Background Failures in non-technical skills (NTS) contribute to adverse events in healthcare. Previous research has explored the assessment and training of these skills, and yet there is a lack of evidence for their impact on clinical outcomes. Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a high-pressure specialty, but to date there is little on the role of NTS in this area, or a method for their assessment. This MD project aims to measure NTS in endoscopy, explore their relationship with clinical outcomes, and identify those specific to this area of healthcare. Methods An observational study of endoscopy teams in real time, using the Oxford NOTECHS II assessment tool. Comparison of NTS performance with procedure outcomes and patient satisfaction. A qualitative interview study with staff members to establish the NTS specifically relevant to working in gastrointestinal endoscopy. Results Reliability of the Oxford NOTECHS II tool by a single rater in this environment was good. Positive relationships were found between NTS scores and polyp detection, scope withdrawal time and completion of items on a safety checklist. However, relationships with other outcomes, including patient satisfaction were weak, or inconclusive. The themes identified relating to NTS in gastrointestinal endoscopy were leadership, working together as a team, situation awareness, making decisions, the patient and communication. Conclusions Although few conclusive relationships were found between NTS performance and procedure outcomes, those positive associations found seem logical as they are likely to reflect increased care and vigilance. This may have been affected by a lack of variation in scores. The NTS relevant to this area are similar to other areas of healthcare. However, the interaction with and around the awake patient is unique to endoscopy and an important influence on the NTS that staff must possess. There is scope to develop a more specific tool for the assessment of NTS in endoscopy.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-98).

Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2008. / Thesis advisor: Damon Mitchell. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Criminal Justice." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-43). Also available via the World Wide Web.

The majority of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) have comorbid Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (95%; Fryer et al., 2007). The goal of this study was to compare the neuropsychological and adaptive skills profiles of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with or without comorbid FASD in order to improve interventions for both of these populations. This study paid particular attention to neurological, cognitive, and adaptive skills strengths and weaknesses in children with ADHD/FASD and children with ADHD without comorbid FASD. By identifying these strengths and weaknesses recommendations were able to be made to help the functioning of each of children with ADHD/FASD and children with ADHD in their home, community, and school environments based on their neuropsychological and adaptive skills profiles. Neurologically, children with ADHD/FASD and children with ADHD have been shown to have impairment in the basal ganglia, cerebellum, corpus callosum, frontal lobes, hippocampus, hypothalamus, occipital lobes, parietal lobes, temporal lobes, and thalamus. Cognitively, children with ADHD have been shown to have difficulty in areas such as working memory and processing speed with less significant deficiencies in verbal ability and perceptual organization whereas children with ADHD/FASD have shown impairment in all of these cognitive abilities. When compared to typically developing children with approximately the same level of general intelligence, children with ADHD have been shown to obtain lower standard scores in all domains of adaptive functioning and children with FASD have been shown to demonstrate significant adaptive skills deficits throughout the lifespan. This study used specialized statistical procedures including Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Discriminant Analysis (DA), and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) in order to investigate the neuropsychological and adaptive skills in 81 children with ADHD/FASD and 147 children with ADHD. The statistical analyses indicated that children with ADHD/FASD and children with ADHD have similar cognitive and adaptive skills profiles; however, the children with comorbid ADHD/FASD were significantly more impaired in verbal ability, perceptual reasoning, working memory, processing speed, and overall adaptive skills. The current study took a step forward in helping to make diagnostic decisions based on the similarities and differences between children with ADHD with and without comorbid FASD. Given the data from the current study indicating the significant differences in cognitive and adaptive skills in these two samples, it is imperative that psychopharmacological interventions be tailored to these two seemingly similar yet different groups, especially as these two groups may respond differently to stimulant medication, the first line of medicinal treatment for ADHD. Children with ADHD/FASD should also be treated with more intense interventions in the home, community, and school than children with ADHD. / Department of Educational Psychology

This study identify foster youth characteristics that were more likely to lead to independent living program (ILP) participation against those foster youth who did not participate in ILPs.

Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The basic premise underlying this research is the ability to gain a deeper understanding of a person with a mental illness, and more specifically the residents living in a supported housing facility. It is significant for social workers to establish a basic profile of the individual in order to understand and realize the resident's specific I?-eeds.The aim of the study is to present a description of the personal needs, capacities and socio-emotional functioning of a mentally ill person living in a supported housing facility. The research report includes identifying the personal needs and capacities of people with a mental illness living in a supported housing facility. This comprises of aspects applicable to the daily living conditions and lifestyles of people with a mental illness residing in such a care facility, including needs and concerns, capacities, strengths and limitations and the role of the family in the individual's life. The report also investigates the social welfare services essential in the intervention and rehabilitation of people living in a supported housing facility, by utilizing various perspectives applicable to social workers. The empirical study consisted of using a quantitative method in order to explore the pragmatic aspect of the study, which would allow an investigation into the nature of the needs, capacities and socio-emotional functioning of people with a mental illness living in a supported housing facility. Information was gathered by means of a questionnaire and subsequently analysed in order to attain valid conclusions from the research. These fmdings were consequently noted, and conclusions and recommendations drawn. The fmdings of this research can be used as guidelines for social workers and other social welfare practitioners working with people with a mental illness. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie is daarop gemik om 'n beter begrip te ontwikkel van geestesiekes, en in besonder die inwoners van 'n ondersteunde behuisingsfasiliteit. Dit is van groot belang vir maatskaplike werkers ten einde 'n basiese profiel van die individu saam te stel en sodoende die inwoner se spesifieke behoeftes te verstaan en te bevredig. Die doelwit van die studie is om 'n beskrywing van die persoonlike behoeftes en kapasiteit van 'n geestelik versteurde persoon wat in 'n ondersteunde behuisingsfasiliteit tuisgaan, daar te stel. Die navorsingsverslag sluit dus die identifisering van die persoonlike behoeftes en kapasiteit in van geestesiekes in 'n ondersteunde behuisingsfasiliteit. Dit behels aspekte van toepassing op hulle daaglikse lewensomstandighede en lewenstyl, insluitend behoeftes en bekommernisse, kapasiteit, sterkpunte, beperkings en die rol van die familie in die individu se lewe. Die verslag ondersoek ook die maatskaplike dienste wat van belang is vir die behandeling en rehabilitasie van mense wat in 'n ondersteunde behuisingsfasiliteit tuisgaan. Die empiriese studie bestaan uit beide kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe metodes ten einde die pragmatiese aspek van die navorsing te ondersoek. Dit het 'n ondersoek moontlik gemaak na die persoonlike behoeftes, kapasiteite en sosio-emosionele status (funksie) van geestesiekes in 'n ondersteunde behuisingsfasiliteit. Inligting is ingewin deur middel van 'n vraelys, en is daarna ontleed ten einde geldige gevolgtrekkings op grond van die navorsing te maak. Die bevindings van hierdie studie kan gebruik word as riglyne vir maatskaplike werkers en ander maatskaplike praktisyns wat met geestesiekes werk.

Skills assessment in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has been a challenge for training centers for a long time. The emerging maturity of camera-based systems has the potential to transform problems into solutions in many different areas, including MIS. The current evaluation techniques for assessing the performance of surgeons and trainees are direct observation, global assessments, and checklists. These techniques are mostly subjective and can, therefore, involve a margin of bias. The current automated approaches are all implemented using mechanical or electromagnetic sensors, which suffer limitations and influence the surgeon’s motion. Thus, evaluating the skills of the MIS surgeons and trainees objectively has become an increasing concern. In this work, we integrate and coordinate multiple camera sensors to assess the performance of MIS trainees and surgeons. This study aims at developing an objective data-driven assessment that takes advantage of multiple coordinated sensors. The technical framework for the study is a synchronized network of sensors that captures large sets of measures from the training environment. The measures are then, processed to produce a reliable set of individual and composed metrics, coordinated in time, that suggest patterns of skill development. The sensors are non-invasive, real-time, and coordinated over many cues such as, eye movement, external shots of body and instruments, and internal shots of the operative field. The platform is validated by a case study of 17 subjects and 70 sessions. The results show that the platform output is highly accurate and reliable in detecting patterns of skills development and predicting the skill level of the trainees.

This project describes a 12 week pilot program that was designed to offer further resources to the foster youth who are 'aged out' of the foster care system.

Due to the early age at which children are exposed to rape and child abuse, preventative programs should be implemented as early as possible. Schools provide ample opportunity to reach learners of all ages. Educators have regular contact with learners and have a key role to play in the implementation of comprehensive health and education life skills programs. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) can link up with schools to combat abuse that affects children in South African communities. The Ubuntu Education Fund requested the Health and Development Research Institute (HDRI) of the University of Port Elizabeth to assist with the evaluation of the Mpilo-Lwazi life skills program for grade 6 to 9 learners at 5 primary and 5 secondary schools in the Nelson Mandela Metropole. The schools were selected by non-probability convenience sampling and the learners via simple random sampling. The life skills program addressed issues of HIV/AIDS, STI and rape and child abuse and the requested evaluation encompassed both the quantitative pretest-posttest assessment of knowledge plus a qualitative focus group assessment of perception of the content and presentation of the life skills program. A multiple pretest-post-test quasi-experimental research design was used. This study focused on the quantitative aspect of rape and child abuse and aimed to describe learners’ base line knowledge before receiving education in rape and child abuse life skills programs and acquired knowledge after the program had been implemented. Descriptive statistics were employed to describe the pre and post test information and the Hotelling’s T2 was used to identify variation in profiles. Posthoc t-tests established significant differences between grades. Structured questionnaires were used to achieve the aims of the research. Results of both the quantitative and qualitative findings were collated to be presented to the Ubuntu Education Fund. The results of the study were as follows: ix The results indicated that the overall level of knowledge regarding Rape and Child Abuse among the sample of grade six to nine learners was average. A small increase in knowledge was identified in the post-test. The area most successful for knowledge increase was the section relating to general information on the victims of Rape and Child Abuse. An area where knowledge actually decreased was that on reporting the rape or abuse. Knowledge of rape and child abuse alone is not sufficient to bring about change in behaviour. Changes in beliefs, such as increased awareness that rape and child abuse are prevalent in families and communities, and attitude change are necessary to facilitate the adoption of health-promoting behaviour. Future education efforts need to introduce health educators into the Rape and Child Abuse life skills program at schools in educating the learners. The format of teaching should also take into account the preferred method of presentation indicated by the learners as this would facilitate optimal intake of information.

The diploma thesis comparing the level of physical abilities and basketball skills of girls in basketball and basketball outfits in Prague and abroad outlines a short history of both world and Czech basketball, the current organization of basketball in the Czech Republic, age specificities of children aged 11, stage of sports training in basketball, Ability. The practical part deals with the question of the level of motor skills of girls at the age of 11, the question of the level of basketball skills of girls at the age of 11 in basketball preparations in Prague and out-of-basket basketball preparations. The aim of this diploma thesis is to determine whether the level of physical fitness of Prague and non-Prague basketball products is the same and whether the level of basketball skills of out-of-basket basketball products is lower than that of basketball products in Prague. All measured values are analyzed using mathematical-statistical methods. I used the UNIFITTEST test battery to test my physical abilities. Based on measured results, I compiled tables and charts. The results confirm that MBP and PBP's abilities are identical and that the level of basketball skills is slightly higher for MBP than for MBP. KEYWORDS Physical skills, basketball skills, basketball history, basketball organization...