Electrocardiography interpretation training in emergency medicine: methods, resources, competency assessment, and national standardization

Objective(s). The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of electrocardiography (ECG) training in emergency medicine residency programs in Turkey, and the attitude of the program representatives towards standardization of such training. Methods. This investigation was planned as a cross-sectional study. An 18-item questionnaire was distributed to directors of residency programs. Responses were evaluated using SPSS (v.16.0), and analyzed using the chi-square test. Results. Thirty-nine program directors (out of 42) responded to the questionnaire. Twenty-eight of them stated they did not have a formal ECG training curriculum. The most preferred ECG education method was clinical education in the Emergency Department; the most common education resource was ECG textbooks; and the most common evaluation method was case scenarios. Only thirteen of the programs had an obligation to prove competency. The most common competency-assessment method was obtaining a passing grade based on an instructor’s observation. The majority of program directors are of the opinion that there should be a formal ECG teaching curriculum, and that a national ECG training program and national ECG database should be formed. Conclusions. The majority of programs do not have a formal ECG interpretation curriculum, which is an obligation to prove competency. As a result, their training methods, resources, and assessment tools were determined to be subjective

A fuzzy AHP approach to evaluating differences between ocean container carriers and their customers

The study has investigated ocean container carrier selection criteria in order to determine the differences and similarities between carriers and their customers in the Turkish market. In application, four separate groups have used: carriers, freight forwarders, shippers, and consignees. For the first time, differences in perspective between carriers and their customers are studied in Turkey, eliminating the gap in knowledge about this market. It is also the first study to utilise fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method to examine the differences in perceptions between ocean container carriers, freight forwarders, shippers, and consignees. This study contributes to the literature by employing both a new region and an unused method. The study's findings are that the most important sub-criterion for carriers and freight forwarders was low freight; meanwhile, the most important criterion for shippers was determined to be equipment availability. The most important sub-criterion of consignees was on-time notification of the customer

APPLICATION OF FUZZY TOPSIS MODEL FOR CONTAINER PORT SELECTION CONSIDERING ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Container ships are the type of ships that produce the most emissions in maritime transport. In container transportation not only in navigation but also at container ports, a lot of emissions are formed. Ports are generally close by and highly interacted with the inner parts of the city, the impacts of the gas emissions are quite high on people. The study investigated port selection criteria, in terms of cost, efficiency and especially in terms of environmental impacts in order to create awareness. Container port selection problem was solved using fuzzy TOPSIS (The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Situation) method considering the perspective of carriers. In the study, the container port selection was carried out among the four largest container ports in Turkey