'New perspectives on well-known issues': patients' experiences and perceptions of safety in Swiss hospitals

Patients' reports of safety-related events and perceptions of safety can be a valuable source for hospitals. Patients of eight acute care hospitals in Switzerland were surveyed for safety-related events and concerns for safety. In workshops with hospitals areas for improvement were analyzed and priorities for change identified. To evaluate the benefit of the approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with hospital risk managers. 3,983 patients returned the survey (55% response rate). 21.4% reported at least one definite safety event, and the mean number of 'definite' incidents per patient was 0.31 (95% CI=0.29 to 0.34). 3.2% were very concerned and 14.7% were somewhat concerned about medical errors and safety. Having experienced a safety-related event, younger age, length of stay, poor health and a poor education increased the probability of reporting concerns. With some exceptions, results confirmed the hospitals' a priori expectations regarding the strengths and weaknesses of their institutions. Risk managers emphasized the usability of results for their work and the special value of referring to the patient's perspective at their home institutions. A considerable fraction of patients subjectively experiences safety-related events and is concerned about safety. Patient-generated data introduced a new quality into the discussion of safety issues within hospitals, and some expected that patients' experiences and concerns could affect patient volumes. Though the study is limited by the short time horizon and the lack of follow-up, the results suggest that the described approach is feasible and can serve as a supplemental tool for risk identification and management.

Patients' and healthcare workers' perceptions of a patient safety advisory

To assess patients' and healthcare workers' (hcw) attitudes and experiences with a patient safety advisory, to investigate predictors for patients' safety-related behaviors and determinants for staff support for the advisory.

Fear of the unknown: local knowledge and perceptions of the Eurasian lynx

The remnant population of Balkan lynx Lynx lynx martinoi is small, isolated and highly threatened. Since 2006 a conservation project has surveyed its status and promoted its recovery in Albania and Macedonia. Eurasian lynx are often associated with conflicts of an economic or social nature, and their conservation requires a focus on the people sharing the landscape with the species. In this study we adopt methods and conceptual frameworks from anthropology to explore the local knowledge and perceptions of lynx among rural hunters and livestock breeders in the western mountains of the Republic of Macedonia in south-east Europe. The main finding was that local people rarely saw or interacted with lynx. As the level of interactions with this species is very low, the lynx doesn?t appear to be a species associated with conflicts in Macedonia. There was also a general lack of both scientific and local knowledge, which has led to somewhat negative attitudes, mainly based on myths and rumours. Poaching of lynx and their prey seem to be the main barriers to lynx conservation.

How Do Relationship Labels Affect Partner Treatment And Relationship Status Perceptions?

The present research examined which terms are most used by college students to define relationships, and how these various terms prime or affect partner treatment and relationship status perceptions. Once primed with the labels ¿hooking-up,¿ ¿exclusive¿ or ¿boyfriend/girlfriend,¿ it was hypothesized that public displays of affection, commitment, jealousy and sociosexuality would influence partner treatment. The results indicate that being primed with various relationship labels does influence public displays of affection. This priming does not influence jealousy, and it influences commitment on some occasions. The data collected can further our understanding of relationship dynamics among college students by differentiating between various terms.

Perceptions of Social Mobility in Community College Scholars at Bucknell University

While national leaders have joined the discussion more recently, scholars in the fields of education, psychology, and sociology, have been exploring the ways in which students? socioeconomic background affects the outcomes they experience as a result of their education (Lareau, Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life, 2003).Furthermore, the role played by the education system in creating or diminishing socioeconomic disparity has also been studied in depth (Bourdieu, 1977; Boudon, 1977). However, the journeys of students from low-income families that begin their education at community colleges and continue it, through careful planning or chance, at elite four-year institutions, has not been the subject of much attention. This thesis explores these students? perceptions of social mobility as they have been shaped by their experiences so far in life. This includes the exploration of changes in their perceptions as the contexts for their lives have been changed. Quantitative analysis of survey results and qualitative analysis of participant interviews serve as the data set for this study. The implications ofthe findings for student affairs practitioners are also explored.

Becoming a member of the work force: perceptions of adults with Asperger Syndrome

Research has shown that comparatively few adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) participate in the competitive work force. The purpose of this study was to gain in-depth knowledge about contextual factors, which contribute to successful labor market participation in some adults with AS.

Perceptions and evaluations of biosphere reserves by local residents in Switzerland and Ukraine

In a cross-cultural study perceptions of local people living in the surroundings of biosphere reserves in Switzerland and Ukraine were examined using the method of qualitative interviews. In the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch in Switzerland people stated that they hoped for a better regional economic development due to the existence of the biosphere reserve. However, at the same time people feared further restrictions regarding land-use. In the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve located in Transcarpathia/Ukraine people tended to connect certain conditions – such as the high price for wood – directly to the existence of the biosphere reserve, when in fact these conditions and the biosphere reserve were separate, parallel developments. In both case studies three key-categories influencing local residents’ perceptions and evaluations of biosphere reserves could be identified. These categories are (1) the economic situation, (2) the history of nature protection, and (3) the power balance between the involved stakeholders. Paying close attention to those three categories will help planners and managers of protected areas to better understand the reasoning of local residents for or against a biosphere reserve in their area.

Locating American Indian Sciences : a report on the development, use, and analysis of a survey of perceptions

All students in the United States of America are required to take science. But what if there is not a science, but in fact a number of sciences? Could every culture, perhaps every different grouping of people, create its own science? This report describes a preliminary survey, the goal of which is to improve the teaching of science at American Indian Opportunities and Industrialization Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota by beginning to understand the differences between Western and American Indian sciences.

Perceptions of water conditions and management in the Sonora River Basin, Sonora, Mexico

The effects of climate change are expected to be very severe in arid regions. The Sonora River Basin, in the northwestern state of Sonora, Mexico, is likely to be severely affected. Some of the anticipated effects include precipitation variability, intense storm events, higher overall temperatures, and less available water. In addition, population in Sonora, specifically the capital city of Hermosillo, is increasing at a 1.5% rate and current populations are near 700,000. With the reduction in water availability and an increase in population, Sonora, Mexico is expected to experience severe water resource issues in the near future. In anticipation of these changes, research is being conducted in an attempt to improve water management in the Sonora River Basin, located in the northwestern part of Sonora. This research involves participatory modeling techniques designed to increase water manager awareness of hydrological models and their use as integrative tools for water resource management. This study was conducted as preliminary research for the participatory modeling grant in order to gather useful information on the population being studied. This thesis presents research from thirty-four in-depth interviews with water managers, citizens, and agricultural producers in Sonora, Mexico. Data was collected on perceptions of water quantity and quality in the basin, thoughts on current water management practices, perceptions of climate change and its management, experience with, knowledge of, and trust in hydrological models as water management tools. Results showed that the majority of interviewees thought there was not enough water to satisfy their daily needs. Most respondents also agreed that the water available was of good quality, but that current management of water resources was ineffective. Nearly all interviewees were aware of climate change and thought it to be anthropogenic. May reported experiencing higher temperatures, precipitation changes, and higher water scarcity and attributed those fluctuations to climate change. 65% of interviewees were at least somewhat familiar with hydrological models, though only 28% had ever used them or their output. Even with model usage results being low, 100% of respondents believed hydrological models to be very useful water management tools. Understanding how water, climate change, and hydrological models are perceived by this population of people is essential to improving their water management practices in the face of climate change.

Current trends in hormone replacement therapy: perceptions and usage

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether physicians' confidence in the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for climacteric symptoms has been affected by the negative media interpretation of data from landmark studies investigating HRT usage such as the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was completed via the internet by European and US gynecologists, obstetrician/gynecologists and general practitioners - all experienced in treating women with climacteric symptoms. RESULTS: Six hundred physicians completed the survey in six countries. Overall, 98% agreed that the menopause significantly affects quality of life and 97% considered that the majority/all of their patients experienced positive benefits from HRT. Most physicians (90%) believed the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks in suitable patients, and 92% would prescribe HRT for themselves/spouse/family. For treatment of atrophic vaginitis, 86% agreed that local estrogen was the most effective course of action. While 82% of participants were aware of the latest recommendations on low-dose HRT, and estrogen dose in particular, 67% cited lowering the progestogen dose as important. With regard to the recent negative media coverage on HRT, 78% of physicians felt this was unjustified. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide reassurance that health-care professionals in Europe and the US, experienced in treating women with climacteric symptoms, have not lost confidence in HRT. Despite a consensus on the importance of lowering the dose of HRT and a focus on estrogen, there remains a need to heighten prescribers' awareness on the pivotal role that a lower progestogen dose plays in optimizing the risk-benefit profile.