Enhancing Content Validity Assessment With Item Response Theory Modeling.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring the validity of assessments requires a thorough examination of the test content. Subject matter experts (SMEs) are commonly employed to evaluate the relevance, representativeness, and appropriateness of the items. This article proposes incorporating item response theory (IRT) into model assessments conducted by SMEs. Using IRT allows for the estimation of discrimination and threshold parameters for each SME, providing evidence of their performance in differentiating relevant from irrelevant items, thus facilitating the detection of suboptimal SME performance while improving item relevance scores. METHOD: Use of IRT was compared to traditional validity indices (content validity index and Aiken's V) in the evaluation of items. The aim was to assess the SMEs' accuracy in identifying whether items were designed to measure conscientiousness or not, and predicting their factor loadings. RESULTS: The IRT-based scores effectively identified conscientiousness items (R2 = 0.57) and accurately predicted their factor loadings (R2 = 0.45). These scores demonstrated incremental validity, explaining 11% more variance than Aiken's V and up to 17% more than the content validity index. CONCLUSIONS: Modeling SME assessments with IRT improves item alignment and provides better predictions of factor loadings, enabling improvement of the content validity of measurement instruments.

[Is individualized education for a medical students desirable? A common policy on how to handle medical students requests for individual adaptations is needed]. / Bör individualiserad utbildning för läkarstudenter eftersträvas?

In Sweden, freedom of conscience for health care professionals is not legally permitted. However, requests from medical students to adjust and/or skip compulsory learning activities because of their religious and moral convictions appear to get more abundant. This creates problems when learning activities are directly related to the examination objectives stated by the Higher Education Ordinance of Sweden. Allowing students to abstain from certain parts of the medical program raises difficulties as to what kind of convictions that should be accepted and to what degree. Questions arise regarding equality of learning opportunities, assessment, and reasonable resource allocation. We call for national debate regarding these issues, which different universities now are forced to handle on their own, with the aim of establishing a common approach.

Dignity, conscience and religious pluralism in healthcare: An argument for a presumption in favour of respect for religious belief.

Religious pluralism in healthcare means that conflicts regarding appropriate treatment can occur because of convictions of patients and healthcare workers alike. This contribution argues for a presumption in favour of respect for religious belief on the basis that such convictions are judgements of conscience, and respect for conscience is core to what it means to respect human dignity. The human person is a subject in relation to all that is. Human dignity refers to the worth of human persons as members of the species with capacities of reason and free choice that enable the realisation of dignity as self-worth through morally good behaviour. Conscience is both a feature of inherent dignity and necessary for acquiring dignity as self-worth. Conscience enables a person to identify objective values and disvalues for human flourishing, the rational capacity to reason about the relative importance of these values and the right way to achieve them and the judgement of the good end and the right means. Human persons are bound to follow their conscience because this is their subjective relationship to objective truth. Religious convictions are decisions of conscience because they are subjective judgements about objective truth. The presumption of respect for religious belief is limited by the normative dimension of human dignity such that a person's beliefs may be overridden if they objectively violate inherent dignity or morally legitimate acquired dignity.

The Ignatian Examen in Medical Practice: A Model for Clinicians.

St. Ignatius of Loyola created The Examination of Conscience (The Examen) as a daily practice for spiritual and moral formation by cultivating awareness, gratitude, and generosity. For five hundred years, people of various cultures and creeds have learned The Examen from the Jesuits and adapted it for personal reflection and spiritual growth. The practice of medicine requires dedicated time to reflect on personal and professional development, to improve oneself and advance patient care and health equity. Here we present a model for use of The Examen in medical practice.

Notas para decolonizar os estudos transpessoais no brasil: contribuições do pluriperspectivismo participativo / Notes for decolonizing transpersonal studies in brazil: contributions of participatory pluriperspectivism / Apuntes para la decolonización de los estudios transpersonales en brasil: aportes del pluriperspectivismo participativo

O campo dos estudos transpessoais tem avançado em diversas áreas no Brasil. Comemorou seus 40 anos com uma inserção ativa nas Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) e uma ampliação de núcleos formativos e apoiadores de ensino, pesquisa e ações sociais, além de diálogos com o Sistema de Conselhos de Psicologia. Desafios são apresentados a partir do levantamento de uma série de questões importantes e ignoradas dentro da Psicologia Transpessoal no Brasil. Apresentamos o pluriperspectivismo participativo como possibilidade de decolonizar as matrizes eurocêntricas e estadunidenses, que dão suporte ao pensamento transpessoal brasileiro, buscando honrar nossas raízes históricas e incluir outras epistemologias e ontologias, que dão continuidade à crítica à lógica cartesiana moderna. Indicamos uma breve agenda de notas temáticas que carecem de um processo decolonizador no campo transpessoal: a) crítica às perspectivas de um pensamento hegemônico, em termos globais por meio da dominação Norte-Sul ou no campo das relações sociais; b) revisão das formas de "centrocentrismo"; c) questionamento da noção de universalismo das ciências e da ética; d) aprofundamento da análise crítica da supremacia restritiva da racionalidade formal técnico-científica em relação às formas de subjetividade, de vivências holísticas e integradoras e de valorização do corpo; e) revisão da noção de sujeito moderno desprovida da cocriação do humano com a comunidade, a história, a natureza e o cosmos.(AU)

The field of transpersonal studies has advanced in several areas in Brazil. It celebrated its 40th anniversary with an active insertion in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and an expansion of training centers and supporters of teaching, research, and social actions, in addition to dialogues with the System of Councils of Psychology. Challenges are presented based on a survey of a series of important and ignored issues within Transpersonal Psychology in Brazil. We present participatory pluriperspectivism as a possibility to decolonize the Eurocentric and North American matrices that support Brazilian transpersonal thought, seeking to honor our historical roots and include other epistemologies and ontologies, which continue the critique of modern Cartesian logic. We indicate a brief agenda of thematic notes that lack a decolonizing process in the transpersonal field: a) criticism of the perspectives of a hegemonic thought, whether in global terms via North-South domination or in the field of social relations; b) review of the forms of "centrocentrism"; c) questioning of the notion of universalism of science and ethics; d) deepening of the critical analysis of the restrictive supremacy of the technical-scientific formal rationality in relation to the forms of subjectivity, of holistic and integrative experiences, and of valuing the body; e) review of the notion of the modern subject devoid of the co-creation of the human with the community, the history, the nature, and the cosmos.(AU)

El campo de los estudios transpersonales ha avanzado en varias áreas de Brasil. Se celebró su 40.º aniversario con una inserción activa en Instituciones de Educación Superior (IES) y una ampliación de los centros de formación y promotores de la docencia, la investigación y la acción social, además de diálogos con el Sistema de Consejos de Psicología. Los desafíos se presentan a partir de una encuesta de una serie de temas importantes e ignorados dentro de la Psicología Transpersonal en Brasil. Presentamos el pluriperspectivismo participativo como una posibilidad para decolonizar las matrices eurocéntrica y americana, que sustentan el pensamiento transpersonal brasileño, buscando honrar nuestras raíces históricas e incluir otras epistemologías y ontologías que continúan la crítica de la lógica cartesiana moderna. Indicamos una breve agenda de apuntes temáticos que carecen de un proceso decolonizador en el campo transpersonal: a) crítica de las perspectivas de un pensamiento hegemónico, ya sea en términos globales a través del dominio Norte-Sur o en el campo de las relaciones sociales; b) revisión de las formas de "centrocentrismo"; c) cuestionamiento de la noción de universalismo de la ciencia y la ética; d) profundización del análisis crítico de la supremacía restrictiva de la racionalidad formal técnico-científica en relación a las formas de subjetividad, de experiencias holísticas e integradoras y de valoración del cuerpo; e) revisión de la noción de sujeto moderno desprovisto de la cocreación de lo humano con la comunidad, la historia, la naturaleza y el cosmos.(AU)

Conscientious Objection to Providing Gender Health Care in Pediatric Training: Balancing the Vulnerability of Transgender Youth and the Vulnerability of Pediatric Residents.

Within pediatric graduate medical education, the care of transgender youth presents opportunities for deepening learners' understanding of equity, access, the role of the physician as an advocate, and health disparities caused by stigma and minority stress. However, when a pediatric resident objects to providing health care to this uniquely vulnerable population owing to their personal beliefs and values, how should pediatrician-educators respond? Important reasons to respect healthcare professionals' conscience have been described in the scholarly literature; however, equally important concerns have also been raised about the extent to which conscientious objection should be permitted in a pluralistic society, particularly given power differentials that favor healthcare professionals and grants them a monopoly over certain services. In the context of medical education, however, residents are in a unique position: they are simultaneously learners and employees, and although privileged relative to their patients, they are also vulnerable in relation to the hierarchy of healthcare and of institutions. We must find a compassionate balance between nurturing the evolving conscience of students and trainees and protecting the health and well-being of our most vulnerable patients. Educators have an obligation to foster empathy, mitigate bias, and mentor their learners, regardless of beliefs, but in some cases, they may recognize that there are limits: patients' welfare ultimately takes precedence and trainees should be guided toward alternative career paths. We explore the limits of conscientious objection in medical training and propose a framework for pediatrician-educators to support learners and patients in challenging circumstances.

Intensified job demands, stress of conscience and nurses' experiences during organizational change.

BACKGROUND: Nurses frequently face ethically demanding situations in their work, and these may lead to stress of conscience. Working life is currently accelerating and job demands are intensifying. These intensified job demands include (1) work intensification, (2) intensified job-related planning demands, (3) intensified career-related planning demands, and (4) intensified learning demands. At the same time, many healthcare organizations are implementing major organizational changes that have an influence on personnel. AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate the association between intensified job demands and stress of conscience, and whether their association is moderated by organizational change experiences among nurses. Experiences of organizational change may expose employees to stress of conscience or serve as a buffer because employees appraise, involve, and cope with changes differently. RESEARCH DESIGN: Questionnaires measuring stress of conscience, intensified job demands, and organizational change experiences were completed by nurses (n = 511) in a healthcare district undergoing a major organizational change. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Throughout, the study procedures were implemented according to the guidelines of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity and the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. According to the Finnish regulations, because participation was voluntary, informed consent was requested, and participants were advised of their right to withdraw from the study at will. No permission from an ethics committee was necessary. FINDINGS: Work intensification and personal worry considering organizational change were associated with more severe stress of conscience among nurses. Nurses' experiences of managements' competent handling of organizational change buffered the association between work intensification and stress of conscience. CONCLUSIONS: During organizational changes, management may alleviate nurses' stress of conscience by proper communication and support procedures.

Valoración de dolor al paciente en la unidad de terapia de adultos / Pain assessment for the patient in the adult therapy unit

La mirada histórica retrospectiva del dolor nos posiciona frente a su coexistencia con la humanidad. Cada cultura tuvo su peculiar manera de afrontarlo, darle significado y tomar sus medidas de alivio. La ciencia, desde su lugar, ha desarrollado conceptos explicando razones y orígenes de su presencia. Las ciencias médicas en su anhelo de aliviar las dolencias de las personas, elaboraron escalas de evaluación del dolor. En las terapias intensivas, donde el estado de conciencia del paciente varía acorde a la necesidad que se produce a fin de resolver su patología o el motivo de ingreso a este servicio, resulta necesario valorar su estado neurológico para poder así determinar con precisión la escala de evaluación del dolor que aporte el resultado más oportuna según el momento preciso. Debido a los cuidados que lleva a cabo el profesional de enfermería con los internados, es quien permanece mayor tiempo con ellos; pudiendo cultivar una relación interpersonal más profunda, y debido a lo cual, no sólo colaborar en el alivio del dolor, sino también, si fuera necesario, ayudar a que encuentre el sentido a éste, en palabras de Travelbee. Para poder implementar dicha idea, el objetivo del presente protocolo, se define el siguiente objetivo: «Tomar acuerdo e implementar el uso adecuado y continuo de las escalas del dolor, en el paciente de terapia intensiva de adultos, de acuerdo a su grado de conciencia, a fin de reducir el dolor durante su estadía de internación[AU]

The retrospective historical view of pain positions us in front of its coexistence with humanity. Each culture had its own way of dealing with it, giving it meaning, and taking its relief measures. Science, from its place, has developed concepts explaining reasons and origins of its presence. The medical sciences in their desire to alleviate people's ailments, developed pain assessment scales. In intensive therapies, where the patient's state of consciousness varies according to the need that occurs in order to resolve their pathology or the reason for admission to this service, it is necessary to assess their neurological status in order to accurately determine the scale of pain assessment that provides the most timely result according to the precise moment. Due to the care carried out by the nursing professional with the internees, it is he who stays with them the longest; being able to cultivate a deeper interpersonal relationship, and due to which, not only collaborate in the relief of pain, but also, if necessary, help it find meaning to it, in the words of Travelbee. In order to implement this idea, the objective of this protocol, the following objective is defined: "Agree and implement the adequate and continuous use of pain scales, in the adult intensive care patient[AU]

A visão histórica retrospectiva da dor nos posiciona diante de sua convivência com a humanidade. Cada cultura tinha sua própria maneira de lidar com isso, dando-lhe sentido e tomando suas medidas de alívio. A ciência, a partir de seu lugar, desenvolveu conceitos que explicam as razões e as origens de sua presença. As ciências médicas, em seu desejo de aliviar as doenças das pessoas, desenvolveram escalas de avaliação da dor. Nas terapias intensivas, onde o estado de consciência do paciente varia de acordo com a necessidade que ocorre para a resolução de sua patologia ou o motivo da admissão neste serviço, é necessário avaliar seu estado neurológico para determinar com precisão a escala de avaliação da dor que fornece o resultado mais oportuno de acordo com o momento preciso. Devido aos cuidados realizados pelo profissional de enfermagem com os internos, é ele quem fica com eles por mais tempo; ser capaz de cultivar um relacionamento interpessoal mais profundo, e por isso, não só colaborar no alívio da dor, mas também, se necessário, ajudá-la a encontrar sentido para ela, nas palavras de Travelbee. Para concretizar essa ideia, objetivo deste protocolo, é definido o seguinte objetivo: "Acordar e implementar o uso adequado e contínuo de escalas de dor, no paciente adulto em terapia intensiva, de acordo com seu grau de consciência, a fim de reduzir dor durante a sua internação[AU]

"As young men we have a role to play in preventing sexual violence": Development and relevance of the men with conscience intervention to prevent sexual violence.

Sexual violence against women and girls is a major public health problem globally and in South Africa. Although young men have been identified as an important risk group for prevention interventions, scant attention have been given to this age cohort in low and middle-income countries. There is strong evidence that perpetration starts early and increasing attention is being drawn to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as settings for prevention interventions. The main objective of this study was to adapt the One Man Can Intervention for use with male university students in residences and develop materials for implementation. This paper presents the qualitative findings of the adaptation process of the One Man Can Intervention with 15 young male student leaders at a HEI in South Africa. The same participants who started in the study, participated throughout. Only five of the 15 participants were located and participated in the interviews six months post intervention. The results show the emergence of a six-hour session adapted intervention that addresses key drivers of violence against women and girls (VAWG). Critical engagement and dialogue on sexual violence is shown to shift key norms on gender equality, on being a man and reflection on their role in preventing sexual violence. This paper contributes to the field where much learning, refining and improvement of prevention interventions for VAWG are ongoing.

Assessment of awareness, knowledge and attitudes about the importance of cadaver and cadaver donation: report of Izmir, Turkey / Evaluación de la conciencia, el conocimiento y las actitudes sobre la importancia del cadáver y la donación de cadáveres: informe de Izmir, Turquía

The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness, knowledge level and attitudes of the community in I˙zmir/ Turkey about cadaver donation in medical education. A cross-sectional study was carried out. Randomly chosen 245 participants answered twenty items in the questionnaire providing information about their demographics (5 items), awareness and knowledge (10 items), and attitudes (5 items) about body donation. The questionnaire was applied face-to-face. Descriptive statistics presented. Student T test and One-Way ANOVA test were used for statistical analysis. 123 (50.2 %) participants were male and 159 (64.9 %) were between 30 to 59 years old. 185 (75.5 %) respondents knew what the word "cadaver" means. When asked where they would apply if they decided to donate their body, 104 (42.4 %) of the participants gave the answer "state hospital". The mean score of awareness and knowledge about importance of cadaver and body donation (AWKL-Score) was 0.41±0.24 (min:0.00, max:0.90). AWKL-Score was statistically higher in the youngest (18-29 y) and oldest (>60 y) compared to the other age groups (F:4.115; p:0.007). AWKL-Score increased as the level of education increased. The highest AWKL-Score was at post-graduate level (Level 7,8) (F:22.997; p<0.001). The AWKL-Score was higher in public employees and students compared to other occupational groups (F:5.930; p<0,001). The answers to the questionnaire were important indicators of how much society needs to be informed regarding body donation.

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el nivel de conciencia, conocimiento y las actitudes de la comunidad en Izmir / Turquía sobre la donación de cadáveres en la educación médica. Se realizó un estudio transversal de 245 participantes elegidos al azar, que respondieron veinte ítems en el cuestionario proporcionando información sobre su demografía (5 ítems), conciencia y conocimiento (10 ítems) y actitudes (5 ítems) sobre la donación de cuerpos. El cuestionario fue administrado directamente en persona; la prueba T de Student y la prueba ANOVA de una vía se utilizaron para el análisis estadístico. De los participantes 123 (50,2 %) eran hombres y 159 (64,9 %) tenían entre 30 y 59 años. 185 (75,5 %) encuestados sabían lo que significa la palabra "cadáver". Cuando se les preguntó dónde se registrarían, en caso de decidir donar su cuerpo, 104 (42,4 %) de los participantes respondieron "hospital estatal". La puntuación media de conciencia y conocimiento sobre la importancia del cadáver y la donación de cuerpos (puntuación AWKL) fue de 0,41 ± 0,24 (mínimo: 0,00, máximo: 0,90). Estadísticamente el puntaje AWKL fue más alto en los más jóvenes (18-29 años) y mayores (> 60 años) en comparación con los otros grupos etarios (F: 4,115; p: 0.007). AWKL-Score aumentó a medida que aumentó el nivel de educación. El puntaje AWKL más alto fue en el nivel de posgrado (Nivel 7,8) (F: 22,997; p <0,001). El puntaje AWKL fue mayor en empleados públicos y estudiantes en comparación con otros grupos ocupacionales (F: 5,930; p <0,001). Las respuestas al cuestionario fueron indicadores importantes de cuánto necesita la sociedad estar informada sobre la donación de cuerpos.

Ethical arguments against coercing provider participation in MAiD (medical assistance in dying) in Ontario, Canada.

It has historically been a crime in Canada to provide assistance to someone in ending their own life, however, this paradigm was inverted in 2015 when the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruled that restrictions on this practice, within certain defined parameters, violated the right to life, liberty, and security of the person. Subsequently, recent legal and policy decisions have highlighted the issue of how to balance the rights of individuals to access MAiD with the rights of care providers to exercise conscience-based objections to participation in this process. We argue that there is significant harm and ethical hazard in disregarding individual and institutional rights to conscientious objection and since measures less coercive than the threat of regulatory or economic sanctions do exist, there should be no justification for such threats in Canada's health care systems.

Regulating Conscientious Objection to Legal Abortion in Argentina: Taking into Consideration Its Uses and Consequences.

Claims of conscientious objection (CO) have expanded in the health care field, particularly in relation to abortion services. In practice, CO is being used in ways beyond those originally imagined by liberalism, creating a number of barriers to abortion access. In Argentina, current CO regulation is lacking and insufficient. This issue was especially evident in the country's 2018 legislative debate on abortion law reform, during which CO took center stage. This paper presents a mixed-method study conducted in Argentina on the uses of CO in health facilities providing legal abortion services, with the goal of proposing specific regulatory language to address CO based not only on legal standards but also on empirical findings regarding CO in everyday reproductive health services. The research includes a review of literature and comparative law, a survey answered by 269 health professionals, and 11 in-depth interviews with stakeholders. The results from our survey and interviews indicate that Argentine health professionals who use CO to deny abortion are motivated by a combination of political, social, and personal factors, including a fear of stigmatization and potential legal issues. Furthermore, we find that the preeminent consequences of CO are delays in abortion services and conflicts within the health care team. The findings of this research allowed us to propose specific regulatory recommendations on CO, including limits and obligations, and suggestions for government and health system leaders.

Patients Need Doctors with Consciences.

"Conscience clauses" define conscience as "religious beliefs" or "moral convictions," and they come up, therefore, usually in relation to women's reproductive rights. This article argues that conscience is better understood as a feeling of integrity, rightness, and self, and that we need it especially now, as huge corporations take over health care. After an illustrative story, the author reviews the history of patients' rights and also the health-care consumer movement, which introduced the idea that health care is a commodity, and the doctor, therefore, simply a tradesman, whose duty is to provide what his patient wants. The author examines where this new commercial model of medicine leads: patients demanding treatments that are bad for them and expensive for the health-care system; doctors who are forced to do what they think is wrong; a world where patients cannot trust their physicians to do their best for them. Patients need their doctors to have consciences. But in this time of expanding corporate power in health care, can the right to have a conscience also be a Trojan horse? Protecting corporate entities who legally are also entitled to have a conscience? The author proposes that the most powerful rule of conscience is the oldest, the Hippocratic oath's formulation that doctors should enter the exam room solely for the benefit of their patients. When the definition of "benefit" comes into question, then we should use the strategies developed over the past 45 years-shared decision making, ethics committees, media oversight-all of which will become ever more important as technology creates ever new dilemmas for conscience.

How special is medical conscience?

The vigorous legal and ethical debates over conscientious objection have taken place largely within the domain of health care. Is this because conscience in medicine is of a special kind, or are there other reasons why it tends to dominate these debates? Beginning with an analysis of the analogy between medical conscience and conscientious objection in wartime, I go on to examine various possible grounds for distinguishing between medicine and other professional contexts (taking law and accountancy as examples). The conclusion is that no principled difference exists between the military and medical cases, nor between the health professions and other professions. Nevertheless, there are practical reasons why medical conscience has distinctive importance, mainly concerning the rapid advance of medical technology. Medical conscience will, for these reasons, continue to drive the debate over conscientious objection, even though legal protection should in principle extend to all professions.

Conscience and Religious Freedom Division Marks Its First Anniversary with Action.

In January 2018, the Trump administration established the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights with the explicit goal of intensifying legal protection of religious and conscience objections in health care. The establishment of OCR's new division illustrates the significant powers of administrative agencies to mold the substance of law without seeking legislative action. The mere formation of a division dedicated to protecting conscience rights is already having a significant impact; it is causing health care entities, including hospitals, research organizations, and clinics, to change policies and practices to comply with the declared enforcement strategy. Administrative agencies also shape the law in what they decide not to pursue. For example, OCR has suspended enforcement of the Affordable Care Act prohibition against gender-identity discrimination.

Assessment of metatextual awareness and its prediction of reading comprehension / Avaliação da consciência metatextual e sua predição da compreensão de leitura / Evaluación de la conciencia metatextual y su predicción de comprensión de lectura

This study aimed to reveal evidence of the validity of the Assessment Questionnaire of Metatextual Awareness (QACM). The main objective was to verify whether metatextual awareness could predict reading comprehension, and the secondary objectives were: to verify metatextual awareness and reading comprehension through two Cloze tests and the QACM; to search criterion validity evidence based on the variable "school year"; and to identify the internal consistency index of the items. The participants were 277 elementary school students from a public school in the state of São Paulo. The results showed that the students' average scores increased from the 3rd to the 5th years of school, demonstrating a criterion validity of the school year. The QACM got a good internal consistency index of 0.80. The performance on the QACM explains 46% of the performance variance on the Cloze, showing that they are shared skills.

Este trabalho buscou apresentar evidências de validade para o Questionário de Avaliação da Consciência Metatextual (QACM). O objetivo principal foi verificar se a consciência metatextual poderia ser preditiva da compreensão de leitura; os objetivos secundários, averiguar a consciência metatextual e a compreensão de leitura por meio de dois testes de Cloze e do QACM; buscar evidências de validade de critério com base na variável "ano escolar"; identificar o índice de consistência interna dos itens. Participaram 277 alunos, do 3º ao 5º ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola pública do interior do estado de São Paulo. Os resultados mostraram que as médias dos alunos aumentaram do 3º ao 5º ano, evidenciando a validade de critério pelo ano escolar. O QACM obteve um bom índice de consistência interna, de 0,80. Constatou-se que 46% da variância no desempenho no Cloze foram explicadas pelo desempenho no QACM, demonstrando que são habilidades compartilhadas.

Este estudio buscó evidencias de validez para el Cuestionario de Evaluación de la Conciencia Meta textual (QACM). El objetivo principal fue verificar si la consciencia meta textual podría ser predictiva de la comprensión de lectura, y los secundarios fueron: averiguar la consciencia meta textual y la comprensión de lectura con dos testes de Cloze y el QACM; buscar evidencias de validez de criterio con base en el año escolar; e identificar el índice de consistencia interna de los ítems. Participaron 277 estudiantes de educación primaria de una escuela pública de São Paulo-Brasil. Los resultados mostraron que los puntajes medios de los estudiantes aumentaron del 3º al 5º año, lo que demuestra la validez de criterio para el año escolar. El QACM tuvo un buen índice de consistencia interna. Se encontró que el 46% de la varianza en el rendimiento del Cloze se explica por el desempeño en el QACM, mostrando que son habilidades compartidas.

Conscientious objection in healthcare: How much discretionary space best supports good medicine?

Daniel Sulmasy has recently argued that good medicine depends on physicians having a wide discretionary space in which they can act on their consciences. The only constraints Sulmasy believes we should place on physicians' discretionary space are those defined by a form of tolerance he derives from Locke, whereby people can publicly act in accordance with their personal religious and moral beliefs as long as their actions are not destructive to society. Sulmasy also claims that those who would reject physicians' right to conscientious objection eliminate discretionary space, thus undermining good medicine and unnecessarily limiting religious freedom. I argue that, although Sulmasy is correct that some discretionary space is necessary for good medicine, he is wrong in thinking that proscribing conscientious objection entails eliminating discretionary space. I illustrate this using Julian Savulescu and Udo Schuklenk's system for restricting conscientious objections as a counter-example. I then argue that a narrow discretionary space constrained by professional ideals will promote good medicine better than Sulmasy's wider discretionary space constrained by his conception of tolerance. Sulmasy's version of discretionary space would have us tolerate actions that are at odds with aspects of good medicine, including aspects that Sulmasy himself explicitly values, such as fiduciary duty. Therefore, if we want the degree of religious freedom in the public sphere that Sulmasy favours then we must decide whether it is worth the cost to the healthcare system.