Use of an intelligent tutoring system for a curriculum on augmentative and alternative communication: Feasibility for implementation.

Background: Over 8 million children with disabilities live in Africa and are candidates for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), yet formal training for team members, such as speech-language therapists and special education teachers, is extremely limited. Only one university on the continent provides postgraduate degrees in AAC, and other institutions provide only short modules at an undergraduate level. The need for an introductory training course on AAC that is accessible by university students continent-wide was identified.

The involvement matrix as a framework for involving youth with severe communication disabilities in developing health education materials.

Introduction: Involving youth with severe communication disabilities in health research is foregrounded in a perspective of rights and participation. Researchers aligned with a participatory and inclusive research agenda recommend that involving youth in health research should be a deliberate and well-planned process. However, limited examples exist of how researchers can facilitate the involvement of youth with severe communication disabilities in research projects.

Preferred Terms and Icons for Labels on Electrosurgical Units: Survey of VA Nurses.

Electrosurgical units (ESUs) developed by different manufacturers use varying terminology and icons to label the same components, which can result in confusion among users and the potential for erroneous ESU configuration. The objective of the current study was to identify nurse-preferred terms and icons for labeling ESU components. A total of 165 operating room (OR) nurses from Veterans Health Administration facilities across the United States were surveyed regarding terms and icons found on 25 ESU models.

Assessing Use Errors Related to the Interface Design of Electrosurgical Units.

Medical device use errors, such as instrument connection errors made with electrosurgical units (ESUs), can lead to adverse events. Current device acquisition processes at health care facilities do not typically include a proactive evaluation of use-error risk before device purchase. We conducted an evaluation to identify ESU user interface design features that can help prevent or mitigate instrument connection errors during clinical care.

The experience of fatherhood following childhood cancer survival.

This study explored the experience of becoming a father following childhood cancer survival. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five fathers and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate themes emerged: 'moving away from and revisiting the experience of cancer', 'making sense of fortune and loss following a life-threatening illness' and 'valuing the opportunity to be a father'.

Elevated VGKC-complex antibodies in a boy with fever-induced refractory epileptic encephalopathy in school-age children (FIRES).

Fever-induced refractory epileptic encephalopathy in school-age children (FIRES) is a clinically recognized epileptic encephalopathy of unknown aetiology. Presentation in previously healthy children is characterized by febrile status epilepticus. A pharmacoresistant epilepsy ensues, occurring in parallel with dramatic cognitive decline and behavioural difficulties.