Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In nursing education, it is common for students to collaborate and make decisions as a group in simulations. One of the vital nursing competencies is students’ ability to make sound clinical judgments and decision-making in simulation. Teamwork among students in simulation significantly affects their critical thinking and clinical reasoning. However, how students collaborate and make decisions in simulation is a complex phenomenon and not well studied and understood. In addition, most existing decision-making frameworks, such as Tanner’s Clinical Judgment Model and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s Clinical Judgment Measurement Model, focus solely on individual decision-making. Alternatively, teamwork and collaboration frameworks, such as TeamSTEPPS®, emphasize interprofessional collaboration rather than intraprofessional or peer-to-peer collaboration. Furthermore, peer collaboration and decision-making cannot be accurately measured without a theoretical framework. Because clinical decision-making in nursing practice is a complex process that involves peer collaboration, more research is needed to explore how nursing students collaborate and make decisions in simulation. This qualitative study comprises of a hybrid concept analysis and Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory to explore prelicensure nursing student’s peer collaborative clinical decision-making (PCCDM). The concept analysis develops a comprehensive definition of PCCDM based on theoretical and empirical data. The grounded theory develops the theoretical framework that captures the process of PCCDM, which consists of the three major domains of group cognition, behavior, and emotion. These domains undergo the peer regulatory process of awareness, communication, and regulation within the individual and collaborative space at various simulation phases. Additionally, a thematic analysis further explores group emotion in PCCDM as the domain is the least studied in nursing simulation. This study provides the framework to support healthcare and nursing simulation involving peer collaboration and decision-making.

People at risk for blood clots are often treated with anticoagulants, warfarin is such an anticoagulant. The dose's effect is measured by comparing the time for blood to clot to a control time called an INR value. Previous anticoagulant studies have addressed agreement between fingerstick (POC) devices and the standard laboratory, however these studies rely on mathematical formulas as criteria for clinical evaluations, i.e. clinical evaluation vs. precision and bias. Fourteen such criteria were found in the literature. There exists little consistency among these criteria for assessing clinical agreement, furthermore whether these methods of assessing agreement are reasonable estimates of clinical decision-making is unknown and has yet to be validated. One previous study compared actual clinical agreement by having two physicians indicate a dosing decision based on patient history and INR values. This analysis attempts to justify previously used mathematical criteria for clinical agreement. Generalized additive models with smoothing spline estimates were calculated for each of the 14 criteria and compared to the smoothing spline estimate for the method using actual physician decisions (considered the "gold standard"). The area between the criteria method spline and the gold standard method spline served as the comparison, using bootstrapping for statistical inference. Although some of the criteria methods performed better than others, none of them matched the gold standard. This stresses the need for clinical assessment of devices.

Title: Clinical Decision Making in Paramedicine Author(s) & affiliation(s): Michael Eby – McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Sandra Monteiro – McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Geoffrey Norman – McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Walter Tavares – McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Background: Paramedics are frequently required to make rapid decisions in an uncontrolled, dynamic environment, often with limited diagnostic information. In Ontario, paramedic practice is based on a set of provincial medical directives that provide diagnostic and treatment criteria. Unsupervised deviation from these directives is classified as a form of error and highly discouraged. To date, there is little known about how years of clinical experience or level of certification affect the way these medical directives are used. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between paramedic experience, training and accuracy of treatment decisions when faced with patients who meet and fall outside of the existing medical directives. Methods: Thirty-one participants (16 experienced / 15 novice) were recruited from two paramedic services in Ontario. “Experienced” was defined as in-practice for 5 years or more. Participants were presented with 9 scenarios; in 6 scenarios, the patient presentation fit within the existing directives, while in 3 scenarios, the patient presentation fell outside the medical directives. Multiple-choice responses were used to capture participants’ decisions to treat or not treat the patients. Responses were scored and submitted to a mixed-factorial ANOVA to evaluate differences in accuracy between case types, years of experience and level of training. Results: There was a significant effect of case type (p < 0.004). Accuracy was lower when the patient presentation did not meet the criteria of the medical directive (76.34% (CI = 67.15% to 85.53%) vs. 98.35% (CI = 96.55% to 100%) when they did. There was no effect of years of clinical practice or level of certification. Conclusion: The results suggest both novice and experienced paramedics are able to accurately apply medical directives, however, there is a significant decrease in accuracy when the patient presentation does not fit one. This variation in practice may have a significant impact on patient safety, and further research is required to determine what factors may be causing this decreased accuracy. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Paramedics work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. The types of patients, and the situations paramedics encounter are different every day. Paramedic practice is based on a series of provincial medical directives that outline the different proceedures, medications and types of patients that can be treated. While these directives cover many of the cases paramedics encounter, there will always be cases that don’t “fit”. The purose of this study is to see if paramedics approach those types of cases in a different way, and if their years of experience or level of training change how good they are at idenfiying what patients require treatment. As there is very little paramedic specific research on this topic, this study will serve as a starting point for future research and hopefully stimulate discussion about paramedic practice, and how to support paramedics getting better at their jobs.

No / This study aims to review the biosciences component of preregistration nursing programmes in higher education institutions across the UK through the experiences and perceptions of lecturers involved in nursing education. Studies suggest that some qualified nurses lack confidence in explaining the bio-scientific rationale for their clinical practice. Biosciences can be difficult to understand and integrate into clinical decision-making and require protected time within preregistration nurse education. In the absence of explicit national guidelines, it is unclear as to the depth and extent biosciences are taught across different institutions and the level achieved at the point of registration. A survey approach was adopted to generate quantitative and qualitative feedback. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire seeking the experiences and views of lecturers involved in teaching biosciences to nursing students across the UK. Data received from 10 institutions were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Lecturers reported that the hours of taught biosciences ranged from 20-113 hours, principally within the first year. This represents between 0.4-2.4% of time within a preregistration nursing programme (4600 hours). Large group lectures predominate, supplemented by smaller group or practical work, and online materials. The biosciences are assessed specifically in half the institutions surveyed and as part of integrated assessments in the rest. In relation to student feedback, all respondents stated that students consistently requested more time and greater priority for biosciences in their programme. This survey suggests that the number of hours spent teaching biosciences is minimal and varies widely between higher education institutions. All respondents expressed concern about the challenges of teaching difficult bio-scientific concepts to large groups in such a limited time and called for greater clarity in national guidelines to ensure that all nurses are adequately educated and assessed in bioscience subjects. Failure to understand the biosciences underpinning care has implications for safe and competent nursing.

No / Attendance of adult patients to the Emergency Department (ED) with acute abdominal pain is a frequent event. Abdominal X-ray imaging (AXR) is commonly the first line of investigation but previous studies have suggested that the AXR has no place in assessing acute abdominal pain because of its low diagnostic yield and limited contribution to direct clinical decision making. However, no evaluation of the impact of a negative AXR on the clinical confidence and decision making of emergency clinicians has been undertaken. This study aims to fill this gap. Method: A self-designed paper questionnaire was distributed to medical clinicians on ED placement at a single NHS trust in the South of England. The survey sought to explore the impact of the negative AXR on clinical confidence and decision making and compliance with iRefer guidelines for referring to alter-native imaging modalities (ultrasound and computed tomography) should the option to refer for AXR be restricted. Results: A total of 28 (n¼28/41; 68.3%) completed questionnaires were returned. Most clinicians(n¼18/28; 64.3%) indicated that negative AXR had little impact on their clinical decision making although a small majority (n¼10/18; 55.6%) acknowledged it provided greater clinical confidence in their decision making. Variable compliance with iRefer guidelines for referral to ultrasound and computed tomography was noted. Conclusion: Whilst the negative AXR did not impact on the clinical decision making of most ED clinicians,it did increase clinical confidence. Consequently, the AXR should remain a referral option in the workup for adult patients presenting with acute abdominal pain to the emergency department. / This publication is the output of the Formal Radiographer Research Mentorship (FoRRM) scheme, funded by the Society and College of Radiographers.

Aim: During the last decades research has reported seemingly unjustified differences between how women and men are perceived as patients, medical students and physicians. Most studies have been performed outside Scandinavia. The overall aim of this thesis is to illustrate, analyse and discuss aspects of gender bias and gender awareness in clinical medicine, medical research and medical education, all in a Swedish setting. Material and methods: Physicians’ ways of reasoning and reflecting on different professional arenas were investigated from a gender perspective in three cross-sectional studies: A. Written answers from a national examination for 289 Swedish interns where the examinees were allocated to suggest management of a common health problem - irritable bowel syndrome - in either a male or a female paper-patient with identical case descriptions. B. Assessments from 682 physicians, in structured assessment forms, of the scientific quality of two fictive research abstracts - one with a quantitative and one with a qualitative design – where authorship was assigned to either a woman or a man. C. Answers from 303 physician teachers to a questionnaire where they, on scales, assessed the importance of gender in different professional relationships and also gave open-ended comments. Most analyses were quantitative, using chi2-tests and multivariate logistic regression as statistical methods. Differences were discussed in relation to gender theory. Qualitative method, by way of open and selective coding, was used to explore the open-ended answers in the questionnaire and to create codes from the written answers in the national exam. Results: A. There were differences in outcome for male and female cases in history taking and in proposed diagnoses, investigations and treatment, e.g. more questions about and tests for alcohol were suggested for men and more tests for thyroid function for women. Both men and women physicians contributed to the gender bias but showed different patterns. B. The quantitative abstract was judged the same regardless of the gender of the assessor or author. The qualitative abstract was not ranked as scientific as the quantitative, but as more accurate, trustworthy, relevant and interesting with a female author especially by women assessors. C. Men physicians, especially in the surgical group, expressed low awareness of gender compared to women physicians. The qualitative analysis rendered a picture of how the physicians perceive ‘gender’, problems they connect with gender and their attitudes to gender issues. Some important concepts identified were ‘inequity’, ‘difference’, ‘delicate situations’, and ‘resistance’. To get an overview and better understanding of various expressions of gender bias, a theoretical model was developed, on the basis of the findings in the qualitative analysis. The main findings of the thesis are discussed in relation to this model where equity/inequity and sameness/difference are important points of departure. Conclusions: The findings of gendered outcome in the national exam call attention to ‘knowledge-mediated gender bias’, a phenomenon implying that once knowledge of gender differences in a condition has been established this might cause gender biased assessments of individual patients in the clinical situation. Gender appears to affect scientific evaluations. This has implications for situations where research is assessed and interpreted: in medical tutoring, research guidance, peer reviewing, and in forming evaluation committees for research funding. Physician teachers seem little aware of gender as an area of competence and knowledge and tend to connect gender issues with women. Depending on how ‘difference’ and ‘equity’ are apprehended various forms of resistance to gender emerge, each with plausible bias risks. Educational programmes for faculty members, encouraging continuous reflections on gender attitudes and supporting male participation, are suggested. Besides providing a more comprehensive understanding of patients and their health problems, increased gender awareness among physicians might improve the working climate and help reduce the gendered division of labour in the medical profession.

This research was undertaken to study the impact of single and multicomponent knowledge translation interventions (KTIs) on barriers to the integration of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) into Clinical Decision Making (CDM) in the context of physical therapists (PTs) and find out which of the two KTIs was more effective. A literature review showed that research knowledge (e.g. CPG) in the field of PT (Physical Therapy) is not being integrated in to clinical practice (e.g. CDM), thus leading to a research-practice (R-P) gap in other words CPG-CDM gap. It is suggested in the literature that the management and behavioural aspects of PTs might be acting as barriers hindering the integration of the research knowledge into clinical practice consequently affecting the delivery of optimum patientcare. Remedial measures, namely KTIs, are suggested to address those barriers and to bridge the R-P gap. However, the phenomenon of the R-P gap, the causes of it and the possible interventions are not well understood concepts in the literature, particularly in the context of PTs. CPG for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) in PT was chosen as the example of research knowledge. It was argued that barriers have the potential to affect CDM which in turn can affect the CPG-CDM gap. Lack of knowledge about CPG-CDM gap is a major limitation in the literature that is affecting the integration of CPG into CDM. Other gaps found in the literature that have the potential to affect CPG-CDM gap include management and behavioural variables as probable causes of CPG-CDM gap (or barriers), use of KTIs to bridge the CPG-CDM gap and, KTIs. Furthermore, lack of knowledge about relationship between barriers and CPG-CDM gap, KTIs and barriers, KTIs and CPG-CDM gap and the impact of KTIs (effectiveness) in bridging CPG-CDM gap were the other gaps found in the literature that had potential implications to CPG-CDM gap. These gaps were addressed in this research to some extent. Relationships between the independent variables (lack of knowledge of PTs in CPG, lack of favourable attitude of PTs towards CPG and lack of self-efficacy and motivation of PTs to integrate CPG into CDM) and the dependent variables (CDM and CPG-CDM gap) were defined and models were proposed. Further, it was posited that KTIs could impact barriers based on theories and models found in the literature that provided some basis to create the linkage between KTIs and management and behavioural barriers. Education material (EM) and virtual communities of practice (VCoP) were chosen as of the KTIs in this study. The models of Cabana et al. (1999) and Fischer et al. (2016), primarily, were used to ground the conceptual models represented by figures and equations. Methodologically, a positivist approach with an objective ontological stance was employed and a deductive approach and quantitative research method were used to address the research gaps. The research design included a longitudinal element and survey questionnaire. The target population was licensed PTs in the USA. Random sampling was used. Two groups of PTs were identified namely EM-group and VCoP group. Data was collected from the groups before and after administering the KTIs. The results showed that single and multicomponent KTIs impacted barriers in different ways. EM impacted lack of favourable attitude of PTs towards CPG, and lack of self-efficacy and motivation of PTs to integrate CPG into CDM as barriers and narrow the CPG-CDM gap. VCoP was found to impact the combination of four barriers and narrow CPG-CDM gap. In addition, barriers in groups of two were also impacted by VCoP and narrowed the CPG-CDM gap. Furthermore, a CPG knowledge score card and a corresponding CDM score card developed by the researcher were used to test the change behaviour of PTs in integrating CPG into CDM. This experiment showed that barriers existed and caused CPG-CDM gap and KTIs could narrow the CPG-CDM gap. The findings indicate that this research has contributed to knowledge in many ways, including unearthing the relationship between CPG-CDM gap and barriers, better understanding of KTIs, their relationship with CPG-CDM gap and barriers, gaining knowledge about the impact of single and multicomponent KTIs on single and multiple barriers and identification of methods to bridge the CPG-CDM gap.

<p>The overall aim of the thesis was to study clinical decision making in nursing. This was performed by evaluation of the quality of nurses’ diagnostic statements and comparison of the concordance between nurses and patients’ perceptions of the patients’ nursing needs, as well as patient preferences for participation in clinical decision making. Further, predictors regarding patients’ active participation were investigated.</p><p>Quasi-experimental, comparative and cross-sectional descriptive study designs were used to collect data in acute care settings from randomly selected patient records (n = 140), nurse-patient dyads (n = 80), and patients discharged from hospital care (n = 428). Data were gathered using questionnaires and review of patient records.</p><p>The quality of nurses’ diagnostic statements improved by the means of education directed to nurses and implementation of new forms for recording supporting nursing care planning (I). Discrepancies were found concerning patients and nurses’ perceptions about what constitutes a problem for the patient as well as the severity and importance of acting on the problem (II). Further, nurses perceived that their patients preferred to be more active in clinical decision making compared with the patients’ own preferences for participation (III). Gender, education, living situation, and occupation were identified as predictors for preferring an active role in clinical decision making (IV).</p><p>The conclusions are that the accuracy of diagnostic statements needs to be addressed and validated further through systematic assessment of the patients’ perceptions and preferences concerning the health situation and preferences for participation in clinical decision making. Clinical implications are that nurses need to involve patients in identifying patient problems of relevance for nursing. Further, nurses also need to be aware of patients’ preferences for participation in clinical decision making in order that they can plan care in accordance with patient preferences and allow participation to the degree preferred by the patient.</p> / <p>Patientens delaktighet i kliniskt beslutsfattande i omvårdnad – ett gemensamt ansvar för patienter och sjuksköterskor</p><p>Bakgrund</p><p>Patienten har, med bas i lagstiftning och förordningar, en stark ställning inom svensk hälso- och sjukvård. Det grundas delvis på en samhällelig uppfattning om betydelsen av patientens delaktighet i såväl planering som genomförande av sin egen vård. I ett etiskt perspektiv har delaktigheten ett värde i sig själv, som en förutsättning för individens autonomi och integritet. Sjuksköterskan identifierar patientens behov och problem i syfte att kunna ge en individuellt anpassad omvårdnad. Sjuksköterskan har ofta djupgående professionell kunskap om patientens omvårdnadsproblem, medan patienten har preferenser och värderingar om vårdens genomförande. Om planeringen av omvårdnaden inte utgår från patientens preferenser så finns det stor risk att patientens perspektiv inte kommer med som bedömningsgrund. En samsyn mellan patient och sjuksköterska om patientens behov av omvårdnad och roll i beslutsfattandet kan öka möjligheten att optimera omvårdnadsinsatserna och främja en hög kvalitet på omvårdnaden. Kunskapen om kliniskt beslutsfattande inom omvårdnad är bristfällig, framförallt med fokus på patientens delaktighet och graden av samsyn mellan patienternas och sjuksköterskornas subjektiva perspektiv.</p><p>Syfte</p><p>Avhandlingens övergripande syfte var att undersöka kliniskt beslutsfattande inom omvårdnad med speciellt fokus på omvårdnadsdiagnosers kvalitet, patientens delaktighet i beslutsprocessen och överensstämmelsen mellan patienters och sjuksköterskors uppfattningar om behov och problem inom omvårdnad.</p><p>Specifika syften för respektive delarbeten var att I) undersöka effekten av utbildning i omvårdnadsdiagnostik riktad till sjuksköterskor och utveckling av journaldokument på omvårdnadsdiagnosers kvalitet; II) beskriva överensstämmelse i patienters och sjuksköterskors bedömningar av förekomst, svårighetsgrad och betydelse av problem inom omvårdnaden; III) beskriva samstämmighet mellan patienters och sjuksköterskors uppfattning om patientens preferenser för delaktighet i kliniskt beslutsfattande i omvårdnaden, samt samstämmighet mellan patienters preferenser och faktiska erfarenhet av delaktighet; och IV) identifiera prediktorer för patienters preferenser att delta i kliniskt beslutsfattande om den egna omvårdnaden.</p><p>Material och metod</p><p>Studier har genomförts med beskrivande, jämförande och kvasi-experimentell design på avdelningar inom somatisk sjukhusvård. Urvalet består av 140 patientjournaler (studie I), 80 patient-sjuksköterskepar (studie II och III), samt 428 patienter som nyligen blivit utskrivna från somatisk sjukhusvård (studie IV). Data har insamlats genom granskning av innehåll i patientjournaler samt genom enkäter till patienter och sjuksköterskor. Instrumenten CAT-CH-ING och Control Preference Scale har använts tillsammans med frågeformulär som utvecklats specifikt för studien.</p><p>Resultat</p><p>Delarbete I</p><p>Kvaliteten på omvårdnadsdiagnoserna förbättrades signifikant efter att sjuksköterskorna på experimentavdelningen genomgått en utbildning och nya journaldokument hade introducerats. Störst kvarvarande svårigheter var förknippade med hur etiologin i omvårdnadsdiagnosen formulerades. Omvårdnadsdiagnosernas kvalitet förbättrades inte på motsvarande sätt på kontrollavdelningarna.</p><p>Delarbete II</p><p>Sjuksköterskorna identifierade de omvårdnadsbehov och problem som patienterna uppfattade sig ha med en sensitivitet på 0.53 och ett prediktivt värde på 0.50. Det innebär att patienterna delvis identifierade andra problem än sjuksköterskorna, framför allt var det vanligt inom områdena nutrition, sömn, smärta och känslor/andlighet. Sjuksköterskorna underskattade problemens svårighetsgrad för 47 % av de behov och problem som hade identifierats gemensamt av patienter och sjuksköterskor. En gemensam uppfattning om betydelsen av att få stöd och hjälp med att lösa omvårdnadsproblemet fanns i knappt hälften av fallen.</p><p>Delarbete III</p><p>En majoritet av sjuksköterskorna uppfattade att patienterna föredrog att vara mer aktiva i det kliniska beslutsfattandet om omvårdnad än vad patienterna själv uppgav. Sammanlagt 61 % av patienterna föredrog en passiv roll i beslutsfattandet medan sjuksköterskorna angav att 24 % ville vara passiva. Preferenser om en aktiv roll i beslutsfattande angavs av 9 % av patienterna medan sjuksköterskorna hade uppfattat att 45 % av patienterna föredrog en aktiv roll. Totalt 71 % av patienterna upplevde att de inte hade varit delaktiga i den utsträckning de själva hade föredragit, 37 % hade varit mer passiva och 34 % mer aktiva. Patienterna uppgav att de intagit en mer passiv roll än vad de hade önskat i samband med behov och problem inom områdena kommunikation, andning och smärta, medan en mer aktiv roll än önskat förekom i samband med behov och problem inom områdena aktivitet och känslor/roller.</p><p>Delarbete IV</p><p>En majoritet av patienterna i sluten somatisk vård föredrog att inledningsvis under vårdperioden inta en passiv roll i kliniskt beslutsfattande om omvårdnad. Sammanlagt 22 % av patienterna föredrog en aktiv roll. Faktorer som predicerade preferenser för att inta en aktiv roll var kön (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.8), utbildning (OR = 2.2), levnadsförhållanden (OR = 1.8) och sysselsättning, d.v.s. om personen var yrkesarbetande eller pensionär (OR = 2.0). Sannolikheten var 53 % att en pensionerad högutbildad kvinna som levde ensam föredrog att vara aktiv i beslutsfattandet om sin egen omvårdnad. Sannolikheten för att en yrkesarbetande lågutbildad man som levde tillsammans med någon annan föredrog att vara aktiv var 8 %.</p><p>Slutsats</p><p>Kvaliteten på de omvårdnadsdiagnoser som sjuksköterskan ställer kan förbättras genom utbildning men orsakerna till omvårdnadsproblemet behöver identifieras på ett tydligare sätt. Det fanns en skillnad i hur patienter och sjuksköterskor uppfattade vad som utgjorde ett omvårdnadsbehov eller problem samt problemets svårighetsgrad och betydelse. Sjuksköterskan identifierade 53 % av de omvårdnadsproblem som patienten själv identifierade, samtidigt som sjuksköterskan identifierade andra omvårdnadsproblem som inte patienten uppfattade. Uppfattningarna skiljde sig också åt om vilken roll patienten föredrog att ha i det kliniska beslutsfattande om omvårdnad. Faktorer som kunde predicera patientens preferenser att ha en aktiv roll i kliniskt beslutsfattande var kön, utbildningsnivå, boendesituation och om personen yrkesarbetade eller var pensionär.</p><p>En slutsats av den påvisade diskrepansen i uppfattningar är att sjuksköterskor i högre grad behöver involvera patienterna i en diskussion om hälsotillståndet, behovet av omvårdnad och patientens önskan att delta i beslut om sin omvårdnad. Det är nödvändigt för att så långt det är möjligt kunna uppnå en samsyn som grund för planering och genomförande av omvårdnaden. Om sjuksköterskan validerar sina egna bedömningar om behovet av omvårdnad med patienten kan kvaliteten på bedömningarna förbättras. Patientens perspektiv blir en explicit del av beslutsunderlaget vid planering av omvårdnad vilket sannolikt också påverkar omvårdnadens innehåll och därmed även omvårdnadens kvalitet. Det bästa sättet att identifiera det individuella perspektivet är genom en systematisk bedömning i dialog mellan sjuksköterskan och den enskilde patienten. Mötet och dialogen mellan patienten och sjuksköterskan är en förutsättning för en god omvårdnad men är också en central del av själva omvårdnaden.</p>

Job dissatisfaction among nurses may contribute to disengagement and withdrawal from the profession. The degree of leadership support in the workplace influences job satisfaction, and when nurses are satisfied with their job, they provide better patient care. Guided by the social cognitive theory, which asserts a relationship between behavior change and one's surroundings, this quantitative, exploratory project sought to determine the type of nursing leadership practiced in the facility where the project took place, whether nurses were satisfied with their job, and if patients were satisfied with their care. Participants in the project included 55 registered nurses and 5 nurse managers. Three surveys of demographics, job satisfaction, and leadership styles were administered to 60 RN participants; patient satisfaction data were obtained from the hospital's last reported Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. Descriptive statistics from the nurse surveys showed 75% were female, 56.7% had a bachelor's degree, and, most were under the age of 50 years. Results showed that 90.8% of nurses enjoyed working for the hospital, leaders primarily used transformational leadership styles, and 80.2 to 89.7% of patients were satisfied with their care. This project has implications for positive social change because healthy, transformative leadership leads to staff satisfaction and improved patient satisfaction.

The purpose of this study was primarily to explore the conceptualization of critical thinking development in radiologic science students by radiography program directors. Seven research questions framed three overriding themes including 1) perceived definition of and skills associated with critical thinking; 2) effectiveness and utilization of teaching strategies for the development of critical thinking; and 3) appropriateness and utilization of specific assessment measures for documenting critical thinking development. The population for this study included program directors for all JRCERT accredited radiography programs in the United States. Questionnaires were distributed via Survey Monkey©, a commercial on-line survey tool to 620 programs. A forty-seven percent (n = 295) response rate was achieved and included good representation from each of the three recognized program levels (AS, BS and certificate). Statistical analyses performed on the collected data included descriptive analyses (median, mean and standard deviation) to ascertain overall perceptions of the definition of critical thinking; levels of agreement regarding the effectiveness of listed teaching strategies and assessment measures; and the degree of utilization of the same teaching strategies and assessment measures. Chi squared analyses were conducted to identify differences within each of these themes between various program levels and/or between program directors with various levels of educational preparation as defined by the highest degree earned. Results showed that program directors had a broad and somewhat ambiguous perception of the definition of critical thinking, which included many related cognitive processes that were not always classified as attributes of critical thinking according to the literature, but were consistent with definitions and attributes identified as critical thinking by other allied health professions. These common attributes included creative thinking, decision making, problem solving and clinical reasoning as well as other high-order thinking activities such as reflection, judging and reasoning deductively and inductively. Statistically significant differences were identified for some items based on program level and for one item based on program director highest degree. There was general agreement regarding the appropriateness of specific teaching strategies also supported by the literature with the exception of on-line discussions and portfolios. The most highly used teaching strategies reported were not completely congruent with the literature and included traditional lectures with in-class discussions and high-order multiple choice test items. Significant differences between program levels were identified for only two items. The most highly used assessment measures included clinical competency results, employer surveys, image critique performance, specific course assignments, student surveys and ARRT exam results. Only one variable showed significant differences between programs at various academic levels.