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Results for “Voluntary Programs”

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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

A synthetic vitreous fiber (SVF) occupational exposure database: implementing the SVF Health and Safety Partnership Program.

The Health and Safety Partnership Program is a voluntary workplace safety program for workers involved in the manufacture, fabrication, installation, and removal of glass wool and mineral wool products. This article describes one element of this Partnership Program, the development of an occupational exposure database that characterizes exposures by fiber type, industry sector, product type, and job description. Approximately 6000 exposure samples are included in the database, most of which were collected over the past decade, making it the most extensive and recent exposure data set on record for glass wool and mineral wool. The development of this database, as well as the initial results for exposure measurements segmented by product type and/or job description, are described. The current database shows that most applications and uses of glass wool and mineral wool involve exposures below the voluntary 1 f/cc permissible exposure limit, although some specific product types and job descriptions involve average exposures approaching the 1 f/cc limit.

Databases, Factual↗
PubMed1991

Surgeons and HIV.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed1990

Legal and ethical issues relating to AIDS.

The worldwide AIDS epidemic has posed an extraordinary array of ethical and legal challenges. The work presented here reviews three issues at the heart of the matter: discrimination against HIV-infected people, the limits of confidentiality, and the exercise of coercive government powers to limit spread of the disease. Because the authors are most familiar with the U.S. experience, the review deals primarily with the history of the epidemic in the United States and public responses to it in that country.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

The costs of employee smoking. A computer simulation of hospital nurses.

A computer simulation model of the economic impact of employee smoking on an employer was developed with a population of hospital nurses as the example. Net economic impact was calculated by estimating cumulative costs borne by the employer under various scenarios and comparing them with projected costs estimated from baseline data. The model included the following: baseline number of staff, baseline percentage of smokers, annual employee turnover rate, number of smokers interested in quitting, the cost of a smoking cessation program, expected success rate of a voluntary cessation program, smokers quitting spontaneously without a program, and employer-borne costs related to employee smoking. A variety of scenarios were constructed to generate a range of employer net economic impact figures and resulting percentages of smoking employees. Results showed that the benefits of a cessation program would be eliminated over several years, unless the prevalence of smoking in incoming employees was reduced. The most favorable scenario, combining a hospital cessation program and reduced smoking among new employees, generated cumulative savings, discounted at 5%, of $358,000 to $684,000 over an eight-year period.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1993

Leadership development for medical students--beyond the prescription pad.

BACKGROUND: Physicians are often perceived as leaders in their communities and are expected to participate in politics, business, and volunteer activities. Medical students receive little guidance about becoming effective community leaders. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: We developed a leadership training program for medical students. Participation in the program was voluntary. The principal forum for this program was a dinner seminar series, which emphasized presentations by current community leaders and identification of leadership opportunities in which medical students could participate. PROGRAM EVALUATION: Information collected at the onset of the program identified the students' concern and priorities regarding leadership activities. Seventy-seven percent of participating students identified good communication skills as the most important quality of a leader. In identifying an issue in which physicians might become involved, students noted only medically related issues, such as access to health care. No long term evaluation data are available to assess the effect of this program. CONCLUSION: Medical school curricula should teach students the leadership skills they will need to participate in community activities.

Community Participation↗
PubMed2006

Exposure and risk assessment of 1,3-butadiene in Japan.

1,3-Butadiene is on the list of Substances Requiring Priority Action published by the Central Environmental Council of Japan in 1996. Emission of 1,3-butadiene has been controlled by a voluntary reduction program since 1997. Although the industrial emission of 1,3-butadiene in Japan has decreased in recent years, primarily due to a voluntary industrial emissions reduction program, the risks of exposure to it remain largely unknown. We assessed the risks and consequences of exposure to 1,3-butadiene on human health. A remarkable advantage of our risk assessment approach is the detailed assessment of exposure. Previously, we developed two different models that can be applied for the assessment of exposure: the first, the AIST-ADMER model estimates regional concentration distributions, whereas the second, the METI-LIS model estimates concentration distributions in the vicinity of factories. Both models were used for the assessment of exposure to 1,3-butadiene. Using exposure concentration and carcinogenic potency determined and reported by Environment Canada and Health Canada, we evaluated the excess lifetime cancer risk for persons exposed to 1,3-butadiene over the course of a lifetime. The results suggested that the majority of the population in Japan has an excess lifetime cancer risk of less than 10(-5), whereas a small number of people living close to industrial sources had a risk of greater than 10(-5). The results of the present assessment also showed that 1,3-butadiene in the general environment originates primarily from automobile emissions, such that a countermeasure of reducing emissions from cars is expected to be effective at reducing the total cancer risk among Japanese. On the other hand, individual risks among a population living in the vicinity of certain industrial sources were found to be significantly higher than those of the population living elsewhere, such that a reduction in emissions from a small number of specific industrial sources should be realized in order to reduce the high level of individual risk. Based on the results of our assessment, the Industrial Structure Council of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in Japan decided to announce that the voluntary reduction program had been successful, and that emissions reductions should no longer be targeted across all industries in general, but instead that such reductions should be carried out in a small number of selected factories that emit excessively large amounts of emissions.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2004

Effectiveness of voluntary habitat stewardship in conserving grassland: case of operation burrowing owl in Saskatchewan.

There have been no published performance evaluations of nongovernmental, voluntary habitat stewardship programs. The Operation Burrowing Owl (OBO) stewardship program, initiated in 1987, was evaluated for its effectiveness in conservation of grassland habitat during 1986-1993. The 108 OBO sites from 1987 to 88 and 98 randomly selected non-OBO sites that were grassland in 1986 in the Regina-Weyburn, Saskatchewan study area were classified by size and agricultural soil suitability. By 1993, 41 (38%) of the 108 OBO sites had been withdrawn from the program. The 1986 area of grassland was compared with grassland area calculated from digitized 1993 LANDSAT imagery. A correction for satellite inaccuracies was determined. Grassland retention in 1993 was significantly higher at OBO sites (66%) than at random sites (49%), demonstrating that the OBO voluntary program effectively conserved habitat. Also, grassland retention was significantly lower on sites with better agricultural soils, and for sites <12 ha in size. Site type (OBO or random), size and their interaction, followed by agricultural soil suitability, had the greatest effects on grassland retention. During an era of accelerated grassland loss, OBO strongly and positively (statistically significant) affected conservation of grassland sites most at risk: sites <12 ha in size and with good to excellent agricultural soils. This suggests that grassland conservation efforts focus on vulnerable sites (small size and/or good agricultural soils) to provide nesting habitat for burrowing owls. Our study demonstrates that a voluntary stewardship program can significantly increase conservation of habitat.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2002

Effective faculty preceptoring and mentoring during reorganization of an academic medical center.

The experience and lessons learned in the design, implementation and initial evaluation of a demonstration faculty-to-faculty mentoring program, during a time of major institutional reorganization, are described. The question addressed was: Can a voluntary mentoring program be established with minimal resources and be effective in the context of major organizational change? Key design elements included two-tiered programs (one year preceptoring and multi-year mentoring), voluntary participation, and selection of senior faculty members by the junior faculty members. A total of 20% of junior faculty and 30% of senior faculty participated. Faculty indicated the program was worth the time invested, had a positive impact on their professional life and increased productivity. There was high satisfaction with the mentoring relationship, especially the psychosocial mentoring functions, and a trend toward increased retention of minority faculty. Within two years, the program was institutionalized into the Office for Faculty Affairs, and faculty approved a mentoring policy. It is concluded that voluntary mentoring programs can have a positive impact on junior and senior faculty satisfaction, reinvigorate the collegial culture, and improve productivity and retention even during a time of reorganization and minimal resources.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2004

Prevention of heavy drinking and associated negative consequences among mandated and voluntary college students.

The Lifestyle Management Class (LMC) was evaluated as a universal and targeted alcohol prevention program among voluntary and mandated college students. The relative efficacy of peer- and professional-led group interventions was also tested in this randomized, controlled design. LMC participants showed decreases in driving after drinking relative to control participants. Changes in heavy drinking varied as a function of treatment condition, readiness to change, and gender, with a trend toward larger decreases among voluntary LMC participants high in readiness to change and a comparable though nonsignificant advantage for male LMC participants in the mandated sample. The LMC was comparably effective for mandated and voluntary students, with no clear advantage for peer- or professional-led groups.

Achievement↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A balancing act: the tension between case-finding and primary prevention strategies in New York State's voluntary HIV counseling and testing program in women's health care settings.

This study sought (1) to identify factors that influence women's willingness to accept voluntary HIV counseling and testing at New York State Family Planning Programs (FPPs) and Prenatal Care Assistance Programs (PCAPs) and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of such a voluntary counseling and testing program. Telephone interviews elicited organizational-level data from 136 agencies; a combination of telephone and face-to-face interviews was used to gather provider data from 98 HIV counselors; and client data were gathered from 354 women in face-to-face interviews at counseling sites. Slightly fewer than 60% of women agreed to be counseled, and, of those, under half consented to an HIV test at the counseling site. Approximately two thirds of the women who were tested returned for their results and posttest counseling. Clients' recall of pretest counseling content was relatively poor. Bivariate and regression analyses suggest that client, provider, and organizational factors are all associated with rates of pretest counseling and testing. The current voluntary counseling and testing program is achieving only moderate success. Although a substantial number of clients accept HIV counseling, many women remain reluctant to consent to HIV testing, and many who accept testing do not return for their results. Moreover, among those who receive pretest counseling, many do not recall important informational content, which suggests variation may exist in the quality of counseling or that one-time HIV counseling interventions are insufficient to communicate complex information. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): AIDS, HIV serodiagnosis, women's health, patient education.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed2003

Student providers aspiring to rural and underserved experiences at the University of Washington: promoting team practice among the health care professions.

In the United States there are shortages of health care providers for both rural and underserved populations. There are also shortages of interprofessional or team-based training programs. To address these problems, the University of Washington's Area Health Education Center program and School of Medicine offer a voluntary extracurricular program for students in the university's six health science schools. The Student Providers Aspiring to Rural and Underserved Experiences (SPARX) program is an interprofessional, student-operated, center/school-supported program consisting of a wide range of activities. SPARX supports students interested in practicing among rural and urban medically underserved patients and in interacting with their peers in other health professions schools. A brief history and description of the program are presented, along with results of a survey of students indicating that SPARX reinforces their interest in practice among the underserved and influences their understanding of other health professions. Data on residency choices of medical students who have participated in the SPARX program are presented, indicating that these students are more likely to select primary care residency programs than the average students in their classes.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗
PubMed1994

Closing the loop of patient care--a clinical trial of a computerized discharge medication program.

A frustrating time for hospitalized patients and their primary care providers is after discharge from the hospital, because of changes in patients' medications. We developed a computer program to improve the discharge process, by providing guidance to the physician writing the prescriptions, offering educational material to the patients, and providing electronic notification of medication changes to the primary care providers. During a one-year clinical evaluation of this system, in which use of the program was voluntary, 1000 patients were discharged through the program. House officers tended to use the program more often for patients who were older and in the hospital longer. Both house officers and primary care physicians found the program extremely useful, and the process took no longer than the manual method of creating discharge medication lists. Patients who were discharged using this program may have had better adherence to medication regimens. We conclude that computer-assisted compilation of a discharge medication list is a useful method for improving the discharge process.

Boston↗
PubMed1998

Consolidated billing and compliance program--Part 2.

On February 11, 1998, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) released guidelines to assist hospitals and their agents and subproviders to comply with Medicare and Medicaid regulations. While adopting and implementing a compliance program is voluntary, the OIG believes that such a program prevents fraud, abuse, and waste while simultaneously furthering providers' fundamental mission--to provide quality care.

Fraud↗