Assessment Items Research Articles

A Cross-Country Validation Between Kosovo and the Netherlands of the Dutch Perceptual-Motor Skills Assessment for Talent Detection in Table Tennis

Background. This study focused on the cross-country validation of the Dutch perceptual-motor skills assessment used for talent detection in table tennis which also could be the basis to create country-specific norm values in young children (aged 7 to 9). Materials and methods. In total, data from 172 children from Kosovo and 219 children from the Netherlands were compared. The data consisted of the outcomes of seven items of the Dutch perceptual-motor skills assessment evaluating gross motor function (i.e., sprint and vertical jump) and ball control (i.e., throwing a ball, speed while dribbling, aiming at target, ball skills and eye-hand coordination). A multivariate GLM analysis revealed significant differences between the two countries with large effect sizes regarding both constructs. Preliminary normative values are presented per country. Results. The results show that perceptual-motor skills can vary between children of the same age and sex between European countries. For that reason, it seems sensible to further investigate the necessity of establishing norm values per country and also the underlying mechanisms that might reveal why and how cross-country differences arise. Conclusions. Moreover, it might make sense to study an international sample of recreational and high performance youth and adult players to create a benchmark for talent detection and talent identification in table tennis. This will likely gain more insight into what the key aspects are to participate in table tennis and what is necessary for the elite level.

The development of digital tools to assess and enhance the ethic children development in early childhood development centers

The research aimed to study the effects of digital tools on ethnic children in child development centers from four districts of Lamphun Province, Thailand. The samples were teachers, parents and health promoting hospital staff from the early childhood development centers 57 people in total from cluster sampling and randomized pretest-post-test control group design. The research instruments were interviewing form, focus group discussion recording form, questionnaire, and child development evaluation form. All digital tool assessment items were qualified with higher accuracy than the specified criterion of 0.50. Its correlation coefficient was higher than 0.85 at 0.05 significantly level. Conditions and needs for context analysis of digital tools had been conducted to develop and use it for evaluating the development of ethnic children in the centers. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and T-test. The results revealed that the digital tools compared with documents was different in use between the experimental and the control group of the study with statistically significant at 0.05 and teachers’ satisfactions of using the digital tools were also in high level. The study outcomes demonstrated that the development of digital tools in early childhood could enhance the ethical development of young children and provide educators and parents with valuable insights into a child's progress.

Quantitative Evaluation of Assessment Items of the Technology Audit Method for Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs)

Applied research and development (R&D) organisations strive to develop technological solutions that translate results from research and science into state-of-the-art products and services. As advanced technological capability is essential to their competitiveness, they need to be able to analyse and evaluate their technological capabilities. Hence, a tool or method is required that objectively and practically assesses the technological capability of Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) while meeting their unique requirements. The technology audit enables the assessment of the technological capability and thus the technological maturity of an RTO. It focuses on the analysis of the research activities in the R&D service areas of the RTO. This allows for a comprehensive understanding of the technologies used, the research competencies, the technologies developed, and the established technology partnerships of the RTO. In this context of the development of a suitable technology audit methodology, this paper aims to describe the process of validation of assessment items for evaluating the technological maturity of applied R&D organisations. After a brief overview of the technology audit method and the assessment dimensions and items, the focus is placed on the process of its validation. An expert survey using a questionnaire was created and used to evaluate the relevance of the 11 assessment items for the technology audit instrument in the three dimensions of Technology Base, Products & Services and Cooperation, as well as the respective aspects within each assessment item. This evaluation is intended to validate the selection of the items and to specify their respective importance to ultimately optimise the process of auditing applied R&D organisations.

Assessing posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 in a forensic disability sample.

Previous evidence indicates that scales from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) family of instruments can measure self-reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology and differentiate symptom clusters, including in forensic disability assessments. However, limited research has examined assessment of PTSD symptoms with the MMPI-3, the most recent MMPI instrument. The goal of the current study was to identify the strongest MMPI-3 scale predictors of individual PTSD symptom clusters, measured via self-report. Using a sample of 716 disability claimants (54.2% men; Mage = 42.98, SD = 10.87; 81.8% White), correlation, regression, and dominance analyses were performed to examine associations between scores on MMPI-3 scales and latent PTSD symptom cluster factors derived using confirmatory factor analyses from items of the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress (DAPS), and to identify the strongest predictor of each symptom cluster when MMPI-3 scales were concurrently considered. Results indicate that conceptually expected MMPI-3 scale scores were meaningfully associated with PTSD symptom cluster factors, with the MMPI-3 Anxiety-Related Experiences (ARX) scale demonstrating the strongest and most consistent associations across symptom clusters. Results of the current study largely converge with previous empirical studies of self-reported PTSD symptoms in disability claimant settings with the MMPI instruments. Interpretive implications for the MMPI-3, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

Determining the Minimal Clinically Important Difference of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Hepatobiliary Questionnaire to Evaluate the Change in the Quality of Life of Patients With Pancreatic Cancer During Radiation Therapy

This study aimed to define the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for the FACT Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep) questionnaire, allowing meaningful evaluation of the effect of radiotherapy (RT) on quality of life (QOL) in patients treated for pancreatic cancer (PC). The cohort included patients with PC who received RT as a component of curative intent therapy, who completed the FACT-Hep at baseline and end of treatment (EOT). The MCID was determined for the FACT-Hep and subdomains using anchor-based and distribution-based approaches. In the anchor-based approach, improvement and deterioration in age-adjusted regression models for change in scores were defined using the overall health assessment item of the PROMIS-10 as the anchor. The MCID was calculated as 0.3 and 0.5 standard deviation (SD) for distribution-based analysis. MCID point estimate using 0.5 SD (range) was averaged across time points and by approach, and the ranges are reported as minimum and maximum values across methods. The FACT-Hep domain with the lowest MCID was the emotional domain (deterioration 0.8-1.8). The hepatobiliary cancer subscale (HCS) has the highest and widest MCID range. A positive change of 2.9-4.3 in HCS should be considered a clinically relevant improvement. MCID estimates from 0.3 SD were in exact agreement with the anchor-based estimates for the physical domain (1.6-2.4). The MCID range for the Fact-Hep total score was 6.9-10.5 and 6.5-10.5 for improvement and deterioration, respectively. The MCID for the FACT-Hep subdomains and totals were calculated using a combination of anchor- and distribution-based approaches. These findings are fundamental to determine whether there is meaningful improvement or deterioration in QOL for patients with PC receiving RT. Evaluating a different anchor for determining the MCID of the social domain is recommended.

Quality of Performance Assessment Instruments for Educators in Higher Education: Implementation of Factor Analysis And Generalizability Theory

Assessing the quality of learning in higher education is one of the efforts to ensure its standards. Typically, the assessment of the quality of learning implementation involves observation by multiple raters. This study aims to provide construct validity evidence and estimate the reliability of performance assessment instruments for educators in higher education. 225 second-year and third-year students from the Faculty of Education participated as raters, evaluating the performance of educators in their teaching practices. Forty assessment items were used to evaluate the performance of 19 instructors. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Generalizability Theory (G-Theory) were employed to examine the quality of the performance assessment instruments. The EFA analysis resulted in the identification of five factors that contribute to educators' performance in teaching: (1) readiness and planning, (2) pedagogy and professionalism, (3) personality, (4) social relationships within the classroom, and (5) social relationships beyond the classroom, collectively explaining 67.671% of the variance. Of the 40 assessment items, 37 demonstrated construct validity, while three required revisions. These findings indicate the alignment between the instrument's factors and the formulated theory of teaching competence. The reliability of the measurements was estimated using G-Theory in RStudio, yielding a relative G coefficient of 0.88 for three raters. The D-Study results indicated that the instrument could be used to assess performance, with an estimated generalizability coefficient of 0.738, requiring a minimum of five raters for each person (educator) being evaluated. We recommend employing G-Study and D-Study to determine the number of raters involved in performance assessment as a means of cost and time efficiency in the evaluation process.

Developing Indicators for Healthy Building in Taiwan Using Fuzzy Delphi Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process

Healthy buildings are the future of industrial development and a global trend. This study is based on the local demand in Taiwan for the certification of healthy building assessments. It consolidates fifteen relevant assessment indicators and the literature on healthy buildings and green buildings from both domestic and international sources. Through expert questionnaires, the study investigates the importance and weight values of assessment items, selecting seven assessment indicators (air, water, light, exercise, comfort, materials, and mental well-being), seventeen assessment items, and 65 assessment sub-items. The weight values of each indicator are statistically analyzed. Based on the expert questionnaires, a rating system and scoring criteria are formulated, ultimately constructing the “Taiwan Healthy Building Assessment Indicators.” The aim is for this framework to serve as a reference for the government in establishing a healthy building certification system as well as to enhance public awareness and emphasis on human health.

A study on hydrological responses of the Fuhe River Basin to combined effects of land use and climate change

Study regionThe Fuhe River Basin in Jiangxi Province, China. Study focusGlobal climate change and intensified human activities are making the hydrological processes at Fuhe River Basin experiencing dramatic changes. Although some studies have investigated their individual impacts on basin-scale water resources, their combined effects on hydrology have received little attention. In this study, future scenarios were constructed for three future periods, based on five global climate model outputs (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) and a dataset of future land use projections under three shared socioeconomic pathways and representative concentration pathways (SSP-RCPs). Then, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to assess the relative changes in water balance components and extreme flow frequency under these developed scenarios. Furthermore, the hydrological response assessment methodology was improved from the original multiscenario ensemble flow forecast (MESF) framework, which not only strengthens the connection between climate and land use input changes but also adds more assessment items. New hydrological insights for the regionThe flow at the outlet of Fuhe River Basin is expected to increase by approximately 27.1%− 30.2%, 24.7–39.0% and 35.5%− 43.5% in the 2030 s, 2060 s and 2090 s, respectively. Water availability will increase significantly in February, August and October and decrease in November and December. To the end of 21st century, surface runoff will have more than 100% increase. Future floods and droughts will be more frequent and severe under SSP5–8.5.

Construction and Analysis of Items for Assessing Learning Outcomes: Concise Models for Ensuring Validity

How can we effectively tell whether learners have acquired, and can exhibit outcomes that were initially established for them, and instructions tailored to? This question leads to assessment of learning outcomes or instructional results. It is for instance held that an outcomes-based approach to this requires assessment, in authentic ways, of what is considered to be most important of students’ attainments. Unfortunately, the use of inappropriate assessment/test items/instruments is a widespread phenomenon and has become a practice/malpractice most urgently in need of improvement. To ensure such improvement is to satisfy the most important criteria in assessment/test administration; validity. The prevailing assessment culture is however still steeped in the pre-occupation with reliability. This is due to the notion that for an assessment to be reliable it must first be valid, and the subsequent assumption that the reliability of an assessment invariably ensures its validity, as there is no structured/formulaic way of determining validity. It is however known that an assessment can be reliable without necessarily being valid. This paper therefore attempts to fill this validity void, by presenting two well-structured models/flowcharts; one, for verifying the validity or usefulness/appropriateness of assessment items and the other for the construction/writing of valid/appropriate assessment items.

Explainable learning analytics to identify disengaged students early in semester: an intervention supporting widening participation

ABSTRACT There is a small window of opportunity at the beginning of semester for a university to provide commencing students with timely and targeted support. However, there is limited information available on interventions that identify and support disengaged students from equity groups without using equity group status as the basis for the contact. The aim of this study was to use learning analytics that were explainable to the end users to identify and support commencing undergraduate students at an Australian regional university. Non-submission of an early assessment item accurately identified disengaged students and those students with successful dialogue with the Outreach Team were less likely to receive a failing grade. Analysis of intersectionality revealed that student progress rate decreased with additional equity factors. A holistic conversation with the Outreach Team increased retention for equity students the following semester, indicating that explainable learning analytics can be used to support equity students.

Long-term effects of integrated cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain: A qualitative and quantitative study.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is known to improve chronic pain management. However, past studies revealed only small to moderate benefits in short-term results, and long-term follow-up studies are lacking. This study aimed to follow an integrated CBT program's effectiveness 1.5 years after its completion. This observational study was the follow-up on the data collected from our CBT sessions conducted under 3 different studies in 2018 to 2019. Seven assessment items (Numerical Rating Scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS], Pain Disability Assessment Scale [PDAS], Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7, European quality of life 5-dimensions 5-level, and Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]) were statistically analyzed. Thematic analysis was conducted in semi structured interviews. PCS ( F = 6.52, P = .003), PDAS ( F = 5.68, P = .01), European quality of life 5-dimensions 5-level ( F = 3.82, P = .03), and BDI ( F = 4.61, P = .01) exhibited significant changes ( P < .05), confirmed by pairwise t test, revealing a moderate to large effect size. From post-treatment to follow-up, all scores showed no significant changes ( P > .1). In the qualitative study, the analysis revealed 3 subthemes: "Autonomy," "Understanding of yourself and pain," and "Acceptance of pain." Our study suggests that integrated CBT may reduce the scores of PCS, PDAS and BDI, and this effect lasts for at least 1 year. Identified themes support the relevance of mitigative factors in managing chronic pain.

Return to Sports Following Sports-Related Concussion in Collision Sports: An Expert Consensus Statement Using the Modified Delphi Technique

The purpose of this study was to perform a Delphi consensus for return to sports (RTS) following sports related concussion (SRC). Open-ended questions in rounds 1 and 2 were answered. The results of the first two rounds were used to develop a Likert style questionnaire for round 3. If agreement at round 3 was <80% for an item, if panel members were outside consensus or there were >30% neither agree/disagree responses, the results were carried forward into round 4. The level of agreement and consensus was defined as 90%. Individualized graduated RTS protocols should be used. A normal clinical, ocular and balance examination with no more headaches and asymptomatic exertional test allows RTS. Earlier RTS can be considered if athletes are symptom free. SCAT5 and VOMS are recognized as useful tools to assist in decision making. Ultimately RTS is a clinical decision. Baseline assessments should be performed at both collegiate and professional level and a combination of neurocognitive and clinical tests should be used. A specific number of recurrent concussions for season - or career ending decisions could not be determined but will affect decision making for RTS. Consensus was achieved for 10 of the 25 RTS criteria: early RTS can be considered earlier than 48-72 hours if athletes are completely symptom-free with no headaches, a normal clinical, ocular and balance examination. A graduated RTS should be utilized but should be individualized. Only two of the nine assessment tools were considered to be useful: SCAT5 and VOMS. RTS is mainly a clinical decision. Only 31% of the baseline assessment items achieved consensus: baseline assessments should be performed at collegiate and professional levels using a combination of neurocognitive and clinical tests. The panel disagreed on the number of recurrent concussions that should be season- or career ending.

Assessing Productive Meanings in Calculus

We offer an analysis of calculus assessment items that highlights ways to evaluate students’ application of important meanings and support their engagement in generative ways of reasoning. Our central aim is to identify characteristics of items that require students to apply their understanding of key ideas. We coordinate this analysis of assessment items with a discussion of relevant findings from research on the teaching and learning of calculus, emphasizing the importance of promoting students’ engagement in quantitative and covariational reasoning. We conclude with a broader commentary on the importance of instructors attending to students’ meanings in their teaching, and offer suggestions for flexibly introducing these items as part of formative assessments throughout the life of a calculus course.

Influence of Graduate Teachers’ Knowledge of the Senior High School Social Studies Curriculum/ Instructional Objectives on Assessment Items

Aim: This study aimed at determining the influence of graduate teachers’ knowledge of the Senior High School Social Studies curriculum/ instructional objectives on assessment items.&#x0D; Methods: This study employed a qualitative and interpretive methodology, using the case study design. The population for the study included all the 15 graduate Social Studies teachers at the Senior High Schools in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The researchers by the use of the purposive sampling technique, selected ten (10) trained graduate Social Studies teachers out of the fifteen (15) teachers for the one-on-one interview. Qualitative data collection instruments were used in gathering data for the study. The data collection methods involved an interview guide made up of fifteen (15) semi-structured items for ten (10) graduate Social Studies teachers at the Senior High School level.&#x0D; Results: Findings from the study indicate that teachers’ assessment practices were to a very large extent not influenced by the objectives of the subject. The observational session revealed that not only did the performances in the test items match with performances in the curriculum/instructional objectives; but the choice of assessment techniques was inappropriate as the participants for instance used pencil-and–paper test in evaluating learning objectives dealing with valuing and the development of skills. Interestingly enough, even though all the participants agreed that the overall goal of Social Studies is citizenship education; their assessment practices did not reflect the curriculum/instructional goals of the subject.&#x0D; Conclusion: From the findings, the participants failed to consider the curriculum/ instructional objectives in their assessment practices. Most of the participants’ choices of assessment techniques were incongruent with their instructional objectives. Even though the participants demonstrated a very good knowledge of the objectives of teaching the subject, they failed to translate theory into practice.&#x0D; Recommendations: In order to ensure success in improving the educational system, there must be monitoring in the curriculum design, and its implementation. Educational policy could fail if there are lapses at any of the levels, that is, curriculum design, implementation and monitoring. In this study, however, the improvement of attitudes must be seen as the hallmark of social studies programme at the training institutions. This can be done with an increase in supervisory role carried out by the training institutions or universities in the country to see how their products are performing. These could help the programme to achieve its goals and objectives of teaching it.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy of medical students answering various item types.

Traditionally, the effect of assessment item types including true/false questions (TFQs), multiple-choice questions (MCQs), short answer questions (SAQs), and case scenario questions (CSQs) is examined through psychometric qualities or student interviews. However, brain activity while answering such questions or items remains unknown. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can be used to safely measure cerebral cortex hemodynamic response during various tasks. Hence, this fNIRS study aimed to determine differences in frontotemporal cortex activity as medical students answered TFQs, MCQs, SAQs, and CSQs. In total, 24 medical students (13 males and 11 females) were recruited in this study during their mid-psychiatry posting. Oxy-hemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin levels in the frontal and temporal regions were measured with a 52-channel fNIRS system. Participants answered 9-18 trials under each of the four types of tasks that were based on their psychiatry curriculum during fNIRS measurements. The area under the oxy-hemoglobin curve (AUC) for each participant and each item type was derived. Repeated measures ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni-corrected pairwise comparisons were used to determine differences in oxy-hemoglobin AUC between TFQs, MCQs, SAQs, and CSQs. Oxy-hemoglobin AUC was highest during the CSQs, followed by SAQs, MCQs, and TFQs in both the frontal and temporal regions. Statistically significant differences between different types of items were observed in oxy-hemoglobin AUC of the frontal region (p ≤ 0.001). Oxy-hemoglobin AUC in the frontal region was significantly higher during the CSQs than TFQ (p = 0.005) and during the SAQ than TFQ (p = 0.025). Although the percentage of correct responses was significantly lower in MCQ than in the other item types, there was no correlation between the percentage of correct response and oxy-hemoglobin AUC in both regions for all four item types (p > 0.05). CSQs and SAQs elicited greater hemodynamic response than MCQs and TFQs in the prefrontal cortex of medical students. This suggests that more cognitive skills may be required to answer CSQs and SAQs.

Assessment of a flipped-classroom approach to teach deprescribing and safe medication use in a geriatric pharmacotherapy module

Objective: To assess the impact of a flipped-classroom approach to teach safe medication use and deprescribing for older adults on student academic performance and perceptions of deprescribing. Methods: This was a pre-post evaluation following implementation of the flipped-classroom approach in a third-year pharmacotherapy course. The primary endpoint was the difference in exam performance on 10 related assessment items. An electronic survey was distributed to students in both cohorts to assess their attitudes, perceived ability, and confidence in deprescribing (5-point Likert-scale). Results: The average score on covered exam items was 74.6% in the lecture group and 75.6% in the flipped-classroom group (p = 0.62). Students in the flipped-classroom group were more likely to endorse confidence in their ability to recommend appropriate deprescribing strategies for potentially inappropriate medications (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Learners reported increased self-confidence with deprescribing in practice when taught using the flipped-classroom approach, but exam scores were not significantly improved.

What a Difference in Pressure Makes! A Framework Describing Undergraduate Students' Reasoning about Bulk Flow Down Pressure Gradients.

Pressure gradients serve as the key driving force for the bulk flow of fluids in biology (e.g., blood, air, phloem sap). However, students often struggle to understand the mechanism that causes these fluids to flow. To investigate student reasoning about bulk flow, we collected students' written responses to assessment items and interviewed students about their bulk flow ideas. From these data, we constructed a bulk flow pressure gradient reasoning framework that describes the different patterns in reasoning that students express about what causes fluids to flow and ordered those patterns into sequential levels from more informal ways of reasoning to more scientific, mechanistic ways of reasoning. We obtained validity evidence for this bulk flow pressure gradient reasoning framework by collecting and analyzing written responses from a national sample of undergraduate biology and allied health majors from 11 courses at five institutions. Instructors can use the bulk flow pressure gradient reasoning framework and assessment items to inform their instruction of this topic and formatively assess their students' progress toward more scientific, mechanistic ways of reasoning about this important physiological concept.

Web-based patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in elderly cancer patients: A French multicentric prospective feasibility trial (the FASTOCH study).

12011 Background: Web-based PROMs in cancer care improve overall survival and quality of life. There is, nonetheless, no data available on this type of follow-up in the elderly population. Methods: From February 2021 to April 2022, 75 or more years-old patients ongoing any active anti-cancer treatment (such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormonotherapy, immune therapy) were included, in six French cancer centers. Feasibility of the web-based PROMs was assessed as the part of the population included that could use the Ana-Health’s web-based application “ANA” to monitor their symptoms, the others being considered as in “primary failure” due to technological barriers or refusal to participate. Among the patients that agreed to participate, we then defined as “active” those who filled at least one form during the three months follow up. We also searched for factors restraining elderly patients to use “ANA” and evaluated their satisfaction. Results: Overall, 473 patients were included in the study. There were 288 patients in “primary failure” (233 without Internet access, 17 not comfortable enough to use web-based PROMs, 38 refusals to participate). Among the 185 patients “willing to participate”, there were 122 “active” patients and 63 “inactive” ones, leading to a 26% feasibility in intention-to-test and a 66% feasibility in per protocol analysis. Patients “willing to participate” were from higher socio-professional category (p = 0.002) and had a significantly higher G8 score (13.5 versus 12, p &lt; 0.001), particularly when considering the autonomy (p = 0.028), cognitive assessment (p = 0.003) and general condition (p &lt; 0.001) items. In the multivariate analysis, the socio-professional category and the general condition were still significantly different (p = 0.009 and 0.002 respectively). The only factor that remained significantly different between the “active” and “inactive” populations was the better general condition in the “active” group (p &lt; 0.001). The “inactive” patients prematurely ended their participation because they lost interest in the web-based follow up significantly more than the “active” group (28 “inactive” patients, i.e. 44%, vs 5 “active” patients, i.e. 4%, p &lt; 0.001). Similarly, the “active” patients were significantly more satisfied with “ANA” than the “inactive” (71% vs 29%, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Our study shows that, in the elderly population treated for a cancer, a web-based application to measure PROs is feasible, however socio-professional category, general condition and above all technological barriers are of some concern.

Developing a statewide infection prevention program assessment service for dialysis settings using a six-sigma framework

Background: Due to the need for recurrent and direct access to the bloodstream, patients who require hemodialysis are at higher risk of developing healthcare-associated infections. Failure to assess gaps in systems and processes impedes the implementation of quality and performance improvement initiatives. In Michigan, there is no consultative service offered to dialysis units to assist with infection prevention practices, and no statewide dialysis data are being utilized. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services developed a consultative, nonregulatory service dedicated to providing a comprehensive assessment of dialysis-based infection prevention programs. Methods: A multidisciplinary team created an infection prevention dialysis evaluation program using the six-sigma define–measure–analyze–design–verify model. These elements included content within the dialysis-specific Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) Tool from the CDC with supporting program assessment items. From August 2021 through August 2022, the team completed 17 inpatient dialysis assessments within our cohort’s 17 hospitals. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis, and the final analysis included 1,086 observations from the developed assessment tool. Observations were grouped into 7 infection prevention categories: appropriate use of single and multiuse devices and supplies, aseptic technique, bloodborne pathogen prevention, cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene, personal protection equipment (PPE) use, and storage of devices and supplies. Detailed summary reports were provided to the participating facilities after each site visit that included identified gaps, recommendations for improvement, and evidence-based resources. Results: Deficiencies were grouped into 7 major infection prevention categories among the 17 assessments, including cleaning and disinfection (n = 17, 100%), hand hygiene (n = 9, 53%), PPE use (n = 9, 53%), appropriate use of single and multiuse devices and supplies (n = 6, 35%), bloodborne pathogen prevention measures (n = 6, 35%), aseptic technique (n = 5, 29%), and storage of devices and supplies (n = 4, 24%). Conclusions: Our program’s prototype has been successful at detecting gaps in dialysis-based IP programs. By conducting data analyses of assessment findings, we have been able to assist the organization in establishing priorities for quality and performance improvement. Based on the results, comprehensive and robust systems to assess infection prevention programs, including those in dialysis settings, are necessary to enhance infection prevention operations across the continuum of care.Disclosures: None

Modeling of Clinical Judgment Using Lasso Regression and Reduction of Assessment Items

In the medical field, accidents involving the fall of inpatients around beds have become an increasing problem. To prevent such accidents, nurses record the condition of inpatients using a check sheet referred to as the Fall Assessment Score Sheet (Fall AS). These sheets are utilized for each inpatient and provide useful information for daily clinical judgment. However, compiling these sheets adds to the excessive workload of nurses, as the Fall AS contains numerous items to be checked and assessments frequently necessitate revision. We sought to model the clinical judgment of nurses using Lasso regression, with the aim of reducing the number items of the Fall AS. Three nurses were assigned a questionnaire that included 200 patterns of Fall AS and seven patterns of patient posture, and were requested to fill in the fall risk (0% to 100%) for all 1400 pattern combinations. The clinical judgment model was constructed based Lasso regression, adopting each fall risk and Fall AS as objective and explanatory variables, respectively. The proposed model succeeded in reducing the number of Fall AS items from 50 to 25. Moreover, the mean error of estimated values for the clinical judgment increased by only 3.44% compared with the general least-squares method.