In this study, we investigated the effects of wearing a police uniform and gear on officers’ performance during the Physical Competence Test (PCT) of the Dutch National Police. In a counterbalanced within-subjects design, twenty-seven police officers performed the PCT twice, once wearing sportswear and once wearing a police uniform. The results showed clear indications that wearing a police uniform influenced the performance on the PCT. Participants were on average 14 seconds slower in a police uniform than in sportswear. Furthermore, performing the test in uniform was accompanied by higher RPE-scores and total physiological load. It seems that wearing a police uniform during the test diminishes the discrepancy between physical fitness needed to pass the simulated police tasks in the PCT and the job-specific physical fitness that is required during daily police work. This suggests that wearing a police uniform during the test will increase the representativeness of the testing environment for the work field.
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Background: In recent years, the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of digital health services for people with musculoskeletal conditions have increasingly been studied and show potential. Despite the potential of digital health services, their use in primary care is lagging. A thorough implementation is needed, including the development of implementation strategies that potentially improve the use of digital health services in primary care. The first step in designing implementation strategies that fit the local context is to gain insight into determinants that influence implementation for patients and health care professionals. Until now, no systematic overview has existed of barriers and facilitators influencing the implementation of digital health services for people with musculoskeletal conditions in the primary health care setting. Objective: This systematic literature review aims to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of digital health services for people with musculoskeletal conditions in the primary health care setting. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL were searched for eligible qualitative and mixed methods studies up to March 2024. Methodological quality of the qualitative component of the included studies was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A framework synthesis of barriers and facilitators to implementation was conducted using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). All identified CFIR constructs were given a reliability rating (high, medium, or low) to assess the consistency of reporting across each construct. Results: Overall, 35 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Methodological quality was high in 34 studies and medium in 1 study. Barriers (–) of and facilitators (+) to implementation were identified in all 5 CFIR domains: “digital health characteristics” (ie, commercial neutral [+], privacy and safety [–], specificity [+], and good usability [+]), “outer setting” (ie, acceptance by stakeholders [+], lack of health care guidelines [–], and external financial incentives [–]), “inner setting” (ie, change of treatment routines [+ and –], information incongruence (–), and support from colleagues [+]), “characteristics of the healthcare professionals” (ie, health care professionals’ acceptance [+ and –] and job satisfaction [+ and –]), and the “implementation process” (involvement [+] and justification and delegation [–]). All identified constructs and subconstructs of the CFIR had a high reliability rating. Some identified determinants that influence implementation may be facilitators in certain cases, whereas in others, they may be barriers. Conclusions: Barriers and facilitators were identified across all 5 CFIR domains, suggesting that the implementation process can be complex and requires implementation strategies across all CFIR domains. Stakeholders, including digital health intervention developers, health care professionals, health care organizations, health policy makers, health care funders, and researchers, can consider the identified barriers and facilitators to design tailored implementation strategies after prioritization has been carried out in their local context
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Internationalizing curricula. Needs and wishes of alumni and employers with regard to international competencies. Internationalization has become of great importance for universities acrossthe globe. The labour market is becoming international, with internationalopportunities and international competition. Emerging markets such as India, China and Russia are gaining economic power. Global challenges demand world-wide solutions. Production and marketing networks span the globe and various forms of migration have resulted in a large cultural diversity within nations. As a result, societies and labour markets are changing as well. In order to deal with these societal changes adequately and to succeed in today’s labour market, graduates need to be equipped with international competencies. In a survey among 500 chief executives, ICM Research (on behalf of Think Global and The British Council, 2011) showed that employers strongly value staff members who are able to work in an international and multicultural environment. Similar results were found in Diamond et al. (2011), in which ‘multicultural teamwork’ was considered most important. The Hague University of Applied Sciences seeks to prepare its students adequately for the world of tomorrow. The University’s development plans (e.g. HogeschoolOntwikkelingsPlan, HOP 7, 2009-2013 and HOP 8, 2014-2017) indicate that its vision is to train students to be globally-minded professionals with an international and multicultural perspective, who are world-citizens, interested in global issues and able to deal with diversity in a constructive manner. They are to be professionals, who possess the competencies to function well in an international and intercultural environment. Internationalization is therefore high on the agenda of The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) which is illustrated by the fact that, as of 2014, new students in all academies have to fill 12.5% (30 ECTS) of their four-year Bachelor program with international activities. These activities can range from an internship or semester abroad (student mobility) to participating in full programs of study or minors in which English is the medium of instruction, or an internationally themed minor (Internationalization at Home, IaH). And this is only the beginning. Internationalization is a means, not an end. All THUAS courses are looking into ways in which they can internationalize their curriculum. And in doing so, they need to be innovative (Leask, 2009) and keep in mind the specific needs and wishes of alumni and their employers with regard to international competences. The THUAS research group International Cooperation supports these internationalization policy objectives by investigating various aspects, such as: • The acquisition and development of international competencies among students. • The extent to which lecturers possess international competencies and what their needs and wishes are for further development. • The international competencies THUAS graduates have acquired as part of their degree and how THUAS has stimulated this development. • The international competencies that employers and alumni consider important. Although international competencies and employability have received growing attention in internationalization research, existing studies have mainly focused on: • The effects of study abroad on the development of international competence (cf. Hoven & Walenkamp, 2013). • The effects of an experience abroad (study, internship, voluntary work) on employability. • A more general analysis of the skills employers look for in prospective employees.
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In this paper the concept of "ecological personality scales" is introduced. These are contextualized inventories with a high ecological validity. They are developed in a bottom-up or qualitative way and combine a relatively high trait specificity with a relatively high situational specificity. An ecological conscientiousness or time management scale for Ph.D. candidates was developed. It significantly predicted Ph.D. performance criteria and showed incremental validity beyond Big Five (Study 1) and narrow trait and frame-of-reference scales (Study 2). These findings suggest that an ecological approach may contribute to further improving the criterion validity of personality measures
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Background: Over the years, a plethora of frailty assessment tools has been developed. These instruments can be basically grouped into two types of conceptualizations – unidimensional, based on the physical–biological dimension – and multidimensional, based on the connections among the physical, psychological, and social domains. At present, studies on the comparison between uni- and multidimensional frailty measures are limited. Objective: The aims of this paper were: 1) to compare the prevalence of frailty obtained using a uni- and a multidimensional measure; 2) to analyze differences in the functional status among individuals captured as frail or robust by the two measures; and 3) to investigate relations between the two frailty measures and disability.
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Background: Dermoscopy is known to increase the diagnostic accuracy of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs) when used by trained professionals. The effect of dermoscopy training on the diagnostic ability of dermal therapists (DTs) has not been studied so far. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether DTs, in comparison with general practitioners (GPs), benefited from a training programme including dermoscopy, in both their ability to differentiate between different forms of PSL and to assign the correct therapeutic strategy. Methods: In total, 24 DTs and 96 GPs attended a training programme on PSLs. Diagnostic skills as well as therapeutic strategy were assessed, prior to the training (pretest) and after the training (post-test) using clinical images alone, as well as after the addition of dermatoscopic images (integrated post-test). Bayesian hypothesis testing was used to determine statistical significance of differences between pretest, post-test and integrated post-test scores. Results: Both the DTs and the GPs demonstrated benefit from the training: at the integrated post-test, the median proportion of correctly diagnosed PSLs was 73% (range 30–90) for GPs and 63% (range 27–80) for DTs. A statistically significant difference between pretest results and integrated test results was seen, with a Bayes factor>100. At 12 percentage points higher, the GPs outperformed DTs in the accuracy of detecting PSLs. Conclusions: The study shows that a training programme focusing on PSLs while including dermoscopy positively impacts detection of PSLs by DTs and GPs. This training programme could form an integral part of the training of DTs in screening procedures, although additional research is needed.
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Abstract Background Dermoscopy is known to increase the diagnostic accuracy of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs) when used by trained professionals. The effect of dermoscopy training on the diagnostic ability of dermal therapists (DTs) has not been studied so far. Objectives This study aimed to investigate whether DTs, in comparison with general practitioners (GPs), benefited from a training programme including dermoscopy, in both their ability to differentiate between different forms of PSL and to assign the correct therapeutic strategy. Methods In total, 24 DTs and 96 GPs attended a training programme on PSLs. Diagnostic skills as well as therapeutic strategy were assessed, prior to the training (pretest) and after the training (post-test) using clinical images alone, as well as after the addition of dermatoscopic images (integrated post-test). Bayesian hypothesis testing was used to determine statistical significance of differences between pretest, post-test and integrated post-test scores. Results Both the DTs and the GPs demonstrated benefit from the training: at the integrated post-test, the median proportion of correctly diagnosed PSLs was 73% (range 30–90) for GPs and 63% (range 27–80) for DTs. A statistically significant difference between pretest results and integrated test results was seen, with a Bayes factor>100. At 12 percentage points higher, the GPs outperformed DTs in the accuracy of detecting PSLs. Conclusions The study shows that a training programme focusing on PSLs while including dermoscopy positively impacts detection of PSLs by DTs and GPs. This training programme could form an integral part of the training of DTs in screening procedures, although additional research is needed
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One of the claims the OER movement makes is that availability of (open) digital learning materials improves the quality of education. The promise is the ability to offer educational programs that take into account specific demands of the learner. The question is how to reach a situation where a customized demand can be met using OER with acceptable quality against acceptable costs. This situation resembles mass customization as is common in industry for several decades now. Techniques from an industry where an end product is assembled with the demands of the customer as a starting point can be translated to the field of education where courses and learning paths through a curriculum are assembled using a mixture of open and closed learning materials and learning services offered by an institution. Advanced IT support for both the modeling of the learning materials and services and a configurator to be used by a learner are necessary conditions for this approach.
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Within health education, many innovations are introduced, but are often not successful or sustainable. It is generally acknowledged that the quality of an educational system mainly depends on the quality of the teachers. Innovations will only succeed if teachers experience a climate that stimulates innovation and if they possess a sufficient level of innovative work behaviour. The current concept of innovative work behaviour (IWB) consists of three different behavioural dimensions: Idea generation, promotion and realization. However, the concept lacks attention for idea sustainability, which is necessary to embed the innovation deeply in daily practice. The limited attention for improving and continuation of an implemented idea is an often-mentioned explanation for the lack of the long-term success of innovations. Aim: This study aims at the development and validation of an instrument for innovative work behaviour that also includes the dimension idea sustainability, which has been overlooked by other researchers. Method: A questionnaire is developed, based on the questionnaire of Messmann (2012). Additional items are added to measure the new dimension idea sustainability. This new dimension contains the following concepts: Improving and optimising the innovation, disseminating the innovation in depth in the system of the organization and disseminating on a larger scale, and finally visualization of the benefits for stakeholders. The questionnaire is send to 400 teachers of a University for applied sciences in the South of The Netherlands. Results: 179 questionnaires were completed. It can be concluded that the scales to measure innovative work behaviour are strongly interrelated. There are significant correlations between the original dimensions and the added dimensions. The results for individual characteristics indicated that age and tenure did not correlate with any of the scales. Work experience, gender and also the faculty to which teachers belong did make some difference with regard to IWB. The results for job characteristics showed that the number of working hours, job position and the participation in research groups did make a difference with regard to IWB. In general, job characteristics showed more links with the various scales to measure innovative work behavior compared to the individual characteristics.
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This paper proposes and showcases a methodology to develop an observational behavior assessment instrument to assess psychological competencies of police officers. We outline a step-by-step methodology for police organizations to measure and evaluate behavior in a meaningful way to assess these competencies. We illustrate the proposed methodology with a practical example. We posit that direct behavioral observation can be key in measuring the expression of psychological competence in practice, and that psychological competence in practice is what police organizations should care about. We hope this paper offers police organizations a methodology to perform scientifically informed observational behavior assessment of their police officers’ psychological competencies and inspires additional research efforts into this important area.
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