Professional development short scale: Measurement invariance, stability, and validity in Brazil and Angola.

Professional development is the vital process in the workplace that comprises the growth and maturation of knowledge, skills, and attitudes arising from formal and informal learning at work throughout one's life. The goal of this research was to present validity evidence and accuracy of the Professional Development Short Scale (PDSS) for different occupational categories. The research was conducted using four cross-sectional questionnaire surveys with convenience samples of different occupational categories (N = 2,547) in 41 cities throughout Brazil and Angola. The first study aimed to explore the factorial structure and internal consistency of the PDSS. The second study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural validity and measurement invariance of the scale. The third study was to assess concurrent validity and predictive validity. The fourth study was to assess the test-retest reliability. The results indicated a one-factor structure, with six items for both countries' datasets. This research pointed out the validity of the PDSS as regards its convergence-discriminant pattern with the General Self-Efficacy and Job Self-Efficacy Scales, and also, the relationship of the PDSS with relevant constructs (Bases of Power/leadership styles, In-role performance, Job Satisfaction, and Career Promotion). In this study, we provide psychometric validity of the Professional Development Short Scale to offer it as a resource to measure the construct and allow researchers to apply it in research models easily integrated to other constructs. We covered several different incremental approaches to ensure the scale validity. Besides showing temporal stability to ensure it can be applied from time to time, as one dynamic construct should, we also indicated that social desirability did not influence the measurement of the PDSS. Furthermore, the results indicate that the effects of the method do not generate undue confusion on the scale. Thus, the psychometric properties of the PDSS allow for recommending the use of the scale in extensive studies. This scale therefore contributes to contemporary professional development literature through the comparison of the perceptions of professional development in different professional categories and by providing organizational researchers with a tool to evaluate the effects and predictors of such construct.

Self-employment and eudaimonic well-being: Energized by meaning, enabled by societal legitimacy.

This study investigates why and where self-employment is related to higher levels of eudaimonic well-being. We focus on meaningfulness as an important eudaimonic process and subjective vitality as a eudaimonic well-being outcome that is central to entrepreneurs' proactivity. Building on self-determination theory, we posit that self-employment, relative to wage-employment, is a more self-determined and volitional career choice, which enhances the experience of meaningfulness at work and perceptions of work autonomy. In a multi-level study of 22,002 individuals and 16 European countries, meaningfulness at work mediates the relationship between self-employment and subjective vitality and explains this relationship better than work autonomy. We identify moderating effects of context: the societal legitimacy of entrepreneurship in a country affects the choice set of alternative career options that individuals can consider and thus shapes the experience of meaningfulness at work and work autonomy, and thereby indirectly subjective vitality. These findings expand our understanding of eudaimonic well-being, entrepreneurs' work, and the role of context in entrepreneurship and well-being research. They complement existing research on hedonic well-being of entrepreneurs and extend the scarce literature on their eudaimonic well-being.

The effect of perception of organizational politics on professionals' engagement: the moderating role of the psychological safety climate / Percepción de las políticas organizacionales, clima de seguridad psicológica y compromiso con el trabajo: Un análisis cruzado usando modelos jerárquicos lineales

The purpose of this research was to empirically test the hypothesis that the organizational psychological safety climate and the perception of organizational politics predict the extent to which employees feel engaged in their work. Using hierarchical linear modeling and data collected from 1,244 employees in 64 organizations, organizational level psychological safety climate and employee-level perception of organizational politics predicted employee work engagement. There was also significant cross-level interaction, so that the negative effect of the perception of organizational politics was amplified in organizations with a positive psychological safety climate. In other words, organizational psychological safety benefits the work engagement of individuals more when they perceive the existence of low organizational politics. The results offer insight into the mechanisms by which the perceived organizational context may influence employees' work engagement and highlight the importance for the perceived organizational consistency in the promotion of work engagement within their organization. Human Resource professionals and managers should promote frequent meetings with the workers and apply other practices that can boost a safe climate for the employees

El propósito de esta investigación fue probar empíricamente la hipótesis de que el clima de seguridad psicológica de la organización y la percepción de las políticas de la organización predicen hasta qué punto los empleados se sienten comprometidos con su trabajo. El uso de modelos jerárquicos lineales y los datos recopilados de 1,244 empleados en 64 organizaciones mostraron que el clima de seguridad psicológica a nivel organizativo y la percepción de la política organizacional a nivel de los empleados predijo el compromiso con el trabajo de los empleados. También hubo una inesperada interacción significativa entre los niveles, de modo que el efecto negativo de la percepción de las políticas organizacionales se amplificó en organizaciones con un clima de seguridad psicológica positivo. En otras palabras, la seguridad psicológica organizacional beneficia más el compromiso de los individuos cuando ellos perciben la existencia de políticas organizacionales bajas. Los resultados ofrecen información sobre los mecanismos por los cuales el contexto organizativo percibido puede influir en el compromiso laboral de los empleados y resaltar la importancia de la coherencia organizativa percibida en la promoción del compromiso laboral dentro de su organización

Predictors of Job Crafting Behaviors: A Mediation Analysis / Preditores dos Comportamentos de Redesenho do Trabalho: Uma Análise de Mediação

Abstract The study explored the relationship between psychological safety and job crafting behaviors, as well as the mediating role of the satisfaction of psychological needs in this relationship. The sample was composed of 1,171 Brazilian workers, who answered the Psychological Safety Scale, the Basic Needs Satisfaction General Scale and the Job Crafting Scale. The structural equations modeling showed that the perception of psychological safety contributed to the satisfaction of psychological needs which, in turn, affected the job crafting behaviors. It was concluded that the job crafting behaviors suffer from the influence of contextual work resources and motivational aspects, which contributes to the understanding of the effects of the new demands of work on organizational behavior.

Resumo O estudo investigou a relação da segurança psicológica com os comportamentos de redesenho, bem como o papel mediador da satisfação das necessidades psicológicas em tal relação. A amostra compôs-se de 1171 trabalhadores brasileiros, que responderam à Escala de Segurança Psicológica, à Escala Geral de Satisfação das Necessidades Básicas e à Escala de Comportamentos de Redesenho do Trabalho. A modelagem de equações estruturais indicou que a percepção de segurança psicológica contribuiu para a satisfação das necessidades psicológicas, que, por sua vez, impactaram os comportamentos de redesenho. Concluiu-se que os comportamentos de redesenho sofrem a influência de recursos contextuais do trabalho e de aspectos motivacionais, o que contribui para a compreensão dos efeitos das novas demandas do trabalho sobre o comportamento organizacional.

Acute Ischemic Stroke in a Child Successfully Treated with Thrombolytic Therapy and Mechanical Thrombectomy.

Acute ischemic stroke in the pediatric population is rare but carries lasting and often lifelong morbidity. Thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy are mainstays of care in adults, yet there is very little evidence for these treatments in children. We present the case of a 4-year-old boy with complex congenital heart disease, admitted 30 min after sudden onset of an aphasia and right hemiplegia, scoring 14 on the Pediatric National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (PedNIHSS). Non-contrast brain computed tomography (CT) showed no evidence of acute ischemia. CT angiogram demonstrated a thrombus in the M1 segment of the left middle cerebral artery. Intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rTPA) was infused 3.5 h after onset of symptoms. An improvement was observed in the hour after rTPA, with a PedNIHSS score of 7. Digital subtraction angiography was performed approximately 9 h from the onset of symptoms, showing a complete left M1 occlusion. The patient underwent successful mechanical thrombectomy and was discharged with a PedNIHSS score of 2. This case emphasizes the importance of early recognition to direct children towards rapid diagnosis and hyperacute treatment.

Overcoming job demands to deliver high quality care in a hospital setting across Europe: The role of teamwork and positivity / La superación de las exigencias laborales para ofrecer una elevada calidad asistencial en el ámbito hospitalario en Europa: papel del trabajo en equipo y la positividad

Health care professionals deal on a daily basis with several job demands - emotional, cognitive, organizational and physical. They must also ensure high quality care to their patients. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of job demands on quality of care and to investigate team (backup behaviors) and individual (positivity ratio) processes that help to shield that impact. Data was collected from 2,890 doctors and nurses in 9 European countries by means of questionnaires. Job demands have a negative impact on the quality of care delivered by health professionals. Backup behaviors had a mediating effect between job demands and quality of care. Also, the positivity ratio of professionals (ratio of positive and negative emotions experienced) was also found as a significant mediator between most job demands and quality of care dimensions. Finally, we found a double mediation between most job demands and quality of care, where backup behaviors influenced the positivity ratio. Quality of care in hospitals is closely related to job demands. Hospital managers should consider the importance of cooperation within health care professionals’ teams and ought to find ways to develop teamwork in order to promote patients’ safety (AU)

Los profesionales de la salud tratan a diario con múltiples exigencias laborales -emocionales, cognitivas, organizacionales y físicas. También deben garantizar la máxima calidad de atención a sus pacientes. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar el impacto de las demandas laborales en la calidad de los cuidados y de investigar los procesos de equipo (backup behaviors) e individuales (positivity ratio) que ayudan a proteger al trabajador de ese impacto. Se recogieron datos de 2.890 médicos y enfermeros en 9 países europeos a través de cuestionarios. Las demandas laborales tienen un impacto negativo en la calidad de los cuidados proporcionados por profesionales de la salud. Los procesos de equipo (backup behaviors) tuvieron un efecto de mediación entre las demandas del trabajo y la calidad de los cuidados. Además, la ratio de positividad de los profesionales (proporción de emociones positivas y negativas) también se encontró como un mediador importante entre la mayoría de demandas de trabajo y la calidad del cuidado. Por último, se encontró una doble mediación entre la mayoría de las demandas de trabajo y calidad de la atención, donde los procesos de equipo influyeron en la ratio de positividad. La calidad de los cuidados proporcionados en los hospitales está muy relacionada con las exigencias del trabajo. Los directores de hospitales deben considerar la importancia de la cooperación entre equipos de profesionales de salud y encontrar formas de desarrollar el trabajo en equipo con el fin de promover la seguridad de los pacientes (AU)

Meanings of quality of care: perspectives of Portuguese health professionals and patients.

OBJECTIVES: The main goal of this study is to explore what is meant by "quality of care" (QoC) by both health professionals and patients. This research also intends to compare the perspectives of nurses, doctors and patients in order to understand whether these different actors share similar views on what represents QoC. DESIGN AND METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted. The study consisted in 44 semi-structured individual interviews (11 doctors; 23 nurses; 10 patients) and in three focus groups (20 participants: doctors, nurses, patients). Participants were doctors, nurses and patients from several Hospitals in Portugal. Data were analysed using content analysis methodology with MaxQDA software. RESULTS: The main content analysis' results revealed that all participants emphasize technical and interpersonal dimensions of QoC. Nevertheless, professionals stressed the availability of equipment and supplies and the conditions of health care indoor facilities. Patients focused more on their access to health services, namely the availability of health professionals, and on the health status outcome after care. In what the differences between doctors and nurses are concerned, the former tend to highlight the technical aspects of care more than the nurses, who tend to refer interpersonal aspects immediately. CONCLUSIONS: Although nowadays the importance of health care quality has become well-recognized, its definition is still complex. Given that specific aspects are more valued by certain groups than others, it is important to take in consideration all the stakeholder's perspectives when measuring QoC in order to continuously improve it in the 'real' settings.

Mercury fatal intoxication: two case reports.

We report two cases of fatal intoxications with mercury, one intentional and the other allegedly resulting from a drug formulation mistake. Both cases occurred in the year of 2004. The first case refers to a man who ingested a great portion of a mercuric chloride solution. He attended a hospital emergency, submitted to treatment, but died after 49 days. In the second case, a woman applied on the chest skin an ointment containing a great quantity of mercury bromide. After 7 days of treatment in the hospital, she died. In both cases, samples of tissues and organs were collected at autopsy for mercury analysis. Because methylation of mercury in humans after exposure to metallic or inorganic mercury is almost unknown, both total mercury and methylmercury were quantified in the post-mortem samples. The quantifications were carried out by Cold Vapour Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry for total mercury and by HPLC-UV for methylmercury. The total mercury contents found in the post-mortem fluid and tissue samples were consentaneous with mercury poisoning. For the first case, the concentrations found, expressed in microg/g wet weight, were in the liver 49.9, lung 3.27 and brain 0.33, and for blood 11.7 microg/mL. For the second case, the concentrations expressed in microg/g wet weight were in the liver 46.6, lung 14.6, brain 0.21, kidney 77.7, stomach 7.12, spleen 6.4 and heart 2.34, and for blood and urine 2.95 and 1.40 microg/mL, respectively. Only in the first case was methylmercury found and quantified in liver (1.70 microg/g wet weight) and in blood (0.15 microg/mL) samples.

Eslicarbazepine acetate (BIA 2-093) : relative bioavailability and bioequivalence of 50 mg/mL oral suspension and 200mg and 800mg tablet formulations.

PURPOSE: To investigate the bioavailability and bioequivalence of three different formulations of eslicarbazepine acetate (BIA 2-093): 50 mg/mL oral suspension (test 1), 200mg tablets (test 2) and 800mg tablets (reference). DESIGN, SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Single-centre, open-label, randomised, three-way crossover study in 18 healthy subjects. The study consisted of three consecutive periods separated by a washout period of 7 days or more. Each subject received a single dose of eslicarbazepine acetate 800mg on three different occasions: 16mL of oral 50 mg/mL suspension, four 200mg tablets or one 800mg tablet. RESULTS: Eslicarbazepine acetate was rapidly and extensively metabolised to BIA 2-005. Maximum BIA 2-005 plasma concentrations (Cmax) and area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity (AUCinfinity) were, respectively (arithmetic mean +/- SD), 18.0 +/- 4.6 microg/mL and 325.7 +/- 64.9 microg x h/mL for test 1, 16.0 +/- 4.0 microg/mL and 304.2 +/- 66.0 microg x h/mL for test 2, and 17.0 +/- 4.1 microg/mL and 301.1 +/- 60.0 microg x h/mL for the reference formulation. Point estimate (PE) and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for AUCinfinity test 1/reference geometric mean ratio were 1.09 and 1.01, 1.15; for Cmax ratio, PE and 90% CI were 1.07 and 0.97, 1.15. When test 2 and the reference formulations were compared, the PE and 90% CI were 0.99 and 0.94, 1.07 for the AUCinfinity ratio, and 0.94 and 0.86, 1.02 for the Cmax ratio. Bioequivalence of test versus reference formulations is thus accepted for both AUCinfinity and Cmax because the 90% CIs lie within the acceptance range of 0.80-1.25. CONCLUSION: The pharmacokinetic profiles of eslicarbazepine acetate oral 50 mg/mL suspension, 200mg tablet and 800mg tablet formulations were essentially similar, and the formulations can be considered bioequivalent.

Bioavailability and bioequivalence of two enteric-coated formulations of omeprazole in fasting and fed conditions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relative bioavailability and bioequivalence, in fasting and fed conditions, of repeated doses of two omeprazole enteric-coated formulations in healthy volunteers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Open label, single-centre study consisting of two consecutive randomised, two-way crossover trials (a fasting trial and a fed trial). Each trial consisted of two 7-day treatment periods in which subjects received one daily dose of the test (Ompranyt((R))) or reference (Mopral((R))) formulations. At day 7 and day 14 (fasting trial), products were administered in fasting conditions and blood samples were taken for omeprazole plasma assay over 12 hours. At day 21 and day 28 (fed trial), products were administered after a standard high-calorie and high-fat meal and 12-hour blood samples taken. Omeprazole plasma concentrations were quantified by a validated method using a reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV). RESULTS: Twenty-four subjects were enrolled and 23 completed the study. Under fasting conditions, the mean +/- SD maximum omeprazole plasma concentration (C(max)) was 797 +/- 471 mug/L for Ompranyt((R)) and 747 +/- 313 mug/L for Mopral((R)) with a point estimate (PE) of 1.01 and a 90% confidence interval (CI) of 0.88, 1.16. The mean +/- SD area under the plasma concentration curve from administration to last observed concentration (AUC(0-12)) was 1932 +/- 1611 mug . h/L and 1765 +/- 1327 mug . h/L for Ompranyt((R)) and Mopral((R)), respectively (PE = 1.09; 90% CI 0.95, 1.25). In the presence of food, the C(max) was 331 +/- 227 mug/L and 275 +/- 162 mug/L (PE = 1.21; 90% CI 0.92, 1.59) and AUC(0-12) was 1250 +/- 966 mug . h/L and 1087 +/- 861 mug . h/L (PE = 1.16; 90% CI 0.92, 1.47) for Ompranyt((R)) and Mopral((R)), respectively. Bioequivalence of the formulations in the fasting condition was demonstrated both for AUC(0-12) and for C(max) because the 90% CI lay within the acceptance range of 0.80-1.25. In contrast with the fasting condition, there were significant reductions in rate (C(max)) and extent (AUC(0-12)) of systemic exposure when test and reference formulations were administered with food. The food effect was more marked with Mopral((R)) than with Ompranyt((R)), and the bioequivalence criterion was not fulfilled because the 90% CI fell out of the acceptance range of 0.80, 1.25, for both C(max) and AUC(0-12). The two formulations were similarly well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Bioequivalence of Ompranyt((R)) (test formulation) and Mopral((R)) (reference) formulations was demonstrated after repeated dosing in the fasting condition. Following a high-calorie and high-fat meal, there was a significant reduction in rate and extent of systemic exposure for both products, with Ompranyt((R)) being less affected than Mopral((R)) by the presence of food.