La mejora continua: reflexiones del seguimiento en programas educativos de nivel superior con el marco de referencia CONAIC

El Consejo Nacional de Acreditación en Informática y Computación A.C. (CONAIC) cuenta con las etapas generales en su proceso de evaluación con fines de la acreditación: solicitud, autoevaluación, evaluación externa, dictamen y seguimiento para la mejora continua. En esta última etapa, se presentan observaciones y/o recomendaciones en base a los resultados obtenidos en diversas evaluaciones de la Comisión Técnica de la visita de evaluación, seguimiento de recomendaciones y observaciones de los programas educativos; se verifica el cumplimiento de las mismas, cuando lainstitución ejecuta el plan de mejora y notifica al consejo los avances en la atención a las recomendaciones, mediante las evidencias y elaboración de informes periódicos. The National Council of Accreditation in Computing and Computing A.C. (CONAIC) has the general stages in its evaluation process for accreditation purposes: application, self-evaluation, external evaluation, opinion and monitoring for continuous improvement. In this last stage, observations and / or recommendations are presented based on the results obtained in various evaluations of the Technical Commission of the evaluation visit, follow-up of recommendations and observations of the educational programs; the fulfillment of the same is verified, when the institution executes the plan of improvement and notifies to the advice the advances in the attention to the recommendations, by means of the evidences and preparation of periodic reports.

Efficacy of scheduled return visits for emergency department patients with non-specific abdominal pain

IntroductionMany patients presenting with abdominal pain to emergency departments (EDs) are discharged without a definitive diagnosis. For these patients, often designated as having non-specific abdominal pain, re-evaluation is often advocated. We aimed to investigate how often re-evaluation changes the diagnosis and clinical management and discern factors that could help identify patients likely to benefit from re-evaluation.MethodsThis was a retrospective study conducted in the Netherlands between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2015 of patients asked to return to the ED after an initial presentation with acute non-traumatic abdominal pain. The primary outcome was a clinically relevant change in treatment (surgery, endoscopy during admission and/or hospitalisation) and diagnosis at ED re-evaluation within 30 hours.ResultsDuring the 2-year study period, 358 ED patients with non-specific abdominal pain were scheduled for re-evaluation. Of these, 14% (11%–18%)) did not present for re-evaluation. Re-evaluation resulted in a clinically relevant change in diagnosis and treatment in, respectively, 21.3% (17%–29%)) and 22.3% (18%–27%)) of the subjects. Of the clinical, biochemical and radiological factors available at the index visit, C reactive protein (CRP) at the index visit predicted a change in treatment (CRP >27 mg/L likelihood ratio (LR)+ 1.69 (1.21–2.36)), while an increase in CRP of >25 mg/L between index and re-evaluation visit (LR+ 2.85 (1.88–4.32)) and the conduct of radiological studies at the re-evaluation visit were associated with changes in treatment (LR+ 3.05 (2.41–3.86)).ConclusionRe-evaluation within 30 hours for ED patients discharged with non-specific abdominal pain resulted in a clinically relevant change in diagnosis and therapy in almost one-quarter of patients. Elevated CRP at the index visit might assist in correctly identifying patients with a greater likelihood of needing treatment in follow-up, and a low threshold for radiological studies should be considered during re-evaluation.

Characteristic and Outcome of Psoriatic Arthritis Patients with Hyperuricemia

Objective.To determine the characteristics of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who have hyperuricemia (HUC) and their outcomes, especially cardiovascular (CVD) and kidney diseases.Methods.Patients have been followed prospectively at the PsA clinic according to a standard protocol at 6- to 12-month intervals. We defined HUC in men > 450 µmol/l or women > 360 µmol/l. We matched patients with HUC based on sex and age ± 5 years with normal uric acid patients. Demographics information and disease characteristics were reviewed. Outcomes of patients with HUC, especially CVD and kidney diseases, were recorded. Conditional logistic regression was performed to determine factors independently associated with HUC in patients with PsA.Results.There were 325 (31.9%) out of 1019 patients with PsA who had HUC. Of these, 318 cases were matched to 318 controls. There were 11 (3.4%) out of 325 patients with HUC who had gout. Patients with HUC had longer disease duration and a higher Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. They had more concurrent comorbidities, including CVD and metabolic diseases, as well as higher prevalence of kidney stones and higher creatinine. Only 1 patient with HUC was treated with allopurinol at first evaluation visit and 7 patients during followup. Over the followup, 163 of the 318 patients had persistent HUC (pHUC) for more than 2 visits. Patients with pHUC developed more myocardial infarction, heart failure, and renal impairment. Multivariate analysis showed an association between pHUC, PsA disease duration, and obesity.Conclusion.HUC is common in patients with PsA, especially in those with longer disease duration and obesity. Proper control of HUC and metabolic diseases may play a preventive role in improving PsA outcomes.

Utilisation de lunettes munies d’une caméra et d’un microphone pour évaluer l’expérience muséale

We analyse through a case study the potential of wearing camera and microphone-equipped glasses in a museum to assess a visitor’s in situ museum experience. The qualitative analysis of gathered audiovisual data confirms that such a device does facilitate the assessment of the descriptive, appreciation, interactions and environment. Discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of such a device in the context of museum assessment.KEYWORDS: Museum evaluation; visit experience; glasses; audio-visual elementRésumé: A partir d’une étude de cas, nous analysons le potentiel du port de lunettes munies d’une caméra et d’un microphone lors de la visite d’une institution muséale pour évaluer in situ l’expérience muséale d’un visiteur. L’analyse qualitative des données audiovisuelles recueillies permet d’affirmer qu’un tel dispositif favorise l’évaluation de la signalétique, de l’appréciation, des interactions, et finalement de l’environnement. Les forces et les faiblesses de l’usage de ce dispositif en évaluation muséale sont discutées.MOTS CLES: Évaluation muséale; expérience de visite; lunettes; données audiovisuelles

Let's Cancel the Dog-and-Pony Show

Improve teacher assessment by replacing the announced, long-form evaluation visit with as many as 10 shorter, unannounced visits fortified with timely, valuable, face-to-face feedback.