Qualities that foster cohesive teams.

The radiology manager can be influential in promoting group cohesiveness within the department. Identifying qualities that radiology managers believe to be descriptive of cohesive work teams could be very informative for other radiology managers. The surveyed radiology managers had a positive perception of their work groups based on the factors that promote cohesion and achievement. The survey instrument developed has high internal correlation for future use with other radiology managers and employee groups. Continued research is needed to determine if these group results are indicative of the larger field of radiology management

A report of perfusion staffing survey: decision factors that influence staffing of perfusion teams.

Health care organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the issues surrounding safe staffing because it affects all of us: the patient, public, profession, policy makers, and employers. The conduct of perfusion has been researched, but environmental factors surrounding perfusion have not. The intent of this study was to identify the current perfusion staff to case ratio, the decision factors used to make staffing decisions, and the relative importance of the factors to staff requirements. A survey instrument was constructed. The questionnaire contained four sections: Hospital Information, Perfusionist Information, Staffing Information, and Additional Feedback. Questionnaires were electronically mailed to American Society of Extracorporeal Society (AmSECT) members who were registered on Perflist. Response rate was monitored, and a follow-up survey was sent. Unfortunately, respondents were not compared statistically with the population on like characteristics, because AmSECT does not currently have information regarding the characteristics of their PerfList members. The staff to perfusion case ratio for 2006 was 120 +/- 46 (SD) cases. The top three factors used by perfusionists to determine the number of staff to hire were the number of heart cases, on-call requirements, and the number of operating rooms. The reported use and importance of the decision factors did not differ significantly when reported by chief perfusionists, clinical perfusionists, or those who reported being involved in staffing. On-call requirements were reported to be used significantly more by chief perfusionists and by high activity perfusion teams when determining the number of staff to hire. Small hospitals tended to use staff experience, medium-sized hospitals reported using the number of operating rooms more often, and larger hospitals used the number of hospitals covered to determine staff requirements. Staffing a perfusion team is a difficult task, and many factors need to be considered. This survey provided a description of the current managerial staffing environment and practice. Further research surrounding the application of these factors to staff scheduling is needed.

Health behaviors and perceptions of cancer survivors harvesting at an urban garden.

OBJECTIVES: To gather information about perceptions of personal health behavior change in cancer survivors following participation in an urban gardening program. METHODS: This qualitative study used focus groups of adult cancer survivors with an open-ended question thread format. Data were transcribed and analyzed by identifying, coding, and categorizing primary patterns/themes. RESULTS: Four overarching themes were identified: (1) greater dietary intake of produce; (2) improved mental and physical health; (3) enhanced sense of community and social support; and (4) challenges to long-term maintenance. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of positive behavior changes associated with harvesting at an urban garden targeting cancer survivors may inform future community and health promotion interventions aimed at improving adherence to evidence-based lifestyle behavior guidelines for cancer survivorship.

Dietetic technicians report low to moderate levels of burnout.

This study identified and described the status of burnout experienced by dietetic technicians (DTRs) in various settings. A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 300 members from the American Dietetic Association's (ADA's) Dietetic Technician in Practice practice group. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey was used to measure burnout. On the emotional exhaustion subscale, the respondents reported a mean score of 20.6 (high level of burnout >27), 5.3 on the depersonalization subscale (high level of burnout >14), and 38.6 on the personal accomplishment subscale (high level of burnout <30). These results suggest that the DTRs as a group perceive themselves to be moderately emotionally exhausted, to have a low level of depersonalization, and to have a high level of personal accomplishment. Further analysis also suggests that DTRs in nontraditional settings experience more personal accomplishment than those in traditional healthcare and foodservice settings.

Intercollegiate student athlete use of nutritional supplements and the role of athletic trainers and dietitians in nutrition counseling.

A survey of university student athletes was conducted to determine supplement use, perceived efficacy of supplements, availability and use of nutrition services, and perceived nutrition knowledge of athletic trainers. Results from 236 athletes showed that 88% used one or more nutritional supplements, yet perceived efficacy was moderate (2.9 or less; 5-point scale). Classes (69.4%), brochures (75%), and individual counseling (47%) were available and were used by 29.9%, 33.2%, and 17.9% of athletes, respectively. Primary sources of nutrition information were athletic trainers (39.8%), strength and conditioning coaches (23.7%), and dietitians (14.4%). Athletes perceived athletic trainers to have strong nutrition knowledge (mean=3.8+/-0.9; 5-point scale). Many (23.5%) did not know whether a dietitian was available. Dietitians must accelerate their marketing efforts to student athletes, work closely with athletic trainers to provide sound nutrition information, and provide services that meet the needs of a diverse population of student athletes.