BACKGROUND Health economic evaluations support the health care decision-making process by providing information on costs and consequences of health interventions. The quality of such studies is assessed by health economic evaluation (HEE) quality appraisal instruments. At present, there is no instrument for measuring and improving the quality of such HEE quality appraisal instruments. Therefore...

Given the difficulty of converting population-based estimates of cancer risk into precise statements of individual risk, it is not surprising that (a) individual differences in risk perception are at best poorly correlated to the best available determination of "actual risk" and to behaviors to prevent and detect and treat cancer, and (b) success in bringing perceived risk into line with actual...

Cleft lip and palate is the most common of the congenital conditions affecting the face and cranial bones and is associated with a raised risk of difficulties in infant-caregiver interaction; the reasons for such difficulties are not fully understood. Here, we report two experiments designed to explore how adults respond to infant faces with and without cleft lip, using behavioural measures of ...

INTRODUCTION Constantly evolving technology and techniques within radiation therapy require practitioners to maintain a continuous approach to professional development and training. Systems of performance appraisal and adoption of regular feedback mechanisms are vital to support this development yet frequently lack structure and rely on informal peer support. METHODS A Radiation Therapy Perfo...

This study investigated the relationship between self-appraisals of performance, symptom severity and post-event rumination in social phobia, and evaluated the effect of treatment on these variables. A socially phobic group and a nonanxious control group performed an impromptu speech and were told that their performance would be evaluated. Participants appraised their performance immediately af...

OBJECTIVE This study explored the effects of a cognitive task analysis (CTA)-informed curriculum to increase surgical skills performance and self-efficacy beliefs for medical students and postgraduate surgical residents learning how to perform an open cricothyrotomy. METHODS Third-year medical students and postgraduate year 2 and 3 surgery residents were assigned randomly to either the CTA gr...

In baccalaureate in nursing programs, self-directed methods of education have been used for many decades. A major goal of this type of approach to education is to provide students with the necessary competencies to become lifelong learners. Students must be exposed to self-directed learning competencies to obtain the knowledge, skills, and attributes unique to their personal and professional gr...

The effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance psychological variables related to cognitive performance were studied in 44 college students. Participants completed the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal after either 24 hours of sleep deprivation or approximately 8 hours of sleep. After completing the cognitive task, the participants completed 2 questionnaires, one assessing se...