What Does the Move to Master's Level Education for the Occupational Therapist Mean for Occupational Therapy Assistant Education?
Patricia A. Crist, Marjorie E. Scaffa in Best Practices in Occupational Therapy Education, 2012
A Position Paper published by the Commission on Education in March 2002 was titled, “The Viability of Occupational Therapy Assistant Education.” (1) This paper was generated by the expressed concern that technical level education was somehow at risk in the climate of change transitioning to the Master's Level. The definition of “viability” in the American Heritage Dictionary offers three variant perspectives of the word. The first states, “capable of success or continuing effectiveness.” (2) I agree that Occupational Therapy Assistants, educated at the technical level, can continue to thrive and be effective contributors to the profession. ACOTE Standards do not dictate the degree earned from institutions. This is regulated by individual institutional prerogative. Rather, the Standards reflect criteria and outcomes that are the requisite for entry-level practice. Most OTA Programs currently offer a degree at the associate level. It matters not with what degree–Certificate, AAS, or AS, these accredited programs are successfully educating individuals who demonstrate competencies defined by Standards. The qualitative revisions required of curricula to comply with the 1998 Standards were successfully managed without significant quantitative changes in credit loads. It is unfortunate that these credits are often not recognized by transferability to professional level programs.
Does Personhood Begin During Pregnancy?
Christopher Kaczor in The Ethics of Abortion, 2023
The court's reasoning in Roe v. Wade for holding that viability is a compelling point for the state to take legal interest in the human fetus (presumably because the fetus then has some moral worth) is stated only once and very briefly: “With respect to the State's important and legitimate interest in potential life, the ‘compelling’ point is at viability. This is so because the fetus then presumably has the capability of meaningful life outside the mother's womb” (Roe v. Wade 1973). But this justification, aside from the word “meaningful,” is simply a restatement of the definition of viability. Viability is achieved when the fetus has the capacity to live outside the mother's womb, and this is important, we are told, because it is when the fetus has the capacity to survive outside the mother's womb. This circular reasoning does not justify granting viability any significance.
Toxicity Analysis of Ag and Au Nanoparticles
Suresh C. Pillai, Yvonne Lang in Toxicity of Nanomaterials, 2019
The obtained cell viabilities were different with the same concentration and were lower for smaller NPs compared to larger ones with the same concentration. This is typically interpreted as: the smaller the NPs are, the higher their cytotoxicity is. In this interpretation, the different surface areas, cross-section areas, number, and colloidal behaviours (thus different diffusion and sedimentation behaviour, and thus different mass reaching the cells) were much neglected. This can profoundly influence our understanding of the possible nano-bio-interactions. For in vitro testing, the authors introduced also the number of NP layers deposited on the tested cells. The expression of the cell viability was recently shown to lead to different interpretations of the observed decrease of the cell’s viability correlated with the neglected properties.
Review of Chlamydia trachomatis viability methods: assessing the clinical diagnostic impact of NAAT positive results
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2018
Kevin J. H. Janssen, Jeanne A. M. C. Dirks, Nicole H. T. M. Dukers-Muijrers, Christian J. P. A. Hoebe, Petra F. G. Wolffs
The clinical relevance of a chlamydia infection diagnosed with culture is apparent, and the patient will receive immediate treatment. Usually, a chlamydia positive NAAT result will also be interpreted as evidence of a chlamydia infection and thus be considered clinically relevant. As a direct consequence the patient will receive treatment. There are, however, patient scenarios where the clinical interpretation of a chlamydia positive NAAT test is unclear. In such cases, it would be beneficial to determine the viability of chlamydia to assess if an actual infection is present. This viability cannot be assessed with the currently used routine NAAT. The viability has been defined as the ability to live, and certain criteria must be met: able to maintain membrane integrity (protection from external environment), active metabolism (self-maintenance/energy uptake and production of proteins) and reproduction (culturability) [13].
Segmental myocardial viability by echocardiography at rest
Published in Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal, 2023
Marlene Iversen Halvorsrød, Anders Thorstensen, Gabriel Kiss, Asbjørn Støylen
Myocardial viability has for decades been a cornerstone in the therapeutic decision-making of patients with ischemic heart disease [1]. For clinical purposes, viability refers to the ability of a segment to regain its contractile function. The gold standard imaging measurement for detecting myocardial viability is not established [2]. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) shows metabolic integrity while magnetic resonance (MR) displays scar that may restrict contraction, but both methods are time-consuming and expensive. Echocardiography is available, cheap, fast and with few contraindications. Several echocardiographic measurements, both at rest and during stress, are candidates for viability diagnostics. Most of them are established as global measurements [3–5], but in the present study, we focus on the measurements at a segmental level, as viable segments are more relevant in relation to revascularization.
People’s knowledge of and attitudes toward abortion laws before and after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision
Published in Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 2023
Kristen N. Jozkowski, Xiana Bueno, Ronna C. Turner, Brandon L. Crawford, Wen-Juo Lo
On 24th June 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) upheld a 2018 Mississippi law (i.e. Gestational Age Act) in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (hereafter Dobbs v. Jackson). A draft of the decision was leaked in May 2022 and received tremendous media coverage. The Mississippi law restricted abortion after 15 weeks “except in a medical emergency or in the case of a severe fetal abnormality”.1 This decision overturned the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade and eliminated the constitutional protection for the right to abortion up to viability or approximately 22–24 weeks of pregnancy. Of note, scientific and medical organisations provide guidelines for fetal/neonatal care that suggest the potential for viability at 22–24 weeks,2 which is often the timeframe cited by politicians and in the media as “fetal viability”. As a result of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, state lawmakers are positioned to enact legislation that can further restrict abortion beyond the bounds they were able to previously because of the trimester framework established in Roe v. Wade. The ruling in Roe v. Wade indicated in the first trimester, the decision to have an abortion is solely between a pregnant person and their healthcare provider. In the second trimester, the state is permitted to regulate abortion for concerns related to maternal health. In the third trimester, or at the point of fetal viability, states are permitted to either regulate or prohibit abortion with exceptions for cases of life endangerment for the pregnant person.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Birth Weight
- Fetus
- Palliative Care
- Uterus
- Preterm Birth
- Gestational Age
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- Cerebral Palsy
- Adaptive Equipment
- Abortion