How confident are UK radiographers at performing paediatric computed tomography trauma scans?

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 45% of paediatric deaths in the United Kingdom (UK) were as a result of trauma. Computed tomography (CT) provides time efficient and accurate diagnosis, increasing chances of survival. Whilst use of CT in evaluating paediatric trauma has been invaluable it carries significant radiation risks, largely because children have greater radiation sensitivity than adults. Although national paediatric trauma workload in the UK is proportionately low, the majority of paediatric patients are conveyed to hospitals which predominantly undertake CT scans on adult patients. This research aimed to determine the confidence levels of radiographers when performing paediatric CT trauma scans in three public hospitals in the UK, and whether a teaching intervention improved their perceived self-confidence. METHODS: Individual questionnaires containing eight qualitative and quantitative questions were used to ascertain radiographers' perceived confidence levels. A teaching intervention was developed based on responses. A post-intervention questionnaire was used to determine whether radiographers' confidence levels had improved. RESULTS: Radiographers (n = 45) reported a mean confidence score of 5.6 (standard deviation 2.2) and 8.0 (standard deviation 1.7) scanning paediatric trauma patients pre- and post-intervention respectively. A paired two group t-test found this difference to be statistically significant at p < .00001. Radiographers reported several factors which negatively influenced confidence levels, including limited experience and postgraduate education. CONCLUSION: Radiographers reported to be less confident scanning paediatric CT trauma patients compared to adults, pre- and post-intervention, however this research does not clarify whether this is as a result of an increase in competence. Further research regarding this concept warrants investigation. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Results suggest further training based on negative factors reported by radiographers can increase confidence when performing this type of scan, assisting radiographers in optimising paediatric patient doses.

The Effect of the KDL Active School Plan on Children and Adolescents' Physical Fitness in China.

The development of physical fitness among Chinese children and adolescents is not fundamentally improving, and an exploration of effective ways to promote it is an urgent need. Research into physical fitness promotion in schools is increasingly deepening worldwide. However, the implementation and verification of intervention programs with local characteristics in accordance with China's national conditions are relatively weak. This study conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of the KDL (Know it, Do it, Love it) Active School Plan (KDL-ASP) on children and adolescents' physical fitness. A total of 596 students from level two (2nd-grade students) to five (11th-grade students) in China were assessed in terms of their physical fitness. Of these, 308 students were randomly selected to participate in the KDL-ASP, which uses a combination of indoor and outdoor sports activities in which teachers, parents, and students participate together. The remaining 288 students performed conventional physical activities. After one school year of intervention with the KDL-ASP, the physical fitness of the children and adolescents improved. The improvements in the speed of level two girls, the strength of level four boys, and the lung capacity of level five boys were the most obvious. These results demonstrate the viability of indigenized intervention in schools to improve physical fitness and suggest that KDL-ASP needs to be considered throughout the whole progress of physical education learning for children and adolescents.

COVID-19 online teaching intervention and learning performance of college foreign language students.

This quasi-natural experimental study examined an online teaching intervention implemented in response to COVID-19 in China in 2020. It applied the difference-in-difference model to examine the impact and path of the intervention on students' learning performance of a college foreign language (LPCFL). Based on data from records of withdrawing and changing courses, classroom learning, and teaching evaluations; a questionnaire survey of teachers and students; and relevant school documents during the last seven terms, the results indicated that the online teaching intervention could significantly improve students' LPCFL. This finding remained robust after adopting a placebo test approach to mitigate possible endogeneity issues. Additionally, this study also conducted a group test through sub-sample regression based on students' discipline characteristics and intervention organization methods. The results showed that the students who participated in the intervention significantly improved in the three disciplines: humanities was most significantly affected, science and engineering were least significantly affected, and economics and management were in the middle. A range effect was observed for organizational methods. The two downward transmission methods by college teaching management terms had significant positive effects, whereas the other two methods of downward transmission by college student management had significant negative effects. An analysis of the action mechanism indicated that the online teaching intervention mostly improved LPCFL through two channels: students' learning input and learning support. Overall, these findings not only help expand the research framework on macro environmental intervention policy and micro-learning behavior but also have implications for the in-depth understanding of the real learning effect of online learning interventions for college students and their design in the post-COVID-19 era.

Improving Critical View of Safety in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy by Teaching Interventions.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend obtaining a critical view of safety (CVS) during laparoscopic cholecystectomies to prevent serious bile duct injuries. We sought to evaluate the results of a teaching intervention for surgeons and residents about achieving CVS. METHODS: The intervention consisted of a lecture followed by a handout on CVS along with a teaching video on how to perform a laparoscopic cholecystectomy and common pitfalls encountered. After 9 months, the whole intervention was repeated. We retrospectively collected demographic data, details about the procedure, and complications for 316 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and reviewed available videos of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for 229 of these patients. Videos before and after the teaching interventions were reviewed by 2 gastrointestinal surgeons regarding whether CVS was reached, and Kappa statistics were calculated to measure inter-rater agreement. RESULTS: Most patients (average age 51 years) underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis (n = 171, 75%). CVS was reached in 69% of the preteaching intervention patients (n = 54), in 73% after the first teaching intervention (n = 75) and in 82% after the second intervention (n = 100) (not significant, overall p = 0.070). The complication rates were 24% (n = 13) before the intervention, 19% (n = 14) after the first teaching intervention, and 17% (n = 17) after the second intervention (not significant). In these groups, 1, 3, and 5 cases, correspondingly, with biliary injury were identified. All but 1 complication was related to a type A biliary injury. CONCLUSION: After the teaching interventions, the complication rate and the rate of reaching CVS did not improve significantly. To improve surgeons' success in reaching CVS, more personal interventions may be more effective than the group intervention we used in this study. The next step may be to present surgeons and residents who have a low CVS rate directly with their personal results.

Modificación de conocimientos sobre salud reproductiva en adolescentes con riesgo preconcepcional / Knowledge modification to sexually reproductive health in adolescents with pre-conception risk

Se hizo una intervención educativa en 30 adolescentes con riesgo preconcepcional, atendidas en la consulta de planificación familiar y salud reproductiva perteneciente al Policlínico Universitario Josué País García de Santiago de Cuba, desde enero hasta diciembre del 2007, a fin de modificar sus conocimientos sobre salud sexual. En la serie predominó la instrucción inadecuada en cuanto a embarazo en la adolescencia, aborto provocado, métodos anticonceptivos e infecciones sexualmente transmisibles; comportamiento que fue variado satisfactoriamente luego de la estrategia educativa, pues la mayoría de las integrantes incorporaron nuevas nociones sobre el tema o incrementaron las que poseían anteriormente al respecto.

A teaching intervention in 30 adolescents with pre-conception risk attended at the Birth Control and Reproductive Health Department from Josué País García University Polyclinic in Santiago de Cuba was carried out from January, 2007 to December, 2007, in order to modify their sexual health knowledge. Inadequate instruction about teenage pregnancy, artificial abortion, contraceptive methods, and sexually transmitted infections were predominant in the series. This behavioral pattern was successfully modified after the educational strategy, since most of the adolescents acquired new ideas about this issue or improved the ones they had already learned.

Modificación de conocimientos sobre crisis hipertensivas en adultos mayores con hipertensión arterial / Modification to knowledge about hypertensive crisis in old adults with hypertension

Se efectuó una intervención educativa en 66 ancianos con hipertensión arterial, pertenecientes al consultorio médico San Benito Panadería del municipio de II Frente de la provincia de Santiago de Cuba, en el trimestre enero-marzo de 2009, con el propósito de modificar e incrementar las nociones sobre crisis hipertensivas, para lo cual se impartió un programa de clases de 14 horas de duración. Las acciones educativas fueron muy eficaces, pues se logró elevar el nivel de conocimientos sobre el tema en la mayoría de los integrantes de la serie

A teaching intervention in 66 elderly with hypertension assisted at San Benito Panadería doctor's office in II Frente municipality from Santiago de Cuba province was carried out during the three-month period January-March, 2009. Its main goal was to modify and increase notions about hypertensive crisis, in which case a 14-hour-class program was delivered. Teaching actions were very effective, thus knowledge level about this issue was increased in the majority of the serial members

Intervención para mejorar el rendimiento de estudiantes de primer año de Medicina en riesgo de fracaso escolar / Strategy to improve the performance of 1st-year medical students at risk for school failure

Diseñar e implementar un conjunto de acciones docentes para mejorar el rendimiento de estudiantes con pobres resultados al inicio del trimestre del primer año de la carrera de Medicina y valorar sus resultados. Se realizó una intervención que contempló la asignación de un estudiante de alto rendimiento como monitor, así como un conjunto actividades especiales sobre estos estudiantes en riesgo. Hacia el final del trimestre 21 estudiantes (88 por ciento) habían mejorado sus calificaciones en las evaluaciones frecuentes y todos habían aprobado el examen final ordinario de la asignatura. Se constató una valoración positiva y satisfacción con la intervención. El plan propuesto podría constituir un modelo de atención a estudiantes del Nuevo Programa de Formación de Médicos Latinoamericanos con alto riesgo de fracaso académico.

To design and to apply a set of teaching actions to improve the performance of students with poor results at the beginning of the trimester of the first year of the medical career, and to assess their results. A strategy including the assignment of a high performance student as instructor was applied, as well as a set of special activities for the students at risk. At the end of the trimester, 21 students (88 percent) had improved their qualifications in frequent assessments, and all of them have passed the ordinary final tests of the subject. It was confirmed a positive appraisal and satisfaction with the strategy. The proposed plan could be a model of attention to the students of the New Training Program for Latin American Physicians at high risk for school failure.