Flexibility during the COVID-19 Pandemic Response: Healthcare Facility Assessment Tools for Resilient Evaluation

Healthcare facilities are facing huge challenges due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Around the world, national healthcare contingency plans have struggled to cope with the population health impact of COVID-19, with healthcare facilities and critical care systems buckling under the extraordinary pressures. COVID-19 has starkly highlighted the lack of reliable operational tools for assessing the level sof flexibility of a hospital building to support strategic and agile decision making. The aim of this study was to modify, improve and test an existing assessment tool for evaluating hospital facilities flexibility and resilience. We followed a five-step process for collecting data by (i) doing a literature review about flexibility principles and strategies, (ii) reviewing healthcare design guidelines, (iii) examining international healthcare facilities case studies, (iv) conducting a critical review and optimization of the existing tool, and (v) assessing the usability of the evaluation tool. The new version of the OFAT framework (Optimized Flexibility Assessment Tool) is composed of nine evaluation parameters and subdivided into measurable variables with scores ranging from 0 to 10. The pilot testing of case studies enabled the assessment and verification the OFAT validity and reliability in support of decision makers in addressing flexibility of hospital design and/or operations. Healthcare buildings need to be designed and built based on principles of flexibility to accommodate current healthcare operations, adapting to time-sensitive physical transformations and responding to contemporary and future public health emergencies.

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OP138 Stakeholders’ Involvement When Developing A mHealth Assessment Tool

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care ◽

10.1017/s0266462319001661 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (S1) ◽

pp. 31-32

Author(s):

Elisa Puigdomenech Puig ◽

Elisa Poses Ferrer ◽

Lina Masana ◽

Mireia Espallargues

Keyword(s):

Focus Groups ◽

User Experience ◽

Delphi Technique ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Clinical Effectiveness ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Evaluation Tool ◽

Privacy And Security ◽

Safety Issues ◽

Health Apps

IntroductionDue to the specific characteristics and challenges of mobile health (mHealth) technologies there is a need to have assessment tools based on their particularities to be used by health technology assessment (HTA) agencies and evaluation experts. In the development of a comprehensive and practical evaluation tool for the evaluation of mHealth solutions we aimed to include the views and opinions of key stakeholders: health professionals, developers, hospital managers, HTA agencies, patients and general public.MethodsFocus groups and an online modification of the Delphi technique are being used to discuss and agree on domains and criteria to be included in the mHealth assessment tool. Domains and criteria used for health apps evaluation were drawn from a literature review on the topic. The initial list includes 95 criteria grouped into the following domains: purpose of the app, privacy and security, clinical effectiveness, content of the intervention, user experience and usability, interoperability, expenses, impact on the organization, and legal and ethical aspects. Data coming from focus groups is currently being analyzed from a thematic and content analysis perspective.ResultsFocus groups with professionals have showed that the most important domains to be considered when evaluating health apps are those related with security, user experience, and clinical effectiveness. Some criteria were considered to be mandatory (mainly regarding safety issues), on which a first step assessment should indicate whether the app ‘pass or fails’ for the subsequent throughout assessment. Focus groups with patients will provide insight on critical aspects related to the choice, use and adherence to a health app.ConclusionsInsights from main stakeholders on the design of the tool for mHealth assessment are relevant and complementary between them. Next steps include (i) the agreement of criteria by using an online modification of the Delphi Technique and (ii) piloting of the tool.

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Upgraded RETOS™: An International Tool to Assess Oil Spill Response Planning and Readiness

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2014.1.1353 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 (1) ◽

pp. 1353-1363 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Elliott Taylor ◽

Miguel Moyano ◽

Alexis Steen

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Best Management Practices ◽

Management Practices ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Evaluation Tool ◽

Readiness Assessment ◽

Response Planning ◽

Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT In 2011 the Regional Association of Oil and Gas Companies - Latin America and the Caribbean (ARPEL) developed the “Oil Spill Response Planning and Readiness Assessment Manual” and its assessment tool, the “Readiness Evaluation Tool for Oil Spills (RETOS™)” with the support of regional and international experts from industry and government, including associations such as Clean Caribbean and Americas (CCA), RAC-REMPEITC-Carib, and IMO. The ARPEL Manual and RETOS™ provide a general guide for industry and governments to assess their level of oil spill response (OSR) planning and readiness management in relation to pre-established criteria. These criteria are commonly agreed upon by the institutions involved in the project and consider international best management practices. The foundation for the ARPEL Manual's concepts and criteria is the “Assessment of Oil Spill Response Capabilities: A Proposed International Guide for Oil Spill Response Planning and Readiness Assessment”, a guideline developed for the 2008 International Oil Spill Conference. RETOS™ adapts evaluation criteria according to the type of OSR program to be assessed.Seven different scopes from two perspectives (government and industry) are considered, including facilities, companies' business lines, and government national programs.For each scope there are three possible assessment levels for which OSR planning and readiness assessment criteria become increasingly more demanding.Each level contains criteria in 10 different categories (topic areas). Training workshops on RETOS™ were held during 2011 and 2012. Field tests were conducted by experts and surveys were conducted among users including companies, governments and consultants. Feedback from workshops and the practical application of RETOS™ provided recommendations for upgrades that were reviewed by ARPEL. Subsequently, a proposal to upgrade RETOS was made to the IOSC Executive Committee, which decided to support the endeavor. This paper describes the upgraded version of RETOS and its availability. The upgraded version of RETOS™ has garnered interest from several institutions that contributed to its completion as reviewers: a global Tier 3 organization (OSRL), Caspian and Black Sea's OSPRI, GI WACAF, and IPIECA. This multi-institutional review increased awareness of these readiness assessment tools, is expected to further expand worldwide awareness of the ARPEL Manual and RETOS™, and provides improved OSR planning and readiness management for industry and governments alike. A unique tool that is freely downloadable from the internet, the upgraded RETOS™ is being launched at the 2014 IOSC.

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Development of Preverbal Communication Skills Scale for Children with Multiple Disabilities and Visual Impairment

Journal of Human Sciences ◽

10.14687/jhs.v13i2.3718 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 2668

Author(s):

Emine Ayyıldız ◽

Nur Akçin ◽

Yıldız Güven

Keyword(s):

Visual Impairment ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Multiple Disabilities ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Communication Behaviors ◽

Turkish Children ◽

Quantitative Phase ◽

Qualitative Phase

Communication is crucial for any human being and the children with disabilities are no exception. Due to the number and combination of their disabilities and/or conditions, children with multiple disabilities and visual impairment (MDVI) have especially limitations of the ability to communicate the meaningful and functional way with their environment. In order to improve the communication skills of children with MDVI, it is very important to identify unique, individual communication behaviors of these children. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable developmental assessment tool to evaluate preverbal communication skills of Turkish children with MDVI.Sequential explanatory mixed methods were used in the study. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the mothers of 34 children suffering from MDVI to explore the preverbal communication behaviors of the children based on the daily observances of their mothers’ with a descriptive analysis being performed on the data. From the findings of the interviews and the literature review, Preverbal Communication Skills Scale for Children with Multiple Disabilities and Visual Impairment (PCSS-MDVI) and the scoring guide were developed. During the quantitative phase, 65 mothers of children with MDVI were given this scale in order to determine the validity and reliability of the scale. For the reliability analysis, 34 mothers of typically developing (TD) children age between 1 to 24 months old also were given the scale.The findings of the qualitative phase indicated that children with MDVI were communicating mostly with preverbal behaviors and the analysis on data from the quantitative phase with respect to item analysis, reliability and validity revealed that the scale is valid and reliable. The scale has 17 items and three subscales, which are; regulating behaviors, social interaction and joint attention. The majority of children with MDVI cannot communicate verbally and there is lack of studies and assessment tools for the purpose of effectively evaluate these children’s preverbal communicative behaviors in our country. Based on the analysis, the PCSS-MDVI has been demonstrated good preliminary psychometric properties and it can be used as an instrument to evaluate preverbal communication behaviors of children with MDVI. It is the preliminary study of the development of the scale. Thus, validation of the scale should be repeated with more participants and the data of the video observations of preverbal communication behaviors of children with MDVI should be added to the analysis.

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Development of a Simulation Scenario Evaluation Tool (SSET): modified Delphi study

BMJ Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning ◽

10.1136/bmjstel-2019-000521 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

pp. 344-350

Author(s):

Jessica Hernandez ◽

Alise Frallicciardi ◽

Nur-Ain Nadir ◽

M David Gothard ◽

Rami A Ahmed

Keyword(s):

Content Validity ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Evaluation Instrument ◽

Evaluation Tool ◽

Delphi Approach ◽

Scenario Evaluation ◽

Simulation Scenario ◽

Written Simulation

IntroductionOne critical aspect of successful simulation facilitation is development of written scenarios. However, there are no validated assessment tools dedicated to the evaluation of written simulation scenarios available. Our aim was to develop a tool to evaluate the quality of written simulation demonstrating content validity.MethodsA comprehensive literature search did not yield a validated assessment tool dedicated for the evaluation of written simulation scenarios. A subsequent search yielded six templates published for written simulation scenario design. From these templates, critical scenario elements were identified to create an evaluation instrument with six components of scenario quality with corresponding anchors and rating scale. Subsequently, a national group of simulation experts were engaged via survey methodology to rate the content of the proposed instrument. Ultimately, a modified two-round Delphi approach was implemented to demonstrate consensus of the final assessment tool.Results38 responses were obtained in round 1, while 22 complete responses were obtained in round 2. Round 1 kappa values ranged from 0.44 to 1.0, indicating moderate to almost perfect rater agreement for inclusion of the six proposed components. Kappa values specifically regarding scale and anchors ranged from 0 to 0.49. After revisions, there was a significant level of agreement (p<0.05) of all items of the proposed assessment tool in the second-round survey except for item 10. Of note, all initial respondents indicated that they had never evaluated written scenarios with an assessment tool.ConclusionsThe Simulation Scenario Evaluation Tool, developed using a national consensus of content experts, is an instrument demonstrating content validity that assesses the quality of written simulation scenarios. This tool provides a basis to guide structured feedback regarding the quality of written simulation scenarios.

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Validation of a multiple criteria tool for healthcare facilities quality evaluation

Facilities ◽

10.1108/f-06-2020-0070 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Andrea Brambilla ◽

Göran Lindahl ◽

Marta Dell'Ovo ◽

Stefano Capolongo

Keyword(s):

Quality Assessment ◽

Design Research ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Patient Centeredness ◽

Content Type ◽

Quality Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Social Environmental

Purpose Several healthcare quality assessment tools measure the processes and outcomes of the care system. The actual physical infrastructure (buildings and organizational) aspects are, however, rarely considered. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of validation and weighting of an evidence-informed framework for the quality assessment of hospital facilities from social, environmental and organizational perspectives to complement other assessments. Design/methodology/approach Sustainable High-quality Healthcare version 2 (SustHealth v2) is the updated version of an existing framework composed of three domains (social, environmental and organizational quality). To validate and establish a relevant weighting, interviews were conducted with 15 professionals within the field of healthcare planning, design, research and management. The study has been conducted through semi-structured interviews and the application of the Simon Roy Figueras (SRF) procedure for the elicitation of weights criteria. The data collected have been processed through the DecSpace web platform. Findings Among the three domains, the organizational qualities appear to be the most important (W = 49%), followed by the environmental (W = 29%) and social aspects (W = 22%). Relevant indicators such as future-proofing, wayfinding and users’ space control emerged as the most important within each macro-area. Those results are confirmed by the outcome of the interviews that highlight user/patient-centeredness, wayfinding strategies and space functionality as the most important concepts to foster in existing healthcare facilities improvement. Practical implications The study highlights important structural and organizational aspects that hospital managers and planners can consider when dealing with healthcare facilities’ quality improvement. Originality/value The use of the SRF multicriteria method is novel in this context when used to weight an assessment tool with a focus on hospital built environment.

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Validity and Reliability of an Assessment Tool for the Screening of Neurotoxic Effects in Agricultural Workers in Chile

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2019/7901760 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Boris Lucero ◽

Paula A. Ceballos ◽

María Teresa Muñoz-Quezada ◽

Carolina Reynaldos ◽

Chiara Saracini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Assessment Tool ◽

Full Scale ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Agricultural Workers ◽

Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Clock Drawing Test ◽

Metric Properties ◽

Brief Assessment ◽

Neurotoxic Effects

There is a substantial use of pesticides within the agricultural industry of Chile, with neurotoxic effects through mechanisms of acetylcholinesterase inhibition. These pesticides result in deterioration in health, increasing the risk of diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s in highly exposed occupational population. To date, there are no brief assessment tools to monitor cognitive impairment in agricultural workers chronically exposed to these pesticides. Method. 234 agricultural workers and 305 nonagricultural workers were assessed two times (test-retest) through a brief tool which comprised three tests (clock-drawing test (CDT); frontal assessment battery (FAB); trail making tests (TMT) A and B). The full scale of WAIS-IV was administered as a gold standard to 18% of the sample of agricultural workers. Factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure, and validity and test-retest reliability were assessed concurrently. Results. Cronbach’s alpha values were satisfactory or above (>0.60). Test-retest correlations were all significantly correlated (p<0.001). All the tests had a significant correlation with the full scale IQ score of WAIS-IV (p<0.05). The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure was 0.74, and the Bartell sphericity test = p<0.001. Three factors explaining 61.62% of the variance were extracted. Two items of the FAB test were dropped of the final factor solution. Normative data transformed into percentile scores and stratified by age and educational level were obtained for Chilean agricultural workers. Conclusion. The brief assessment tool has adequate metric properties as a screening instrument. This allows for a simple administration test (10 to 15 minutes) that can potentially be used for the rapid monitoring of cognitive deterioration in the face of occupational exposure to pesticides in agricultural workers.

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Evaluating the Profile of Psychological Strategies: An Applied Profile for Assessing the Perceived Effectiveness of Athletes’ Psychological Strategies in Sport

Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology ◽

10.1123/cssep.2020-0023 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 30-41

Author(s):

Umut Doğan

Keyword(s):

Sport Psychology ◽

Alternative Assessment ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Psychological Outcomes ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Competitive Athletes ◽

Applied Assessment ◽

Test Retest Reliability

An alternative assessment tool called the Profile of Psychological Strategies (ProPS) was recently developed to measure athletes’ perceptions of (a) which strategies they use, (b) to pursue which psychological outcomes, and (c) how effective their strategies are in pursuing those psychological outcomes. This case study explains the process of evaluating this new, flexible, and highly applied tool’s theoretical validity/coherence, reliability, and immediate utility with 101 competitive athletes. This study showed that the theoretical validity and reliability of even nonstandardized, highly applied assessment tools can be evaluated. The ProPS was found to have good preliminary levels of divergent validity and immediate utility. The ProPS was also preliminarily found to have acceptable levels of known-group, concurrent, and convergent evidence, as well as test–retest reliability. Athletes in higher resilience and/or lower concentration disruption groups tended to report higher levels of effectiveness in selected psychological strategies. This case study can be useful for sport experts, especially sport psychology practitioners, wishing to use the ProPS to measure athletes’ psychological strategies and for those aiming to evaluate their own applied assessment tool.

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Water, sanitation and hygiene in Jordan’s healthcare facilities

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance ◽

10.1108/ijhcqa-10-2016-0156 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 645-655 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yousef Saleh Khader

Keyword(s):

Waste Management ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Healthcare Facility ◽

Health Facilities ◽

National Standards ◽

Content Type ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Healthcare Waste ◽

Sanitation And Hygiene ◽

Healthcare Waste Management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine water availability, sanitation and hygiene (WSH) services, and healthcare waste management in Jordan healthcare facilities. Design/methodology/approach In total, 19 hospitals (15 public and four private) were selected. The WSH services were assessed in hospitals using the WSH in health facilities assessment tool developed for this purpose. Findings All hospitals (100 percent) had a safe water source and most (84.2 percent) had functional water sources to provide enough water for users’ needs. All hospitals had appropriate and sufficient gender separated toilets in the wards and 84.2 percent had the same in outpatient settings. Overall, 84.2 percent had sufficient and functioning handwashing basins with soap and water, and 79.0 percent had sufficient showers. Healthcare waste management was appropriately practiced in all hospitals. Practical implications Jordan hospital managers achieved major achievements providing access to drinking water and improved sanitation. However, there are still areas that need improvements, such as providing toilets for patients with special needs, establishing handwashing basins with water and soap near toilets, toilet maintenance and providing sufficient trolleys for collecting hazardous waste. Efforts are needed to integrate WSH service policies with existing national policies on environmental health in health facilities, establish national standards and targets for the various healthcare facilities to increase access and improve services. Originality/value There are limited WSH data on healthcare facilities and targets for basic coverage in healthcare facilities are also lacking. A new assessment tool was developed to generate core WSH indicators and to assess WSH services in Jordan’s healthcare facilities. This tool can be used by a non-WSH specialist to quickly assess healthcare facility-related WSH services and sanitary hazards in other countries. This tool identified some areas that need improvements.

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An Approach for the Development and Implementation of an Assessment Tool for Interprofessional Education Learning Activities

INNOVATIONS in pharmacy ◽

10.24926/iip.v8i4.930 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 4 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lisa Salvati ◽

David Bright ◽

Margaret De Voest ◽

Lisa Meny ◽

Kali VanLangen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Interprofessional Education ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Patient Care Team ◽

Pharmacy Education ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Longitudinal Assessment ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Assessment Approach ◽

Case Study Report

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards 2016 state that colleges of pharmacy must assess student achievement and readiness to contribute as a member of an interprofessional collaborative patient care team. There are a limited number of assessment tools available to achieve this part of the Standards. The purpose of this Case Study Report is to describe the process that one college of pharmacy took to develop an interprofessional education (IPE) assessment tool to be used for their longitudinal assessment approach for IPE in the didactic portion of the curriculum. Strategies for the development of an assessment tool are provided through three themes: continuous refinement, collaboration and streamlining. Next steps for the implementation of the assessment tool, as well as evaluating its validity and reliability, are discussed. Type: Case Study

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Investigation of the Motor Skills Assessments of Typically Developing Preschool Children in China

10.21203/rs.3.rs-244805/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Huiqi Song ◽

Jing Jing Wang ◽

Patrick WC Lau

Keyword(s):

Motor Skills ◽

Motor Development ◽

Intellectual Development ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Skill Assessment ◽

Skills Assessment ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Development Assessment

Abstract Background: The assessment of perschoolers’ motor skills is essential to know young children’s motor development and evaluate the intervention effects of promotion in children’s sport activities. The purpose of this study was to review the motor skills assessment tools in Chinese preschool-aged children, compare them in the international context, and provide guidelines to find appropriate motor skill assessment tool in China. Methods: The comprehensive literature search was carried out in WANGFAGN, CNKI, VIP, ERIC, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Ovid PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and BIOSIS previews databases. Relevant articles published between January 2000 and May 2020 were retrieved. Studies that described the discriminative and evaluative measures of motor skills among the population aged 3-6 years in China were included. Results: A total of 17 studies were included in this review describing 7 tools including 4 self-developed tools and 3 international tools used in China. TGMD-2 appeared in a large proportion of studies, international tools used in China were incomplete in terms of translation, verification of reliability and validity, item selection and the implementation. Regarding the self-constructed tools, the CDCC was the most utilized self-developed tool, but it was mainly applied in intellectual development assessment. Through the comparison between Chinese self-constructed and international tools, the construction of the CDCC and the Gross Motor Development Assessment Scale contained relatively complete development steps. The test content, validity and reliability, implementation instruction, and generalizability of self-constructed tools are still lacking. Conclusions: Both international and self-developed motor skills assessment tools have been rarely applied in China, available tools lack enough validation and appropriate adjustments. Cultural differences in motor development between Chinese and Western populations should be considered when constructing a Chinese localized MSAT.

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