Standardized Instruments Research Articles

Predicción de lectura en instrumento patrón para una empresa de metrología a través de un dashboard empleando algoritmos de regresión

Nowadays, metrology has employed advanced techniques such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and data analysis, all with the aim of accurately and precisely measuring different physical magnitudes. All this is known today as metrology 4.0, which has as its main objective to ensure the reliability and accuracy of measurements in fields such as industry. In this context, a web application is proposed for a company dedicated to the calibration of instruments, in which regression algorithms are applied for prediction in their calibration instruments. This will not only provide better quality and more reliable results to customers, but will also optimize the company's processes and improve the efficiency of decision making related to instrument calibration. It is expected that, through the use of regression algorithms, the company will predict when the standard instrument will give bad readings. This will make it possible to send the instrument for calibration in advance, avoiding errors and guaranteeing measurement accuracy. Although concrete results are not yet available, a significant improvement in the accuracy and reliability of predictions is anticipated, as well as in the company's operational efficiency.

Curved flight procedure construction with site-specific statistical meteorological data: A Swedish example

This paper presents a study of using site-specific statistical meteorological data in the construction of curved flight procedures to explore its potential in reducing the environmental impact of air traffic near the airports. In the study, the statistical meteorological data which covers a 10-year period of time, from 2009 to 2018, have been collected for the air space centred two major Swedish airports, Arlanda at Stockholm (ESSA) and Landvetter at Göteborg (ESGG). Two procedure design practices, one is an area navigation (RNAV) standard instrument departure (SID) procedure from runway 08 of Arlanda airport and another is a required navigation performance authorization required (RNP AR) approach procedure heading to the runway 03 at Landvetter airport, have been performed and analysed. Applying the 95th percentile wind speed from statistical meteorological data, instead of the ICAO standardized tailwind component (TWC), offers varying benefits depending on the specific case. For the RNAV SID procedure from ESSA, the part of the designed departure path which is outside of the regulated noise dispersion area is significantly reduced. Whilst for the RNP AR approach procedure to ESGG, the smaller turning radius resulted from the lower TWC which is calculated from the local meteorological data makes it possible to avoid flying over an inhabited area. Besides the notable potential of noise impact reduction, flight distance shortening of 3.7 NM (RNAV SID ESSA case) and 1 NM (RNP AR ESGG case) compared to the same procedures designed on ICAO standard TWC have been observed. In general, the presented results are positive in supporting the use of local meteorological data in planning curved flight procedures during departures and approaches. A validation performed using an A320 full flight simulator has confirmed the operability of the ESGG RNP AR procedure from the design practice. In the full flight simulator, even with the 100th percentile wind condition from the collected statistical meteorological data, the designed RNP AR approach procedure can be operable considering RNP 0.3 corridor while a 30° bank angle is required for approximately 20 seconds during the turn.

A sex-based analysis of complete blood count features during acute, untreated Lyme disease

IntroductionAlthough lymphopenia has been described in acute Lyme disease (LD), the complete blood count (CBC) has not been comprehensively examined, nor have sex-based analyses been conducted. We analyzed CBC values and identified sex-based trends among patients with early LD by comparing both to controls without a history of LD and to patients’ pre-morbid values.MethodsWe enrolled participants from the Mid-Atlantic US with diagnostic erythema migrans and controls with no history of LD. CBC results were obtained, and patient information was recorded using standardized instruments. We also calculated a neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). We used linear regression to test that CBC results would differ (a) between antibiotic-naive patients with early LD and controls and (b) by measures of acute disease severity. We also performed stratified analyses to assess sex-based differences.ResultsIn total, 236 antibiotic-naive patients with early LD had significantly lower lymphocytes (β = −0.34, p < 0.001) and significantly higher monocytes (β = 0.09, p = 0.002) and NLRs (β = 0.99, p < 0.001) than 61 controls in adjusted analyses. Lymphocytes, monocytes, and NLRs also changed significantly from pre-morbid to acute LD (p < 0.001 for all). Only the NLR was consistently significantly associated with disease severity. A higher proportion of male patients with early LD had acute lymphopenia than female patients with early LD (31.93% vs. 19.66%, p = 0.03); this difference was not present among controls.ConclusionThe presence of lymphopenia and the absence of an elevated total white blood cell count make LD an important diagnostic consideration in patients presenting with undiagnosed infectious syndromes in endemic regions. This may be especially true for male patients.

Occupational Stress, Psychological Distress, and Coping Strategies of First-Level Judges in the Philippines: Examining the Influence of Demographics and Caseloads

Judges worldwide face intense pressure from heavy workloads, emotionally charged cases, and limited resources, leading to burnout and decreased public trust in the justice system. While individual coping is important, systemic change is crucial. This descriptive-correlational study investigated occupational stress, psychological distress, and coping strategies among 357 first-level judges in the Philippines. The study employed three standardized instruments: the Occupational Stress Scale, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and the Filipino Coping Strategies Scale (FCSS). This study revealed that first-level judges in the Philippines experience high levels of occupational stress and psychological distress. However, they also utilize a range of coping strategies to manage these challenges. The study found no significant relationship between occupational stress, psychological distress, and coping strategies and the demographic profile of the first-level judges. This suggests that these challenges are inherent to the judicial role itself rather than influenced by individual differences. The study concludes that interventions and support systems tailored to the specific demands of the profession are needed to address these challenges. The findings served as the basis for the Wellness Program for the first-level court judges in the Philippines.

Depression, posttraumatic stress of migrants and refugees in Germany – a cross -sectional study

Abstract Background Research shows associations between migration status and mental health conditions (e.g., depression). Yet, few representative data on migrants’ health are available. We aim to provide representative data on depression, and posttraumatic stress (PTSD) among migrants in a representative sample in Northwestern Germany. Methods We conducted a longitudinal study with two measurement points using a standardized assessment instrument in a representative sample of 18-65 years olds in Germany. Here we report on the baseline data. To assess socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status employment status, household income and migration status) we developed a standardized instrument. To assess depression, we used the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), to assess PTSD we used the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ-5). To investigate associations of migrant status with depression, and PTSD we estimated linear regression models. Results The analytical sample for this study includes n = 437 (male: n = 181, female: n = 256) individuals (age: M = 44.48, range: 18-65). In the total sample 15.1% (n = 66) showed symptoms of depression, and 6.5% showed PTSD (n = 26). Depression was more frequent in migrants than in non-migrants (22.1% vs. 13.4%, p = 0.043; 66.7). Crude linear regression models showed statistically significant associations between migration status and depression (B = 1.998, 95% CI: 0.831; 3.165, p < 0.001), and PTSD (B = 0.204, 95% CI: 0.085; 0.333, p = 0.002). However, models adjusted for gender, age, marital status employment status, household income and migration status suggested significant associations between migration status and PTSD (B = 0.136, 95% CI: 0.009; 0.263, p = 0.036), but not for depression. Conclusions Longitudinal data are needed to better understand trajectories between mental health conditions, PTSD and migration status. Living situation after the migration is of critical importance for mental health of migrants.

The burden of executive dysfunction after ischemic stroke (Bulgaria, 2019-2021)

Abstract Background Executive dysfunctions have great impact on behavior and quality of life in elderly. They also play important role for post-stroke functional outcome. The aim of our study was to examine the frequency, severity and types of executive dysfunctions at the third month after the ischemic stroke. Methods We examined 108 patients 3 months after ischemic stroke (66.67±9.03 years old, 66 males and 42 females) via 128-Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). WCST is a standardized instrument for detecting various executive dysfunctions. It is applicable for patients after stroke, because the test doesn’t require preserved arm motor functions. It measures global executive functioning (GEF), inhibitory control system (ICS), executive attention (EA), cognitive flexibility (CF) and working memory (WM). Our patients’ results were compared to the normal population test results. SPSS 24 was used for statistical analysis. Results Impaired GEF were found in 46% of our patients, most of them had mild or moderate impairment. One fourth of them showed impaired ICS, although the impairment in most of the cases was mild. EA deficits were found in 43% of our cases (17% had mild, 15% mild to moderate, 7% moderate and 4% severe impairment). WM dysfunction was found in 1/3 of them (the average result was about 27 percentiles; 29% had mild and 5% had mild to moderate deficits) and about ¼ of our patients had borderline results. CF was impaired in 68% of our patients (11% had mild, 28% mild to moderate, 16% moderate and 13% severe impairment). Conclusions GEF impairment is frequent after stroke. Patients had problems in ICS, EA, CF and WM. However, in most of the cases the dysfunction is mild or moderate and can be found only if it is actively searched and accessed. The most impaired functions were CF and EA. Patients with executive dysfunction require cognitive rehabilitation and specific social support. Key messages • Executive dysfunctions are frequent after ischemic stroke. The impairment is mild or moderate, but however it impacts the quality of life, behavior, prognosis and outcome of post-stroke survivors. • Patients with executive dysfunctions require specific cognitive rehabilitation and social support.

Considerations for digitalisation of nickel electroforming

ABSTRACT This paper is a ‘follow-on’ from a paper previously published in this journal dealing with the laboratory to pilot scaling up approach using Industry 4.0 manufacturing methods. In particular, the paper reports a strategy for developing a model for the electroforming of nickel from a sulphamate electrolyte at laboratory scale which could subsequently provide an educated approach for transferring the process to a larger scale. At the laboratory scale, a rotating disc electrode assembly was used, which is a standard instrument to determine electrochemical parameters. Thereafter, small scale nickel discs were electroplated using this equipment, and a model of this process was developed and validated against those experimental results. These parameters were then used to actually produce electroforms in a prototype, 18 L tank system. Cross-validation between practical experiments and simulations followed which allowed for fine-tuning the model until it was consistently predicting the real process results within an acceptable error. Overall, it was found that a secondary current distribution model could be used for reasonably accurate description for the electroforming process, and could provide a quick virtual tool at a production facility.

Rapidly Screening the Correlation between the Rotational Mobility and the Hydrogen Bonding Strength of Confined Water.

Automated Deuterium Relaxation-Ordered SpectroscopY in solution (ADROSYS), an automated two-dimensional deuterium NMR methodology, discriminates between D2O populations (as well as deuterium-labeled alcohol groups) whose properties differ as a result of being confined inside nanoscale volumes. In this contribution, a proof-of-principle demonstration on reverse micelles (RMs) yields the insight that as the length scale of the confinement decreases from several nanometers down to less than a nanometer, the position of the signal peak migrates through the two-dimensional (2D) spectrum, tracing out a distinctive path in the 2D space (of relaxation time vs chemical shift). The signals typically follow a relatively gentle linear path for water confined on the scale of several nanometers, before curving once the surfactants confine the water molecules to length scales smaller than 1-2 nm. The qualitative shape of this path, especially in the regime of strong confinement, can change with different choices of surfactants, i.e., a different choice of chemistry at the edges of the confining environment. An important facet of this research was to demonstrate the relatively wide applicability of these techniques by showing that both: (1) Standard modern NMR instrumentation is capable of deploying an automated measurement, even though the choice of a deuterium nucleus is nonstandard and frequently requires companion proton spectra in order to reference the chemical shifts; and (2) well-established (though underutilized) modern techniques can process the resulting signal even though it involves the somewhat unusual combination of chemical shifts along one dimension and a distribution of relaxation times along another dimension. In addition to demonstrating that this technique can be deployed across many samples of interest, detailed facts pertaining to the broadening or shifting of resulting signals upon inclusion of various guest molecules are also discussed.

Evaluation of Measure Dx, a Resource to Accelerate Diagnostic Safety Learning and Improvement.

Several strategies have been developed to detect diagnostic errors for organizational learning and improvement. However, few health care organizations (HCOs) have integrated these strategies into routine operations. To address this gap, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released "Measure Dx: A Resource To Identify, Analyze, and Learn From Diagnostic Safety Events" in 2022. We conducted an evaluation of Measure Dx to measure feasibility of implementation and effects on short-term and intermediate outcomes related to diagnostic safety. Prospective observational study. Teams from 11 HCOs, primarily academic medical centers. Participants were asked to use Measure Dx over approximately 6months and attend monthly virtual learning collaborative sessions to share and discuss approaches to measuring diagnostic safety. Descriptive outcomes were gathered at the HCO level and included uptake of different case-finding strategies and the number of cases reviewed and confirmed to have diagnostic safety improvement opportunities. We collected information on organizational practices related to diagnostic safety at each HCO at baseline and at the conclusion of the project. The 11 HCOs completed all requirements for the evaluation. Each of the four diagnostic safety case finding strategies outlined in Measure Dx were used by at least three HCOs. Across the cohort, participants reviewed 703 cases using a standardized data collection instrument. Of those cases, 224 (31.8%) were identified as diagnostic safety events with improvement opportunities. Unexpectedly, self-ratings on the checklist assessment declined for several organizations. Use of Measure Dx can help accelerate implementation of systematic approaches to diagnostic error measurement and learning across a variety of HCOs, while potentially enabling HCOs to identify opportunities to improve diagnostic safety practices.

Antibacterial activity of new ciprofloxacin conjugates

Numerous antibiotics are no longer effective against certain germs, rendering it harder to treat illnesses and inflicting unnecessary suffering and death on many individuals. This necessitates the introduction of new antibacterial agents to counteract bacterial antibiotic resistance. In a previous published work, new ciprofloxacin conjugates were synthesized by amidification and esterification of the ciprofloxacin core structure. The antibacterial activity of these new ciprofloxacin derivatives was evaluated by clinical and laboratory standard instruments. The Laboratory of Public Health/ Branch of Microbiology in Karbala evaluated their collected strains for each species. All compounds exhibited antibacterial properties, where the inhibition zones were measured and the values reported. Bacterial susceptibility to recently produced chemicals tended to be as follows: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, and Escherichia coli. The synthesized compounds had stronger antibacterial properties than the ciprofloxacin used as a starting point.

Single-stage NBI sampler for PM1 mass and five-stage NBI-NMCI sampler for PM1 mass distribution measurements

In recent years, concerns about the health and environmental risks associated with PM1 particles have increased. However, existing PM1 sampling instruments remain to be improved mainly because their PM1 inlets have particle loading and bounce issues. To address these challenges, PM1 inlets based on the Non-Bouncing Impactor (NBI) technique were developed. These inlets employ vacuum oil-wetted glass fiber filter (GFF) substrates to eliminate particle bounce and incorporate a daily vacuum oil injection to prevent particle loading. The 16.7 L/min PM1 NBI, modified from the PM2.5 M-WINS design with a reduced diameter of the single nozzle, was designed to adapt readily with current standard sampling and monitoring systems. The cut-size (Dpa50) of 0.99 ± 0.02 μm was determined by considering the effects of Reynold number and the ratio of jet-to-plate distance and nozzle diameter. Field tests comparing the 16.7 L/min PM1 NBI sampler to the 9-stage NCTU Micro-orifice Cascade Impactor (NMCI9) revealed small sampling biases, with a mean difference of +0.26 ± 2.28 μg/m3 for PM1 measurements when silicone oil-coated aluminum foil (AF) and GFF-AF were used in the NMCI9. The NBI with the oil-wetted GFF substrate effectively removed particles larger than 1.0 μm, resulting in more accurate PM1 mass concentration measurements. Additionally, the development of a 5-stage NMCI with the 30 L/min PM1 NBI as the first stage enabled detailed measurement of PM1 mass distribution in two modes, which was challenging when measuring the entire mass distribution of ambient aerosols. The distribution of size-dependent water-soluble inorganic ions in PM1 showed dominance of SO42− and NH4+ in PM1 compared to PM2.5. In summary, the PM1 NBI enhances accuracy for long-term atmospheric sampling by addressing particle loading and bounce, making it a more reliable standard sampling instrument.

Analysis of silver metal with a Thermo Scientific K-Alpha XPS instrument at 50 and 200 eV pass energies

Silver metal was analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy using a Thermo Scientific K-Alpha instrument with an Al Kα x-ray source (1486.6 eV). The silver survey spectrum and high-resolution Ag 3d, Ag M4N45N45, Ag M5N45N45, Ag 3p, O 1s, C 1s, Ar 2p, Ag 4p, and Ag 4s narrow scans were obtained. The sample analyzed is the standard instrument calibration silver foil mounted inside the analysis chamber of the K-Alpha. Sputtering with monoatomic Ar+ was performed prior to analysis to remove surface contamination. Narrow and survey scans were collected at 50 and 200 eV pass energy, respectively.

Reading Proficiency Among Grade 7 Learners

Analyzing reading competency in children in Grade 7 provides insightful information on learning objectives, cognitive growth, and the efficacy of literacy training. This information has consequences for teaching practices, educational systems, and individual students. This study assessed the reading proficiency of 146 Grade 7 students using a standardized test. The data were statistically analyzed using the mean, Mann-Whitney U-test, and analysis of variance. Results showed that the overall reading proficiency of the students was at a frustration level. When grouped by three different variables, the students’ reading proficiency stayed at the frustration level across all categories. Furthermore, no significant differences were found in reading proficiency when comparing students based on their profile variables. In this context, this paper ascertained the reading proficiency of Grade 7 learners in a public secondary school in a medium-sized division in Central Philippines for the Academic Year 2022–2023. Data needed for this descriptive study was collected from 146 respondents using a standardized instrument from the Oral Verification Test with one reading passage and a 7-item question. The ensuing analysis showed that the reading proficiency of Grade 7 Learners was at the frustration level, a level that signals a need for intervention, support, and reflection on instructional practices. This result calls for a customized reading plan to bring relevance and answer to the needs of the learners who still have difficulty in their reading proficiency level. Keywords: Language education, reading proficiency, word recognition, reading comprehension, Negros Oriental, Philippines

A Study the Water Quality Measuring Equipment with Automatic Sensor System

This paper studied the water quality in Dong Khoai Village, Xaythani District, Vientiane Capital, which is the primary water pumping location for agriculture. The area has a population of over 1735 citizens and cover more than 450 hectares. Common issue found in Markhiaw river. Stream is its toxicity to certain rice field, causing it inability to grow rice despite using fertilizer. Furthermore, this stream gives dissatisfaction odor, negatively affects people who get into the water for fishing and occasionally found death fish in the areas. In order to assess the water quality and disseminate the results to the public. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the creating of an automated sensor system for high precision water quality monitoring in the water. Four sensors; pH (hydrogen potential), EC (electro conductivity), TDS (total dissolved solid), and temperature are used in this procedure. The sensor system was tested, and build a small station uses solar energy and saves information into the SD card and available online by Blynk, and compare the test results with national environmental standards. The research revealed that, in comparison to the standard instrument S5 pro parameter, the measuring stations for the water quality values of all four sensors are accuracy value of 92.91% to 99.34%. Based on the information gathered over the course of two months, from February 13 and March 18, the pH value will be low, at 5. The pH value is high, at 11, between 13, 17 and 18 February 2024. These numbers are considered to be in the standard ranks. Regarding the dissolved solids in the water vary from 3 to 100 mg/L, and the electrical conductivity is between 100 and 180 µS/cm. They are also fall upon the National Environmental Standard. The Temperature value is high, at 40.81 ºC on 4 February 2024 and from 02 March 2024, the Temperature value will be low, at 24.4ºC.

Assessing Jealousy: Factor Analyses, Measurement Invariance, Nomological Validity, and Longitudinal APIM Analyses of the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale.

The Multidimensional Jealousy Scale is the standard instrument to assess cognitive, emotional, and behavioral jealousy. We examined competing factor models and external correlations with broad and narrow traits. Across two studies, we analyzed four samples (Ntotal = 2,117). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the measurement model of three correlated factors in comparison to unidimensional, second-order, and bifactor models. Thus, speaking against the use of a total score. Furthermore, we found measurement invariance between romantic partners. We extended the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale (MJS)' nomological net to personality pathology and replicated prior findings of associations with broad and narrow traits. Study 2 examined longitudinal data (5- to 9-month lag) from couples. Actor-Partner Interdependence Model analyses showed that the MJS predicts facets of relationship satisfaction in actors and partners. We discuss potential avenues for revising the MJS (e.g., heteronormative item wordings).

Older Adult Fall Risk Prediction with Deep Learning and Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test Data.

Falls are a major health hazard for older adults; therefore, in the context of an aging population, predicting the risk of a patient suffering falls in the near future is of great impact for health care systems. Currently, the standard prospective fall risk assessment instrument relies on a set of clinical and functional mobility assessment tools, one of them being the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Recently, wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) have been proposed to capture motion data that would allow for the building of estimates of fall risk. The hypothesis of this study is that the data gathered from IMU readings while the patient is performing the TUG test can be used to build a predictive model that would provide an estimate of the probability of suffering a fall in the near future, i.e., assessing prospective fall risk. This study applies deep learning convolutional neural networks (CNN) and recurrent neural networks (RNN) to build such predictive models based on features extracted from IMU data acquired during TUG test realizations. Data were obtained from a cohort of 106 older adults wearing wireless IMU sensors with sampling frequencies of 100 Hz while performing the TUG test. The dependent variable is a binary variable that is true if the patient suffered a fall in the six-month follow-up period. This variable was used as the output variable for the supervised training and validations of the deep learning architectures and competing machine learning approaches. A hold-out validation process using 75 subjects for training and 31 subjects for testing was repeated one hundred times to obtain robust estimations of model performances At each repetition, 5-fold cross-validation was carried out to select the best model over the training subset. Best results were achieved by a bidirectional long short-term memory (BLSTM), obtaining an accuracy of 0.83 and AUC of 0.73 with good sensitivity and specificity values.

Towards the development of measurement and analysis method for aerodynamic noise emission from high speed train: the UIC Aeronoise Project

The increase of railway lines operating at speeds above 250 km/h has shifted the attention towards environmental noise emissions by aerodynamic noise, dominant at these speeds. Adding complexity to the issue, while railway noise emissions at conventional speeds are concentrated in the lower parts of the train, aerodynamic noise emissions are distributed along the train at different heights and depending on the train design. Assessment of aerodynamic noise emissions of high speed train has been endeavored using microphone arrays, implementing different variants of the wave beamforming algorithm. This method involves a quite complex post-processing, and also numerical quantification of results is not immediate. UIC AERONOISE project has aimed at developing a simplified pass-by test methodology capable of quantifying aerodynamic noise emissions from high speed , using exclusively a limited number of standard instrumentation microphones. This methodology has been validated theoretically and is currently undergoing experimental tests. Fundamental points in this methodology are explained in this contribution, together with results achieved so far.

A new calibration method for radon detector in seismic systems

Radon observation is an important measurement item of seismic precursor network observation. The radon detector calibration is a key technical link for ensuring radon observation accuracy. At present, the radon detector calibration in seismic systems in China is faced with a series of bottleneck problems, such as aging and scrap, acquisition difficulties, high supervision costs, and transportation limitations of radon sources. As a result, a large number of radon detectors cannot be accurately calibrated regularly, seriously affecting the accuracy and reliability of radon observation data in China. To solve this problem, a new calibration method for radon detectors was established. The advantage of this method is that the dangerous radioactive substance, i.e., the radon source, can be avoided, but only “standard instruments” and water samples with certain dissolved radon concentrations can be used to realize radon detector calibration. This method avoids the risk of radioactive leakage and solves the current widespread difficulties and bottleneck of radon detector calibration in seismic systems in China. The comparison experiment with the traditional calibration method shows that the error of the calibration coefficient obtained by the new method is less than 5% compared with that by the traditional method, which meets the requirements of seismic observation systems, confirming the reliability of the new method. This new method can completely replace the traditional calibration method of using a radon source in seismic systems.

Effect of ultrasonication and temperature on hydration process and hardness of two cowpea types

AbstractUltrasonication deployment provides a green and non‐thermal option to traditional hydrothermal treatment. This study presents the impact of ultrasonication and soaking temperatures (30 and 50°C) on the water uptake and hardness of two cowpea types under increasing soaking times (15–240 min). Moisture content and hardness of the studied samples were measured using standard test methods and instruments. An increase in soaking temperature and the use of ultrasonication enhanced water uptake and reduced hardness. Ultrasonication improved mass transfer, which enhanced the diffusion of water uptake. The samples' water uptake and softening characteristics were significantly modeled with high accuracy (R2 = 0.99) using sigmoidal and first‐order kinetics equations, respectively. The impact of sonication was found to be more significant at 30°C soaking of the studied cowpeas as the soaking time increased. This work justified using ultrasonication as a green technique to enhance the softening of cowpeas.

Building patient safety culture by using interprofessional simulation with nursing, paramedic and emergency telecommunication students: A mixed-methods research study

AimThe aim of this study was to investigate student attitudes toward interprofessional education and collaborative practice and their perceptions of simulation design elements after participating in an interprofessional simulation educational activity. BackgroundPatient safety continues to be an international healthcare priority. However, critical incidents to patients continue to persist due to poor communication between professionals and poor teamwork. DesignA mixed methods design. MethodThe study sample consisted of Bachelor of Nursing (n=81), Paramedic (n=38) and Emergency Telecommunication (n=11) students randomized into interprofessional groups. Following the interprofessional learning experience, students completed two standardized self-reporting instruments, Students Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education, National League for Nursing Simulation Design Scale and open-ended questions of their perceptions on teamwork and collaboration, communication skills, transfer of care and patient safety. ResultsStudents in each program reported high scores for attitudes toward the importance of teamwork and collaborative practice. There were significant differences in scores between programs for the ranking factors ‘Teamwork and Team-Based Practice’ (BN=4.74SD 0.72, PM=4.66SD 0.81, ET=4.95SD 0.15 *; p = 0.00005) and ‘Roles & Responsibilities’ (BN=3.78SD 1.12, PM=3.55SD 0.92, ET=4.67SD 0.85*; p= 0.012). Themes included: communication and collaboration in teamwork; roles, responsibilities and leadership; patient-centred care and safety; and emotional dynamics and professional growth. ConclusionAn interprofessional simulation is an effective strategy to practice teamwork and collaboration and communication skills during transfer of care. Ensuring earlier education of roles and responsibilities during transfer of care needs review as do strategies for structured handover communication tools.