Efficacy Of Initiative Research Articles

Improving Breastfeeding by Increasing LATCH Scores – Efficacy of a Resident Initiative

Introduction: There is limited research to evaluate resident interventions to increase breastfeeding. The LATCH score is a useful to tool to target short interventions as it assess both maternal and infant variables and defines areas that need intervention. The LATCH score has also been shown to predict breastfeeding duration and exclusivity. Aim: We …

Efficacy of a Resident Initiative to Increase Resident Breastfeeding Knowledge

Introduction: Breast milk has been shown to provide great health benefits both to mother and infant. Health care professionals have a critical role in interventions to promote and support breastfeeding. Aim: To assess a pediatric resident intervention to increase resident knowledge of breastfeeding. Methods: A survey was distributed among …

Improving Breastfeeding by Increasing LATCH Scores – Efficacy of a Resident Initiative

Improving Breastfeeding by Increasing LATCH Scores – Efficacy of a Resident Initiative

Increasing Skin to Skin Care in the NICU – Efficacy of a Resident Initiative

Increasing Skin to Skin Care in the NICU – Efficacy of a Resident Initiative

Efficacy of a Resident Initiative to Increase Resident Breastfeeding Knowledge

Efficacy of a Resident Initiative to Increase Resident Breastfeeding Knowledge

Choosing Wisely: Decreasing the incidence of perioperative blood transfusions in gynecologic oncology

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of a transfusion reduction initiative for patients undergoing gynecologic surgery.

The Feasibility and Efficacy of a Healthy Restaurant Initiative in Northwest Minnesota: Putting Health on the Menu Pilot Study

The Feasibility and Efficacy of a Healthy Restaurant Initiative in Northwest Minnesota: Putting Health on the Menu Pilot Study

Controlling for Prior Attainment Reduces the Positive Influence that Single-Gender Classroom Initiatives Exert on High School Students\u2019 Scholastic Achievements

Research points to the positive impact that gender-segregated schooling and classroom initiatives exert on academic attainment. An evaluation of these studies which reveal positive effects highlights, however, that students are typically selectively assigned to single- or mixed-gender instructional settings, presenting a methodological confound. The current study controls for students’ prior attainment to appraise the efficacy of a single-gender classroom initiative implemented in a co-educational high school in the United Kingdom. Secondary data analysis (using archived data) was performed on 266 middle-ability, 11–12 year-old students’ standardized test scores in Languages (English, foreign language), STEM-related (Mathematics, Science, Information and Communication Technology), and Non-STEM subjects (art, music, drama). Ninety-eight students (54, 55% female) were taught in single-gender and 168 (69, 41% female) in mixed-gender classrooms. Students undertook identical tests irrespective of classroom type, which were graded in accordance with U.K national curriculum guidelines. Controlling for students’ prior attainment, findings indicate that students do not appear to benefit from being taught in single-gender relative to mixed-gender classrooms in Language and STEM-related subjects. Young women benefitted from being taught in mixed-gender relative to single-gender classes for Non-STEM subjects. However, when prior ability is not controlled for, the intervention appears to be effective for all school subjects, highlighting the confounding influence of selective admissions. These findings suggest that gender-segregated classroom initiatives may not bolster students’ grades. It is argued that studies that do not control for selection effects may tell us little about the effectiveness of such interventions on scholastic achievement.

Reform stall: An ecological analysis of the efficacy of an urban school reform initiative to improve students’ reading and mathematics achievement

This article examines the efficacy of the implementation of a program titled Consensus Initiative [pseudonym] in an urban school district that served 20,000 linguistically, economically, and racial...

The efficacy of an education-based secondary outpatient prevention programme after acute coronary syndrome hospitalisations and treatment in Poland. The Patient Club initiative.

Guidelines on cardiovascular prevention from the European Society of Cardiology advocate sustained educational measures to be undertaken by both doctors and nurses to ensure lifestyle changes for patients after acute coronary syndromes (ACS). A planned programme of a series of educational meetings for patients after ACS was initiated in form of the Patient Club. To assess the efficacy of the Patient Club initiative in terms of increased knowledge on cardiovascular risk factors as well as utilisation of healthy lifestyle in patents who attend the programme. Patients in nine cardiology centres in Poland, who were treated for ACS between October and December 2014, were included. A dedicated questionnaire on healthy lifestyle and knowledge on cardiovascular risk factors was filled in by patients at hospital discharge. In January 2015 the same questionnaire was filled in by the same group of patients before their local Patient Club meeting. There were 1273 patients hospitalised for ACS who were invited to join the Patient Club initiative. Of them, 372 (29%) filled in the questionnaire both at discharge and at the Patient Club meeting. The percentage of patients who smoked cigarettes decreased from 14% to 5% (p < 0.001), and the number of those who had at least 30 min of physical activity daily increased from 50% to 58% (p = 0.015). Patients who attended Patient Club meetings usually four weeks after ACS showed significant benefit in terms of healthy lifestyle changes and more guideline-recommended management of cardiovascular risk factors.

From Conflict to Peace Building and Post Conflict Reconstruction: A Critical Reflection on the Nigeria Niger Delta Amnesty

Many decades of exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources have adversely affected the host communities in the Niger Delta. Environmental degradation, loss of means of livelihood, unemployment, poverty, loss of lives and general underdevelopment characterized the region. These formidable odds that threaten the survival of the Niger Delta people triggered off various shades of interminable violent agitations by militants that involved hostage taking and attacks on oil installations. These agitations, no doubt, reduced crude oil production and had adverse effect onthe national economy. This prompted the Nigerian state to intermittently launch attacks on the militants. In spite of the bombardments by the military Joint Task Force, the militants remain resolute in their agitations. Disturbed by the security and economic challenges, the Nigerian state came out with the amnesty initiative. The initiative was designed for the militants to surrender their arms, renounce militancy and also create a favourable atmosphere for the sustainable development of the region. This paper is geared towards examining theoretically, the efficacy of the amnesty initiative in finding solution to the general problem of underdevelopment in the Niger Delta. Situating the discourse within economic integration framework, the paper argues succinctly that the amnesty initiative is intentionally designed to deceitfully disarm the militants and create an enabling environment for the multinational oil companies to operate unhindered while ignoring the burning issues of underdevelopment that triggered the violent agitations in the first place. In order to avert a relapse into militancy, the Nigerian state must develop a credible rehabilitation package for the ex-militants and a holistic framework that can adequately address the problem of underdevelopment in the Niger Delta.

Evaluating the conservation impact of an innovative zoo‐based educational campaign: ‘Don't Palm Us Off’ for orang‐utan conservation

With significant biodiversity loss occurring presently, increased emphasis is being placed upon the capacity of zoos to contribute to species conservation. This paper evaluates an innovative conservation education campaign ‘Don't Palm Us Off’ implemented at Melbourne Zoo, Australia. This sought to address a lack of public awareness regarding palm oil (the product most threatening the survival of the orang-utan) and to create public support for mandatory labeling of palm oil on food products, allowing for informed consumer purchasing. Communication tools utilized included an educational video presentation played on-site, as well as You Tube video, celebrity ambassadors, and social media. Evaluation took place across four time-points: baseline, mid-point, conclusion (12 months), and follow-up. Zoo visitors (N = 403) were randomly selected whilst visiting the orang-utan exhibit, completing a questionnaire regarding knowledge about orang-utans, attitudes toward orang-utans, support for palm oil labeling, previous conservation behavior, and intentions for future behavior. Results revealed significant increases in palm oil awareness; attitudes toward orang-utans; support for palm oil labeling; and indicating labeling would influence purchasing behavior, at all times relative to baseline (P < 0.01). There were also significant increases in self-reported conservation behavior at the end of the campaign and follow-up (P < 0.05). In excess of 160,000 people additionally signed an associated petition for mandatory palm oil labeling. Overall the findings support the efficacy of this multi-faceted initiative; highlighting the importance of continued innovation in zoo-based conservation education and practice (including the integration of emerging technologies with traditional on-site education) to maximize contributions to species conservation. Zoo Biol. 33:184–196, 2014. © 2014 The Authors. Zoo Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Evaluation of the Efficacy of an Ongoing Reform Initiative of an Indian Electric Utility

This article evaluates the performance of electricity distribution divisions (EDDs) of an Indian state utility namely, Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) in terms of overall efficiency through data envelopment analysis with an objective to trace the effectiveness of an ongoing restructuring process. Relative efficiencies of the divisions are compared for the period 2005 to 2008. Further using the Malmquist productivity index and its decompositions, productivity change is investigated for EDDs during the same period. This study gives an assessment of UPCL to monitor and diagnose the changes in the productivity of EDDs, so it will help regulators to formulate more effective policies on deregulation and disintegration and to determine the appropriate productivity factor when imposing yardstick competition on electric utilities.

A quality improvement program to increase performance with clinical oncology pathways.

65 Background: Several organizations have created oncology pathways (pws) to support evidence-based medicine, and both standardize and improve the quality of care. Information is scarce; however, regarding the requirements for successful implementation of a pws program and monitoring of adherence. Methods: We assessed the efficacy of a quality assurance initiative called Practice Pathways Improvement (PPI) program to increase pws adherence to The US Oncology Network’s physician-developed Level I Pathways. We queried our electronic health record (EHR) iKnowMed to collect data before and after program initiation. Education was provided to address policies and procedures; leadership roles and responsibilities; integration of pws into the EHR and workflow; and the importance of correct data entry into the EHR. We then measured metrics including levels of assessable data (AD) (complete data, no missing or conflicting elements); On-Pathway adherence (ON-PW); and documented rationale for exceptions (EX) of Off-Pathway treatments. Metric performance reports were distributed monthly. Results: Since 2010, 10 practices of varying size (6-342 medical oncologists) and sites (2-47) voluntarily participated. Program duration ranged from 6-12 months (mos). There were 42,266 regimens evaluated during the program, covering 19 disease pws. Baseline averages, results at program end, and current averages (avg) for AD, ON-PW, and EX are shown in the Table. As of June 2012, average follow up was 19 mos (range 13-25). A normal approximation shows significance of p &lt; 0.001. Conclusions: Implementation of a quality assurance initiative containing operational, leadership, and workflow elements along with continued education is important for successful pws adherence. Tailored program components are necessary to meet individual practice needs. Establishing a foundation for a pws process is important to maintain performance over time. As the reimbursement landscape in oncology evolves, the ability to demonstrate quality of care is essential. [Table: see text]

Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis: improved compliance and impact on infection rates

The aims of this study were to determine adherence to the perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) protocol used at a large Italian teaching hospital during a 6-year period, to assess the variables associated with inappropriate administration, and to measure the impact on surgical site infection (SSI) rates. There were 28 621 patients surveyed of which 74·6% received PAP. An improvement in adherence to the PAP protocol was registered for 58·8% of patients. Significant risk factors were an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score ≥ 2 [odds ratios (OR) from 1·28 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1·19-1·37) to 1·87 (95% CI 1·43-2·44)], prolonged duration of surgery (OR 1·68, 95% CI 1·56-1·82) and urgent surgery (OR 2·16, 95% CI 1·96-2·37). During the study period, a significant reduction in SSIs rates was detected. We concluded that the global reduction of inadequate PAP administration signifies the efficacy of a multidisciplinary quality improvement initiative on antimicrobial utilization, and this is supported by the observed reduction of the SSI rate.

The Efficacy of the Trafficking in Persons Report

Anti-trafficking efforts have been adopted globally to curb human trafficking, yet many nations have failed to put initiatives into practice. As a consequence, the U.S. Department of State implemented the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report to monitor and increase efforts worldwide and serve as a guide to funding anti-trafficking programs aboard. This exploratory study investigates the efficacy of this policy initiative by means of a longitudinal assessment of the TIP Report’s tier classifications, a system that grades countries based on anti-trafficking initiatives, and determines if U.S. funded anti-trafficking initiatives internationally target those countries in need. The findings suggest that tier ranking has not improved over time, and the United States has failed to systematically allocate funds based on the recommendations of the tier classification system. Policy recommendations and implications for future research are discussed.

Measuring Accessibility for Inclusive Development: A Census Based Index

State is often involved in the challenging process of judicious allocation and apportioning of resources for an inclusive growth through creating infrastructure and ensuring accessibility- the “ability of the people to reach and engage in opportunities and activities”. The issue at the heart of the debate concerns with the “opportunities” available in a geographic area and the inhabitants’ use of those opportunities in terms of their “behaviour”. The extant literature suggests that the dominant component of the accessibility is mobility infrastructure. The present paper argues that the impact of the human development and the information infrastructure should also be considered. This paper uses the Indian census data of 2001 and develops the methodology for creating an accessibility index for a geographic unit. The paper also discusses the use of the accessibility index (AI) as a tool for evaluating the efficacy of a public policy initiative towards decreasing the exclusion of geographic units. Validation of the tool is done using the patient inflow data at a large charitable hospital in Central India and household level employment data from National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

Everything Was Better in America: Print Culture in the Great Depression. By David Welky. (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2008. x, 266 pp. Cloth, $65.00, ISBN 978-0-252-03299-8. Paper, $25.00, ISBN 978-0-252-07504-9.)

David Welky's Everything Was Better in America is an overview of “mainstream” newspapers, magazines, and books of the 1930s. Welky's goal is to describe the ruling ideas and assumptions and the definitions of “Americanness” that emerge from these sources. He argues that mainstream print culture was quite conservative, embracing traditional ideas about the distinctive nature and the superiority of American life; the efficacy of individual initiative and hard work; and the sanctity of the home and traditional gender roles. These texts constructed a vision of America free of class distinctions, radical revolutionaries, and disruptive ethnic and racial “others” present in American life. Welky's primary interlocutor is Michael Denning, whose magisterial The Cultural Front (1996) argues that popular culture was remade in the 1930s by immigrant and working-class men and women with labor and social justice sympathies. “Radical authors and radical movements have dominated the historiography of the 1930s,” Welky argues, and his goal is to correct that perceived overemphasis (p. 3).

The Efficacy of a Community‐Based Project in a Chinese Context

In this paper, the authors report the results of an exploratory study which assessed the service efficacy of a collaborative service initiative developed by a university academic department and a community‐based social service agency in a socially deprived and remote community in Hong Kong. The project aimed to foster mutual help and self‐help of low‐income families and deepen their social connection with the community. Service efficacy was assessed using a structured questionnaire and a focus group interview. After participating in the service project, the well‐being of the participants has become better and their family relationships have improved. They have developed a stronger sense of belonging toward the community. The preliminary findings support the importance of creating social network in social work practice for low‐income families residing in a deprived and remote neighborhood.

Efficacy of a radiation safety education initiative in reducing radiation exposure in the pediatric IR suite

The use of ionizing radiation is essential for diagnostic and therapeutic imaging in the interventional radiology (IR) suite. As the complexity of procedures increases, radiation exposure risk increases. We believed that reinforcing staff education and awareness would help optimize radiation safety. To evaluate the effect of a radiation safety education initiative on IR staff radiation safety practices and patient radiation exposure. After each fluoroscopic procedure performed in the IR suite during a 4-month period, dose-area product (DAP), fluoroscopy time, and use of shielding equipment (leaded eyeglasses and hanging lead shield) by IR physicians were recorded. A lecture and article were then given to IR physicians and technologists that reviewed ALARA principles for optimizing radiation dose. During the following 4 months, those same parameters were recorded after each procedure. Before education 432 procedures were performed and after education 616 procedures were performed. Physician use of leaded eyeglasses and hanging shield increased significantly after education. DAP and fluoroscopy time decreased significantly for uncomplicated peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) procedures and non-PICC procedures after education, but did not change for complicated PICC procedures. Staff radiation safety education can improve IR radiation safety practices and thus decrease exposure to radiation of both staff and patients.