Utilization of external reviews by colleges of pharmacy during the promotion and tenure process for pharmacy practice faculty.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of external reviews by colleges of pharmacy (COP) during the promotion and tenure process for pharmacy practice faculty. METHODS: A 25-item web-based survey was sent to 112 Pharmacy Practice Department Chairs. Results were analyzed via descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Fifty-four of 112 colleges (48%) responded to the survey, although respondents had the option to skip questions. Of those who responded, 82% utilize external review in their Promotion and Tenure evaluation. At the majority of colleges that responded, reviewers are selected from a combination of sources including the candidates' personal list and in most circumstances someone other than the candidate contacts the reviewer to determine interest and availability. At almost all responding colleges, the reviewer receives the candidate's curriculum vitae and specific guidelines for completing the review. Based upon 40 respondents, colleges request the reviewer(s) to evaluate the candidate's research (100%), teaching (80%), clinical practice (73%) and external service (73%). CONCLUSION: The goal of this project was to examine the current use of external review during the Promotion and Tenure process for pharmacy practice faculty. This data is a sample of what is being done at the schools that responded. The majority of responding COP utilize external reviews, however methods and requirements vary considerably.

Formación continuada en organizaciones sanitarias Revisión bibliográfica sobre su evaluación / The evaluation of continuous training in healthcare organisations. A bibliographic review

Objetivo: analizar y reflexionar sobre documentos que desarrollan el impacto de la Formación Continuada (FC) en las ciencias de la salud. Diseño: revisión bibliográfica. Selección estudios: se han incluido 18 artículos organizados en dos categorías: a) teoría y aplicación de la formación continuada a profesionales sanitarios, b) impacto de la formación continuada en organizaciones sanitarias. Resultados: todos los autores se posicionan claramente a favor de la FC en las organizaciones sanitarias en todas las categorías profesionales (sanitarias o no), como instrumento estratégico de cambio y crecimiento. Se incide en la importancia de evaluar el impacto que genera tanto en los profesionales como en las instituciones y en su producto final: la salud de las personas. A pesar de las dificultades que comporta, es de vital importancia establecer su impacto para verificar sus beneficios y efectividad. Conclusiones: la evaluación periódica de la FC es imprescindible para introducir modificaciones en los programas formativos y que se adapten a los requerimientos de las organizaciones sanitarias y a las necesidades de sus profesionales(AU)

bjective: To analyze and consider scientific documents which develop the impact of Continuous Training in health sciences. Design: Literature review. Study Selection: 18 articles are included, organised in two categories: a) the theory and application of Continuous Training to healthcare professionals, b) the impact of Continued Training in healthcare organisations. Results: All of the authors position themselves clearly in favour of CT in healthcare organisations in all professional categories (whether healthcare or not), as a strategic instrument of change and growth. The importance of assessing the impact that both professionals and institutions have on the end-product (i.e. the health of people) is emphasised. Despite the difficulties involved, to establish their impact is of vital importance in order to verify their benefits and effectiveness. Conclusions: Regular assessment is essential for introducing changes in training programmes so that they are adapted to the requirements of healthcare organisations and the needs of their professionals(AU)

Can professionalism be measured?: evidence from the pharmacy literature / ¿Puede medirse la profesionalidad?: evidencia de la literatura farmacéutica

The need to ensure the future pharmacy workforce demonstrates professionalism has become important to both pharmacy educators and professional bodies. Objective: To determine the extent to which Schools of Pharmacy have taught or measured student professionalism. Methods: Review of the healthcare literature on teaching of professionalism at an undergraduate level. Results: Two-hundred and thirty one papers were retrieved but only 45 papers related specifically to pharmacy. Of these a further 25 were narrative in nature and did not report any findings. Nineteen papers were reviewed (one was excluded as it reported the same data). Papers could be broadly categorised in to those that have tried to create a tool to measure professionalism, those that are in effect pedagogical evaluations of new initiatives or longitudinal studies on student perceptions toward aspects of professionalism. Conclusion: A growing body of literature exists on pharmacy and professionalism. However, to date, very few Schools of Pharmacy appear to formally teach it let alone assess students' acquisition of professionalism (AU)

La necesidad de asegurar el futuro de los trabajadores de la farmacia demuestra que la profesionalidad se ha convertido en importante tanto para educadores de farmacia como para entidades profesionales. Objetivo: Determinar el grado en que las Facultades de Farmacia han enseñado o medido la profesionalidad de los estudiantes. Métodos: Revisión de la literatura sanitaria sobre enseñanza de profesionalidad a nivel de pregrado. Resultados: Se encontraron 230 artículos pero sólo 44 trataban específicamente de farmacia. De estos, 25 eran narrativos por naturaleza y no comunicaban ningún resultado. Se revisaron 18 artículos (uno fue excluido porque comunicaba los mismos datos). Podría clasificarse los artículos en los que habían intentado crear un instrumento para medir la profesionalidad, los que son realmente evaluaciones pedagógicas de nuevas iniciativas y los de estudios longitudinales sobre las percepciones de los estudiantes hacia aspectos de la profesionalidad. Conclusión: Existe un cuerpo de publicaciones creciente sobre farmacia y profesionalidad. Sin embargo, hasta la fecha muy pocas Facultades de Farmacia parecen enseñarla formalmente y dejan que los alumnos evalúen su adquisición de profesionalidad (AU)

Atención primaria en España e Inglaterra; aprender de las diferencias. Opinión de médicos de familia españoles con experiencia en ambos países / No disponible

No disponible

Nuevos retos para el desarrollo de los diagnósticos enfermeros / New challenges in the development of diagnostic nurses

La evolución y los avances alcanzados nos han permitido situarnos en nuevos escenarios donde las actitudes realistas y pragmáticas, renuentes frente a fundamentalismos de cualquier tipo e impregnadas de mejora continua, deben ser hegemónicas(AU)

The evolution and the advances achieved permit health professionals to enter into new scenes where realistic and pragmatic attitudes, reluctant towards any kind of fundamentalism and impregnated with continuous improvement, should be hegemonic(AU)

III Sesión: Retos del desarrollo profesional continuado y de la regulación de la profesión / III Sesion: Challenges in continuing professional development and the regulation of the profession

No disponible

Prácticas transfusionales entre anestesiólogos. II. Comparación cualitativa de las preferencias de los Anestesiólogos Mexianos con las recomendaciones internacionales / Transfusión practice in Anesthesiologist. Qualitatively comparison on the Mexican anesthesiologist preferences with the international recommendations

Objetivo. Comparar cualitativamente las prácticas transfusionales de los anestesiólogos mexicanos con las recomendaciones internacionales. Material y método. Se aplicó una encuesta durante el Curso Anual de Actualización en Anestesiología de la Sociedad Mexicana de Anestesiología, A.C, en dos años, 1996 y 1998. Y, aunque metodológicamente se dividió en tres secciones (en la primera se incluyeron preguntas relacionadas a la práctica profesional), sólo se analizaron las respuestas a la segunda (seis preguntas destinadas a explorar conductas transfusionales tanto para niños como para adultos) y tercera sección (cinco situaciones hipotéticas que pudieran haberse presentado en forma aguda en el trans o el post operatorio inmediato de pacientes adultos). Se consideró como recomendaciones internacionales a todas las guías de transfusión emitidas por Sociedades o Agrupaciones y publicadas en una revista de circulación internacional, artículos de investigación demostrando en forma concluyente la validez de una recomendación y los capítulos de libros de texto relacionados con el tema. Resultados. Las dos encuestas fueron similares en prácticamente todos los criterios evaluados, y ambas, a su vez difieren de las recomendaciones internacionales. Conclusión. Ante los cambios que ha implicado el fenómeno de globalización, debe ser prioritario iniciar medidas dirigidas a implementar las recomendaciones internacionales en el área de la medicina transfusional y, en caso necesario, adaptarlas a nuestro medio

Are PRO discharge screens associated with postdischarge adverse outcomes?

OBJECTIVE: We evaluate whether patient outcomes may be affected by possible errors in care at discharge as assessed by Peer Review Organizations (PROs). DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: The three data sources for the study were (1) the generic screen results of a 3 percent random sample of Medicare beneficiaries age 65 years or older who were admitted to California hospitals between 1 July 1987 and 30 June 1988 (n = 20,136 patients); (2) the 1987 and 1988 California Medicare Provided Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data files; and (3) the American Hospital Association (AHA) 1988 Annual Survey of Hospitals. STUDY DESIGN: Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between the results of generic discharge administered by the PROs and two patient outcomes: mortality and readmission within 30 days. The analysis was adjusted for other patient characteristics recorded on the uniform discharge abstract. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Four discharge screens indicated an increased risk of an adverse outcome-absence of documentation of discharge planning, elevated temperature, abnormal pulse, and unaddressed abnormal test results at discharge. The other three discharge screens examined-abnormal blood pressure, IV fluids or drugs, and wound drainage before discharge-were unrelated to postdischarge adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Generic discharge screens based on inadequate discharge planning, abnormal pulse, increased temperature, or unaddressed abnormal tests may be important indicators of substandard care. Other discharge screens apparently do not detect errors in care associated with major consequences for patients.

Predicting the course of disease.

The ability to predict the course of disease and the effect of interventions is critical to effective medical practice and health care management. In this analysis, we sought to test whether available clinical data and analytic methodologies can be used to accurately predict the time course of the probability of death after hospital admission and the probability of readmission following discharge for patients with acute myocardial infarction or pulmonary disease. We grouped patients by selected physiologic characteristics and made time-to-event predictions using multiple regression models. These predictions were compared with observed probabilities calculated using the actuarial or life-table method. Predictions made with the Bailey-Makeham model generally replicated observed experience. They accurately accounted for substantial differences in the patterns of death and readmission and accurately delineated the effects of therapies, after adjustment for patient risk. These results were validated by analyses of resampled populations that differed in case mix from the source population. We believe that using such models to project the course of disease and the effects of treatment on that course in defined classes of patients should facilitate the development of practice guidelines for patient care and the management of health care resources.

Diagnosis related group coding accuracy of the peer review organizations.

Congress created the peer review organizations (PROs), in part, to check the accuracy of diagnosis related groups (DRGs) billed to Medicare. This study determined the accuracy of the peer review organizations' abstraction of DRGs during federal fiscal year 1985. A two-stage cluster design sampled 7050 medical records from 239 hospitals stratified by size. Credentialed medical record professionals used blinded techniques with reliability checks to abstract the ICD-9-CM codes and select the correct DRGs. Physicians reviewed medical records whose abstracted DRG differed from the DRG paid by the fiscal intermediary. The peer review organizations reported abstracting 1715 of these discharges. The peer review organization selected the correct DRG in 75.6 percent of the 1715 abstractions, a significantly lower proportion than the 80.3 percent paid accurately by the fiscal intermediaries. Upcoding compounded the peer review organizations' errors.