Exploring the Context of Fitness to Practise Concerns About Social Workers in England: Explanations Beyond Individuals

Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) as compared with the other health care professionals regulated by HCPC. This paper discusses findings from interviews and focus groups that formed part of a mixed methods study that aimed to find out the reasons for complaints and the strategies that may reduce complaints. Four themes were identified: social work as an evolving profession; social work involves challenging practice; social work takes place in a pressurised environment; and public perceptions and expectations of social work are often negative and unrealistic. Findings highlight explanations that focus on organisational culture and public responses to social workers’ control functions. We argue that, at a time of change for the profession, there is a need for public education regarding the role and function of social workers and for regulators to have more proactive engagement with registrants and employers

Harmonious Healthcare Teams: What Healthcare Professionals Can and Cannot Learn from Chamber Musicians

Background: As healthcare becomes increasingly team based, we need new ways of educating trainees to be collaborative team members. One approach is to look to other professions that have developed highly effective ways of collaborating. Doctors have already turned to musicians for specific lessons; however, as of yet, there has been little empirical study of the ways that musicians interact in ensembles, or analysis of how this might provide insights for healthcare. Our hypothesis is that healthcare teams might learn from understanding collaborative practices of chamber musicians.Methods and Findings: We undertook an exploratory study of professional musicians playing in non-conducted ensembles. We used semi-structured interviews to explore factors the musicians considered important for effective group function. The interviews were transcribed and coded thematically. We identified three prominent themes that have relevance for healthcare teams.Conclusions: The highly individual nature of each musical group’s identity suggests that a focus on generic interprofessional education skills development may be insufficient. Furthermore, musicians’ understanding of the fundamental role of non-melodic parts provides the possibility of more nuanced leadership models. Finally, essential differences between musicians’ interactions in rehearsals and performances highlight the importance of varied forms of group interactions

Effectiveness of a Faculty Development Program in Fostering Interprofessional Education Competencies

AbstractBackground: To determine the effectiveness of a faculty development program offered to clinical faculty in fostering interprofessional education competencies.Methods and Findings: A pre-post randomized control group design was used in which only one of two cohorts of clinical faculty received an interprofessional educational intervention. Both cohorts then facilitated case-based interprofessional education sessions for student learners. A variety of outcome measures were used to assess differences between groups in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to interprofessional education and practice. No significant differences were noted between the control and intervention groups.Conclusions: The use of a pre-post randomized control group design to measure effectiveness of an educational intervention should be considered to demonstrate the impact of educational interventions

Evaluation of a Cumulative Performance-based Assessment for Pharmacy Students in Qatar

Background: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are considered the most psychometrically robust form of clinical skills assessment in the health professions. In 2014, the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University (CoP-QU) piloted the first cumulative OSCE for graduating students in collaboration with the Supreme Council of Health and the University of Toronto. Since then, interest has grown in measuring the psychometric properties of this examination to ensure adequate reliability, validity and defensibility. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the OSCE conducted in 2015 at the CoP-QU. A secondary objective of this study was to identify quality improvement opportunities for design, implementation, and evaluation of the OSCE. Methods: The psychometric analysis occurred as follows: We calculated cut scores and pass rates of the 10 stations being used in the OSCE assessment using borderline regression method. Predictive validity of undergraduate courses grades with OSCE grades were calculated using correlation and regression statistics. Concurrent validity of similar cumulative exams were evaluated using Pearson correlation. Risk of bias was calculated using Spearman correlation between assessors' analytical (checklist sheet of required tasks to be performed in a station) and global (the score of whole performance including communication skills on a scale from 1 to 5) scoring. Content validity was assessed quantitatively using 18 student-feedback forms and qualitatively through focus groups with OSCE participants and contributors (total of 5 assessors, 3 students, 3 administrators, 3 standardized patients). Interrater reliability was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs). Construct validity was evaluated by comparing interrater reliability between the first and second OSCE cycles. Cronbach's alpha was used to determine internal consistency of students' performance in all stations in terms of global and total scores. Correlation statistics were conducted at ? level 0.05), 0.65 (P 0.05) respectively. OSCE grades can be moderately predicted by Professional skills course grades (52.3%) and its practical assessment (61.2%). Average correlation between analytical and global grades for all assessors was 0.52. A total of 90% of the stations were deemed to reflect practice, according to student perceptions. The average ICC of analytical checklists scores, global scores, and total scores were 0.88 (0.71-0.95), 0.61 (0.19-0.82), and 0.75 (0.45-0.88) respectively. Cronbach's alpha of students' performance in global scores across stations was 0.87, and 0.93 in terms of total scores. Conclusion: The cumulative OSCE conducted in 2015 showed acceptable validity and reliability as a high stakes examination and therefore is suitable to be implemented as a mandatory core curriculum component for student pharmacist assessment in Qatar.qscienc

Exploring the influence of cultural orientations on assessment of communication behaviours during patient-practitioner interactions

Background Research has shown that patients’ and practitioners’ cultural orientations affect communication behaviors and interpretations in cross-cultural patient-practitioner interactions. Little is known about the effect of cultural orientations on assessment of communication behaviors in cross-cultural educational settings. The purpose of this study is to explore cultural orientation as a potential source of assessor idiosyncrasy or between-assessor variability in assessment of communication skills. More specifically, we explored if and how (expert) assessors’ valuing of communication behaviours aligned with their cultural orientations (power-distance, masculinity-femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism-collectivism). Methods Twenty-five pharmacist-assessors watched 3 videotaped scenarios (patient-pharmacist interactions) and ranked each on a 5-point global rating scale. Videotaped scenarios demonstrated combinations of well-portrayed and borderline examples of instrumental and affective communication behaviours. We used stimulated recall and verbal protocol analysis to investigate assessors’ interpretations and evaluations of communication behaviours. Uttered assessments of communication behaviours were coded as instrumental (task-oriented) or affective (socioemotional) and either positive or negative. Cultural orientations were measured using the Individual Cultural Values Scale. Correlations between cultural orientations and global scores, and frequencies of positive, negative, and total utterances of instrumental and affective behaviours were determined. Results Correlations were found to be scenario specific. In videos with poor or good performance, no differences were found across cultural orientations. When borderline performance was demonstrated, high power-distance and masculinity were significantly associated with higher global ratings (r = .445, and .537 respectively, p < 0.05) as well as with fewer negative utterances regarding instrumental (task focused) behaviours (r = −.533 and − .529, respectively). Higher masculinity scores were furthermore associated with positive utterances of affective (socioemotional) behaviours (r = .441). Conclusions Our findings thus confirm cultural orientation as a source of assessor idiosyncrasy and meaningful variations in interpretation of communication behaviours. Interestingly, expert assessors generally agreed on scenarios of good or poor performances but borderline performance was influenced by cultural orientation. Contrary to current practices of assessor and assessment instrument standardization, findings support the use of multiple assessors for patient-practitioner interactions and development of qualitative assessment tools to capture these varying, yet valid, interpretations of performanceScopu

Severe early onset preeclampsia: short and long term clinical, psychosocial and biochemical aspects

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific disorder commonly defined as de novo hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks gestational age. It occurs in approximately 3-5% of pregnancies and it is still a major cause of both foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide1. As extensive research has not yet elucidated the aetiology of preeclampsia, there are no rational preventive or therapeutic interventions available. The only rational treatment is delivery, which benefits the mother but is not in the interest of the foetus, if remote from term. Early onset preeclampsia (<32 weeks’ gestational age) occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies. It is, however often associated with maternal morbidity as the risk of progression to severe maternal disease is inversely related with gestational age at onset2. Resulting prematurity is therefore the main cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in patients with severe preeclampsia3. Although the discussion is ongoing, perinatal survival is suggested to be increased in patients with preterm preeclampsia by expectant, non-interventional management. This temporising treatment option to lengthen pregnancy includes the use of antihypertensive medication to control hypertension, magnesium sulphate to prevent eclampsia and corticosteroids to enhance foetal lung maturity4. With optimal maternal haemodynamic status and reassuring foetal condition this results on average in an extension of 2 weeks. Prolongation of these pregnancies is a great challenge for clinicians to balance between potential maternal risks on one the eve hand and possible foetal benefits on the other. Clinical controversies regarding prolongation of preterm preeclamptic pregnancies still exist – also taking into account that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Netherlands5 - a debate which is even more pronounced in very preterm pregnancies with questionable foetal viability6-9. Do maternal risks of prolongation of these very early pregnancies outweigh the chances of neonatal survival? Counselling of women with very early onset preeclampsia not only comprises of knowledge of the outcome of those particular pregnancies, but also knowledge of outcomes of future pregnancies of these women is of major clinical importance. This thesis opens with a review of the literature on identifiable risk factors of preeclampsia

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good