Measuring and assessing the competencies of preceptors in health professions: a systematic scoping review.

BACKGROUND: In healthcare, preceptors act as a role model and supervisor, thereby facilitating the socialisation and development of the preceptee into a professional fit to practice. To ensure a consistent approach to every preceptorship experience, preceptor competencies should be measured or assessed to ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved. Defining these would ensure quality management and could inform development of an preceptor competency framework. This review aimed to evaluate the evidence for preceptor competencies and assessment in health professions. METHODS: This study followed the PRISMA ScR scoping review guidelines. A database search was conducted in Embase, Medline, CINAHL and IPA in 2019. Articles were included if they defined criteria for competency, measured or assessed competency, or described performance indicators of preceptors. A modified GRADE CERQual approach and CASP quality assessment were used to appraise identified competencies, performance indicators and confidence in evidence. RESULTS: Forty one studies identified 17 evidence-based competencies, of which 11 had an associated performance indicator. The competency of preceptors was most commonly measured using a preceptee completed survey (moderate to high confidence as per CERQual), followed by preceptor self-assessment, and peer-assessment. Preceptee outcomes as a measure of preceptor performance had good but limited evidence. CONCLUSIONS: Competencies with defined performance indicators allow for effective measurement and may be modifiable with training. To measure preceptor competency, the preceptor perspective, as well as peer and preceptee assessment is recommended. These findings can provide the basis for a common preceptor competency framework in health professions.

Genome-wide transcriptomic and proteomic studies of Rett syndrome mouse models identify common signaling pathways and cellular functions as potential therapeutic targets.

The discovery that Rett syndrome is caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene has provided a major breakthrough in our understanding of the disorder. However, despite this, there is still limited understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of the disorder hampering the development of curative treatments. Over the years, a number of animal models have been developed contributing to our knowledge of the role of MECP2 in development and improving our understanding of how subtle expression levels affect brain morphology and function. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies of animal models are useful in identifying perturbations in functional pathways and providing avenues for novel areas of research into disease. This review focuses on published transcriptomic and proteomic studies of mouse models of Rett syndrome with the aim of providing a summary of all the studies, the reported dysregulated genes and functional pathways that are found to be perturbed. The 36 articles identified highlighted a number of dysfunctional pathways as well as perturbed biological networks and cellular functions including synaptic dysfunction and neuronal transmission, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. These data reveal biological insights that contribute to the disease process which may be targeted to investigate curative treatments.

The prevalence and characteristics of complementary medicine use by Australian and American adults living with gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review.

AIM: To report the prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of complementary medicine (CM) use by Australian and American adults living with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. METHOD: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, Medline, Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for studies published in English language between 1st January 2008 and 8th April 2018. Additionally, a Google Scholar search and risk of bias assessment were conducted. RESULTS: Twelve (five American and seven Australian) studies, involving 53,991 adults were included. Data were extracted from studies reporting CM use by both specific populations with medically diagnosed GI disorders and the general population with self-reported GI disorders. CM use ranged from 23.6% to 44% (American) and 27.2% to 58% (Australian) by adults with medically diagnosed GI disorders. Whilst CM use was higher amongst females, with higher incomes and education levels. The prevalence of CM use by those with self-reported GI disorders varied from 0.31% to 80%. Herbal, probiotic supplements and mind-body practices were the most prevalent CMs used. The risk of bias assessment identified weaknesses in the external validity, principally related to poor study design. CONCLUSIONS: There is a substantial use of CMs by American and Australian adults with GI disorders. Females with higher education and income are predominant users. There is a need to conduct up-to-date and well-designed prevalence and sociodemographic studies. Additionally, future studies should consider including health literacy and medicines disclosure scales in order to better understand CM use by this population.