Competence (human resources)

About: Competence (human resources) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 53557 publications have been published within this topic receiving 988884 citations. The topic is also known as: competence (human resources) & Competency.

Assessing communication competence: a review of current tools.

Abstract: Background: The assessment of communication competence has become a major priority of medical educational, policy, and licensing organizations in the United States and Canada. Multiple tools are available to assess communication competence, but there are few studies that compare the tools. Methods: A consensus panel of six family medicine educators evaluated 15 instruments measuring the physician-patient interview. The primary evaluation criteria came from the Kalamazoo Consensus Statement (KCS), which derived from a multidisciplinary panel of experts that defined seven essential elements of physician-patient communication. We evaluated psychometric properties of the instruments and other assessment criteria felt to be important to family physicians (exploring family issues, interview efficiency, and usability/practicality). Results: Instruments that received the highest ratings on KCS elements were designed for faculty raters and varied in their practicality/usability ratings and psychometric properties. Few instruments were rated high on psychometric properties or exploring family issues. Conclusions: The process successfully reviewed and provided a framework for assessing communication skills instruments. There is a need to expand the study, including use of a larger cohort of reviewers to provide more validity to the results and minimize potential biases.

Assessing social-emotional development in children from a longitudinal perspective.

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of methodological challenges related to the epidemiological assessment of social-emotional development in children. Because population-based studies involve large cohorts and are usually multicentre in structure, they have cost, participant burden and other specific issues that affect the feasibility of the types of measures that can be administered. Despite these challenges, accurate in-depth assessment of social-emotional functioning is crucial, based on its importance to child outcomes like mental health, academic performance, delinquency and substance abuse. Five dimensions of social-emotional development in children are defined: (1) social competence; (2) attachment; (3) emotional competence; (4) self-perceived competence; and (5) temperament/personality. Their measurement in a longitudinal study and associated challenges are discussed. Means of making valid, reliable assessments while at the same time minimising the multiple challenges posed in the epidemiological assessment of social-emotional development in children are reviewed.

Substance abuse prevention: competence enhancement and the development of positive life options.

Abstract: Recent advances in the field of substance abuse prevention have derived from a consideration of the etiology of substance use and have also been solidly grounded in psychological theory. Evaluation studies of psychosocial prevention interventions have become increasingly rigorous, and clearly demonstrate that there are effective approaches to prevention. The Life Skills Training Program is an example of a competence enhancement approach to substance abuse prevention. While research with this approach demonstrates its effectiveness at reducing substance use behavior, experience working with disadvantaged youth suggests the need to broaden the concept of competence enhancement. Specifically, recommendations are made for formalizing the concept of positive life options as a potentially important component of substance abuse prevention.