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MPH, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Introduction This study was conducted at selected Primary Health Care clinics in the Johannesburg Metro. The study explored the issues around Sexually Transmitted Infections by identifying gaps with regards to syndromic approach. Proper management and control of STI is crucial because STI lead to serious complications. Objectives To assess clinician knowledge and practices in the management of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) in the Johannesburg Metro District. Methods A descriptive (cross-sectional) study involving a retrospective review of 210 patient records of STI treatment and questionnaire-based interviews of 38 health care providers of STI services in 22 primary health care facilities in the Johannesburg Metro District. Data was collected to measure staff training on STI, provider knowledge of STI syndromic management, and provider adherence to STI syndromic management guidelines based on the District STI Quality of Care Assessment tool. Results Of the 38 providers that were interviewed, 29 (76%) were trained in STI management. Half of these had received their training in STI management > 4 years prior to this study. The proportion of providers who correctly stated STI syndromic management were 33 (87.0%) for penile discharge; 24 (63.0%) for vaginal discharge, 15 (39.0%) for genital ulcer and 14 (37.0%) for pregnancy with PVD. Of the 210 iii patient records reviewed, 148 (70.5%) had prescriptions that were adherent to STI guidelines. Conclusion Clinicians in the public health facilities do have adequate knowledge of syndromic management of STI. Poor adherence to the national guidelines for STI management calls for an ongoing and regular training in STI management in the Johannesburg Metro District.

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Class of 2016 Abstract / Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess patients’ perception of the review of basic diabetes self-management skills as administered by nursing staff during hospitalization in our academic medical center to determine if the program should be continued, modified and/or expanded. Methods: This descriptive study included patients 18 years and older with a diagnosis of diabetes admitted for any reason to Banner – University Medical Center Tucson (BUMC-T) - between October- December 2015. A phone interview was conducted within 7 days of the patient’s recorded discharge date to assess each patient’s perception of the review they received during their inpatient stay. The questionnaire collected ratings about helpfulness of the medication instructions, understanding of diabetes, and confidence in hypoglycemia management. Data on the likelihood for an outpatient follow-up appointment were collected too. Results: Of the 96 patients included in this study, 44% (n=42) received the basic diabetes self-management skills review, among them 48% (n=20) reported that the review was very helpful, 43% (n=18) reported being very comfortable with understanding diabetes, and 48% (n=20) reported being very confident with hypoglycemia management. Out of 50% of patients referred for outpatient follow-up for diabetes management, only 38% made an appointment. Conclusions: Most patients that received the basic diabetes self-management skills review feel comfortable with diabetes management and its understanding. Review of basic diabetes self-management skills appeared to be helpful when initiated in a hospital setting; however, measures need to be taken to provide the review to all eligible patients and it needs to be supported by effective planning for outpatient follow-up.

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The purpose of this study was to design, develop, and administer an Objective, Structured Management Exam (OSME) on management skills for pharmacy students. Pharmacy preceptors for the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy participated in focus groups that identified business, management, and human resource skills needed by pharmacy graduates. Once the skills were identified, gaps were identified for inclusion into the OSMEs. The OSMEs evaluated pharmacy students' performance on four skills: 1) managerial communication (oral and written); 2) conflict resolution; 3) decision-making; and 4) professionalism. The OSME consisted of a role-playing and a writing document. Both were graded using a developed scoring rubric. The role-playing scoring rubric contained 17 skills and the written document scoring rubric contained 8 skills. During the OSME, students interacted with a trained actor and were graded by a judge on their performance. Upon completion of the OSME, students completed a 29-question survey on a) their perceived ability and confidence to accomplish 8 selected skills; b) their opinion about the OSME and suggestions to improve the process in the future; and c) their background characteristics. Many-facet Rasch analysis provided detailed information with which to evaluate content validity and student performance taking into account difficulty of skills, rating scale function of the scoring rubric, judge leniency and severity. Rasch analysis provided detailed information on the scale performance and student ability and confidence. A step-wise linear regression was used to determine if any student characteristics predicted a higher OSME performance score. Ninety-six student pharmacists completed the OSME and ninety-five students completed the questionnaire. No student failed the role-playing scenario and 1 student did not complete the written document. Significant gaps were calculated between the easiest two skills, empty sounds and eye contact. Additionally, the seventeen items did not align with student performance measures. Finally, there were two separate groups of graders. The writing document scoring rubric had poor fit with the model and significant gaps were calculated. Student measures did not adequately align with item difficulty measures. For students' perceived ability, there was no significant change in overall mean student ability scores from before the educational lectures to after the OSME. However, 46% of students (n=44) had a significant change in ability scores. Three significant gaps were calculated between skills a) between decision-making and communication and between communication and active listening on the pre-educational lectures; and b) between decision-making and communication on after the OSMEs. Students appeared confident with their ability on the 8 skills. The overall mean student confidence measure did not significantly change between the three time points: 1) before the practice cases; 2) after the practice cases; and 3) after the OSMEs. However, 46% of students (n=44) had a significant change in their confidence from before the practice cases to after the completion of the OSMEs. Item difficult measures did not appropriately align with student confidence measures, meaning the items were too easy for students. Significant gaps were also calculated: a) between the motivation and communication items and between the communication and active listening items in the before the practice cases responses; b) between the motivation and decision-making items and between the communication and active listening items for the after the practice cases responses; and c) between the motivation and decision-making items; between the decision-making and communication items; and between the communication and active listening items for after the OSME responses. Based on the result of the regression, three characteristics predicted a higher performance score on the role-playing portion of the OSME: 1) previous management experience; 2) previous leadership experience; and 3) the total grade on the educational lecture quizzes. Three characteristics predicted a higher writing document score: 1) age between 26 and 28 years; 2) English as the primary language; and 3) previous pharmacy experience classified as "other" (i.e., pharmacy experience that was not hospital, community, or managed care). This was one of the first studies to develop a role-playing exercise on management skills in pharmacy education. The grading rubrics provided an initial structure for assessing student performance on these management skills. Some changes to the ability questions and the rubrics are suggested in order to improve the content validity. The findings provide the outline for the use of an OSME at schools/colleges of pharmacy as part of their curriculum. As exposure to management scenarios showed higher performance, educators should include these skills in the education of student pharmacists in order to prepare them for a future career in pharmacy.

Thesis (Magister Technologiae : Business Administration.) - Discipline Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management Sciences - Vaal University of Technology. / Technically qualified persons are frequently promoted into managerial positions. This move from a highly objective and exact environment to one which is uncertain and sometimes without objective measures, principles and guidelines is not always successful. The qualities that were the foundation for success in the technical environment quite often become stumbling blocks for success 1n management. This study compares perceived leadership of a technically trained person in management who has obtained some management skills training (MST) with technically trained colleagues in management but without MST. The most significant observation from this study is that the leader with MST is perceived to be slightly more effective in terms of perceived leadership when compared with colleagues without MST. The chosen research design and the fact that other variables which also affect perceived leadership were not considered in this limited study, leads to the conclusion that MST, although an important contributor can not be seen as the only contributor to increased leadership effectiveness.

Då arbetsmarknader har vidgats ut till Europa och världen har antalet yrken och utbildningar ökat. Detta gör att elever idag kan uppleva sitt framtidsval som komplicerat och många uppvisar en oro inför framtiden. Dock visar de elever som har fått information om arbetsmarknaden en mindre oro kring framtiden. Med detta som bakgrund har denna studie som syfte att analysera på vilket sätt studie- och yrkesvägledare arbetar med att öka grundskolelevers arbetsmarknadskunskap och hur detta arbete skiljer sig åt beroende på hur utbildningsnivån ser ut hos invånarna i delområdet skolan ligger i, och med delområde menas ett område i en stadsdel. Vi vill även förstå vad studie- och yrkesvägledare tillskriver arbetsmarknadskunskapen för värde för elever gymnasieval. Studien redogörs ur ett studie- och yrkesvägledarperspektiv. För att få svar på studiens frågeställningar har vi genomfört sex kvalitativa intervjuer med yrkesverksamma studie- och yrkesvägledare. Analysen från studiens empiri bygger på karriärteorin Careership med fokus på begreppen handlings- horisont och habitus samt Career Management Skills som i studien används som en teoretisk modell. Resultatet i studien visar att det informanterna såg som värdefull arbetsmarknads- kunskap för eleverna att ha inför gymnasievalet skiljde sig åt. Studie- och yrkesvägledarna berättade att de upplevde elevernas arbetsmarknadskunskap som bristfällig trots de insatser som gjordes samt att deras arbetssätt skiljde sig åt beroende på utbildningsnivån i delområdet där skolan ligger.

Submitted to the faculty of education in fulfilment of the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Didactics at the University of Zululand, 1997. / Literature and research studies have widely identified and documented the need for teachers to acquire classroom management skills and strategies in order to handle classroom behaviour problems. Teachers perceive classroom management as one of the major problems of concern in their teaching. The lack of South African literature and research on classroom management to assist teachers renders the problem of dealing with classroom behaviour problems more serious. This research investigation rests on the premise that teachers experience classroom behaviour problems which they have difficulty in managing. Teacher education institutions fail to cover the subject and subsequently teachers lack adequate skills, knowledge and taming in classroom management. This affects the teaching-learning process and places a challenge on the teachers to establish an effective teaching and learning environment. The study revolves around the following research problem: How do secondary school teachers manage classroom behaviour problems? In order to place this study in its proper perspective relevant literature on classroom management was analysed. The review of literature provided a focus on principles of managing classroom behaviour problems as the framework on which this study is based. The study adopted the qualitative approach. Classroom behaviour problems are readily observable under their natural settings and how teachers handle classroom behaviour problems rests on the circumstances from which they emanate. Observations and interviews were conducted in two secondary schools which are situated at KwaDlangezwa and eSikhawini in KwaZulu-Natal to observe how teachers handled classroom behaviour problems as they naturally occured and how they perceive their management of classroom behaviours. The findings of the study revealed that there were classroom behaviour problems that were common to most teachers and there were those classroom behaviour problems that were unique to individual teachers. The findings also revealed that most teachers were inadequately, if not at all, trained in handling classroom behaviour problems. This eventually made them to rely more on their intuition than on strategies and techniques that may have been identified as being helpful in minimising classroom disruptions. The teachers were aware of their inadequacies but lacked proper guidance. The researcher concluded the study by making recommendations such as introducing classroom management in teacher education curricular, inservice training for teachers, further research on managing classroom behaviour problems in the South African context, workshops to be organised for teachers by experts, and the department of education to formulate a working document that will form a framework on how teachers can deal with classroom management problems. Lastly, it is highly recommended that teachers approach their duties professionally and respectfully so as to eliminate some if not all classroom behaviour problems.

Yes / The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and importance of management skills in the pharmacy profession and pharmacists’ ability to respond to current and future challenges in healthcare provision. As service professionals, pharmacists are engaged based on their expertise and skills, and are noted for their contribution to the knowledge-based economy and control over the application of their knowledge (Abbott, 1991). The same premise would apply to other professionals e.g. healthcare (nurses, doctors and psychologists); legal (lawyers, solicitors and barristers); consultancy; accountancy; banking and architecture (von Nordenflycht, 2010). An exploratory analysis of UK and Spanish pharmacists’ roles and their adoption of management skills was thus undertaken. Both healthcare systems are very similar and likewise the clinical training and role of pharmacists, professional standards and regulations are similar but there are subtle differences. Data were collected using semi-structured online surveys; two thirds of the data were collected from a UK audience and the final third from Spanish pharmacists. The data collection was planned and iterative in the first two stages (stage one influencing stage two) (UK) and the final stage (Spain) offered an opportunistic comparator study. The results demonstrated that there was overwhelming support for management skills to be part of undergraduate studies. The outputs of this study identify the most important management skills pharmacists need to perform effectively. Consideration was also given to the impact of inability to perform in their role, and hence the possibility of occupational derailment (leaving their role or being demoted). These findings offer important learning to support workforce development in all professional services.