Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Technology: Emergency Medical Care, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / South Africa currently has 1631 registered Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedics to tend to the pre-hospital advanced life support needs of just under 50 million people. Compared to the globally accepted ratio of 1:10 000, the number of ALS paramedics in South Africa is grossly inadequate. The current shortage of South African ALS paramedics may be ascribed to migration. However, although literature on health worker migration in general abounds, there is a marked lack of national or international statistics and information on migration of ALS paramedics and their migration. Current measures to manage migration appear to be ineffective. The success of future strategies is dependent on an understanding of the migration of South African ALS paramedics - an understanding that presently does not exist. Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe the migration of South African undergraduate Advanced Life Support paramedics who qualified between 2001 and 2006, and to then develop a framework of retention strategies. In particular, it determined the extent and nature of their migration, identified the factors that have contributed to their decision to work outside South Africa and identified strategies to retain or encourage the return of ALS paramedics to practice exclusively in South Africa. Methods The study consisted of a two-phase mixed method descriptive survey. Paramedics with ALS undergraduate diplomas who qualified in South Africa between 2001 and 2006 made up the study population. Quantitative data (Phase One) was obtained from a web-based survey distributed to the accessible population (N=97). Thereafter, qualitative data (Phase Two) was gathered through in-depth interviews with selected information rich participants (n=10) also from within the accessible population. Through methodological triangulation, data from Phase One and Phase Two were Page vi integrated to obtain an in-depth understanding of South African ALS paramedic migration. Results Significant differences existed in the distribution of age (p=0.035), and years of experience post-graduation (p=0.007) and the ALS paramedic deemed most likely to migrate were individuals between the ages of 21 – 30. 15 (55%) of the participants working outside the country were engaged in short term contracts while all 24 (100%) of participants working inside South Africa were permanently employed. 18 (75%) of respondents working inside South Africa intended migrating, 12 (67%) of which intended to do so within 0 to 2 years. Nine major factors or reasons for migration were identified by participants. Working conditions, physical security and economic considerations were ranked as the top three major factors most likely to contribute to the decision or intended decision to migrate. This study also found five primary decisions that likely emerge during the life of a South African ALS Paramedic. The outcome of each decision is a result of facilitators weighted against barriers. Facilitators are factors that supported each of the primary decisions while barriers weakened or rejected them. Findings indicated that many barriers existed which rejected or weakened the decision of ALS paramedics to work inside South Africa, return to South Africa or remain in South Africa. On the converse, a vast number of facilitators existed which spurred continued migration. Conclusions As the decision to migrate may be conceptualised as early on as when individuals decide to become ALS paramedics, the constructs of return and retention strategies have to extend as far as revising recruitment policies. Preference or places into training programmes should be given to individuals who are less inclined to migrate, these include: military personnel; those already employed in the EMS, older mature candidates; candidates with families that have already settled in SA; and recognition of prior learning (RPL) candidates who are predominately obligated by contract to remain in South African EMSs.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 1998. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original microfiche copy / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: see item for full text. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: sien item vir volteks.

Mycoplasma pulmonis e Mycoplasma arthritidis são espécies frequentemente isoladas de animais de laboratório (ratos), causando prejuízos e alteração em resultados de pesquisa que utilizam tais animais. O Mycoplasma pulmonis coloniza principalmente o trato respiratório, nasofaringe e ouvido médio de murinos e causa micoplasmose respiratória murina (MRM). A principal via de transmissão é horizontal, o que facilita a disseminação deste agente para os demais ambientes do biotério e também para seus funcionários. O Mycoplasma arthritidis pode ser isolado da orofaringe destes animais, mas sua ocorrência natural é rara. Os micoplasmas geralmente são espécie-específicos embora algumas espécies possam ser encontradas em diferentes hospedeiros. O objetivo deste trabalho foi o isolamento Mycoplasma pulmonis e Mycoplasma arthritidis em ratos de laboratório e a detecção destas espécies por meio da PCR em ratos e funcionários de diferentes biotérios. Foram positivas para Mycoplasma pulmonis 144 (60%) amostras de lavado traqueal de ratos na cultura e 155 (64,58%) pela PCR espécie especifica. Mycoplasma arthritidis não foi isolado e detectado em nenhuma amostra analisada. M. pulmonis foi detectado em quatro (10%) amostras de funcionários que não mantinham contato direto com os ratos, sendo uma do biotério 1 e três do biotério 4. Dos bioteristas que mantinham contato direto, 24 (77,4%) foram negativos nas duas coletas, 4 (12,9%) foram positivos após o manejo dos animais, 2 (6,5%) foram positivos em ambas as coletas e 1 (3,2%) foi positivo somente antes da higienização das caixas. Estes resultados mostram que pessoas que trabalham em biotérios estão expostas a tal agente podendo servir como veículo de transmissão / Mycoplasma pulmonis and Mycoplasma arthritidis are species usually isolated from laboratory rats, causing losses and modifying results of research that use such animals. Mycoplasma pulmonis inhabit primary the respiratory tract, nasopharynx, and middle ear of murines causing the murine respiratory mycoplasmosis (MRM). In general, aerosols perform the transmission, which allows the spreading of this agent to all facilities departments and to technicians. Mycoplasma arthritidis can be recovered from the oropharynx of these animals, but its occurrence is rare. Mycoplasmas usually exhibit a rather strict host and tissue specificity, probably reflecting their nutritionally exacting nature and obligate parasitic mode of life. However, there are numerous examples of the presence of mycoplasmas in hosts and tissue different from their normal habitats. The aim of this study was to recovery Mycoplasma pulmonis and Mycoplasma arthritidis from laboratory rats and detection of these species by PCR in rats and technicians from distinct facilities. 144 (60%) samples of tracheal washed of rats were positives in culture to Mycoplasma pulmonis and 155 (64,58%) by specific PCR. Mycoplasma arthritidis was nor isolated, neither detected in any samples. M. pulmonis was detected in four (10%) of the samples collected from the technicians who did not maintain direct contact with rats, being one sample from facility 1 and three samples from facility 3. Regarding to technicians who keep direct contact, 24 (77,4%) were negatives on the two collects, 4 (12,9%) were positives after manipulating animals, 2 (6,5%) were positives in both collects, before and after treatment of animals and 1 (3,2%) was positive before cleaning the boxes. These results showed that people who work in facilities are exposed to this agent and can become a revervoirs of infection

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-10-03T12:31:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Márcia Cristina da Silva.pdf: 1197951 bytes, checksum: b5863cf4e5575794320971279b9f4004 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-03T12:31:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Márcia Cristina da Silva.pdf: 1197951 bytes, checksum: b5863cf4e5575794320971279b9f4004 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-22 / Continuing education of school principals has been a challenge for the technical teams of state departments of education, which have faced the need to support these professionals in the work context. Therefore, the problem of this research focuses on the question: how do state department technicians prepare to develop continuing education with school principals? That way, the general objective of the research is to investigate the performance of the technicians of a municipal state department of education as trainers of principals. The theoretical reference aimed to identify recent research related to the themes of training of principals, continuing education within state departments and analysis of training programs of principals. In order to deepen concepts about the relationship between continuing education and professional development and continuing education of school principals, we have used some theoretical references such as Libâneo (2004), Canário (2007), Marcelo (2009), Imbernón (2010), Lück 2000), Vieira and Vidal (2014), Abruccio (2010) and Paro (2015). The field defined for conducting the research was the Municipal State Department of Education of Aracruz, State of Espírito Santo (ES), and the subjects are five technicians who act as responsible for the continuing education of the 53 school principals. For the accomplishment of this research, of qualitative character, individual and collective interviews were carried out. The method for data analysis followed the prose analysis assumptions (ANDRÉ, 1983). The main results obtained were: continuous education has enabled the group of technicians to improve their professional practices and this is due to the constant search to maintain interlocution with more experienced partners, as well as the investment in self-training; And the use of training strategies, such as on-call and visits to priority schools, has fostered greater interaction and exchanges of experience among principals. The main problem faced by the researched team has been the realization of the education of school principals concomitantly to the office of their positions of technicians of a state department that demands actions that overlap. However, these professionals have faced the challenges of being trainers in a reflective and collaborative way, and seeking partnerships that have led them to the ever greater enhancement of the role of school principals trainers / A formação continuada dos diretores escolares tem se mostrado um desafio para as equipes técnicas de secretarias de educação, que têm se deparado com a necessidade de apoiar esses profissionais no contexto de trabalho. Portanto, a problemática desta pesquisa centra-se na questão: como técnicos de secretaria se preparam para desenvolver a formação continuada com os diretores escolares? Dessa forma, o objetivo geral da pesquisa é investigar a atuação dos técnicos de uma secretaria municipal de educação como formadores de diretores. O referencial teórico buscou identificar recentes pesquisas relacionadas aos temas de formação de diretores, formação continuada no interior de secretarias e análises de programas de formação de diretores. Para o aprofundamento de conceitos sobre a relação entre formação continuada e desenvolvimento profissional e formação continuada de diretores escolares, recorremos a alguns referenciais teóricos como: Libâneo et al. (2004), Canário (2007), Marcelo (2009), Imbernón (2010a, 2010b), Lück (2000), Vieira e Vidal (2014), Abrucio (2010) e Paro (2015a, 2015b). O campo definido para a realização da pesquisa foi a Secretaria Municipal de Educação de Aracruz, no Estado do Espírito Santo (ES), e os sujeitos são cinco técnicos que atuam como responsáveis pela formação continuada dos 53 diretores escolares. Para a realização desta pesquisa, de cunho qualitativo, foram realizadas entrevistas individuais e coletivas. O método para a análise dos dados seguiu os pressupostos da análise de prosa (ANDRÉ, 1983). Os principais resultados obtidos foram: a formação continuada tem propiciado ao grupo de técnicas o aprimoramento de suas práticas profissionais e isso se deve à busca constante de manter interlocução com parceiros mais experientes, assim como ao investimento na autoformação; e a utilização de estratégias formativas, como plantão e visitas às escolas prioritárias, tem propiciado maior interação e trocas de experiências entre os diretores. A principal problemática enfrentada pela equipe pesquisada tem sido a realização da formação de diretores concomitantemente ao ofício de seus cargos de técnicas de uma secretaria que demanda ações que se sobrepõem. Entretanto, essas profissionais têm enfrentado os desafios de serem formadoras de forma reflexiva, colaborativamente e buscando parcerias que as têm levado ao aprimoramento cada vez maior do papel de formadoras de diretores

The Institute of Medicine's report in 2000, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, highlighted the seriousness of medical errors in the U.S. health care system. The unintentional retention of foreign objects in surgical patients is one of those errors. At the time of this study, there was no standardized counting policy and process across operating rooms in the United States. The purpose of this project was to develop a best practice educational counting program to help prevent the unintentional retention of foreign objects in surgical patients. The Logic Model was used to guide the design of the educational program and expected learning outcomes. A draft of the educational program was distributed to 10 perioperative stakeholders for an initial formative review. Changes were incorporated into the program and it was distributed to 6 perioperative experts for an additional summative assessment and content validation utilizing the AGREE II Instrument. The overall quality evaluation of the educational program was 85%, indicating that it was of high quality. Four of the respondents recommended the educational program for implementation without any changes and 2 recommended it for implementation with some minor modifications related to rewording of one question in the pretest-posttest. There were no recommended modifications in the content of the educational program. As a result, the project was recommended for adoption as a best practices-based educational program to prevent the unintentional retention of foreign objects in surgical patients. The study promotes positive social change by providing suggestions to improve the provision of safe care to surgical patients and decrease health care costs.

<p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Syftet med studien var att beskriva och sammanställa befintlig forskning om de etiska konflikterna, som ambulanspersonal ställs inför i samband med HLR och att inventera om prehospitala HLR riktlinjer tar hänsyn till etiska aspekter på HLR. En litteraturstudie genomfördes där tretton vetenskapliga artiklar analyserades. Resultatet visade att etiska konflikter uppstod när det gällde ambulanspersonalens beslut om att påbörja HLR eller inte, på patienter som av litteraturen beskrevs som terminalt sjuka eller äldre terminalt sjuka patienter. Ibland kränkte ambulanspersonalen patienternas autonomi genom att påbörja HLR mot patienternas och de anhörigas vilja, trots att det existerade en Ej HLR önskan från patienterna och deras anhöriga. Den huvudsakliga orsaken till att sådana situationer uppstod var oklarheter i lagstiftningen omkring prehospitala HLR riktlinjer i USA och Kanada. Den motsatta situationen existerade också, där ambulanspersonalen påbörjade HLR av hänsyn till anhörigas vilja i frågan. I helhet visade ambulanspersonalen en vilja att respektera patientens autonomi i HLR frågan. Ambulanspersonalen i Nordamerika stödde antagandet av lagar som möjliggjorde prehospital Ej HLR, när det gällde terminalt sjuka och terminalt sjuka äldre.</p><p>Sökord : Etik, ambulanssjukvård, HLR, HLR- Riktlinjer och ambulanspersonal.</p> / <p>Abstract</p><p>The aim of this study was to describe exsisting research about the ethical conflicts, faced by paramedics surrounding the decision makeing in CPR and to determine the influence that prehospital CPR guidelines have on ethical issues regarding CPR. A litterature rewiew was conducted by analyzing thirteen scientific articles.The result showed that ethical conflicts appeared whithin paramedics decision, wheter to start or whithheld CPR in situations described by the litterature as patients that have a terminal illness or in elderly terminally ill patients. Sometimes paramedics violated the patients autonomi, when performing CPR despite the precense of a DNR wish from the patient and the patients family. The main reason that such situations occured was indistinct legalisation in prehospital CPR guidelines in USA and Canada.</p><p>The opposite situation also occured,were the paramedics initiated CPR in order to honour the wishes from the patients relatives. Overall paramedics showed a will to respect the patients autonomi in the CPR question. Paramedics in the Northen America supported prehospital guidlines statues allowing them to withheld CPR,under cirumstances initiating CPR in terminally ill and elder terminally ill patients.</p><p>Keywords : Ethics, Emergency medical services, CPR, CPR guidelines and Emergency medical technicians.</p>

Sammanfattning Syftet med studien var att beskriva och sammanställa befintlig forskning om de etiska konflikterna, som ambulanspersonal ställs inför i samband med HLR och att inventera om prehospitala HLR riktlinjer tar hänsyn till etiska aspekter på HLR. En litteraturstudie genomfördes där tretton vetenskapliga artiklar analyserades. Resultatet visade att etiska konflikter uppstod när det gällde ambulanspersonalens beslut om att påbörja HLR eller inte, på patienter som av litteraturen beskrevs som terminalt sjuka eller äldre terminalt sjuka patienter. Ibland kränkte ambulanspersonalen patienternas autonomi genom att påbörja HLR mot patienternas och de anhörigas vilja, trots att det existerade en Ej HLR önskan från patienterna och deras anhöriga. Den huvudsakliga orsaken till att sådana situationer uppstod var oklarheter i lagstiftningen omkring prehospitala HLR riktlinjer i USA och Kanada. Den motsatta situationen existerade också, där ambulanspersonalen påbörjade HLR av hänsyn till anhörigas vilja i frågan. I helhet visade ambulanspersonalen en vilja att respektera patientens autonomi i HLR frågan. Ambulanspersonalen i Nordamerika stödde antagandet av lagar som möjliggjorde prehospital Ej HLR, när det gällde terminalt sjuka och terminalt sjuka äldre. Sökord : Etik, ambulanssjukvård, HLR, HLR- Riktlinjer och ambulanspersonal. / Abstract The aim of this study was to describe exsisting research about the ethical conflicts, faced by paramedics surrounding the decision makeing in CPR and to determine the influence that prehospital CPR guidelines have on ethical issues regarding CPR. A litterature rewiew was conducted by analyzing thirteen scientific articles.The result showed that ethical conflicts appeared whithin paramedics decision, wheter to start or whithheld CPR in situations described by the litterature as patients that have a terminal illness or in elderly terminally ill patients. Sometimes paramedics violated the patients autonomi, when performing CPR despite the precense of a DNR wish from the patient and the patients family. The main reason that such situations occured was indistinct legalisation in prehospital CPR guidelines in USA and Canada. The opposite situation also occured,were the paramedics initiated CPR in order to honour the wishes from the patients relatives. Overall paramedics showed a will to respect the patients autonomi in the CPR question. Paramedics in the Northen America supported prehospital guidlines statues allowing them to withheld CPR,under cirumstances initiating CPR in terminally ill and elder terminally ill patients. Keywords : Ethics, Emergency medical services, CPR, CPR guidelines and Emergency medical technicians.

Professional research project (Au.D.)--University of South Florida, 2002. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 35 pages. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The employment of audiology assistants to relieve masters and doctoral level audiologists of routine tasks is a timely and controversial topic in our field. Berardino (2000) examined the roles of audiology assistants within Veteran's Administration (VA) Hospitals using an e-mail survey that was sent out to VA audiologists. The results of that survey suggested that the majority of VA audiologists were in favor of the participation of audiology assistants in the clinic to varying degrees. / The purpose of this survey was to determine the current attitudes of audiologists and otolaryngologists toward the role of audiology assistants in the hearing health care profession. The attitudes and opinions of otolaryngologists were of particular interest because this population had not been included in earlier surveys despite the fact that they often employ both audiologists and audiology assistants. The survey was e-mailed to a randomly selected group of audiologists and otolaryngologists. In addition to general opinion and demographic questions, participants were asked to rate specific audiology tasks on a six-point scale ranging from very appropriate to very inappropriate. / Results indicate that audiologists and otolaryngologists generally agree on which tasks are appropriate for audiology assistants; however, audiologists feel audiology assistants may be a threat to the profession of audiology whereas otolaryngologists do not. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (MTech. degree in Business Information Systems (Structured))--Tshwane University of Technology, 2011. / Since information technology is a business enabler, knowledge sharing amongst IT professionals within an organization can be very critical in achieving organizational goals and objectives. A knowledge sharing culture ought to be cultivated, within an organization, so that knowledge is shared and retained should employees leave the company. This mini-dissertation argues that organizations need to create an environment where knowledge can be created and shared - preventing situations where employees leave the organization with their knowledge because there are no means to capture and store such knowledge. One of the ways for an organization to grow its performance is the introduction of a knowledge sharing culture. However, factors that really influence employees to share their knowledge are not readily understood. Thus, this study sought to identify and understand the factors that affects IT professional's intensions and behavior towards knowledge sharing, using activity theory and organizational culture theory as lenses.

The aim of this study is to assess the factors affecting the retention and recruitment of medical laboratory specialists in South Africa. South Africa experiences a significant shortage of medical laboratory specialists. The shortage has many negative implications on the quality and sustainability of the country‟s healthcare services. However, whilst medical laboratory specialists play an integral role in the country‟s healthcare system, there has been no research conducted on the labour market for these specialists and the reasons that facilitate the shortage. Through a qualitative case study of anatomical pathologists and virologists in KwaZulu-Natal, this study overcomes this gap by assessing the factors that negatively affect the retention and recruitment of these specialists. The objectives of this study are: to examine the national and international labour markets for South African medical laboratory specialists; to determine the consequences that the shortage has on South Africa‟s healthcare system; to assess whether social factors play a larger role than economic factors do in the retention and recruitment of South African medical laboratory specialists; to investigate the efficacy of non-work related factors in the retention and recruitment of these specialists; and to explain the labour market for these specialists in relation to the human relations, human capital and job embeddedness theories. Findings suggest that social factors play a larger role in the retention and recruitment of South African medical laboratory specialists. Additionally, the factors affecting the retention and recruitment of these specialists comprise of factors found within the work settings, as well as factors that are found outside the work settings of these specialists (i.e. work related and non-work related factors). Considering these factors allows for this study to make a few recommendations towards the successful retention and recruitment of medical laboratory specialists in South Africa. This in turn would contribute to the overall quality, efficiency and sustainability of the country‟s healthcare services. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.