ABSTRACT
The Nova Scotia Dietetic Association (NSDA) submitted seven position papers in response to a call for submissions for the Nova Scotia Government's Blueprint Committee on health system reform. The purpose of the submission was to delineate the preferred roles of dietitians/nutritionists in the reformed provincial health system. The position papers addressed the following health issues: primary health care, public health, long-term care, institutional/tertiary care, home care/home based services, health human resources, and healthy public policy. Each position paper included sections on the proposed nutrition planning structure, existing and proposed nutrition delivery structures, and expected outcomes of the proposed nutrition delivery structure. A number of actions associated with NSDA's position papers on health system reform are presented. Meanwhile, members of NSDA are continuing to work for health system reform in a proactive manner.
Subject(s)
Dietetics/standards , Health Care Reform/organization & administration , Societies , Health Facilities/standards , Health Promotion , Nova Scotia , Nutritional Physiological Phenomena , Organizational Policy , Primary Health CareSubject(s)
Clinical Competence , Patients , Physicians , Double-Blind Method , Humans , Physician-Patient RelationsABSTRACT
A statistical model of dietetic intern selection was developed from a profile of selection criteria that was obtained in a 1988 survey of Canadian graduate dietetic internship directors. The model was composed of four clusters of variables that resulted from the most frequently used selection criteria: academic performance, work experience, communication skills, and extracurricular activities. Data from a convenience sample of 39 dietetic intern applicants were analyzed, using principal components analysis and discriminant analysis, to test the model's power to predict success in obtaining an internship appointment. In descending order, the criteria with the greatest predictive powers were: academic performance; extracurricular activities; and supervisory, teaching, or instructing types of work experience. The model accounted for 41% of the differences between those who were successful and those who were not successful in obtaining internship appointments in 1989 and correctly classified 30 of 39 subjects. These results provide baseline data on the predictive power of some criteria used for selecting dietetic interns. These findings suggest the need for a replication study with a randomized national sample to crossvalidate the results obtained in this exploratory research.
Subject(s)
Dietetics/education , Education, Graduate/statistics & numerical data , Internship, Nonmedical/statistics & numerical data , Models, Statistical , School Admission Criteria/statistics & numerical data , Canada , Data Collection , Discriminant Analysis , Humans , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , Surveys and Questionnaires , WorkforceABSTRACT
A questionnaire designed to determine the nature and extent of family physicians' involvement in Canadian undergraduate medical education was sent in the fall of 1985 to the person in each department of family medicine in the 16 Canadian medical schools who was responsible for the undergraduate program. The questionnaires were followed up by visits to each school. The findings revealed that approximately 1200 family physicians were teaching 7400 Canadian medical students. There was considerable variation in the total curriculum time devoted to family medicine and in the content of and support for an undergraduate curriculum in family medicine across the country. In order to achieve nationally acceptable standards and greater continuity between undergraduate and postgraduate training, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges should develop objectives and program requirements.
