ABSTRACT
Introduction. This paper aims to determine whether e-Service-Learning, as a methodology that encourages learning based on student action and reflection on a social need, has a positive effect on an innovation-oriented teamwork competency, and to specify which areas of teamwork are affected, and any type of causal relationship that may exist between these areas, student's motivation and student's work engagement. These types of competencies are in high demand in the workplace. Method. A quasi-experimental design was proposed, with 298 students enrolled in an undergraduate degree in Tourism, Psychology or Teacher of Early Childhood Education, at the University of Almeria (Spain). One group had contact with e-SL (198 students), and a second group did not (100). The instruments used were the Team Climate Inventory (TCI-14) (adapted by Boada-Grau et al., 2011) and the student version of the Cuestionario de Aprendizaje y Servicio para entidades educativas [Learning and service questionnaire for educational institutions] (Fernandez-Torres et al., 2017). Results. Statistically significant between-group differences were shown in the variable support for innovation;and statistically significant, positive relationships were found between all the variables in the experimental group. Likewise, the data indicate that innovation, which was acquired through the practice of teamwork in e-SL, helped to increase academic motivation, which in turn affected student interest in working toward the best outcome, with the latter acting as a mediating variable between the two. Discussion and conclusions. These results show the need for socially engaged universities to take steps to consolidate these practices in university degree programs, because they further the development of transversal competencies.
ABSTRACT
Background: The accuracy of rapid antigen tests (RAT) SARS-CoV-2 for in children is unknown. Our aim was to determine the diagnostic accuracy and concordance of the RAT PanBioTM (Abbott) compared to RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal smear (NPS) samples, in symptomatic pediatric population. Methods: This is a descriptive, retrospective, multicentre clinical study nested in a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study. We included pediatric patients aged 0 to 16 years with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 of ≤5 days of evolution, attended in the Emergency Departments of the seven centers involved. A total of two consecutive NPS were obtained from each patient: one was employed to perform the RAT and the other to perform RT-PCR. Sample size for a non-inferiority study was calculated considering 80% power, for a 5% prevalence and a 90% sensitivity, using RT-PCR as the gold standard reference. A confusion matrix was displayed. Non-inferiority of sensitivity and specificity between diagnostic tests was assessed using the McNemar's test. The agreement between the two methods was calculated using Cohen's kappa index. Results: A total of 1620 patients were tested in 7 hospitals. The overall sensitivity for RAT PanBioTM was 45.4% (95%CI, 34.1-57.2), and specificity was 99.8% (95%CI, 99.4-99.9) (Figure 1). The positive predictive value (PPV) for this 4.8% prevalence was 92.5% (95%CI, 78.6-97.4). The negative predictive value was 97.3 % (95%CI, 96.8-97.8). Positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was high - 233.8 (IC 95%, 73.5-743.3), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) was low - 0.54 (95%CI, 0.44-0.67). Conclusion: Compared to RT-PCR, the sensitivity of the RAT PanBioTM was low in children with <5 days of symptoms of COVID-19. The specificity and PLR were good, and the NLR and concordance with RT-PCR were only moderate. These results suggest that the test is very good when the result is positive, and that the test has only a limited value when the result is negative. In relation with screening and public health policy, these results should be interpreted considering also rapidness, availability and false positives ratio compared to RT-PCR or other tests.