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Studies comparing large-scale assessment data among educational systems have been an important tool for understanding the differences in how education is delivered worldwide. Many of these studies do not go beyond reporting average student scores in a particular educational system. A more unbiased analysis would avoid the simple use of gross performance and consider educational system contexts. A common approach is to estimate effectiveness by the residuals of parametric linear models. These models rely upon strong assumptions regarding the data-generating process, and are limited to handling extensive datasets. To address this issue, our paper provides a new approach based on machine learning models. The new approach is flexible, allows paired comparison, and is model-independent. An analysis conducted in Brazil verifies the suitability of the method to explore differences in effectiveness between Brazilian educational administrative units at the regional and state levels from 2009 to 2019. Our results are consistent with the existing literature, but the methodology produced a number of new findings that were not observed in studies using more traditional approaches., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Cardoso Silva Filho et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: this paper aims to describe the first phase of a project whose general goal was to develop a consensus-based set of advanced practice nurse competencies applicable to Latin American countries and, based on these competencies, produce an advanced practice nurse curricular prototype adapted to Latin American countries. The project was framed in a competency-based approach to advanced practice nursing education. The specific aims of the first phase of the project described in this paper were: 1) to identify a set of potential advanced practice nurse competencies that would serve as the template for Core Advanced Practice Nurse Competencies in Latin American countries and 2) to establish consensus for Core Advanced Practice Nurse Competencies in Latin American countries. Method: advanced practice nurse competencies were derived from a comprehensive review of published competencies and informed the development of a survey designed to assess the relevance of advanced practice nurse competencies in Latin American countries. The survey was distributed to nurse leaders and nurse educators. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: consensus for Core Competencies was established. Conclusion: the Core Advanced Practice Nurse Competencies presented can provide a structured framework to build educational programs aligned to the needs of the regional environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study evaluates the success of graduate students in psychiatry in an emerging country, in terms of the quantity and quality of their publication productivity (given by the number of papers and impact factors of the journals in which they publish). We investigated to what extent student proficiency in English and the scientific capabilities of academic advisors predict that success., Methods: Our sample comprised 43 master's and doctoral students in psychiatry (n = 28 and n = 15, respectively) at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine, in São Paulo, Brazil. We collected information about their knowledge of English and the ways in which they wrote their articles to be submitted to periodicals published in English. Multiple regression analyses were carried out in order to investigate the influence English proficiency, h-index of supervisors and use of language editing assistance had on the number and impact of student publications., Results: Although 60% of students scored ≥80 (out of 100) on English tests given at admission to the graduate program, 93.09% of the sample used some form of external editing assistance to produce their papers in English. The variables "number of publications" and "impact factor of journals" were significantly related to each other (r = 0.550, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the impact factor of periodicals where students published their articles as first authors correlated significantly not only with student proficiency in English at admission (p = 0.035), but also with the degree of language editing assistance (p = 0.050) and the h-index of the academic advisor (p = 0.050)., Conclusions: Albeit relevant, knowledge of English was not the key factor for the publication success of the graduate students evaluated. Other variables (h-index of the advisor and third-party language editing assistance) appear to be also important predictors of success in publication.

Copyright of Minas Gerais Medical Journal / Revista Médica de Minas Gerais is the property of Associacao Medica de Minas Gerais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Oftalmologia is the property of Sociedade Brasileira de Oftalmologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Analyzing the historical and social path of an occupation using the sociology of professions and the perspective of scientific knowledge promotes an understanding of the origin of physical therapy in Brazil and of discussions of the profession in its contemporary context. Objective: The aim of this paper was to discuss the professionalization process of physical therapy in São Paulo. The authors tried to analyze bath therapy, massage therapy, and physical therapy as occupations involving distinct expertise and as part of the group of occupations that evolved into the profession of physiotherapy in the first half of the twentieth century. Method: The analysis undertaken was a qualitative study based on an analysis of historical documents. Eighty-six professional records from the Service of Inspection of Professional Practice in the state of São Paulo and healthcare legislation from the 1930s and 1940s were analyzed. Results: The distinction between physical therapy practitioner and profession of physiotherapy can be seen by examining registration requirements for rank-and-file nurses with expertise in interactions; this distinction suggests the emergence of specialized expertise that was clearly a part of neither medicine nor nursing and contributed to expertise in physical therapy since the 1950s. Conclusion: The regulation of physiotherapy practices, the recognition of expertise, the accreditation of practical nurses by the State, and the institutionalization of a course for physical therapy practitioners in 1951 are key elements of the professionalization process for the physical therapy profession in Brazil [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Gaucha de Enfermagem is the property of Revista Gaucha de Enfermagem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the dentists' knowledge and practice regarding HIV positive individuals' oral care in Rio de Janeiro State. Methods: Dentists from Rio de Janeiro State (n = 242) answered an electronic questionnaire on biosafety procedures, oral manifestations of AIDS, and knowledge of HIV infection. Collected information was stratified by gender, and data were analyzed using Chi-square and t tests. Results: From the 14 oral manifestations investigated, oral candidiasis, necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, and hairy leucoplakia were more associated with HIV, with no differences between the responses from men and women. Above 85% of the participants would be concerned about becoming infected with HIV after a needle/ sharp object injury and more than 80% of them were willing to be tested for HIV. However, significantly more women (98.8%), compared to men (91.3%), said they knew that HIV/ AIDS patients can contaminate dental care professionals, p = 0.007. There was a significant difference in the answers for the questions: "Are there special dental clinics for treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in Brazil?" (p = 0.044), and "Do the negative HIV tests surely indicate that the persons are free of viruses?" (p = 0.005). Significant differences between men and women were also observed regarding use of disposable mask (p = 0.01), and cap (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Most dentists who participated in the study presented a good knowledge on the care of HIV/ AIDS individuals, including biosafety protocols and in terms of the oral manifestations commonly associated to AIDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Gaucha de Enfermagem is the property of Revista Gaucha de Enfermagem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Texto & Contexto Enfermagem is the property of Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Programa de Pos-Graduacao de Enfermagem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Better communication among field health care teams and points of care, together with investments focused on improving teamwork, individual management, and clinical skills, are strategies for achieving better outcomes in patient-oriented care. This research aims to implement and evaluate interventions focused on improving communication and knowledge among health teams based on points of care in a regional public health outreach network, assessing the following hypotheses: 1) A better-working communication process between hospitals and primary health care providers can improve the sharing of information on patients as well as patients' outcomes. 2) A skill-upgrading education tool offered to health providers at their work sites can improve patients' care and outcomes.Methods/design: A quasi-experimental study protocol with a mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative) was developed to evaluate communication tools for health care professionals based in primary care units and in a general hospital in the southern region of São Paulo City, Brazil. The usefulness and implementation processes of the integration strategies will be evaluated, considering: 1) An Internet-based communication platform that facilitates continuity and integrality of care to patients, and 2) A tailored updating distance-learning course on ambulatory care sensitive conditions for clinical skills improvements. The observational study will evaluate a non-randomized cohort of adult patients, with historical controls. Hospitalized patients diagnosed with an ambulatory care sensitive condition will be selected and followed for 1 year after hospital discharge. Data will be collected using validated questionnaires and from patients' medical records. Health care professionals will be evaluated related to their use of education and communication tools and their demographic and psychological profiles. The primary outcome measured will be the patients' 30-day hospital readmission rates. A sample size of 560 patients was calculated to fit a valid logistic model. In addition, qualitative approaches will be used to identify subjective perceptions of providers about the implementation process and of patients about health system use.Discussion: This research project will gather relevant information about implementation processes for education and communication tools and their impact on human resources training, rates of readmission, and patient-related outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Paulista de Enfermagem is the property of Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista de Enfermagem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Paulista de Enfermagem is the property of Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista de Enfermagem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Paulista de Enfermagem is the property of Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista de Enfermagem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Lack of skills on how to diagnose and manage obstetric emergencies contribute to substandard institutional care and preventable maternal deaths in Brazil. Simulation-based obstetric emergency team training can reduce adverse maternal outcomes. However, this type of training is expensive and not widely available, especially in low resource settings. We present the experience of a private-public partnership that offered a two-day obstetric emergency simulation-training course to hundreds of Brazilian professionals working in the public sector. We also present participants´ short-term learning outcomes (Kirkpatrick's level 2) and satisfaction (Kirkpatrick's level 1). Methods: This was a non-experimental before-and-after study. The free 16-h course was held over a 14 months period in a large private hospital's simulation center using multidisciplinary scenario and model-based training. The training sessions consisted of four (4-h) modules on pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, hemorrhage, sepsis and resuscitation. An anonymous questionnaire collected participants´ satisfaction at the end of each module. Learning outcomes were assessed by comparing differences in participants´ pre- versus immediate post-course test scores. Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman tests were used for statistical analyses. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 340 professionals (117 doctors, 179 registered nurses-RN and 44 licensed practical nurses-LPN) working in 33 public Brazilian hospitals were trained. There was a significant increase in post-course test scores in all four modules. On average, scores increased 55% in the hypertension and 65–69% in the hemorrhage, sepsis and resuscitation modules (p = 0.019). Knowledge acquisition of RN and LPN was similar in the hypertension, hemorrhage and sepsis modules and significantly higher than doctors´ (p < 0.05). On a 0 to 10 scale, mean overall satisfaction ranged from 9.6 (for the hypertension module) to 9.8 (for the resuscitation module). Conclusions: This successful experience of a private-public partnership to offer obstetric emergency simulation training required strategic organization and a strong commitment from both sides. This promising private-public partnership model could be replicated in similar settings. The training course obtained high satisfaction scores and significantly improved the knowledge of public-sector health professionals on how to manage the main causes of maternal mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]