Ensure Quality Assurance Research Articles

Adequate Funding: A Need for Quality Assurance in Vocational Education

Vocational Education is capital intensive. This is because it is not like any of the liberal academic discipline that has to do with theories rather Vocational Education has to do with skill acquisition and competencies on its beneficiaries. For this to be possible there must be adequate fund to provide facilities, equipment, materials and all the needed prerequisite. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in institutions running Vocational Eeducation. To solve this problem, the writer identified the funding needs of vocational education and went further to discuss the constraints for adequate funding of vocational education. The paper was concluded with suggestions for alternative strategies for adequate funding of Vocational Education to ensure quality assurance. Some of the suggestions among others are that Vocational Education practitioners should convince government to increase allocation or subventions to Vocational Education Institution. Internally generated revenue project should be established via school livestock, crop farms, product manufacturing, bottled water, block moulding, arts works, cloth making, etc. Also staff and students of Home Economics Education should be marketed as caterers and event managers to generate revenue internally to promote Vocational Education. PTA should be involved in the funding of Vocational Education programme.

Adequate Funding: A Need for Quality Assurance in Vocational Education

Vocational Education is capital intensive. This is because it is not like any of the liberal academic discipline that has to do with theories rather Vocational Education has to do with skill acquisition and competencies on its beneficiaries. For this to be possible there must be adequate fund to provide facilities, equipment, materials and all the needed prerequisite. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in institutions running Vocational Eeducation. To solve this problem, the writer identified the funding needs of vocational education and went further to discuss the constraints for adequate funding of vocational education. The paper was concluded with suggestions for alternative strategies for adequate funding of Vocational Education to ensure quality assurance. Some of the suggestions among others are that Vocational Education practitioners should convince government to increase allocation or subventions to Vocational Education Institution. Internally generated revenue project should be established via school livestock, crop farms, product manufacturing, bottled water, block moulding, arts works, cloth making, etc. Also staff and students of Home Economics Education should be marketed as caterers and event managers to generate revenue internally to promote Vocational Education. PTA should be involved in the funding of Vocational Education programme. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n15p105

Ensuring Quality Assurance In Vocational Education

Vocational education emphasises skill acquisition. Quality assurance in vocational education is a concept that is concerned with high performance involving activities with vocational education such as teaching, learning, infrastructures, students behaviour and the entire academic process. Quality vocational education refers to input and output of the programme, the expressions of standard by which certain goals can be achieved. The concept of quality assurance, its implication for university education cannot be over emphasised as the performance indicators of vocational education still requires serious attention. Good quality education is very necessary in the total development of the student, which ensures proper development, job prospects and the realization of academic goals and objectives. There are varied factors working against the realisation of quality vocational education in our universities today. The focus of this paper therefore is to highlight the concept of quality assurance in vocational education, factors militating against it, and strategies for ensuring quality assurance were recommended. The paper concludes that if the quality assurance in vocational education must be achieved in the universities there is the need for urgent steps to be taken towards reformation of the programme.

Intermediate frequency magnetic field and chick embryotoxicity

Intermediate frequency magnetic fields (MFs) have widely been used in industrial machines and home appliances, such as induction heating cookers, although toxicity studies to evaluate the potential health risks of such fields are insufficient. In induction heating cookers, the MF source (i.e. hobs), is located near the abdominal position of a person cooking. Hence, developmental effects on the fetus may be a concern in case the person is a pregnant woman. Fertile White Leghorn eggs (60/group) were either exposed to 20 kHz, 1.1 mT(rms) or 60 kHz, 0.11 mT(rms) sinusoidal MFs for 19 days during embryogenesis. The same number of eggs served as a control group. In addition, a sham-sham experiment was conducted to validate the equality between exposure and control facilities. After exposure, embryos were examined for mortality rate and stage. Live embryos were evaluated for developmental stage and gross and skeletal anomalies. Length of upper beak and leg digits was also measured. Examinations were conducted in a blinded fashion to ensure quality assurance; experiments were triplicated for each frequency to confirm the outcome reproducibility. Mortality rate and stage, incidence of malformed embryos, and developmental variables in live embryos were found to be similar between the MF-exposed and corresponding control group. Incidence of gross anomalies such as mandibular edema and skeletal anomalies such as coccyx defects were low across the experiments, and no significant group differences were noted. In conclusion, exposure to 20 kHz or 60 kHz MF did not produce any significant teratogenic developmental effects in chick embryos.

Realizing Digital Signatures for Medical Imaging and Reporting in a PACS Environment

According to Taiwan's legislation pertaining to the protection of electronic data, the creators of electronic medical records (EMR) are solely responsible for the security of EMR. However, actual implementations that fulfill the security standards and requirements for electronic medical record systems are still lacking. Most EMR created from picture archive and communication system are not considered secure, as security protection mechanisms have not yet been granted legal status. This paper describes the details of establishing a digital signature system using Taiwan health professional cards. A digital signature system has been included to ensure quality assurance (QA) operations are controlled by technicians, and reporting capabilities have been provided for radiologist. Six imaging modalities and eight types of radiology reports have also been included in the system. Results indicate that the process of creating QA signatures does not have an adverse effect on the workflow of the facility, requiring less time for the signing and verification of radiology reports. This system has already been used routinely online in a real clinical setting for more than 2 years.

Evaluation of a new clinical performance assessment tool : A reliability study

Clinical practice is an essential requirement of any graduatephysiotherapy programme. For this purpose, valid and reliable assessment toolsare paramount for the measurement of key competencies in the real-worldsetting. This study aims to determine the internal consistency and inter-raterreliability of a newly developed and validated clinical performance assessmentform. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was used, which includedpaired evaluations of 32 (17 treatment and 15 assessment) student examinationsperformed by two independent clinical educators. Chronbachs alpha was computedto assess internal consistency and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC’s) withconfidence intervals of 95% were computed to determine the percentage agreement between paired examiners. Thedegree of internal consistency was substantial for all key performance areas of both examinations, except for timeand organisational management (0.21) and professionalism (0.42) in the treatment and evaluation examinationsrespectively. The overall internal consistency was 0.89 and 0.73 for both treatment and assessment examinations,indicating substantial agreement. With regard to agreement between raters, the ICC’s for the overall marks were0.90 and 0.97 for both treatment and assessment examinations. Clinical educators demonstrated a high level ofreliability in the assessment of students’ competence using the newly developed clinical performance assessment form.These findings greatly underscore the reliability of results obtained through observation of student examinations, andadd another tool to the basket of ensuring quality assurance in physiotherapy clinical practice assessment.

Quality Assurance in Military Medical Research and Medical Radiation Accident Management

The provision of quality radiation-related medical diagnostic and therapeutic treatments cannot occur without the presence of robust quality assurance and standardization programs. Medical laboratory services are essential in patient treatment and must be able to meet the needs of all patients and the clinical personnel responsible for the medical care of these patients. Clinical personnel involved in patient care must embody the quality assurance process in daily work to ensure program sustainability. In conformance with the German Federal Government's concept for modern departmental research, the international standard ISO 9001, one of the relevant standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is applied in quality assurance in military medical research. By its holistic approach, this internationally accepted standard provides an excellent basis for establishing a modern quality management system in line with international standards. Furthermore, this standard can serve as a sound basis for the further development of an already established quality management system when additional standards shall apply, as for instance in reference laboratories or medical laboratories. Besides quality assurance, a military medical facility must manage additional risk events in the context of early recognition/detection of health risks of military personnel on deployment in order to be able to take appropriate preventive and protective measures; for instance, with medical radiation accident management. The international standard ISO 31000:2009 can serve as a guideline for establishing risk management. Clear organizational structures and defined work processes are required when individual laboratory units seek accreditation according to specific laboratory standards. Furthermore, international efforts to develop health laboratory standards must be reinforced that support sustainable quality assurance, as in the exchange and comparison of test results within the scope of external quality assurance, but also in the exchange of special diagnosis data among international research networks. In summary, the acknowledged standard for a quality management system to ensure quality assurance is the very generic standard ISO 9001.Health Phys. 103(2):221-225; 2012.

Tips for Developing a Valid and Reliable Bank of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are one of the most frequently used written assessments particularly when there is a large body of material to be tested and a large number of students to be assessed. MCQ examinations have manageable logistics, are easy to administer, can be scored rapidly and difficulty indices and the discriminatory value of each item can be easily calculated, facilitating standard application. Methods of ensuring quality assurance are essential when assessment is used for the purposes of certification. Developing MCQs requires a concerted effort from curriculum planners, content experts, course coordinators and medical educators. This article aims at outlining a stepwise approach towards ensuring quality assurance in written assessments in an integrated curriculum from aligning assessment with the learning to ensuring banking of good quality MCQs. Coordinated efforts and a stepwise approach towards item development, coupled with focused faculty development exercises, is a cost-effective means of developing a huge 'Question Data Bank' of valid and reliable test items which can serve as a National Resource for the Professional Regulatory Councils in the country for their Licensure Examination.

The development of orthodontic managed clinical networks in the united kingdom

Managed clinical networks were developed in the UK as an alternative model of healthcare delivery. They are said to focus on the patient journey making best use of available resources, improving access and the quality of care. They are based on a concept pioneered in Scotland and have recently been introduced into dentistry. This paper reviews the historical background and structures of existing UK orthodontic networks. Clinical Relevance: The recent introduction of managed clinical networks into orthodontics is designed to improve equity of patient access and the quality of care. It is also said to have economic benefits, with services designed to cross geographical, political and National Health Service (NHS) boundaries, providing a way of achieving full coverage of specialist services beyond historical provision based in major population centres. The key principles ensure quality assurance and standardized evidence-based care aiming to improve clinical standards and, ultimately, the allocation of resources.

Surveillance culture monitoring of double-balloon enteroscopy reprocessing with high-level disinfection

Inadequate reprocessing of double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) or of endoscopic accessories may result in iatrogenic infections and present a risk to public health. To use microbiological surveillance culture monitoring (SCM) to assess the adequacy of high-level disinfection (HLD) with standard reprocessing procedures of DBE. We performed a prospective study on cultures collected from DBEs that had been treated by HLD by an automated endoscope washing machine (AEWM) decontamination cycle. This study included 42 cases with 57 cultures, which were collected consecutively between October 2009 and December 2010. In 31 cases, 31 cultures were collected from oral route DBE (mean patient age, 68·9 years), and in 23 cases, 26 cultures were collected from anal route DBE (mean patient age, 67·9 years). The results obtained were compared with those of our previous study of SCM on gastroscopy (GS) and colonoscopy (CS). The samples were collected by flushing 50 mL sterile distilled water into the suction channel and collecting the flow-through in a sterile container. The samples were then incubated at 37 °C and examined for bacterial growth. Before HLD, the positive culture rate was 83·9% (26/31) for the oral route DBE and 100% (26/26) for the anal route DBE (P = 0·0406). After HLD, the positive culture rate was 12·9% (4/31) for the oral route DBE and 19·2% (5/26) for the anal route DBE (P > 0·05). A linear trend relationship was found between positive SCM and the length and category of diagnostic instruments--GS, CS, oral route DBE and anal route DBE. Surveillance culture monitoring is a useful method to assess the effectiveness of HLD reprocessing of DBE. Machine washing may not achieve complete disinfection. Using AEWM regularly is mandatory to minimize cross-contamination and to ensure quality assurance. Additional procedures are necessary to employ for the longer and anal route DBE.

S8.4 Laboratory harmonisation and quality-assurance issues: challenges and opportunities

There are significant gaps in gonococcal susceptibility data particularly in high-burden countries. Laboratory detection of gonococci with reduced susceptibility to azithromycin and cephalosporins is of particular concern. Coordinated and standardised...

IUGA guidelines for training in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive pelvic surgery (FPM-RPS)

The first International Urogynecological Association (IUGA) Educational Guidelines were published in 2002 [Drutz HP, Riss PA, Halaska M, Hanzal E, Khullar V, Koelbl H, Vervest H: Guidelines: IUGA Guidelines for Training in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (U-RPS). IUGA Educational Committee. Int Urogynecol J (2002) 13: 386–395]. At the 32nd IUGA Annual Meeting, in Cancun, Mexico (June 2007), the Education Committee (Chair: E. Hanzal) asked Professors Drutz and Koelbl to form a subcommittee to revise and update the original guidelines. A review of the original guidelines was done by the Division of Urogynecology (Staff and Fellows), University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto. A Special Educational Workshop was held at the 33rd IUGA meeting in Taipei, Taiwan (September 2008). Invited presentations of the current status of Educational Guidelines in their individual countries were presented by doctors H. Drutz (Canada), J. Gebhart (USA), C. Benness (Australia), P. Toozs-Hobson (UK), E. Hanzal (Austria), and H. Vervest (The Netherlands). The Special Workshop was attended by Fellowship Program Directors, members of the IUGA Educational Committee and current trainees in existing postgraduate programs. All of their suggestions have been incorporated in this version. In the opinion of the Educational Committee, the Guidelines represent a consensus of IUGA and provide standards of knowledge and skills in Urogynecology/ Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (U-RPS) and Female Pelvic Medicine/Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (FPM-RPS) at the three levels. It is the obligation of national societies and licensing bodies to use the guidelines and adapt them to national and regional needs. The Education Committee recognizes that the practice of healthcare in women in general, and of female pelvic health varies widely throughout the world, and is dependent on cultural, socio-economic and professional circumstances. However, the Education Committee feels that there is a need for standards for training in U-RPS/FPM-RPS at all levels of medical education in order to ensure quality assurance purposes. Finally, the Committee recognizes the need for regular review of these guidelines, which is reported here.

Screening for Breast Cancer with Mammography: Current Status and An Overview

This article reviews the current status of Mammographic screening in early detection of Breast cancer. A brief introduction on the global breast cancer burden is followed by an overview of the data proving the benefits of screening mammography in those countries where screening programs are in place. The screening recommendations, the benchmarks of a successful mammographic screening program and an overview of the guidelines that have been implemented for ensuring quality assurance in the USA and Europe are presented. The pertinent aspects of mammographic interpretation and the role of non mammographic screening methods are also discussed.

Human Enteric Viruses Occurrence in Shellfish from European Markets

Different sources were consulted to obtain information on the occurrence of viruses in bivalve molluscs on the European market. Twenty-six peer-reviewed articles were identified reporting on the molecular detection of viral RNA in 4,260 samples in total. The data obtained will be presented geographically on virus types detected, the origin and treatment of the shellfish, and the detection technique applied. The data demonstrate that viral RNA can be detected in shellfish from polluted areas, in depurated shellfish as well as those for human consumption. The European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) database was consulted as another source. Twenty-eight notifications were identified on the presence of hepatitis A virus or norovirus in shellfish on the European market. The most recent report of the European laboratory network was referred to, to gain insight into the laboratory capability at present for the analyses of shellfish on the presence of viruses. Approximately 67% of 27 participating laboratories obtained intended results for all samples, consisting of lenticules loaded with 103 copies norovirus (genogroup I (GGI) and/or genogroup II (GGII)) and/or 1 × 105–8 × 104 copies of hepatitis A virus. From 1993, there has been a continuous development of molecular detection techniques and tools have been described to ensure quality assurance. End product testing will, however, not be achievable. As depuration has been shown not to be effective for the complete elimination of viruses, shellfish should not be in contact with faecal contaminated water in order to minimise the risk of shellfish-transmittable viral diseases.

Community pharmacists’ perceptions of medicines use reviews and quality assurance by peer review

To explore existing mechanism to ensure quality assurance of medicine use reviews (MURs), and to identify those parameters of an MUR that community pharmacists consider as indicators of quality. Community pharmacists undertaking MURs in Cornwall, United Kingdom. A questionnaire was developed to investigate pharmacists' attitudes towards MURs and towards quality assurance of MURs. Questionnaires were distributed during December 2008 to a sample of pharmacists in Cornwall accredited to provide the service. Main outcome measures Community pharmacists' attitudes towards quality assurance of MURs. Fifty completed questionnaires were returned, a third of which were from locum pharmacists. The most frequently reported determinant for undertaking an MUR was the pharmacist's judgement. Company policy to deliver MURs was acknowledged as a potential indicator of a sub-optimal MUR. Pharmacists shared a common sense of what constitutes a "poor" MUR but not what defines a quality one. For peer review to operate as an effective mechanism to assure quality of MURs, pharmacists need to develop an effective forum to share their practice experiences.

Compliance of clinical trial registries with the World Health Organization minimum data set: a survey

BackgroundSince September 2005 the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors has required that trials be registered in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) minimum dataset, in order to be considered for publication. The objective is to evaluate registries' and individual trial records' compliance with the 2006 version of the WHO minimum data set.MethodsA retrospective evaluation of 21 online clinical trial registries (international, national, specialty, pharmaceutical industry and local) from April 2005 to February 2007 and a cross-sectional evaluation of a stratified random sample of 610 trial records from the 21 registries.ResultsAmong 11 registries that provided guidelines for registration, the median compliance with the WHO criteria were 14 out of 20 items (range 6 to 20). In the period April 2005–February 2007, six registries increased their compliance by six data items, on average. None of the local registry websites published guidelines on the trial data items required for registration. Slightly more than half (330/610; 54.1%, 95% CI 50.1% – 58.1%) of trial records completed the contact details criteria while 29.7% (181/610, 95% CI 26.1% – 33.5%) completed the key clinical and methodological data fields.ConclusionWhile the launch of the WHO minimum data set seemed to positively influence registries with better standardisation of approaches, individual registry entries are largely incomplete. Initiatives to ensure quality assurance of registries and trial data should be encouraged. Peer reviewers and editors should scrutinise clinical trial registration records to ensure consistency with WHO's core content requirements when considering trial-related publications.

What the journals say

The NHS Cancer Plan (Department of Health, 2000), Improving Outcomes guidance (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, 2001) and the NHS Modernisation Agency′s 10 High Impact Changes (2004) will all ultimately affect the way future cancer care is delivered. They have been developed to ensure quality assurance of services, allowing for growth and development. Acknowledging that the clinical nurse specialist plays a pivotal role within the cancer team, providing expert knowledge to ensure the delivery of high-quality standards of care, the authors take this opportunity to explore specific areas of the cancer pathway.

The forensic mental health nurse – a literature review

Forensic mental health nursing has developed in the UK since the commissioning of Broadmoor Hospital in 1863. Little has been documented about the role until the early 1990s. There is debate over the usefulness of defining the role. It is suggested here that in order to meet the multifaceted, complex needs of the mentally disordered offender (MDO) patient group, the role of forensic mental health nurses (FMHNs) needs to be further developed, and this process is assisted by understanding its current status. This literature review examines the FMHN role in England and Wales. The literature pertinent to issues of task-orientated competence, knowledge and skills required, and desirable personal qualities that the role demands are examined. The latter of these attributes concerned with attitudes, values and morals is likely to be the most difficult to assess. Being able to isolate the composite elements of the role of FMHNs will enable the development of a competency framework, which will ensure quality assurance in contemporary health care for the thousands of FMHNs in practice and many more thousands of MDOs and other patients that the nurse has the potential to affect.

Recomendaciones metodológicas de las agencias reguladoras

The suitability of new drugs for use in the general population in terms of risk and benefit is assessed by the health authorities through their drug agencies. These agencies regulate the entry of drugs on the market and their conditions for use according to strict criteria of quality, safety and efficacy. To preserve the principle of transparency, the requirements are previously published as guidelines, which are freely available on the Internet. All these guidelines have the following basic recommendations in common: (a) appropriate methodology for the objective, defined in detail a priori, (b) traceability, (c) verification of the appropriateness of the methodology applied, (d) justification of any deviation from the initial plan and (e) demonstration of the robustness of the results in distinct scenarios. Regulatory guidelines differ from other methodological references in their emphasis on the practical issues of the design and performance of studies, accepted methodological principles, and systems to ensure quality assurance in research. Although these requirements might not be universally applied to all types of research, the guidelines are freely available and are a good reference for the authorship, review and publication of clinical trials. The present article aims to review some of the guidelines that could be especially useful.

Antimicrobial Resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Selected World Health Organization Southeast Asia Region Countries: An Overview

A Gonococcal Antimicrobial Susceptibility Program (GASP) under the World Health Organization South East Asia Region (WHO SEAR) is continuing in India and neighboring countries and is being coordinated by the WHO Regional Reference Laboratory (RRL), Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. The present communication describes the current status and trends of antimicrobial resistance patterns of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, isolated in different focal-point laboratories under GASP, as presented in WHO SEAR intercountry consultative meeting conducted in December 2001. Seven laboratories from India and 1 each from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal presented their data for the year 2000/2001. In addition, RRL Delhi, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka presented data for the years 1995 to 2001, 1997 to 2001, and 1996 to 2000, respectively. Either National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards or calibrated dichotomous sensitivity technique was used in the different laboratories for determining antimicrobial susceptibility. It was observed that in the Indian laboratories, penicillin resistance varied from 20% to 79%, tetracycline resistance from 0% to 45.6%, and ciprofloxacin from 10.6% to 100%. Chromosomal, as well as plasmid-mediated resistance, was observed. The strains were reported to be less sensitive to ceftriaxone in 5 out of 7 laboratories, while none reported spectinomycin resistance. The reasons for wide variation in the results could be due to geographical strain difference in different parts of this vast country. At Sri Lanka, gonococci showed resistance towards penicillin (96.8%) and ciprofloxacin (8.2%). Bangladesh reported N. gonorrhoeae with ciprofloxacin (76%), penicillin (33%), and tetracycline (50%) resistance and decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone (1.5%). Both the laboratories did not report any spectinomycin resistance. The resistance trends in these 2 centers and the RRL, New Delhi, showed different patterns. The report indicates the necessity for continuous surveillance of antimicrobial resistance pattern in this region of WHO for establishing antimicrobial policy guidelines for management of this common but important sexually transmitted infection (STI) pathogen, known to facilitate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It also highlights the importance of ensuring quality assurance in the techniques in order to generate uniform data.