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Accuracy in identifying affect in child and adult faces and voices and social competence in preschool children.

The association between social competence and preschool children's ability to identify affect in child and adult facial expressions and tones of voice was investigated in 2 studies. A Sullivan theoretical framework was used. Results indicate that gender plays an important role in the association. For boys, accuracy in identifying low-intensity adult faces and, to a lesser extent, low-intensity adult voices was related to social competence regardless of whether social competence was being measured in interactions with other children or with adults. In contrast, for girls, the ability to read high-intensity expressions across child and adult faces and voices was more specifically related to social competence, depending on whether it was defined by interactions with children or adults. Social competence at this age seems to involve different types of nonverbal skills for boys and girls.

Adult↗

Complementary medicine: evidence base, competence to practice and regulation.

This paper describes the current status and evidence base for acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal and manipulative medicine, as well as the regulatory framework within which these therapies are provided. It also explores the present role of the Royal College of Physicians' Subcommittee on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in relation to these developments. A number of CAM professions have encouraged the Royal College of Physicians Subcommittee to act as a reference point for their discussions with the conventional medical profession and the subcomittee believes that they are able to fulfil this function.

Clinical Competence↗

Nursing education in the United Arab Emirates.

This paper reviews the development of the nursing manpower situation in the United Arab Emirates, with particular emphasis on the trends and currents that have had an impact on the national school of nursing in Abu Dhabi, in the last decade. Special attention is placed on the design of the nursing curriculum. This is based on a framework of core concepts derived from a philosophy relating to man, health and nursing. A competency-based model, designed for three levels of nursing personnel, each with well defined responsibilities, is presented along with an educational and professional career ladder for nurses in the United Arab Emirates. A phased implementation of the proposed system of nursing education is undertaken, with the first phase nearing completion. Preparations are well underway to initiate the second phase of nursing education, that has been successfully implemented earlier in the state of Bahrain.

Curriculum↗

Orientation based on nursing diagnoses. Old concepts in today's practice.

Although many operating room orientation programs contain content necessary to meet accrediting guidelines, very few tie the nursing process to the content. Our orientation is structured within a nursing framework (ie, Dr Gordon's "Eleven Functional Health Patterns") and emphasizes nursing diagnoses, theory, and clinical competencies. Although the new orientation program has been in effect for only two years, we feel the following list reflects the positive outcomes so far: decreased staff turnover (ie, one nurse out of 26 full-time equivalents in 18 months), increased success in recruiting nurses into the operating room (ie, multiple applicants as positions open), new nurses demonstrate comfort with basic perioperative nursing practice with-in six months, and nurses who did not complete new orientation program are requesting all or portions of the content. By using this plan, essential aspects of perioperative practice are consistent with hospital-wide nursing practice, practice standards for the operating room, and accrediting standards.

Curriculum↗

Selective attention to facial emotion and identity in schizophrenia.

The selective attention to facial emotion and identity was investigated in 12 patients with schizophrenia and 12 healthy participants. Both patients and controls were required to perform two classification tasks (according either to identity or emotion). Two separate values for identity (person A/person B) and for emotion (fear/anger) were used. When the classification task was on one dimension, the other dimension was either correlated, constant, or orthogonal (Garner WR. The Processing of Information and Structure. Potomac, MD: Erlbaum, 1974, Garner WR. Interaction of stimulus dimensions in concept and choice processes. Cognitive Psychology 1976;8:98-123). Results indicated that both patients and healthy participants had an asymmetrical pattern of performance: they were able to selectively attend to the identity of the face presented, regardless of the emotion expressed on the face, but variation in identity interfered with the classification of facial emotion. Moreover, a correlational study indicated that the identity interference on emotion classification for schizophrenic patients covaried with the severity of their negative symptoms. The selective attention competencies in schizophrenia and the independence hypothesis of emotion and face recognition are discussed in the framework of current face recognition models.

Adult↗

Hospital competition, GP fundholders and waiting times in the UK internal market: the case of elective surgery.

In this paper I model the demand for and supply of elective surgery using a modified Hotelling framework in which time, money, and distance are determinants of the demand for hospital care. Hospitals compete with each other in terms of the waiting time and consequently treat a certain number of patients. The basic model of hospital competition is then extended to incorporate the general practitioner (GP) fundholding scheme whereby the GPs are allocated a budget with which to buy care for their patients. Waiting time increases when production of care becomes more expensive, when the benefit obtained from treatment increases, when the unit cost of distance decreases, and when the importance given to time as a performance indicator decreases. The higher the money price the lower the waiting time. Finally, the money price paid by the GP fundholders is greater than that paid by the Health Authorities and greater than the hospitals marginal cost of production. As a consequence, fundholding patients pay a zero time price while non-fundholding patients experiment a positive waiting time.

Economic Competition↗

Short-term memory for serial order: a recurrent neural network model.

Despite a century of research, the mechanisms underlying short-term or working memory for serial order remain uncertain. Recent theoretical models have converged on a particular account, based on transient associations between independent item and context representations. In the present article, the authors present an alternative model, according to which sequence information is encoded through sustained patterns of activation within a recurrent neural network architecture. As demonstrated through a series of computer simulations, the model provides a parsimonious account for numerous benchmark characteristics of immediate serial recall, including data that have been considered to preclude the application of recurrent neural networks in this domain. Unlike most competing accounts, the model deals naturally with findings concerning the role of background knowledge in serial recall and makes contact with relevant neuroscientific data. Furthermore, the model gives rise to numerous testable predictions that differentiate it from competing theories. Taken together, the results presented indicate that recurrent neural networks may offer a useful framework for understanding short-term memory for serial order.

Artificial Intelligence↗

Rising and surviving: a conceptual model of active coping among Black lesbians.

This study tested a conceptual model of active coping among a predominantly middle-class sample (N = 92) of Black lesbians (ages 18 to 68) attending a Black lesbian retreat. F. B. Tyler's (1978) active coping dimension of psychosocial competence and L. P. Anderson, C. L. Eaddy, and E. A. Williams's (1990) psychosocial competence model for Black Americans emphasizing the role of individual and environmental factors provided the theoretical framework for the study. A theoretical model was developed to examine whether internal (self-esteem, race and lesbian identification) and external (social support, perceived available lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered resources) factors predicted active coping. Results confirmed that the model of internal and external factors was a statistically significant predictor of active coping.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

The application of complex adaptive systems theory to clinical practice in rehabilitation.

It is increasingly emphasised that effective healthcare for the growing number of chronic disease and lifestyle issues must be grounded in a non-reductionist paradigm focused on understanding relationships and applying flexible problem-solving. To address these needs, key principles of complex adaptive systems theory (CAS) are being applied to healthcare planning and research. The aim of this clinical commentary is to provide a brief overview of complex adaptive systems theory and illustrate its relevance to rehabilitation professionals. Further, the review will explore occupational therapist and physiotherapist profession-specific publications for evidence of CAS theory applications that can be used to illustrate the clinical usefulness of complexity science concepts. The commentary will also identify other resources that can assist healthcare providers in developing an understanding of the framework's assumptions and principles for affecting change. Lastly, the implications of failing to acquire a competent understanding of CAS principles and command of the terminology will be addressed and therapists challenged to assume an equal role in mapping healthcare delivery in the 21st century.

Chronic Disease↗

Influence of motor disorders on the visual perception of human movements in a case of peripheral dysgraphia.

We report the case of a 71 year-old female patient (DC) with a left parietal lesion resulting in a peripheral dysgraphia essentially characterized by difficulties in letter sequences writing. The aim of our experiments was to analyze the influence of motor difficulties on the visual perception of both writing and reaching movements. Results showed a strong link between motor and perceptual performance. For reaching movements, performances in both production and perception tasks conform to the motor principles identified in healthy subjects (Fitts' law and motor anticipation). By contrast, for handwriting movements, DC's productions do not follow the motor principles usually observed in normal subjects (isochrony principle, motor anticipation) and in perception the same results were observed. The motor references used by DC in the visual perception of writing movement were not the laws of movement but rather her own way of writing. Taken together these data strongly suggest that motor competences is involved in the visual perception of human movements. They are discussed in the general framework of the simulation theory.

Aged↗

Improved communication between doctors and with managers would benefit professional integrity and reduce the occupational medicine workload.

BACKGROUND: Professional expectations for communication skills are explicit. These skills are needed for professional integrity and personal morale. Nevertheless, occupational physicians see doctors as patients for whom communication among between doctors and with their managers are the principal cause of their presenting health problems. AIM: To describe the frameworks of professionalism in medicine and the duty to care for good communication; present issues surrounding competency in communication skills; identify health problems among doctors associated with poor communication; and consider roles of economic appraisal and preventive strategies. METHOD: A literature review identified key publications of professional expectations and requirements of doctors for their communication skills. Health problems among doctors associated with poor communication and presenting at least twice in a National Health Service (NHS) occupational health (OH) department during January-December 2002, were sought by manual retrieval of all doctor-patient records. The categories of communication difficulty were agreed in the focus group discussion of the presenting problems with occupational physicians. RESULTS: Nine categories of communication difficulties among doctors resulting in their presentation in OH departments with health problems were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Personal health problems caused by poor communication involve considerable time and potential litigation costs. Doctors need to be reminded of their responsibilities. Opportunity cost studies would help to strengthen an evidence base for the need of doctors to adhere to the professional requirements of good communication skills.

Communication↗

Riddling of the orbit in a high dimensional torus and intermittent energy bursts in a nonlinear wave system.

The bifurcation scenario in a practically interesting nonlinear wave system is investigated by using a new scheme that is performed in a purely nonlinear wave framework with the Doppler effect taken into account. High-dimensional tori with three or four competing frequencies are observed. With variation of parameters a riddling of the orbit may occur intermittently due to tangency in certain dimensions, which temporarily spoils the toroidal topology and induces an energy burst where spatial coherence of the wave is lost.

Journal Article↗

A framework for portfolio development in postgraduate nursing practice.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to explore the introduction of portfolios into the first year of an MSc in Nursing Programme. BACKGROUND: This paper outlines a framework for portfolio development in postgraduate nursing practice. The framework is being piloted, within the Irish context, with students in the first year of a Masters in Nursing programme and has the potential to be developed for other nursing programmes at postgraduate level. DESIGN AND METHOD: An action research approach has been chosen to study the implementation of the portfolio and the development of a framework to guide this initiative. To date the development of the framework is being piloted as part of the 'taking action' phase of a first action research cycle. RESULTS: In its current stage of development the framework is constructed to embrace the core concepts of specialist nursing practice and the nursing management competencies, from current Irish health care documents. In addition the portfolio is anchored around personal development planning and is supported by the use of action learning tutorials and academic and practice facilitators. The first evaluating phase will take place later this year and will involve the collection of data from students, facilitators and lecturers. CONCLUSION: The introduction of the portfolio at postgraduate level has highlighted, to date, issues of confidentiality in committing experiences to paper, issues around its assessment, and issues around sharing this document with other students. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Portfolio development at postgraduate level emphasizes linking theory and practice and stresses the importance of reflection on practice. The portfolio can also be used by nurses to develop their clinical career pathways and encourage personal development planning.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

The lactic acid response to alkalosis in panic disorder : an integrative review.

Panic patients consistently show exaggerated lactic acid response to alkalosis, whether produced by hyperventilation or by sodium lactate infusion. Understanding why this occurs may provide important clues to the pathogenesis of panic disorder. Although brain hypoxia from excessive hypocapnia-induced cerebral vasoconstriction is often cited as the mechanism of elevated brain lactic acid in panic disorder, studies of brain metabolism show that hypocapnia rarely leads to brain hypoxia. Increased lactic acid production is a normal response to intracellular alkalosis and to intracellular cyclic AMP. Thus, other possible mechanisms of the exaggerated lactic acid response in panic disorder include a disturbance of mechanisms regulating intracellular pH and factors increasing intracellular cyclic AMP. Both mechanisms are consistent with the suffocation false alarm theory of panic disorder. This review suggests a theoretical framework for future magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies that can test some of the predictions of these competing models.

Alkalosis↗

Selecting international markets: lessons from for-profit hospitals.

As growth potential in the U.S. market declines and regulatory constraints increase, providers of health-related services may look increasingly to international opportunities as a way to supplement the lost domestic market. In this article, critical factors bearing on the decision to compete in international markets are identified. Existing theories of multinational competition are expanded to provide a framework for analyzing international competition. Applied in the context of the proprietary hospital industry, the critical factors governing both the selection of foreign markets and mode of entry are proposed to be host country receptivity and market growth potential.

Australia↗

Teledermatology in a changing health care environment.

To avoid marginalization and an attendant decline in the quality of care delivered, dermatologists must take the lead in defining those services that can be delivered remotely and move aggressively to create standards of nomenclature, protocols for imaging, and methods of care delivery that can be implemented in a primary-care setting. Because of the rigorous training of its practitioners in visual analysis, it may be possible for dermatology to shift from its traditional face-to-face model to an image-based, remotely practiced one. Transition to remote practice may even be critical to the survival of the specialty. Chief among the issues in the implementation of teledermatology is whether the use of video conferencing or store-and-forward technology provides the most efficient, high-quality remote diagnosis. Ancillary issues, including image protocols, bandwidth requirements, reimbursement, licensing, liability, and patient and provider satisfaction, are important as well. These issues are discussed in a framework of capitated payment in urban, integrated delivery systems. Teledermatology has many challenges to meet before competing with face-to-face delivery of dermatologic care.

Dermatology↗

Reframing the HIV/AIDS debate in developing countries IV: does ethics have anything to offer?

Dealing with HIV/AIDS is one of the major ethical challenges facing the world today. It is suggested that an expanded discourse on ethics, divided into three levels, can help give a fuller understanding of all aspects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The levels are: (1) micro level (doctor-patient relationship); (2) meso level (civic and public health ethics); and (3) macro level (ethics of international relationships). At the micro level, the four principles of respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice apply to HIV patients, as to any other. However, the overwhelming demand for medical care, and the lack of doctor availability in developing countries seriously limits their application. At the meso level, the Tavistock principles give a framework for health systems. The principles are: rights to health and health care; balancing resources among competing needs; comprehensiveness; cooperation among patients, clinicians and managers; focus on improvement, safety and openness. In this context, rights are respected by not discriminating on the basis of sex, geography, tribe or race. A balance has to be struck between treatment and prevention. Comprehensiveness means not ignoring palliative care and health improvement strategies. Cooperation requires 'the reciprocity and interdependence that characterise community'. The remaining principles are self-explanatory, but frequently ignored in health planning. At a macro level, there is a need for ethical discourse about issues like increasing inequality between rich and poor countries; the use of economic levers by developed countries to the disadvantage of developing countries; the international debt crisis; the tiny health care spend (US5-10 dollars per capita per annum) in Africa; and other problems like refugee and migrant labour movements. These factors fuel global instability and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, as well as contributing to the threat of terrorism and environmental degradation. We need to look at how the values of Western democracy can be revised to address these problems. For example, scientific knowledge should be made available to all who can benefit from it; individualism should be put into the context of the common good; and free market forces need to be modified to reflect the fact that we live in a world that is increasingly interdependent.

Journal Article↗