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American Journal of Pharmaceutical... Mar 2021To explore how teamwork is taught (ie, skills and format), measured, and assessed within pharmacy education. A mapping review was conducted to provide a selection of... (Review)
Review
To explore how teamwork is taught (ie, skills and format), measured, and assessed within pharmacy education. A mapping review was conducted to provide a selection of articles to specifically capture how teamwork is taught, measured, and assessed within pharmacy education. Of the 114 references retrieved, 18 studies from 17 schools or colleges of pharmacy met the inclusion criteria for review and data abstraction. Ten of the studies (56%) described how teamwork training was integrated into courses while the other eight studies described workshops, clinical rotations, modules, interprofessional simulations, long-term projects, and retreats on teamwork. Learning activities involving patient cases were the most common teaching method described (n=12, 67%). For the teamwork principles taught, all articles included leadership training or evaluating leadership skills in their program. To assess teamwork, 17 (94%) of the programs used students' self-reported measures of skills and behaviors, attitudes, and/or knowledge. Fourteen studies (78%) demonstrated improvements in students' attitude-related outcomes, 13 (72%) studies demonstrated improvements in skills-related outcomes, and six studies (33%) described improvements in knowledge related outcomes. Teamwork is regarded as an integral component of being an effective health care professional. While teamwork is common in pharmacy curricula, few studies describe strategies for teaching effective teamwork strategies to pharmacy students. The articles reviewed revealed a wide range of approaches to teaching, measuring, and assessing teamwork skills within pharmacy education. This review highlights an opportunity to further explore and identify the teamwork skills that are requisite for success in pharmacy practice, which could then be supported by standardized teamwork training programs and assessments.
Topics: Curriculum; Education, Pharmacy; Health Personnel; Humans; Learning; Students, Pharmacy
PubMed: 34283772
DOI: 10.5688/ajpe8356 -
Pulmonary Therapy Dec 2023There is increasing pressure to prefer propellant-free inhaler devices over pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDI) due to environmental considerations. In this work,...
INTRODUCTION
There is increasing pressure to prefer propellant-free inhaler devices over pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDI) due to environmental considerations. In this work, we present results from three life cycle assessments (LCAs) on Easyhaler dry powder inhaler product portfolio and assess the changes in environmental impact and carbon footprint (CF) of the products over time.
METHODS
Three cradle-to-grave LCAs were conducted in 2019, 2021, and 2023. The 2019 assessment covered four products while 2021 and 2023 assessments included all six products in the portfolio. LCA for the protective cover sometimes used with Easyhaler was conducted in 2023. In addition to CF, nine other environmental impact categories were assessed to ensure that no burden shifting occurs.
RESULTS
During the study period, the non-weighted average CF of the Easyhaler decreased by 11.2%. For individual products, the decrease varied from 5.0 to 6.8% between the assessments. In the latest assessment, the average CF of Easyhaler was 547 gCOe with a range of 452-617 gCOe. The LCA of the protective cover was assessed for the first time in 2023 and had a CF of 66 gCOe.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that the climate impact of pharmaceutical products can be reduced without making changes to the product itself. The CF of Easyhaler products is in agreement with the lower end of the CF range previously reported for dry powder inhalers. Climate impact from the protective cover was one-tenth compared to the climate impact from the product itself.
PubMed: 37749379
DOI: 10.1007/s41030-023-00239-7 -
Cureus Nov 2023Hypospadias is a congenital malformation, which involves the displacement of the urethral orifice on the underside of the penis. The mainstay treatment of hypospadias is...
INTRODUCTION
Hypospadias is a congenital malformation, which involves the displacement of the urethral orifice on the underside of the penis. The mainstay treatment of hypospadias is surgery. Currently, there is no literature broadly assessing hypospadias repair outcomes in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This study aims to provide descriptive data on cosmetic, functional, and surgical outcomes of hypospadias repair at a single medical institute in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
METHOD
Data on patients who underwent hypospadias repair from January 2012 to December 2020 by a single surgeon were reviewed. Parents of patients were contacted via telephone for consent. All consenting participants returned for an outpatient assessment of functional and cosmetic outcomes using an original questionnaire and the Pediatric Penile Perception Score, respectively. All responses were recorded using a four-point Likert scale. Surgical outcomes were assessed by reviewing postoperative notes. All collected data were anonymized. The study was approved by the King Hamad University Hospital institutional review board.
RESULTS
Of the 29 patients who underwent surgical repair for hypospadias, 15 patients consented to participate. The mean age of the study population was 2.466 (SD = 0.496). Both parent and physician cosmetic assessments had similar results with the majority of participants very satisfied with all cosmetic parameters. Physician assessment reported higher satisfaction compared to parents. There were no reported cases of poor satisfaction. In terms of functional outcomes, there were no reported cases of straining on initiation, and a smooth and continuous urinary stream was reported in 80%. Only four patients reported post-void dribbling. When assessing surgical outcomes, 53.30% had coronally located urethra with no cases of postoperative complications. More than half of our patients were discharged after one day.
CONCLUSION
Our study noted overall high satisfaction in terms of surgical, cosmetic, and functional outcomes. Physicians reported better cosmetic outcomes when compared to parents. Further analysis with a larger sample size across various medical institutes will be required to better assess post-repair outcomes.
PubMed: 38098936
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.48808 -
Brain Sciences Jan 2023(1) Background: Although cognitive impairments in coma survivors are common, methods of measuring long-term cognitive outcomes in this population are inconsistent,... (Review)
Review
(1) Background: Although cognitive impairments in coma survivors are common, methods of measuring long-term cognitive outcomes in this population are inconsistent, precluding the development of a strong evidence-base to support clinical decision making. In this literature review, we identify and characterize the measures used to track cognitive recovery in coma survivors to data. (2) Methods: We extracted the instrument used for cognitive assessment, the cognitive domains assessed, methods administration and scoring, and timing of assessment from 134 of 996 screened records. (3) Results: A total of 133 unique cognitive tests and cognitive testing batteries were identified, with 97 cognitive instruments used in less than three articles. The instruments assessed 20 different cognitive domains, with 73 articles also using tests that assess general "cognitive ability". Cognitive instruments ranged from subjective assessments to comprehensive cognitive batteries. There were inconsistent points of reference for the timing of assessment across studies, with few studies repeating assessments at more than one time point, and arbitrary time intervals between tests. (4) Conclusions: Overall, this review illustrates the enormous disparity between studies that track cognitive outcome in coma survivors, and the need for a systematic, patient-accessible method of assessing cognitive functioning in future studies with this population.
PubMed: 36672078
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13010096 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) May 2022Obtaining accurate and objective assessments of an individual's personality is vital in many areas including education, medicine, sports and management. Currently, most...
Obtaining accurate and objective assessments of an individual's personality is vital in many areas including education, medicine, sports and management. Currently, most personality assessments are conducted using scales and questionnaires. Unfortunately, it has been observed that both scales and questionnaires present various drawbacks. Their limitations include the lack of veracity in the answers, limitations in the number of times they can be administered, or cultural biases. To solve these problems, several articles have been published in recent years proposing the use of movements that participants make during their evaluation as personality predictors. In this work, a multiple linear regression model was developed to assess the examinee's personality based on their movements. Movements were captured with the low-cost Microsoft Kinect camera, which facilitates its acceptance and implementation. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system, a pilot study was conducted aimed at assessing the personality traits defined by the Big-Five Personality Model. It was observed that the traits that best fit the model are Extroversion and Conscientiousness. In addition, several patterns that characterize the five personality traits were identified. These results show that it is feasible to assess an individual's personality through his or her movements and open up pathways for several research.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Personality; Personality Assessment; Pilot Projects; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 35632357
DOI: 10.3390/s22103949 -
JMIR MHealth and UHealth Oct 2022Mental disorders in adolescence and young adulthood are major public health concerns. Digital tools such as text-based conversational agents (ie, chatbots) are a...
BACKGROUND
Mental disorders in adolescence and young adulthood are major public health concerns. Digital tools such as text-based conversational agents (ie, chatbots) are a promising technology for facilitating mental health assessment. However, the human-like interaction style of chatbots may induce potential biases, such as socially desirable responding (SDR), and may require further effort to complete assessments.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate the convergent and discriminant validity of chatbots for mental health assessments, the effect of assessment mode on SDR, and the effort required by participants for assessments using chatbots compared with established modes.
METHODS
In a counterbalanced within-subject design, we assessed 2 different constructs-psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory-18) and problematic alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-3)-in 3 modes (chatbot, paper-and-pencil, and web-based), and examined convergent and discriminant validity. In addition, we investigated the effect of mode on SDR, controlling for perceived sensitivity of items and individuals' tendency to respond in a socially desirable way, and we also assessed the perceived social presence of modes. Including a between-subject condition, we further investigated whether SDR is increased in chatbot assessments when applied in a self-report setting versus when human interaction may be expected. Finally, the effort (ie, complexity, difficulty, burden, and time) required to complete the assessments was investigated.
RESULTS
A total of 146 young adults (mean age 24, SD 6.42 years; n=67, 45.9% female) were recruited from a research panel for laboratory experiments. The results revealed high positive correlations (all P<.001) of measures of the same construct across different modes, indicating the convergent validity of chatbot assessments. Furthermore, there were no correlations between the distinct constructs, indicating discriminant validity. Moreover, there were no differences in SDR between modes and whether human interaction was expected, although the perceived social presence of the chatbot mode was higher than that of the established modes (P<.001). Finally, greater effort (all P<.05) and more time were needed to complete chatbot assessments than for completing the established modes (P<.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that chatbots may yield valid results. Furthermore, an understanding of chatbot design trade-offs in terms of potential strengths (ie, increased social presence) and limitations (ie, increased effort) when assessing mental health were established.
Topics: Adolescent; Young Adult; Humans; Female; Adult; Male; Mental Health; Alcoholism; Communication; Self Report
PubMed: 36315228
DOI: 10.2196/28082 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Dec 2022A detailed understanding of what is usual for a species under optimal conditions is critical for identifying and interpreting different features of body function that... (Review)
Review
A detailed understanding of what is usual for a species under optimal conditions is critical for identifying and interpreting different features of body function that have known impacts on animal welfare and its assessment. When applying the Five Domains Model to assess animal welfare, the key starting point is therefore to acquire extensive species-specific knowledge relevant to each of the four physical/functional Domains of the Model. These Domains, 1 to 4, address areas where objective information is evaluated and collated. They are: (1) Nutrition; (2) Physical environment; (3) Health; and (4) Behavioural interactions. It is on the basis of this detailed knowledge that cautious inferences can then be made about welfare-relevant mental experiences animals may have, aligned with Domain 5, Mental State. However, this review is focused entirely on the first four Domains in order to provide a novel holistic framework to collate the multidisciplinary knowledge of horses required for undertaking comprehensive welfare assessments. Thus, inferring the potential mental experiences aligned with Domain 5, the final step in model-based welfare assessments, is not considered here. Finally, providing extensive information on free-roaming horses enables a better understanding of the impacts of human interventions on the welfare of horses in both free-roaming and domestic situations.
PubMed: 36496906
DOI: 10.3390/ani12233385 -
PloS One 2022Mobile app-based interventions have the potential for wide-reach and therefore may be a useful tool in up-scaling physical activity interventions. In larger-scale... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Mobile app-based interventions have the potential for wide-reach and therefore may be a useful tool in up-scaling physical activity interventions. In larger-scale interventions, face-to-face assessments are less cost-effective, and researchers often rely on surveys or activity trackers to assess outcomes. However, there is limited evidence of valid muscular fitness assessments that can be self-administered within mHealth interventions. As such, this study will evaluate the concurrent validity of upper and lower body muscular fitness that have been independently assessed by participants via the ecofit app, and face-to-face assessments conducted by a trained researcher.
METHODS
This study compared baseline data from two muscular fitness tests from the ecofit two-armed randomised controlled trial and self-assessed data collected via the ecofit smartphone app (i.e., validated 90-degree push-up and 60-second sit-to-stand test). To assess the concurrent validity, the self-assessed push-up and sit-to-stand tests (i.e., collected via the ecofit app) were correlated using Spearman's correlation coefficient against the researcher-assessed results (i.e., objective results collected during baseline assessment for the ecofit trial). Bland-Altman plots were also used to allow visualisation of the differences between the self- and research-assessed tests.
RESULTS
Participants (N = 54) completed the push-up (24.1%) and sit-to-stand (100%) tests within 14-days of receiving the app. The results revealed a strong significant correlation for the push-up test (0.83, p<0.001) and a moderate significant correlation for the sit-to-stand test (0.63, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION
This study provides support for the concurrent validity of self-reported upper and lower body muscular fitness assessments (i.e., the push-up and sit-to-stand tests) in mHealth. While these tests may be a feasible option for large scale physical activity interventions, more research is needed to determine the generalisability of these results.
Topics: Humans; Smartphone; Self-Assessment; Correlation of Data; Mobile Applications; Exercise
PubMed: 36454865
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278374 -
BMJ Health & Care Informatics Oct 2021To date, many artificial intelligence (AI) systems have been developed in healthcare, but adoption has been limited. This may be due to inappropriate or incomplete... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
To date, many artificial intelligence (AI) systems have been developed in healthcare, but adoption has been limited. This may be due to inappropriate or incomplete evaluation and a lack of internationally recognised AI standards on evaluation. To have confidence in the generalisability of AI systems in healthcare and to enable their integration into workflows, there is a need for a practical yet comprehensive instrument to assess the translational aspects of the available AI systems. Currently available evaluation frameworks for AI in healthcare focus on the reporting and regulatory aspects but have little guidance regarding assessment of the translational aspects of the AI systems like the functional, utility and ethical components.
METHODS
To address this gap and create a framework that assesses real-world systems, an international team has developed a translationally focused evaluation framework termed 'Translational Evaluation of Healthcare AI (TEHAI)'. A critical review of literature assessed existing evaluation and reporting frameworks and gaps. Next, using health technology evaluation and translational principles, reporting components were identified for consideration. These were independently reviewed for consensus inclusion in a final framework by an international panel of eight expert.
RESULTS
TEHAI includes three main components: capability, utility and adoption. The emphasis on translational and ethical features of the model development and deployment distinguishes TEHAI from other evaluation instruments. In specific, the evaluation components can be applied at any stage of the development and deployment of the AI system.
DISCUSSION
One major limitation of existing reporting or evaluation frameworks is their narrow focus. TEHAI, because of its strong foundation in translation research models and an emphasis on safety, translational value and generalisability, not only has a theoretical basis but also practical application to assessing real-world systems.
CONCLUSION
The translational research theoretic approach used to develop TEHAI should see it having application not just for evaluation of clinical AI in research settings, but more broadly to guide evaluation of working clinical systems.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence; Delivery of Health Care; Health Facilities; Program Evaluation
PubMed: 34642177
DOI: 10.1136/bmjhci-2021-100444 -
Respiratory Care Jul 2019Airway suctioning is an important health care intervention that can be associated with serious adverse effects. Given the risks involved with suctioning, it is important... (Review)
Review
Airway suctioning is an important health care intervention that can be associated with serious adverse effects. Given the risks involved with suctioning, it is important to ensure the clinical competence of health care professionals who perform it. A scoping review was conducted to identify the nature and extent of research related to the assessment of airway-suctioning competence for health care professionals working with adults. This included an examination of the assessment context, the type of suctioning and health care professionals being assessed, and the methods used to assess competence. Four scientific electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library) were searched from inception to March 9, 2018. A gray literature search was also performed. Two reviewers independently screened articles and resources for inclusion, and data were extracted using a form created by the authors. Seventy full text articles and resources were screened for eligibility, with 36 included in the review. Endotracheal suctioning was the most common type, and intensive or critical care units were the primary setting of interest (28 of 36, 78%). Competence or a component of competence for nurses, nursing students, nursing assistants, or nurse technicians was specifically addressed in 97% (35 of 36) of the included articles and resources; 4 of 36 (11%) also included physical therapists, 1 of 36 (3%) included respiratory therapists, and 1 of 36 (3%) was aimed toward all clinicians who perform suctioning. Nine (25%) used questionnaire-based assessments, 11 (31%) used checklists, audit forms, or other observational tools, and 16 (44%) used both. Directed content analysis revealed 3 major themes: consistency across overarching evaluation frameworks, inconsistency across detailed components, and inconsistency in the evaluation or reporting of assessment tool measurement properties. Additional gaps in the literature included limited consideration of health care professionals beyond nursing, limited consideration of settings beyond intensive and critical care, a lack of tools to assess nasotracheal and orotracheal suctioning, and limited detail regarding assessment tool development.
Topics: Adult; Airway Management; Clinical Competence; Health Personnel; Humans; Suction
PubMed: 31138738
DOI: 10.4187/respcare.06772