Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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Empathic communication in health care may enhance positive patient and health care professional relationships, patient satisfaction and can buffer professional burnout. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) was developed based on the need to quantitatively measure levels of empathy, particularly in health care settings. Evaluating the utility of empathy is underpinned by the psychometric rigour of the instruments used to measure it. The aim of this study was to critically evaluate the current evidence on the measurement properties of the JSE. ⋯ The JSE demonstrates robust structural validity, internal consistency, and convergent validity. These measurement properties are generally well reported in the literature in studies of good methodological quality, and thus may be interpreted with relative confidence when used in empathy research. However, current evidence is limited for the properties of reliability, measurement error, and cross-cultural validity. Thus, a degree of caution should be considered in drawing conclusions when using the JSE with regard to these properties. It is recommended that future examinations of the JSE refer to the COSMIN guidelines to ensure complete and well-reported psychometric data are included.
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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.
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The psychological and emotional impact of a traumatic birth experience on clinicians is well-established. It is also known that emotions can generally influence decisions. However, it is not clear whether experiencing a birth trauma can affect the professional behaviour and decision-making of clinicians. This study explores the impact of birth trauma on clinical decision-making of midwives. ⋯ Decision-making can be impacted by the midwife's affective state related to previous experience of birth trauma. The continuum of impact may vary from increased defensiveness to increased personal and professional growth. Being aware of this impact can help midwives to better manage their emotions while making decision after traumatic birth experiences.
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Low mood may affect developing relationships with a new baby, partner and family. Early identification of mood disturbance is crucial to improve outcomes for women perinatally. Instruments such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) are used routinely, with evidence that some women do not feel comfortable with how they are asked about their mental health. ⋯ The outcome checklist may be appropriate for use in clinical practice. It demonstrated effective psychometric properties and clear cross-validation with existing commonly used measures.