Showing papers in "Evaluation & the Health Professions in 2010"
TL;DR: Evaluated scaling assumptions and component structure of and present normative data for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale using a sample of US adults to provide new data regarding the relationship between the two RSES subcomponents of self-competence (SC) and self-liking (SL), and other demographic and clinical variables.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to evaluate the scaling assumptions and component structure of and present normative data for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) using a sample of US adults (N = 503), both overall and across demographic subgroups and (b) to provide new data regarding the relationship between the two RSES subcomponents of self-competence (SC) and self-liking (SL), and other demographic and clinical variables. As hypothesized, all psychometric tests supported the underlying structure of the RSES. Overall RSES scores varied significantly across age, racial and ethnic, education, employment status, income, and marital status groups. Furthermore, differences between SC and SL were also found across groups differing in gender, age, employment status, and marital status groups. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed, with an emphasis on clinical relevance.
428 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that AA/ NA participation is a valuable modality of substance abuse treatment for teens and that much can be done to increase teen participation, though more research is needed.
Abstract: The investigation of the applicability of Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous (AA/NA) for teens has only been a subject of empirical research investigation since the early 1990s. In the present review, the author describes teen involvement in AA/NA programming, provides an exhaustive review of the outcomes of 19 studies that used an AA/NA model as part of their formal teen substance abuse treatment programs, and provides data on the effects of AA/NA attendance on abstinence at follow-up, on which youth tend to become involved in AA/NA, and on mediation of the benefits of AA/NA participation. In addition, the author suggests the reasons for somewhat limited participation by teens in more informal, community-based 12-step meetings, and makes suggestions for maximizing participation at meetings in the community. The author concludes that AA/ NA participation is a valuable modality of substance abuse treatment for teens and that much can be done to increase teen participation, though more research is needed.
101 citations
TL;DR: Comparing type of comorbidity, chronic lung, and mental health problems were associated with lower ratings than hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer, and pay-for-performance programs need to account for chronic conditions to avoid penalizing physicians who care for larger shares of such patients.
Abstract: Previous studies using clinical performance measures suggest that quality of care for patients with multiple chronic conditions is not worse than that for others. This article presents patient-reported experiences of health care among 8,973 of chronically ill adults from eight countries, using telephone survey data. We designed a ''morbidity score'' combining the number of conditions and reported health status. Respondents with high morbidity scores reported less favorable experience with coordination of care compared to those with low morbidity scores. They also reported lower ratings of overall quality of care. There were no differences in reported experience with the individual physicians. Comparing type of comorbidity, chronic lung, and mental health problems were associated with lower ratings than hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed in the context of health care reform. Pay-for-performance programs need to account for chronic conditions to avoid penalizing physicians who care for larger shares of such patients.
80 citations
TL;DR: This study looked for patterns of gender bias in adjective data used to inform Medical Student Performance Evaluations and found gender bias was evident in two areas: women were more likely than comparable men to be described as ‘‘compassionate’’ and men were morelikely than comparable women to be seen as‘quick learners.
Abstract: For medical schools, the increasing presence of women makes it especially important that potential sources of gender bias be identified and removed from student evaluation methods. Our study looked for patterns of gender bias in adjective data used to inform our Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs). Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to model the latent structure of the adjectives attributed to students (n = 657) and to test for systematic scoring errors by gender. Gender bias was evident in two areas: (a) women were more likely than comparable men to be described as ''compassionate,'' ''sensitive,'' and ''enthusiastic'' and (b) men were more likely than comparable women to be seen as ''quick learners.'' The gender gap in ''quick learner'' attribution grows with increasing student proficiency; men's rate of increase is over twice that of women's. Technical and nontechnical approaches for ameliorating the impact of gender bias on student recommendations are suggested.
72 citations
TL;DR: The purpose of this article is to evaluate existing evidence-based grading guidelines and to offer suggestions for how such guidelines may be improved.
Abstract: Over the past 30 years, a general consensus has emerged within the medical community regarding the essential role served by grading guidelines in evaluating the quality of evidence produced by a medical research study. Specifically, consensus exists regarding the hierarchy of evidence, where randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the ''gold standard'' followed by nonrandomized controlled trials (non-RCTs) and uncontrolled trials. As guidelines have become more sophisticated, processes have been developed for downgrading poorly conducted studies and upgrading strong studies. Lists of threats to internal validity have been disseminated, thereby assisting reviewers in grading studies. However, despite these many accomplishments, considerable issues remain unresolved with respect to how to evaluate the strength of evidence produced by flawed RCTs versus well-conducted non-RCTs. The purpose of this article is to evaluate existing evidence-based grading guidelines and to offer suggestions for how such guidelines may be improved.
41 citations
TL;DR: Both personal characteristics and professional experience were associated with attitudes toward caring for migrant patients, and the perceived importance of understanding the psychosocial context when caring for migrants was higher among medical students, women, Swiss nationals, those with greater interest in caring for immigrant patients and those who had received training in cultural competence.
Abstract: It is generally believed that culturally competent clinical practice depends in part on the development of positive attitudes toward the care of immigrant patients. However, few tools exist to measure such attitudes in physicians. The authors operationalized ''culturally competent attitudes'' to include a high level of interest in caring for immigrant patients, an acceptance of the responsibility of doctors and hospitals to adapt to immigrant patients' needs, and the opinion that understanding the patient's psychosocial context is particularly important when caring for immigrant patients. The authors then assessed these attitudes and opinions among a sample of 619 Geneva doctors and medical students using a self-administered questionnaire and explored their association to respondents' personal characteristics and professional experience. The authors found that both personal characteristics and professional experience were associated with attitudes toward caring for immigrant patients. In particular, the perceived importance of understanding the psychosocial context when caring for migrants was higher among medical students, women, Swiss nationals, those with greater interest in caring for immigrant patients and those who had received training in cultural competence. However, it is unclear whether cultural competence training and clinical context lead to the development of more positive attitudes or whether medical students and physicians who already have positive attitudes are more likely to participate in such training.
36 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed various components and procedures of the CTC approach and discussed some practical aspects of its application using an example of a study evaluating a presentation on menopausal care for primary care physicians.
Abstract: A commitment to practice change (CTC) approach may be used in educational program evaluation to document practice changes, examine the educational impact relative to the instructional focus, and improve understanding of the learning-to-change continuum. The authors reviewed various components and procedures of this approach and discussed some practical aspects of its application using an example of a study evaluating a presentation on menopausal care for primary care physicians. The CTC approach is a valuable evaluation tool, but it requires supplementation with other data to have a complete picture of the impact of education on practice. From the evaluation perspective, the self-reported nature of the CTC data is a major limitation of this method.
33 citations
TL;DR: The outcome of the development process is a questionnaire that focuses on issues expressed as important by patients, takes into account services as well as the supporting structure, and includes items relevant to an individual pharmacy and demonstrates satisfactory psychometric properties.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to develop a psychometrically valid, multidimensional, self-administered, general questionnaire measuring patient satisfaction with pharmacy performance for outpatients. A multiphase development process was employed to attain this goal. In Phase I, questionnaire's content was generated using interviews with pharmacy users regarding their experiences and expectations relating to pharmacies. In Phase II, the content and format of the questionnaire was defined in a two-round modified Delphi study, where an expert panel estimated importance of generated items for patient satisfaction. In Phase III, the initial validation of the questionnaire, which included a random sample of 5,400 patients coming out of the selected pharmacies, took place. The outcome of the development process is a questionnaire that focuses on issues expressed as important by patients, takes into account services as well as the supporting structure, and includes items relevant to an individual pharmacy and demonstrates satisfactory psychometric properties.
27 citations
TL;DR: The results indicate the need to pursue implementation and evaluation of multidisciplinary interventions in smoking cessation clinics with a longer follow-up, including the promotion of compliance to increase clinic visits and prevent relapse.
Abstract: The Government of Taiwan has imposed a tobacco health tax of NT$5 (US$0.14) per pack of cigarettes since January 2002. The Department of Health has now begun to fund a smoking cessation program that provides nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) and brief counseling by physicians in outpatient clinics. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the smoking cessation program with a 3-year follow-up review implemented at outpatient clinics, which were run by the Family Medicine Department in a medical center, with a total of 772 adult participants. The abstinence rates were 99.7%, 49.2%, 37.7%, 30.2%, and 22.7%, at the 1-, 3-, 6-, 12-, and 36-month points, respectively. The frequency of clinic visits is a major factor predicting long-term cessation. The results indicate the need to pursue implementation and evaluation of multidisciplinary interventions in smoking cessation clinics with a longer follow-up, including the promotion of compliance to increase clinic visits and prevent relapse.
25 citations
TL;DR: Use of Web-based questionnaires is recommended in combination with other data collection methods and incentives, and no statistically significant differences were observed on the primary health status variables with respect to modality.
Abstract: A questionnaire survey on health among students of higher education was planned. To produce a response rate high enough for the analysis in a cost-effective manner, a pilot study was carried out to test various methods of data collection. Electronic invitation by the university messaging system to fill a Web-based questionnaire, invitation by the same means to fill paper-based questionnaires at a predefined place and time with or without conditional incentives yielded response rates below 10%. Therefore, a combination of postal and Internet-based questionnaires was used for data collection enhanced with a small up-front gift and conditional incentives suggested by a student focus group. This modality resulted in a 68.6% response rate (65.2% after data cleaning). Those who responded through the Web were more likely to be males and residing in larger settlements. However, no statistically significant differences were observed on the primary health status variables with respect to modality. Use of Web-based questionnaires is recommended in combination with other data collection methods and incentives.
23 citations
TL;DR: Preference for rapid HIV testing was among men who have sex with men (MSM), who reported using alcohol in the last 48 hr but who did not endorse the use of illicit drugs; individuals reporting sex trading were also more likely to choose the rapid HIV test.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine who chooses a rapid test for HIV when given a choice in a community-based or mobile van setting in Long Beach, California. Individuals were given a choice of either rapid or standard HIV testing either alone or in conjunction with testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Of the 2,752 HIV tests performed between March 2005 and March 2009, 917 (33%) were rapid tests. Preference for rapid HIV testing was among men who have sex with men (MSM), who reported using alcohol in the last 48 hr but who did not endorse the use of illicit drugs; individuals reporting sex trading were also more likely to choose the rapid HIV test. African Americans, regardless of sexual identification, were significantly less likely to choose an HIV rapid test. Strategies are needed to encourage HIV rapid testing among both noninjection and injection drug users, and other at-risk groups.
TL;DR: Although nurses’ attitudes to prenatal bereavement care differ significantly across the three Asian cities, they are generally similar and could be related to the wider social, cultural, and organizational circumstances of nursing practice.
Abstract: Caring for parents whose infant has died is extremely demanding, difficult, and stressful. In some situations, nurses may experience personal failure, feel helpless, and need to distance themselves from bereaved parents because they are unable to deal with the enormity of the parental feelings of loss. The aim of the study was to describe and compare attitudes toward perinatal bereavement care across a sample of nurses working in five obstetrics and gynecology settings from three Asian cities, as well as the factors associated with these attitudes. A survey was conducted, and 573 nurses were recruited from 2006 to 2007. The data were collected using the perinatal bereavement attitudes scale, which involves an 11-item self-report questionnaire. Nurses' attitudes were mainly positive, but differed across cities, with the attitude of Jinan nurses being significantly more positive than nurses from the other two cities, and the attitude of Hong Kong nurses being significantly the lowest. Positive attitudes were associated with position, and nurses who were well informed of hospital policy and received training for bereavement care were statistically significantly more likely to have a positive attitude toward perinatal bereavement care. Although nurses' attitudes to prenatal bereavement care differ significantly across the three Asian cities, they are generally similar. The differences observed could be related to the wider social, cultural, and organizational circumstances of nursing practice.
TL;DR: Good adherence to evidence-based guidelines in general is shown, although there is still room for improvement to further optimize clinical outcomes in these complex patients.
Abstract: Evidence-based therapies (EBTs) for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are reportedly underutilized in older people. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of EBTs for the prevention of CVD events in older people and secondarily whether a Home Medicines Review (HMR) service by pharmacists' predicts the use of these medicines. A retrospective cross-sectional audit of HMR reports pertaining to 608 community-dwelling older people (>or=65 years) was conducted. EBTs considered for this audit included four guideline-recommended therapies for CVD: antithrombotic therapy (warfarin +/- antiplatelet therapy), beta-blockers, statins, and angiotensin agents (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors [ACEI] +/- angiotensin II receptor blockers [ARBs]). The prevalence of EBT use among the older people, mean age (SD) 75.6 (7.5) years, was: 73% for antithrombotic therapy, 75% for statins, 74% for angiotensin therapy, and 35% for beta-blockers. CVD risk factors warranting treatment with these EBTs were frequently associated with use of EBTs. EBTs were least likely to be used in those with coronary interventions like coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)/stent insertion (all EBTs except angiotensin agents) and angiotensin agents in those with a history of myocardial infarction or chronic heart failure. A pharmacist-led HMR service was significantly associated with the prescribing of all 4 EBTs. The results from this study show good adherence to evidence-based guidelines in general, although there is still room for improvement to further optimize clinical outcomes in these complex patients. The study also adds to the available literature on the effectiveness of pharmacists' collaborative contribution to the care of these high-risk patients.
TL;DR: New measures presented in this article could be useful for tailoring cessation interventions to individual smokers’ attitudes and beliefs about menthol cigarettes, especially among smokers who are older, male, and/or have low levels of education.
Abstract: To develop more effective smoking cessation interventions for the 70% of African American smokers who smoke menthol cigarettes, it is important to understand smokers' reasons for choosing menthols verses nonmenthols. This study conducted a focus group of African American smokers about their attitudes and beliefs about menthol cigarettes. These attitudes and beliefs, along with others from the literature, were included in a survey of 720 African American smokers in Los Angeles County, California. Five common factors emerged-Medicinal Effects, Image, Less Harmful, Tradition, and Taste/Sensation. Menthol smokers had significantly higher scores on the Taste/Sensation, Medicinal Effects, and Less Harmful scales than nonmenthol smokers did. Men were significantly more likely than women to endorse Medicinal Effects, Image, and Tradition, whereas women were significantly more likely to endorse Taste/Sensation. Education was inversely associated with endorsement of Medicinal Effects, Image, Less Harmful, and Tradition. Respondents aged 40 years or older had significantly higher scores on Medicinal Effects, Image, and Less Harmful, compared with younger respondents. Smoking cessation interventions for African American menthol smokers should address commonly held myths that menthols have medicinal effects and are less harmful than nonmenthols, especially among smokers who are older, male, and/or have low levels of education. The new measures presented in this article could be useful for tailoring cessation interventions to individual smokers' attitudes and beliefs about menthol cigarettes.
TL;DR: In Poland, community-based pharmacists are positioned to provide smoking cessation interventions to all segments of the population and comprehensive tobacco cessation training should be a required component of the pharmacy school curriculum.
Abstract: In Poland, 38.0% of men and 25.6% of women smoke daily. One method for expanding access to smoking cessation services is through community-based pharmacists. Surveys were administered in 2007-2008 to (a) current smokers, (b) members of a pharmacy association, and (c) pharmacy students in their final year of training. Pharmacists were the highest ranked health professionals to whom Polish smokers reported they would turn for information about pharmacological support for smoking cessation. Most pharmacists (79%) reported their knowledge allowed them to provide basic smoking cessation information to their patients. Pharmacy students reported being more able to provide information about the health consequences of tobacco smoking than to help patients quit smoking (85% vs. 61%). In Poland, community-based pharmacists are positioned to provide smoking cessation interventions to all segments of the population. To extend and promote smoking cessation efforts, comprehensive tobacco cessation training should be a required component of the pharmacy school curriculum.
TL;DR: Main findings were high satisfaction ratings independent of group allocation in patients and physicians and the effects of the shared decision-making process are better measured by a more concrete approach representing different steps of this process.
Abstract: Satisfaction with treatment is regarded as an important outcome measure, but its suitability has not been thoroughly investigated in the context of shared decision making (SDM). The authors evaluated whether both patients' and physicians' satisfaction ratings differ between an intervention group and a control group within a structured tool for cardiovascular prevention (ARRIBA-Herz). In a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, controlled trial, 44 family physicians in the intervention group consecutively recruited 550 patients whereas 47 physicians in the control group included 582 patients. Main findings were high satisfaction ratings independent of group allocation in patients and physicians. Significant differences had only negligible effect sizes. Compared to global satisfaction ratings, the effects of the shared decision-making process are better measured by a more concrete approach representing different steps of this process. Further research should refine behaviorally oriented questionnaires that measure SDM and a version for physicians should also be created.
TL;DR: Maternal education level was an independent predictor of both early admission through a successful interview and higher medical school grade point average (GPA) as determined by regression analyses.
Abstract: Medical schools in Taiwan have recently adopted the U.S. medical school admissions model by incorporating interviews into the selection process. The objective of this study was to investigate factors that contribute to successful medical school applications through the national entrance examination and interview admission routes. The sample consisted of survey data from five entry cohorts of medical students admitted to the National Yang-Ming University Faculty of Medicine from 2003 to 2007. Of the 513 students, 62% were admitted through the traditional national entrance examination route and 38% were admitted early after achieving a threshold score on the composite national exam followed by a structured interview. Students admitted through the interview route were more likely to be female, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.17 (1.20–3.93). Maternal education level was an independent predictor of both early admission through a successful interview and higher medical school grade point average (GPA). Students ad...
TL;DR: Although long wait time was related to decreased parent satisfaction with pediatric clinic visits, increased time with the physician tended to moderate this relationship, and among clinic visits with long wait times, more time with a physician showed a relatively strong positive relationship with parent satisfaction.
Abstract: The objectives of this study were to assess the relationship between wait time and parent satisfaction and determine whether time with the physician potentially moderated any observed negative effects of long wait time. Data were collected from parents in a pediatric outpatient clinic. Parent satisfaction with the clinic visit was significantly negatively related to wait times. More time spent with the physician was positively related to satisfaction independent of wait times. Furthermore, among clinic visits with long wait times, more time with the physician showed a relatively strong positive relationship with parent satisfaction. Therefore, although long wait times was related to decreased parent satisfaction with pediatric clinic visits, increased time with the physician tended to moderate this relationship.
TL;DR: It is feasible to create a psychometrically robust composite measure of physicians’ clinical performance, specifically for the quality of care they provide to patients with diabetes, and high classification accuracy was high across the entire score scale.
Abstract: Much research has been devoted to addressing challenges in achieving reliable assessments of physicians’ clinical performance but less work has focused on whether valid and accurate classification ...
TL;DR: By giving direct and rapid access to service users’ perspectives on key issues regarding service provision, the panel appeared to be a practical procedure for use in complement with other satisfaction assessment methods.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to describe the experience of a standing panel of psychiatric outpatients over a period of five years The procedure is used as a complementary method to assess client satisfaction regarding services provided by a Montreal psychiatric institute During this period, 13 meetings were held, involving a total of 22 patients as active members of the panel These sessions allowed 11 decision makers of the institute to consult the panel regarding various topics such as service organization, quality of services, and client information In a context of internal evaluation, by giving direct and rapid access to service users' perspectives on key issues regarding service provision, the panel appeared to be a practical procedure for use in complement with other satisfaction assessment methods Unplanned effects included the recruitment of participants as patient representatives on different hospital committees and associations, and as presenters in conferences and congresses
TL;DR: The quality of consultation of both services based on surveys of attending physicians and those providing the consultation (consultants) seems to promote quality of euthanasia consultations.
Abstract: In Belgium and the Netherlands, consultation of a second independent physician by the attending physician is mandatory in euthanasia cases. In both countries, specialized consultation services have been established to provide physicians trained for that purpose. This retrospective study describes and compares the quality of consultation of both services based on surveys of attending physicians and those providing the consultation (consultants). While Dutch consultants discussed certain subjects, for example, alternative curative or palliative treatment more often with the attending physician than Belgian consultants, both usually discussed those subjects considered necessary for a quality consultation and were independent from patient and attending physician. Over 90% of attending physicians in both countries evaluated the consultant's knowledge of palliative care, patient's disease, and judicial procedure, and their communication skills, as sufficient. Consultation with specialized consultation services seems to promote quality of euthanasia consultations.
TL;DR: Four explanations for the elevated repeat pass rates on oral exams are proposed, including an increase in examinee proficiency, construct-irrelevant variance, measurement error (score unreliability), and memorization of test content.
Abstract: Years of research with high-stakes written tests indicates that although repeat examinees typically experience score gains between their first and subsequent attempts, their pass rates remain considerably lower than pass rates for first-time examinees. This outcome is consistent with expectations. Comparable studies of the performance of repeat examinees on oral examinations are lacking. The current research evaluated pass rates for more than 50,000 examinees on written and oral exams administered by six medical specialty boards for several recent years. Pass rates for first-time examinees were similar for both written and oral exams, averaging about 84% across all boards. Pass rates for repeat examinees on written exams were expectedly lower, ranging from 22% to 51%, with an average of 36%. However, pass rates for repeat examinees on oral exams were markedly higher than for written exams, ranging from 53% to 77%, with an average of 65%. Four explanations for the elevated repeat pass rates on oral exams a...
TL;DR: A study evaluating the effects of implementing smoking bans among drug-using prisoners in Taiwan found three general reactions to the ban were identified across all focus groups: unfair/hypocritical policy; being forced to stop smoking; and finding ways to smoke anyway.
Abstract: This article reports a study evaluating the effects of implementing smoking bans among drug-using prisoners in Taiwan. Seventy-seven new entrants were recruited in May 2008. Six focus groups were conducted in a prison-based treatment center, the only prison with a total smoking ban in Taiwan. All the subjects were male and their average age was 37 years. Three general reactions to the ban were identified across all focus groups: (a) unfair/hypocritical policy; (b) being forced to stop smoking; and (c) finding ways to smoke anyway. Future studies should compare the effects of total versus partial smoking bans among drug abusers in prison to better explore policy options.
TL;DR: Examination of the historical background and underlying principles for reflexology, iridology, acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and some herbal medicines, reveals a rationale founded on the principle of analogical correspondences which is a common basis for magical thinking and pseudoscientific beliefs such as astrology and chiromancy.
Abstract: Complementary and alternative therapies such as reflexology and acupuncture have been the subject of numerous evaluations, clinical trials, and systematic reviews, yet the empirical evidence in support of their efficacy remains equivocal. The empirical evaluation of a therapy would normally assume a plausible rationale regarding the mechanism of action. However, examination of the historical background and underlying principles for reflexology, iridology, acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and some herbal medicines, reveals a rationale founded on the principle of analogical correspondences, which is a common basis for magical thinking and pseudoscientific beliefs such as astrology and chiromancy. Where this is the case, it is suggested that subjecting these therapies to empirical evaluation may be tantamount to evaluating the absurd.
TL;DR: Results of the current study suggest the possibility of getting generalizable assessments by peer reviewer with minimal information, and are not in accordance with the concept of case specificity.
Abstract: In many countries, peer assessment programs based on the examination of patient charts are becoming a standard to assess physician’s clinical performance. Although data on validity of the process are acceptable, reliability issues need some improvement. This article addresses the rarely studied aspect of optimal number of patient charts for an acceptable reliable assessment. Fifteen patient charts for each of a group of 20 practicing physicians were independently reviewed by 4 professional peer assessors. Generalizability (G) and decision (D) studies were applied to the data. It appears that as few as 10 patient charts are sufficient for any assessor to obtain a G coefficient of 0.80. Results of the current study suggest the possibility of getting generalizable assessments by peer reviewer with minimal information. These results are not in accordance with the concept of case specificity in which it is claimed that performance on a case is a poor predictor of performance on a different case.
TL;DR: A procedure was developed to identify examinees that potentially had unauthorized prior access to examination content and a standardized difference score was created by comparing examinee ability estimates for potentially exposed items to able estimates for unexposed items.
Abstract: Item disclosure is one of the most serious threats to the validity of high stakes examinations, and identifying examinees that may have had unauthorized access to material is an important step in ensuring the integrity of an examination. A procedure was developed to identify examinees that potentially had unauthorized prior access to examination content. A standardized difference score is created by comparing examinee ability estimates for potentially exposed items to ability estimates for unexposed items. Outliers in this distribution are then flagged for further review. The steps associated with this procedure are described and followed by an example of applying the procedure. In addition, the use of this procedure is supported by the results of a simulation that models the use of unauthorized access to examination material.
TL;DR: Conordance, Cohen’s κ statistic, and sensitivity and specificity indicated slight agreement for mammogram, ultrasound, and clinical breast exam, and moderate agreement for fine needle aspiration and surgical biopsy; Sensitivity of self-reports was high for all tests; specificity was poor for all Tests except surgicalBiopsy.
Abstract: Little is known about the validity of self-reported completion of diagnostic testing after an abnormal breast cancer screening test. This study assesses the validity of self-reported diagnostic fol...
TL;DR: Michael Donald Newcomb was the quintessential scholar whose life was marked by a quiet but unrelenting determination to acquire knowledge and share this information, the perfect blend of philosopher and psychologist.
Abstract: Michael Donald Newcomb was the quintessential scholar whose life was marked by a quiet but unrelenting determination to acquire knowledge and share this information. He was the perfect blend of philosopher and psychologist, always poised to tackle the most trenchant and difficult methodological problems in the field. His passion for science was framed by his tremendous connection to and awareness of the human condition. Michael Newcomb was born on December 20, 1952, in Laguna Beach, California, and died in Santa Monica, California, on February 13, 2010, after a long and courageous battle with a degenerative neurological disease. He spent the bulk of his childhood residing near the beaches of southern California, where he was mentored in the richer aesthetic parts of life by his mother and father. His early life was rooted in horticulture and school book learning. According to family, he was a quiet if not tranquil youth, netting only a few scrapes and minor bruises from riding his bicycle. After graduating with Honors from Laguna Beach High School, he received his bachelor’s degree in social ecology from the University of California at