CHEMISTRY STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF THE SHIFT TO ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

There have been major disruptions to all parts of everyday life due to the impact of the illness COVID 19. This was especially true for students and staff at universities in the first half of 2020. The sudden shift to remote teaching and learning meant that classes never intended for the digital space (e.g. labs and tutorials) had to be reimagined and redesigned. Students were left facing diminished peer interaction and a need to adapt their study strategies on the fly. This study follows the experiences of first year chemistry students who favour in-person attendance for classes, from three different institutions. Three online interviews were conducted with the students across the teaching period. A qualitative thematic review of student experiences revealed that first-year students use face-to-face lectures to provide a structure to their study plans during a week. This was now missing. Students were struggling to keep to a study plan when the material was presented only online – synchronously or asynchronously. Moreover, students were conscious that they did not form the social connections with their peers that they would have done in a face-to-face setting. This research emphasises the need for online courses to be scaffolded to provide students with a structured study plan, which facilitates online social interactions between students (Salmon, 2002; Seery, 2012). REFERENCES Salmon, G., (2002). E-tivities: The Key to Active Online Learning. London; Kogan Page Limited. Seery, M. K. (2012) Moving an in-class module online: a case study for chemistry. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 13(1), 39-46

Acute surgical wound-dressing procedure: Description of the steps involved in the development and validation of an observational metric

The aim of this study was to develop an observational metric that could be used to assess the performance of a practitioner in completing an acute surgical wound-dressing procedure using aseptic non-touch technique (ANTT). A team of clinicians, academics, and researchers came together to develop an observational metric using an iterative six-stage process, culminating in a Delphi panel meeting. A scoping review of the literature provided a background empirical perspective relating to wound-dressing procedure performance. Video recordings of acute surgical wound-dressing procedures performed by nurses in clinical (n = 11) and simulated (n = 3) settings were viewed repeatedly and were iteratively deconstructed by the metric development group. This facilitated the identification of the discrete component steps, potential errors, and sentinel (serious) errors, which characterise a wound dressing procedure and formed part of the observational metric. The ANTT wound-dressing observational metric was stress tested for clarity, the ability to be scored, and interrater reliability, calculated during a further phase of video analysis. The metric was then subjected to a process of cyclical evaluation by a Delphi panel (n = 21) to obtain face and content validity of the metric. The Delphi panel deliberation verified the face and content validity of the metric. The final metric has three phases, 31 individual steps, 18 errors, and 27 sentinel errors. The metric is a tool that identifies the standard to be attained in the performance of acute surgical wound dressings. It can be used as both an adjunct to an educational programme and as a tool to assess a practitioner's performance of a wound-dressing procedure in both simulated and clinical practice contexts

Using technology to develop transferable skills and enhance the laboratory experience in first year chemistry

Background The laboratory has the potential to be a rich learning environment for students in any science discipline. (Hofstein and Lunetta 2004) The evolving nature of the job market in the 21st century has demanded that graduates leave university equipped with a broad range of generalised attributes. From an early stage in tertiary education, laboratory classes must reflect this need by actively highlighting skills such as: communication, problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork as well as practical competency. Herein lies the problem for educators in that these skills are inherently logistically difficult to assess and require a degree of self-reflection in order to be properly developed. Thus laboratory classes, associated assessments and learning resources must be adapted to provide students with tangible evidence of their development of these skills and to provide opportunities for institutional and self-directed feedback. (Galloway and Bretz 2015) Aims This project aims to develop technology-enhanced methods to highlight and enable students to receive automatic feedback on a particular generic skill that is being assessed in a laboratory. We have two objectives in this project: • To develop pre-laboratory activities which enhance problem solving and critical thinking skills. • To develop a usable, motivating online feedback system to assist students to develop and track practical skills attainment over the course of their unit. Design and methods To evaluate the impact of the pre-laboratory activity students were asked to complete a survey, which aimed to answer the following research questions: • Did the pre laboratory activity prepare students for the laboratory practical? • Did the pre laboratory activity stimulate the students’ curiosity for the laboratory practical? To evaluate the impact of an online feedback system to develop and track practical skills we asked students to complete a survey, which aimed to answer the following research question: • Are the practical laboratory skills (and in-situ recall of practical theory) of students performing recrystallisation experiments improved by providing feedback in the form of online self-directed development exercises before subsequent attempts of those skills? We will also administer interviews with lab demonstrators about the techniques they use to teach and give feedback on practical skills as well as how they perceive students to perform specific tasks and their knowledge of specific practical theory. Results and Conclusion Preliminary data will be presented on two surveys given in semester 1 2016. Results from the first survey indicate that while students feel well prepared for the laboratory, more work is needed to stimulate their curiosity about the experimental procedure. Initial results of the second survey will provide the baseline of knowledge that students have of the recrystallisation laboratory skills in the current format. We will also gain insight from the demonstrators on how they perceive student development of practical skills. We will discuss the direction and approach we are taking in semester 2 2016 based on the preliminary data to improve and integrate feedback and assessment of practical, problem solving and critical thinking skills in the first year chemistry laboratory. References Galloway, K. R. and S. L. Bretz (2015). "Development of an Assessment Tool To Measure Students' Meaningful Learning in the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory." Journal of Chemical Education 92(7): 1149-1158. Hofstein, A. and V. N. Lunetta (2004). "The laboratory in science education: Foundations for the twenty-first century." Science Education 88(1): 28-54

Patient involvement in the implementation of infection prevention and control guidelines and associated interventions: a scoping review

Objective: To explore patient involvement in the implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines and associated interventions.Design: Scoping review. Methods: A methodological framework was followed to identify recent publications on patient involvement in the implementation of IPC guidelines and interventions. Initially, relevant databases were searched to identify pertinent publications (published 2013–2018). Reflecting the scarcity of included studies from these databases, a bidirectional citation chasing approach was used as a second search step. The reference list and citations of all identified papers from databases were searched to generate a full list of relevant references. A grey literature search of Google Scholar was also conducted.Results: From an identified 2078 papers, 14 papers were included in this review. Our findings provide insights into the need for a fundamental change to IPC, from being solely the healthcare professionals (HCPs) responsibility to one that involves a collaborative relationship between HCPs and patients. This change should be underpinned by a clear understanding of patient roles, potential levels of patient involvement in IPC and strategies to overcome barriers to patient involvement focusing on the professional–patient relationship (eg, patient encouragement through multimodal educational strategies and efforts to disperse professional’s power).Conclusions: There is limited evidence regarding the best strategies to promote patient involvement in the implementation of IPC interventions and guidelines. The findings of this review endorse the need for targeted strategies to overcome the lack of role clarity of patients in IPC and the power imbalances between patients and HCPs

Ethnographic study using Normalization Process Theory to understand the implementation process of infection prevention and control guidelines in Ireland.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore how infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines are used and understood by healthcare professionals, patients and families. DESIGN: Ethnographic study with 59 hours of non-participant observation and 57 conversational interviews. Data analysis was underpinned by the Normalization Process Theory (NPT) as a theoretical framework. SETTING: Four hospitals in Ireland. PARTICIPANTS: Healthcare professionals, patient and families. RESULTS: Five themes emerged through the analysis. Four themes provided evidence of the NPT elements (coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring). Our findings revealed the existence of a 'dissonance between IPC guidelines and the reality of clinical practice' (theme 1) and 'Challenges to legitimatize guidelines' recommendations in practice' (theme 3). These elements contributed to 'Symbolic implementation of IPC guidelines' (theme 2), which was also determined by a 'Lack of shared reflection upon IPC practices' (theme 4) and a clinical context of 'Workforce fragmentation, time pressure and lack of prioritization of IPC' (theme 5). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis identified themes that provide a comprehensive understanding of elements needed for the successful or unsuccessful implementation of IPC guidelines. Our findings suggest that implementation of IPC guidelines is regularly operationalised through the reproduction of IPC symbols, rather than through adherence to performance of the evidence-based recommendations. Our findings also provide insights into changes to make IPC guidelines that align with clinical work

Ethical frameworks for quality improvement activities: An analysis of international practice

Purpose: To examine international approaches to the ethical oversight and regulation of quality improvement and clinical audit in healthcare systems. Data sources: We searched grey literature including websites of national research and ethics regulatory bodies and health departments of selected countries. Study selection: National guidance documents were included from six countries: Ireland, England, Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America and Canada. Data extraction: Data were extracted from 19 documents using an a priori framework developed from the published literature. Results: We organised data under five themes: ethical frameworks; guidance on ethical review; consent, vulnerable groups and personal health data. Quality improvement activity tended to be outside the scope of the ethics frameworks in most countries. Only New Zealand had integrated national ethics standards for both research and quality improvement. Across countries, there is consensus that this activity should not be automatically exempted from ethical review, but requires proportionate review or organisational oversight for minimal risk projects. In the majority of countries, there is a lack of guidance on participant consent, use of personal health information and inclusion of vulnerable groups in routine quality improvement. Conclusion: Where countries fail to provide specific ethics frameworks for quality improvement, guidance is dispersed across several organisations which may lack legal certainty. Our review demonstrates a need for appropriate oversight and responsive infrastructure for quality improvement underpinned by ethical frameworks that build equivalence with research oversight. It outlines aspects of good practice, especially The New Zealand framework that integrates research and quality improvement ethics

An international perspective on definitions and terminology used to describe serious reportable patient safety incidents: A systematic review

Objectives: Patients are unintentionally, yet frequently, harmed in situations that are deemed preventable. Incident reporting systems help prevent harm, yet there is considerable variability in how patient safety incidents are reported. This may lead to inconsistent or unnecessary patterns of incident reporting and failures to identify serious patient safety incidents. This systematic review aims to describe international approaches in relation to defining serious reportable patient safety incidents. Methods: Multiple electronic and gray literature databases were searched for articles published between 2009 and 2019. Empirical studies, reviews, national reports, and policies were included. A narrative synthesis was conducted because of study heterogeneity. Results: A total of 50 articles were included. There was wide variation in the terminology used to represent serious reportable patient safety incidents. Several countries defined a specific subset of incidents, which are considered sufficiently serious, yet preventable if appropriate safety measures are taken. Terms such as “never events,” “serious reportable events,” or “always review and report” were used. The following dimensions were identified to define a serious reportable patient safety incident: (1) incidents being largely preventable; (2) having the potential for significant learning; (3) causing serious harm or have the potential to cause serious harm; (4) being identifiable, measurable, and feasible for inclusion in an incident reporting system; and (5) running the risk of recurrence. Conclusions: Variations in terminology and reporting systems between countries might contribute to missed opportunities for learning. International standardized definitions and blame-free reporting systems would enable comparison and international learning to enhance patient safety

Incentive payments to general practitioners aimed at increasing opportunistic testing of young women for chlamydia: a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Financial incentives have been used for many years internationally to improve quality of care in general practice. The aim of this pilot study was to determine if offering general practitioners (GP) a small incentive payment per test would increase chlamydia testing in women aged 16 to 24 years, attending general practice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>General practice clinics (n = 12) across Victoria, Australia, were cluster randomized to receive either a $AUD5 payment per chlamydia test or no payment for testing 16 to 24 year old women for chlamydia. Data were collected on the number of chlamydia tests and patient consultations undertaken by each GP over two time periods: 12 month pre-trial and 6 month trial period. The impact of the intervention was assessed using a mixed effects logistic regression model, accommodating for clustering at GP level.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Testing increased from 6.2% (95% CI: 4.2, 8.4) to 8.8% (95% CI: 4.8, 13.0) (p = 0.1) in the control group and from 11.5% (95% CI: 4.6, 18.5) to 13.4% (95% CI: 9.5, 17.5) (p = 0.4) in the intervention group. Overall, the intervention did not result in a significant increase in chlamydia testing in general practice. The odds ratio for an increase in testing in the intervention group compared to the control group was 0.9 (95% CI: 0.6, 1.2). Major barriers to increased chlamydia testing reported by GPs included a lack of time, difficulty in remembering to offer testing and a lack of patient awareness around testing.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A small financial incentive alone did not increase chlamydia testing among young women attending general practice. It is possible small incentive payments in conjunction with reminder and feedback systems may be effective, as may higher financial incentive payments. Further research is required to determine if financial incentives can increase testing in Australian general practice, the type and level of financial scheme required and whether incentives needs to be part of a multi-faceted package.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12608000499381.</p