Search

Pro-environmental behavior allows top companies of the world to improve their environmental responsibility, to minimize their impact on nature and to guide smaller businesses. The content of 82 codes of conduct of the 100 largest companies from the Forbes GLOBAL 2000 ranking is analyzed. Prescriptions for pro-environmental behavior are found in 78% of the codes. These prescriptions are extensive in the only 14 codes. The analyzed codes deal in average with four pro-environmental behavior types. The most common are the prescriptions of environmental responsibility and general nature respect. Some companies state climate-friendly behavior. It is established that company location is somewhat important determinant of the prescribed pro-environmental behavior: The West European companies prescribe pro-environmental behavior better than those East Asian. The findings of the present study indicate on a promising state of the eco-ethics stated by the top companies, although they also indicate on the urgency of certain amendments of the codes of conduct.

This article begins by outlining the development of the individual difference concept, considering what should be included as an individual difference, and suggesting a definition. The authors then suggest 11 individual differences which occur regularly in the literature and which they have found to be salient features in their own classrooms. A brief overview of these 11 factors is provided, along with theoretical perspectives relevant to the individual differences issue. The article concludes with a small-scale investigation of teachers’ perspectives of the importance of individual differences in language learning. According to the results, teachers consider motivation and strategy use the most important variables, but that all 11 factors are at least somewhat important. This conclusion emphasizes the need for a holistic view of these complex/dynamic, socio-ecologically influenced phenomena.

Background Physician gender differences exist for estimating surgical risk and recommending lung resection. This study assessed gender differences in perceived importance of health characteristics portrayed by standardized patients posing as lung resection candidates. Methods Physicians read a clinical vignette categorized as low, average, or high surgical risk and then viewed a video of a standardized patient exhibiting vigorous, normal, or frail behavior. The relative importance of gait speed, strength, fatigue, age, and weight loss in the videos was scored on a five-point Likert-like scale. Ratings of the importance of each were compared by gender and risk category. Results Of 73 participating physicians, 62 were male and 11 were female, 40 were thoracic surgeons, and 33 were cardiothoracic surgical trainees. All video features were scored as very important or somewhat important a majority of the time. Gait speed and strength ratings were strongly correlated (r = 0.76), followed by strength and fatigue (r = 0.52) and gait speed and fatigue (r = 0.51). Female gender was associated with significantly greater odds of rating age as very important (p = 0.040). For weight loss, the differences between genders varied significantly (females consistently rated weight loss as important, whereas ratings for men varied by risk category; p = 0.002 for the interaction). Conclusions Physicians variably rate certain health characteristics of standardized patients as important in making surgical risk estimations. Women and men rate the importance of age and weight loss differently. These findings may help educate physicians to develop more consistent estimates of surgical risk.

During the last 15 years, peer review has been widely incorporated into radiology quality improvement programs. However, current implementations are variable and carry concerns, including subjectivity of numerical scores and a sense of merely satisfying regulatory requirements. The Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) Quality and Safety Committee sought to evaluate the state of peer review programs in pediatric radiology practices, including implementation methods, perceived functions, strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. We distributed an online 16-question survey to SPR members. Questions pertained to the type of peer review system, the use of numerical scores and comments, how feedback on discordances is given and received, and the use of peer learning conferences. We collected 219 responses (15% of survey invitations), 80% of which were from children’s hospitals. Fifty percent of respondents said they use a picture archiving and communication system (PACS)-integrated peer review system. Comment-enhanced feedback for interpretive discordances was either very important or somewhat important to performance improvement in 86% of responses, compared to 48% with a similar perception of numerical scores. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they either rarely or never check their numerical scores, and 82% either strongly or somewhat agreed that comments are more effective feedback than numerical scores. Ninety-three percent either strongly or somewhat agreed that peer learning conferences would be beneficial to their practice. Forty-eight percent thought that their current peer review system should be modified. Survey results demonstrate that peer review systems in pediatric radiology practices are implemented variably, and nearly half of respondents believe their systems should be modified. Most respondents prefer feedback in the form of comments and peer learning conferences, which are thought to be more beneficial for performance improvement than numerical scores.

Most children experience some form of grouping in the classroom every day. Understanding how teachers make grouping decisions and their impacts on children’s social development can shed light on effective teacher practices for promoting positive social dynamics in the classroom. This study examined the influence of teachers’ grouping strategies on changes in young children’s social experiences with peers across an academic year. A total of 1,463 children (51% girls, Mage = 6.79, SDage = 1.22) and 79 teachers from kindergarten to third-grade classrooms participated in this study. Teachers rated children’s behavioral problems as the most important consideration when creating seating charts or assigning children to small groups. Promoting existing or new friendships was rated as the least important consideration. Heterogeneous ability grouping, rated as somewhat important by the teachers, was associated with a decrease in children’s friendships and yet also a decrease in girls’ experience with peer conflicts. Our findings begin to fill in the gaps in the literature on the social impacts of ability grouping for young children.

Humour has long been considered an important coping tool for patients with cancer, but published quantitative data about its significance are limited. The purpose of our study was to survey patients with cancer undergoing radiotherapy regarding their opinions about the use of humour in their care. An anonymous 35-item questionnaire evaluating the patient experience, including the value of humour, was developed by an interdisciplinary team of health care providers (hcps) working within the Radiation Medicine program. This anonymous, voluntary, paper-based survey for self-completion required approximately 10 minutes to finish and was administered during the fall of 2018 and the spring of 2019. For the 199 patients who completed the survey [108 women, 89 men (2 respondents did not specify)], median age was 68 years. That group represents approximately 30%&ndash, 35% of the patients on treatment during the study period. Almost all respondents (86%) indicated that, during their visits to the cancer centre, it was &ldquo, somewhat important&rdquo, or &ldquo, very important&rdquo, for health care providers (hcps) to use appropriate humour, and 61% of respondents indicated using humour &ldquo, frequently&rdquo, always&rdquo, when dealing with their individual cancers. Most respondents (79%) said that humour decreased anxiety, and 86% indicated that laughing was considered &ldquo, very important.&rdquo, Approximately 4% of respondents even listed &ldquo, sense of humour&rdquo, as being the most important quality that they looked for in their interactions with their hcps. Cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy clearly view humour as being important for coping and dealing with their disease, and oncology hcps should routinely consider incorporating the use of appropriate humour into the care that they provide.

Objectives Nursing home (NH) residents' preferences for everyday living are the foundation for delivering individualized person-centered care. Yet, work has not examined what the most and least important preferences of nursing home residents are and if those preferences change over time. Design This study examined the change in nursing home residents' (n = 255) preferences for everyday living over a 3-month period. Participants were recruited from 28 NHs in the suburbs of a major metropolitan East Coast area of the United States. Measures Residents were interviewed face-to-face using the Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory–Nursing Home version at baseline (T1) and 3 months later (T2). Change was analyzed in 2 ways: (1) percentage exact agreement (eg, respondent stated “very important” at both time points) and (2) percentage of preferences that remained either important or not important between T1 and T2. Results Sixteen preferences were rated as very or somewhat important by 90% or more of NH residents. With regard to the stability of preference ratings, findings demonstrate an average exact agreement of 59%, and an average important versus not important agreement of 82%. In addition, 68 of the 72 preferences had 70% or higher stability over time. In other words, the preference either remained “important” or “not important” to the NH resident 3 months later. Preferences in the domain of enlisting others in care had the least amount of change. Conclusion/Implications This study highlights the most important everyday living preferences of NH residents and provides assurance to care providers that the majority of preferences assessed via the PELI are both important to NH residents and stable over time. Preference-based care plans can be designed and used over a 3-month period with confidence by providers.

Background: Choice of the treating physician by the patient is expected to increase the level of satisfaction and improve health care outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore the factors that may influence patients in choosing their treating physicians in the private health sector in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. An online questionnaire was distributed targeting Arabic-speaking adults, Saudis and non-Saudis, aged 18 years and above of both genders. The questionnaire included questions related to demographic data, personal factors of the physician, professional factors of the physician, health center/hospital factors, and methods patients use to access a preferred physician. Results: A total of 1582 participants completed the questionnaire. The most influential factor related to physician personal features was renown, reported by participants as either “very important” (31.7%) or “somewhat important” (23.8%), followed by physician appearance, considered to be “very important” and “somewhat important” by 28.6% and 21.1% of participants respectively. Regarding physician professional features, the most influential factor reported was previous experience of the physician for the patient or relative, considered “very important” by 66.5% of participants, followed by physician title (63.1%) and sub-specialization (57.71%). Regarding hospital factors, the availability of an appointment with a short waiting time was reported as “very important” by 59.2% of participants, followed by affordability of fees (50.0%) and hospital access (46.84). Conclusion: Experience of the patient with the physician as well as physician title and sub-specialization significantly influence the choice of physician in the private sector in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Older women with ovarian cancer (OC) are less likely to receive guideline concordant treatment. Differences in values and worries about treatment may explain why. Methods Women with OC in 2013–2015 were surveyed about values and worries at the time of initial treatment. Existing values (11 item, e.g., maintaining quality of life) and worries (12 items, e.g., treatment side effects) scales were adapted based on OC literature. Responses were very/somewhat/a little/not at all important or worried. Principal Component Analyses (PCA) identified groups of values and worries that best explained scales' variation. We examined proportions reporting very/somewhat important/worried on ≥1 item in each component by age (older ≥65years, younger Results Of 170 respondents, 42.3% were older. PCA components for values were: functional well-being (3 survey items, proportion of variance explained [PoVE] 26.3%), length of life and sexual functioning (3 items, PoVE 20.1%), attitudes (3 items, PoVE 14.2%), and not becoming a burden (2 items, PoVE 13.7%). PCA components for worries were: economic (4 items, PoVE 27.2%), uncertainty (6 items, PoVE 26.0%), and family impact (2 items, PoVE 16.3%). Older women were less likely to indicate very/somewhat worried to ≥1 item in the economic (51.4% vs 72.4%, p =0.006), uncertainty (80.6% vs. 98.0%, p =0.001), and family impact component (55.6% vs. 70.4%, p =0.03). No other age differences were found. Conclusions While worry during OC treatment decision-making may differ across age groups, values do not. Research should assess how differences in worry might affect OC medical decision-making for older and younger women.

Background Reducing the number of animals used in experiments has become a priority for the governments of many countries. For these reductions to occur, animal-free alternatives must be made more available and, crucially, must be embraced by researchers. Methods We conducted an international online survey for academics in the field of animal science (N = 367) to explore researchers’ attitudes towards the implementation of animal-free innovations. Through this survey, we address three key questions. The first question is whether scientists who use animals in their research consider governmental goals for animal-free innovations achievable and whether they would support such goals. Secondly, responders were asked to rank the importance of ten roadblocks that could hamper the implementation of animal-free innovations. Finally, responders were asked whether they would migrate (either themselves or their research) if increased animal research regulations in their country of residence restricted their research. Results While nearly half (40%) of the responders support governmental goals, the majority (71%) of researchers did not consider such goals achievable in their field within the near future. In terms of roadblocks for implementation of animal-free methods, ~ 80% of the responders considered ‘reliability’ as important, making it the most highly ranked roadblock. However, all other roadblocks were reported by most responders as somewhat important, suggesting that they must also be considered when addressing animal-free innovations. Importantly, a majority reported that they would consider migration to another country in response to a restrictive animal research policy. Thus, governments must consider the risk of researchers migrating to other institutes, states or countries, leading to a ‘brain-drain’ if policies are too strict or suitable animal-free alternatives are not available. Conclusion Our findings suggest that development and implementation of animal-free innovations are hampered by multiple factors. We outline three pillars concerning education, governmental influence and data sharing, the implementation of which may help to overcome these roadblocks to animal-free innovations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s41073-019-0067-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective This study aimed to identify the needs of Saudi parents who had an infant in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in one of five hospitals in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods Data were collected using a questionnaire that comprised questions about demographic characteristics and a modified version of the NICU Family Needs Inventory. A convenience sample of 36 Muslim Saudi mothers and fathers completed a self-reported questionnaire. Parents were asked to rate 52 statements in the NICU Family Needs Inventory as not important, somewhat important, important or very important. Results Saudi parents ranked the needs for assurance, proximity, and information as the most important needs. The comfort and support needs were ranked as the least important. Moreover, the highest top-ranked items were related to assurance of pain infant being treated for (86%), infant expected outcome (83%), and infant being handled gently (83%). Conclusion Nurses should create a relationship with parents and provide them with comprehensible and honest assurance and information. Likewise, it is imperative to provide a high-quality holistic care for parents that relies on their needs assessment.

This study focuses on parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of practices aimed at easing the transition to formal schooling (e.g., familiarization with the school, discussions about the school entrants). A total of 230 preschool teachers, 131 elementary school teachers, and 2,662 mothers and fathers filled in a questionnaire containing items on how important they considered different preschool-school transition practices. The participants considered the various transition practices to be at least somewhat important. On average, familiarization with the school was considered to be most important, whereas teacher co-operation and joint writing of curricula were considered to be least important. The perceptions of the participant groups differed from each other significantly in almost all practices. We suggest that the information on school entrants should be transferred within joint meetings between transition partners and other professionals whenever possible.

Burn therapies should focus on achieving outcomes that are most important to patients. The authors wanted to discover which outcomes newly burned patients would anticipate as most important to them and explored the association between demographic/burn characteristics and patient preferences. The authors surveyed 753 of 776 patients seen by our burn service from 2008 to 2013 during the initial encounter. Patients were asked to rate the anticipated importance of several burn outcomes including cosmetic appearance, resumption of normal function, and the lack of pain/itching on a four-item Likert scale (not important, somewhat important, important, and extremely important). The association between demographic and burn characteristics with patient's views on the importance of various outcomes was explored with χ and nonparametric tests. Patient mean (SD) age was 30 (22) years, 58% were males, 69% were white. Overall, function was extremely important to 96% of patients, lack of pain/itching was extremely important to 85% of patients, and cosmesis was extremely important to 59% of patients. Cosmesis was extremely important to more females than males (69 vs 52%; P < .001) and the mean age of patients in whom cosmesis was extremely important was lower than those in whom it was not (25 vs 40; P < .001). Cosmesis was more commonly extremely important in patients with head/neck than extremity burns (67 vs 57%; P < .001). Levels of importance for function and lack of pain/itching did not differ by gender, age, TBSA, or burn location. Thus, return to normal function and lack of pain and itching appear to be more commonly very important to burn patient than the cosmetic appearance of their burns. Cosmesis was of greater importance to younger patients, female patients, and those with head/neck burns.

Little is known about public perspectives of scientific and therapeutic uses of placentas. Gaps in knowledge potentiate ethical and clinical problems regarding collection and applications. As such, this study sought to assess the perspectives of placenta donation of a sample of women. Postpartum women’s perspectives on placental donation were assessed at the State University of Campinas in the Centro de Atençäo Integral a Saúde da Mulher (CAISM) maternity hospital using a cross-sectional survey ( n = 384) and semi-structured interviews ( n = 12). Surveys were analyzed quantitatively and interviews were analyzed qualitatively using grounded coding; results were compared. The average age of respondents was 27. Fifty-six percent had more than one child, 45% were Caucasian, 38% were mixed-race, 74% identified with a Christian faith, 52% had high school education or higher, 13% regarded the placenta as spiritually important, 72% felt that knowing what happens to the placenta after birth was somewhat or very important, 78% supported the use of the placenta in research and medicine, 59% reported that consent to collect the placenta was very or somewhat important, 78% preferred their doctor to invite donation, and only 7% preferred the researcher to invite donation. Interviews suggested women appreciate being part of research and that receiving information about studies was important to them. Informed by these results, we argue that women support scientific and therapeutic uses of placentas, want to be included in decision making, and desire information about the placenta. Placentas should not be viewed as “throwaway” organs that are poised for collection without the involvement and permission of women. Women want to be meaningfully included in research processes.

The market of organic products is quite small in Hungary. However, based on its development potential it has strategic importance (SZAKALY, 2004). Thus the aim was to find answers how to increase the trade of organic products. To get more details about the Hungarian organic food market we carried out a quantitative survey using a 1,000 member countrywide panel. Our results indicate that organic origin is considered somewhat important for every 4th respondent, while only 3.7% of the interviewees paid attention to put organic food products into their cart. The most serious obstacle is the doubt of surveyed individuals about the authenticity and the alleged benefits of organic products, complete with a high perceived price. “Price” is the most influential factor on shopping decision, but the advantageous “constant quality” and “health benefit” factors are just following it. In conclusion, there is potential demand for ecological food products in Hungary. Although the proportion of conscious consumers is small; it significantly exceeds the current market share of the products. Consumers should be approached with better prices, smart retailing solutions and through awareness raising. Keywords: organic food, consumer, retail, awareness, marketing strategy

Background With nursing students' limited access to pediatric patients. coupled with an expectation that the novice nurse be proficient in managing deteriorating patient conditions, nurse educators may choose to supplement students' clinical rotation with simulation. The question remains, What experiences are "available" in clinical, and which ones are rarely seen and therefore should be simulated? Method A list of 18 pediatric critical events was rated by pediatric nurse experts as not important, somewhat important, very important, or vitally important for the novice nurse to recognize, report, and intervene in. Students were asked to report on the number of times they intervened to correct these critical events in both the clinical arena and the simulation laboratory. Students were also asked to rate their confidence in performing these interventions after their clinical and their simulation experiences. Results The survey results indicate that students had significantly more experiences with most of the pediatric critical events in the simulation lab than in the pediatric inpatient unit. For each of the pediatric critical events, the mean comfort level was higher after simulation than after clinical. Conclusions A mixed educational model is effective in introducing students to the competencies expected of the novice nurse.

As a GP registrar, the MRCGP Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) exam is currently at the forefront of my mind. Vocational Training Scheme teaching focuses on how to pass, evenings are spent revising, and my bank account, now £1700 lighter, still makes me shudder. And yet, perhaps naively, it was still a shock to me to find out that at no point in the CSA exam am I expected to accurately detect real clinical signs. Of course, the CSA assesses many other important skills, including problem-solving skills, personcentred care, and attitudinal aspects.1 My argument is certainly not with the inclusion of these. However, given that ‘The validity of the CSA resides in its realistic simulation of reallife consultations’,2 it seems strange that it includes no real patients, and consequentlyno real physical signs, both somewhat important components, I would argue, of many real-life consultations. By contrast, the clinical component of Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP), the PACES exam (Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills), 3 involves real patients with a given condition. Candidates undertake a respiratory, abdominal, cardiovascular, and neurological exam, as well as a history station, communication and ethics station, and two brief clinical consultations. In these, candidates are given 8 minutes with a patient to take a focused history, carry out a relevant examination, respond to the patient’s concerns, and explain a management plan. This PACES exam is robust, and considered a rite of passage for medical trainees, who often require multiple attempts to pass. To a GP trainee it often seems unattainably tough. When colleagues pass, we congratulate them, but we also breathe a sigh of relief that we don’t have to go through the same arduous process, and, in doing so, we perhaps elevate our colleagues above ourselves. I would argue that this is wrong on many levels. This veneration of MRCP gives the impression that our exit exams are ‘easier’, or that we couldn’t pass a more robust exam should we need to. As a GP trainee who decided to undertake my MRCP exam, I would argue this is far from the truth.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) K award recipients and their mentors were surveyed to investigate the role of the mentor. We found that a majority of mentors provided guidance in responsible research conduct (RCR), and that most of these relationships were deemed helpful. Mentors also responded that they played a greater importance in RCR training of their mentees than the mentees reported. Our results suggest both mentors and mentees report that mentors ideally should play a more important role in RCR training than was actually the case. For conflicting interests, subjects' protection, and misconduct, approximately 50% of K recipients found the mentor to be not at all important or only somewhat important for these areas of RCR training. We conclude the mentor's role is important but not optimal based on the results of our study cohort.

To explore patterns of outcome research consumption, we conducted a national survey of 313 family therapists currently practicing in the United States. Participants were asked about their reading practices, as well as about attitudes toward and barriers to reading marriage/couple and family therapy (M/CFT) outcome research. Results suggest that most therapists perceive outcome research as at least somewhat important. However, they spend relatively little time reading it: The average is 1.7 h per month. Therapist-identified barriers to reading outcome research articles include access, applicability, quality of writing, and quality of research. Recommendations for addressing some of these barriers are offered.

In this paper serious leisure is explored through the experiences of couple involved in dog agility. Modified auto-ethnography and narrative inquiry were used to gather data from 25 couples where both partners compete in dog agility and from 25 couples where one person competes and the other attends the competitions as a support spouse. Stebbins’ qualities of a serious leisure enthusiast are supported and refuted relative to couples’ leisure. The data recognised that while participation as a couple was somewhat important, most of the attention focused on interaction(s) and support of the/their dog(s). The data identified both positive and negative aspects of shared serious leisure, including sacrifices made to pursue the sport, the impact of spousal support and lack of support, and the intense bonding of people and their pets.

This study into the perceived importance of oral communication skills in accountancy included the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from a national survey of New Zealand accountants, followed by a series of semi-structured interviews. Survey and interview data reveal agreement with existing literature: New Zealand accountancy employers find all oral communication skills somewhat important and a number of specific skills extremely important, but employers also report seldom finding the required level of oral communication proficiency in new university graduates. The study produced an inventory of 27 individual oral communication skills that will be useful to similar investigations in different national contexts. Additionally, the findings of this study may be useful to curricular development both in the New Zealand and international contexts.

Objectives To measure the importance of religion among nursing home residents, describe their use of religious coping strategies, and examine the association between religiousness, religious coping, and psychological well-being. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Two nursing facilities in Boston, Massachusetts. Participants One hundred forty cognitively intact to moderately impaired long-stay nursing home residents. Measurements Subjects rated religion as either “not important,” “somewhat important,” or “very important.” Use of religious coping strategies was measured using the 14-item Brief RCOPE. The outcome measure, psychological well-being, was measured with the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale. Covariates included demographic variables and a measure of social engagement, comorbidity, functional status, and mental status. Linear regression was used to examine the association between religious importance and psychological well-being after adjusting for covariates. Results Subjects rated the importance of religion as follows: very important (54%), somewhat important (27%), and not important (19%). The mean score on the Affect Balance Scale was 5.9 ± 2.1 (SD) (range 2–9). After multivariate adjustment, viewing religion as somewhat or very important (versus not important, P = .0019) and absence of negative religious coping strategies (P = .0083) were associated with better psychological well-being (with higher scores on the Affect Balance Scale) (P = .007). Conclusion Religion was important to most older residents living in 2 religiously affiliated long-term care facilities. Residents for whom religion was somewhat or very important and who did not use negative religious coping strategies are more likely to have better psychological well-being.

We examine the impact of macroeconomic and firm-specific factors on the likelihood of issuance and the structure of convertible bonds. Consistent with convertibles mitigating financial distress and contracting costs, our results indicate that the likelihood of issuing convertible bonds compared to straight bonds is higher for smaller firms, high growth firms, firms with high levels of information asymmetry, and firms with high bankruptcy costs. We also find that firms are more likely to issue convertibles during periods of high interest rates, and during industry and economic downturns - periods when bankruptcy and financial distress costs are higher, and investment opportunities and agency problems deteriorate. When we examine the variation in the ex-ante probability of conversion of convertibles, we find that this probability is higher (i.e., convertible bonds are more equity-like) for smaller firms and during periods of high interest rates. Since financial distress costs are high in these cases, issuing equity-like convertibles allows firms to mitigate these costs by reducing their fixed claims. We also find that the convertibles are structured to be more equity-like in firms with low firm-specific information asymmetry, and during periods of high economic growth. Overall, convertible bonds provide firms an element of flexibility over straight bonds and equity that allow firms to mitigate financial distress and contracting costs of moral hazard and adverse selection, and raise capital even during unfavorable conditions. However, we find that financially constrained firms are less able to exploit the flexibility provided by convertibles as their need for capital overshadows all other concerns.

Background: Electronic educational (e-learning) technology usage continues to grow. Many medical journals operate companion blogs (an application of e-learning technology) that enable rapid dissemination of scientific knowledge and discourse. Faculty members participating in promotion and tenure academic tracks spend valuable time and effort contributing, editing, and directing these medical journal blogs. Objective: We sought to understand whether chairs of medicine and pediatric departments acknowledge blog authorship as academic achievement. Methods: The authors surveyed 267 chairs of US and Canadian medicine and pediatric departments regarding their attitudes toward the role of faculty participation in e-learning and blogging in the promotion and tenure process. The survey completion rate was 22.8% (61/267). Results: A majority of respondents (87%, 53/61) viewed educational scholarship as either important or very important for promotion. However, only 23% (14/61) perceived importance to faculty effort in producing content for journal-based blogs. If faculty were to participate in blog authorship, 72% (44/61) of surveyed chairs favored involvement in a journal-based versus a society-based or a personal (nonaffiliated) blog. We identified a “favorable group” of chairs (19/59, 32%), who rated leadership roles in e-learning tools as important or very important, and an “unfavorable group” of chairs (40/59, 68%), who rated leadership roles in e-learning tools as somewhat important or not important. The favorable group were more likely to be aware of faculty bloggers within their departments (58%, 11/19 vs 25%, 10/40), viewed serving on editorial boards of e-learning tools more favorably (79%, 15/19 vs 31%, 12/39), and were more likely to value effort spent contributing to journal-based blogs (53%, 10/19 vs 10%, 4/40). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that although the majority of department chairs value educational scholarship, only a minority perceive value in faculty blogging effort. [JMIR Med Educ 2016;2(1):e10]

How do participants feel about trauma history questions in research? We asked 528 undergraduate and community participants to answer three questions about their experience of completing the Brief Betrayal Trauma Survey (BBTS; Goldberg & Freyd, 2004), a self-report trauma measure. The questions tapped (1) participants' experience of whether the trauma history questions were more or less distressing than things encountered in day-to-day life, (2) how important participants be- lieve it is for psychologists to ask about these events, and (3) how good of an idea, according to participants, it is to include such a measure in psychology research. Participants indicated that, on average, questions about trauma are neutral compared to day-to-day experiences. Further, participants reported that research asking about stressful life events is more than "somewhat important," and that including such measures is

The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of and level of proficiency in six leadership skill areas as perceived by current Extension leaders. For the purposes of this study, Extension leaders were defined as the individuals from 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions that were most responsible for the day-to-day operations of Extension in their states, and generally had the title of state director or administrator. Participants rated the Human, Conceptual, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, and Industry Knowledge skills areas between important to very important and rated the Technical Skills area between somewhat important and important. In terms of their proficiency within each skill area, participants rated themselves between above average to very proficient in the Human, Conceptual, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, and Industry Knowledge skills areas and between average and above average in Technical Skills. The smallest gap between perceived importance and self-perceived proficiency occurred in the area of Industry Knowledge Skills while the largest gap occurred in the Conceptual Skills area.

Using data on Moscowcouples, this study investigates the division of household labor and its effects on marital conflict and thought of divorce. The hypotheses predict how spouses’economic resources, gender beliefs, and time constraints influence marital contention both directly and indirectly through wife’s perceived division of household labor and her satisfaction with it. Husband’s marital contention also is analyzed. Among the findings, the spouses’ relative characteristics have some influence on the division of household labor, and the relative characteristics condition the effects of household labor on wife’s perceived marital conflict and thoughts of divorce. Household labor is most important in predicting marital contention for wives, but it is only somewhat important for husbands. While demonstrating that the household division of labor should be given more attention in Russian family research, the study provides an important comparative analysis for American scholars on the role of domestic labor in couple dynamics.

Despite their widespread availability, the role information technologies (IT) play on organizational processes is not clear. This paper, investigates the causal links between organization structure, communication media, and task complexity for better organizational communication. A field survey was administrated in a leading international manufacturing company, followed by a causal path analysis there of communication determinants and outcomes.The findings indicate the significance of organization structure for cross-functional information access, delivery, use, and sharing needs. IT was perceived to be somewhat important, but its effect on communication depended on task complexity. In all, traditionally rich communication media is used and preferred.

Editors of archival psychological and educational journals were asked to rate the importance of 38 potential standards that can be used to judge publishability of a paper. The standards included classic internal and external validity standards as well as writing standards and criteria pertaining to the visibility of issues in the paper and the author of the paper. The editors rated most of the standards as at least somewhat important, although some were rated as very important to absolutely essential. There was a significant correlation between editor's ratings of criterial importance and the likelihood of standards being met in published studies. Some potential publication standards are more critical than others in determining publishability, with the ratings generated here providing some guidance about which standards are especially important to meet in preparing a paper for publication consideration.

The purpose of this study was to describe perceptions of the importance of disability support services and expectations of disability verification and student communication. Participants were 240 faculty and 119 instructional academic staff at a large midwestern research university. Specific disability support services were found to be at least somewhat important with most being at least moderately important. Formal verification of disability was found to be more important for students with learning and psychiatric disabilities than for students with physical and sensory disabilities (p < .001). Although direct communication was considered important for all students, it was more important for students with psychiatric disabilities than for those with learning (p < .001) or sensory disabilities (p =.001).

With the adoption of Law number 12.651 in the new Forest Code, some alterations caused great discussion among environmentalists and farmers, some more impactful than others, but all somewhat important. The present study sought to assess the environmental impact caused in an area of approximately 5 thousand hectares, considering only the point where the New Forest Code considers valid the reckoning of Permanent Preservation Areas of Legal Reserve. The value found in this study shows the great impact that this point of the new law could cause at medium and long term on areas of legal reserve, impacting the local landscape. We also emphasize that, considering or not the PPAs in the sum of legal reserve areas, the area in study is far from the required adequate values, regarding environmental matters required by law, which generally occurs in rural areas, indicating the lack of supervision by the competent bodies. As a tool for this study, we used geoprocessing techniques for the assembling of the photographic mosaic and scaling of the aerial images.

Purpose To address the factors that surgeons use to decide between 2 options for treatment when the evidence is inconclusive. Methods We tested the null hypothesis that the factors surgeons use do not vary by training, demographics, and practice. A total of 337 surgeons rated the importance of 7 factors when deciding between treatment and following the natural history of the disease and 12 factors when deciding between 2 operative treatments using a 5-point Likert scale between "very important" and "very unimportant." Results According to the percentages of statements rated very important or somewhat important, the most popular factors influencing recommendations when evidence is inconclusive between treatment and following the natural course of the illness were "works in my hands," "familiarity with the treatment," and "what my mentor taught me." The most important factors when evidence shows no difference between 2 surgeries were "fewer complications," "quicker recovery," "burns fewer bridges," "works in my hands" and "familiarity with the procedure." Europeans rated "works in my hands" and "cheapest/most resourceful" of significantly greater importance and "what others are doing," "highest reimbursement," and "shorter procedure" of significantly lower importance than surgeons in the United States. Observers with fewer than 10 years in independent practice rated "what my mentor taught me," "what others are doing" and "highest reimbursement" of significantly lower importance compared to observers with 10 or more years in independent practice. Conclusions Surgeons deciding between 2 treatment options, when the evidence is inconclusive, fall back to factors that relate to their perspective and reflect their culture and circumstances, more so than factors related to the patient's perspective, although this may be different for younger surgeons. Clinical relevance Hand surgeons might benefit from consensus fallback preferences when evidence is inconclusive. It is possible that falling back to personal comfort makes us vulnerable to unhelpful commercial and societal influences.

This study focused on two dimensions of a woman's information environment hypothesized to correlate with mammography use. One dimension characterized a woman's information seeking style; the second focused on information sharing and communication, including the respondent's perception of herself as a disseminator of mammography-related information. Data from a telephone survey of 1,324 women, age 50 to 75 and enrolled in a health maintenance organization (HMO), were analyzed to identify the factors associated with mammography history and intention to have a future mammogram. Women who had never had a mammogram or who were underscreened (e.g., off-schedule after an earlier mammogram) were more likely to regard information about mammography from a health care provider or expert as somewhat important or not important at all. In contrast, women who consistently communicated the benefits of mammography to other women demonstrated a trend toward more regular screening. The most striking finding was tha...

Participation in strategic alliances has become increasingly popular in the pharmaceutical industry. Various environmental factors affecting the industry may influence participation in these alliances. Using responses to a mail questionnaire from 48 managers in the pharmaceutical industry, the most important environmental factors influencing participation in joint ventures, cross licensing, and comarketing were determined. Evaluation of the ten factors revealed that the most important factors were ones that are dynamic in nature, including the cost of R&D, keeping the R&D pipeline full, and entering new therapeutic areas. However, nine of the factors were considered at least somewhat important, indicating that the pharmaceutical industry exists in a complex environment.

Objectives To determine the priorities of current otolaryngologists-in-training in considering their first employment opportunities. Study Design Twenty-one-item survey measuring the importance of various first job issues, with all items scored on a five-point Likert-type ordinal scale. Methods The resident membership of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery was anonymously surveyed by means of mail-in questionnaires. Results were stratified by years of training. Results Responses from 242 of 1174 mail-in surveys (21% response rate) exhibited a wide distribution of responses for all 21 questions. The availability of free time to spend with one's family was regarded by more than half of the respondents to have the highest overall importance. As years of training increased, priorities shifted toward geographic location, away from issues such as the on-call schedules. The availability of research time and resources received the overall lowest priority, with more than half of the respondents ranking it as only somewhat important or lower. Conclusions Otolaryngologists-in-training feel strongest about the availability of free time to spend with their families as they finish formal training and consider employment opportunities. By acknowledging the concerns of graduating residents, including the ability to pursue their primary interests when they start working, we can better adapt conditions to create a more comfortable and stable entry into the workforce.

Using data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), we show that women who report that religion is "very important" in their everyday life have both higher fertility and higher intended fertility than those saying religion is "somewhat important" or "not important." Factors such as unwanted fertility, age at childbearing, or degree of fertility postponement seem not to contribute to religiosity differentials in fertility. This answer prompts more fundamental questions: what is the nature of this greater "religiosity"? And why do the more religious want more children? We show that those saying religion is more important have more traditional gender and family attitudes and that these attitudinal differences account for a substantial part of the fertility differential. We speculate regarding other contributing causes.

The ABR performs practice analysis every 3 years, according to its strategic plan, in an effort to strengthen the content validity of its qualifying and certifying examinations as well as its maintenance of certification examinations. A nationwide survey of diagnostic radiologists was conducted in July 2010 for the purpose of determining the critically important and frequently performed activities in 12 clinical categories. The survey instrument was distributed electronically to 17,721 members of the ACR, with a unique identification code for each individual. A 5-point scale was established for both frequency and importance variables. The frequency scale ranged from 1 to 5 as follows: 1 = not applicable, 2 = occasionally, 3 = monthly, 4 = weekly, and 5 = daily. The scale for importance also ranged from 1 to 5: 1 = not applicable, 2 = not important, 3 = somewhat important, 4 = important, and 5 = essential. A total of 2,909 diagnostic radiologists (19.32%) participated. Of these, 2,233 (76.76%) indicated that they spent ≥50% of their time in clinical practice. Because of its brevity of the list of the activities, results for the gastrointestinal category are presented in this article. The list of activities weighted according to importance and frequency is presented in this article and, as illustrated, could become the foundation for developing a more detailed blueprint for the gastrointestinal category certifying examinations in diagnostic radiology. Findings on demographic information are also presented.

A method of sensory evaluation using fuzzy logic has been proposed in this paper. The method was applied for evaluation of sensory quality of tea liquor made out of dried CTC tea. Linguistic data (e.g., excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, fair, not-satisfactory, etc.) on individual tea liquor’s quality attributes and the perception of the evaluators (e.g., extremely important, highly important, important, somewhat important, not-at-all important, etc.) for relative importance of these quality attributes were obtained. Sensory score between 0 and 100 for (i) Judges’ preference for different quality attributes of tea liquor in general, (ii) Quality attributes ranking of tea liquor and the (ii) Overall quality of tea liquor were estimated. The last one can be utilized for the ranking of the different tea liquors.

We study the effect of political connection (PC) on company value in an environment where low PC is due to better institutions and not confounded by favorable social/cultural factors. We find that in Singapore, the only country that fits this description, PC in general adds little to the value of a company. However, in industries that are subject to more stringent government regulation, PC appears to be somewhat important. Robustness checks show that alternative PC variables give rise to similar results, and the addition of control variables do not drastically change the findings. PC firms have higher managerial ownership and tend to be smaller than non-PC firms, rendering them more susceptible to poorer governance practices. We show that the presence of PC directors somewhat neutralizes such potential negative effects. PC firms are associated with good governance practices such as non-duality in their Chairman and CEO and fewer executive directors.

This study examined the beliefs and sources of information regarding muscle development among 742 high school athletes in one rural county. About 40% of the athletes stated that muscle development was very important and 50% said it was somewhat important. Most of them recognized the dangers of steroids but still thought these were important in muscle development. A majority also thought nutritional and genetic factors were important. Physicians were seen as providing the most accurate information about muscle development, followed by coaches and trainers. Understanding the athletes’ beliefs and information sources about muscle development may be useful in dispelling misconceptions and providing education on the topic.

Results from a survey of 137 family members of nursing home residents show that the participants perceived the use of physical restraints as somewhat important. Participants who did not work and participants with only elementary or high school education perceived the use of physical restraints as more important than did working participants with at least college education. Additionally, relatives of physically restrained and more cognitively impaired residents perceived the use of physical restraints as more important than did relatives of unrestrained and less cognitively impaired residents. Results from 30 families who were re-interviewed after their relatives were removed from the protective devices, show that participants did not change their perceptions over time. The importance of on-going education and reassurance is discussed.

Successful recruitment and retention on trials is critical to ensuring that adequate power is conferred, results are generalisable and trials are completed within the allocated time and resources. Nested within an existing pragmatic randomised controlled trial a process evaluation was conducted to explore the reasons for a much higher than anticipated recruitment (120% of required sample size) and retention rate (96% completed follow-up). A questionnaire was designed to ascertain patient's views on reasons affecting consent and retention. 148 patients still enrolled in the trial at their final follow-up were either given or mailed a questionnaire of which 102 were returned (69%). 96% rated the written information as very or somewhat important in their decision to consent. Verbal information given to them by the operating surgeon was considered very or somewhat important by 86% and the relative inconvenience was rated as important by 79% of patients. Reasons for consenting for a large proportion of patents were the wish to help in research which may benefit others in the future and the perception that this was an important and relevant study. There was also some evidence that patients weighed up the demands with the potential benefits to them. High levels of satisfaction were expressed with trial personnel and trial procedures. The inclusion of a trial process evaluation such as the one presented here is an efficient method for gathering information of participants' decisions regarding recruitment and retention in a trial and can help to inform the successful planning of future trials.

This paper provides unprecedented direct evidence from large-scale survey data on both the intensity (how much?) and direction (to whom?) of income comparisons. Income comparisons are considered to be at least somewhat important by three-quarters of Europeans. They are associated with both lower levels of subjective well-being and a greater demand for income redistribution. The rich compare less and are more happy than average when they do, which latter is consistent with relative income theory. With respect to the direction of comparisons, colleagues are the most frequently-cited reference group. Those who compare to colleagues are happier than those who compare to other benchmarks; comparisons to friends are both less widespread and are associated with the lowest well-being scores. This is consistent with information effects, as colleagues income arguably contains more information about the individual s own future prospects than do the incomes of other reference groups. Last, there is some evidence that reference groups are endogenous, with individuals tending to compare to those with whom they interact the most often., Cet article repose sur une information inédite et "directe" concernant les comparaisons de revenu et les groupes de référence auxquels les individus se comparent. Une majorité d'européens considèrent les comparaisons au revenu d'autrui comme un élément important de leur satisfaction vis-à-vis de leur propre revenu. Les comparaisons réduisent leur bien-être subjectif et suscitent une demande de redistribution des revenus. Le groupe de référence le plus répandu est constitué par les collègues de travail. Les comparaisons à ce groupe sont également les moins nocives pour le bien-être. Les comparaisons aux amis sont ainsi à la fois plus rares et beaucoup plus délétères. Cet ensemble d'observations est compatible avec des effets informationnels à la Hirschman, dans la mesure où les groupes de références professionnels sont ceux qui sont les plus susceptibles de constituer non seulement une aune de comparaisons, mais aussi une source d'information sur les perspectives offertes à un individu.

To develop insight into resident physician attitudes about inpatient hyperglycemia and determine perceived barriers to optimal management.As part of a planned educational program, a questionnaire was designed and administered to determine the opinions of residents about the importance of inpatient glucose control, their perceptions about what glucose ranges were desirable, and the problems they encountered when trying to manage hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients.Of 70 resident physicians from various services, 52 completed the survey (mean age, 31 years; 48% men; 37% in first year of residency training). Most respondents indicated that glucose control was "very important" in critically ill and perioperative patients but only "somewhat important" in non-critically ill patients. Most residents indicated that they would target a therapeutic glucose range within the recommended levels in published guidelines. Most residents also said they felt "somewhat comfortable" managing hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia and using subcutaneous insulin therapy, whereas most residents (48%) were "not at all comfortable" with use of intravenous administration of insulin. In general, respondents were not very familiar with existing institutional policies and preprinted order sets relating to glucose management. The most commonly reported barrier to management of inpatient hyperglycemia was lack of knowledge about appropriate insulin regimens and how to use them. Anxiety about hypoglycemia was only the third most frequent concern.Most residents acknowledged the importance of good glucose control in hospitalized patients and chose target glucose ranges consistent with existing guidelines. Lack of knowledge about insulin treatment options was the most commonly cited barrier to ideal management. Educational programs should emphasize inpatient treatment strategies for glycemic control.

What does it mean to learn from history, and can it make you a better investment professional? Economic and financial history have been experiencing a revival in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, and governments and central banks have been using claims and assumptions about past historical events to support and justify their policy decisions, for better or for worse. Knowledge about economic and financial history matters at a macro/ systemic level and for individual investment professionals. But do we know what we’re doing? We asked CFA Institute Financial NewsBrief readers about the importance of economic and financial history to their success as investment professionals. Of the 844 responses, an overwhelming majority (96%) answered that it was either very or somewhat important. I suspect, however, that some may not know how to use this knowledge to make better investment decisions (or, at the very least, avoid poor ones).

In Hungary organic food market has both demand and supply oriented aspect: several times not necessary products are distributed while the selection and volume of certain products are not satisfactory. Thus our aim was to develop a coordinated benchmark strategy to increase the trade of organic products. To get more details about the Hungarian organic food market we applied the “mystery shopping” method to observe changes in organic food supply and carried out a quantitative survey using a 1,000 member countrywide panel. Our results indicate that organic origin is considered somewhat important for every 4th respondent, while only 3.7% of the interviewees paid attention to put organic food products into their cart. The most serious obstacle is the doubt of surveyed individuals about the authenticity and the alleged benefits of organic products, complete with a high perceived price. “Price” is the most influential factor on shopping decision, but the advantageous “constant quality” and “health benefit” factors are just following it. Most of the respondents stated that they buy organic products directly from the producer (27.4%), but small retail outlets are likewise popular (though to a somewhat lesser extent). In conclusion, there is potential demand for ecological food products in Hungary. Although the proportion of conscious consumers is small; it significantly exceeds the current market share of the products. Consumers should be approached with better prices, smart retailing solutions and through awareness raising.

School nurses are on the front lines of health care in public schools. The integration of students’ health care needs as components of educational programs has become increasingly important as medically fragile children rely on school nurses to deliver or coordinate their health care services. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine which school nurse services special day class teachers perceive as very important, important, somewhat important, or not important. Perceptions were surveyed via the School Nurse Services Data Collection Tool. The data were analyzed using percentages, mean values, and frequencies. The data were then aligned to match the role concepts set forth in the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) standards for school nurse preparation. The findings of this survey suggested that most of the services provided by school nurses were rated as important or somewhat important.

Background Traditionally, development of physician leadership has occurred at random in surgical training. One possible reason is that surgical educators have focused on detailed instruction on critical patient situations, resuscitation, and technical skills, but they have provided little formal training in the essential leadership skills. Methods To determine resident perceptions about the importance of these skills and individual strengths and weaknesses in these areas, a questionnaire was administered to 43 residents in our general surgery program. In part one of the questionnaire, the residents ranked 18 leadership skills on a scale of 1 to 4 in importance (“not important,” “minimally important,” “somewhat important,” and “very important”) for career development. The second portion of the questionnaire asked the residents to rate themselves on a similar scale with regard to their personal confidence and competence in these same areas. Results Twenty-three residents (53%) completed the entire questionnaire. The majority of the residents (92%) rated all 18 leadership skills “somewhat” or “very important” for career development. More than 50% of the residents rated themselves as not competent or minimally competent in 10 of the 18 areas. Ethics was the only area in which >75% of the residents believed themselves to be more than minimally competent. There were no significant differences between postgraduate training levels in any of the parameters calculated. Conclusions We conclude that although residents see these nontraditional topics as an important part of their professional education, they do not necessarily feel confident or competent in these areas. Establishing a conscious effort to teach these topics and to emphasize their importance during training will enhance residents' self-image, performance, and potential as future leaders.

Performance objectives for the self-management of cystic fibrosis (CF) were developed and subjected to a two-stage content validation. A multidisciplinary team of health care professionals generated a list of 149 medical and adjustment performance objectives. Behaviors included monitoring symptoms and judging their significance, treating symptoms and communicating with health care providers about symptoms and treatment plans. In the first stage a panel of experts in the medical and behavioral aspects of CF rated each behavior. In general, the eleven panelists rated the 149 behaviors as somewhat important or important (mean 2.6, S.D. 0.17, on a 3-point scale). In the second stage, 84 of 155 CF center directors rated all behaviors as somewhat important or important (mean 2.9, S.D. 0.23). Specific behaviors related to medical regimens were more consistently rated as important than were those related to psychosocial adjustment. The performance objectives provide a framework for developing and evaluating health education programs for the self-management of CF in order to promote optimum health and adjustment.

This community-based epidemiological survey concerns relationships between social and health factors and depression in a Finnish population aged 60 years or over. A multivariate analysis based on log-liner models is used in this study.The log-linear model showed five interactions for the depressed men and eight for the depressed women surveyed. These indicated that the depressive persons had experienced detrimental events either of an interpersonal nature or concerning health status more often than those who were not depressed. A positive connection between life stress and depression was found even though no cause-and-effect relationship could be defined. Social stress factors seemed somewhat important prior to the onset of depression in the women studied, whereas stressful health factors played a significant role for the men. Despite this, the log-linear models for the selected variables used here did not point to a combination of interactions between a high incidence of current social stress factors and a high incidence of stressful health factors during the six-month period prior to the onset of depression.