How innovation can be defined, evaluated and rewarded in health technology assessment

Background What constitutes innovation in health technologies can be defined and measured in a number of ways and it has been widely researched and published about. However, while many countries mention it as a criterion for pricing or reimbursement of health technologies, countries differ widely in how they define and operationalise it. Methods We performed a literature review, using a snowballing search. In this paper, we explore how innovation has been defined in the literature in relation to health technology assessment. We also describe how a selection of countries (England, France, Italy, Spain and Japan) take account of innovation in their health technology assessment frameworks and explore the key methodologies that can capture it as a dimension of value in a new health technology. We propose a way of coming to, and incorporating into health technology assessment systems, a definition of innovation for health technologies that is independent of other dimensions of value that they already account for in their systems, such as clinical benefit. We use Spain as an illustrative example of how innovation might be operationalised as a criterion for decision making in health technology assessment. Results The countries analysed here can be divided into 2 groups with respect to how they define innovation. France, Japan and Italy use features such as severity, unmet need and therapeutic added value as indicators of the degree of innovation of a health technology, while England, Spain consider the degree of innovation as a separate and additional criterion from others. In the case of Spain, a notion of innovation might be constructed around concepts of `step-change’, `convenience’, `strength of evidence base’ and `impact on future research & development’. Conclusions If innovation is to be used as operational criteria for adoption, pricing and reimbursement of health technologies, the concept must be clearly defined, and it ought to be independent from other value dimensions already captured in their health technology assessment systems.

TYPOLOGY OF PROFESSIONAL DEFICITS AMONG TEACHERS IN THE KRASNOYARSK TERRITORY

Statement of the problem. The authors consider the assessment of teachers’ professional deficits as a key problem. The expanded interpretation of deficits and assessment systems interfere with the real qualitative professional level of teachers and do not allow them to predict, plan and implement the necessary actions and activities that are aimed at professional development. The purpose of the article is to construct a typology of professional teacher deficits based on cluster analysis in the context of municipalities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Methodology (materials and methods). The article was prepared with the support of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Foundation for the Support of Scientific and Technical Activities in the framework of the project “Comprehensive study of professional deficits and difficulties among teachers of the Krasnoyarsk Territory”. The authors define professional deficits as a disadvantage (limitation) in professional competence that hinders the effective implementation of professional actions. Based on a questionnaire survey of 3,375 teachers of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, a typology of professional deficits is built using factor and cluster analysis. Research results. Empirically, 13 groups of municipalities have been identified for which an appropriate profile has been established for 15 factors. The obtained profiles characterize each combined group by the professional deficits of teachers who are differentiated relative to clusters. Conclusions. The results obtained significantly specify the connections and establish latent stable characteristics. The revealed typology shows the characteristic features of the model of professional teacher deficits in the context of municipalities. The use of the data obtained contributes to the development of a qualitative system for improving the qualifications of teachers.

Defining different types of assessment systems and assessment procedures in the context of historical development

Introduction. The authors investigate a wide range of assessment systems in modern education. They analyze and compare changes in educational assessment procedures, taking into account the periodization of their development and modern requirements and standards. The purpose of the article is to identify and clarify various types of assessment systems and assessment procedures in the context of historical development. Materials and Methods. This theoretical research includes analysis, comparison, and generalization of Russian and international studies on the development of assessment systems based on the concept of the historical and socio-cultural determination of education. The study follows systemic, learner-centered and activity-based approaches in order to present the dynamics of the development of educational assessment as a system comprising interconnected parts and socio-psychological factors. Results. The authors clarified the essence of the dual nature of educational assessment as a didactic and socio-psychological phenomenon. They described the relationship between assessment procedures and the quality of modern education. The study identified the main periods in the development of educational assessment based on the criteria for changing the requirements for the content of education, as well as changes in the assessment system regarding tasks, methods, forms of assessment, point scales and methods of motivation. The authors have developed and justified the historical periodization of educational assessment, which includes eight main stages. The main types of assessment including partial assessment, effective assessment, systemic assessment, standardized assessment, formative assessment, summative assessment, evaluation for management, and rating assessment have been identified and described. Conclusions. The article concludes that modern education implements eight main types of assessment, which have been developed in a historical context. At the same time, standardization of education is considered as the main trend in the formation of assessment systems.

Comparison of Digital Self-Assessment Systems and Faculty Feedback for Tooth Preparation in a Preclinical Simulation

Background: Regarding the new dental licensing regulations in Germany (AOZ), this study evaluated the effectiveness of two different digital tooth preparation validation systems in comparison to traditional faculty feedback. Methods: Participants were randomly divided into groups: Faculty Feedback (FF: n = 33), PrepCheck® (PC: n = 32) and Dental Teacher™ (n = 32). Students had the task to prepare tooth 16 for a retentive full-cast crown. Preparations could be repeated as often as desired. Feedback was provided either by faculty staff or by digital validation systems only. Exams were conducted and graded by two independent and experienced examiners. A survey was performed to evaluate the assessment concepts. Results: No statistical difference in examination performance between groups could be observed. Nevertheless, the survey showed participants preferred consulting the faculty staff rather than the digital validation systems. Students preferred practising with DT rather than with PC. Conclusions: Although both classical and digital methods showed comparable results regarding the preparation examination performance, direct feedback by the faculty staff is still appreciated by the students. A combination of both methods is mandatory since demonstration and advice by the teacher is needed. However, digital tooth preparation validation systems are predestined for free practice sessions, providing self-assessment.

Current issues of cyber threat risk assessment: analysis of foreign experience

The article considers topical issues of cyber threat risk assessment. It contains an analysis of the Law “On Basic Principles for providing of Cyber Security of Ukraine”, the Cyber Security Strategy of Ukraine and other legislative acts for providing on cyber security. The main approaches to determining the assessment of cyber threats are considered. The best examples of foreign practice of cyber threat risk assessment are analyzed, the most effective national systems of their assessment are revealed. It is concluded that multi-level risk and threat assessment systems are most effective when the relevant analysis is conducted at both the national and regional and/or local levels.

Clinical nursing competency assessment: a scoping review

Objective To ensure that only competent graduates are licensed to practice nursing, councils conduct licensing examinations, which may include among others clinical competency assessment. This review explored current practices in clinical competency assessment of nursing students as part of a larger study aimed at developing an evidence-based, context-specific framework for clinical competency assessment in a sub-Saharan African (SSA) country. Methods A scoping guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was conducted. Results Findings from 28 out of 1151 studies identified from Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, Wiley Online Library, and ProQuest were included and synthesized. Results show that a good assessment system must be valid, reliable, transparent, feasible, fair, objective, and must provide feedback and continually improve to have an educational impact. Clinical competency assessment systems must be developed on sound empirical evidence, pilot tested, and involve thorough training and evaluation of the examiners. Continuous evaluation of the assessment system is also essential to ensure the quality and relevance of the assessment system. Only one of the included studies was conducted in Africa. Conclusions The paucity of clinical competency assessment research in sub-Saharan Africa may lead to benchmarking assessment systems on research conducted outside the context. Sub-Saharan Africa has a set of circumstances that demand a context-specific clinical competency assessment framework to guide clinical competency assessment.

Green building in the northern and Arctic regions

The article presents an analysis of international and national “green” buildings certification systems from the point of view of the possibility of their use in the Arctic territories. The groups of criteria that are typical for most certification systems, as well as the most significant groups of criteria for all considered assessment systems, have been identified. The main groups of criteria were correlated with the requirements for buildings of the settlements sustainable development program and with the stages of the buildings and structures life cycle. As a result of the performed analysis, conclusions were formulated about the need to focus on certain key and characteristic criteria or their groups for the Arctic territories in the system of environmental assessment of buildings.

Investigating the Influence of Quality Factors on User Satisfaction with Summative Computer-based Assessment

Computer-based assessment or e-assessment system is an e-learning system where information communication technology is utilized for examination activity, grading, and recording of responses of the examinees. It includes the entire assessment process from the examinees, teachers, institutions, examination agencies, and the public. E-assessment systems have been used extensively in educational and non-educational settings worldwide because of their significant impact on assessment to both the institutions and students. Electronic assessment systems have many significant advantages over conventional paper-pencil-based approaches, like reducing production cost, automatic marking, and fair grading. Other benefits include the ability to conduct adaptive testing, an increase in the frequency of assessment, a large number of people could be examined, low staff requirements during the assessment, and the ability to improve the quality of the evaluation. Text, images, audio, video, and interactive virtual environments in an e-assessment system are all feasible. Nevertheless, given all these advantages, some examinees expressed negative views about electronic assessment in our study due to fear or lack of familiarity with assessment technology and lack of information on e-assessment methods. Despite the increased adoption of e-assessment in higher education and organizations, the examinees' attitudes and opinions need to be studied to implement the system successfully. In an e-assessment environment, several factors account for the evaluation of the system quality. These factors can be categorized into three dimensions: technical, educational, and economical. However, based on literature reviewed, limited studies attempted to map these quality factors to determine user satisfaction with an e-assessment system. This scarcity of e-assessment satisfaction studies is the gap the study intends to fill. Furthermore, this study's findings would help provide practical and theoretical implications for educational institutions and organizations. This study is among the first application of the Delone and McLean information system success model to predict user satisfaction with computer-based assessment in a developing, African country.