Developing work readiness in university graduates: a case study in mapping a university curriculum to work readiness domains in an Australian physiotherapy degree.

BACKGROUND: Recent research has identified six domains of work readiness: Practical Wisdom, Interpersonal Capabilities, Personal Attributes, Organisational Acumen, Profession Specific Knowledge and Skills, and Professionally Relevant Experiences. OBJECTIVE: Using a case study, the aim of this study was to demonstrate the process of curriculum mapping to evaluate the alignment of a university program to the work readiness framework. METHODS: A retrospective audit of curriculum material for one cohort of Macquarie University's Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) was undertaken. Curriculum was categorized as declared, delivered, or assessed, mapped to the six work readiness domains through qualitative content analysis, and then quantitatively scored and expressed as percentages of maximum possible scores per unit, and average units scores per semester. RESULTS: Mapping curriculum to a six domain work readiness framework revealed declared, delivered, and assessed curriculum within all six work readiness domains, with varying contributions across the degree. Mapping revealed that the Profession Specific Knowledge and Skills domain had the highest coverage of declared (M = 63%, SD = 12), delivered (M = 88%, SD = 11) and assessed (M = 80%, SD = 7) curriculum, highlighting a strength of the program. The Personal Attributes domain had the lowest coverage of declared (M = 5%, SD = 5), delivered (M = 48%, SD = 24) and assessed (M = 29%, SD = 20) curriculum, highlighting opportunities for development. CONCLUSION: Mapping curriculum to a work readiness framework allows universities to consider alignment, and the strength and opportunities for the improvement of work readiness within its curriculum.

Laparoscopic versus open colposuspension--results of a prospective randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of open and laparoscopic colposuspension in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. DESIGN: A randomised controlled trial. Women were randomised between March 1999 and February 2002 and were seen for assessment at 6, 12 and 24 months, postoperatively. SETTING: Women were recruited from six gynaecology units in the UK. POPULATION: Women with proven stress urinary incontinence requiring surgery. METHODS: Open abdominal retropubic colposuspension or laparoscopic colposuspension. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were subjective (satisfaction with outcome) and objective (negative 1-hour pad test). Secondary outcomes were operative and postoperative morbidity and quality of life. The study was powered to demonstrate noninferiority, i.e. that the absolute cure rate of laparoscopic colposuspension was no more than 15% below that of open colposuspension. RESULTS: A total of 291 women were randomised, with 24-month data on subjective and objective outcomes in 88 and 82.5%, respectively. The intention-to-treat analysis indicated no significant difference in cure rates between open and laparoscopic surgery. The objective cure rates for open and laparoscopic were 70.1 and 79.7%, respectively. Subjective cure rates by satisfaction were lower than objective cure; 54.6 and 54.9%, respectively, and there was considerable nonconcordance both ways. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic colposuspension is not inferior to open colposuspension in terms of curing stress urinary incontinence.

Laparoscopic colposuspension.

Laparoscopic Burch colposuspension has entered the surgical armory for the treatment of genuine stress incontinence. The limited data available of the outcomes of the procedure currently suggest that success rates are lower than for the open colposuspension in the short term. Data is lacking on long-term effectiveness. This and the longer operating times documented may reflect inexperience of surgeons. There seem to be advantages in terms of sooner return to normal voiding, earlier discharge from hospital, perioperative morbidity, and a lower incidence of voiding problems when compared with the open procedure. No reduction in the incidence of de novo detrusor instability postoperatively has emerged. A large randomized controlled trial of the two procedures is required to provide higher quality data on outcomes.