goals had been achieved, 10% disagreed, and 57% checked ‘neutral’. There was most agreement that the study had resulted in increased sharing of knowledge between professions and improved quality of patient care, and least agreement that between-professional rivalries had lessened and communication and trust between professions improved. Conclusions: Our longitudinal interventional study of IPC involving multiple activities supporting increased IPC achieved many project-specific goals, but improvements in attitudes over time were not demonstrated and neutral assessments predominated, highlighting the difficulties faced by studies targeting change at the systems level and over extended periods

Effects of Two Commercial Electronic Prescribing Systems on Prescribing Error Rates in Hospital In-Patients: A Before and After Study

In a before-and-after study, Johanna Westbrook and colleagues evaluate the change in prescribing error rates after the introduction of two commercial electronic prescribing systems in two Australian hospitals