Current Certification Research Articles

Safe Food Production Regimes and Potentiality of Integrated Multi-Level Food Certification System in Nepal

There is continuum of agricultural production systems between highly agrochemical intensive farming and pure organic system. The current certification system in Nepal involve two levels – organic and good agriculture practice (GAP). Other middle-way alternatives for safe food like traditional and pesticide-free systems have not been considered for certification. This paper analyses various safe-food production regimes and explore potential for integrated multi-label food-safety certification system. Taking four typologies with varied levels of food safety i.e. traditional, good agriculture practice (GAP), pesticide-free and organic products as alternatives to input-intensive production systems, this paper concludes that the integrated multi-label food safety certification system would provide choice for consumers to make price and food-safety trade-off. Labelled safer food alternatives would enable consumers to choose and pay for their safe-food need and increase consumption of safer food contributing to sustainable growth of agriculture sector

Education in thoracic anesthesia. Lessons learned from the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology (EACTA) programs.

Technology advancements provide several surgical approaches including thoracoscopic and robotic-assisted thoracic surgery. That adds more challenges for the thoracic anesthesiologists with the required high-level of skills and competencies in the anesthetic, airway management, lung isolation and separation, ventilation, and perioperative analgesic techniques. Thoracic anesthesia has gained the attraction of many anesthesiologists to being specialized in that subspecialty. That raise the concerns about the requirements and structure of formal training into thoracic anesthesia in the United States and Europe regarding. This narrative review aims to analyze the lessons learned from the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology (EACTA) in terms of the current situation, requirements, limitations, competencies, teaching techniques, assessment, and certification.

Harmonization of training, training program requirements, board certification, and the practice of cytopathology: data from the American Board of Pathology surveys

The American Board of Pathology (ABPath) has ongoing efforts to better align certification with graduate medical education, training program requirements, and pathology practice. The present study focused on the subspecialty of cytopathology. We evaluated the current content and scope of fellowship programs, practice patterns and needs of diplomates, and program director (PD) and diplomate perceptions of the ABPath certification examination to identify gaps and provide an evidence base to guide harmonization in these areas. Two surveys were administered: one directed to PDs of all 93 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) cytopathology fellowship programs and the other to cytopathology diplomates submitting continuing certification reporting to the ABPath. Most (86%) cytopathology diplomates work in smaller groups. Only 11% do >50% cytopathology in practice. Diplomates' cytopathology-related practice tasks varied, as did their perception of the content of fellowship training aligning with practice needs. In fellowship training programs, the specimen types, volumes, techniques of specimen acquisition, and graduated responsibility varied significantly. We identified areas in which current training and certification requirements are challenging for some programs. Diplomates and PDs had differing perceptions of the cytopathology examination; diplomates regarded image-based and microscopic glass slide questions as the best assessment of their knowledge. First, fellowship training programs could benefit from shared resources and should provide more graduated responsibility for fellows. Second, the ACGME Review Committee could consider this data in future program requirement revisions. Finally, information from these surveys will be useful as the ABPath adjusts certification examination content and delivery.

Test tasks of the current FOS certification that provide assessment of the progress of residents’ development of sections and topics of the academic discipline (module) «Medical and social expertise and medical and social rehabilitation»

The need to develop methods for assessing the quality of educational programs of higher professional education is currently becoming relevant, which causes the need to form a Fund of assessment tools (FOS) that have a structure, composition and integrity. Develop test tasks for the current FOS certification that provide assessment of the progress of residents development of sections and topics of the discipline (module) Medical and social expertise.

Evaluation tools of current certification: control issues revealing theoretical training of a resident in the specialty «Medical and social expertise and medical and social rehabilitation»

For certification of students for compliance with the requirements of the professional educational program, funds of evaluation funds are created, which allow to evaluate knowledge, skills and mastered competencies. In addition, they should become an effective means of training and mastering the work program (module). The goal of the WCF is, first of all, to create conditions for the development of competencies among students for successful professional implementation. Control questions developed to identify the theoretical training of students allow you to evaluate basic knowledge, logic and other communication skills.

Book Reviews

Verklan MT, Walden M, Forest S, eds. Elsevier; 2021. Paperback; 800 pages.The purpose of any book with the title Core Curriculum is to provide the foundational content needed for safe nursing practice for a particular patient population. Core Curriculum for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing provides content for nurses caring for high-acuity neonatal patients requiring intensive care monitoring and management from the first days of life. Because the content is presented in an outline format, it can easily be used for both study and reference. There are multiple boxes, tables, and figures throughout the book, providing additional context to the outline format. This book is also intended to be a study guide for current certification examinations available to neonatal intensive care nurses.The content is divided into 4 parts: (1) Antepartum, Intrapartum, and Transition to Extrauterine Life; (2) Cornerstones of Clinical Practice; (3) Pathophysiology: Management and Treatment of Common Disorders; and (4) Professional Practice. Part 1 discusses both uncomplicated care and any complications that may arise during the antepartum, intrapartum, and transition to extrauterine life period. Topics include perinatal substance abuse and neonatal delivery room resuscitation.Part 2 addresses the basic needs of all neonates, including assessment, developmental needs, pharmacology, family needs, and patient safety. Genetics is also included in this section, as well as discharge planning and intra- and interfacility transport.Part 3 focuses on issues related to body systems; the first 4 chapters are dedicated to respiratory distress, apnea, assisted ventilation, and extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation. In addition, a chapter is devoted to congenital anomalies.Finally, part 4 addresses the professional practice issues that arise while caring for this vulnerable population. This part also discusses neonatal research and ethical and legal issues. The chapter on research covers both the evaluation of existing research and the issues related to conducting ethical research with neonates. This chapter also discusses the role of the nurse in advocating for the patient and family when research is being considered and performed.Reference lists are provided at the end of each chapter. An appendix at the end of the book contains the newborn metric conversion tables for temperature, length, and weight.Overall, this edition of the Core Curriculum for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing provides the knowledge base required to give safe care to these small patients and their families and the framework of study materials needed for certification examinations. Educators may use this book as a reference guide, students may use it for study materials, and practicing nurses may use it for reference and certification preparation.Harper MG, Bodine J, Russell J. Association for Nursing Professional Development; 2020.This small booklet is part of the Nursing Professional Development Quick Guide Series. The goal of this book is to provide an overview of the process of gap analysis; that is, the “difference in the current state and desired state of practice.” Conducting an effective gap analysis helps determine the learning needs and how best to address them. (It is not always a PowerPoint presentation!) Links to additional resources are available throughout the booklet via QR codes. A table summarizes methods of data collection, with both advantages and disadvantages listed for each method.Kapp KM, Defelice RA. Association for Talent Development; 2019. Paperback.What is microlearning? In this short book, the authors attempt to answer that question. Or, to be more precise, they provide the theory of microlearning and the concepts and research that support its use. Think of learning in short bites. It could be a text message; it could be an app(lication); or it could be a game. Although it may take just as long to develop the process and content, microlearning should fit more easily within the workflow. Imagine learning just-in-time at the teachable moment, rather than sitting in a classroom or for hours in front of a computer. If you are an educator, this type of instructional design could be of interest to you.

Comparison of Two Simulated Procedural Assessment Formats in Attending Emergency Physicians.

BackgroundEmergency physicians must be proficient at inserting central venous catheters and performing lumbar punctures to provide life-saving therapies to critically ill patients. An assessment of procedural skill is rarely performed after an emergency physician has completed residency. Current board certification exams for emergency medicine focus only on verbal descriptions of procedures to assess skill. We compared two methods of procedural skill assessment, simulated task trainer and verbal description, to assess the range of skill in central venous catheter insertion and lumbar punctures of emergency attending physicians at a large, urban, academic tertiary care institution.MethodologyThis is a prospective cohort study of simulated internal jugular central venous catheter insertion and lumbar puncture skill by emergency attending physicians on a task trainer versus verbal description. A total of 17 attending emergency medicine physicians consented to participate in the study during a yearly procedural skills session. For each subject, two expert raters used previously published checklists to assess procedural skill and give a global rating score.ResultsMore checklist items were performed correctly on the task trainer than on verbal assessment for central line (task trainer = 78.4% ± 8.32% and verbal = 68.26% ± 8.9%) and lumbar puncture (task trainer = 85.57% ± 7.6% and verbal = 73.53%4 ± 10.34%) procedures, both with significant differences (p < 0.001). Of the participants, 82% strongly preferred the task trainer format to the verbal description assessment format.ConclusionsThe higher scores on the simulated format compared to the current verbal format imply that a shift towards simulated procedural assessment techniques may benefit examinees. More work is needed to determine if objective checklist scores for practicing attending emergency physicians correlate with subjective expert assessments of their procedural skills.

Energy budgets for coordinate invariant robot control in physical human–robot interaction

In this work we consider the current certification process of applications with physical human–robot interaction (pHRI). Two major hazards are collisions and clamping scenarios. The implementation of safety measures in pHRI applications typically depends strongly on coordinates, e.g., to monitor the robot velocity or to predict external forces. We show that the current certification process does not, in general, guarantee a safe robot behavior. In particular, in unstructured environments it is not possible to predict all risks in advance. We therefore propose to control the energy of the robot, which is a coordinate invariant entity. For an impedance controlled robot, the total energy consists of potential energy and kinetic energy. The energy flow from task description to physical interaction follows a strict causality. We assign a safe energy budget for the robot. With this energy budget, the presented controller auto-tunes its parameters to limit the exchanged kinetic energy during a collision and the potential energy during clamping scenarios. In contact, the robot behaves compliantly and therefore eliminates clamping danger. After contact, the robot automatically continues to follow the desired trajectory. With this approach the number of safety-related parameters to be determined can be reduced to one energy value, which has the potential to significantly speed up the commissioning of pHRI applications. The proposed technique is validated by experiments.

Current Status of Training and Certification for Congenital Heart Surgery Around the World: Proceedings of the Meetings of the Global Council on Education for Congenital Heart Surgery of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery.

The optimal training of the highly specialized congenital heart surgeon is a long and complex process, which is a significant challenge in most parts of the world. The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery (WSPCHS) has established the Global Council on Education for Congenital Heart Surgery as a nonprofit organization with the goal of assessing current training and certification and ultimately establishing standardized criteria for the training, evaluation, and certification of congenital heart surgeons around the world. The Global Council and the WSPCHS have reviewed the present status of training and certification for congenital cardiac surgery around the world. There is currently lack of consensus and standardized criteria for training in congenital heart surgery, with significant disparity between continents and countries. This represents significant obstacles to international job mobility of competent congenital heart surgeons and to the efforts to improve the quality of care for patients with Congenital Heart Disease worldwide. The purpose of this article is to summarize and document the present state of training and certification in congenital heart surgery around the world.

Building APRN Gerontology Workforce Capacity Through New APRN Gerontological Specialist Certification

Building APRN Gerontology Workforce Capacity Through New APRN Gerontological Specialist Certification

Interstate green standards of formation sustainable built environment vital activity

Introduction. Due to the negative environmental situation on Earth, the necessity to use “green” standards in construction, regulated by environmental standards, to reduce the negative impact on nature and create favorable living environment for humans was determined. It was revealed that eleven of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals approved at the United Nations General Assembly are interrelated with construction. At the same time, “green” design standards are a mechanism for achieving Sustainable Development Goals as well as regulatory tool for creating an environmentally friendly environment for living and working.&#x0D; Materials and methods. The stages of the formation of environmental legislation in construction are studied. Specific features of the formation of regulatory documents in the field of environmental protection and environmental design (mid 20th – early 21st centuries), as well as the transition to the creation of National Russian “green” standards are reviewed. The mechanism of development of interstate standards on the basis of the Technical Committee is being studied.&#x0D; Results. National environmental legislation and Russian national “green” standards regulatory requirements are studied. The advantages and disadvantages of current environmental certification systems and core aspects of buildings environmental assessment are highlighted. The necessity for the use of interstate environmental standards in design and construction is determined along with the allocation of strategy for further development in the urban planning field. Specific features of the formation of “green” construction in Russia, as a driver for the Eurasian Customs Union are revealed.&#x0D; Conclusions. The priority of formating “green” living environment on the basis of the introduction of new regulatory framework on environmentally sustainable design to promote the National “green” standard in construction at the interstate level is outlined.

Information Technologies in Foreign Language Teaching

The article reveals the main possibilities of using information technologies in the implementation of language education in a non-linguistic university in the context of a complete transition to distance education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the basis of the analysis of domestic and foreign scientific sources and the accumulated pedagogical experience, the effectiveness of on-line pedagogy is investigated. The research materials are educational websites, MGIMO educational platforms, free applications (Google classroom, etc. ) and platforms (Moodle, Edmodo.com and others) in the implementation of the base of distance education in a foreign language. To achieve the goal of language learning in the conditions of COVID-19 quarantine, ICTs were used in four directions: educational platforms, online conferences, educational sites and applications for free language learning, sites (with duplicate applications) for creating tests.Teaching a foreign language in the conditions of the COVID-19 quarantine and the use of IT was implemented in MGIMO OF in March-December 2020 in the following 4 main areas::1. Educational platforms Moodle, MS Teams, Edmodo, Google classroom, etc. they allowed teachers to create and conduct off-line classes. A number of Google classes were organized at MGIMO OF: bk74rxe, 6hcdyrh, hfcrter, etc., where the teaching staff placed the corresponding tasks for students.2. To conduct on-line pairs and improve the language competence of students, the capabilities of Google hangouts meet, Zoom conferences, etc. were used, which was aimed at improving listening and speaking skills. Practice has shown that about 75% of students on-line classes aroused interest, although some students experienced some difficulties.3. Apps and educational websites provide real opportunities for teaching staff and students to download and discuss authentic materials. This contributed to the creation of a natural language environment and the launch of the process of improving the level of proficiency in a non-native language in the context of distance learning.The implementation of on-line pedagogy tools in this area was interesting to about 77% of students, especially they were impressed by the opportunity to work with websites independently.4. The sites and their duplicate applications were used to create the tests. Google forms, kahoot.com, Quizlet.com Moodle tests, etc. play an indisputably important role in the organization and conduct of current control. In the Odintsovo Branch of MGIMO, teachers regularly conduct current and intermediate certification of students using IT (see link: http://ed.odin.mgimo.ru/sdo.php).So, based on the theoretical analysis and study of the results of pedagogical activity in MGIMO (Odintsovo) in a given way, it allowed us to conclude that it is possible to successfully implement language education in a distance format

UPSET RECOVERY TRAINING FOR CIVIL AVIATION PILOTS

The paper is devoted to the problems of civil pilots upset recovery training. This is quite a new problem, which occurred due to the change in civil aviation pilots training programs that became possible due to the high level of modern civil aircraft automation. The upset recovery training removal negatively affected the level of flight safety both in our country and all over the world. The paper presents legal documents for flight simulations certification. Types of aircraft for civil pilots initial training used all over the world are described too. The analysis of the new types of light training aircraft that can be used as a change in the civil aviation academies was conducted. Modern upset recovery training program and its blind spots were studied in this paper in details. The problems of modern studies in upset recovery in civil aviation are the central part of this work. The paper contains information about legislative framework obsolescence, and creation of a new type of aviation simulator, that can simulate upset recovery situations concept. Current legislative framework of aviation simulators licensing is analyzed in this paper in comparison with the best international practices, regulations and recommendations. Conducted analysis showed that current certification legislative framework became obsolete and needs a revision for maintaining high standards in flight safety. Recommendations connected with the change of initial training types of aircraft in civil aviation academies are given.

Monte Carlo Simulation Methodology to Assess the Impact of Ambient Wind on Emissions from a Light-Commercial Vehicle Running on the Worldwide-Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC)

A Monte Carlo simulation methodology is suggested in order to assess the impact of ambient wind on a vehicle’s performance and emissions. A large number of random wind profiles is generated by implementing the Weibull and uniform statistical distributions for wind speed and direction, respectively. Wind speed data are drawn from eight cities across Europe. The vehicle considered is a diesel-powered, turbocharged, light-commercial vehicle and the baseline trip is the worldwide harmonized light-duty vehicles WLTC cycle. A detailed engine-mapping approach is used as the basis for the results, complemented with experimentally derived correction coefficients to account for engine transients. The properties of interest are (engine-out) NO and soot emissions, as well as fuel and energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Results from this study show that there is an aggregate increase in all properties, vis-à-vis the reference case (i.e., zero wind), if ambient wind is to be accounted for in road load calculation. Mean wind speeds for the different sites examined range from 14.6 km/h to 24.2 km/h. The average increase in the properties studied, across all sites, ranges from 0.22% up to 2.52% depending on the trip and the property (CO2, soot, NO, energy consumption) examined. Based on individual trip assessment, it was found that especially at high vehicle speeds where wind drag becomes the major road load force, CO2 emissions may increase by 28%, NO emissions by 22%, and soot emissions by 13% in the presence of strong headwinds. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the adverse effect of headwinds far exceeds the positive effect of tailwinds, thus explaining the overall increase in fuel/energy consumption as well as emissions, while also highlighting the shortcomings of the current certification procedure, which neglects ambient wind effects.

Working Paper 34: Local certification through Collective Action

How can local certification of small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) help to alleviate anti-corruption due diligence for SMEs as well as multinational corporations (MNC) seeking to work with them. This Working Paper by the Basel Institute's Collective Action team attempts to answer that question based on discussions and analysis of current local certification initiatives in different countries and sectors.&#x0D; Local certification in this context means the assessment of a company’s anti-corruption compliance standards according to a method devised through a Collective Action and developed within a domestic (local) market. The local component also involves verification (certification) by a reputable organisation based in the same country as the entity that is being certified. &#x0D; The paper explores:&#x0D; &#x0D; Due diligence dilemmas faced by both SMEs and MNCs.&#x0D; How local certification can help SMEs develop and demonstrate robust anti-corruption compliance procedures.&#x0D; How a trusted certification programme can help alleviate due diligence on third parties by MNCs, using a risk-based approach.&#x0D; Wider benefits, including raising standards of compliance across the board.&#x0D; How a Collective Action approach boosts the potential of local certification to achieve these wins.&#x0D; Special considerations and six practical recommendations for practitioners seeking to raise levels of anti-corruption compliance through a local certification scheme.&#x0D;

Eligibility of Certification Schemes for the Electrical Installation Competency of Electrical Engineering Education Study Program Students

The objectives of this study were to: (1) know the weaknesses of current certification model, (2) describe a Certification Scheme of Electrical Installation Competency for the Electrical Engineering Education Study Program (EEESP) Students’, Faculty of Engineering, Yogyakarta State University, and (3) know the eligibility of the Certification Scheme for Electrical Installation Competency of Electrical engineering Education Study program Students’. This research was conducted in the Department of Electrical Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering, Yogyakarta State University from February to September 2020. This research is survey. The data collection used a questionnaire and an assessment of the feasibility of the certification scheme. The research respondents were lecturers, students, assessors, and practitioners in the field of Electrical Installation Competency. The validation of the research instrument was based on expert judgment by calculating the Aiken’s V index. The reliabilities of instrument were measured by Alpha Cronbach and Inter rater using interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The data analysis technique used quantitative descriptive analysis, namely mean and percentage. The results of the research were as follows: (1) The weaknesses of current certification model were: (a) expensive competency test costs (77%), (b) there is no special certification scheme for the Electrical Engineering Education Study Program students as a prospective teacher (68%), (c) unclear competency test mechanism (52%), (d) inadequate competency test material (51%), and (f) the competency level tested was not suitable (32%); (2) The developed certification scheme is Low Voltage Electrical Installation Engineering Competency for EEESP Students’; (3) The Eligibility of the Electrical Installation Competency Certification Scheme for EEESP Students’ is very eligible with an average score of 3.66 out of 4.00.

A Survey of Cybersecurity Certification for the Internet of Things

In recent years, cybersecurity certification is gaining momentum as the baseline to build a structured approach to mitigate cybersecurity risks in the Internet of Things (IoT). This initiative is driven by industry, governmental institutions, and research communities, which have the goal to make IoT more secure for the end-users. In this survey, we analyze the current cybersecurity certification schemes, as well as the potential challenges to make them applicable for the IoT ecosystem. We also examine current efforts related to risk assessment and testing processes, which are widely recognized as the processes to build a cybersecurity certification framework. Our work provides a multidisciplinary perspective of a possible IoT cybersecurity certification framework by integrating research and technical tools and processes with policies and governance structures, which are analyzed against a set of identified challenges. This survey is intended to give a comprehensive overview of cybersecurity certification to facilitate the definition of a framework that fits in emerging scenarios, such as the IoT paradigm.

Specific learning disability in the context of current diagnostic systems and policies in India: Implications for assessment and certification.

Specific Learning Disability (SLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with significant problems in language processing, which are evident through difficulties in reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics. SLD was notified as a disability by the Government of India in 2016. Until then, it was primarily left to the discretion of the individual education boards to decide the assessment procedures and support measures for a child suspected to have SLD. However, with the enforcement of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 (RPWD Act), there is a legal binding to follow specific guidelines for assessment and certification mentioned in the RPWD Act. Nonetheless, there are issues inherent to the construct of SLD described in the diagnostic manuals and the current certification processes under the RPWD Act. In this context, this paper highlights the discrepancies in the requirements of the RPWD Act and the diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Diseases -10 (ICD-10) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual- 5 (DSM-5) and draws implications for assessment and certification procedures which will affect the lives of millions of children in the Indian context. It also presents potential solutions and possible future directions related to the assessment of the SLD.

Unbalance characteristics of fundamental and harmonic currents of three‐phase electric vehicle battery chargers

Three-phase electric vehicle (EV) battery chargers are expected to not impact the unbalance of distribution networks; moreover, using active power factor correction topologies they are expected to behave like resistive loads not affecting the system harmonic distortion. In this study, unexpected unbalance characteristics of fundamental and harmonic currents of three-phase EV battery chargers are analysed by means of experimental tests performed on two EV cars of different technology. In order to quantify unbalance and harmonic distortion, proper comprehensive indices, in part developed in this study with specific reference to currents, are utilised. The unbalanced current absorbed even under ideal voltage balanced supply conditions by one of the two EV tested is shown and quantified constituting a real-life case study of endogenous unbalance. Then, the influence of voltage unbalance supply conditions on fundamental and harmonic currents is evaluated by means of a proposed testing procedure, obtaining case studies of exogenous unbalance. The experimental results obtained for the two EVs should be extended to a larger set of cars; anyway, they show the need, before moving forward to full grid EV connection, for utilities and for designers to improve the current standard certification process and the control performances of three-phase battery chargers.

GAP rater certification program transforms the rater certification process

AbstractBackgroundRater certification is a key component in successful study startup and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) trial execution, but the current certification process is time consuming and redundant across trials. Existing rater training has not changed substantially in years, has become more complex, and offers raters limited opportunity to enhance cognitive assessment skills.MethodThe GAP Rater Certification Program is designed to transform rater certification. The GAP‐Net Rater Certification Matrix defines scale‐specific standards for proven, experienced, and developing raters (Figure 1). Standards are based on education, experience, previous certification, and demonstration of mastery. Rater training and certification follow defined processes and include the option to recertify after one year (Figure 2). Training is appropriately targeted to the rater’s level of experience and effectively tests the rater’s knowledge of each cognitive assessment. Rater qualifications maintained in a single database eliminate the need to complete Rater Experience Surveys (RES) on every trial.ResultThe GAP Rater Certification Program has been delivered to over 50 raters across 20 GAP‐Net sites. GAP is surveying participating raters and will share results of the Program’s implementation and impact. Initial results indicate the following: GAP’s Demonstration of Mastery provides effective ‘applied training’ by assessing rater’s knowledge of scales and administration competency and also providing a platform to share strategies that deliver meaningful outcomes. A rater certification process across AD trials is highly likely to save time during the qualification process and accelerate study startup. Expanding the Program to new / developing raters will increase the pool of raters at sites and eliminate potential startup bottlenecks. The applied training is appropriately targeted to rater’s level of experience. Redundant training will be minimized. One model predicts 84 hours would be saved using the Program over 6 trials for every site. GAP Rater Certification Database (InvestigatorSpace) facilitates information collection and sharing and increases efficiency during site selection and study startup.ConclusionThe GAP Rater Certification Program removes redundancies in study startup and incorporates targeted training and Demonstration of Mastery designed to ensure quality raters and study data. Further enhancements will continue to focus on improving efficiencies and precision in rater qualification.