Review of Apprenticeship Training in Ireland

On 19 May 2013, Ruairi Quinn T.D, Minister for Education and Skills, announced a review of apprenticeship training in Ireland. The terms of reference of the review were “to determine whether the current model of apprenticeship should be retained, adapted or replaced by an alternative model of vocational education and training for apprentices –taking into account the needs of learners, the needs of employers, the needs of the economy and the need for cost effectiveness into the future.” The Review Group was asked to complete its work before the end of 2013. A Technical Group was also established to provide background evaluative data for the review. To provide a context for the review, a Background Issues Paper 1 was prepared by the Department of Education and Skills and published at www.education.ie in May 2013 .

Medical students' skills and needs for training in breaking bad news.

This study assessed medical students' perception of individual vs. group training in breaking bad news (BBN) and explored training needs in BBN. Master-level students (N = 124) were randomised to group training (GT)-where only one or two students per group conducted a simulated patient (SP) interview, which was discussed collectively with the faculty-or individual training (IT)-where each student conducted an SP interview, which was discussed during individual supervision. Training evaluation was based on questionnaires, and the videotaped interviews were rated using the Roter Interaction Analysis System. Students were globally satisfied with the training. Still, there were noticeable differences between students performing an interview (GT/IT) and students observing interviews (GT). The analysis of the interviews showed significant differences according to scenarios and to gender. Active involvement through SP interviews seems required for students to feel able to reach training objectives. The evaluation of communication skills, revealing a baseline heterogeneity, supports individualised training.

White Paper on Adult Education Learning for Life

This is Ireland’s first White Paper on Adult Education and marks the adoption of lifelong learning as the governing principle of educational policy. The Paper reflects on the role of adult education in society, builds on the consultation process following publication of the Green Paper, and sets out the Government’s policies and priorities for the future development of the sector. It does not aim to provide a policy blueprint for the training sector given that this work is being advanced through the National Employment Action Plans and previous publications, and the work of the Task Force on Lifelong Learning recently established by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Rather, it seeks to ensure that there is a fit and complementarity between education and training provision, so as to ensure that learners can move progressively and incrementally within an over-arching co-ordinated and learner-centred framework.

Cochrane Training, Short Courses Guidance Notes 2011

Guidance Notes for Training Courses on Conducting Systematic Reviews, 2011.

The promise of advanced imaging techniques for the detection of hepatitis C virus antigens in the infected liver.

Injection drug use before and after liver transplantation: a retrospective multicenter analysis on incidence and outcome. Clin Transplant 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2009.01121.x. Background and aims: Injecting drug use (IDU) before and after liver transplantation (LT) is poorly described. The aim of this study was to quantify relapse and survival in this population and to describe the causes of mortality after LT. Methods: Past injection drug users were identified from the LT listing protocols from four centers in Switzerland and France. Data on survival and relapse were collected and used for uni- and multivariate analysis. Results: Between 1988 and 2006, we identified 59 patients with a past history of IDU. The mean age at transplantation was 42.4 yr and the majority of patients were men (84.7%). The indication for LT was for the vast majority viral cirrhosis accounting for 91.5% of cases, while alcoholic cirrhosis was 5.1%. There were 16.9% of patients who had a substitution therapy before and 6.8% who continued after LT. Two patients (3.4%) relapsed into IDU after LT and died at 18 and 41 months. The mean follow-up was 51 months. Overall survival was 84%, 66%, and 61% at 1, 5, and 10 yr after transplantation. Conclusions: Documented IDU was rare in liver transplanted patients. Past IDU was not associated with poorer survival after LT, and relapse after LT occurred in 3.4%.

Cochrane Short Courses Training Application Form 2011

Application Form for Training Courses on Conducting Systematic Reviews, 2011.

Northern Ireland regional breastfeeding peer support training

This resource�has been produced for breastfeeding coordinators and breastfeeding peer support trainers who provide training for peer support volunteers. �� The resource has been distributed by PHA directly to those involved in breastfeeding peer support programmes in Northern Ireland. Further copies can be requested as applicable from Lesley Blackstock at: Lesley.blackstock@hscni.net The CD supports delivery of eight peer support teaching sessions (two hours each), which meet Open College Network NI requirements for certification at Level 2, credit value 3. The resource contains background information, support materials, lesson plans, Powerpoint presentations, DVD clips and worksheets for peer supporters. � Please note this resource is only suitable for individuals involved in delivering breastfeeding peer support in Northern Ireland.�

Mental Health First Aid Training Programme

The Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training Programme for Northern Ireland has been adapted from the original MHFA programme established in Australia by Betty Kitchener and Anthony Jorm. MHFA is the help provided to a person who is developing a mental health problem or who is currently in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until professional help is available or until the crisis resolves. More than 4,500 people have attended MHFA training in Northern Ireland since it began in 2009 following a successful pilot in 2005. The aims of MHFA are to: preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others; provide help to prevent the mental health problem becoming more serious; promote the recovery of good mental health; provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem. MHFA teaches participants: how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems; how to provide initial help; how to go about guiding a person towards appropriate professional help. The training programme is available to people from all backgrounds and has proved successful with different professional groups. MHFA training involves teaching participants how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and psychosis. Each course is delivered by two MHFA instructors, usually over two consecutive days and four sessions to a maximum of 20 delegates. The course can also be delivered one day a week for two weeks or in four three-hour sessions. To apply for the training programme, people should contact their local Health and Social care Trust. Each Trust runs MHFA training several times a year. Topics covered include: What is meant by mental health/mental ill health? Dealing with crisis situations such as suicidal behaviour, self-harm, panic attacks and acute psychotic behaviour. Recognising the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems including depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis and substance use disorders. Where and how to get help. Self help strategies.

ASIST training helping to tackle suicide

Work to help communities prevent suicide has taken a further step forward with over 50 ASIST Trainers from across Northern Ireland completing the new ASIST 11 upgrader trainer course.The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) enables people in a position of trust to recognise risk and learn how to intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide.The Public Health Agency (PHA) funded the upgrading training as part of their ongoing commitment to supporting quality training for a range of individuals, communities and organisations.Madeline Heaney, the PHA's strategic lead for Suicide Prevention, explained: "This programme enables people who have been trained to become more willing, ready and able to help those at risk of suicide, which can be vital in a crisis situation.�"We want to empower people who are in position of responsibility and care to know what to do if they find themselves in a situation where someone is at risk of taking their own lives."�ASIST has been delivered in Northern Ireland since 2003 and the course is designed for all caregivers or any person in a position of trust, making it useful for a range of people. The training is suitable for mental health professionals, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, teachers, counsellors, youth workers, police and prison staff, school support staff, clergy, community volunteers and the general public.This most recent training, which ASIST Trainers must complete, builds on previous editions and offers advances that help meet current challenges and provides new opportunities in helping to reduce suicides within communities.The intensive Trainer Upgrade was held in Derry/ Londonderry.More information on looking after your mental health and the support which is available across Northern Ireland can be found at www.mindingyourhead.info��You can also talk to your GP for advice.If you or someone you know is in distress or despair, call Lifeline on 0808 808 8000. This is a confidential service, where trained counsellors will listen and help immediately on the phone and follow up with other support if necessary. The helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also access the Lifeline website at www.lifelinehelpline.info

Multimedia materials for education, training, and advocacy in international health: experiences with the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative CD-ROM

We describe an innovative use of multimedia materials to support training and advocacy within a schistosomiasis control programme. The Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI) at Imperial College London works with selected sub-Saharan African countries to develop schistosomiasis control programmes. Two elements of the SCI programme were supported by multimedia materials developed at the Wellcome Trust in collaboration with the SCI: (1) training of programme managers, district health officers, and those delivering practical elements of the programme; and (2) advocacy targeted at decision-makers and donors. Evaluation of the materials revealed high reported ratings for both user satisfaction and impact from use of the product. From this experience we draw out several general messages about development of multimedia materials and how these will play a growing future role in promoting training within international health.

Walk Leader training manual

The Walking for Health programme was established in 2001 and continues to be an integral part of Government policy to address the health and wellbeing of the population in Northern Ireland. The programme is delivered through HSC Trusts across Northern Ireland and is supported by the Public Health Agency. Walking for Health aims to encourage inactive people to increase their level of physical activity by participating in local led health walks.

Physicians' estimates of the 10 year cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients: an evaluation in primary care physicians in training.

To evaluate how young physicians in training perceive their patients' cardiovascular risk based on the medical charts and their clinical judgment. Cross sectional observational study. University outpatient clinic, Lausanne, Switzerland. Two hundred hypertensive patients and 50 non-hypertensive patients with at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Comparison of the absolute 10-year cardiovascular risk calculated by a computer program based on the Framingham score and adapted for physicians by the WHO/ISH with the perceived risk as assessed clinically by the physicians. Physicians underestimated the 10-year cardiovascular risk of their patients compared to that calculated with the Framingham score. Concordance between methods was 39% for hypertensive patients and 30% for non-hypertensive patients. Underestimation of cardiovascular risks for hypertensive patients was related to the fact they had a stabilized systolic blood pressure under 140 mm Hg (OR = 2.1 [1.1; 4.1]). These data show that young physicians in training often have an incorrect perception of the cardiovascular risk of their patients with a tendency to underestimate the risk. However, the calculated risk could also be slightly overestimated when applying the Framingham Heart Study model to a Swiss population. To implement a systematic evaluation of risk factors in primary care a greater emphasis should be placed on the teaching of cardiovascular risk evaluation and on the implementation of quality improvement programs.

The impact of social relationships on the maintenance of independence in advanced old age: findings of a Swiss Longitudinal Study .

The impact of social relationships on the maintenance of independence over periods of 12-18 months in a group of 306 octogenarians is assessed in this study. The study is based on the results of the Swilsoo (Swiss Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study on the Oldest Old). Participants (80-84 years old at baseline) were interviewed five times between 1994 and 1999. Independence was defined as the capacity to perform without assistance eight activities of daily living. We distinguished in our analyses kinship and friendship networks and evaluated social relationships with the help of a series of variables serving as indicators of network composition and contact frequency. Logistic regression models were used to identify the short-term effects of social relationships on independence, after controlling for sociodemographic and health-related variables; independence at a given wave of interviews was interpreted in the light of social factors measured at the previous wave. Our analyses indicate that the existence of a close friend has a significant impact on the maintenance of independence (OR=1.58, p<0.05), which is not the case with the other variables concerning network composition. Kinship contacts were also observed to have a positive impact on independence (OR=1.12, p<0.01).

TFC Creación de un LiveCD Linux para Training de Seguridad

Memoria del TFC de Ingeniería Informática Técnica de Sistemas en el area Linux sobre una distribución LiveCD para realizar Trainings de Seguridad

Self-reported health needs and use of primary health care services by adolescents enrolled in post-mandatory schools or vocational training programmes in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: The second Swiss Multicenter Adolescent Survey on Health (SMASH02) was conducted among a representative sample (n = 7428) of students and apprentices aged 16 to 20 from the three language areas of Switzerland during the year 2002. This paper reports on health needs expressed by adolescents and their use of health care services over the 12 months preceding the survey. METHODS: Nineteen cantons representing 80% of the resident population agreed to participate. A complex iterative random cluster sample of 600 classes was drawn with classes as primary sampling unit. The participation rate was 97.7% for the classes and 99.8% for the youths in attendance. The self-administered questionnaire included 565 items. The median rate of item non-response was 1.8%. Ethical and legal requirements applying to surveys of adolescent populations were respected. RESULTS: Overall more than 90% of adolescents felt in good to excellent health. Suffering often or very often from different physical complaints or pain was also reported such as headache (boys: 15.9%, girls: 37.4%), stomach-ache (boys: 9.7%, girls: 30.0%), joint pain (boys: 24.7%, girls: 29.5%) or back pain (boys: 24.3%, girls: 34.7%). Many adolescents reported a need for help on psychosocial and lifestyle issues, such as stress (boys: 28.5%, girls: 47.7%) or depression (boys: 18.9%, girls: 34.4%). Although about 75% of adolescents reported having consulted a general practitioner and about one-third having seen another specialist, reported reasons for visits do not correspond to the expressed needs. Less than 10% of adolescents had visited a psychiatrist, a family planning centre or a social worker. CONCLUSIONS: The reported rates of health services utilisation by adolescents does not match the substantial reported needs for help in various areas. This may indicate that the corresponding problems are not adequately detected and/or addressed by professionals from the health and social sectors.