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Positive Implications (positive + implication)
Selected AbstractsClinical governance in practice: closing the loop with integrated audit systemsJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2006L. TAYLOR ba hons rmn Clinical governance has been acknowledged as the driving force behind National Health Service (NHS) reform since the government white paper outlined a new style of NHS in the UK in 1997. The framework of clinical governance ensures that NHS organizations are accountable for continually improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will develop. A major component of a clinical governance framework requires utilizing audit procedures, which assess the effectiveness of current systems and ultimately direct continual quality improvement. This paper describes the audit component of a local clinical governance framework designed for a unit based within an NHS trust, which has utilized a multidisciplinary approach to assess the effectiveness of a newly commissioned service and its impact on the residents and staff. The unit is a 12-bedded, low-secure-intensive rehabilitation unit for clients with severe and enduring mental illness. Using recognized and standardized psychometric outcome measures, information was collected on clinical symptoms, social functioning, social behaviour, quality of life, relationship quality with named nurses and medication side-effects. Additionally, confidential staff measures were included to assess levels of burnout, identify expressed emotion and assess staff perception of models of illness. The paper includes a comprehensive account of how managerial commitment, teaching processes and application of technology ensured prompt data collection and maintained the momentum through the audit timescale. Data analysis and presentation of data in both clinical reviews and in senior management meetings within the unit are discussed. Findings highlight the full integration of the audit system into the processes of the unit. Clinically, the paper highlights the enhancement of the knowledge base of the client group and the influence on clinical decision-making processes and care delivery as a result of the audit. Brief clinical examples are given. In conclusion, the impact of the audit on unit strategy and organizational efficiency are discussed to highlight the importance of closing the audit loop and completing the cycle of clinical governance. The audit system has positive implications for replication in other services. [source] Household level tree planting and its implications for environmental management in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia: a case study in the Chemoga watershed, Blue Nile basinLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2003W. Bewket Abstract The unsustainable exploitation and destruction of forests is a serious environmental concern in the developing countries of Africa. One of its main driving forces is the growing population causing a growing demand for fuelwood. In Ethiopia, as in many developing countries, there is a heavy dependence on and a growing demand for fuelwood. This dependence has been contributing to a widescale deforestation, as stated in various reports. Contrary to these reports, a study in the Chemoga watershed found a slightly increased forest cover during the past four decades, which was ascribed to households' tree planting practices. The objective of this study was to examine household level tree planting activities in reference to biofuel consumption patterns in four sample villages in the watershed. The results indicate that fuelwood and cattle dung accounted for nearly 100 per cent of the domestic energy consumption, with cattle dung contributing 34 per cent of the total. Fuelwood and dung combined, per capita biofuel consumption was estimated at 511,kg,yr,1, but with variations between the villages and socio-economic groups. Supply appears to have influenced the quantity of biofuels used. The scarcity of wood for fuel and other uses has forced households to plant trees. This has contributed to the increased forest cover of the watershed at the present as compared to that four decades ago. Number of trees planted showed variation between the villages and socio-economic groups, which is attributable to physical and human factors. In promoting tree planting, agroforesters and environmental management planners should therefore take into account local level biophysical and socio-economic realities. This agroforestry practice is a good short-term solution to the problem of fuelwood shortage, and also has many positive implications for environmental management and agricultural production. Thus, it has to be encouraged. Spatially aggregated, local level agroforestry practices contribute positively towards global ecosystem health. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Critical Realism and Econometrics: Constructive Dialogue with Post Keynesian EconomicsMETROECONOMICA, Issue 4 2002Paul Downward The philosophy of science known as critical realism, as developed in economics, offers both a methodological critique of mainstream economics and a methodological foundation for alternative economic perspectives. Post Keynesian economics is a school of thought that has often been defined in terms of its opposition to the mainstream and has, to varying degrees, become allied to critical realism. Post Keynesians have not fully developed the detailed epistemological consequences of a commitment to critical realism. One such consequence is a possible tension over the use of econometric methods. This arises because, on the one hand, many of the epistemological pronouncements of critical realism imply the suspicion of econometric methods. On the other hand, many Post Keynesians regularly employ these methods in their desire to apply economic analysis. This paper examines these tensions and shows that drawing upon Post Keynesian economics a useful symbiosis of ideas is produced which has positive implications for the practice of critical,realist empirical work including econometrics. [source] The effects of Masai Barefoot Technology, footwear on posture: an experimental designed studyPHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2007Paul New Introduction.,This study was approved by the University of Southampton Ethics Committee. The aim of the study was to assess the anatomical changes to upright posture that occur in the sagittal plane as a result of wearing Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) footwear during standing and walking. MBT claims that its innovative unstable shoes promote a more upright posture in which musculature is strengthened and joint wear reduced (Amann and Amann, 2004). This could be helpful in the management and prevention of conditions such as osteoarthritis and back pain. Method.,Twelve students (six male and six female), aged between 18 and 40 years, at the University of Southampton participated in the study. Participants attended one session at a biomechanics laboratory. The kinematics of posture while wearing MBT shoes during standing and gait were examined, using a two-dimensional motion analysis system, and compared to a control shoe. Statistical significance was tested by use of a paired t -test and a Wilcoxon signed-ranks test. Results.,Students standing in MBT footwear demonstrated a statistically significant increase in plantar flexion at the ankle joint (p = 0.025; mean flexion 3.02°; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] ,5.6 to ,0.4). Walking in MBT shoes showed a decrease in trunk flexion (p = 0.007; mean flexion 1.44°; 95% CI ,2.4 to ,0.4) and a reduction in anterior tilt of the pelvis (p = 0.003; mean tilt 3.20°; 95% CI ,5.06 to ,1.35) at heel strike. At toe-off a significant reduction in anterior pelvic tilt (p = 0.035; mean tilt 2.35°; 95% CI) was found in the MBT shoes. There was no significant difference found between the two shoe conditions at mid-stance, pelvic tilt (p = 0.53; mean tilt 1.83 degrees) trunk flexion (p = 0.05; mean flexion 0.95 deg). Conclusion.,MBT footwear changes certain characteristics of posture in quiet standing and walking. These findings could have positive implications for the management of conditions such as osteoarthritis and back pain; however, further research is needed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Public Consultation for Sustainable Development Policy InitiativesPOLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 4 2002Manitoba Approaches Involving the public in government decision making regarding sustainable development is a complex and difficult problem. This article suggests that weak public consultation, occurring at the operational planning level, is in part responsible for the lack of policy innovation in this realm. A case study technique considers approaches to public consultation in the development of sustainable development policy in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Using document reviews and qualitative interviews, two specific periods of policy development are traced with the outcomes of each being measured against creative consultative approaches established in the literature. It is revealed that using more complex consultative approaches at the normative policy planning level results in a number of positive implications, including mutual education and learning, participant satisfaction, policy innovation that has broad-based support, and results that have lasting implications on consultative proceshes. [source] | ||||||||||