Professional Perspectives (professional + perspective)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Disentangling the Differences between Abusive and Predatory Lending: Professionals' Perspectives

JOURNAL OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2008
LUCY M. DELGADILLO
This study describes how mortgage professionals differentiate abusive from predatory lending. Data were analyzed qualitatively. The results indicate that some users of this term do not always adhere to a strict definition of predatory lending but rather use it as a term for any general mortgage abuse and mortgage fraud. Existing laws at the federal- and state-level curtail abusive lending and promote fairness in the market place and they are highly enforced among depository financial institutions. However, unregulated nonfinancial institutions, mortgage brokers, and originators are still a primary source of predatory lending. [source]


Periodontology as a recognized dental speciality in Europe

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY, Issue 6 2006
Mariano Sanz
Abstract The impetus of the Bologna Process under the auspices of European Union governments has raised enormous expectations. It is the major educational change in Europe within the last 50 years and all the focus from university institutions, learned societies and thematic networks has shifted to this process, with the aim of developing consensus schemes in order to arrive at the expected European Convergence in Higher Education (to be completed by 2010). Dentistry as one of the health professions with clear Educational Standards, as defined by the European Dental Directives, is also reviewing its educational processes within this Bachelor,Master,Doctorate scheme and evaluating how the current and future dental specialities should be accommodated within this framework. Among these specialities, Periodontology is currently considered a formal dental speciality in 11 countries belonging to the EU however it lacks this legal status in the rest of the 14 EU countries. The purpose of this position paper is to provide evidence for the need for a recognized specialty in Periodontology at European level focusing on both the educational and professional perspective, with the hope of providing discussions that may contribute to facilitate its legal establishment as a new dental speciality in Europe. [source]


Evaluating the impact of a cancer supportive care project in the community: patient and professional configurations of need

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 6 2007
Kristian Pollock PhD MA PGCHE
Abstract Advances in cancer care and treatment have created a new and somewhat anomalous category of patients with a diagnosis of non-curative disease who still have a considerable period of life remaining. During much of this time they may remain relatively well, without manifest need for clinical care. The responses of patients to this challenging situation are largely unknown. However, it has been assumed that because they confront a difficult experience they will need, or can benefit from, professional intervention. The implementation of pre-emptive support measures is anticipated to improve patients' resilience in coping with their illness and approaching death. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the keyworker role in a 3-year cancer supportive community care project to identify and provide for the needs of patients with a diagnosis of non-curative cancer. It was a qualitative study incorporating face-to-face interviews and focus groups with 19 healthcare professionals and 25 patients and carers from an urban East Midlands locality and a thematic analysis of qualitative interview and focus group transcripts. The project was positively evaluated by patients, carers and professionals. However, the findings raised questions about the different configuration of ,need' within the lay and professional perspectives and how this should most appropriately be addressed. In contrast to widespread professional assumptions about patients' need for counselling, many patients preferred to turn to their friends and families for support, and to adopt a stance of emotional and personal self-reliance as a strategy for coping with their predicament. The study highlights the continuing orientation of services around professional, rather than patient, agendas and the momentum towards increasing specialisation of professional roles and the medicalisation of everyday life that flows from this. [source]


Communities of practice: an opportunity for interagency working

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 3 2002
DPhil, JUDITH LATHLEAN BSc(Econ)
,,A particular approach to collaborative interagency working is that of mutliprofessional `communities of practice'. ,,Four such groups are described in the context of two action research projects, one relating to primary care and the other to outpatient services for dermatology and ENT. ,,The facilitating features, and the challenges and the potential of working in this way, are discussed, both from the point of view of understanding how knowledge is used and valued in such groups and as a useful mechanism for the development of services that span different professional perspectives and involve consumer interests. [source]


Contrasting Concepts of Depression in Uganda: Implications for Service Delivery in a Multicultural Context

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2009
Laura R. Johnson
Depression is a rising public health concern worldwide. Understanding how people conceptualize depression within and across cultures is crucial to effective treatment in a global environment. In this article, we highlight the importance of considering both lay and professional perspectives when developing a culturally competent and contextually relevant model for service delivery. We conducted interviews with 246 Ugandan adults to elicit their explanatory belief models (EMs) about the nature of depression, its causes, social meanings, effects, help seeking, and treatment. Interviews were transcribed, content analyzed, and coded. We compared EMs of community members (n = 135) to those of professional practitioners (n = 111), whom we further categorized into traditional healers, primary care providers, and mental health professionals. We found significant differences between lay and professional EMs and between 3 types of professionals. Contrary to our expectations, lay concepts did not overlap more with traditional healers than with other professional EMs. We discuss the diverse concepts of depression in Uganda, the nature of group differences, and implications for service delivery and treatment. [source]


Training and performance improvement professionals' perspectives on ethical challenges during evaluation

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2010
Seung Youn (Yonnie) Chyung EdD
Ethical concerns are rising in the business world. With this in mind, training and performance improvement practitioners, especially during evaluation projects, should be aware of principles and codes of ethics, and their behaviors and decisions should reflect the standards recognized by members of the professional society. A study was conducted with 108 training and performance improvement practitioners to reveal the reasoning behind their judgments of ethically challenging evaluation situations and to understand their rationales through the lens of existing guiding principles. Participants read three scenarios and judged the ethicality of the evaluator's actions in each scenario. Results revealed that participants who were aware of both the International Society for Performance Improvement's Code of Ethics and American Evaluation Association's Guiding Principles for Evaluators were stricter in their judgments about the ethicality of one scenario than those who were not. This article discusses implications of the results and higher education's role in reinforcing an ethical culture and ethical practice by employees. [source]