Mental health first aid training for the public: evaluation of effects on knowledge, attitudes and helping behavior.
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BACKGROUND: Many members of the public have poor mental health literacy. A Mental Health First Aid training course was developed in order to improve this. This paper describes the training course and reports an evaluation study looking at changes in knowledge, stigmatizing attitudes and help provided to others. METHODS: Data are reported on the first 210 participants in public courses. Evaluation questionnaires were given at the beginning of courses, at the end and at 6 months follow-up. Data were analyzed using an intention-to-treat approach. RESULTS: The course improved participants' ability to recognize a mental disorder in a vignette, changed beliefs about treatment to be more like those of health professionals, decreased social distance from people with mental disorders, increased confidence in providing help to someone with a mental disorder, and increased the amount of help provided to others. CONCLUSIONS: Mental Health First Aid training appears to be an effective method of improving mental health literacy which can be widely applied. (+info)
Graduates' perceptions of self-assessment training in clinical dental hygiene education.
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Although research regarding self-assessment as a curriculum component has been undertaken previously, no data have been reported regarding the perceptions of graduates who were taught self-assessment as a formalized component of accredited dental hygiene programs. Aided by alumni insight and the belief that the dental hygiene curriculum has the potential for improvement, the purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate dental hygienists' perceptions regarding self-assessment as a curriculum component and its impact on their clinical dental hygiene education. This investigation drew a sample of subjects from forty-eight graduates of a bachelor's degree dental hygiene program located within a college of dentistry. Twelve graduates were selected to participate in the study. An audiotaped semi-structured interview with predetermined questions served as a focus for the interview, yet amplification and probing allowed the participants to further articulate their feelings and thoughts. Findings indicated that participants believed self-assessment to be a worthwhile and positive component of the dental hygiene curriculum. All participants emphatically recounted with dramatic examples that training in self-assessment positively influenced their clinical dental hygiene education, permanently impacted their thinking process, and is being used in their practices. (+info)
The evaluation of quality assurance: developing and testing practical methods for managers.
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OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: To develop an approach for evaluating quality assurance (QA) activities and programs in health care settings and to test different evaluation methods. DESIGN: This was not a formal scientific study, but rather a research and development (R&D) study, which followed the following steps: (1) reviewing the literature; (2) clarifying critical issues for all key aspects of QA activities; (3) drafting a guide to provide a flexible vehicle for different approaches; (4) testing and adapting the guide as it evolved in three countries; and (5) testing two evaluation tools (self-assessment and appreciative evaluation) in Chile. SETTING AND STUDY PARTICIPANTS: The evaluation guide was tested by evaluating QA structures, activities, and programs at the country, regional, and facility levels in Zambia, Niger, and Chile. RESULTS: The study resulted in an evaluation guide, which includes an implementation outline, an evaluation matrix, and an appendix of evaluation tools and methods. The guide helps evaluators: agree on a proposed evaluation's scope and design; develop an evaluation methods plan; and address QA history, advocacy, culture, and structure, as well as QA activities and accomplishments. Specific results of the country evaluations in Zambia, Niger, and Chile are presented in separate articles in this supplement. CONCLUSION: The QA programs in which the evaluation guide was tested differed in many ways, such as health system structure, decision to focus on particular services, political level implementing QA, policy environment, leadership, and program evolution. The implementation guide presents an outline of the key implementation steps for an evaluation, and includes checklists and model forms (e.g. sample agenda for a team planning meeting, sample list of questions to focus the evaluation). The evaluation matrix presents indicators by QA component and key question, and it enables evaluators to build an approach and select methods. The appendix describes the various tools and methods presented in the first two sections of the evaluation guide. (+info)
The effectiveness of computer-aided, self-instructional programs in dental education: a systematic review of the literature.
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Computer-aided learning (CAL), self-instructional programs provide an accessible, interactive, and flexible way of presenting curriculum material. In order to assess the effectiveness of CAL programs in dental education, a systematic review of the published literature comparing CAL with other teaching methods was performed. A systematic search of the published literature was performed. Articles formally assessed for inclusion had to meet the following criteria: randomized controlled trials comparing CAL with any other method of instruction, and the use of academically homogeneous dental students or dental professionals with objective, predefined outcome criteria measuring performance, time spent, and attitudes. The searches located a total of 1,042 articles; of these, only twenty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Further quality assessment identified twelve studies that were included in the final review. Five of the studies documented statistically significant differences in outcome measures (scores on multiple choice, written or oral tests, and clinical performance) favoring CAL over comparison group(s), while six revealed no statistically significant differences. One study documented a greater improvement in test scores in the seminar group over the CAL group. Participants' attitudes towards CAL in the included studies are also discussed. Our study concluded that CAL is as effective as other methods of teaching and can be used as an adjunct to traditional education or as a means of self-instruction. (+info)
Content and criterion validity evaluation of National Public Health Performance Standards measurement instruments.
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OBJECTIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) has developed instruments to measure the performance of local and state public health departments on the 10 "Essential Services of Public Health," which have been tested in several states. This article is a report of the evaluation of the content and criterion validity of the local public health performance assessment instrument, and the content validity of the state public health performance assessment instrument. METHODS: Health department performance is measured using a set of indicators developed for the 10 Essential Services of Public Health and a model standard for each indicator. Content validity of each model standard in the local instrument was addressed by community partners along the following dimensions: the importance of each standard as a measure of the associated Essential Service, its completeness as a measure, and its reasonableness for achievement. All standards for each Essential Service were then judged in terms of their completeness in measuring performance in that service. Content validity of the state instrument was evaluated in a group interview of health department staff members from three states. Criterion validity of the local instrument was assessed for a sample of eight public health departments in Florida and six in New York by examining documentary evidence for selected responses. Criterion validity was also evaluated for a sample of Florida local public health departments and one Hawaii public health department by comparing state health department staffs' judgments of performance against the instrument score. RESULTS: Criterion validity was upheld for a summary performance score on the local instrument, but was not upheld for performance judgments on individual Essential Services. The NPHPSP standards based on the Essential Services have validity for measuring local public health system performance, according to community partners. The model standards are valid measures of state performance, according to state public health departments in three states. CONCLUSIONS: Within the scope of the validity evaluations completed, the NPHPSP state and local performance assessment instruments were found to be valid measures of public health performance. (+info)
Perceived competency at graduation among dental alumni of the University of the West Indies.
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The aims of this study were to describe levels of self-rated competency of dental graduates from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and to investigate relationships with gender and the effect of curriculum change. A thirty-two item self-reported postal questionnaire was sent to UWI dental alumni (1994-2002). The questionnaire included twenty-eight competencies that could be rated on a 5-point scale: 1 (not at all competent) to 5 (very competent). Overall preparedness for practice could also be rated from 1 (not at all prepared) to 5 (very prepared). The response rate was 77.4 percent, with a mean age of 29.3 years. Items with the highest mean scores were taking an adequate medical history (4.49), recognizing and treating dental caries (4.46), oral examination (4.36), and giving dental health education (4.35). Those with the lowest rating were designing and undertaking clinical research (2.29), dealing with practice management issues (2.52), designing and delivering crown and bridge work (3.33), and recognizing pathologic occlusions (3.33). Overall preparedness for practice was rated as 3.27. Female graduates rated four competencies significantly higher than males. Graduates exposed to the new curriculum perceived greater overall preparedness for general dental practice, suggesting the change to a competency-based curriculum was effective. (+info)
Assessing organisational development in primary medical care using a group based assessment: the Maturity Matrix.
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OBJECTIVE: To design and develop an instrument to assess the degree of organisational development achieved in primary medical care organisations. DESIGN: An iterative development, feasibility and validation study of an organisational assessment instrument. SETTING: Primary medical care organisations. PARTICIPANTS: Primary care teams and external facilitators. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Responses to an evaluation questionnaire, qualitative process feedback, hypothesis testing, and quantitative psychometric analysis (face and construct validity) of the results of a Maturity Matrix assessment in 55 primary medical care organisations. RESULTS: Evaluations by 390 participants revealed high face validity with respect to its usefulness as a review and planning tool at the practice level. Feedback from facilitators suggests that it helped practices to prioritise their organisational development. With respect to construct validity, there was some support for the hypothesis that training and non-training status affected the degree and pattern of organisational development. The size of the organisation did not have a significant impact on the degree of organisational development. CONCLUSION: This practice based facilitated group evaluation method was found to be both useful and enjoyable by the participating organisations. Psychometric validation revealed high face validity. Further developments are in place to ensure acceptability for summative work (benchmarking) and formative feedback processes (quality improvement). (+info)
Description and evaluation of an EBM curriculum using a block rotation.
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BACKGROUND: While previous authors have emphasized the importance of integrating and reinforcing evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills in residency, there are few published examples of such curricula. We designed an EBM curriculum to train family practice interns in essential EBM skills for information mastery using clinical questions generated by the family practice inpatient service. We sought to evaluate the impact of this curriculum on interns, residents, and faculty. METHODS: Interns (n = 13) were asked to self-assess their level of confidence in basic EBM skills before and after their 2-week EBM rotation. Residents (n = 21) and faculty (n = 12) were asked to assess how often the answers provided by the EBM intern to the inpatient service changed medical care. In addition, residents were asked to report how often they used their EBM skills and how often EBM concepts and tools were used in teaching by senior residents and faculty. Faculty were asked if the EBM curriculum had increased their use of EBM in practice and in teaching. RESULTS: Interns significantly increased their confidence over the course of the rotation. Residents and faculty felt that the answers provided by the EBM intern provided useful information and led to changes in patient care. Faculty reported incorporating EBM into their teaching (92%) and practice (75%). Residents reported applying the EBM skills they learned to patient care (86%) and that these skills were reinforced in the teaching they received outside of the rotation (81%). All residents and 11 of 12 faculty felt that the EBM curriculum had improved patient care. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first published EBM curriculum using an individual block rotation format. As such, it may provide an alternative model for teaching and incorporating EBM into a residency program. (+info)