Self-evaluation Tool Research Articles

Equity and diversity maturity matrix for structured diversity inclusion in the EU JACARDI project

Abstract Issue There is increasing awareness on the importance of integration of cultural and ethnic diversity perspectives to reduce prevailing health inequities effectively and sustainably. There is, however, limited experience and practical tools for systematic integration of these perspectives in public health. Description of the problem The EU Joint Action for Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes (JACARDI) project, conducted 11/2023-10/2027 has developed a structured and systematic approach for integrating equity and diversity perspectives in all its 142 pilots across 21 European countries. Results Equity and diversity perspectives are embedded in the harmonized stepwise methodology for pilots, supported with a practical Equity and diversity maturity matrix. The maturity matrix is based on the JACARDI 4Cs Equity and diversity explanatory framework (Critical reflection; Context and data; Co-design; inclusive and accessible Communications). The content of the matrix is divided into concrete steps related to pilot’s planning and implementation, each with three levels of maturity that aim at gauging how equity and diversity perspectives are applied in practice: Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding. Pilots are encouraged to strive for any of these three levels, considering their available resources and previous experiences in diversity inclusion. Lessons Effective and sustainable change toward more equitable and diversity inclusive practice requires seamless integration of these perspectives in other routine activities. Training and continued practical and motivational support are key for adherence to novel approaches. In addition to being a practical tool, the Equity and diversity matrix acts as a structured self-evaluation tool to monitor how equity and diversity principles are translated into practice.

Healthcare professionals’ perspective on the organization of COVID-19 post-hospital aftercare: perspective, barriers and facilitators

ABSTRACT Background After the outbreak of COVID-19, new post-hospital aftercare for patients with COVID-19 had to be established which healthcare professionals (HCPs) had to implement in their healthcare settings. Purpose This study aimed to evaluate HCPs’ perspective on the organization of COVID-19 post-hospital aftercare and identify barriers and facilitators regarding this aftercare in the Netherlands. Methods In this mixed-methods study we sent out a survey 1 and 2 years after the COVID-19 outbreak in the Netherlands to healthcare institutions (HCIs) and asked HCPs across multiple disciplines involved in the COVID-19 post-hospital aftercare to participate. The survey comprised three parts: (1) demographics; (2) the Care Process Self-Evaluation Tool as quantitative measure (CPSET; five domains; scoring range 0–100) to assess HCPs’ perspective on COVID-19 post-hospital aftercare; and (3) barriers and facilitators regarding this aftercare as a qualitative measure. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were performed. Results At 1 year, 82 HCPs from 48 HCIs, and at 2 years, 29 HCPs from 24 HCIs participated in the survey. Overall, HCPs had a favorable perspective on COVID-19 aftercare in both assessments. The CPSET domain ‘patient-focused organization’ scored highest (median 81.7 [interquartile range 75.0–90.0] and 85.0 [78.3–96.7]) and ‘monitoring of follow-up care’ lowest (67.1 [55.7–75.7] and 70.0 [52.0–86.7]) at 1 and 2 years, respectively. According to HCPs the COVID-19 post-hospital aftercare solutions to overcome the identified barriers include a clear follow-up and referral procedures with emphasis on multidisciplinary treatment, employment of more HCPs, and extension of treatment duration. Conclusion We concluded that HCPs generally held a positive perspective on COVID-19 aftercare, despite its rapid development and reliance on expert opinion. Key steps in improving COVID-19 aftercare include using quality indicators for monitoring of follow-up care, establishing a well-defined aftercare pathway, addressing resource constraints, and enhancing multidisciplinary collaboration and communication. These insights obtained from HCPs are crucial for policymakers and national healthcare authorities to further improve COVID-19 post-hospital aftercare and for pandemic preparedness.

Evaluation Tools and Influencing Factors of Clinical Reasoning for Nursing Students

The cultivation of clinical reasoning ability in nursing students is a hot topic of research among nursing educators worldwide. Only by fully understanding the concept of clinical reasoning, accurately assessing its level, and familiarizing themselves with its influencing factors, can nursing educators develop appropriate measures to cultivate and enhance the clinical reasoning ability of nursing students. Through literature review, this article found that there is no unified and clear concept of clinical reasoning internationally, but experts unanimously agree that the three basic conditions that should be met for conducting clinical reasoning are discipline-specific knowledge, multiple types of thinking, and reasoning skills. There are two main types of evaluation tools for nursing students' clinical reasoning ability: self-evaluation tools and peer evaluation tools. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. The clinical reasoning ability of nursing students is not only influenced by their own factors such as professional knowledge, experience, and thinking patterns, but also by external factors such as teaching methods and teaching environment.

Predictive Value of the KOJI AWARENESS Self-Evaluation System for Running Injuries in Elite Male Long-Distance Runners: A Prospective Cohort Study.

The KOJI AWARENESS (KA) test is a practical self-evaluation tool that assesses body movements and may help develop individual conditioning plans to improve movement function. However, the association between preseason KA scores and in-season injury occurrence remains unexplored. To investigate whether the KA self-screening test score can predict running-related injuries in elite long-distance runners. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. A total of 47 elite college male long-distance runners (age, 18-22 years) were enrolled in this study in June 2022. The participants underwent the KA self-screening test to assess preseason upper limb, core, and lower limb function. Running-related injuries with a training time loss of >3 weeks were tracked for 6 months during the season. The participants were divided into injury and noninjury groups, and between-group comparisons and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to determine the association between the KA scores and the injury incidence. Chi-square tests and risk ratios were calculated based on the cutoff value- and injury-based grouping. Among the runners, 10 (21.3%) sustained an injury. There were no significant differences in the demographic characteristics between the injury and noninjury groups. The injury group had significantly lower KA scores than the noninjury group (median, 44.5 [interquartile range, 43-46.8] vs median, 48 [interquartile range, 46-50], respectively; P = .009). The ROC curve analysis determined a cutoff value of 46.5 points (sensitivity, 73%; specificity, 63.6%), indicating that the KA scores exhibited a relatively high predictive value for running-related injuries (area under the ROC curve, 0.764 [95% CI, 0.600-0.930]). The risk ratio for group division based on the cutoff value was 2.590 (95% CI, 1.329-5.047). These findings demonstrated that the KA test is an effective self-screening tool for predicting the risk of running-related injuries in elite male long-distance runners.

Critical care nurses' competence in mentoring students in intensive care units—A cross-sectional study

BackgroundMentors play an important role in the practical education of critical care nursing students in intensive care units, yet little is known about the mentoring competencies of critical care nurses. AimThe aim of this study was to assess Norwegian critical care nurses' competence in mentoring students in intensive care units. DesignThis study has a descriptive, cross-sectional design, utilising a self-administered online survey. SettingsThe study population consisted of critical care nurses who mentor students in Norwegian intensive care units. Participants178 critical care nurses participated in the study. The participants were recruited by contacting the units directly, through social media, and at a national critical care nursing conference. MethodsThe study utilised the Mentors' Competence Instrument, a self-evaluation tool for evaluating mentoring competence. ResultsThe Norwegian critical care nurses generally evaluated their mentoring competence as middle to high level. The “reflection during mentoring” dimension was rated as the highest and “student-centered evaluation” as the lowest competence dimension. The critical care nurses who had formal mentoring education reported significantly higher mentoring competences, but the other demographic characteristics were not related to mentoring competence. Regardless of previous mentoring education, most participants reported a need to further develop their mentoring competencies. ConclusionsEmployers should collaborate with educational institutions to establish a system for continuous competence development for critical care nurse mentors.

Exploring leaders' perceptions of school resilience during COVID-19: Constructing the framework for school development

The study aimed to develop a framework for evaluating school resilience, focusing on leaders' perceptions. This framework examined two critical aspects: firstly, how pre-pandemic school development activities influenced schools' response during the COVID-19 remote learning period, and secondly, how experiences gained during the pandemic could shape future practices.Two research questions guided the study: (1) What predictive factors contribute to leaders’ ability to manage daily leadership during distance learning? (2) What factors do leaders identify as enabling schools to enhance their learning capacity for the future?The survey was conducted among Estonian school leaders at the end of the first pandemic wave in June 2020. Two multiple linear regression models were employed to explore the variance in coping with leadership challenges during the remote learning period and the potential impact on future teaching practices.The results show that leaders effectively managed the challenges of the remote learning period, drawing on their pre-pandemic experience with joint discussions and distance teaching practices, established routines working with data and collaboration with parents. Moreover, the perception of the distance learning period as a learning opportunity for the future stemmed from their previous experiences in distance teaching, data-driven decision-making, and joint discussions with colleagues.The developed resilience framework serves as both a research and self-evaluation tool to assess schools' capacity to navigate uncertainty. Additionally, it can be integrated into leadership training or school development programs to bolster schools' resilience and cultivate context-sensitive leadership skills.

Virtual Simulation-Based Learning Competency Self-Evaluation Tool: A Methodological Study

Virtual Simulation-Based Learning Competency Self-Evaluation Tool: A Methodological Study

The need for cybersecurity self-evaluation in healthcare

The Australian healthcare sector is a complex mix of government departments, associations, providers, professionals, and consumers. Cybersecurity attacks, which have recently increased, challenge the sector in many ways; however, the best approaches for the sector to manage the threat are unclear. This study will report on a semi-structured focus group conducted with five representatives from the Australian healthcare and computer security sectors. An analysis of this focus group transcript yielded four themes: 1) the challenge of securing the Australian healthcare landscape; 2) the financial challenges of cybersecurity in healthcare; 3) balancing privacy and transparency; 4) education and regulation. The results indicate the need for sector-specific tools to empower the healthcare sector to mitigate cybersecurity threats, most notably using a self-evaluation tool so stakeholders can proactively prepare for incidents. Despite the vast amount of research into cybersecurity, little has been conducted on proactive cybersecurity approaches where security weaknesses are identified weaknesses before they occur.

The Implementation of Self-Assessment in Character Pillar Activities of Elementary School Students

Self-awareness is a person's ability to accept and understand their strengths and weaknesses so that they can develop their potential. Self-assessment is a tool that can be used to assess one's level of self-awareness. This research seeks to explore how 6-7-year-old students' awareness of themselves in assessing certain behaviors. The purpose of this study is to identify the application of self-assessment in character pillar activities in grade 1 students at SD Karakter, analyze students' perceptions of self-attitude and behavior on the tested character development aspects, and make recommendations for effective self-assessment development strategies to increase students' self-awareness. This study used a descriptive quantitative method with probability systematic sampling on 30 participants. The results show that self-assessment can measure students' self-awareness regarding generous, helpful, and cooperative attitudes and behaviors. Students and parents felt changes in behavior after the character pillar activities. Cooperation is the pillar concept that most often appears in students. This research proves that self-assessment can be used as a tool for student self-evaluation. Teachers can develop effective learning strategies based on students' self-assessment results.

포커스 그룹 인터뷰를 통한 유아교육과정 운영 자기평가도구 개발 방향 탐색

Objectives The purpose of this study is to explore the direction of development of a self-evaluation tool for early childhood education curriculum operation and establish evaluation criteria through focus group interviews.
 Methods For this purpose, a focus group interview questionnaire was created based on the results of literature research and big data analysis, and focus group interviews were conducted with six participants consisting of an early childhood education expert (professor), an early childhood education field expert (director), and an early childhood education field expert (teacher). The collected data was analyzed using open coding and constant comparison analysis methods created by Glaser and Strauss.
 Results The results of this study were as follows: It was found that the self-evaluation tool for early childhood curriculum operation needs to be developed as a self-evaluation tool for early childhood curriculum operation based on a strengths-based evaluative approach. In addition, it was found that there was a need to establish a minimum evaluation standard by extracting common elements for various evaluation areas shown in the national-level early childhood education curriculum institutional evaluation and covering only essential contents for quality management of early childhood education curriculum operation.
 Conclusions Based on the results of this study, it was possible to confirm not only the necessity and expected effects of developing a self-evaluation tool for early childhood curriculum operation based on a strengths-based evaluative approach but also the direction of development of a self-evaluation tool for early childhood curriculum operation based on a strengths-based evaluative approach.

Measures for Persons with Spinal Cord Injury to Monitor Their Transitions in Care, Health, Function, and Quality of Life Experiences and Needs: A Protocol for Co-Developing a Self-Evaluation Tool.

Evaluating the experiences of persons with spinal cord injury (PwSCI) regarding their transitions in care and changes in health, function, and quality of life is complex, fragmented, and involves multiple tools and measures. A staged protocol was implemented with PwSCI and relevant expert stakeholders initially exploring and selecting existing measures or tools through a modified Delphi process, followed by choosing one of two options. The options were to either support the use of the 10 selected tools from the Delphi method or to co-develop one unique condensed tool with relevant measures to evaluate all four domains. The stakeholders chose to co-develop one tool to be used by persons with SCI to monitor their transition experiences across settings and care providers. This includes any issues with care or support they needed to address at the time of discharge from acute care or rehabilitation and in the community at 3, 6, and 12 months or longer post-discharge. Once developed, the tool was made available online for the final stage of the protocol, which proposes that the tool be reliability tested prior to its launch, followed by validation testing by PwSCI.

Determinants of Continuance Intention to Use Hearing Aids among Older Adults in Tehran (Iran).

The present study seeks to evaluate the factors determining the continuance intention to use hearing aids in older adults. This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2021. The technology post-acceptance model (PAM) framework was used to develop a model for the continuance intention to use hearing aids. In total, 300 hearing aid users aged ≥60 years, who were selected via a randomized stratified sampling method, completed the self-evaluation tools used in this study. With a mean age of 71.38 years (SD = 8), the participants comprised 50.7% and 49.3% females and males, respectively. The path analysis results showed that the continuance intention to use hearing aids was positively and significantly influenced by the actual use of hearing aids, the perceived benefits, satisfaction, confirmation, self-efficacy in using hearing aids, an extraverted personality trait, self-perceived hearing handicap, and perceived social support. The main results of the present study can help hearing care providers develop a better understanding of older users to design effective rehabilitation strategies and ensure their continuance intention to use hearing aids.

Organizational Preparedness for Navigating Disruption Towards Sustainability: Strategies’ Analysis

The study explores how design thinking principles can be leveraged to enhance an organization’s preparedness for disruptive innovation. To address this challenge, the authors sought to empathize with their clients, recognizing the need for a comprehensive evaluation. A framework guided by five fundamental principles – Scrutiny, Bravery, Resilience, Prosperous and Perseverance – was developed that integrates user-centred design methodologies to evaluate an organization’s strengths and weaknesses in the face of disruption. We analysed and interpreted the intricacies of emerging market disruptions, providing organizations with the GroKalp Assessment Tool, an automated tool for self-evaluation and strategic adjustment leading towards a sustainable future. These principles were further broken down into fifteen distinct parameters, each thoughtfully designed to offer organizations a detailed and insightful method for evaluating their responses to the relentless waves of transformative innovation. By utilizing the GroKalp Assessment Tool, organizations can position themselves in one of three categories: Innovators, Adapters, or Resistance Fighters. Design thinking tools are vital in this process, as they encourage creative problem-solving, innovation, and adaptation in an era of rapid technological change.

Development and Validation of Self-Evaluation Tool to Assess Teaching- Strategies (SETT) of Medical Teachers: A Modified Delphi Study

Objective: The objective was to develop and validate a tool for self-evaluation of teaching strategies for medical teachers (SETT). Study Design & Setting: A mixed method study was conducted at Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan Methodology: A mixed method study was conducted at Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan from January 15, 2019, to July 15, 2019. Modified Delphi technique was used to establish the content validity of preliminary instrument with 28 items. The response process validity was explored through cognitive interviews. Confirmatory factor analysis was done to confirm the factor model and the reliability of the tool was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha. Results: A 28-items preliminary draft instrument was reduced to 14-items final instrument after administering content validity, cognitive pretesting, and confirmatory factor analysis. Content Validity Scale was 0.97. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a model with a good fit and an acceptable internal consistency. These statistical values signify that the tool developed has a good validity and good reliability which means that the tool rightly measured what it was supposed to measure and is reliable to evaluate the required question every time. Conclusions: A self-evaluation tool of teaching- strategies (SETT) questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate teaching strategies of medical teachers.

Self-Evaluation Tool for Completed Action Research (Set-Car): An Innovation Ensuring Quality Control

Self-Evaluation Tool for Completed Action Research (Set-Car): An Innovation Ensuring Quality Control

Ensuring Networks Work Well: Development of a Self-evaluation Tool for Network Quality in Community Health Promotion

Abstract: Background: Networks are an essential component of community-based health research. Community-based networks require a high degree of collaboration, and the quality of this collaboration is a key factor for intervention success. As such, it is important to measure collaboration quality through network evaluation. Established tools, such as social network analysis, primarily measure connections between network members as opposed to network quality. Additionally, only few tools developed for this purpose are used in practice. Methods: This paper describes the process of developing a network assessment tool to measure the quality of network collaboration in practice. To this end, we collaborated with practice partners from a community-based health promotion network and the community health service. We adopted a mixed-methods approach consisting of a literature review and a needs assessment involving practical experts in Germany. On this basis, we developed a new network evaluation tool, the Self-Evaluation Tool for Network Quality Assessment by Practitioners in Community Health Promotion (SNAP-HP), in cyclic-iterative collaboration with our practice partners. Conclusions: The next steps include piloting, evaluating, and adapting the SNAP-HP for final open access.

Patient safety competence of nursing students and affecting factors

Objectives Patient safety competencies (PSC) of nursing students are, in particular, critical for quality and safe care. In the study, it was aimed to determine the PSC of nursing students and the factors affecting them. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional, relationship-seeking, and comparative study was conducted between February 1st and May 15th, 2022. The sample of the study consisted of 441 students studying at three universities. The data were collected online using the Sociodemographic Data Form and PSC Self-Evaluation Tool. Results In institutions where the study was conducted, students rated their level as above moderate in the PSC. Those aged 23 and over, and those who had received education on patient safety in patient care and drug administration were found to have a higher level of PSC. When the scores that all students obtained from the overall scale and its subscales were compared, it was determined that students of University C had statistically higher overall and subscale scores than those in the other two universities. Conclusion The assessment of PSC and the determination of the influencing variables may shed light on the regulations to be conducted in this regard. Patient safety courses should be included in the nursing curriculum as a compulsory course in two semesters at basic and advanced levels.

Promoting sustainable educational innovation using the Sustainability Meter

PurposeSchools struggle with sustaining their educational innovations (Cohen and Mehta, 2017; Askell-Williams and Koh, 2020) and may benefit from concrete and practical guidance (Askell-Williams and Koh, 2020). A dialogue between staff within schools can be a way to promote self-evaluation regarding the innovation. Therefore, a self-evaluation tool for educators was developed: The Sustainability Meter (TSM). The purpose of the tool is to gain insight into the different perspectives and experiences of stakeholders within the school organization regarding the innovation, as a basis for improvement-directed actions to promote sustainable educational innovation.Design/methodology/approachIn this small-scale study, the authors explored conceptual and instrumental use of the Sustainability Meter in two phases, and also examined user satisfaction. In phase 1, the tool was used under the guidance of the researcher (first author), who supported the chairs in taking steps before the group dialogue took place, and who then guided the dialogue itself as a moderator. In phase 2, work with TSM was organized independently by the schools themselves, supported by the manual. Data were collected in the form of observations of the dialogue, group interviews and documents generated by the participants.FindingsIn terms of conceptual use, in general, participants gained better understanding of each other's perspectives and backgrounds with regard to the (sustainability of the) innovation. The dialogue also led to insights into challenges for growth toward sustainable innovation. For instrumental use, the results of the analysis were incorporated in a plan of action in the majority of the participants' schools. In terms of user satisfaction, participants in all groups perceived TSM as an enjoyable support for high-quality dialogue. This research provides some indications that the tool might lead to sustainable educational innovations.Originality/valueNext to developing an action plan based on the results of the school, the tool also appeared to help breaking up the process in smaller, clearer and more feasible improvement-directed actions. The results of this study further show that the authors could distinguish between three types of instrumental use. The improvement-directed actions in this research often were a combination of this three types: initial solutions, short-term and longer-term measures. This research provides some indications that the tool might lead to sustainable educational innovations.

Alexithymia and Interoceptive Confusion in Covid-19 Pandemic Distress.

Alexithymic traits are associated with the difficulty of perceiving 'non-affective interoceptive signals', and are related to a problematic management of stressful life events (SLEs). The main purpose of this study was to quantify the psychological response of the general population to COVID-19 pandemic stress and to evaluate potential correlations with the presence of 'alexithymic traits' and 'interoceptive confusion' (study protocol # 0077794/2022). 175 subjects from general population were assessed with the Toronto-Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Event-Revised Impact Scale (IES-R), the Interoceptive Accuracy Scale (IAS), and the Interoceptive Confusion Questionnaire (ICQ). a significant relationship emerged between alexithymic traits (assessed with the TAS-20), the ICQ 'interoceptive confusion', and the domain of 'hyper-arousal' as assessed with IES-R. Logistic regression model showed that ICQ-Total Score and IES-R 'hyper-arousal' domain were significantly correlated with TAS-20 total score, with DR value (R2 corrected) explaining the 36.8% of the variability (standard error: 10.7). This study, albeit with the limitations of a cross-sectional experimental design with self-evaluation tools in a general population sample, showed a vulnerability to COVID-19 pandemic stress due to high levels of hyper-arousal in subjects with alexithymic traits and interoceptive confusion.

Developing a Multimodal Classroom Engagement Analysis Dashboard for Higher-Education

Developing learning analytics dashboards (LADs) is a growing research interest as online learning tools have become more accessible in K-12 and higher education settings. This paper reports our multimodal classroom engagement data analysis and dashboard design process and the resulting engagement dashboard. Our work stems from the importance of monitoring classroom engagement, which refers to students' active physical and cognitive involvement in learning that influences their motivation and success in a given course. To monitor this vital facade of learning, we developed an engagement dashboard using an iterative and user-centered process. We first created a multimodal machine learning model that utilizes face and pose features obtained from recent deep learning models. Then, we created a dashboard where users can view their engagement over time and discover their learning/teaching patterns. Finally, we conducted user studies with undergraduate and graduate-level participants to obtain feedback on our dashboard design. Our paper makes three contributions by (1) presenting a student-centric, open-source dashboard, (2) demonstrating a baseline architecture for engagement analysis using our open-access data, and (3) presenting user insights and design takeaways to inspire future LADs. We expect our research to guide the development of tools for novice teacher education, student self-evaluation, and engagement evaluation in crowded classrooms.