Standards Of Professional Practice Research Articles

Managing multiple accountability perspectives and expectations in practice. A scoping review of the use of accountability mechanisms by social workers

ABSTRACT Social workers are accountable to many different actors (e.g. service users, peers, employer, government) who all have their own perspective on practice and how it should be accounted for. Little is known about how social workers account their work to these multiple actors. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review of recent studies to review which type of accountability mechanisms come to the fore and how social workers use these mechanisms in practice to account their work to these multiple actors. Inspired by the work of Bovens, Schillemans, and Goodin [2014. Public accountability. In M. Bovens, R. Goodin, & T. Schillemans, T. (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of public accountability (pp. 1–20). Oxford: Oxford University Press], we analysed the literature making use of the distinction between three types of accountability: professional, political-administrative and participative-democratic accountability. As broadly discussed in social work literature, the government and the management of social work organisations are influential actors and social workers struggle to implement managerial mechanisms because they are not always congruent with social work values and with the relational and contextual nature of the work. To uphold the professional accountability perspective in practice, social workers use street-level strategies which run the risk to decrease social workers legitimacy and to avoid an open dialogue about how accountability should be organised in social work practice. Our review also shows that although user involvement is an essential value in social work, relatively few studies report on mechanisms that can be used to empower citizens and service users in practice. We conclude that more research is needed to understand how social workers deal with the divergent perspectives on practice and still uphold professional standards of practice. Moreover, we conclude that more research is needed to gain a better understanding of how social workers manage the interaction between the use of accountability mechanisms in practice and the broader socio-political context in which they operate.

Avoiding Common Legal Issues Confronted in Pharmacy Practice: Evaluating Prescriptions with PRN Wording and Calling for Refills

Community pharmacists are cited and/or fined at an alarming rate. Pharmacists can also be charged by the California (CA) Attorney General (AG) or the Board of Pharmacy (BOP) for more severe violations of law and/or professional practice standards, in the form of an Accusation, the administrative equivalent of a civil “complaint.” This article presents a concise review of two pharmacy practice scenarios involving adjudication of refills with implications for practice violations and attempts to clarify best practices in order to meet the expectations of the BOP and avoid problems with a BOP inspection. The scenarios discussed here cover: 1) Use of “as needed” (prn) wording in a prescription (whether in the directions for use or refill context); and 2) Refills of routine and controlled substance prescriptions called in by a pharmacy technician or pharmacy clerk. The authors' identification of best practices in these refill contexts aims to enhance pharmacists' understanding of pharmacy law in order to ensure maximum compliance.

The internal audit environment and its determinants of economy entities

The internal audit environment and its determinants of economy entities

The Preparation of Stewards with the Mastery Rubric for Stewardship: Re-Envisioning the Formation of Scholars and Practitioners

A steward of the discipline was originally defined as “someone who will creatively generate new knowledge, critically conserve valuable and useful ideas, and responsibly transform those understandings through writing, teaching, and application”. This construct was articulated to support and strengthen doctoral education. The purpose of this paper is to expand the construct of stewardship so that it can be applied to both scholars and non-academic practitioners, and can be initiated earlier than doctoral education. To accomplish and justify this, we describe a general developmental trajectory supporting cross-curriculum teaching for stewardship of a discipline as well as of a profession. We argue that the most important features of stewardship, comprising the public trust for the future of their discipline or profession, are obtainable by all practitioners, and are not limited to those who have completed doctoral training. The developmental trajectory is defined using the Mastery Rubric construct, which requires articulating the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to be targeted with a curriculum; recognizable stages of performance of these KSAs; and performance level descriptors of each KSA at each stage. Concrete KSAs of stewardship that can be taught and practiced throughout the career (professional or scholarly) were derived directly from the original definition. We used the European guild structure’s stages of Novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master for the trajectory, and through a consensus-based standard setting exercise, created performance level descriptors featuring development of Bloom’s taxonometric cognitive abilities (see Appendix A) for each KSA. Together, these create the Mastery Rubric for Stewardship (MR-S). The MR-S articulates how stewardly behavior can be cultivated and documented for individuals in any disciplinary curriculum, whether research-intensive (preparing “scholars”) or professional (preparing members of a profession or more generally for the work force). We qualitatively assess the validity of the MR-S by examining its applicability to, and concordance with professional practice standards in three diverse disciplinary examples: (1) History; (2) Statistics and Data Science; and (3) Neurosciences. These domains differ dramatically in terms of content and methodologies, but students in each discipline could either continue on to doctoral training and scholarship, or utilize doctoral or pre-doctoral training in other professions. The MR-S is highly aligned with the practice standards of all three of these domains, suggesting that stewardship can be meaningfully cultivated and utilized by those working in or outside of academia, supporting the initiation of stewardship prior to doctoral training and for all students, not only those who will earn PhDs or be scholars first and foremost. The MR-S can be used for curriculum development or revision in order to purposefully promote stewardship at all levels of higher education and beyond. The MR-S renders features of professional stewardship accessible to all practitioners, enabling formal and informal, as well as self-directed, development and refinement of a professional identity.

Homeless Hope: a voluntary, nurse-led organisation working to educate and support people sleeping rough

British Journal of Healthcare AssistantsVol. 13, No. 12 ProfessionalHomeless Hope: a voluntary, nurse-led organisation working to educate and support people sleeping roughDonna ThomasDonna ThomasCommunity Nurse and Queen's Nurse, Leader of Homeless HopeSearch for more papers by this authorDonna ThomasPublished Online:11 Dec 2019https://doi.org/10.12968/bjha.2019.13.12.608AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View articleReferencesBax A, Middleton J. Healthcare for people experiencing homelessness. BMJ. 2019; 364:1022. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1022 Crossref, Google ScholarCrisis UK. About homelessness. 2019. https://tinyurl.com/y48vm7zb (accessed 2 November 2019) Google ScholarFlores W, Samuel J. Grassroots organisations and the sustainable development goals: no one left behind? BMJ. 2019; 365:2269. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l2269 Crossref, Google ScholarNursing and Midwifery Council. The Code: professional standards of practice and behaviours for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. 2018. https://tinyurl.com/zy7syuo (accessed 2 November 2019) Google ScholarTo MJ, Brothers TD, Van Zoost C. Foot conditions among homeless persons: a systematic review. PLoS One. 2016; 11(12):e0167463. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167463 Crossref, Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 December 2019Volume 13Issue 12ISSN (print): 1753-1586ISSN (online): 2052-4420 Metrics History Published online 11 December 2019 Published in print 2 December 2019 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Standards of Professional Practice and the Qualities or Abilities Required for Registered Dietitians and Dietitians: Findings from a Survey of Educators in Accredited Programs

Standards of Professional Practice and the Qualities or Abilities Required for Registered Dietitians and Dietitians: Findings from a Survey of Educators in Accredited Programs

Standards of Professional Practice and the Qualities or Abilities Required for Registered Dietitians: Findings from a Survey of Practicing Registered Dietitians

Standards of Professional Practice and the Qualities or Abilities Required for Registered Dietitians: Findings from a Survey of Practicing Registered Dietitians

Burnout as an ethical issue in psychotherapy.

Recent studies highlight a range of factors that place psychotherapists at risk of burnout. The aim of this study was to investigate the ethics issues linked to burnout among psychotherapists and to describe potentially effective ways of reducing vulnerability and preventing collateral damage. A purposive critical review of the literature was conducted to inform a narrative analysis. Differing burnout presentations elicit a wide range of ethics issues. High rates of burnout in the sector suggest systemic factors and the need for an ethics review of standard workplace practice. Burnout costs employers and taxpayers billions of dollars annually in heightened presenteeism and absenteeism. At a personal level, burnout has been linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes for psychotherapists. Burnout has also been shown to interfere with clinical effectiveness and even contribute to misconduct. Hence, the ethical impact of burnout extends to our duty of care to clients and responsibilities to employers. A range of occupational and personal variables have been identified as vulnerability factors. A new 5-P model of prevention is proposed, which combines systemic and individually tailored responses as a means of offering the greatest potential for effective prevention, identification, and remediation. In addition to the significant economic impact and the impact on personal well-being, burnout in psychotherapists has the potential to directly and indirectly affect client care and standards of professional practice. Attending to the ethical risks associated with burnout is a priority for the profession, for service managers, and for each individual psychotherapist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Developing and maintaining professional standards: a personal view

The influence of medical culture and beliefs on the management of colleagues who pose risks of patient harm resulting from clinical errors or inappropriate behaviours is discussed. The importance of an evidence-based approach to the promotion of an ethos that is both conducive to openness and learning and that allows shortcomings to be identified and addressed is emphasised. A culture based on these principles is regarded as being fundamental to the development and maintenance of high standards of professional practice and conduct. Professional and social isolation of individual doctors, particularly of graduates from other countries, poses risks to both the doctors and patients and the mitigation of these risks is discussed. The need to address the mental wellbeing of doctors who are subject to complaints and/or investigations cannot be over-emphasised as there is a significant risk of self-harm in these situations.

Examining Radiation Treatment Appointment Times at a Canadian Cancer Centre: A Timing Study

IntroductionTechnological advancements in radiation therapy have led to more complex treatment techniques such as volumetric modulated arc therapy, and in turn, more daily image verification. As treatment complexity increases, it is important to consider what effect this may have on treatment time. Additional factors that may influence treatment times are patient-centered care and mobility status. The aim of this study is to determine optimal radiation treatment appointment times based on site, technique, imaging requirements, and patient needs. MethodsData from 535 fractions of radiation treatments were collected and analyzed between June 2016 and July 2017 by a team of eight radiation therapists at BC Cancer Vancouver Centre. Data collectors documented a number of data points, including treatment unit, scheduled appointment time, scheduled appointment duration (booked in 12 minute increments), treatment site, treatment technique, imaging modality, pre-treatment-related and post-treatment-related activity time, patient mobility status, etc. Student's t-test was performed for each site/technique to determine if the mean total treatment time was significantly different from the standard appointment time for that site. A two-sample unpaired t-test assuming unequal variance was used to compare average treatment times of the same site with different imaging modalities. Student's t-test was also used to compare average treatment times for ambulatory patients versus patients requiring some form of mobility assistance. ResultsAverage treatment times for 6 of the 10 sites used for data analysis were longer than standard booked times and showed statistical significance (prostate/prostate bed: n = 82, P < .001; chest: n = 32, P < .001, palliative 1 treatment site: n = 28, P < .05, gyne pelvis only treatment: n = 25, P < .001, head & neck: n = 56, P < .001, and rectum: n = 28, P < 0.05). The breast/chest wall + nodes site had a significantly shorter treatment time than the standard booked appointment time (n = 87, P < .001). Analysis of the prostate/prostate bed imaging showed a significant difference between daily cone beam computed tomography and daily kilovoltage treatment time, with cone beam computed tomography imaging taking 3.83 ± 1.36 (P < .001) minutes longer on average than kilovoltage imaging. Average treatment time for patients requiring mobility assistance was 20% longer than for patients requiring no assistance (P = .02). ConclusionThe majority of the most common sites and techniques treated at our centre were inappropriately booked. Radiation therapy appointment durations are influenced by several factors, including site, technique complexity, imaging, and patient care. It is recommended that radiation treatment centres evaluate appointment times regularly as technology, treatment delivery, and professional practice standards evolve to ensure high-quality patient care.

Putting Together Pieces of Trauma-Informed Care Puzzle

Putting Together Pieces of Trauma-Informed Care Puzzle

Pioneers of Promotion: How Press Agents for Buffalo Bill, P. T. Barnum, and the World's Columbian Exposition Created Modern Marketing

Pioneers of Promotion chronicles the professionalization of public relations in the late nineteenth century by focusing on three seminal practitioners. Richard Francis “Tody” Hamilton, as P. T. Barnum's protégé and press agent, authored countless feature stories for newspapers and magazines. Demonstrating that “news” could be carefully crafted to stimulate consumer demand for particular goods and services in the guise of legitimate journalism, Hamilton perfected methodologies that publicity agents ever since have employed to shape public discourse. John M. Burke, touting Buffalo Bill and his Wild West spectacle, induced the “birth of the modern concept of celebrity” (p. 84). He learned that “the appearance of authenticity” sold far more effectively than honesty or accuracy (p. 92). Branding of personalities and places and products matured into a social science. Burke achieved “the promotional equivalent of ‘Taylorism’” through methodologies that became standards of professional practice (p. 297). The significance of these developments extends far beyond a story of cowboys and Indians.

Підвищення ефективності державного фінансового контролю за рахунок впровадження системи ризик-орієнтованого планування

Однією із важливих міжнародних практик внутрішнього аудиту є застосування ризик-орієнтованого планування при виборі об’єктів та суб’єктів аудиту. В процесі дослідження проаналізовано відповідність діяльності з внутрішнього аудиту національним стандартам з одночасною імплементацією міжнародних стандартів професійної практики на основі ризик-орієнтованого планування.&#x0D; В статті узагальнено наукові дискусії з питання приведення внутрішнього аудиту у відповідності до міжнародних стандартів, оцінки ризиків в процесі здійснення ризик-орієнтованого планування аудиторської діяльності та вивчення практичного ефекту від впровадження системи ризик-орієнтованого планування.&#x0D; Доведено, що станом на сьогодні, сил підрозділів служби внутрішнього аудиту є недостатньо для проведення суцільної перевірки всіх військових частин, установ, організацій Міністерства оборони України. Сформульована необхідність у якісному плануванні заходів аудиторських перевірок з метою охоплення саме таких об’єктів, в яких ідентифіковано найбільші загрози та ризики.&#x0D; Питання ризик-орієнтованого планування внутрішнього аудиту розкрито в наступній логічній послідовності: визначено загальну регламентацію зазначеного процесу, проведено аналіз складових ризик-орієнтованого планування та запропоновано методику розробки плану на підставі ризик-орієнтованого відбору об’єктів аудиту. Зокрема, детально розглянуто питання стосовно визначення ризиків, проведення оцінки ризиків за відповідними критеріями, визначення ризиків за допомогою балів.&#x0D; В ході проведеного дослідження емпірично підтверджено та теоретично доведено, що ризик-орієнтоване планування є невід’ємною і важливою складовою аудиторської діяльності. Доведено важливість даного напрямку в контексті отриманого економічного ефекту від превентивних заходів.&#x0D; На основі зробленого аналізу, виявлено наявні проблеми і обґрунтовано комплекс теоретичних і практичних рекомендації з метою удосконалення зазначеного процесу в Міністерстві оборони України та практичного застосування розроблених методичних підходів із ризик-орієнтовного планування.&#x0D; Результати проведеного дослідження можуть бути корисними в процесі планування аудиторської діяльності на відповідний період.&#x0D; &#x0D;

A Nursing Leadership Challenge: Making the Integration of Professional Practice Standards Into Nursing Operations a Reality

The successes and challenges to advancing professional practice-specific initiatives, given the competition for time, resources, and the immediate attention to daily demands for operational improvements, are a challenge to nurse leaders. This article describes ways to integrate professional practice initiatives into operational priorities, a strategy essential for professional integrity, wise use of leadership resources, and consistent excellence of practice. The role of nursing leaders to demonstrate the value of using a professional practice approach to care delivery is deemed essential.

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine – Foundation, function and future

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine was established in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1989 to develop and maintain competence, ethics and the highest professional standards of practice in the discipline. This article charts the founding principles and history of the Faculty, details its composition and membership, and outlines the major functions and achievements of the organisation in the context of the development of the discipline of pharmaceutical medicine. The recognition of pharmaceutical medicine as a medical specialty in the UK is described together with the associated certification programme Pharmaceutical Medicine Specialty Training, which enables pharmaceutical physicians to become certified practitioners in the specialty with the UK General Medical Council (UK GMC).

Risks of admitting children and young people to mental health inpatient units

This is the last in a series of six articles that aim to encourage nurse leaders to explore how to use research findings to improve practice and services where they work. The series focuses on research that has been funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and included in NIHR Dissemination Centre publications. The authors seek to relate the content directly to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s code of professional standards of practice and behaviour, specifically the themes of practising safely and promoting professionalism and trust

Dissemination and use of the professional standards of practice for psychologists, social workers, and counselors in spinal cord injury rehabilitation

Objective: To determine the level of awareness and utilization of the Professional Standards of Practice for Psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, 4th Edition (The Standards) by members of professional organizations representing psychologists, social workers, and licensed professional counselors (PSWC) working in spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation. Participants: Respondents belonged to members of professional organizations representing PSWC working in SCI rehabilitation, which included ASCIP (76%), APA’s Division 22 (37%), ASIA (23%), USA (14%), PVA (12%), AVAPL (11%) and CRCC (3%). Method: Responses to an online questionnaire were solicited via email. Results: 63% of those that responded were aware of The Standards. Of those, (79%) had read all or a portion of The Standards. Colleagues were the most common source of awareness, followed by email announcements. Conclusions: The Standards are being used (in order of frequency) to improve clinical work, improve treatment efficacy, orientation of new staff, confirm current practice, education, advocacy, and other ways.

Teaching and assessment strategies for nursing self-care competencies in Ontario's nursing education programs.

In Canada, nurses comprise half the healthcare employment sector, yet comparably, they are twice as likely to experience absenteeism due to occupational burnout. This issue is pronounced for entry-level nurses. The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) mandates professional practice standards and entry-level practice competencies; notably, these documents lack explicit performance expectations linked to nursing self-care. This lack of acknowledgment is reflected in what is known, which is little, about how self-care competencies are taught and assessed in nursing education programs. From a Program Director perspective, this study examined the strategies used to teach and assess self-care competencies in Ontario's nursing education programs. Survey results (n = 8), reported intention-action gaps highest (i.e., there is a need for increased teaching), in self-care competencies not mandated by the CNO (i.e., relationship, emotional, and spiritual self-care), whereas competencies mandated by the CNO (i.e., professionalism), were rated higher in relative teaching than importance. Given that self-care strategies (e.g. maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships and engaging in spiritual growth and mindfulness) have shown to be protective factors against workload stress, burnout, and job attrition, regulatory colleges need to consider mandating these self-care competencies within their professional practice standards and entry-level registered nurse practice guidelines.

Nurses, take note

British Journal of Neuroscience NursingVol. 15, No. 1 CommentNurses, take noteGayle MaddenGayle MaddenCorrespondence: E-mail Address: [email protected]Admiral Nurse; Professional and Practice Development Facilitator, Dementia UKSearch for more papers by this authorGayle MaddenPublished Online:26 Feb 2019https://doi.org/10.12968/bjnn.2019.15.1.46AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References Andrews A, St Aubyn B. ‘If it's not written down; it didn't happen …’ Journal of Community Nursing. 2015;29(5):20–2. https://tinyurl.com/y89qojkn (accessed 17 December 2018) Google ScholarDementia UK. How an Admiral Nurse can help. 2018. https://tinyurl.com/yalqrz5m (accessed 17 December 2018) Google ScholarNursing and Midwifery Council. The Code: professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. 2018. https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/ (accessed 17 December 2018) Google ScholarRoyal College of Nursing. Record keeping: the facts. 2018. https://tinyurl.com/y7maoyu3 (accessed 17 December 2018) Google ScholarStevens S, Pickering D. Keeping good nursing records: a guide. Community Eye Health. 2010;23(74):44–5 Google ScholarWood S. Effective record-keeping. Practice Nurse. 2010;39(4):20–3 Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 February 2019Volume 15Issue 1ISSN (print): 1747-0307ISSN (online): 2052-2800 Metrics History Published online 26 February 2019 Published in print 2 February 2019 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Nurses working in intellectual disability-specific settings talk about the uniqueness of their role: A qualitative study.

To explore the perceptions of Australian nurses working in disability-specific settings and/or roles, about: (a) nursing people with intellectual and developmental disability living in Sydney; and (b) the utility and applicability of professional practice standards designed specifically for intellectual and developmental disability nursing. A qualitative research design was used to guide the study and our analysis utilized the constant comparative approach to thematic data analyses. Individual in-person interviews were conducted with 18 nurses working in intellectual and developmental disability-specific settings and/or roles across the state of New South Wales between July - December, 2017. Participants described what it is that sets intellectual and developmental disability nursing apart from other nursing specialties, and the rewards and challenges of their role. Questions were also asked about professional practice standards in general and more specifically intellectual and developmental disability professional practice standards. Data were analysed thematically. Three themes reflected intellectual and developmental disability nurses' perceptions: (a) a unique investment in the nurse/patient dyad; (b) a bridge between disparate systems; and (c) an ambiguous future. Nurses reported variable understanding of professional practice standards designed for intellectual and developmental disability nursing, but also a belief in their importance. The intellectual and developmental disability nurses' experience of care accounts for the specific needs of patients with intellectual and developmental disability and suggests the importance of professional practice standards which acknowledge the changing landscape of care in Australia prompted by the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.