No significant relationships.

Foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreaks can have devastating impacts, but they occur infrequently in any specific sector anywhere in the United States (US). Training to proactively discuss implementation of control and prevention strategies are beneficial in that they provide stakeholders with the practical information and educational experience they will need to respond effectively to an FAD. Such proactive approaches are the mission of the Secure Food System (SFS; University of Minnesota; St. Paul, Minnesota USA).

The SFS exercises were designed as educational activities based on avian influenza (AI) outbreaks in commercial poultry scenarios. These scenarios were created by subject matter experts and were based on epidemiology reports, risk pathway analyses, local industry practices, and site-specific circumstances. Target audiences of an exercise were the groups involved in FAD control: animal agriculture industry members; animal health regulators; and diagnosticians. Groups of industry participants seated together at tables represented fictional poultry premises and were guided by a moderator to respond to an on-farm situation within a simulated outbreak. The impact of SFS exercises was evaluated through interviews with randomized industry participants and selected table moderators. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analyses were performed on interview feedback.

Eleven SFS exercises occurred from December 2016 through October 2017 in multiple regions of the US. Exercises were conducted as company-wide, state-wide, or regional trainings. Nine were based on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks and two focused on outbreaks of co-circulating HPAI and low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI). Poultry industry participants interviewed generally found attending an SFS exercise to be useful. The most commonly identified benefits of participation were its value to people without prior outbreak experience and knowledge gained about Continuity of Business (COB)-permitted movement. After completing an exercise, most participants evaluated their preparedness to respond to an outbreak as somewhat to very ready, and more than one-half reported their respective company or farms had discussions or changed actions due to participation.

Evaluation feedback suggests the SFS exercises were an effective training method to supplement preparedness efforts for an AI outbreak. The concept of using multi-faceted scenarios and multiple education strategies during a tabletop exercise may be translatable to other emergency preparedness needs.

LinskensEJ, NeuAE, WalzEJ, St. CharlesKM, CulhaneMR, SsematimbaA, GoldsmithTJ, HalvorsonDA, CardonaCJ. Preparing for a Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak Using a Novel Tabletop Exercise. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(6):640–646.

With the aging of the population, the demand for long-term services is increasing accordingly and the recruitment of paid caregivers to older adults has become a critical issue. Hence, there is a great need to train people in the care of older adults. This study examined motivations to participate in a new program, which aims to train young people (ages 19–25) to become paid caregivers for older adults.

The study is based on focus groups with program participants (N = 33) and on phone interviews with former participants (N = 8) and face-to-face interviews with staff members (N = 14). Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Three major themes emerged: (1) “Motivations to participate in the program,” referred to participants’ motivations to work with older adults. (2) “Reduced motivations due to ambiguity of roles,” referred to the unclear definition of the care worker's role, which created a decrease in participants' motivations to provide care. (3) “Inadequate financial compensation,” concerned participants’ reduced motivation to participate in the program as a result of financial promises that were not realized.

Findings suggest that it is important to be cautious about the motivations for participation in the program because by emphasizing the difficult situation of older adults, one stresses the low status assigned to older adults, rather than positive attributes. It is also suggested that care workers should be financially rewarded, so that despite the difficulties that may arise during work, they will feel valued and will want to remain in the profession.

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery is a common procedure performed within otolaryngology, but it carries potential for significant life-changing complications. It is therefore essential that trainees undergo adequate training. The European Working Time Directive has led to reduced operating time for the trainee surgeon. With variable access and the cost implications associated with cadaveric specimens, simulation can be an invaluable educational resource in surgical training. The current literature regarding the various simulation methodologies that have been used in functional endoscopic sinus surgery training is discussed.

A literature search was conducted using the key words ‘nasal’, ‘nasal polyps’, ‘endoscope’, ‘education and simulation’, ‘endoscopic sinus surgery’ and ‘training’.

Twelve articles were identified; of these, eight trialled the use of simulators, two utilised ovine models and two used task trainers.

Simulation has shown benefit in functional endoscopic sinus surgery training; however, a robust platform accessible to ENT trainees is lacking.

The Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) program was launched in 1997. Its goal is to build infrastructure to improve the well-being of older racial/ethnic minorities by identifying mechanisms to reduce health disparities.

Its primary objectives are to mentor faculty in research addressing the health of minority elders and to enhance the diversity of the workforce that conducts elder health research by prioritizing the mentorship of underrepresented diverse scholars.

Through 2015, 12 centers received RCMAR awards and provided pilot research funding and mentorship to 361 scholars, 70% of whom were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. A large majority (85%) of RCMAR scholars from longstanding centers continue in academic research. Another 5% address aging and other health disparities through nonacademic research and leadership roles in public health agencies.

Longitudinal, team-based mentoring, cross-center scholar engagement, and community involvement in scholar development are important contributors to RCMAR’s success.

Hospice volunteers often encounter questions related to spirituality. It is unknown whether spiritual care receives a corresponding level of attention in their training. Our survey investigated the current practice of spiritual care training in Germany.

An online survey sent to 1,332 hospice homecare services for adults in Germany was conducted during the summer of 2012. We employed the SPSS 21 software package for statistical evaluation.

All training programs included self-reflection on personal spirituality as obligatory. The definitions of spirituality used in programs differ considerably. The task of defining training objectives is randomly delegated to a supervisor, a trainer, or to the governing organization. More than half the institutions work in conjunction with an external trainer. These external trainers frequently have professional backgrounds in pastoral care/theology and/or in hospice/palliative care. While spiritual care receives great attention, the specific tasks it entails are rarely discussed. The response rate for our study was 25.0% (n = 332).

A need exists to develop training concepts that outline distinct contents, methods, and objectives. A prospective curriculum would have to provide assistance in the development of training programs. Moreover, it would need to be adaptable to the various concepts of spiritual care employed by the respective institutions and their hospice volunteers.