Monthly Archives: April 2011

Professionals’ perceptions of their patients’ experiences with fertility care

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BACKGROUND

Patient-centredness is one of the core dimensions of quality of care. It can be monitored with surveys measuring patients’ experiences with care. The objective of the present study was to determine to what extent gynaecologists, physicians specializing in infertility and nurses can estimate the level of patient-centredness of their clinic.

METHODS

A random sample of 1189 couples with fertility problems and 194 physicians and nurses from 29 Dutch fertility clinics participated in this cross-sectional study. Differences between patients’ experiences with fertility care and professionals’ perceptions of these experiences as measured with the patient-centredness questionnaire-infertility (PCQ-infertility) were calculated. The questionnaire's structure, comprising one total scale (level 1), seven subscales (level 2) and 46 single items (level 3), was used as a framework.

RESULTS

Response rates were 75% (n = 888) in the patient sample and 83% (n = 160) in the professional sample. Independent sample t-tests, corrected for multiple comparisons with the Bonferroni correction method (P < 0.05), showed no significant differences in mean scores on the total scale of patient-centredness for either professionals or patients. At level 2, professionals underestimated most subscales, namely, ‘Accessibility’, ‘Communication’, ‘Patient involvement' and ‘Competence’, whereas ‘Continuity of care’ was overestimated. Professionals significantly and clinically relevantly misjudged 29 care aspects.

CONCLUSIONS

Professionals within fertility care cannot adequately evaluate their performance regarding patient-centredness, and specifically the care aspects to which their own patients attribute the greatest improvement potential. Providing detailed feedback might start improvement of patient-centredness and quality of care.

Bird Report 2010

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Birds on the Farne Islands 2010

The latest Farne Islands bird report is now out and for general sale on the islands. The report covers all aspects of the Farnes including full accounts of all 183 species recorded on Farne Islands during the year.

The report contains:
Front cover (Fulmar) produced by dutch illustrator Bas Teunis.
Ten colour photographs of the most noticeable rarities to be seen on the islands.
A full species by species bird account including all nesting seabirds.
Full reports on all moths, butterflies and cetaceans recorded.
A Grey Seal report covering the pupping season of the autumn.
An in depth bird ringing report highlighting all major findings.
To obtain the latest copy, please send cheques payable to the National Trust for £6 (this includes p&p) to:

David Steel

Farne Islands

Seahouses

Northumebrland

NE68 7SR

Sunny days continue…

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Guillemots all on eggs (Graeme Duncan)

Potential new breeders - Canada Geese settled and paired (Graeme Duncan)

Plenty on the islands - over 200 Purple Sandpipers at present (Graeme Duncan)

Strimming for the Terns (Graeme Duncan)

Tuesday 19th April comments:

The breeding season continues to gather momentum and each day brings something new. Over the last few days we’ve witnessed an arrival of Arctic Terns whilst huge numbers of displaying Sandwich Terns are now evident over the islands. Although still early, Sandwich Terns have been landing on the main colony of Inner Farne so I suspect an early start for them as well!

On the cliff ledges, Guillemots are well settled, Razorbills are copulating and Shags have been on eggs for three weeks. Elsewhere more and more Eiders inspect nest sites around the islands whilst Puffins are now on eggs! It’s all go and we’ll soon be celebrating a full set of nesting birds, and then the hard work really begins.

On the migrant front, more summer migrants have arrived on the islands including up to thirty Willow Warblers on 15th and our first Tree Pipits on 16th April. Of real note, a Tree Sparrow was on Brownsman on 3rd, two Ospreys over on 2nd and 4th, a Hooded Crow was present on Longstone on 13th, the same day a Greenshank was noted on Knoxes Reef, whilst two different Mediterranean Gulls have been seen in the evening roost.

As for the team, we’ve been working hard, dealing with good numbers of visitors daily whilst preparing the islands for the nesting seabirds. Its early days but we’ve been living on the islands for one month now and as a head warden, the team have had a cracking start and thank-you to each and every one of you – keep it up, you’re doing the Farnes proud.

Own-goal nightmare

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The warden football team (after the match!) (Wez Smith)
Farne Island Wardens 4 – 5 Seahouses Boatmen

Wednesday evening witnessed the first of the football clashes between the warden and Seahouses boatmen and what a clash it was! The first half was a typical tight affair with very little between the two teams before the boatmen broke the deadlock through Mickey Craig. However the wardens replied soon after through the brilliance of new warden Ciaran and with the game ebbing and flowing, it was the boatmen who raced into a 2-1 lead, as Danny P rifled home just before half-time. Half-time Wardens 1-2 Boatmen

The second half witnessed plenty of drama as the game appeared to be escaping the wardens, as a fine strike from Craig Pringle put the Seahouses men 3-1 up. However the goal appeared to galvanise the wardens who soon responded in fine style, smashing three quick goals (including a hat-rick from Ciaran and a fine team goal with Jamie finishing it off, to turn the game on its head at 4-3.

However the final 15 minutes witnessed a warden collapse as the island men scored not one, but two own goals to give the Boatmen a 5-4 lead in a thriller of a match. I won't name the own goal scorers, but the head warden can claim one.... With minutes remaining the wardens rallied for that elusive equaliser and despite intense pressure, could not find the break through. The boatmen hung on for a 5-4 win and everyone enjoyed the first game of the season although maybe not for me, who scored an own goal and was briefly knocked out and minus a tooth by the end of the game. Who said it was a friendly!? Role on the rematch.

Ilha Dos Porcos

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ilha-dos-porcos-1The Brazilian Private Island market is really coming alive in 2011.  In the last three months alone about 10 properties have come on the market. With Brazil’s rapidly expanding economy it could be a good time to purchase property in this tropical country. One of the newest luxury islands to come on the market is Ilha Dos Porcos a 3 acre island in the popular Angra dos Reis

This beautiful island with private beach is located in a state-legislated wildlife conservation zone. It is located near to the airport, and has 900m2 of existing constructions. Permits are in place for another 100 m2 to be built.

The existing constructions consist of two houses, a caretaker’s house, garden, wharf with a draft of approximately 2m, a boat garage, and a coastal wall.

Please inquire for further details at Private Islands Online.

An Island (rental) of One’s Own

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little deadmanFor many people renting an island is the first step towards island ownership. However when on a private island rental it is hard to shake the feeling of ownership. Recently New York Times Journalist David Carr ventured with his wife to an uninhabitat Bahamian island with his wife for six days of mostly off the grid living. Here is what he had to say.

Once there, there would be no daily list of activities, sightseeing trips to knock out, television or business centers I might use to “check in” at work. Instead, just a solar-powered house, two small beaches and a few walking paths measured in feet, not miles. There was only one thing on the island that might interrupt the seance of serenity and relaxation. Me.

After four days, I had to take to the boat to Long Island to buy more supplies. Although the people there were hilariously friendly and all seemed to share the same last name (Cartwright), I could not wait to get back to a place where there were no cars. I didn’t really anticipate how luxurious it would feel to see no one. The beach at Cancun is great and all, but not having to spend your vacation asking permission, directions or help is a freedom that cannot be underestimated.

With just the two of us, the house and the island became characters, engaging us with their own rituals. When the photovoltaic lights on the deck came on, we knew the last bits of sun were about to disappear. The direction of the breeze told us which room to sleep in, and the expanse of the sky would convey whether the rain was just passing over or would be hanging around for a bit.

If you are at all interested in renting an island it’s a great read and quite informative. To read the full article click here.

NOAH: A Floating Home for New Orleans

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arcology6After the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, designers and engineers began working together to developa plan to keep the residents of the Big Easy safe during times of flooding. One idea being proposed is a giant floating building called NOAH, which stands for New Orleans Arcology Habitat.

The habitat boasts 20,000 residential units as well as 3 hotels and 500 timeshare units. Also housed within its triangular walls is loads of commercial space, 8000 parking spaces as well as cultural spaces, public works and schools. The idea is that you could live your whole life in NOAH if you so chose.

In addition to using solar and wind power to support the structure, given its location on the water the building would also use water turbines to generate power.  No doubt it would be quite the floating structure…if it is ever built!

Ilha 6: Raw Brazilian Beauty

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ilha-6-1Although it’s name sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, there is nothing artificial about this beautiful brazilian island. This island is literally awe-inspiring, as is its location. The sea surrounding the island is crystal clear. The island is 98,000 square meters in area, with a circumference of 1,250 meters

The island falls under ZCVS zoning, meaning that it’s a conservation area for wildlife. Per regulation, you can build on up to 50% more of the existing square footage (the current square footage is 5,770 square feet).

The 5,770 square foot house was designed by the architect Claudio Barnardes. All taxes and fees are rigorously up to date, with no debt owed to any state agency, municipal, or federal.

Please inquire for further details

Tired of I.T!

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By the title, you can tell what was Dave Conroy’s previous profession. Tired and suffering ‘burn-out’, he began his transformation into to a round-the-world traveler – on a bicycle. Though he has encountered several difficulties along the route, Dave is still on the road of discovery in more ways than one.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. |
Tired of I.T! |
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Talking Tukey

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Hi everyoneArrived in Istanbul to be confronted with the wost peak hour traffic Worse than the Monash.....so it took some time to get to the hotel. Worth the wait very posh 5 star hotel which scanned us our baggage for weapons overlooking the Bospherous well Nobby Chris got that view...we just had an overgrown garden and a barking dog. Decided we could handle going out for dinner a

My first real outing

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Thursday 17042011Philipp and Fabian arrived in the afternoon They rang the doorbell of number 1 Adriaen Poirterslaan by mistake as Id omitted the 9 in the sms I sent with the address. After giving me a call I went and fetched them at the end of the road on my earthwing. Smiles spread quickly and it was so good to see such a friendly face again After a bit of lunch I had to start ge

One country to the other.

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Again it has been an attack of the lazy bug that has seen so much time pass since our last blog but don't you worry we finally got some good bug spray and have vanished the lazy bug for good. I will try to keep this blog brief but there has been so much going on that I can't promise anything. First off isn't the easter bunny an amazing blokesheila we are thousands of kilometers away from home in

Passport and Internship

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My passport finally came in the mail and I might have an internship. The good thing about the internship is that they have a company based in Europe that I can visit on the trip. The bad thing is that I may need to come back early in order to work.I found a ticket across Europe through Ryanair.com for only 7 euros. It's feasible to backpack and won't be too expensive. My friend is meeting me a

J55 en Colombie

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Ce matin maria m'emmne dans le centre ville de Rionegro pour prendre le bus 7h00. J'arrive vers 9h Medellin prends le taxi et me voila de nouveau devant la porte du DAS. Maintenant je sais me dplacer toute seule dans medellin avec les transport. C'est agrable car je ne suis pas oblige de dranger les gens pour m'accompagner. Une petite demiheure d'attente et me voila sortie du D

Chilln the earth did not move for me la tierra no se mova para m

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In Chilln I was quite lucky to get a room as some were even reduced to living on the porches over doorways see first picture. I tried to speak to these less fortunate tourists but they seemed strangely taciturn. However they seemed to be making the best of their lot by growing some flowers to cheer themselves up. The housing situation was not just confined to my species and even the dogs we

Gili Air Lombok

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we had quite long weekend and there's one day off on tuesday so me and bf decided to have holiday together..what a tanning holiday... olalaas you can read above it means we went to beaches area with lot of sun lights and seas around us.. wohoooSaturday February 12nd 2011....so we departed from Malang on saturday afternoon we're almost late like always then from Juanda airport we to

Flash Back Part II Can tho VIETNAM

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After almost three days in Ho Chi Minh City Steph Rickie and I were feeling a serious need to get the hell out The city was overwhelming difficult to navigate and really polluted.Thus we hopped an evening bus to Can Tho a small town on the Mekong Delta after having one last meal in HCMC at a great restaurant around the corner from our hotel. We arrived fairly late in the evening after an

goodbye vietnam hello cambodia

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Up early this morning to catch boat to cambodia. Nice group of people on boat and not too packed. Had to get off boat for border check but was nice to stretch out. Got our visa ok but only for four weeks so may need to head out cambodia to renew it at some point. Really hot and humid here. Had dinner at nice wee restaurant. Lots of child labour here with kids selling books really hard not to feel

Part 5 A’dam to Maghreb

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Part 5 A'dam to moroccoOn the return flight to Amsterdam I had a bit of a cold and after an entire lifetime of flying I finally suffered the incredible pain of nonequalizingears. Couldn't hear for a few days. Uncool Anyway arrived and went straight to sleep. From there the fun began. Went the next night to a university society party with some of the group of 8 loads of fun Also convinced s