The aim of this exploratory study was to assess whether practicing social workers currently enrolled in Master Social Work (MSW) programs (hereafter referred to as MSW students) were more oriented to the evidence-based practice (EBP) process and more engaged in it than practicing social workers who are not currently enrolled in MSW programs (hereafter referred to as social workers) in the Netherlands. Data were collected from MSW students (n = 32) and from social workers (n = 341) using the EBP Process Assessment Scale. MSW students reported a stronger orientation toward the EBP process, more positive attitudes toward EBP, more familiarity with EBP and more intentions to engage in EBP than social workers did, however, they were less positive about the feasibility of implementing EBP in practice. These preliminary results suggest that there are grounds for optimism about MSW students’ acceptance of and engagement in the EBP process. Implications for social work education are discussed.
As the population ages, the risk of becoming malnourished increases. Research has shown that poor oral health can be a risk factor for malnutrition in institutionalized elderly. However, it remains unclear whether oral health problems, edentulousness and health-related quality of life also pose a risk for malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults. In this cross-sectional observational study, 1325 community-living elderly (≥75 years) were asked to complete questionnaires regarding nutritional status, oral status (edentulous, remaining teeth, or implant-supported overdentures), oral health problems, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), frailty, activities of daily living (ADL) and complexity of care needs. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with nutritional status as dependent variable. Of the respondents, 51% (n = 521) were edentulous, 38.8% (n = 397) had remaining teeth and 10.2% (n = 104) had an implant-supported overdenture. Elderly with complex care needs were malnourished most frequently, followed by frail and robust elderly (10%, 4.5% and 2.9%, respectively). Malnourished elderly reported more frequent problems with chewing and speech when compared with well-nourished elderly (univariate analysis). However, multivariate analysis did not show an association between malnutrition and oral health problems and edentulousness, although HRQoL was associated with malnutrition (odds ratio (OR) 0.972, confidence interval (CI) 0.951–0.955). Based on the results of this cross-sectional study, it can be concluded that poor HRQoL is significantly associated with malnutrition; however, edentulousness and oral health problems are not.
Objectives: This study assesses social workers’ orientation toward the evidence-based practice (EBP) process and explores which specific variables (e.g. age) are associated. Methods: Data were collected from 341 Dutch social workers through an online survey which included a Dutch translation of the EBP Process Assessment Scale (EBPPAS), along with 13 background/demographic questions. Results: The overall level of orientation toward the EBP process is relatively low. Although respondents are slightly familiar with it and have slightly positive attitudes about it, their intentions to engage in it and their actual engagement are relatively low. Respondents who followed a course on the EBP process as a student are more oriented toward it than those who did not. Social workers under 29 are more familiar with the EBP process than those over 29. Conclusions: We recommend educators to take a more active role in teaching the EBP process to students and social workers.
To optimize patient care, it is vital to prevent infections in healthcare facilities. In this respect, the increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains threatens public healthcare. Current gold standard techniques are based on classical microbiological assays that are time consuming and need complex expensive lab environments. This limits their use for high throughput bacterial screening to perform optimal hygiene control. The infection prevention workers in hospitals and elderly nursing homes underline the urgency of a point-of-care tool that is able to detect bacterial loads on-site in a fast, precise and reliable manner while remaining with the available budgets. The aim of this proposal titled SURFSCAN is to develop a novel point-of-care tool for bacterial load screening on various surfaces throughout the daily routine of professionals in healthcare facilities. Given the expertise of the consortium partners, the point-of-care tool will be based on a biomimetic sensor combining surface imprinted polymers (SIPs), that act as synthetic bacterial receptors, with a thermal read-out strategy for detection. The functionality and performance of this biomimetic sensor has been shown in lab conditions and published in peer reviewed journals. Within this proposal, key elements will be optimized to translate the proof of principle concept into a complete clinical prototype for on-site application. These elements are essential for final implementation of the device as a screening and assessment tool for scanning bacterial loads on surfaces by hospital professionals. The research project offers a unique collaboration among different end-users (hospitals and SMEs), and knowledge institutions (Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Fontys University of Applied Sciences and Maastricht Science Programme, IDEE-Maastricht University), which guarantees transfer of fundamental knowledge to the market and end-user needs.
