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Professionals' Preferences (professional + preference)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	80%

Selected Abstracts

A workforce survey of health promotion education and training needs in the State of Victoria

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 4 2000
HAL SWERISSEN
Objective: This study investigates the education and training needs of health professionals and factors affecting participation in education and training. Results: Health promotion professionals were involved in the widest variety of health promotion activities, including more evaluation, research and planning than GPs and other health professionals who were involved in more client,focussed activities. Professionals' preference for training content reflected the type of activities in which they were most frequently involved. Practical courses, of short duration, delivered by experienced peers or health promotion experts were preferred over university and TAFE courses. Professionals in rural and provincial locations require both greater access to information on training and conveniently located training. More organisational support, funding and time release would encourage the training of professionals in government departments, community health centres and public hospitals. Conclusions: To be most effective, training must be tailored to suit the specific needs of different professionals involved in health promotion and take into consideration how factors, such as financial incentives and time release, influence participation across different settings and locations. Implications: Further development of the health promotion workforce will require recognition of its professional diversity and a more responsive and organised approach to education and training programs. [source]

Variations in the orthotic management of cerebral palsy

CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2002
Christopher Morris
Abstract Objective Anecdotal reports that children with cerebral palsy were provided different orthoses in two adjacent UK health districts were investigated using an observational comparative case study. Method The populations were compared using an epidemiological register of children with cerebral palsy, which confirmed that a comparable health service response could be expected. Merging data from the register with the orthotic patient database facilitated comparison of the orthoses prescribed in each district. A survey questionnaire was used to gather the perceptions of clinicians in both districts to understand how each team decides which orthosis to prescribe. Results There was considerable variation in the types of orthoses prescribed between districts, and particularly of ankle foot orthoses. Survey respondents from the same profession described having the same roles, although clinicians expressed different responsibilities for initiating and sanctioning orthotic prescriptions in their district programmes. The survey also suggested that most clinicians were uncertain when prescribing orthoses, and clinical practice was therefore largely determined by professional preference. Conclusion Defining the spectrum of activity limitation in geographically defined populations would enhance health services research and assist in the development of trials using different interventions to reduce those limitations. [source]

Sci45: the development of a specialty choice inventory

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 7 2002
Rodney Gale
Objective, To devise a valid career selection instrument to help doctors in training choose from a range of specialties that match their attributes and aspirations and to help selection interviewers focus on the key issues pertaining to the suitability of candidates for particular training opportunities. Design, A psychometric instrument of 130 4-response choice items was developed to match individual personal and professional preferences to possible career specialty choices. The development process involved semi-structured interviews with consultants in 35 specialties, a national postal survey of consultants in 45 specialties, factor analysis of the results, design of the pilot instruments, testing on 450 senior house officers (doctors in basic specialist training within 2,5 years of leaving medical school), and further item analysis to derive the final instrument. A scoring system and software were developed to indicate the best and worst fit specialties for the respondent. Participants, The participants were hospital consultants, general practitioners and senior house officers (SHOs) in basic specialist training. Outcome measure, The successful construction of a valid and accessible career choice instrument (Specialty Choice Inventory/Sci45). Conclusions This project has yielded a psychometrically valid computer- or paper-based instrument that can be used by doctors at any stage of training to assist in career choice. It can be used as part of the selection process, for careers guidance, for analysis of career problems, for research or to validate a particular range of career options. [source]

Women's and health professionals' preferences for prenatal testing for Down syndrome in Australia

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 3 2006
Sharon M. LEWIS
Abstract Aim:, To describe and compare women's and health professionals' preferences for prenatal screening tests for Down syndrome. Design:, Cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Participants and setting:, Women (n = 322) attending for a glucose challenge test at 26 weeks gestation and health professionals (266 midwives and 34 obstetricians) at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, between 13 December 2002 and 30 April 2003. Outcome measures:, The relative value participants attach to attributes of Down syndrome screening tests as determined by conjoint analysis and ranking scales. Results:, Women and health professionals shared similar relative values regarding the importance of detection rate of screening tests, according to coefficients from conjoint analysis models. However, health professionals placed higher relative values on timing of prenatal tests and risk associated with the subsequent diagnostic test than did women. Comparison of coefficients suggests that, compared with health professionals, women would wait longer and accept a greater decrease in detection rate for a test if it was safer. Using the more traditional ranking scale, the safest test was ranked first by 56% of women while 47% of health professionals ranked a test with the highest detection rate first. Equal proportions (,10%) in both groups ranked the earliest test first. Conclusion:, There is a general agreement between pregnant women and health professionals regarding the relative importance they attach to different attributes of a test. However, health professionals appeared to favour earlier timing of tests while women placed greater emphasis on safety. Utilising two different measures of preference demonstrated the complexity of decision-making. [source]