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Clinical Simulation Evaluation Tool (CSET)
Despite the growing popularity of patient simulators as educational tools in the medical field, there is still scant empirical support delimiting their efficacy. A study by Radhakrishnan, Roche, & Cunningham (2007) set out to answer some of these questions by using the Clinical Simulation Evaluation Tool (CSET) to measuring specific nursing clinical practice parameters among a group of students who had been trained with the Human Patient Simulator (HPS). Five main areas of performance were measured: basic assessment skills, safety, prioritization, problem-focused assessment, ensuing...
The Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&MS)
Each year up to five hundred thousand new cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are reported in the United States alone. Very often such injuries are accompanied by ambulatory disabilities which can only be overcome with specialized rehabilitation. Without good measurement tools it is impossible to draw accurate conclusions about the true effectiveness of such rehabilitation programs. Therefore, the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CM&MS) was designed and verified to facilitate effective and systematic measurement of ambulatory skills in patients.
Emotional Cognitive Scale (ECS)
Piagetian and neo-Piagetian developmental psychologists believe that childhood is marked by a series of punctuated cognitive developments. This view requires that children of increasingly older age should be ever more capable of managing cognitively demanding tasks. Furthermore, this view requires that some degree of consistency exists in terms of the age at which specific cognitive abilities are developed. The Emotional Cognitive Scale (ECS) was developed to measure childrens grasp of their own emotions by asking them how they think they would feel in a number of given situations....
The Child Psychosocial Distress Screener (CPDS)
The negative psychological outcomes in children exposed to armed conflict are well documented. In particular, lower income countries have difficulty meeting the mental health needs of their children. To highlight the need for interventions in these countries Jordans, Komproe, Ventevogel, Tol, & de Jong (2008) developed and validated the Child Psychosocial Distress Screener (CPDS). This scale is unique in its brevity and its flexibility; three of the items must be supplemented with probes which relate specifically to the child’s own experiences. These 'probes' are obtained through...
The Clinical Decision Making Survey (CDMS)
Nurses are forced to make difficult decisions when presented with patients who are experiencing pain. Ethical dilemmas can also arise around issues such over-medication, under-medication, and opioid side effects to name a few. It is important to gain an understanding of how nurses make these decisions so that more insight can be gained into the factors influencing those decision making processes.
The Controlling Pain Vignettes Survey (CPVS)
Nurses are forced to make difficult decisions when presented with patients who are experiencing pain. Ethical dilemmas can also arise around issues such over-medication, under-medication, and opioid side effects to name a few. It is important to gain an understanding of how nurses make these decisions so that more insight can be gained into the factors influencing those decision making processes. This survey is the product of four separate studies, each investigating one specific factor which may be influential during nurses’ assessments of patient pain.
Family Pain Questionnaire (FPQ)
Chronic pain is recognised as a significant barrier to wellbeing in those suffering from cancer. The family has also been highlighted as playing a crucial role in helping patients deal with their pain. The Family Pain Questionnaire (FPQ) is intended to shed some light on the family caregivers experience and knowledge of pain. This information can be used in conjunction with the Patient Pain Questionnaire (PPQ) to gain a clearer understanding of how perceptions of pain by patient and caregiver interact and/or even predict adjustment to pain. The questionnaire can be used in clinical...
Pain Audit Tools (PAT)
Quality palliative care is important in ensuring the wellbeing of those suffering with a terminal illness. One of the primary roles of a palliative care-giver is to be able to make accurate pain assessments. Without sufficient training nurses will struggle to meet the many tough demands they meet. The Pain Audit Tools (PAT) are therefore useful in maintaining a high standard of care and allowing improvements to be made where necessary. It serves as both an educational tool and a quality assessment tool.
Youth Quality of Life Instrument - Short Form (YQOL-SF)
The Youth Quality of Life Instrument - Short Form (YQOL-SF) measures generic quality of life in youth ages 11-18 years with and without chronic conditions and disabilities. The short form includes 15 perceptual items measuring the domains of sense of self, social relationships, environment, and general quality of life, developed with Rasch methodology (publication forthcoming).
Service to Others in Sobriety (SOS)
Giving, helping, volunteering, being of service, unselfishness, goodwill—whatever the term—human beings worldwide engage in generous, altruistic behavior toward others. Although such acts are, by definition, performed without expectation of external reward or reciprocation (Zemore & Pagano, 2009), they nonetheless provide specific benefits to the helper. A growing body of research shows evidence of the health benefits to helpers across the life span. Youths have been shown to enjoy lower levels of disciplinary problems (Calabrese & Schumer, 1986), better values, and educational...
