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Appropriate Assessment (appropriate + assessment)
Selected AbstractsTowards Culturally Appropriate Assessment?HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2010A Contribution to the Debates Culturally appropriate assessment in higher educational is premised on factors that do not benefit minority groups, because they have no control over the processes governing such factors. Significantly, practices to account for students from different ethnic/minority/indigenous backgrounds are the inclusion of elements like their language, knowledge and culture into the curriculum. However, assessment procedures are often seen to be ,a-cultural', but are political activities that benefit the interests of some groups over others, as ,a-cultural' approaches tend to be bound within the cultural capital of the dominant group. This article examines the international discussions relating to culturally appropriate assessment through generic themes, assessment practices, cultural inclusions and cultural appropriateness. It argues that there are two distinct approaches to addressing inclusion: ,centric' and ,friendly', respectively, that result in different priorities and outcomes. Assessment however, is a political struggle between dominant and minority interests, which this article also recognises and explores. [source] Care dependency of children in EgyptJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 3 2008Hanan Tork RN Aims., This study aimed to modify the Care Dependency Scale so that it could be used for children, to apply its Arabic version to Egyptian children to test the reliability and validity of the modified scale and to compare the care dependency of disabled and non-disabled Egyptian children. Background., A higher dependence of children in their daily tasks undoubtedly places a greater burden on their caregivers. To estimate the extent of the problem of care dependency, data from different countries and proper standard instruments are required. Method., The Care Dependency Scale was modified for children by Delphi technique. This study assessed the care dependency of non-disabled children compared with children with physical and mental disabilities using the modified version of the Care Dependency Scale for paediatrics. The total sample included 260 Egyptian school-age children (50·8% of whom were disabled and 49·2% were non-disabled). Results., Reliability was examined in terms of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha (0·91). Inter-rater reliability revealed moderate to very good Kappa statistics between 0·57,0·89. Content validity and criterion validity were evaluated. Differences regarding care dependency were found between disabled and non-disabled children. Conclusion., The psychometric properties of the Care Dependency Scale for paediatrics support its usefulness in measuring the care dependency of children in Egypt. This study provides an Arabic version of the Care Dependency Scale for paediatrics that is easy to administer and may be useful to measure the care dependency in various Arabic countries. Relevance to clinical practice., The findings raise concerns regarding the extent to which disabled and also non-disabled school-age children are care dependent leading to an increased burden of care on nurses or on caregivers in general. The Care Dependency Scale for Paediatrics can help nurses conduct an appropriate assessment of children's care dependency so that any nursing care can be planned according to the children's needs. [source] Single-session, graded esophageal dilation without fluoroscopy in outpatients with lower esophageal (Schatzki's) rings: A prospective, long-term follow-up studyJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Spiros N Sgouros Abstract Background:, Distal esophageal (Schatzki's) ring is a frequent cause of dysphagia. Bougienage is generally effective but relapses are common. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and long-term efficacy of single-session graded esophageal dilation with Savary dilators, without fluoroscopic guidance, in outpatients who presented with Schatzki's ring. Methods:, The study was performed on 44 consecutive patients with symptomatic Schatzki's ring, detected endoscopically and/or radiologically. Graded esophageal dilation was performed as an outpatient procedure in a single session with Savary dilators, without fluoroscopic guidance. After appropriate assessment with esophageal manometry and 24 h ambulatory pHmetry, patients with documented gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were treated with omeprazole continuously. All results, including clinical follow up and technical aspects of bougienage, were recorded prospectively. The necessity for re-dilation after documentation of the ring with endoscopy and/or radiology was considered as a relapse of the ring. Results:, In four (9%) patients a second session was necessary to ensure complete symptom relief. Two (4.5%) patients developed post-dilation bacteremia and were managed with antibiotics as outpatients. Patients with (n = 14) or without (n = 30) GERD were comparable with respect to sex, age, body mass index, smoke and ethanol consumption, diameter of the esophageal lumen at the level of the ring, resting lower esophageal sphincter pressure, duration of dysphagia, need for taking antacids during the follow-up period, and duration of follow-up. There was no recurrence of the ring in patients with GERD during a mean follow-up period of 43.8 ± 9.3 months (range 27,62 months); however, in patients without GERD, during a mean follow-up period of 40.6 ± 12.2 months (range 10,58 months), 32% of patients relapsed after a mean 19.9 ± 10.6 months (P = 0.04). Conclusions:, Single-session graded esophageal dilation with large caliber Savary dilators without fluoroscopic guidance can be safely used for the symptomatic relief in patients with lower esophageal (Schatzki's) rings. GERD should be treated if present in order to prevent a symptomatic recurrence of the ring. [source] Clinical practice guidelines for the management of acute limb compartment syndrome following traumaANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 3 2010Christopher J. Wall Abstract Background:, Acute compartment syndrome is a serious and not uncommon complication of limb trauma. The condition is a surgical emergency, and is associated with significant morbidity if not managed appropriately. There is variation in management of acute limb compartment syndrome in Australia. Methods:, Clinical practice guidelines for the management of acute limb compartment syndrome following trauma were developed in accordance with Australian National Health and Medical Research Council recommendations. The guidelines were based on critically appraised literature evidence and the consensus opinion of a multidisciplinary team involved in trauma management who met in a nominal panel process. Results:, Recommendations were developed for key decision nodes in the patient care pathway, including methods of diagnosis in alert and unconscious patients, appropriate assessment of compartment pressure, timing and technique of fasciotomy, fasciotomy wound management, and prevention of compartment syndrome in patients with limb injuries. The recommendations were largely consensus based in the absence of well-designed clinical trial evidence. Conclusions:, Clinical practice guidelines for the management of acute limb compartment syndrome following trauma have been developed that will support consistency in management and optimize patient health outcomes. [source] Adequacy Indices for Dialysis in Acute Renal Failure: Kinetic ModelingARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 5 2010Malgorzata Debowska Abstract Many aspects of the management of renal replacement therapy in acute renal failure (ARF), including the appropriate assessment of dialysis adequacy, remain unresolved, because ARF patients often are not in a metabolic steady state. The aim of this study was to evaluate a system of adequacy indices for dialysis in ARF patients using urea and creatinine kinetic modeling. Kinetic modeling was performed for two different fictitious patients (A and B) with characteristics described by the average parameters for two patient groups and for two blood purification treatments: sustained low efficiency daily dialysis (SLEDD) in Patient A and continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) in Patient B, based on data from a clinical report. Urea and creatinine generation rates were estimated according to the clinical data on the solute concentrations in blood. Then, using estimated generation rates, two hypothetical treatments were simulated, CVVH in Patient A and SLEDD in Patient B. KT/V, fractional solute removal (FSR) and equivalent renal clearance (EKR) were calculated according to the definitions developed for metabolically unstable patients. CVVH appeared as being more effective than SLEDD because KT/V, FSR, and EKR were higher for CVVH than SLEDD in Patients A and B. Creatinine KT/V, FSR, and EKR were lower and well correlated to the respective indices for urea. Urea and creatinine generation rates were overestimated more than twice in Patient A and by 30,40% in Patient B if calculated assuming the metabolically stable state than if estimated by kinetic modeling. Adequacy indices and solute generation rates for ARF patients should be estimated using the definition for unsteady metabolic state. EKR and FSR were higher for urea and creatinine with CVVH than with SLEDD, because of higher K·T and minimized compartmental effects for CVVH. [source] Mandibular first premolar with two roots and three canalsAUSTRALIAN ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Saravanan Poorni bds Abstract This case report presents a relatively uncommon clinical case of a mandibular premolar with two roots and three canals. The possibility of additional root canals should be considered even in teeth with a low frequency of abnormal root canal anatomy. Sound knowledge of root canal anatomy, appropriate assessment of the pulp chamber floor, critical interpretation of radiographs and high-magnification examinations are highly desirable to achieve the best possible outcome in complicated root canal therapy. [source] Offshore renewable energy: ecological implications of generating electricity in the coastal zoneJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2005ANDREW B. GILL Summary 1Global-scale environmental degradation and its links with non-renewable fossil fuels have led to an increasing interest in generating electricity from renewable energy resources. Much of this interest centres on offshore renewable energy developments (ORED). The large scale of proposed ORED will add to the existing human pressures on coastal ecosystems, therefore any ecological costs and benefits must be determined. 2The current pressures on coastal ecology set the context within which the potential impacts (both positive and negative) of offshore renewable energy generation are discussed. 3The number of published peer-review articles relating to renewable energy has increased dramatically since 1991. Significantly, only a small proportion of these articles relate to environmental impacts and none considers coastal ecology. 4Actual or potential environmental impact can occur during construction, operation and/or decommissioning of ORED. 5Construction and decommissioning are likely to cause significant physical disturbance to the local environment. There are both short- and long-term implications for the local biological communities. The significance of any effects is likely to depend on the natural disturbance regime and the stability and resilience of the communities. 6During day-to-day operation, underwater noise, emission of electromagnetic fields and collision or avoidance with the energy structures represent further potential impacts on coastal species, particularly large predators. The wider ecological implications of any direct and indirect effects are discussed. 7Synthesis and applications. This review demonstrates that offshore renewable energy developments will have direct and, potentially, indirect consequences for coastal ecology, with these effects occurring at different scales. Ecologists should be involved throughout all the phases of an ORED to ensure that appropriate assessments of the interaction of single and multiple developments with the coastal environment are undertaken. [source] | ||||||||||