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Biomedical subjects

Walid El Ansari

Publications and source records attributed to Walid El Ansari.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Quality of research on community partnerships: developing the evidence base.

Recent years have witnessed broad public health transformations. Central to these changes is that partnership work is increasingly mandated and employed as a vehicle for health education and promotion and disease prevention. Such efforts involve partnerships that span National Health Service bodies, local authorities and health and social care organizations, with stakeholders from the public, private, voluntary and community sectors. However, a more adequate evidence base is required to guide policy and action. The aims of this paper are to draw attention to some of the issues that have hampered the quality of partnership research and to discuss ways in which this research can be improved, in an effort to encourage the development of a more valuable evidence base for researchers, practitioners and policy makers. Multimethod approaches to research on partnership context, functioning and outcomes are advocated, and policy recommendations are made.

Community Networks↗
PubMed2004

What 'really' affects health professions students' satisfaction with their educational experience? Implications for practice and research.

Student satisfaction has been widely recognised as an indicator of the quality of the students' learning and teaching experience. The aim of the study was to explore the extent to which student satisfaction is influenced by 13 demographic- and educational-related variables. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken (18-item questionnaire, 1660 questionnaires). Principal component analysis categorised the 18 items into four learning and teaching dimensions. Each of the 13 variables was analysed for its influence on student satisfaction generally and on the four dimensions individually, before and after controlling for all the other variables. After controlling for all the variables, none of the demographic characteristics was associated with satisfaction. Most of the educational variables exercised their own independent and significant effects on general satisfaction and on satisfaction with the four individual dimensions. Collectively, decreased satisfaction was associated with being a pre registration, full-time student, usually with A level entry qualifications, attending term two modules whose assessment/s comprised combined strategies. Decreased satisfaction was also significantly associated with larger class sizes as regards the student numbers and with attaining lower grades in the assessments. The demographic variables were not as influential as the educational ones as regards the affects on students' satisfaction. The implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed2004

The costs and benefits to participants in community partnerships: a paradox?

This article examines the degree of stakeholder participation in health and social partnership schemes in relation to their perceptions of benefits, costs, satisfaction, commitment, and ownership. The findings suggest that (a) involvement, commitment, and sense of ownership were invariably associated with high benefits and mostly with low costs; (b) benefits, commitment, and ownership might be more sensitive monitors of involvement than costs and satisfaction; (c) an increase in involvement was initially associated with decreased costs and increased satisfaction up to a point beyond which costs increased and satisfaction decreased despite increasing benefits; and (d) favorable cost-benefit ratios were perceived when the benefits were at least 1.6 times the costs. Partnership initiatives need to explore the involvement "cut-off" point at which the costs (and satisfaction) might change direction. For favorable cost-benefit ratios, benefits need to be at least 60% more than costs (Ansari's paradox).

Community Health Planning↗
PubMed2002

Student nurse satisfaction levels with their courses: part I -- effects of demographic variables.

Recent years have seen an increased emphasis on the monitoring of the quality of learning and teaching in higher education. This has led to more attention being paid to evaluating student perceptions of their learning experiences. This article (Part I of two on the subject) examines the factors that influence student satisfaction with their modular courses. Seven factors categorized into two sets are scrutinized: Part I investigates the effects of four demographic variables, while Part II explores the effects of three academic (educational)-related variables. In this report, the study research design, tool and sample are described, and an analysis of the demographic variables of gender, disability, ethnicity and age-bracket is undertaken, whereby their effects on performance and satisfaction levels of students are considered. Employing a questionnaire, data from 460 students attending various multidisciplinary health care modules at the School of Health Care, Oxford Brookes University for the first term of the academic year 2000/2001 were analysed. The questionnaire was found to be reliable and there were no differences in satisfaction between students who provided their registration numbers and those who did not, suggesting that the results are generalizable to the greater student population of the School of Health Care. The study found no differences in performance or satisfaction levels according to gender, but disabled students indicated less satisfaction although the differences were not significant. Fewer students of 'non-white' ethnicity felt that their learning experience was intellectually stimulating, and that the information about their modules was satisfactory and readily available. Student age significantly predicted performance and 'mature' students performed better and showed higher satisfaction than 'traditional' students. The findings and their implications for nurse education and curriculum design are discussed, with support from a growing number of studies investigating student nurse satisfaction and quality issues of learning and teaching in higher education.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Student nurse satisfaction levels with their courses: Part II--effects of academic variables.

The degree of student satisfaction with their educational experiences is an important dimension in the assessment of institutional effectiveness. All nursing education teams are currently working on ways to improve the quality of their educational provision and increase the satisfaction of their students. This is the second of a two-part article on the factors that influence student satisfaction with their courses. Part I examined how the four demographic features of gender, disability, ethnicity and age influenced student satisfaction and their performance on nursing modules. This paper complements Part I by examining the effects of three educational factors (academic level of the module, mode of study, and the qualification aim) on the accomplishment and satisfaction levels of 460 students attending multidisciplinary health care modules at the School of Health Care, Oxford Brookes University, 2000/2001. The study found that in contrast to Level 1 students, Level 3 participants felt the need for modules to stimulate more interest, that module teams be more skilled and knowledgeable and that library resources be more abundant. The findings also suggested that part-time students required significantly more attention than full-time participants in terms of the need for smaller seminar groups that would facilitate contributions and decrease inhibitions among students, and were more concerned with the utility and relevance of their learning in relation to their chosen professions. Diploma participants had the highest satisfaction followed by the BA and then the BSc students. The findings raise issues which are of interest to academic staff and nursing students, and the implications for nurse education and curriculum design are discussed within the context of student nurse satisfaction and quality issues of learning and teaching in higher education.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Appraisal skills as a public health competency for evidence-based care: students' satisfaction with their research education.

With the demand for evidence-based practice, a greater need for health professionals' research expertise has emerged. Insufficient knowledge and inadequate competencies in research methods have been identified as barriers. Training endeavors to increase students' research awareness have been extensive. The study detailed in this article examines three research modules aimed at increasing health professionals' research knowledge. The effects that four demographic dimensions (gender, disability, ethnic group, and age bracket) and five educational parameters (academic term, mode of study, nature of module, qualification aim, and entry qualification) have on student contentment are investigated. According to these parameters, there were no differences in students' performance on the research modules. However, there were significant differences in satisfaction with the module administration, content, integration, and assessment procedures; the module team and university resources; and the module relevance and stimulation.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Public health nurses' perspectives on collaborative partnerships in South Africa.

The importance of partnerships and collaborations between different stakeholders in order to achieve health objectives are increasingly recognized. This article aims to: (1) highlight the importance of establishing partnerships and coalitions to achieve health goals; (2) consider the benefits and costs of such collaborations; and (3) identify the conditions which facilitate effective partnerships, from the perspective of nurses working within collaborative ventures in South Africa. A survey of these nurses was undertaken to consider their perceptions of the likely returns from investments in collaborative working and the extent of the relationship between the participation incentives and difficulties encountered. By examining their perceptions to a number of facets of partnership fostering, the article has elaborated on the meaning of collaboration and its rationale, and highlighted the conditions necessary for the success of community partnerships (CPs). The study has also demonstrated the feeling that CPs are beneficial with increased satisfaction along many operational parameters. Working to a shared agenda requires a "give and take attitude" among the stakeholders, designed to produce an outcome that merges multiple and new insights and directions for action, as well as the combined power foundation to do so.

Community Health Services↗