Utilization Of Skills Research Articles

Relationship of occupational stress and negative life events with low birth weight

To explore the influence of occupational stress and negative life events on low birth weight (LBW). 1:1 matched case-control study was employed, in which 438 singleton LBW infants with birth weight less than 2500 g (their pregnancy term being 28 to 42 weeks) served as case group while 438 with singleton term normal birth weight served as control group matched by sex, delivery time and hospital. All of their mothers were inquired by well trained investigators about their socio-demographic characteristics, occupational stress, and negative life events occurring in different pregnancy term. After controlling for mother's age, occupation, education level and family income, conditional logistic regression was employed to asses the influence of occupational stress and negative life events on LBW. Compared with those with low technical skill utilization and low job decision, mothers with high technical skill utilization (OR=0.62; 95% CI=0.43 approximately 0.91) and high job decision (OR=0.67; 95% CI=0.46 approximately 0.97) significantly decreased the risk of laboring LBW. Compared with those not exposed to negative life events, mothers with negative life event score being=3 in the middle three months of pregnancy (OR=18.85; 95% CI=1.58 approximately 225.02), with negative life event score being 1 in the later three months of pregnancy (OR=2.67; 95% CI=1.14 approximately 6.28), with negative life event score being 2 (OR=2.80; 95% CI=1.04 approximately 7.52) and=3 in the whole time of pregnancy (OR=2.94; 95% CI=1.22 approximately 7.09) were the risk factors of LBW. Negative life events might affect LBW and negative life events occurring in the different term of pregnancy impact LBW differently.

Positive and negative work characteristics associated with burnout among primary care pediatricians

There is little research regarding specific work features that might cause chronic stress and burnout among primary care pediatricians. The aim of the present study was first, to assess specific negative and positive characteristics of the job that might be related to burnout; and second, to compare burnout levels and work characteristics among board-certified versus general pediatricians; and clinic directors versus non-directors. Questionnaires were sent to 200 pediatricians employed full-time in pediatric primary care community centers in the largest Israeli Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Respondents replied anonymously. The questionnaires assessed sociodemographic details, burnout levels, and negative and positive job characteristics. There were no differences in burnout levels between board-certified and general pediatricians. Positive job features had stronger associations with burnout than negative features. Compared with general pediatricians, board-certified pediatricians reported significantly higher levels of negative features (e.g. conflicts between the medical and administrative system in the HMO; parents disregarding instructions); but higher levels of autonomy and appreciation from patients. Compared with regular pediatricians, clinic directors had significantly higher levels of negative job features (e.g. less access to resources); and higher levels of positive work features. The absence of positive job features (e.g. autonomy, recognition for one's work and utilization of skills) may be more important in causing burnout than the presence of negative characteristics (e.g. overload, demanding and noisy parents). It is consistent with recent suggestions that in the presence of positive features, employees can better tolerate stressful aspects of the job and still feel motivated and engaged.

Profile of members of the Australian Osteopathic Association: Part 1 – The practitioners

Objectives The Research Council of the Australian Osteopathic Association (AOA) identified the need to gather data about the members of the Association as well as ‘who’ and ‘what’ they treat in order to guide strategic planning in research. Methods A census of two parts was sent to members of the AOA ( n = 656). Part 1 focussed on the practitioners and part 2 on the patients. Surveys of specific groups in the osteopathic profession in New Zealand and the United Kingdom as well as earlier Australian surveys were obtained for comparative and temporal analysis. Results The response rate was 52% of the sample population. The gender was split evenly, and the majority practice was a 32–40 h working week in one (59%) or two (33.8%) locations. They consult an estimated average of 40 patients a week (25% are new patients). In their diagnostic practice, physical examination was considered mostly in the orthopaedic and neurological systems, with a limited consideration of other systems. Referrals for diagnostic investigation were mostly for plain-film radiology. The estimated use of therapeutic modalities had soft tissue, muscle energy, non-high velocity articulation/mobilisation and high velocity manipulation consistently used, with a broad spread of others. Nutritional supplements, exercise and diet/lifestyle changes were all prescribed. Questions about inter-professional relationships revealed that practitioners refer to GPs 68.5% “occasionally” and 19.2% “frequently”, masseurs 48.2% “occasionally” and 19.3% “frequently”, naturopaths/herbalists 43.4% “occasionally” and 12.0% “frequently”, and podiatrists 47.5% “occasionally” and 9.8% “frequently”. Referrals were almost exclusively from other patients (96.1% frequently), whilst it was estimated by the respondents that GPs refer occasionally (47.9%) or frequently (17.4%). The sample placed importance on, and attended, continuing education activities, and reported that the most important professional issues were the public and health practitioners' perception/ignorance of osteopathy followed by the need for evidence into the efficacy of osteopathic management. Conclusions Part 1 of the survey of a sample of the members of the AOA revealed details of their qualifications and commitment to continuing education. The characteristics of respondents' practice within a multidisciplinary network, and the utilisation of the diagnostic skills of primary care were revealed. The importance of certain issues facing the Australian osteopathic profession were identified.

Trends of skills and productivity in the UK construction industry

PurposeUK government policy has emphasised the role of skills development and training as a means of improving productivity performance across all sectors of the economy. The purpose of this paper is to assess the appropriateness of this policy within the context of the construction industry, in light of the recently published statistics.Design/methodology/approachA trend analysis of construction productivity (measured by Gross Value Added/worker) and skills indicators (qualification attainment and training) was conducted over the period 1995‐2006.FindingsThere is inconsistency in the industry's productivity performance, despite the overall increase in qualification attainment levels and participation rates in training over the same period. However, the year‐on‐year change in the participation rate of training was not consistently associated with an improvement in productivity performance.Originality/valueIt is argued that the effective utilisation of skills rather than mere increase in the supply of skills is a key to bringing about productivity improvements. Indeed future policy makers decisions should focus on addressing other influences on productivity performance such as work organisation and management practice to support further development and progression of the UK construction industry.

The developing role of mammographers in performing sentinel node injections in a specialist breast care centre

The purpose of the present poster is to highlight the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of a mammographer-led sentinel node injection session within a specialist breast care centre. The axillary lymph node status provides the most important staging information and offers improved regional control. Sentinel lymph node biopsy has been reported as providing a safe and sensitive method of predicting axillary metastases and can help prevent unnecessary axillary surgery in a number of breast cancer patients [1]. Sentinel node injections have developed into a significant aspect of the mammographer's role expansion and have become fundamental in a specialised breast care centre. Utilisation of mammographer's skills in an extended role has increased motivation and job satisfaction and has provided career enhancement. Mammo-grapher-led sentinel node injection sessions have reduced the inpatient stay, improved the patient's journey and reduced the dose of radioisotope given to the patient.

Globalisation, Skill Formation and the Varieties of Capitalism Approach

This paper is concerned to evaluate the varieties of capitalism approach to global institutional convergence and divergence as represented by the skill formation and welfare state theory of Margarita Estevez-Abe, Torben Iversen and David Soskice. They argue that the configuration of particular skills and labor markets distinctive of national economies can explain key aspects of welfare state provision. This paper makes the case that the generation and utilization of skills is fundamentally changing as a result of developments within multinational companies (MNCs). The empirical data with respect to the critique of Estevez-Abe et al's theory comes from a three-year study of MNCs' skill strategies. The study comprises 190 interviews with senior managers in 20 MNCs in three sectors -- electronics and information technology, automobiles and finance. Insofar as skill is related to strengthening working-class institutions and power, then the skills capture thesis suggests a weakening of such institutions and the influence they have on welfare state institutions.

RECENT CHANGES AND TRENDS IN THE PRACTICE OF APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY

The emergent global economy of the 21st century will create an ever greater need for research‐based information and pragmatic utilization of social science skills, creating new work opportunities for applied anthropologists in a variety of settings. However, anthropologists may need to adjust their traditional roles and tasks, approaches and methods, and priorities and guidelines to practice their craft effectively. Anthropological training and education must be based in sound ethnographic techniques, using contemporary tools, participatory methods, and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to accommodate faster‐paced work environments and to disseminate their findings efficiently to a diverse audience while fulfilling the goal of empowering and enabling humans around the world to address social, economic, and health issues, along with other pressing concerns facing their communities.

Predictors of management development effectiveness: an Australian perspective

Management development is increasingly adopted by organizations seeking to attract and retain talented employees. This research project assessed the current state of management development in Australia. Specifically, this paper sought to identify variables associated with management development effectiveness. A model of management development effectiveness was developed and tested in this study through path analysis using the Analysis of Moment Structures Program. Data were collected from 206 managers in 153 organizations in Australia. Eighteen different industries are represented in the sample. The observed model had a good fit with the predicted model and all the predicted paths were significant and in the expected direction. Link to corporate strategy and opportunities for skill utilization were the two variables most closely associated with management development effectiveness. The implications of these findings for improving management development effectiveness are discussed.

Moving Down: Women's Part‐Time Work and Occupational Change in Britain 1991–2001

We give a quantitative analysis of the nature of occupational change – based on the utilisation of skills – as women make the transition between full-time and part-time work. We show that one-quarter of women moving from full- to part-time work experience downgrading. Women remaining with their current employer are less vulnerable and the availability of part-time opportunities is far more important than the presence of a pre-school child in determining whether a woman moves to a lower-skilled occupation. These findings indicate a loss of economic efficiency through the underutilisation of the skills of many of the women who work part-time.

Production and Utilization of Skills Oriented Graduates: An Assessment of Newly Trained Teachers Utilization of Instructional Materials in Selected Senior Secondary Schools in Cape Coast, Ghana

This study examined the extent to which newly trained teachers have used the knowledge and skills acquired from the schools and colleges to improve their performances, especially in the production and utilization of instructional materials. Three hundred newly trained teachers comprising graduates from senior secondary schools (Public and Private) participated in the study. The respondents were stratified and randomly selected. A structured questionnaire (PUIM – TQ) was used to collect data from the respondents. Frequencies and percentile statistical tools were employed to analyse the data. The findings suggest that the newly trained graduate teachers have remained relatively stable in the use of instructional materials in their teaching at the time of investigation. However, they expressed some problems in producing some of the teaching/learning materials. The implications of this study are discussed. Keywords : Instructional Materials; Trained Teachers; Graduate Teachers. International Journal of Educational Research Vol. 4 (1) 2008: pp. 113-119

Good phonetic errors in poor spellers are associated with right-handedness and possible weak utilisation of visuospatial abilities

Poor spellers in normal schools, who were not poor readers, were studied for handedness, visuospatial and other cognitive abilities in order to explore contrasts between poor spellers with and without good phonology. It was predicted by the right shift (RS) theory of handedness and cerebral dominance that those with good phonology would have strong bias to dextrality and relative weakness of the right hemisphere, while those without good phonology would have reduced bias to dextrality and relative weakness of the left hemisphere. Poor spellers with good phonetic equivalent spelling errors (GFEs) included fewer left-handers (2.4%) than poor spellers without GFEs (24.4%). Differences for hand skill were as predicted. Tests of visuospatial processing found no differences between the groups in levels of ability, but there was a marked difference in pattern of correlations between visuospatial test scores and homophonic word discrimination. Whereas good spellers (GS) and poor spellers without GFEs showed positive correlations between word discrimination and visuospatial ability, there were no significant correlations for poor spellers with GFEs. The differences for handedness and possibly for the utilisation of visuospatial skills suggest that surface dyslexics differ from phonological dyslexics in cerebral specialisation and perhaps in the quality of inter-hemispheric relations.

Bringing down the fence through school-community partnership: a case for the Community Education Forum framework

This article proposes that a metaphorical fence between schools and communities can be brought down by using democratically elected Community Education Forums (CEFs). The CEF concept was piloted in a participatory-action research project that was conducted in three rural communities in Limpopo, one community in Mpumalanga, one in Eastern Cape and in one informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, between 2005 and 2006. In this pilot project, the CEF concept was found to be effective in providing a platform that would facilitate a dialogue among different stakeholders such as school governing bodies, community policing forums, educators and education officials. The CEF's strength is rooted in its inclusivity of all community structures and in giving an equal voice to all. Thus through effective community participation the CEF framework has a potential to break down that “fence” that separates schools from the communities they serve. The data from all sites indicated positive responses from participants, ranging from evidence of active collaboration to the willingness to collaborate. The signs of collaboration among different stakeholders in each site included the utilisation of human resources and skills to address urgent educational challenges cost-effectively. Such collaboration and partnerships are positive in terms of facilitating a relevant and integrated curriculum delivery.

An Evidence-Based Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Curriculum for Emergency Department (ED) Providers Improves Skills and Utilization

SUMMARY Objective: Emergency Departments (EDs) offer an opportunity to improve the care of patients with at-risk and dependent drinking by teaching staff to screen, perform brief intervention and refer to treatment (SBIRT). We describe here the implementation at 14 Academic EDs of a structured SBIRT curriculum to determine if this learning experience improves provider beliefs and practices. Methods: ED faculty, residents, nurses, physician extenders, social workers, and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) were surveyed prior to participating in either a two hour interactive workshops with case simulations, or a web-based program (www.ed.bmc.org/sbirt). A pre-post repeated measures design assessed changes in provider beliefs and practices at three and 12 months post-exposure. Results: Among 402 ED providers, 74% reported <10 hours of prior professional alcohol-related education and 78% had <2 hours exposure in the previous year. At 3-month follow-up, scores for self-reported confidence in ability, responsibility to intervene, and actual utilization of SBIRT skills all improved significantly over baseline. Gains decreased somewhat at 12 months, but remained above baseline. Length of time in practice was positively associated with SBIRT utilization, controlling for gender, race and type of profession. Persistent barriers included time limitations and lack of referral resources. Conclusions: ED providers respond favorably to SBIRT. Changes in utilization were substantial at three months post-exposure to a standardized curriculum, but less apparent after 12 months. Booster sessions, trained assistants and infrastructure supports may be needed to sustain changes over the longer term.

Investigating the human resources context and content on TQM, business excellence and ISO 9001:2000

PurposeThe main objective of this paper is to theoretically investigate the human resources (HR) context and content on total quality management (TQM), business excellence and ISO 9000:2000.Design/methodology/approachThe HR‐quality relationship has largely been ignored or underestimated. This paper investigates the existing literature and digs into the various approaches and frameworks in order to evaluate the rhetoric and the reality of this relationship. The examination of differences, similarities and convergence is of high importance in understanding the contribution of HR issues to all of these quality approaches.FindingsBesides the “good stories” of implementation of the European Quality Award (EQA) model, the ISO 9000:2000 certification and TQM, the paper reveals a number of problematic areas in relation to effective HR utilization such as: low utilization of employees' skills and knowledge, lack of a vision and a mission for HR followed by systematic design and implementation of strategic human resource management (HRM) practices.Research limitations/implicationsThis is the first step towards an understanding of the current status of the HR context and content on TQM, business excellence and ISO 9000:2000. The paper addresses a series of issues concerning organizations worldwide in their road to quality improvement and business excellence. There is a need to further evaluate organizations by measuring their HR performance and the degree of quality implementation in the future.Practical implicationsThe paper is aiming at both Quality and HR people within the organization. Quality cannot be achieved without fully utilization of organization's HR, and the HR function needs a new vision and practices that are focused on internal customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThe paper provides a reliable and objective depiction of the current status of the HR context and content on TQM, business excellence and ISO 9000:2000 through the examination and analysis of a state‐of‐the‐art literature review studies, including all the various approaches, practices and perceptions recorded so far in the literature ‐some of them based on empirical data and some deriving from rhetoric and “good‐stories” or “how things ought to be” perspective.

Disease Intervention Specialists as a Resource in a Public Health Emergency

With the current shortage of qualified staff at state and local public health departments, a flexible public health workforce could fill critical gaps in staffing. Disease intervention specialists (DISs) are public health outreach workers who are responsible for finding and counseling people with sexually transmitted diseases and their contacts. DIS skills and job duties parallel those that would be needed to respond quickly and efficiently to urgent public health problems, including bioterrorism. Including DISs in public health preparedness planning could be a practical way of providing surge capacity for departments of public health. In many states, DISs are already being used for functions that fall outside their traditional duties. However, planning and DIS training are essential for effective utilization of DIS skills in a public health emergency. North Carolina has included DISs in their bioterrorism response plans and currently deploys them on an as-needed basis for nonroutine activities.

The Impact Of Internship Programme And Its Effects On The Physiotherapy Practice In Nigeria

Background: The recent introduction of one year internship training programme is one of the few steps taken to update standard and knowledge of upcoming physiotherapists in Nigeria. It is a compulsory one-year clinical training post-graduation from the university under the supervision of the clinicians. The major importance of introducing the new policy is to promote acquisition and utilization of new skills, and as well, develop skills and confidence already acquired during undergraduate days. &#x0D; &#x0D; Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess and evaluate the new internship-training programme considering welfare package like salary and wages, accommodation, employment opportunities, acceptability and working environment. The study also evaluated the opinion of the supervisors on the impact of the new policy on the profession, government and clinical practice.&#x0D; &#x0D; Method: Structured copies of self-administered questionnaires were distributed to forty-four interns at three accredited University Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria while 30 questionnaires were distributed to supervising physiotherapists in these hospitals. The response rate for interns was 100% while it was 60% for the supervisors. The data obtained from the designed questionnaire were analyzed by descriptive analysis. &#x0D; &#x0D; Results: The result showed that the 52% of the interns were satisfied with the support from their senior colleagues, work load (80%), freedom to plan and manage patients (100%), and supervision from senior colleagues (62%). They were grossly dissatisfied with their salaries (91%), equipment available (79%), pattern of conducting ward rounds (89%), and office environment (58%). The result also revealed that all the supervising physiotherapists (100%) were satisfied with the skill and clinical practice of the interns. The result further showed that the programme has a positive impact in terms of clinical practice, confidence employment opportunity, productivity and government policy (66–100%).&#x0D; &#x0D; Conclusion: This study concluded that the internship programme has a remarkable positive impact on the profession of physiotherapy in Nigeria. However, the intern physiotherapists were not satisfied most especially with their monthly income and pattern of conducting clinical rounds. &#x0D; &#x0D; KEY WORDS: Physiotherapy Internship Programme, Nigerian Physiotherapists.

Religion and Spirituality as Predictors of Well-Being Among Chinese American and Korean American Older Adults

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to understand the multidimensional aspects of religion, spirituality, and well-being among Asian American older adults with a primary focus on examining how much the effect of religion and spirituality can account for subjective well-being. Respondents were 145 older adults (76 Chinese and 69 Koreans). In an attempt to measure a broad range of religion and spirituality, the Multidimensional Measures of Religiousness and Spirituality (MMRS; NIA/Fetzer, 1999) were used. Utilization of religious coping skills was associated with greater life satisfaction. Greater practice of forgiveness contributed to improving life satisfaction and self-efficacy for older Korean and Chinese Americans. Religious support was associated with decreased depression and increased life satisfaction. In contrast, less private religious practice enhanced greater self-efficacy. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Motivating Nigerian doctors for improved health care delivery

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine perceptions of need dissatisfaction and need importance in the two groups of orthodox medical doctors in Nigeria, relating these motivational variables to quality in‐patient care.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on Maslow's theory, and the question format in Heller and Porter's study; 33 government‐employed doctors, and 29 private practitioners were surveyed. The “t‐test” and Mann‐Whitney test were employed in statistical analysis.FindingsThe paper finds that the two groups differed significantly in perceptions of need dissatisfaction with respect to 13 of 26 need items; and in the importance attached to “opportunity to belong to social groups” and pay. When absolute values are considered, the overall picture suggests that the two groups are most dissatisfied with pay, physiological, security, self‐actualization, and transcendence needs.Practical implicationsIf doctors as a microcosm of Nigerian workers are to replace poor work habits with quality concepts, their needs for better pay must be satisfied to enable them to meet their physiological needs, and better facilities provided in hospitals to support skill utilization. An economy functions as a system. Doctors consume and render services. If they do not have to procure personal power‐generating sets, self‐protection, and other services that ought to be accessed as public utilities, they will be more emotionally engaged with their tasks.Originality/valueThe main contribution in this paper lies in the evaluation of the motivational needs of Nigerian doctors, healthcare being fundamental to life, and the emphasis on centrality of employee motivation in any planned service improvement efforts.

Mismatch and Skill Utilization: Determinants and Consequences

A growing economic literature has focused on the impact of cognitive skills on labour market outcomes. While workers differ in their skills, they also face different opportunities to use them on the labour market. This may lead to important skill mismatches that have often been investigated in the literature in term of over-education. Yet, over-education measures used in the literature may capture unobserved ability rather than genuine skill mismatches. We contribute by using objective information on basic skills and their utilization at the workplace with data from the Swiss sample of the Adult literacy and lifeskills survey. We analyze the determinants of skill mismatches and their impact on wages. We find important gender differences in the probability of being over or under-skilled. Although our research focuses on a limited set of skills, our results show that skill mismatches have important effects on wages. The impact of skill mismatches on wages depends heavily on the type of education (vocational or academic).

Worker flexibility and its perceived contribution to performance: The moderating role of task characteristics

AbstractThis study examined the relationship between worker flexibility in team‐based work and its perceived contribution to efficiency, work quality, and innovation, and the moderating role of task autonomy, skill utilization, and task monotony. Four‐hundred ninety‐four employees from 113 teams in 15 organizations completed and returned questionnaires. Skill utilization proved to be positively related to perceived contribution of flexibility to efficiency, work quality, and innovation. Furthermore, skill utilization strengthened the positive relationships between worker flexibility and its perceived contribution to efficiency and work quality and weakened the negative relationship between worker flexibility and its perceived impact on innovation. Task monotony was negatively related to the perceived quality benefits of being flexible. In addition, it weakened the positive relationship between worker flexibility and its perceived contribution to both efficiency and quality and strengthened the negative relationship with the perceived impact of flexibility on innovation. Task autonomy was positively related to the perceived contribution of flexibility to innovation and weakened the negative relationship between worker flexibility and the perceived innovation benefits of being flexible. The authors conclude that skill utilization and lack of monotony are important issues in relation to worker flexibility on all performance objectives that were considered, whereas task autonomy seems especially relevant when innovation is a key issue. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 17: 117–135, 2007.