Using a mock board of pharmacy disciplinary hearing to teach concepts related to administrative law, addiction, empathy, and professionalism.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this project was to impact pharmacy students' personal and professional development through simulation of a board of pharmacy disciplinary hearing regarding addiction. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: The mock board hearing was conducted as part of the required curriculum. Faculty obtained materials from a prior board hearing. The actual respondent, lawyer, former executive director, and a board agent participated. Students served as board members and president, asked questions of the witnesses, and deliberated per board procedure. After the event, student learning and perceptions were assessed through knowledge-based, opinion-based questions, and open-ended questions. FINDINGS: Of the 141 students who attended the event, 97% completed the assessment. The average score on the knowledge-based questions was 95%. Ratings of perceptions and reflections of the experience were used in tandem to understand the experience. In general, students indicated the experience was positive and impactful towards their education. Students indicated they felt that the experience allowed them to better understand addiction and empathize with someone called before the board. In fact, there were fundamental differences in perceptions regarding the "addicted person," going from a penalizing and stigmatized perspective to one of caring and compassion. SUMMARY: Students were knowledgeable about the board and its regulatory process after the event. More than knowledge, students indicated fundamental changes in their views of addiction. Other institutions may consider implementing similar exercises to engender empathy and professionalism regarding drug addiction and regulatory compliance.

Association between Performance in a Maintenance of Certification Program and Disciplinary Actions against the Medical Licenses of Anesthesiologists.

WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS TOPIC: WHAT THIS ARTICLE TELLS US THAT IS NEW: BACKGROUND:: In 2000, the American Board of Anesthesiology (Raleigh, North Carolina) began issuing time-limited certificates requiring renewal every 10 yr through a maintenance of certification program. This study investigated the association between performance in this program and disciplinary actions against medical licenses. METHODS: The incidence of postcertification prejudicial license actions was compared (1) between anesthesiologists certified between 1994 and 1999 (non-time-limited certificates not requiring maintenance of certification) and those certified between 2000 and 2005 (time-limited certificates requiring maintenance of certification); (2) within the non-time-limited cohort, between those who did and did not voluntarily participate in maintenance of certification; and (3) within the time-limited cohort, between those who did and did not complete maintenance of certification requirements within 10 yr. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of license actions was 3.8% (587 of 15,486). The incidence did not significantly differ after time-limited certificates were introduced (hazard ratio = 1.15; 95% CI, 0.95 to 1.39; for non-time-limited cohort compared with time-limited cohort). In the non-time-limited cohort, 10% (n = 953) voluntarily participated in maintenance of certification. Maintenance of certification participation was associated with a lower incidence of license actions (hazard ratio = 0.60; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.94). In the time-limited cohort, 90% (n = 5,329) completed maintenance of certification requirements within 10 yr of certificate issuance. Not completing maintenance of certification requirements (n = 588) was associated with a higher incidence of license actions (hazard ratio = 4.61; 95% CI, 3.27 to 6.51). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that meeting maintenance of certification requirements is associated with a lower likelihood of being disciplined by a state licensing agency. The introduction of time-limited certificates in 2000 was not associated with a significant change in the rate of license actions.

Outcomes of notifications to health practitioner boards: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Medical boards and other practitioner boards aim to protect the public from unsafe practice. Previous research has examined disciplinary actions against doctors, but other professions (e.g., nurses and midwives, dentists, psychologists, pharmacists) remain understudied. We sought to describe the outcomes of notifications of concern regarding the health, performance, and conduct of health practitioners from ten professions in Australia and to identify factors associated with the imposition of restrictive actions. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all notifications lodged with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency over 24 months. Notifications were followed for 30-54 months. Our main outcome was restrictive actions, defined as decisions that imposed undertakings, conditions, or suspension or cancellation of registration. RESULTS: There were 8307 notifications. The notification rate was highest among doctors (IR = 29.0 per 1000 practitioner years) and dentists (IR = 41.4) and lowest among nurses and midwives (IR = 4.1). One in ten notifications resulted in restrictive action; fewer than one in 300 notifications resulted in suspension or cancellation of registration. Compared with notifications about clinical care, the odds of restrictive action were higher for notifications relating to health impairments (drug misuse, OR = 7.0; alcohol misuse, OR = 4.6; mental illness, OR = 4.1, physical or cognitive illness, OR = 3.7), unlawful prescribing or use of medications (OR = 2.1) and violation of sexual boundaries (OR = 1.7). The odds were higher where the report was made by another health practitioner (OR = 2.9) or employer (OR = 6.9) rather than a patient or relative. Nurses and midwives (OR = 1.8), psychologists (OR = 4.5), dentists (OR = 4.7), and other health practitioners (OR = 5.3) all had greater odds of being subject to restrictive actions than doctors. CONCLUSIONS: Restrictive actions are the strongest measures health practitioner boards can take to protect the public from harm and these actions can have profound effects on the livelihood, reputations and well-being of practitioners. In Australia, restrictive actions are rarely imposed and there is variation in their use depending on the source of the notification, the type of issue involved, and the profession of the practitioner.

Counterproductive work behavior among frontline government employees: Role of personality, emotional intelligence, affectivity, emotional labor, and emotional exhaustion / Comportamiento laboral contraproducente en funcionarios de primera línea:papel de la personalidad, la inteligencia emocional, la afectividad, el trabajoemocional y el agotamiento emocional

The main objective of this research is to study the effect of personality, emotional intelligence (EI), affectivity, emotional labor and emotional exhaustion on counterproductive work behavior (CWB) of front line employees in the government sector. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to 625 front line employees working at service counters in 25 ministries in Malaysia. We received responses from 519employees (response rate = 83%). The data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The main findings are: (1) personality factors of employees drive their EI, affectivity, emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, and CWB and (2) EI and affectivity impact emotional labor, emotional exhaustion and CWB. Through the integrated model, we have studied the indirect roles of emotional labor and emotional exhaustion. This is one of the few studies that have effectively integrated the five constructs into a single framework to study their effects on CWB (AU)

El objetivo principal de este trabajo es estudiar el efecto de la personalidad, la inteligencia emocional(IE), la afectividad, el trabajo emocional y el agotamiento emocional en el comportamiento laboral contraproducente de los empleados de primera línea del sector público. Se diseñó un cuestionario, que se distribuyó a 625 funcionarios de primera línea destinados en ventanillas de 25 ministerios de Malasia. Recibimos respuesta de 519 funcionarios (índice de respuesta del 83%). Los datos se analizaron mediante el modelado de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM). Se obtuvieron los siguientes resultados: (1) los factores de personalidad gobiernan su inteligencia emocional, afectividad, trabajo emocional, agotamiento emocional y el comportamiento laboral contraproducente (CLC) y (2) la inteligencia emocional y la afectividad influyen en el trabajo emocional, el agotamiento emocional y el CLC. Mediante el modelo integrado hemos estudiado el papel indirecto del trabajo emocional y del agotamiento emocional. Se trata de uno de los pocos estudios que han integrado eficazmente los cinco constructos en una estructura única para estudiar sus efectos sobre el CLC (AU)

¿Cómo mejorar la eficacia de los equipos a través de los procesos grupales? Un ejemplo en la industria automotriz / How to improve team effectiveness through group processess: An example in the automotive industry

Incrementar la efectividad de los grupos y equipos de trabajo es fundamental en cualquier organización, y más, durante los periodos de crisis económica. Para diseñar un equipo, formar un grupo u optimizar su trabajo, es preciso considerar las tareas, los procesos y los resultados. Siendo los equipos una herramienta clave en la competitividad del sector de la automoción, en este artículo nos enfocaremos en cómo mejorar el desempeño y la efectividad de los equipos de producción de este sector en las industrias españolas, a través de tres procesos, desarrollo grupal, identificación con el grupo y potencia del equipo. Los resultados indican que estos procesos predicen el 57% del desempeño grupal y especialmente dos de los criterios de efectividad utilizados en el sector (absentismo y orden e higiene en el lugar de trabajo). Discutiremos la utilidad de estos resultados para gerentes y lideres de equipos, con el objetivo de favorecer la efectividad de los equipos de producción del sector

Increasing group and team effectiveness is fundamental for any organisation, especially during periods of economic crisis. In order to build or design a team or to optimise its work, it is necessary to consider tasks, processes and results. Given that teams are a key tool for competitiveness in the automotive sector, this paper focuses on how to improve the performance and the effectiveness of production teams in Spain's automotive industry through three processes: group development, group identification, and team potency. The results show that these processes predict 57% of group performance, and in particular two of the effectiveness criteria used in this sector: absenteeism and order and hygiene in the workplace. We discuss the usefulness of these results for managers and team leaders in order to improve team performance and effectiveness in the automotive sector

Registros enfermeros. Contribución a la seguridad del paciente y a la visualización de la disciplina enfermera / Nursing records. Contribution to the security of patient and visualizing of the discipline of nursing

Los registros enfermeros conforman la historia de enfermería de un paciente con el objetivo de dejar constancia de la atención prestada y de la evolución de la persona desde la mirada holística que identifica la profesión. Estos registros tienen un contexto legal, profesional y de seguridad que deben cumplir. También a través de la escritura se puede inferir la visión que de la profesión tiene el profesional/escritor. En este artículo se analizan algunas expresiones extraídas de registros enfermeros de unidades de cuidados paliativos tomando como referencia los elementos contextuales nombrados. Se concluye que se debería prestar más atención a esta actividad, que es una obligación profesional y un derecho del paciente, para dotar a los registros enfermeros de información objetiva, clara, sin ambigüedades ni interpretaciones erróneas, y que refleje la aportación específica de la enfermería a la sociedad (AU)

The nursing records conform the clinical history of a patient with the aim to bring evidence of care provided by professional as well as to bring evidence of evolution of a person from a holistic point of view that identifies the profession. These records have a legal, professional and security contexts that ought to be fulfilled. In addition, with help of record keeping it is possible to infer a vision of the profession that was transmitted by the author. This article discusses the qualitative data based on various expressions extracted from the nursing records of palliative care units, taking as a reference the contextual elements that were named above. It concludes that it’s important to give more attention to this activity as it presents a professional obligation and belongs to patient’s rights. The current research stresses the importance to have the nursing records updated with the objective information, clear, without ambiguities or misinterpretations, and which can evidence the specific contribution of nursing to the society (AU)

Unmasking the open secret of posting and transfer practices in the health sector.

This article focuses on processes of granting posts and transfers to health care workers and administrators that can be described as 'mission inconsistent (MI)', meaning that they are not conducted in a way that maximizes health outcomes or that respects the norms of health care worker professionalism. We synthesize relevant literature from several different disciplinary perspectives to describe what is known about the problem of MI posting and transfer in the health sector, to critically engage and interrogate these literatures, and to briefly discuss efforts that have been made to maximize mission consistency. The article concludes by suggesting principles for future research that would foster a more complete understanding of posting and transfer practices.

Revisión de aspectos normativos y funcionales del personal de los Cuerpos Facultativo y de Enfermeros de Instituciones Penitenciarias / A review of the regulatory and functional aspects of prison health care and nursing staff

Con relación a los funcionarios sanitarios penitenciarios encuadrados en los Cuerpos Facultativo de Sanidad Penitenciaria y de Enfermeros de Instituciones Penitenciarias, este trabajo tiene dos objetivos. El primero, anotar el régimen jurídico aplicable a los mismos como funcionarios de la Administración General del Estado al servicio de las Instituciones Penitenciarias, destacando las peculiaridades de la regulación normativa aplicable por el hecho de prestar ese servicio. El segundo, con el trasfondo de las normas generales que sobre sanidad penitenciaria contiene la Ley Orgánica 1/1979, de 26 de septiembre, General Penitenciaria y su Reglamento de desarrollo, aprobado por Real Decreto 190/1996, de 9 de febrero, efectuar un análisis crítico del cuadro obligacional y funcional del personal facultativo y de enfermería establecido en el viejo Reglamento Penitenciario de 1981, para determinar si, desde un punto de vista jurídico, puede erigirse en obstáculo o freno para que la Administración Penitenciaria proceda al desarrollo y ejecución de las funciones que tiene atribuidas en materia de planificación, organización y dirección de las actividades tendentes al mantenimiento y mejora de la higiene y de la salud en el medio penitenciario (AU)

The aim of this study of prison health care staff in Prison Health Care and Nursing Units is twofold. The first one is to consider those aspects of the legal system applicable to them as government employees of the General State Administration at the service of Prisons, highlighting the peculiarities of the legal regulations that can be applied as a result of providing said service. The second, based on the general regulations on prison health contained in Organic Law 1/1979, of 26 September, General Penitentiary Law and the implementing regulations thereof, approved by Royal Decree 190/1966, of 9 February, sets out to provide a critical analysis of the obligatory and functional framework for health care and nursing staff established in the old Penitentiary Regulations of 1981, to determine from a legal perspective if it is possible to impede or brake so that the Prison Administration may develop or carry out the functions for which it is responsible in terms of planning, organization and management of activities geared towards maintaining and improving hygiene and health in the prison environment (AU)

What to do if you are referred to the NMC.

If you are subject to an investigation by a professional regulator, you need to be informed about the process and act quickly. This article outlines the process and offers some advice on how best to navigate it.

It's time to rebrand progressive discipline to structured achievements.

The concept of progressive discipline has traditionally been communicated as a common way to address performance issues in the U. S. workforce. In practice, progressive discipline is all too often implemented as a negative, demoralizing process that leads--or is threatened to lead--to the termination of employment. This article challenges a change in the way progressive discipline is managed and communicated from a negative, threatening perspective to one that involves a series of structured achievements that are effective in helping employees meet or exceed the requirements of the job.