Evaluation des campagnes de prévention contre le SIDA en Suisse : Les personnels hospitaliers : rapport final 1988

Cette étude est destinée à: 1) évaluer l'impact des messages de prévention chez le personnel hospitalier sous les deux aspects de la vie professionnelle et de la vie privée (connaissance sur les modes de transmission du VIH, représentation et attitudes, comportements, estimation du risque couru de contamination par le VIH dans l'exercice de la profession, attitudes face au dépistage / face à l'information / face au secret médical, etc); 2) décrire les diverses problématiques en relation avec le SIDA chez le personnel hospitalier; 3) évaluer le rôle possible de multiplicateur de messages de prévention de cette population: si ce rôle existe, va-t-il dans le sens d'un renforcement de l'action préventive ou au contraire d'un affaiblissement de cette action par la diffusion de contre-messages ?

Evaluation of patients with stroke monitored by home care programs

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the patient with a stroke in home treatment, investigating physical capacity, mental status and anthropometric analysis. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Fortaleza/CE, from January to April of 2010. Sixty-one individuals monitored by a home care program of three tertiary hospitals were investigated, through interviews and the application of scales. The majority of individuals encountered were female (59%), elderly, bedridden, with a low educational level, a history of other stroke, a high degree of dependence for basic (73.8%) and instrumental (80.3 %) activities of daily living, and a low cognitive level (95.1%). Individuals also presented with tracheostomy, gastric feeding and urinary catheter, difficulty hearing, speaking, chewing, swallowing, and those making daily use of various medications. It was concluded that home care by nurses is an alternative for care of those individuals with a stroke.

An easy functional capacity evaluation in chronic low back pain

Lifting is said to be on of the major risk factors for the onset of low back pain, several different measures has been developed to study this. Several programs are available in order to measure these components, or to determine the ability of an individual to perform a certain job or to discover if the job creates dangerous positions for the worker. In these different fields reliable and valid instruments exist but they are costly and time spending. We present a simplified functional capacity measuring that we use daily in practise. Method: 280 patients have been evaluated on this base. The majority was referred to multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatment. The patients had recurrent back problems for months or years. Inclusion criteria were between 18 and 64 years, currently of work, no work compensation. Exclusion criteria were chronic low back pain with a specific cause. They followed a one-hour evaluation test as a functional capacity evaluation at the end of the multidisciplinary treatment period, it was compared to the PILE-test done at the beginning and at the end. Results: We included 280 subjects: 160 men and 120 women. Mean age 43.6 by the women and 44 years by the men. We studied the caring foot-hip, hip-shoulder, 5 m carrying, pushing and tiring and the global weight carried during the test. We found this global value to be 696 kg by men and 422 kg by women suffering from chronic lumbar pain. The increase in this value had a clear incidence on a greater work ability, as had a decrease. Conclusions: We were able to develop a lifting capacity program that is easy to reproduce and not expensive, giving us the possibility to have an idea on how to reorient the patients according to their work place and their capacities. We could also have an information of work performance and power consumption. It should be more tested and compared to standard capacity in the healthy population.

Evaluation of Virtual Reality Snowplow Simulator Training: A Literature Review, September 2006

Each winter, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) maintenance operators are primarily responsible for plowing snow off federal and state roads. Drivers typically work long shifts under treacherous conditions. In addition to properly navigating the vehicle, drivers are required to operate several plowing mechanisms simultaneously, such as plow controls and salt sprayers. However, operators have few opportunities during the year to practice and refine their skills. An ideal training program would provide operators with the opportunity to practice these skills under realistic yet safe conditions, as well as provide basic training to novice or less-experienced operators. Recent technological advancements have made driving simulators a desirable training and research tool. This literature review discusses much of the recent research establishing simulator fidelity and espousing its applicability. Additionally, this report provides a summary of behavioral and eye tracking research involving driving simulators. Other research topics include comparisons between novice and expert drivers’ behavioral patterns, methods for avoiding cybersickness in virtual environments, and a synopsis of current personality measures with respect to job performance and driving performance. This literature review coincides with a study designed to examine the effectiveness of virtual reality snowplow simulator training for current maintenance operators, using the TranSim VS III truck and snowplow simulator recently purchased by the Iowa DOT.

Iowa's Adult Literacy Program State Plan Extension, 2005

The major purposes of Iowa’s Adult Literacy Program State Plan Extension for Program Year 2005 are: • provide a comprehensive blue print for implementation of Title II of the Act; • serve as a basis for both immediate and long-range planning and continuous, systematic evaluation of program effectiveness; • provide basis for common understanding among Iowa’s literacy partners, other interested entities and the U.S. Department of Education. The plan extension is designed to update Iowa’s Adult Literacy State Plan for Program Year 2005 in line with the guidelines provided by the United States Department of Education: Division of Adult Education and Literacy (USDE:DAEL).

Iowa's Adult Literacy Program State Plan Extension, 2006

The passage of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) [Public Law 105-220] by the 105th Congress has ushered in a new era of collaboration, coordination, cooperation and accountability. The overall goal of the Act is “to increase the employment, retention, earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and, as a result improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation.” The key principles inculcated in the Act are: • streamlining services; • empowering individuals; • universal access; • increased accountability; • new roles for local boards; • state and local flexibility; • improved youth programs. The purpose of Title II, The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, is to create a partnership among the federal government, states, and localities to provide, on a voluntary basis, adult education and literacy services in order to: • assist adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency; • assist adults who are parents obtain the educational skills necessary to become full partners in the educational development of their children; • assist adults in the completion of a secondary school education. The major purposes of Iowa’s Adult Literacy Program State Plan Extension for Program Year 2006 are: • provide a comprehensive blue print for implementation of Title II of the Act; • serve as a basis for both immediate and long-range planning and continuous, systematic evaluation of program effectiveness; • provide basis for common understanding among Iowa’s literacy partners, other interested entities and the U.S. Department of Education. The plan extension is designed to update Iowa’s Adult Literacy State Plan for Program Year 2006 in line with the guidelines provided by the United States Department of Education: Division of Adult Education and Literacy (USDE:DAEL).

Iowa Adult Literacy Local Program Monitoring Guidelines Revised, July 2007

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for the annual monitoring and evaluation of Iowa’s adult literacy funded local programs. Section 224(b)(3) of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) states that the State Education Agency (SEA) will provide “a description of how the eligible agency [Iowa Department of Education] will evaluate annually the effectiveness of the adult education and literacy activities based on the performance measures described in section 212.” In compliance with that mandate, the following describes the Iowa Department of Education’s procedures for local adult literacy program evaluation strategies.

Evaluation of prenatal care in unit with family health strategy

We analyzed prenatal care (PN) provided at a unit of the Family Health Strategy Service in São Paulo, according to the indicators of the Program for the Humanization of Prenatal and Birth (PHPB). We compared adequacy of PN in terms of sociodemographic variables, procedures, examinations and maternal and perinatal outcomes. Cross-sectional study with data from records of 308 pregnant women enrolled in 2011. We observed early initiation of PN (82.1%), conducting of a minimum of six consultations (84.1%), puerperal consultation (89.0%); to the extent that there is a sum of the actions, there is a significant drop in the proportion of adequacy. Prenatal care was adequate for 67.9%, with a significant difference between adequacy groups in relation to gestational age and birth weight. Prenatal care deficiencies exist, especially in regards to registration of procedures, exams and immunization. The difference between adequacy groups with respect to perinatal outcomes reinforces the importance of prenatal care that adheres to the parameters of the PHPB.


Evaluation of Virtual Reality Snowplow Simulator Training, January 2007

Each winter, Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) maintenance operators are responsible for plowing snow off federal and state roads in Iowa. Drivers typically work long shifts under treacherous conditions. In addition to properly navigating the vehicle, drivers are required to operate several plowing mechanisms simultaneously, such as plow controls and salt spreaders. There is little opportunity for practicing these skills in real-world situations. A virtual reality training program would provide operators with the opportunity to practice these skills under realistic yet safe conditions, as well as provide basic training to novice or less-experienced operators. In order to provide such training to snowplow operators in Iowa, the Iowa DOT purchased a snowplow simulator. The Iowa DOT commissioned a study through Iowa State University designed to (1) assess the use of this simulator as a training tool and (2) examine personality and other characteristics associated with being an experienced snowplow operator. The results of this study suggest that Iowa DOT operators of all ages and levels of experience enjoyed and seemed to benefit from virtual reality snowplow simulator training. Simulator sickness ratings were relatively low, implying that the simulator is appropriate for training a wide range of Iowa DOT operators. Many reported that simulator training was the most useful aspect of training for them.

Frequently asked Questions about Beach Monitoring, 2003

Part of Iowa's Water Ambient monitoring Program, produced by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Audit risk and rent extraction: Evidence from a randomized evaluation in Brazil

We report results from a randomized policy experiment designed to test whether increasedaudit risk deters rent extraction in local public procurement and service delivery in Brazil. Ourestimates suggest that temporarily increasing annual audit risk by about 20 percentage pointsreduced the proportion of irregular local procurement processes by about 17 percentage points.This reduction was driven entirely by irregularities involving mismanagement or corruption. Incontrast, we find no evidence that increased audit risk affected the quality of publicly providedpreventive and primary health care services -measured based on user satisfaction surveys- orcompliance with national regulations of the conditional cash transfer program "Bolsa Família".

An evaluation of the life-cycle effects of minimum pensions on retirement behavior

In this paper we explore the effects of the minimum pension program on welfare andretirement in Spain. This is done with a stylized life-cycle model which provides a convenient analytical characterization of optimal behavior. We use data from the Spanish Social Security to estimate the behavioral parameters of the model and then simulate the changes induced by the minimum pension in aggregate retirement patterns. The impact is substantial: there is threefold increase in retirement at 60 (the age of first entitlement) with respect to the economy without minimum pensions, and total early retirement (before or at 60) is almost 50% larger.

Long term global evaluation of a national AIDS prevention strategy: the case of Switzerland.

OBJECTIVES: The Swiss Aids prevention strategy has been subject to a continuous process of evaluation for the past 12 years. This paper describes the conceptual approach, methodology, results obtained and contribution to policy-making of that evaluation.¦DESIGN: The evaluation is on-going, global with respect to all components of the strategy, and utilization-focused. Each successive phase of the evaluation has included 10-20 studies centred either on aspects of process, of outcome or of environmental context. Findings are synthesized at the end of each phase. METHODS: Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used. Studies generally have one of three functions within the overall evaluation: assessment of trends through surveys or other types of repeated studies; evaluation of specific areas through a series of studies from different viewpoints; in-depth investigation or rapid assessment through one-off studies. Various methods of triangulation are used to validate findings. RESULTS: The evaluation has allowed for: the observation of behavioural change in different populations; the availability of scientific data in controversial fields such as drug-use policy; an understanding of the diversity of public appropriation of prevention messages. Recommendations are regularly formulated and have been used by policy-makers and field workers for strategy development. CONCLUSIONS: The global approach adopted corresponds well to the evaluation requirements of an integrated long-term prevention strategy. Cost is low relative to the extent of information provided. Such an evaluation cannot however address the question of causal relationship between the strategy and observed changes. The evaluation has contributed to the development of a culture of evaluation in Swiss AIDS prevention more generally.

Feasibility of a knowledge translation CME program: courriels Cochrane.

INTRODUCTION: Systematic literature reviews provide best evidence, but are underused by clinicians. Thus, integrating Cochrane reviews into continuing medical education (CME) is challenging. We designed a pilot CME program where summaries of Cochrane reviews (Courriels Cochrane) were disseminated by e-mail. Program participants automatically received CME credit for each Courriel Cochrane they rated. The feasibility of this program is reported (delivery, participation, and participant evaluation). METHOD: We recruited French-speaking physicians through the Canadian Medical Association. Program delivery and participation were documented. Participants rated the informational value of Courriels Cochrane using the Information Assessment Method (IAM), which documented their reflective learning (relevance, cognitive impact, use for a patient, expected health benefits). IAM responses were aggregated and analyzed. RESULTS: The program was delivered as planned. Thirty Courriels Cochrane were delivered to 985 physicians, and 127 (12.9%) completed at least one IAM questionnaire. Out of 1109 Courriels Cochrane ratings, 973 (87.7%) conta-ined 1 or more types of positive cognitive impact, while 835 (75.3%) were clinically relevant. Participants reported the use of information for a patient and expected health benefits in 595 (53.7%) and 569 (51.3%) ratings, respectively. DISCUSSION: Program delivery required partnering with 5 organizations. Participants valued Courriels Cochrane. IAM ratings documented their reflective learning. The aggregation of IAM ratings documented 3 levels of CME outcomes: participation, learning, and performance. This evaluation study demonstrates the feasibility of the Courriels Cochrane as an approach to further disseminate Cochrane systematic literature reviews to clinicians and document self-reported knowledge translation associated with Cochrane reviews.

Tax Credit Evaluation Study: Historic Preservation and Cultural and Entertainment District Tax Credit, March 2009

During the 2005 Legislative Session the Iowa Department of Revenue received an appropriation to establish the Tax Credits Tracking and Analysis Program (TCTAP) to track tax credit awards and claims. In addition, the Department was directed to perform periodic evaluations of tax credit programs. The purpose of these studies is three-fold: (1) To provide a comparison of the Iowa tax credit program to similar federal and other states’ programs (2) To summarize information related to the usage of the Iowa tax credit (3) To evaluate the economic impact of the tax credit program.