Training Programs For Users Research Articles

Point of care ultrasound training for medical students: Is it beneficial?

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) has oftentimes been touted as the stethoscope of the future. Improvements in technology have now lowered costs, making it more accessible to all physicians. Currently, there is no structured training program for POCUS and most POCUS users acquire knowledge during their respective specialist training by learning from peers or by attending ad-hoc courses. As POCUS gains traction, there is increasing interest in introducing training during medical school. We conducted an introductory course to POCUS for a batch of 9 medical students during their Internal Medicine rotation. The session was focused on orienting students to the ultrasound machine, knobology and imaging acquisition of the venous system. The instructors also shared with the students the scenarios whereby POCUS may aid diagnosis and clinical management. A survey was conducted after the course to assess the students’ understanding and interest in further sessions. Prior to this session, the medical students were only introduced to ultrasound during their obstetrics rotation. After the session, 89% of the students have a better understanding of how POCUS can be integrated into daily clinical practice. 89% of the students were also more confident in handling the ultrasound machine. All the students felt that POCUS can enhance their learning, and should be included in the Internal Medicine curriculum. As POCUS becomes more widely practised, consideration should be made to include it as a component of medical school training. While there are concerns that it will divert attention and resources in a packed curriculum, the interactive nature of ultrasound training, its direct correlation with anatomy, integration with clinical scenarios, makes it a powerful tool to potentially enhance clinical teaching.

Development of training programs for users of enterprise resource planning system

One of the important factors (may be, the main one) determining duration of initial (trial) operation of Enterprise Resource Planning (EPR) is quality of users training to collaboration in integrated (at the level of elementary transactions) control system. It is obvious that duration of initial operation and corresponding losses from the incidents arising at EPR operation can be significantly reduced not only due to high-quality design and EPR testing, but, considerably, due to increase in level of competences of users reached by their training. Mathematical definition of training program development for EPR users of large metallurgical company is given in the article. The main criterion there is general increment of users’ competences as a result of implementation of training program. Procedure of task solution is based on method of network programming which relies on structural and similar network representation of criterion and restrictions. General scheme and an example of solution of the studied task are provided in which separate estimated tasks are solved by method of dichotomizing programming. Received approximate solutions of an objective can be improved by means of finding global optimum of initial task by method of branches and borders in which values of criterion function of found approximate decision are applied as borders. In practice it is expedient to consider a task, opposite to described in the article in which costs of training are the criterion. Owing to structural similarity of functions of an increment of competences and costs of training the return task can be decided according to the same scheme that it is offered for a direct task. The considered task can be generalized by taking into account the preferences of users regarding the significance of individual programs relative to others by introducing appropriate “scales”. General scheme of task solution won’t change.

ВЕБ-ДОДАТОК ДЛЯ ВЕДЕННЯ ЩОДЕННИКА ХАРЧУВАННЯ ТА ТРЕНУВАННЯ: ВИМОГИ, РОЗРОБЛЕННЯ І ВПРОВАДЖЕННЯ

This article describes the results of pre-project analysis of the subject area and proved the feasibility of automating the calculation of the nutritional value of the food diary for a healthy and fulfilling life. It is proved the relevancy of training programs automation service development considering the physiological features of the person. The existing similar software products are considered. The structure of functions of the developed service is given. The purpose of the work is automatization of keeping food and training diary, the interaction of users and trainers, as well as further development in order to implement the program in schools and universities. Tasks: development of a web application of food and training diary, which will help to automatize the process of forming the user's diet and plan the training program. However, the implementation of multi-functional web applications requires a systematic approach, which involves the definition of the necessary tools and technologies. Cost, speed and quality are the main criteria for creating and selecting tools and technologies for development. Therefore, an important task is to create a set of tools that speed up the development process without significantly reducing reliability and security. Research methods: theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological information sources and documentary materials, the survey of specialists, the study of video materials of competitive activity, testing, methods of mathematical statistics. The following results were obtained: a multifunctional web application was developed; electronic service that allows the athlete to identify the physiological characteristics of his body, to determine the required level of daily calorie intake and, based on the set purpose, to form a training program, to determine the diet and daily routine. Conclusions: the scientific novelty of the results is the following: it was created a cross-functional diary that stores the necessary information about the progress of training and food, helps to create the training program and to systematize sports activities. The given list of service functions will allow to fully demonstrate its competitive advantages, as well as to solve the problem of automatization the user's diet formation process and training program composition, considering his physiological characteristics, lifestyle and daily routine

Formulating Training Programs for Users of ERP Systems

An important factor determining the length of industrial trials for ERP systems is the quality of user training for working in the integrated management system, which is integrated at the level of elementary transactions. Obviously, the length of this period and the corresponding losses associated with problems in the operation of the ERP system may be significantly decreased not only by satisfactory design and testing of the system but, in particular, by improving user skills through training. The problem of creating a training program for users of an ERP system at a large metallurgical company is expressed in mathematical terms. In this formulation, the optimization criterion is the total increment in user competence as a result of the program. Solution of this problem is based on network programming, which calls for structurally similar network representation of the target function and constraints. The authors present a general scheme for solution of this problem, as well as an example. In the solution, the individual assessment problems are solved by dichotomous programming. The approximate solutions obtained may be improved by finding the global optimum of the initial problem on the basis of the branch and bound method. The boundaries employed are values of the target function in the approximate solution. In practice, it will be expedient to consider the inverse of the problem considered here: in that case, the criterion is the training cost. In view of the structural similarity of the increment in skills and the training cost, the approach proposed for the direct problem may also be applied to the inverse problem. To generalize the problem considered, user preferences regarding the relative significance of particular programs may be taken into account by appropriate weighting. The basic solution remains unchanged.

The development and application of bioinformatics core competencies to improve bioinformatics training and education.

Bioinformatics is recognized as part of the essential knowledge base of numerous career paths in biomedical research and healthcare. However, there is little agreement in the field over what that knowledge entails or how best to provide it. These disagreements are compounded by the wide range of populations in need of bioinformatics training, with divergent prior backgrounds and intended application areas. The Curriculum Task Force of the International Society of Computational Biology (ISCB) Education Committee has sought to provide a framework for training needs and curricula in terms of a set of bioinformatics core competencies that cut across many user personas and training programs. The initial competencies developed based on surveys of employers and training programs have since been refined through a multiyear process of community engagement. This report describes the current status of the competencies and presents a series of use cases illustrating how they are being applied in diverse training contexts. These use cases are intended to demonstrate how others can make use of the competencies and engage in the process of their continuing refinement and application. The report concludes with a consideration of remaining challenges and future plans.

Shared decision-making for psychiatric medication: A mixed-methods evaluation of a UK training programme for service users and clinicians.

Background:Shared decision making (SDM) is recognised as a promising strategy to enhance good collaboration between clinicians and service users, yet it is not practised regularly in mental health.Aims:Develop and evaluate a novel training programme to enhance SDM in psychiatric medication management for service users, psychiatrists and care co-ordinators.Methods:The training programme design was informed by existing literature and local stakeholders consultations. Parallel group-based training programmes on SDM process were delivered to community mental health service users and providers. Evaluation consisted of quantitative measures at baseline and 12-month follow-up, post-programme participant feedback and qualitative interviews.Results:Training was provided to 47 service users, 35 care-coordinators and 12 psychiatrists. Participant feedback was generally positive. Statistically significant changes in service users’ decisional conflict and perceptions of practitioners’ interactional style in promoting SDM occurred at the follow-up. Qualitative data suggested positive impacts on service users’ and care co-ordinators confidence to explore medication experience, and group-based training was valued.Conclusions:The programme was generally acceptable to service users and practitioners. This indicates the value of conducting a larger study and exploring application for non-medical decisions.

Outcomes of a co-facilitation skills training programme for mental health service users, family members, and clinicians: the EOLAS project.

Health policy is increasingly advocating for involvement of service users and family members in service development. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of a 4-day education programme in co-facilitation skills on clinician and peer (service users and family members) knowledge, confidence, and subsequent experience as co-facilitators. The programme was designed to train peers and clinicians as co-facilitators on a clinician and peer-led information programme for people experiencing mental health problems. The study employed a mixed-methods design involving a pre-post survey with 128 participants, and follow-up qualitative interviews with a sample of 17 participants. To examine changes in levels of knowledge and confidence in facilitating from time 1 (T1) to time 2 (T2), paired sample t-tests were conducted, and thematic analysis was conducted on the interviews. The programme had a statistically-significant positive impact on participants' knowledge, confidence, and skills, with no significant difference between the facilitator groups (i.e. service user, family member, and clinician) in terms of their improvement at the end of the training, indicating that all groups benefited equally from the training. A majority of participants reported a high level of preparedness as co-facilitators and an open and respectful approach towards each other's expertise, and many continued to gain skills and develop their confidence as they co-facilitated the 8-week EOLAS programme ('eolas' is the Irish word for knowledge). The findings also provide evidence of the acceptability and feasibility of the programme, and appears to be the first detailed study reported on a programme of this nature.

The Generalization of Auditory Accommodation to Altered Spectral Cues

The capacity of healthy adult listeners to accommodate to altered spectral cues to the source locations of broadband sounds has now been well documented. In recent years we have demonstrated that the degree and speed of accommodation are improved by using an integrated sensory-motor training protocol under anechoic conditions. Here we demonstrate that the learning which underpins the localization performance gains during the accommodation process using anechoic broadband training stimuli generalize to environmentally relevant scenarios. As previously, alterations to monaural spectral cues were produced by fitting participants with custom-made outer ear molds, worn during waking hours. Following acute degradations in localization performance, participants then underwent daily sensory-motor training to improve localization accuracy using broadband noise stimuli over ten days. Participants not only demonstrated post-training improvements in localization accuracy for broadband noises presented in the same set of positions used during training, but also for stimuli presented in untrained locations, for monosyllabic speech sounds, and for stimuli presented in reverberant conditions. These findings shed further light on the neuroplastic capacity of healthy listeners, and represent the next step in the development of training programs for users of assistive listening devices which degrade localization acuity by distorting or bypassing monaural cues.

Endocrine Disruptors and Health Effects in Africa: A Call for Action.

Background:Africa faces a number of unique environmental challenges. Unfortunately, it lacks the infrastructure needed to support the comprehensive environmental studies that could provide the scientific basis to inform environmental policies. There are a number of known sources of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and other hazardous chemicals in Africa. However, a coordinated approach to identify and monitor these contaminants and to develop strategies for public health interventions has not yet been made.Objectives:This commentary summarizes the scientific evidence presented by experts at the First African Endocrine Disruptors meeting. We describe a “call to action” to utilize the available scientific knowledge to address the impact of EDCs on human and wildlife health in Africa.Discussion:We identify existing knowledge gaps about exposures to EDCs in Africa and describe how well-designed research strategies are needed to address these gaps. A lack of resources for research and a lag in policy implementation slows down intervention strategies and poses a challenge to advancing future health in Africa.Conclusion:To address the many challenges posed by EDCs, we argue that Africans should take the lead in prioritization and evaluation of environmental hazards, including EDCs. We recommend the institution of education and training programs for chemical users, adoption of the precautionary principle, establishment of biomonitoring programs, and funding of community-based epidemiology and wildlife research programs led and funded by African institutes and private companies. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1774

Towards the development of a flight training programme for future personal aerial vehicle users

Interest in personal aerial vehicles (PAVs) is resurgent with several flying prototypes made possible through advances in the relevant technologies. Whilst the perceived wisdom is that these vehicles will be highly automated or autonomous, the current regulatory framework assumes that a human will always be able to intervene in the operation of the flight. This raises the possibility of manually operated PAVs and the requirement for an occupant flying training programme. This paper describes the development of training requirements for PAV pilots. The work includes a training needs analysis (TNA) for a typical PAV flight. It then describes the development of a training programme to develop the skills identified by the TNA. Five participants with no real flying experience, but varying levels of driving experience, undertook the training programme. Four completed the programme through to a successful simulation flight test of a commuter flight scenario. These participants evaluated the effectiveness of the training programme using the first three Levels of Kirkpatrick’s method. The evaluation showed that the developed training programme was effective, in terms of both trainee engagement and development of the handling skills necessary to fly PAV mission-related tasks in a flight simulator. The time required for the four successful participants to develop their core flying skills was less than 5 h. This duration indicates that future simulation PAV training would be commensurate with the training duration for current personal transportation modes.

Human Resources Information Systems and their Impact on Competitive Advantage: An Empirical Study on Cement Companies in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The study identifies human resources information systems (HRIS) and their impact on the competitive advantage of Jordanian cement companies (Lafarge Cement Company, Arab White Cement Company, Manaseer). To achieve the objectives of the study, a questionnaire was developed for data collection, and then the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS.16.1) was used to analyze the data of the questionnaire. The study produced a series of results, the most prominent of which are: The level of importance of human resources information systems (the efficiency, integration, and response of human resources information systems) in Jordanian cement companies according to the respondents' perceptions was “medium”. Moreover, human resources information systems had an effect on competitive advantage. Human resources information systems accounted for 69.8% of the variation in competitive advantage in Jordanian cement companies. In the light of the study’s results, the study produced several recommendations, the most important of which is to design training programs for employees and users of human resources information systems. The study also stressed on the importance of providing and constantly upgrading and maintaining the basic infrastructure for hardware, equipment, and software used in human resources information systems, to minimize the occurrence of potential errors that may disrupt required work.

Pengaruh Kemutakhiran Teknologi, Kemampuan Teknik Personal Sistem Informasi, Program Pelatihan Pengguna Dan Dukungan Manajemen Puncak Terhadap Kinerja Sistem Informasi Akuntansi

The objective of this research to test, examine and to provide empirical evidence to the influence of technology sophistication, personal technical ability of information systems, user training program and top management support to the performance of accounting information system. The research was conducted using a survey method to to provide the questionnaires to the employees in retail consumer goods company. Data used in this study was primary data, id est: questionnaires. The respondents in this study were 102 who are employees which use accounting information system. Data analysis techniques in this study using multiple linear regression. The results of this study were (1) technology sophistication had a significant influence toward the performance of accounting information system; (2) personal technical ability of information systems had no significant influence toward the performance of accounting information system; (3) user training program had a significant influence toward the performance of accounting information system; (4) top management support had a significant influence the performance of accounting information system.
 Keywords: accounting information system, personal technical ability, technology sophistication, top management support and training program

Feasibility of a Systematic, Comprehensive, One-to-One Training (SCOOT) program for new scooter users: study protocol for a randomized control trial

BackgroundMobility scooters can facilitate community participation among individuals with mobility limitations. However, accidents are a serious concern with scooter use. Scooter training has been recommended to improve safety, but there are currently few validated programs available. Therefore, we developed a Systematic, Comprehensive, One-to-One Training (SCOOT) program for scooter users. We will conduct a study to evaluate the outcomes produced by the provision SCOOT.MethodsThis feasibility study will use a mixed-methods, rater-blinded, randomized control trial, with a two-step wedge design. The study has two arms: an immediate intervention group, which will receive the intervention directly after baseline assessments, and a delayed intervention group, which will receive the intervention after a 6-week period. Forty participants, who will be stratified based on whether or not participants have previously held a driver’s license, will be randomly assigned to each arm. The intervention for this study consists of 6 weeks of one-to-one scooter training by an experienced occupational therapist, who will provide training once or twice per week over the 6 weeks. The primary outcome measure is subjective scooter skills, measured using the Wheelchair Skills Test for scooters. Secondary outcomes include objective scooter skills, confidence, mobility, and satisfaction with selected participation activities. Descriptive measures include cognitive status, functional status, hearing, vision, physical accessibility of the home and community, and visual attention and task switching. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with the first ten willing participants from each group to learn about their scooter use and experiences with SCOOT.DiscussionThe results of this study will inform a larger randomized control trial. If the intervention is proven to be effective in this larger study, it may have important implications for policy and practice.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02696213. Registered on 23 February 2016.

An Empirical Study of the Impact of User Training and Attitude towards ERP Implementation in Selected Companies in Sri Lanka

Implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a radical change in an organization. Some of the staff are willing to accept new challenges whereas others are not. Therefore, there is a gap between attitudes of the staff who would involve with the ERP systems and desired objectives of the system. Conducting different types of user training programs can improve communication with employees. It makes them to change their attitudes. This study focused on user attitudes and the effectiveness of training towards the ERP implementation in Sri Lankan Companies. The data collection was done through a series of structured interviews and a questionnaire from the five top recently ERP implemented companies in Sri Lanka. One-way ANOVA result shows the users’ attitudes vary from different age groups and the education level of the employees. Further, findings reveal that attitudes have a positive impact depending on their income level and the number of years that they worked for the company. Based on the analysis it can be conclude that the way of training should change.

Development of a wheelchair maintenance training programme and questionnaire for clinicians and wheelchair users

Purpose of state: The aims of this study were to develop a Wheelchair Maintenance Training Programme (WMTP) as a tool for clinicians to teach wheelchair users (and caregivers when applicable) in a group setting to perform basic maintenance at home in the USA and to develop a Wheelchair Maintenance Training Questionnaire (WMT-Q) to evaluate wheelchair maintenance knowledge in clinicians, manual and power wheelchair users.Methods: The WMTP and WMT-Q were developed through an iterative process.Results: A convenience sample of clinicians (n = 17), manual wheelchair (n ∞ 5), power wheelchair users (n = 4) and caregivers (n = 4) provided feedback on the training programme. A convenience sample of clinicians (n = 38), manual wheelchair (n = 25), and power wheelchair users (n = 30) answered the WMT-Q throughout different phases of development. The subscores of the WMT-Q achieved a reliability that ranged between ICC(3,1) = 0.48 to ICC(3,1) = 0.89. The WMTP and WMT-Q were implemented with 15 clinicians who received in-person training in the USA using the materials developed and showed a significant increase in all except one of the WMT-Q subscores after the WMTP (p < 0.007).Conclusion: The WMTP will continue to be revised as it is further implemented. The WMT-Q is an acceptable instrument to measure pre- and post-training maintenance knowledge.Implications for RehabilitationThe Wheelchair Maintenance Training Program can be used to educate rehabilitation clinicians and technicians to improve wheelchair service and delivery to end users.This training complements the World Health Organization basic wheelchair service curriculum, which only includes training of the clinicians, but does not include detailed information to train wheelchair users and caregivers.This training program offers a time efficient method for providing education to end users in a group setting that may mitigate adverse consequences resulting from wheelchair breakdown.This training program has significant potential for impact among wheelchair users in areas where access to repair services is limited.

EQUIP training the trainers: an evaluation of a training programme for service users and carers involved in training mental health professionals in user-involved care planning.

Introduction Limited evidence exists on service user and carer perceptions of undertaking a training course for delivering care planning training to qualified mental health professionals. We know little about trainee motivations for engaging with such train the trainers courses, experiences of attending courses and trainees' subsequent experiences of codelivering training to health professionals, hence the current study. Aim To obtain participants' views on the suitability and acceptability of a training programme that aimed to prepare service users and carers to codeliver training to health professionals. Method Semi-structured interviews with nine service users and carers attending the training programme. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Participants' reasons for attending training included skill development and making a difference to mental health practice. Course content was generally rated highly but may benefit from review and/or extension to allow the range of topics and resulting professional training programme to be covered in more depth. Trainees who delivered the care planning training reported a mix of expectations, support experiences, preparedness and personal impacts. Implications for Practice Mental health nurses are increasingly coproducing and delivering training with service users and carers. This study identifies possibilities and pitfalls in this endeavour, highlighting areas where user and carer involvement and support structures might be improved in order to fully realize the potential for involvement in training.

Use of UGC-Infonet Online Resources by the Social Science Faculties in Pune University: An Evaluation Study

This article is written on the basis of survey conducted at the Pune University among the social science faculties. The data analysis indicates that about 81% social science faculties are aware and use the University Grants Commission (UGC)-Infonet scholarly resources. More than 65% faculties are of the opinion that the resources in this database are of good quality, useful and available all the time. About 55% faculties are using the UGC-Infonet either daily or weekly. About 70% faculties are using simple search strategy to get their required information from this database. Other than UGC-Infonet, other resources are also used by the social science faculties in which INFLIBNET-Shodhganga Electronic Thesis and Dissertations ETD is highly used database. From this study, it is concluded that library staff needs to conduct more user awareness and training programmes to social science faculties to improve the usage of these scholarly online resources.

Educational Outreach and User Training at the Worldwide Protein Data Bank

The Protein Data Bank (PDB) contains a wealth of structural and functional knowledge about proteins, RNA, DNA, and other macromolecules, and their assemblies and complexes with small molecules. The challenge faced by the providers of PDB data is to make this knowledge accessible to an increasingly large and diverse audience, ranging from expert structural biologists to non-specialist consumers of structural information. Educators, students, and general audiences will have their own specific interests and expectations from molecular structure data. For a general user, a 2D image of hemoglobin illustrates how a protein looks at a microscopic level. For high school students and educators, 3D models or computer graphics can show how one or a few specific proteins can assemble into an icosahedral virus. In contrast, PhD and post-doc level researchers require expert guidance on how to critically assess the quality of structural data, and in-depth training on the use of specialist tools and resources for the comparison and analysis of structures. The PDB archive is managed by members of the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB): the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB; rcsb.org), Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe; pdbe.org), Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj), and BioMagResBank (BMRB, bmrb.wisc.edu). In addition to managing and distributing structural data, the wwPDB partners are engaged in numerous outreach initiatives and user training programs. These efforts are vital to ensuring that these uniquely valuable data can be effectively accessed and used by research scientists, students, and educators alike. This talk will describe on-going wwPDB outreach efforts and highlight exciting new initiatives at the RCSB PDB, PDBe and PDBj.

Human factors studies for injectable combination products: from planning to reporting.

Human factors is the study of the interaction of people and technology to ensure the safety and effectiveness of that interaction and to improve human/device compatibility, including the user interface, instructions, and training programs to avoid use error. The enhanced focus on human factors usability assessments for injectable combination products is an acknowledgement by regulators and industry that the device mechanics are typically quite reliable and that device risk hazards are likely due to device usability. Use errors can occur when the device is not being used as intended or the design features are less than optimal. Human factors testing, analysis, and validation helps to identify and eliminate use errors by informing appropriate mitigation strategies to ensure the device design provides the optimum use of injectable drug/device combination products.

Customer Relationship Management in the Exhibition Industry in China: An Exploration into the Critical Success Factors and Inhibitors

China’s exhibition industry has experienced considerable growth over the past decade; however, recent studies have identified a number of issues affecting its future growth, including an inability to retain customers. Customer relationship management (CRM) offers a potential solution to this problem. Although anecdotal evidence suggests that CRM has been widely adopted in China’s exhibition industry, there is a lack of empirical research focused on factors critical to its successful implementation. Consequently, the aim of this article is to explore the drivers and inhibitors of CRM implementation in China’s exhibition industry. Reporting on the findings from a series of semi-structured interviews with 18 senior managers from exhibition organizing companies in China, this article identifies a series of underlying drivers to successful CRM implementation, including top management commitment and support, user awareness and training programs, and providing necessary resources and funds. This research also uncovered a number of factors that inhibit CRM implementation, including path dependency, organizational structure, and institutional factors, as well as poor data quality and quantity. Future research on CRM in the exhibition industry should focus on developing a conceptual model of the facilitators and inhibitors for testing in different geographic and organizational contexts.