International Benchmarking Research Articles

What does competently delivered neuropsychological assessment feedback look like? Development and validation of a competency evaluation tool

Objective: Neuropsychological assessment (NP) feedback helps patients and caregivers understand assessment results to maximise their utility and impact in everyday life. Yet feedback practices are inconsistent and there are no evidence-based guidelines for how feedback should be most effectively delivered. The aim of our study was to develop a psychometrically sound feedback competency checklist, the Psychology Competency Assessment Tool – Feedback (PsyCET-F), for use in research, training, and clinical settings. Method: The Delphi method of expert consensus was used to establish checklist items that clearly described competencies important for NP feedback. To examine the inter-rater reliability of the checklist, two experienced neuropsychologists rated the competencies demonstrated by trainee neuropsychologists across four feedback sessions. Results: After two Delphi rounds, consensus was reached on the 20-item checklist. Consensus was defined as at least 80% agreement amongst the panel of 20 experts. Four item categories resulted from the Delphi: (a) Opening the Session; (b) Applying Specific Feedback Techniques; (c) Engagement, Collaboration, and Alliance; and (d) Structuring and Ending the Session. Inter-rater reliability was moderate (κW = 0.79, p <.001, 80.52% agreement) when using a simple coding system, coded as Beginner, Intermediate, Competent, and Skilful; and strong (κW = 0.82, p <.001) when competency level was coded using an 8-point, detailed coding method. Conclusions: The PsyCET-F is psychometrically sound and fit-for-purpose for measuring competencies in giving NP feedback. It can be used in the training of clinicians to develop effective feedback skills. International benchmarking and usability testing will be conducted in a future study.

The multifaceted ownership change of foreign subsidiaries: The diverse responses to different types of negative performance feedback

AbstractResearch SummaryBy integrating performance feedback theory and ownership management literature, we examine how parent multinational companies (MNCs) evaluate their foreign subsidiaries' poor performance against various aspirations and make multifaceted ownership change decisions. Our results show that social aspirations matter more than historical aspirations in ownership change decisions. When a focal subsidiary is underperforming relative to industry peers or overseas subsidiary peers, its parent MNC tends to change its ownership of foreign subsidiaries and by a high degree. However, regarding the direction of ownership change, a foreign subsidiary with performance below industry peers tends to experience an ownership decrease, whereas the opposite is true when a subsidiary's performance is below overseas subsidiary peers. Overall, we extend existing theories that downplay the role of aspirations in ownership changes.Managerial SummaryEffective ownership management in foreign subsidiaries is key to sustaining the global operations of MNCs. An important task for parent managers is to make sense of the poor performance of their foreign subsidiaries against various aspirations and respond in terms of ownership change decisions. We find that managers are more sensitive when their foreign subsidiary's performance is below its social peers than below its past performance. Specifically, parent managers tend to change ownership to a large extent when their foreign subsidiary is poorly performed compared with its industry peers as an external benchmark or overseas subsidiary peers as an internal benchmark. Moreover, parent managers tend to reduce ownership when the subsidiary's performance is below industry peers, while are more likely to increase ownership when the performance is below its overseas subsidiary peers.

A Keynesian perspective on the health economics of kidney transplantation would strengthen the value of the whole organ donation and transplantation service.

In this study, the Keynesian principle "savings may be used as investments in resources" is applied to Kidney Transplantation (KT), contextualizing the whole Organs Donation and Transplantation (ODT) service as a unique healthcare entity. Our aim was to define the financial resources that may be acquired in the form of savings from the KT activity. We analyzed registry and funding data for ODT in our region, between 2015 and 2019. Our hypotheses aimed to evaluate whether the savings would offset the Organ Donation (OD) costs, define the scope for growth, and estimate what savings could be generated by higher KT activity. To facilitate the evaluation of the resources produced by KT, we defined a coefficient generated from the combination of clinical outcomes, activity, and costs. The ODT activity reached a peak in 2017, declining through 2018-2019. The savings matured in 2019 from the KT activity exceeded €15 million while the OD costs were less than €9 million. The regional KT activity was superior to the national average but inferior to international benchmarks. The estimated higher KT activity would produce savings between €16 and 20 million. The financial resources produced by KT contribute to defining a comprehensive perspective of ODT finance. The optimization of the funding process may lead to the financial self-sufficiency of the ODT service. The reproducible coefficient allows a reliable estimate of savings, subsequently enabling adequate investments and budgeting. Applying such a perspective jointly with reliable estimates would establish the basis for an in-hospital fee-for-value funding methodology for ODT.

ILearn? Investigating dialogical interaction with tablets in mathematics lessons

ABSTRACT There is a significant body of research that indicates that the use of tablets to learn mathematics in elementary school motivates students to learn. Low mathematical attainment in international benchmarking tests of mathematics in South Africa led the authors to investigate the potential that the mobility of the tablet provided for children to learn how to reason using what Mercer called ‘exploratory’ talk, a form of dialogical interaction indicative of reasoning. In this article the authors investigate two grade 6 classrooms in two schools where students are learning mathematics using tablets. In this multiple case study, the authors videotaped children during mathematics lessons where they used tablets to solve mathematical problems, and the data were transcribed. Findings indicate that the tablets across both contexts facilitate what Mercer calls exploratory talk, which is indicative of reasoning and, therefore, learning.

Metal Pollution and Mining in the Iberian Pyrite Belt: New Remediation Technologies to Improve the Ecosystem Services of the River Basins

The highly metal-contaminated Odiel-Tinto River basin, located in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), has been the focus of many environmental studies as a natural lab for biodiversity and environmentally catastrophic scenarios and as a reference site for mining places with similar conditions. This study demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of two different technologies to recover ecosystems affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) in the area of IPB. The current study compiles results of two newest technologies for AMD remediation: passive remediation (dispersed alkaline substrate—DAS) and a new disruptive technology (Adiabatic Sonic Evaporation and Crystallization—ASE&amp;C) that purifies the contaminated water, obtaining two by-products (high-quality water and metal conglomerates) that improve the general quality of the ecosystem including biodiversity by eliminating more than 90% of the contaminants from AMD and mining waters. The removal of contaminants, enhancement of AMD treatment efficiency, and offset operating costs were compared and analyzed for the different uses of the decontaminated effluents, including an old tailing pond failure, the Aznalcóllar mining spill. The efficiency of the removal of elements from the contaminated water is significant using both technologies, although the passive DAS does not still reach the international benchmark for some compounds (such as Fe, sulfates, and Mn); whereas ASE&amp;C obtains distilled water fulfilling all the international benchmarks with conductivity values lower than 120 µS cm−1 or metal concentrations lower than µg/L. Both technologies are eco-friendly and cost-effective as a result of the generation of valuable by-products such as fresh water and metal conglomerates as potentially commercial products while remediating aquatic ecosystems impacted by mining activities.

Improving the benchmarking of ESG in real estate investment

Purpose Environment, social, governance (ESG) has taken on increased importance in real estate investment in recent years, with benchmarking ESG being critically important for more informed real estate investment decision-making. Using 60 stakeholder interviews with senior real estate executives, this paper examines the strategic issues regarding benchmarking ESG in real estate investment; specifically, identifying areas going forward where ESG benchmarks need to be improved. This includes the issues of granularity, climate resilience and climate risk, as well as an increased focus on outcomes and performance, and using best practice procedures in delivering ESG in real estate investment.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 60 stakeholder interviews were conducted with key real estate players globally to assess the use of ESG benchmarking in real estate investment at various levels (asset/fund-level, listed real estate, delivery, reporting and internal benchmarking), across regions and across different types of real estate investment players (real estate fund manager, real estate investment trust (REIT), institutional investor and real estate advisor). This enabled key strategic insights to be identified for improved ESG benchmarking practices in real estate investment going forward.FindingsThere was clear evidence of the need for improved benchmarks for ESG in real estate investment. More focus was needed on performance, outcomes and impacts, with a stronger focus on granularity around the issues of climate resilience and climate risk. Improvements in Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), as well as increased attention to Task Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) were seen as important initiatives. Clear differences were also seen in the use of these ESG benchmarks on a regional basis; with Australia and Europe seen as the world leaders. These strategic stakeholder insights regarding ESG saw the development of best practice guidelines for the more effective delivery of ESG benchmarks for more informed real estate investment decision-making, as well as a series of recommendations for improving ESG benchmarking in real estate investment.Practical implicationsESG benchmarking is a critical area of real estate investment decision-making today. By utilising stakeholder interviews, the strategic insights from key players in the real estate investment space are identified. In particular, this paper identifies how the current ESG benchmarks used in real estate investment need to be improved for a more critical assessment of climate resilience and climate risk issues at a more granular level. This enables the identification and delivery of more effective ESG best practice procedures and recommendations for improving ESG benchmarking in real estate investment going forward. These issues have clear impacts on ongoing capital raisings by investors, where benchmarking ESG is an increasingly important factor for real estate investors, tenants and real estate asset managers.Originality/valueBased on the stakeholder interview responses, this paper has identified key areas for improvement in the current benchmarks for ESG in real estate investment. It is anticipated that an increased focus on technology and the availability of more granular data, coupled with user demand, will see more focus on assessing performance, outcomes and impacts at a real estate asset-specific level and produce a fuller range of ESG metrics, more focused on climate resilience and climate risk. This will see a more effective range of ESG benchmarks for more informed real estate investment decision-making.

Benchmarking of survival outcomes following Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT): an update of the ongoing project of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and Joint Accreditation Committee of ISCT and EBMT (JACIE)

From 2016 EBMT and JACIE developed an international risk-adapted benchmarking program of haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) outcome to provide individual EBMT Centers with a means of quality-assuring the HSCT process and meeting FACT-JACIE accreditation requirements relating to 1-year survival outcomes. Informed by previous experience from Europe, North America and Australasia, the Clinical Outcomes Group (COG) established criteria for patient and Center selection, and a set of key clinical variables within a dedicated statistical model adapted to the capabilities of the EBMT Registry. The first phase of the project was launched in 2019 to test the acceptability of the benchmarking model through assessment of Centers’ performance for 1-year data completeness and survival outcomes of autologous and allogeneic HSCT covering 2013–2016. A second phase was delivered in July 2021 covering 2015–2019 and including survival outcomes. Reports of individual Center performance were shared directly with local principal investigators and their responses were assimilated. The experience thus far has supported the feasibility, acceptability and reliability of the system as well as identifying its limitations. We provide a summary of experience and learning so far in this ‘work in progress’, as well as highlighting future challenges of delivering a modern, robust, data-complete, risk-adapted benchmarking program across new EBMT Registry systems.

Speciated and Total Urinary Arsenic Levels in Belo Horizonte, the Largest Brazilian City within the Mineral-Rich Region “Iron Quadrangle”

The “Quadrilátero Ferrífero” (Iron Quadrangle) is a mineral-rich province in Brazil, where arsenic anomalies are associated with gold mining and tailings dam failures. Urine samples were randomly collected from residents of Belo Horizonte (BH) city (N = 506 total/138 speciation) and the metropolitan area (N = 35 total/10 speciation), with stratifications in age, female-male and geopolitical regions. Creatinine, acid-digested total arsenic (TAs), and five inorganic and organic arsenic species were measured: arsenobetaine (AsB); arsenous (AsIII) and arsenic (AsV) acids and their dissociation products; monomethylarsonic acid (MMA); and dimethylarsinic acid DMA). Overall, the TAs GM (μg/g creat) of all stratification groups indicated no statistical difference. The TAs geometric mean (GM) of BH was 9.68 [9.17–10.2] μg/g creat, being AsB (43.8%) and DMA (20.7%) the major components. The toxic arsenic (ToxAs) fraction (i.e., AsIII + AsV + MMA + DMA) was 5.23 [4.45–6.15] μg/L. These TAs and ToxAs values are lower than international benchmarks and the Brazilian legislated standard of 35 μg/L for ToxAs. The TAs GM (μg/L) and creatinine were 36% higher for males than for females (p < 0.0001), making TAs GMs comparable, after creatinine correction. Similarly, though the 10–19 age group showed significantly higher ToxAs GM (12.7 [6.49–24.8] μg/L) (p = 0.048) and creatinine (p < 0.001), the ToxAs GM (7.22 [2.92–17.9] μg/g creat), was not statistically different than those from the other age groups. The study, the first one in Brazil, identifies the relative contribution of inorganic and organic arsenic and provides a baseline level for clinical reference and bio-monitoring studies, particularly applicable to both occupational and non-occupational populations in a mineral-rich region.Graphical abstract

RISK MANAGEMENT LEVEL DETERMINANTS IN VISEGRAD COUNTRIES – SECTORAL ANALYSIS

Increasing competition has emphasized the need for creating and using more effective strategies at the level of SMEs to achieve competitive advantage. SMEs face higher risks in terms of the globalization due to the limited resources as well as size. The objective of the study was to examine the determinants of risk management with an emphasis on the sector specifics of SMEs in the V4 countries. This enables the quantification of sectoral differences in relation to the socioeconomic determinants. The research sample included 1585 SMEs from the V4 countries. The data obtained from SME managers and owners were processed using the descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The results of the analyses confirm the existence of differences across SMEs concerning the risk management, which are determined by the country in which a given company operates, industry, gender and age of its manager or the owner of the company. The results of the study provide a valuable platform for the development of systems to measure and assess business risks in companies and to set up training systems. It will also enhance the development of international and national benchmarking indicators and the creation of international databases for comparative analyses.

Cost dynamics of helicopter emergency services: A Hungarian example

ObjectivesHelicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) have been integral to healthcare systems in developed countries and are becoming more relevant in developing countries. There is extremely scarce information available regarding the typical cost structure and dynamics of HEMS operation; thus, the limitation of knowledge may limit the shapers of national healthcare policy and potential private operators in starting such a service. This study aims to present the cost dynamics of HEMS operation. MethodsA systematic literature review was performed on open-source studies to obtain appropriate data. International benchmarks were found; nevertheless, as Hungarian data did not emerge, a recent investment into HEMS service was analyzed based on publicly available data from the Hungarian Air Ambulance and affiliated companies. The resulting cost base was allocated per flight hour, and a scenario was established with Western European (German) wages and salaries to challenge the aforementioned international examples. ResultsThe average cost of operation is calculated at EUR 2488 per hour or EUR 41.5 per airborne minute based on average mission duration. This result is quite below the German example of ca. EUR 55.4 per airborne minute and even less than the US and Australian examples, but once the costing model was recalculated with German salaries, the result was extremely similar to the literature review. Nevertheless, comparable international figures need further research, as ownership structure, cost allocation method, and accounting regimes may dramatically impact the cost per airborne minute. ConclusionThe cost of EUR 2488 per flight hour is a good indicator for an hourly rate of operations; however, when deciding on establishing such a service, the model needs to be adjusted for comparable salaries and foreign exchange rates. Nevertheless, if the number of flight hours can be well estimated, the yearly funding needs can be accurately determined using it.

Emerging Technologies and Human Rights at the United Nations

New and emerging technologies have recently taken center stage in public policy debates around the world. From the European Union’s (EU) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[1]</xref> and the Council of Europe’s (CoE) treaty process <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref2" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[2]</xref> to soft laws introduced by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref3" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[3]</xref> and a proposal for a bill of rights in the United States <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref4" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[4]</xref> , new and emerging technologies have galvanized policymaking at various levels. An overarching objective in such legislative initiatives is upholding human rights not only in the operationalization, but also in the conception and design of new and emerging technologies. But much of the recent legislative and policy initiatives are occurring in the Global North. Partly due to the low uptake of new and emerging technologies, similar initiatives are yet to proliferate in the Global South. In the few jurisdictions where such initiatives exist, one sees clear marks of the regulatory initiatives in the Global North. In Egypt, for instance, a national AI strategy developed based on the international benchmarks mentioned above has recently been tabled <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref5" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[5]</xref> . Other countries in Africa have introduced rather generic digital transformation strategies. At the regional level, the African Union appears to pursue two parallel processes aimed at developing a continental AI strategy for Africa in which the influence of AI initiatives from the Global North is inevitable <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref6" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[6]</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref7" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[7]</xref> .

An ARDL approach to study the cointegration relations between the Shanghai crude oil futures and global markets

ABSTRACT The Shanghai crude oil futures market, as the largest crude oil market in the Asia-Pacific region, is an important complement to the global crude oil market. We use the autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) to examine long-term and short-term cointegration relations between the Shanghai crude oil futures market and China’s crude oil spot market (Daqing), international (WTI and Brent) benchmarks. Based on the price data of the Shanghai crude oil futures contract covering a long period, we find that, in the long run, the Shanghai crude oil futures price is greatly affected by international crude oil markets. In the short run, both international and China’s crude oil spot markets have a significant influence on the Shanghai crude oil futures prices. Moreover, our dynamic simulation results show that there is a significant time lag for the Shanghai crude oil futures market to respond to the shocks from the domestic and international markets.

Global reactivity models are impactful in industrial synthesis applications

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing many aspects of the pharmaceutical industry. Deep learning models are now routinely applied to guide drug discovery projects leading to faster and improved findings, but there are still many tasks with enormous unrealized potential. One such task is the reaction yield prediction. Every year more than one fifth of all synthesis attempts result in product yields which are either zero or too low. This equates to chemical and human resources being spent on activities which ultimately do not progress the programs, leading to a triple loss when accounting for the cost of opportunity in time wasted. In this work we pre-train a BERT model on more than 16 million reactions from 4 different data sources, and fine tune it to achieve an uncertainty calibrated global yield prediction model. This model is an improvement upon state of the art not just from the increase in pre-train data but also by introducing a new embedding layer which solves a few limitations of SMILES and enables integration of additional information such as equivalents and molecule role into the reaction encoding, the model is called BERT Enriched Embedding (BEE). The model is benchmarked on an open-source dataset against a state-of-the-art synthesis focused BERT showing a near 20-point improvement in r2 score. The model is fine-tuned and tested on an internal company data benchmark, and a prospective study shows that the application of the model can reduce the total number of negative reactions (yield under 5%) ran in Janssen by at least 34%. Lastly, we corroborate the previous results through experimental validation, by directly deploying the model in an on-going drug discovery project and showing that it can also be used successfully as a reagent recommender due to its fast inference speed and reliable confidence estimation, a critical feature for industry application.

CorTAF: A nuclear reactor core three-dimensional thermal-hydraulic characteristics analysis code based on OpenFOAM

In this paper, a thermal hydraulic analysis method based on open source CFD platform OpenFOAM was proposed. The models of coolant flow and heat transfer, fuel rod heat conduction and coupled heat transfer were established according to the bundle structure characteristics of PWR core, and then a nuclear reactor three-dimensional thermal–hydraulic characteristics analysis code CorTAF was developed based on finite volume method with the spatialresolution of subchannel level. The international benchmarks, including GE3 × 3, Weiss and PNL2 × 6 fuel assembly flow and heat transfer experiments, were selected to carry out the validation. The calculation results were basically consistent with the experimental data, illustrating that CorTAF is suitable for predicting the flow and heat transfer characteristics of coolant in the rod bundle fuel assembly. The thermal–hydraulic characteristics of fuel assembly and PWR core under full power operation and blockage accident conditions were simulated using CorTAF. The steady-state and transient spatial distribution of physical quantities in subchannel-scale including coolant and fuel rod temperature were obtained, and the influence of blockage condition on flow and heat transfer characteristics was analyzed. This work has reference significance for the development of core thermal hydraulic analysis tools for PWR.

Patient-Reported Outcomes and Experiences Assessment in Women with Breast Cancer: Portuguese Case Study.

In 2020, female breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, representing the type of cancer with the highest incidence among women and the second most common cause of cancer death among women in all OECD countries. The conventional measures addressing the burden of breast cancer by measuring mortality, incidence, and survival do not entirely reflect the quality of life and patients experience when receiving breast cancer care. The main objective of this study is to capture patient-reported outcomes and experiences in women with breast cancer in Portugal using methods developed for international benchmarking purposes, such as the OECD Patient-reported Indicators Surveys. The study included 378 women with breast cancer, with the age distribution being 19.8% aged 15 to 49 years and 80.2% aged 50 years and over. The data collection procedure and analysis followed the "OECD Breast Cancer Patient Reported Outcomes Working Group" protocol, allowing subsequent comparability with data from other OECD member countries. Most women were satisfied with the treatment outcome regarding the shape of their lumpectomy breast when wearing a bra (96.1%) and with the equal size of both breasts (78.3%). Findings on the WHO QOL-BREF showed that women manifest a lower score in well-being when compared with the general population or populations living with chronic diseases. This study shows the feasibility of implementing and using patient-reported metrics (PROM and PREM) in breast cancer services in Portugal. Measuring PROMs and PREMs from Portuguese women receiving breast cancer care provides insightful evidence into the quality and value of cancer care.

JACEP open annual report 2022.

JACEP open annual report 2022.

Cancer Registration, Molecular Marker Status, and Adherence to the WHO 2016 Classification of Pathology Reports for Glioma Diagnosed during 2017–2019 in Belgium

Introduction: The objective of this study was to cross-check and, if necessary, adjust registered ICD-O-3 topography and morphology codes with the findings in pathology reports available at the Belgian Cancer Registry (BCR) for glioma patients. Additionally, integration of molecular markers in the pathological diagnosis and concordance with WHO 2016 classification is investigated. Methods: Since information regarding molecular tests and corresponding conclusions are not available as structured data at population level, a manual screening of all pseudonymized pathology reports available at the BCR for registered glioma patients (2017–2019) was conducted. ICD-O-3 morphology and topography codes from the BCR database (based on information as provided by hospital oncological care programmes and pathology laboratories), were, at tumour level, cross-checked with the data from the pathology reports and, if needed, specified or corrected. Relevant molecular markers (IDH1/2, 1p19q codeletion, promoter region of the MGMT gene [MGMTp]) were manually extracted from the pathology reports. Results: In 95.3% of gliomas, the ICD-O-3 morphology code was correct. Non-specific topography codes were specified in 9.3%, while 3.3% of specific codes were corrected. The IDH status was known in 75.2% of astrocytic tumours. The rate of correct integrated diagnoses varied from 47.6% to 56.4% among different gliomas. MGMTp methylation status was available in 32.2% of glioblastomas. Conclusion: Both the integration of molecular markers in the conclusion of the pathology reports and the delivery of those reports to the BCR can be improved. The availability of distinct ICD-O-3 codes for each molecularly defined tumour entity within the WHO classification would increase the consistency of cancer registration, facilitate population level research and international benchmarking.

MANAGING UTILITY COMPANIES IN DYNAMIC MARKETS

The advance of market liberalization is posing an increasing challenge to the management systems operated by utility companies. A need for organizational and process realignment in three areas - group structures, management systems and management/financial analysis and monitoring organization - is coming to light. It is vital for companies in this sector to enhance their management systems systematically and to learn from international benchmarks. Just as important, though, is thorough change management to ensure that the strategies developed are fully implemented. This article explores what can be done in these three areas to ensure that utilities are managed in line with the state of the art. The theory is then fleshed out by a real-world case study - a recent project conducted by Roland Berger for a Central European utility company.

Healthcare provider perceptions of safety culture: A multi-site study using the safety attitudes questionnaire

IntroductionPatient safety culture, the way in which members of a healthcare organisation think about and prioritise safety, has been linked to positive patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to use the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) to measure the safety culture in a variety of healthcare settings located in the province of Munster of Ireland. MethodsThe SAQ was applied in six healthcare settings in the Munster province of Ireland between December 2017 and November 2019. The attitudes of healthcare staff towards six domains of safety culture were assessed over 32 Likert-scaled items. The mean, median, interquartile range and percent positive scores for each domain were calculated for the study population, and subgroup analyses were carried out between study sites and professions. Results for each setting were compared to international benchmarking data. Chi-Squared tests were used to determine whether study site or profession were related to domain scores. Reliability analysis was carried out using Cronbach's alpha. ResultsStudy participants (n = 1749) comprising doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and healthcare assistants, were found to have positive attitudes towards patient safety culture but scored poorly in the domains Working Conditions and Perceptions of Management. Perceptions of safety culture were more positive in smaller healthcare settings, and amongst nurses and HCAs. The survey had acceptable internal consistency. ConclusionsIn this study investigating the safety culture of healthcare organisations in Ireland, study participants had generally positive attitudes towards the safety culture in their organisation, however working conditions, perceptions of management, and medication incident reporting were identified as key areas for improvement.

Becoming a global library at the local: internationalization activities and practices of Philippine academic libraries

PurposeThis study aims to examine the perceived role of libraries and contributions to the internationalization of higher education and identify the available library services for international students and faculty.Design/methodology/approachThis descriptive research used a survey method to study the different activities and practices of the internationalization of academic libraries.FindingsThe results of this study reveal that academic libraries support the teaching, learning and research needs of international students and faculty members, provide library instruction for international students to acquire information literacy skills and promote the rationale and goals of the institution's internationalization activities. Many respondents are engaged in staff development with internationalization dimensions and international library benchmarking and research paper presentation at international conferences with institutional support.Practical implicationsThe results of this study could benefit the profession and library managers by deepening the managers' understanding of the role of libraries in the internationalization of Philippine higher education.Originality/valueThis study will be of interest and value to library and school administrators interested in developing or expanding internationalization activities that positively respond to the redefinition of the role of libraries and librarians in globalization.