Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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In Turkish hospitals, in addition to health care professionals, there are people who are also a significant part of the health care services; even though they are not professionals. In Turkey, these people are known as refakatçi (a patient's companion). ⋯ Patients' companions should be defined as bioethical subjects; more specifically, they should be defined as vulnerable subjects and should not be taken advantage of. The description of patient companions as a vulnerable group allows for the ethical evaluation of similar systems, such as those in Israel, Greece, Korea, and Iran, and could allow for the development of a common solution for these systems. Moreover, such a definition provides an important basis for social, ethical, or legal studies on the health care systems in all of these countries.
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In epidemiological research, it is essential to account for the confounding effects of factors such as age, stage, and comorbidity for accurate prediction of cancer outcomes. There are several internationally developed and commonly used comorbidity indices. However, none are regarded as the gold-standard method. This study will assess and compare the predictive validity of established indices for use in a South Australian (SA) colorectal cancer (CRC) population against a local index. Furthermore, the prognostic influence of comorbidity on survival is investigated. ⋯ The existing indices are still valid for adjusting for comorbidity and accurately predicting mortality in an SA CRC population. Internationally developed indices are preferred when policymakers and researchers wish to compare local study results with those of studies (national and international) that have used these indices. Comorbidity is a predictor of mortality and should be considered when assessing CRC survival.
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Seasonal flu represents a major public health issue, especially for health care workers (HCWs). WHO highlights the need of higher awareness and flu vaccine coverage among HCWs. In Europe the coverage is less than 30-40%. Italy reports some of the lowest rates. The paper aims to illustrate the 2017/2018 flu vaccination campaign within Molinette, the third Italian hospital for dimensions, to provide inputs about strategies for increasing HCWs coverage. The campaign objective was to increase the administered doses at least of 30%. ⋯ A combined campaign, that includes actions for education, increase of awareness, improved access to facilities and active offers to workers has potentiality but there is still work to do. The vaccination increase was determined mostly by the re-organization of the occupational medicine, while the MVUs were useful to HCWs of detached offices.
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In 2015, Queen's University embarked on an institution-wide transition to a competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum for all 29 postgraduate medical education programmes. On 1 July 2017, this goal was accomplished. With this mass transition came the requirement to assess the efficacy of implementation through a programme evaluation process, which included the use of outcome harvesting (Wilson-Grau). Outcome harvesting identified the intended and unintended outcomes of CBME implementation, which helped us understand how the intervention was achieved and how the relationship between behaviours and stakeholders contributed to the successful transition. ⋯ Using outcome harvesting to assess the efficacy of CBME implementation produced a robust set of themes and resultant outcomes that can be categorized as requirements for success of implementation of any curricular innovation. Emergent themes included collaboration, community of practice, and stakeholder commitment. More unique observations noted through the harvest process included new policy development, creation of learner ownership, and an increase in the output of scholarly activity involving CBME.