[Identification of the scope of practice for dental nurses with Delphi method].

PURPOSE: To identify the practice scope of dental nurses under the new situations. METHODS: The draft of scope of practice for dental nurses was based on theoretical analysis, literature review and consultation of advisory panel, and the final scope of practice for dental nurses was established by using the Delphi method. Statistical analysis was implemented using coefficient of variation, Kendall W with SPSS 17.0 software package. RESULTS: Thirty experts were consulted twice by using the Delphi method. The effective rates of two rounds of questionnaire were 100% and 73.3%, respectively. The authority coefficient was 0.837, and the P value of expert coordination coefficients W was less than 0.05. There were totally 116 suggestions from the experts, and 96 were accepted. The scope of practice for dental nurses was finally established, including 4 primary indexes and 25 secondary indexes. CONCLUSIONS: The scope of practice for dental nurses under the new situations is established in China through scientific methods. It is favorable for position management of dental nurses and may promote the development of nurse specialists in dental clinic.

[Optimize visiting sequence and time-interval appointment of re-visiting patients in stomatology].

PURPOSE: To optimize visiting sequence and time-interval appointment mode to reduce waiting time of re-visiting patients in department of stomatology based on clinical data repository. METHODS: Waiting time data of re-visiting patients in department of stomatology was collected and divided into 2 groups. A total of 70897 patients from July 2014 to September 2014 were enrolled as experimental group (group year-2014), while 63960 patients from July 2013 to September 2013 were used as control group (group year-2013).Measurement data was compared with two-tailed independent-samples t test using SPSS 22.0 software package. RESULTS: The waiting time of group year-2014 was 73.65 minutes while it was 106 minutes for group year-2013. P value was 0,which meant the waiting time of group year-2014 was significantly less than group year-2013. CONCLUSIONS: Optimizing visiting sequence and time-interval appointment mode can reduce the waiting time of re-visiting patients in department of stomatology greatly. Supported by Innovation Research Training Project of Humanities and Social Sciences from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine(wz1214).

[Optimal sequence algorithm of divided period appointment consultation service sequence for re-visiting patients in the department of stomatology].

PURPOSE: An optimal sequence algorithm model of divided period appointment consultation service was built through optimal sequence algorithm. METHODS: Re-visiting patients in the department of stomatology in a tertiary hospital were enrolled as the research objects in this study. Information about the diagnose term of common diseases, tooth positions treated, doctor's consultation hours were collected. After calculating the mean consultation hours of each disease based on the statistical analysis, the appointment consultation service sequence of re-visiting patients in the department of stomatology was optimized in accordance with the rule of "providing priority service to those requiring short consultation hours" by referencing to the theoretical model of parallel machine. RESULTS: The total waiting hours of patients after optimizing the appointment consultation sequence was decreased by 35.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Optimal sequence algorithm can optimize divided period consultation sequence, effectively shorten waiting hours and improve patients' medical experience.

[Optimize the service flow of stomatological department to accommodate outpatient's demands].

PURPOSE: To provide measures to dispose of unsatisfactory service links for outpatients, and to optimize the service flow of department of stomatology. METHODS: Four hundred and seventy-nine questionnaires were delivered in Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The questionnaires included 15 questions relating to general experience in department of stomatology and assessment on separate link of service flow. 5-point grades were set up for each question. Descriptive statistics analysis, Student's t test and analysis of variance were performed using SPSS13.0 software package. RESULTS: The general satisfaction rate was 4.68. The lowest grades were given when the outpatients waited for too long, shuttled among different sections, and the attending doctors gave little explanation concerning diagnosis and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Measures such as examination by appointment at specific period of time, post-pay examination, more humanistic triage, establishment of integrated section of stomatology, more reasonable sequence of examination should be adopted to optimize outpatient service flow. By doing so, outpatients' experience of dental care will be effectively improved. Supported by Humanity and Social Science Study on Cultivation of Innovation Project of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine(2012018).

[A study of Rutter behavior problems in school aged children with cleft lip and/or palate].

PURPOSE: To study the difference of behavior problems in school aged children with cleft of lip and/or palate. METHODS: The Rutter Children Behavior Parent Checklist was used in 100 school aged children with cleft lip and/or palate and 135 school aged normal children in Shanghai.The questionnaire were filled and analyzed with chi2 test and logistic regression using SPSS 10.0 software packageî RESULTS: The positive rate of Rutter behavior problems in school aged children with cleft of lip and/or palate was significantly higher than that in normal children (P<0.05). The positive rate of behavior problems and Rutter behavior problem A in boys was significantly higher than in girls. CONCLUSION: Primary mental health intervention is necessary to promote the psychiatric health.

Optimal calibration method for water distribution water quality model.

A water quality model is to predict water quality transport and fate throughout a water distribution system. The model is not only a promising alternative for analyzing disinfectant residuals in a cost-effective manner, but also a means of providing enormous engineering insights into the characteristics of water quality variation and constituent reactions. However, a water quality model is a reliable tool only if it predicts what a real system behaves. This paper presents a methodology that enables a modeler to efficiently calibrate a water quality model such that the field observed water quality values match with the model simulated values. The method is formulated to adjust the global water quality parameters and also the element-dependent water quality reaction rates for pipelines and tank storages. A genetic algorithm is applied to optimize the model parameters by minimizing the difference between the model-predicted values and the field-observed values. It is seamlessly integrated with a well-developed hydraulic and water quality modeling system. The approach has provided a generic tool and methodology for engineers to construct the sound water quality model in expedient manner. The method is applied to a real water system and demonstrated that a water quality model can be optimized for managing adequate water supply to public communities.