Accreditation Procedures Research Articles

PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT OF ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION OF PHYSITIANS IN PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Russian system of postgraduate education of physicians having undisputable historical advantages is behind International Standards in continuing medical education. Society expectations in medical assistants quality upgrading bring about increased requirements to medical personnel training. Optimization of continuing medical education system and introduction of physitians accreditation procedure will considerably increase motivation to self-education as well as quality of specialists education in health services. Needs in additional professional medical education will steadily increase. Continuing professional development of physicians resupposes building of individual educational trajectory meeting professional interests requirements practicing very different educational forms starting from traditional and formal to the most innovational and non formal ones. Directions in optimization in continuing medical education system will be determined to a considerable extent by free choice of specialists of the educational organizations, forms and terms of upgrading their qualifications under control exercised by professional associations and state. Development of additional medical educational services market becomes an important form of activity in commercial medical sector.

PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION OF DOCTORS OF FORENSIC EXPERTS IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

This article discusses the steps the practical implementation of the system of continuing medical education in «forensic examination». The role of the Association of forensic experts in the organization of continuing medical education for members of the community. The analysis of types and forms of continuing education cycle. The procedure of accreditation of training activities, analyzed the possibility of accumulation of credits over a certain period.

The OECI certification/designation program: the Genoa experience.

Accreditation and designation procedures by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) have represented a considerable challenge for most of the Italian cancer centers. We summarize the experience of the San Martino-IST in Genoa, which, on the whole, was satisfactory, albeit demanding for the staff. The reorganization of most oncology/hematology operations within the disease management teams was probably the key point that allowed us to obtain approval as it brought about the possibility of bringing in uniform methods of diagnosis/treatment, increasing patient recruitment in clinical trials, and fostering translational research by promoting collaboration between clinicians and laboratory investigators. The creation of a more cohesive supportive and terminal care team facilitated both the OECI procedures as well as the operations within the institution. Finally, some considerations are added to the doctor and nurse management roles in Italian hospitals characterized by noticeable differences from northern Europe. These differences may represent an extra challenge for hospital management and evaluator teams more used to the northern European type of organization.

Quality means decency-on the quality of teaching through accreditation of the course?

The term "accreditation" applies to the attempts in various fields of scientific work and administration. It refers to an acknowledgement of some particular positive (wanted) property being present in or brought about by either a procedure or technical system, an acknowledgement which is then formally issued by some authority generally accepted to be able to prove and file such statements. Bioindication & Biomonitoring (B&B) technologies are highly influenced by accreditation procedures, because both B&B technologies are often related to accreditation during the overall instrumental measurement processes applied. As an example, tuna fish used for (bio) monitoring salt water systems on pollution by Pb will be presented. Analytical measurement results from the International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP 20) and additionally the construction of the university course "Integrative sustainable management: quality, environmental, health, safety and risk management (QUAR)" are reviewed in this respect. It was a serious finding by the multi-participant IMEP study that neither quality control measures nor accreditation actually ensure improved quality of measurement results, i.e. data produced by analytical laboratories. Accordingly, even though the accreditation of study curricula is often done with utmost diligence and precision, and while it is fairly important for making study curricula throughout Europe (and the World) fitting and comparable to each other to get study results produced and tested at university X also be accepted when changing to university Y, we cannot assume or take for granted that the mere protocol of accreditation will do anything positive to improve the chance to get better or "more correct" results. A single member of lab staff or professor changing to some other position might seriously compromise the turnout of some analytical lab or university course at least in the short term regardless of whether accreditation was done or not. As consequence, data obtained by B&B technologies have to be discussed and handled with the highest care to reach acceptable and scientifically sound goals of quality.

The impact of an international online accreditation system on pedagogical models and strategies in higher education

Abstract Health promotion practice is characterised by a diverse workforce drawn from a broad range of disciplines, bringing together an extensive breadth of knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and values stemming from biomedical and social science frameworks. One of the goals of the CompHP Project was to ensure that higher education training would not only reach competency-based standards necessary for best practice, but also facilitate mobility within the EU and beyond through the accreditation of professional practitioners and educational courses. As a result, higher education institutions in Italy and elsewhere are requested to shift the focus from the definition of learning objectives to the identification of teaching strategies and assessment measures to guarantee that students have acquired the competencies identified. This requires reflection on the pedagogical models underpinning course curricula and teaching–learning approaches in higher education, not only to meet the competency-based standards but also to incorporate overarching transversal competencies inherent to the profession and, more specifically, to the online accreditation procedure. Professionals applying for registration require competence in foreign languages, metacognition and be digitally literate. The article provides a brief overview of the development and structure of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education online accreditation system and proposes a pedagogical reflection on course curricula.

The characteristics of Portuguese management academics and their fit with teaching accreditation standards

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the quality and accreditation of management education by examining the fit between the characteristics of current management academics in Portugal and recognised accreditation standards. For purposes of comparison, the authors use both general Portuguese teaching accreditation standards and specific international standards for management education. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyse indicators of staff career positioning, tenure status, full time vs part-time, age, degree qualifications, field of training, level of academic inbreeding, internationalisation, research activity, professional activity, and the number of hours taught per week. The authors also examine the relationship between them, in light of accreditation standards, for all academic staff teaching in management degrees submitted for compulsory accreditation by the Portuguese accreditation agency. Findings – The reality found in this study shows gaps between the actual attributes of management academics and what can be considered appropriate attributes, according to the general consensus found in the literature and which is duly mirrored in common “qualified faculties” accreditation standards by Portuguese and international standards (AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS). Research limitations/implications – The findings relate to the Portuguese situation and the analysis developed should be extended to other contexts. Also, while the data, which were collected through a census, has a wide national scope, it only covers one academic year. Practical implications – This work has policy setting implications for degree accreditation and for developing capacity during the transitional periods when universities implement the mandatory minimum standards. It can also help universities to benchmark themselves against their peers as a diagnostic tool for elaborating improvement plans. Social implications – The massification of higher education has led to legitimate concerns about the quality of the services provided, and consequently accreditation procedures were devised to restore trust. However, policy makers must be aware of the impacts of their actions, namely the effects of degree accreditation, as their goals need to be achieved with the minimum negative impact on academic work. Originality/value – The authors work sheds light on the characteristics of those who teach management and how they align with the current accreditation policies that affect academia globally and, in the process, presents empirical evidence from Portugal, which is at a relatively early stage in the accreditation process.

THE PROBLEMS OF PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC ACCREDITATION OF ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND THE PROSPECTS OF ITS IMPLEMENTATION

Leading role in the process of development and improvement of modern Russian education plays an additional professional education, which, to the greatest extent, responds to the qualitative changes in the socio-economic relations in a rapidly changing world. The aim of this paper is to identify the organizational and legal problems of professional and public accreditation of additional professional education programs in Russia and the opportunities development of this institution in modern conditions. The scientific research problem was to justify the need for professional and public accreditation of additional professional education programs of modern universities on the basis of delegation of procedures for evaluating the quality of education by public authorities to the public expert organizations, which ensure the independence and objectivity of the decisions made by qualified experts using a standardized assessment tools and tech to meet the needs of all parties concerned for highly qualified professionals. Methods . Empirical and theoretical methods were applied in the process of solving the problems in the scientific work to achieve the objectives of the study and test the hypothesis of an integrated methodology. Theoretical research methods involve: analysis of different literary sources (including legislative and regulatory enactments of the Higher Authorities of the Russian Federation, regulatory enactments of the Ministry of General and Vocational Education of the Russian Federation), compilation, synthesis of empirical data, comparative analysis, and others. Empirical research methods include: observation, testing, interview, questionnaire, ranking, pedagogical experiment, analysis of the products of activity, method of expert evaluations, methods of mathematical statistics, and other. Results . The expediency of independent accreditation procedures is proved. The goals that need to be solved to enhance the competitiveness of additional professional education objects in the new economic paradigm are indentified. Scientific novelty . The research findings include the following conclusions: the main tendencies in the development of accreditation procedures for assessing the quality of educational services in system of additional professional education in modern Russia are revealed; the fundamentals of professional public accreditation of additional professional education programs organization are justified; the gaps in the legal regulation of accreditation of additional educational programs are identified, and the necessity of professional public accreditation for improvement the competitiveness of additional educational programs is justified. Practical significance . Proposed and developed evaluation system of educational programs provides objectivity, credibility and transparency of the evaluation procedures; defines guidelines for accreditation institutions, expert committees, education authorities, managers and employees of educational institutions implementing programs of additional professional education. Systematic experience in evaluation of additional professional education institutions can be used in the career development system of senior executives.

Transcultural encounters on a Mediterranean island

This article explores the decision by two universities, the University of Malta and the University of Maryland, College Park, U.S.A., to create a dual master's degree in transcultural counselling. The difficulties encountered by the two universities in creating a harmonised system encompassing tuition, assessment, accreditation and regulatory procedures will be discussed, as well as the complexities of learning and teaching and the opportunities for intercultural learning. The article explores the experiences of the students and academics as they grapple with two different philosophical and academic systems, but also with their own personal and professional differences as narrated, composed and received in their different contexts – interactional, historical, institutional and discursive. Through the narratives of the research participants a powerful tool for course evaluation was created.

The importance of EN ISO 15189 accreditation of allergen-specific IgE determination for reliable in vitro allergy diagnosis.

Allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E detection and quantification have become an important step in allergy diagnosis and follow-up. In line with the current trend of laboratory test accreditation to international standards, we set out to design and assess an accreditation procedure for allergen-specific serum IgE. Method validation according to the accreditation procedure under the EN ISO 15189 standard was carried out for allergen-specific immunoglobulin E determination using the fluoroimmunoenzymatic method ImmunoCAP(®) (ThermoFisher). Data were produced by 25 hospital laboratories in France. A total of 29 allergen specificities including mixes, extracts, and molecular allergens were assayed. Allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 100kUA /l. Repeatability, reproducibility, and accuracy results fulfilled method validation criteria for automated laboratory tests and proved similar irrespective of the allergen specificity, allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E concentration, or individual laboratory. Allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E determination with the fluoroimmunoenzymatic method ImmunoCAP(®) is a highly repeatable, reproducible, and accurate method which may be considered as a single analyte assay in view of the EN ISO 15189 accreditation procedure.

III Criterion of NAAC Research, Consultancy and Extension: A Case Study of School of Education, DAVV, Indore

The life of the individuals and the nation cannot be uplifted without Quality Higher Education. With the sole objective to give a helping hand to the Institutions to improve the Quality of Higher Education, NAAC has designed the seven criterion system for the assessment and accreditation procedure. This research paper deals with III criterion of NAAC out of the seven criteria. It is a Case Study of University Teaching Department in which the researcher studied all the six key aspects under the III Criterion – Research, Consultancy and Extension. This criterion seeks information on the policies, practices and outcomes of the Institutions with reference to Research, Consultancy and Extension. The reason to choose this criterion is that NAAC provides 35% of weightage to it, for Autonomous Colleges. It throws light on the efforts and strengths of School of Education (SOE) to promote a research culture. It's Quality of Research and Extension Work is known all over the Nation which distinguishes it from the other Institutions in the country and makes it an ideal symbol for the other Teacher Education Institutions. The authors have outlined all the policies and practices carried by the Department by categorizing under the six key aspects of III Criterion.

한국 치위생학 교육 평가인증제도의 필요성

The increasing cross-border mobility of dental school or dental hygiene students, educators, practitioners, programs and providers takes challenges for existing national quality assurance and accreditation frameworks and bodies, as well as for the systems for recognizing foreign qualifications. The new dental hygiene accreditation system was introduced to encourage the improvement of dental hygiene programs, to ensure the quality of education and, most of all, to establish an internationally compatible system of evaluation and accreditation. The accreditation procedure takes 1 year to complete. The result of the accreditation is released after evaluation via self-study report, site visit, preliminary draft report, responses from the institution and the results from the conciliation and review committees. The result from the accreditation procedur e is either ‘accreditation’ or ‘no accreditation’. Accredited schools receive one of several statuses following the evaluation. These are next general review, interim report and interim visit or su spension. Dental healthcare quality is not improved instantaneously, but instead gradually through continuous communication within the dental field. For this accreditation system to be successful, the following are essential: the accreditation agency should adop t hygiene education accreditation; it needs to become financially independent and managed efficiently; the autonomy and regulations surrounding the system need to be balanced; the professionalism of the system is ensured; and the dental field which includes not only dental program, but also hygiene program, needs to play an active role in the operation of the system.

Validation of a short odour discrimination test for working dogs

A short odour discrimination test has been designed to allow rapid quality assurance of odour recognition by detection dogs. The test comprises five repeats per target and a minimum of 20 associated non-target odours. The mean time taken to conduct the test is 5.6min per target type. A pass criterion of “a detection rate at least 70% greater than false alarm (FA) rate, with a 15% cap on total allowable false alarms” is used which equates to 4/5 correct indications and 2 FAs, or 5/5 correct indications and 3 FAs; the probability of passing this test by chance is <1%. A Microsoft Excel™ programme has been written to rapidly generate balanced running orders that allow search runs to be truncated following correct indications; this speeds up testing whilst maintaining standardisation; the programme is available free-to-use. The test's internal validity has been measured by conducting test re-test analysis on a range of target types on 19 operational search dogs, and external validity has been measured by completing the test and an equivalent operationally relevant building search on 26 operational search dogs. In both cases there is good overall reliability (kappa≥0.80). The test is thus deemed suitable for complementary assessment of detection dog ability during detailed accreditation procedures or as a standalone quality assurance test in between accreditation or licensing.

The impact of registration of clinical trials units: the UK experience.

Over the last decade, the United Kingdom has invested significant resources in its clinical trial infrastructure. Clinical research networks have been formed, and some general oversight functions for clinical research have been centralised. One of the initiatives is a registration programme for Clinical Trials Units involved in the coordination of clinical trials. An international review panel of experts in clinical trials has been convened for three reviews over time, reviewing applications from Clinical Trials Units in the United Kingdom. The process benefited from earlier work by the National Cancer Research Institute that developed accreditation procedures for trials units involved in cancer trials. This article describes the experience with the three reviews of UK Clinical Trials Units which submitted applications. This article describes the evolution and impact of this registration process from the perspective of the current international review panel members, some of whom have served on all reviews, including two done by the National Cancer Research Institute. Applications for registration were invited from all active, non-commercial Clinical Trials Units in the United Kingdom. The invitations were issued in 2007, 2009 and 2012, and applicants were asked to describe their expertise and staffing levels in specific areas. To ensure that the reviews were as objective as possible, a description of expected core competencies was developed and applicants were asked to document their compliance with meeting these. The review panel assessed each Clinical Trials Unit against the competencies. The Clinical Trials Unit registration process has evolved over time with each successive review benefiting from what was learned in earlier ones. The review panel has seen positive changes over time, including an increase in the number of units applying, a greater awareness on the part of host institutions about the trials activity within their organisations, more widespread development of Standard Operating Procedures in key areas and improvements in information technology systems used to host clinical trials databases. Key funders are awarding funds only to registered units, and host institutions are implementing procedures and structures to ensure improved communication between all parties involved in trials within their organisation. The registration process developed in the United Kingdom has helped to ensure that trials units in the United Kingdom are compliant with regulatory standards and can meet acceptable standards of quality in their conduct of clinical trials. There is an increased awareness among funders, host institutions and Clinical Trials Units themselves of the required competencies, and communication between all those involved in trials has increased. The registration process is an effective and financially viable way of ensuring that objective standards are met at a national level.

The Role of International Accreditation in Promoting Academic and Professional Preparation in School Psychology

The development of rigorous and universally respected quality assurance procedures that monitor and recognize the delivery of effective and ethically responsible public services has become increasingly evident in many countries. However, within professional psychology, these developments generally are located in individual countries. With a few notable exceptions, progress in developing international quality assurance standards and procedures that reflect the global nature of the discipline of psychology and that can be applied to psychologists universally has been limited. Efforts by the International School Psychology Association (ISPA) underscore the importance of promoting quality assurance by developing and promulgating accreditation standards and procedures for the professional preparation for school psychologists along with standards and procedures for the accreditation of school psychology programs. This paper discusses the rationale for strengthening international quality assurance procedures in school psychology, provides an outline of the ISPA accreditation standards and procedures, and reflects on their outcomes in light of our accreditation experiences. It concludes by offering some reflections on further developments in the international accreditation of training programs in school psychology.

Performance evaluation of the Ingenuity TF PET/CT scanner with a focus on high count-rate conditions

This study evaluated the positron emission tomography (PET) imaging performance of the Ingenuity TF 128 PET/computed tomography (CT) scanner which has a PET component that was designed to support a wider radioactivity range than is possible with those of Gemini TF PET/CT and Ingenuity TF PET/MR. Spatial resolution, sensitivity, count rate characteristics and image quality were evaluated according to the NEMA NU 2–2007 standard and ACR phantom accreditation procedures; these were supplemented by additional measurements intended to characterize the system under conditions that would be encountered during quantitative cardiac imaging with 82Rb. Image quality was evaluated using a hot spheres phantom, and various contrast recovery and noise measurements were made from replicated images. Timing and energy resolution, dead time, and the linearity of the image activity concentration, were all measured over a wide range of count rates. Spatial resolution (4.8–5.1 mm FWHM), sensitivity (7.3 cps kBq–1), peak noise-equivalent count rate (124 kcps), and peak trues rate (365 kcps) were similar to those of the Gemini TF PET/CT. Contrast recovery was higher with a 2 mm, body-detail reconstruction than with a 4 mm, body reconstruction, although the precision was reduced. The noise equivalent count rate peak was broad (within 10% of peak from 241–609 MBq). The activity measured in phantom images was within 10% of the true activity for count rates up to those observed in 82Rb cardiac PET studies.

Hybridity and Governance Changes in Continuing Education

The structure of organizations offering adult education in Germany is extremely heterogeneous concerning factors such as the legal structure, the financial basis, the internal organizational structure, the situation of the staff, the understanding of education or training, the provisions and the target groups, or the position in the field of further training. After giving a brief insight in this situation, this contribution will focus on changes of governance strategies in this field of education. On the macro level, a decreasing influence of the federal government and the Länder level can be shown. Instead of legal regulations, accreditation procedures gain importance. Besides this, publicly funded projects, including European funding, become an important actor instead of continuous public support. On the organizational level, this situation results in frequent reorganization processes and a higher commitment to economic processes. Networking can be identified also as a new governance strategy, which is supported by public financiers.

Library performance measurement : the case of academic libraries (1.)

AbstractThe article discusses theoretical and practical approaches to the problems of assessing performance of academic libraries and library performance indicators in general. The author emphasises the importance of a systematic evaluation of library activities and the use of modern management methods, of which the process of library performance measurement is an integral part. The role of library statistics as a method of quantitative representation of the library's activities is presented and the meaning of professional standards and accreditation procedures in the evaluation process is assessed. The article also presents some projects and actual examples of library performance measurement globally and in Slovenia, as well as some suggestions for performance indicators.

Library performance measurement : the case of academic libraries (Part 2)

AbstractThe article discusses theoretical and practical approaches to the problems of assessing performance of academic libraries and library performance indicators in general. The author emphasises the importance of a systematic evaluation of library's activities and the use of modern management methods, of which the process of library performance measurement is an integral part. The role of library statistics as a method of quantitative representation of the library's activities is presented and the meaning of professional standards and accreditation procedures in the evaluation process is assessed. The article also presents some projects and actual examples of library performance measurement globally and in Slovenia, as well as some suggestions for performance indicators.

Russian

Russian

Consolidated Model of Procedures for Workflow Management

The article presents an approach to automation of business processes by means of a consolidated model describing a class of processes. Rules and examples for building a consolidated model are given. The model is validated through development of a software application called COMPASS-P for monitoring of procedures for evaluation and accreditation of education.