Clinical Research Environment in India: Challenges and Proposed Solutions.

India has compelling need and keen aspirations for indigenous clinical research. Notwithstanding this need and previously reported growth the expected expansion of Indian clinical research has not materialized. We reviewed the scientific literature, lay press reports, and ClinicalTrials.gov data for information and commentary on projections, progress, and impediments associated with clinical trials in India. We also propose targeted solutions to identified challenges. The Indian clinical trial sector grew by (+) 20.3% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) between 2005 and 2010 and contracted by (-) 14.6% CAGR between 2010 and 2013. Phase-1 trials grew by (+) 43.5% CAGR from 2005-2013, phase-2 trials grew by (+) 19.8% CAGR from 2005-2009 and contracted by (-) 12.6% CAGR from 2009-2013, and phase-3 trials grew by (+) 13.0% CAGR from 2005-2010 and contracted by (-) 28.8% CAGR from 2010-2013. This was associated with a slowing of the regulatory approval process, increased media coverage and activist engagement, and accelerated development of regulatory guidelines and recuperative initiatives. We propose the following as potential targets for restorative interventions: Regulatory overhaul (leadership and enforcement of regulations, resolution of ambiguity in regulations, staffing, training, guidelines, and ethical principles [e.g., compensation]).Education and training of research professionals, clinicians, and regulators.Public awareness and empowerment. After a peak in 2009-2010, the clinical research sector in India appears to be experiencing a contraction. There are indications of challenges in regulatory enforcement of guidelines; training of clinical research professionals; and awareness, participation, partnership, and the general image amongst the non-professional media and public. Preventative and corrective principles and interventions are outlined with the goal of realizing the clinical research potential in India.

El razonamiento moral como elemento constitutivo de la competencia ética: dilemas reales e hipotéticos en profesores de educación secundaria en México

El objetivo del presente texto es la indagación del razonamiento moral en los profesores de secundaria como un elemento de la competencia ética. Se realizó con dilemas morales hipotéticos (analizados y probados previamente para su validación y cuya fiabilidad se obtuvo a través del alfa de Cronbach) y con dilemas reales. Se aplicó a 264 profesores, miembros de la comunidad académica de la Escuela Normal Superior de Michoacán, México. Se analizó a través del programa estadístico Aquad 6. Entre los descubrimientos se encuentra una presencia mayoritaria de conflictos entre las normas éticas interpersonales con las normas de conformidad social y con las normas institucionales particulares. También que la justicia y la protección contra daños a los alumnos son valores presentes en los dilemas reales y una prevalencia en el razonamiento convencional de los profesores

El análisis de libros de texto: una estrategia metodológica en la formación de los profesionales de la educación

A pesar de la progresiva introducción de nuevos recursos en las aulas fruto del desarrollo de las TICs, el libro de texto sigue siendo uno de los materiales más utilizado y cuyo protagonismo en la configuración de la práctica escolar ha sido decisivo, por lo que debe ocupar nuestra atención en la formación inicial de los profesionales de la educación. Durante los cursos académicos 2012-13 y 13-14, hemos realizado en el marco de la asignatura de Análisis y diseño de materiales para la educación y la formación del tercer curso del grado de Pedagogía de la Universidad de Oviedo una práctica formativa de análisis de libros de texto escolares que nos ha permitido analizar contextualizadamente y desde una perspectiva teórico-práctica, cuestiones tales como: papel del profesorado en el desarrollo e innovación del currículum, papel de las editoriales en la interpretación del currículum oficial, análisis de tareas y mensajes en los manuales escolares, criterios para juzgar la calidad didáctica de los materiales, etc. El análisis cualitativo de treinta informes desarrollados por 120 estudiantes sobre diferentes libros de texto nos ha permitido identificar sus principales fortalezas y debilidades en varias dimensiones (aspectos formales, metodología, mensajes, implicaciones para la profesionalidad docente) y nos permite concluir que se trata de una experiencia formativa relevante en la formación inicial de cualquier profesional de la educación.

¿Barreras invisibles? Actitudes de los estudiantes universitarios ante sus compañeros con discapacidad

El presente trabajo analiza los conocimientos, opiniones y actitudes de los estudiantes universitarios sobre sus compañeros con discapacidad. La integración educativa y social de estos estudiantes es objeto de preocupación y estudio en todo el sistema educativo español, incluida la enseñanza superior en la que 21.942 universitarios con discapacidad se encontraban matriculados en el curso 2013-2014. El estudio se realiza en el marco de dos Proyectos de Innovación Educativa[1] de la Universidad de Málaga en los que se examinaron las actitudes del personal docente e investigador, el alumnado en general y el alumnado con discapacidad de esta institución. En este artículo se recogen las perspectivas de los estudiantes sin discapacidad, necesarias para medir el grado de aceptación dentro de las aulas universitarias. Se empleó una encuesta suministrada mediante correo electrónico a la totalidad de la población de estudiantes de la Universidad de Málaga (N= 32.464). El tamaño de la muestra fue de 620 estudiantes, por lo que trabajamos con un margen de error del 3,9% para la estimación de los porcentajes con un nivel de confianza del 95%. Los datos, analizados mediante análisis estadístico, visibilizan la importancia de un elevado grado de información y conocimiento así como de una experiencia directa con la discapacidad. Ambas circunstancias se traducen en actitudes más positivas y favorables. Tan solo el 20% de los alumnos manifestó haber recibido en alguna ocasión cualquier tipo de información sobre este asunto por parte de la Universidad; no obstante, la mayoría valora positivamente la presencia de alumnos con discapacidad en la Universidad, la posibilidad de contar ellos como compañeros de clase y el enriquecimiento que supone esta convivencia dentro del aula. Se discuten posibles acciones para mejorar las actitudes hacia los estudiantes con discapacidad. Además, se plantea incluir una perspectiva que promueva el empoderamiento de estos estudiantes. [1] PIE 10-135 y PIE 13-103.

Instrumentos de evaluación utilizados en la formación inicial del profesorado y su coherencia para el desarrollo de competencias profesionales en los estudiantes: visión del alumnado, egresados y profesorado

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la frecuencia con que se utilizan diferentes instrumentos y procedimientos de evaluación desde el punto de vista del profesorado, del alumnado y de los egresados en la formación inicial de maestros y profesores especialistas en Educación Física, así como el grado de coherencia –relación- percibido por cada uno de esos grupos implicados entre dichos instrumentos y procedimientos de evaluación y el desarrollo de las competencias profesionales que se pretende adquieran los estudiantes. La muestra objeto de estudio está compuesta por 199 alumnos, 67 egresados y 53 profesores de las titulaciones de Magisterio (especialidad de Educación Física) y Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte de las universidades de Valladolid, Salamanca y León. Los resultados muestran una clara discrepancia entre los distintos grupos analizados, tanto en lo referido al tipo de instrumentos de evaluación utilizados, como en la valoración del grado de coherencia entre estos y el desarrollo de las competencias profesionales de los futuros maestros.

Social work in the UK: a testing ground for trialists

This article examines the history of social work research within the UK from a perspective of evidence-based practice, as originally advocated in the 1990s. It reviews the progress made to date in relation to the use of experimental studies in the field of children and families, and the reasons why this remains limited. It sets this in the broader context of evidence-based practice and the education and training of qualifying and post-qualifying social workers, including postgraduate training.

Innovative Approaches to Involving Service Users in Palliative Care Social Work Education

Service user involvement in social work education is now a firmly established concept in UnitedKingdom.As a result, it is common practice for service users to occupy central roles the education and training of social work students and staff in both qualifying and postqualifying programmes. This paper describes an initiative, undertaken inNorthern Ireland, which compares two methods of user involvement employed with undergraduate and postqualifying social work students. In both situations the students firstly observed discussedDVDexcerpts of narratives from people affected by cancer and secondly observed live facilitated interview with a 25-year-old male service user who shared his experiences being diagnosedwith cancer at a young age.Understanding the social work role in palliative care is crucial as all social workers, regardless of practice context, will have some degree involvement in helping individuals and families to address end-of-life care issues. paper compares the findings of evaluations from two student groups which may help inform social work educators about the effectiveness of different teaching methods used achieve meaningful and effective user involvement with seldom heard groups.

Using Virtual Reality to Analyze Sports Performance

Improving performance in sports requires a better understanding of the perception-action loop employed by athletes. Because of its inherent limitations, video playback doesn't permit this type of in-depth analysis. Interactive, immersive virtual reality can overcome these limitations and foster a better understanding of sports performance.

Safe eye surgery: non-technical aspects

The traditional training of surgeons focused exclusively on developing knowledge, clinical expertise, and technical (surgical) skills. However, analyses of the reasons for adverse events in surgery have revealed that many underlying causes originate from behavioural or non-technical aspects of performance (eg, poor communication among members of the surgical team) rather than from a lack of surgical (ie, technical) skills. Therefore, technical skills appear to be necessary but not sufficient to ensure patient safety. Paying attention to non-technical skills, such as team working, leadership, situation awareness, decision making, and communication, will increase the likelihood of maintaining high levels of error-free performance. Identification and training of non-technical skills has been developed for high-risk careers, such as civil aviation and nuclear power. Only recently, training in non-technical skills has been adopted by the surgical world and anaesthetists. Non-technical skills need to be tailored to the environment where they are used, and eye surgery has some substantial differences compared with other surgical areas, for example, high volume of surgery, use of local anaesthetics, and very sophisticated equipment. This review highlights the need for identification of the non-technical skills relevant to eye surgeons and promotion of their use in the training of eye surgeons.

How should teaching on whole person medicine, including spiritual issues, be delivered in the undergraduate medical curriculum in the United Kingdom?

Background

Although the General Medical Council recommends that United Kingdom medical students are taught ‘whole person medicine’, spiritual care is variably recognised within the curriculum. Data on teaching delivery and attainment of learning outcomes is lacking. This study ascertained views of Faculty and students about spiritual care and how to teach and assess competence in delivering such care.

A questionnaire comprising 28 questions exploring attitudes to whole person medicine, spirituality and illness, and training of healthcare staff in providing spiritual care was designed using a five-point Likert scale. Free text comments were studied by thematic analysis. The questionnaire was distributed to 1300 students and 106 Faculty at Queen’s University Belfast Medical School.

351 responses (54 staff, 287 students; 25 %) were obtained. >90 % agreed that whole person medicine included physical, psychological and social components; 60 % supported inclusion of a spiritual component within the definition. Most supported availability of spiritual interventions for patients, including access to chaplains (71 %), counsellors (62 %), or members of the patient’s faith community (59 %). 90 % felt that personal faith/spirituality was important to some patients and 60 % agreed that this influenced health. However 80 % felt that doctors should never/rarely share their own spiritual beliefs with patients and 67 % felt they should only do so when specifically invited. Most supported including training on provision of spiritual care within the curriculum; 40-50 % felt this should be optional and 40 % mandatory. Small group teaching was the favoured delivery method. 64 % felt that teaching should not be assessed, but among assessment methods, reflective portfolios were most favoured (30 %). Students tended to hold more polarised viewpoints but generally were more favourably disposed towards spiritual care than Faculty. Respecting patients’ values and beliefs and the need for guidance in provision of spiritual care were identified in the free-text comments.

Students and Faculty generally recognise a spiritual dimension to health and support provision of spiritual care to appropriate patients. There is lack of consensus whether this should be delivered by doctors or left to others. Spiritual issues impacting patient management should be included in the curriculum; agreement is lacking about how to deliver and assess.

Seven key actions to eradicate rheumatic heart disease in Africa: the Addis Ababa communiqué

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remain major causes of heart failure, stroke and death among African women and children, despite being preventable and imminently treatable. From 21 to 22 February 2015, the Social Cluster of the Africa Union Commission (AUC) hosted a consultation with RHD experts convened by the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to develop a 'roadmap' of key actions that need to be taken by governments to eliminate ARF and eradicate RHD in Africa. Seven priority areas for action were adopted: (1) create prospective disease registers at sentinel sites in affected countries to measure disease burden and track progress towards the reduction of mortality by 25% by the year 2025, (2) ensure an adequate supply of high-quality benzathine penicillin for the primary and secondary prevention of ARF/RHD, (3) improve access to reproductive health services for women with RHD and other non-communicable diseases (NCD), (4) decentralise technical expertise and technology for diagnosing and managing ARF and RHD (including ultrasound of the heart), (5) establish national and regional centres of excellence for essential cardiac surgery for the treatment of affected patients and training of cardiovascular practitioners of the future, (6) initiate national multi-sectoral RHD programmes within NCD control programmes of affected countries, and (7) foster international partnerships with multinational organisations for resource mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation of the programme to end RHD in Africa. This Addis Ababa communiqué has since been endorsed by African Union heads of state, and plans are underway to implement the roadmap in order to end ARF and RHD in Africa in our lifetime.

Neural adaptations associated with interlimb transfer in a ballistic wrist flexion task.

Cross education is the process whereby training of one limb gives rise to increases in the subsequent performance of its opposite counterpart. The execution of many unilateral tasks is associated with increased excitability of corticospinal projections from primary motor cortex (M1) to the opposite limb. It has been proposed that these effects are causally related. Our aim was to establish whether changes in corticospinal excitability arising from prior training of the opposite limb determine levels of interlimb transfer.

We used three vision conditions shown previously to modulate the excitability of corticospinal projections to the inactive (right) limb during wrist flexion movements performed by the training (left) limb. These were: mirrored visual feedback of the training limb; no visual feedback of either limb; and visual feedback of the inactive limb. Training comprised 300 discrete, ballistic wrist flexion movements executed as rapidly as possible. Performance of the right limb on the same task was assessed prior to, at the mid point of, and following left limb training.

There was no evidence that variations in the excitability of corticospinal projections (assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)) to the inactive limb were associated with, or predictive of, the extent of interlimb transfer that was expressed. There were however associations between alterations in muscle activation dynamics observed for the untrained limb, and the degree of positive transfer that arose from training of the opposite limb.

The results suggest that the acute adaptations that mediate the bilateral performance gains realised through unilateral practice of this ballistic wrist flexion task are mediated by neural elements other than those within M1 that are recruited at rest by single-pulse TMS.

Biologia e biotecnologia vegetal numa perspectiva de sustentabilidade

A importância de áreas científicas, como biologia e biotecnologia na vida humana é cada vez mais reconhecida. Assim, é necessário que professores, actuais e futuros, e investigadores desenvolvam programas de formação/investigação orientados para a compreensão de conteúdos científicos e questionamento da natureza destas áreas e, simultaneamente, para utilizações conscienciosas de conhecimento científico na vida prática. É neste quadro que se insere a investigação realizada e apresentada na presente dissertação. Para responder à questão central:”Como proporcionar formação em biologia e biotecnologia para o mundo contemporâneo a alunos futuros professores de ciências?”, a investigação envolveu dois percursos gerais de trabalho: i) Autoformação em biologia e biotecnologia vegetal numa perspectiva investigativa e ii) Desenvolvimento de percursos investigativos em formação inicial de professores de ciências para o Ensino Básico, envolvendo temáticas actuais relacionadas com biologia e biotecnologia. Globalmente, a investigação baseou-se em três pressupostos: 1º) É oportuno e necessário mobilizar conhecimentos oriundos da investigação científica actual em biologia e biotecnologia para conceber, planear e desenvolver actividades de formação inicial de professores de ciências, 2º) O perfil profissional de professores envolvidos em formação inicial de professores de ciências deve integrar competências científicas, desenvolvidas em trabalho investigativo e 3º). Aos alunos-futuros professores de ciências devem proporcionar-se oportunidades para desenvolverem reflexão epistemológica e trabalho investigativo, para mobilizarem adequadamente conhecimento oriundo de investigação científica actual e desenvolverem competências na tripla perspectiva de educação sobre ciências, pelas ciências e em ciências. A autoformação desenvolveu-se no âmbito de dois projectos em biologia e biotecnologia vegetal, designadamente, Toxicidade do chumbo em alface, onde se testou o efeito do chumbo em alface (Lactuca sativa), e Micropropagação de zimbro, onde se implementaram metodologias de micropropagação/clonagem de uma espécie em risco em Porto Santo, Juniperus Phoenicea. O desenvolvimento de percursos investigativos, com e por alunos-futuros professores de ciências, efectuou-se no âmbito de uma disciplina de um curso de licenciatura em Ciências da Natureza e Matemática para o 2º ciclo do Ensino Básico. Estes percursos compreenderam reflexão epistemológica e o desenvolvimento de trabalho investigativo que envolveu um conjunto de estratégias e recursos, incorporando conteúdos de toxicologia ambiental e de biotecnologia vegetal numa perspectiva de inter-relações ciência, tecnologia e sociedade. Os resultados relativos ao desenvolvimento destes percursos investigativos evidenciaram o interesse e importância de se desenvolverem em temáticas científicas actuais e relevantes para o mundo contemporâneo, como via de autoformação, por um lado, e como estratégia de formação de alunos-futuros professores de ciências, orientada por preocupações de educação para o desenvolvimento sustentável, por outro. Simultaneamente, permitiram que todos os intervenientes, em particular os alunos-futuros professores de ciências, aprofundassem conhecimentos sobre contextos e processos envolvidos em formação em biologia e biotecnologia para o mundo contemporâneo e identificassem implicações para a formação de professores. Permitiram, ainda, apontar sugestões para investigação futura neste domínio.

A mediação pedagógica em bLearning: uma abordagem de formação inicial de professores à distância em Cabo Verde

A universalização do ensino de base de seis anos, em Cabo Verde, legitimada a partir da adopção da Lei de Bases do Sistema Educativo de 1990 veio acentuar o desequilíbrio já existente entre as necessidades do sistema e o número de docentes qualificados. Os modelos tradicionais, presenciais, adoptados mostram-se incapazes de uma resposta eficaz seja porque a dispersão territorial e populacional dificultam o acesso aos centros de formação, seja porque o ensino convencional está desfasado das realidades social, tecnológica e geográfica de Cabo Verde e das exigências do mundo actual em que as novas tecnologias de informação e comunicação obrigam a uma mudança do paradigma na formação em geral. A abrangência do tema e o seu carácter multidisciplinar levou-nos a seleccionar um tema específico - a mediação pedagógica, em contextos de profissionalização à distância, de professores da ilha de Santiago/Cabo Verde - que nunca foi objecto de investigação sistematizada. Utilizamos a técnica de inquérito por questionário dirigido a um universo de 138 formandos e 15 formadores de uma Escola de formação de professores na cidade da Praia, com o objectivo de identificar os factores que condicionam a aprendizagem dos formandos e de analisar as representações dos respondentes relativamente ao modelo, suportes e meios de comunicação a distância. É clara a preferência por um modelo misto de aprendizagem – “blended learning”. Baseados nos resultados obtidos, foram definidos as linhas estruturantes e os princípios orientadores que devem subjazer à elaboração de um programa de formação profissional de professores em bLearning, susceptível de implementação em Cabo Verde. É validada a tese de que o conhecimento das características, necessidades e expectativas do formando é incontornável para a identificação do modelo adequado ao perfil do formando. São referidas algumas implicações que poderão trazer contributos relevantes para a dinamização da discussão sobre as novas abordagens de formação e procura de solução para a problemática de formação de professores, em Cabo Verde. O presente trabalho ambiciona ser um contributo para o debate sobre a formação de professores com recurso a mecanismos de formação à distância, alternativa pedagógica adequada à especificidade do arquipélago.