804 research outputs found
Sort by
The Relationship Between Department Chairs’ Leadership Style and Faculty Members’ Job Satisfaction in the College of Education at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia
Get PDFThis quantitative, correlation study explored the leadership styles of the department chairs in the College of Education at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as perceived by the full-time faculty members. This exploration was used to examine the relationship between leadership styles and faculty’s overall job satisfaction, and to determine to what extent these leadership styles predicted the faculty’s overall job satisfaction. The theoretical framework for this study was the Full Range Leadership theory, which consists of three leadership styles and considered the independent variables for the study: transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership. The dependent variable for the study was the overall satisfaction level of the faculty members. Data for the research were collected from an online survey through SurveyMonkey using the Multifactor Leadership 5x Questionnaire and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 152 faculty members from the College of Education at King Saud University, which is considered to be one of the largest public universities in Saudi Arabia. The methods used to analyze the data and answer the research questions included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation test, and multiple regression analyses. The findings of this study revealed that the transformational leadership style was the most often exercised style by the department chairs, followed closely by the transactional leadership style, while the passive/avoidant leadership style was perceived to be used the least. The correlation results showed that a statistically strong positive relationship existed between the transformational and transactional leadership styles of the department chairs and the faculty members’ overall job satisfaction, while a statistically weak negative relationship existed between the passive/avoidant leadership style and the faculty members’ overall job satisfaction. The regression model was statistically significant, and the three independent variables explained approximately 47.8% of the variance in the faculty members’ overall job satisfaction. The transformational leadership style was the only statistically significant predictor of the faculty members’ overall job satisfaction. Finally, implications for theory and practice are offered and suggestions for future research are provided
Silent Sinus Syndrome: An Uncommon Cause of Diplopia
Get PDFBackground: Silent sinus syndrome is a rare condition with multiple ophthalmic findings of significance. Chronic, subclinical maxillary sinus inflammation alters the pressure gradient, leading to eventual maxillary sinus collapse, orbital floor depression, enophthalmos, and diplopia.
Case Report: Functional endoscopic sinus surgery may be indicated to correct diplopia and/or cosmesis.
Conclusion: Patients unbothered by facial asymmetry may be managed with prism in eyeglasses
A Vision- and Life-threatening Case of Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis
Get PDFBackground: Peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) is a rare but severe ocular manifestation most commonly associated with rheumatoid arthritis amongst other autoimmune diseases. Quick diagnosis and co-management with corneal specialist and rheumatologist are crucial to preserve vision and life. A rare case of PUK associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is presented with updates on current understanding and co-management of this condition.
Case Report: A 76 year-old Caucasian male presented to the eye clinic on a Friday as a new patient, with a chief complaint of a red right eye started two weeks ago and was treated with erythromycin ointment, but it got worse with moderate pain so he was referred over from the urgent care clinic. His BCVA OD, OS was 20/80 PHNI and PH20/25, respectively. Anterior segment evaluation showed severe conjunctival chemosis and injection, a superior temporal circular infiltrate and an inferior temporal linear infiltrate across the cornea with moderate corneal edema. Chart review confirmed the patient has been treated for rheumatoid arthritis with hydroxychloroquine and leflunomide for several years. The patient was diagnosed with PUK with mild scleritis associated with (RA) and initially treated with tobradex topical drops OD qid. His rheumatologist was contacted for co-management, and the patient was to return to clinic after the weekend. On the follow up visit, the patient felt better but the linear infiltrate persisted so oral prednisone 60mg/day was started with ofloxacin qid instead of Tobradex qid. The condition continued to improve over the next few follow up however the linear thinning of the cornea was not fully resolved so the patient was referred to a local corneal specialist. His rheumatologist continued to manage his RA closely and the patient confirmed that he was doing better overall at the latest visit.
Conclusion: In cases of PUK with stromal thinning and scleritis, autoimmune diseases such as RA and systemic lupus erythema often are the underlying systemic cause. Prompt diagnosis and co-management with other specialists are essential to minimize irreversible vision loss and save lives
Case Series: Discordance Between Visible Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Defects and Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomographic Analysis in Patients with Glaucoma
Get PDFBackground: Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) has become a common modality in glaucoma diagnosis. Ease of use, comfort, and a comparative normative database makes this technology very popular with patients and practitioners. However, despite the sophistication of this technology, it may miss pathologic abnormalities of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) or be misinterpreted by practitioners based upon comparisons to a normative database.
Purpose: To illustrate discordance between clinical examination and SD-OCT analysis in patients with glaucoma.
Case Reports: Examples of three patients with glaucoma who had photographically and ophthalmoscopically visible RNFL defects who had SD-OCT analyses that fell within a normative database and thus likely to be interpreted as normal, if used in isolation.
Conclusions: Though SD-OCT technology has become common in glaucoma evaluation, over-reliance on this data may lead to false-negative assessment of patients who truly have glaucoma. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography provides valuable adjunctive information for glaucoma evaluation but must be correlated with other clinical assessments such as perimetry, ophthalmoscopy and photography
Examining Follower Perceptions of the Relationships Between Public Sector Leadership Behavior and Personality Traits
Get PDFTo fill a gap of leadership research in the public sector, conducted in a municipal government department, in a southwestern United States city of over 1,000,000 residents, this quantitative survey research examined the relationships between 66 observer ratings (response rate of 46.15% from a sample of 143 participants) of a department director’s level of the Big Five personality traits, measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory-3 (NEO-FFI-3), and transformational leadership as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X (MLQ 5X). Demographic data was collected to examine potential relationships between the NEO-FFI-3 and MLQ 5x ratings. To compare the self-other ratings, the department director also completed the NEO-FFI-3, the MLQ 5X, and the demographic questionnaire. The research found moderate self-other agreement between the department director’s self and observer ratings of the NEO-FFI-3 and the MLQ 5X. While no significant correlations were found between the observer ratings of the NEO-FFI-3 and the MLQ 5X, significant correlations were found between a number of observer demographics and their observer ratings of the NEO-FFI-3 and some of the observer demographic variables predicted some of their ratings of the NEO-FFI-3 constructs. Measured by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, the NEO-FFI-3 and the MLQ 5X both proved to be reliable instruments within this study
Integrating the Mission and Identity of Catholic Universities: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Academic Lay Leaders
Get PDFThis interpretative phenomenological study explored the mission and identity integration experiences of nine academic lay leaders of diverse religious affiliations across the three Catholic universities of San Antonio, Texas, United States: Our Lady of the Lake University, St. Mary’s University, and the University of the Incarnate Word. I employed a purposive sampling strategy to select the participants and collected data through two semi-structured in-depth interviews with each participant. In analyzing the findings, I applied an integrated theoretical framework consisting of theories on virtue ethics (Aristotle, trans. 1980; MacIntyre, 1981), organizational assimilation (Jablin, 1982; 2001), reflective practice (Dewey, 1933; Kolb, 1984; Schön, 1983), person-organization fit (Chatman, 1989; Kristof, 1996; Pervin, 1968), and servant leadership (Greenleaf, 1977; Spears, 2003).
Six conclusions emerged from the study: (a) Interactive stages of mission integration: The academic lay leaders’ experience of mission and identity integration of the Catholic university was a progressive, lifelong journey that involved multiple and interactive stages, angles, and layers. (b) Critical reflective practice: The participants’ life strategy of reviewing, reflecting on, and critically analyzing their behaviors deepened their experience of mission and identity integration. (c) Ongoing renewal of compelling purpose: The academic lay leaders’ engagement with the Catholic university’s mission is strongly related to their ongoing search for meaning and purpose beyond themselves. (d) Relationality and relationship building: Building relationships and the experience of a sense of community were integral to the mission and identity integration of academic lay leaders. (e) Servant leadership: The behaviors of the academic lay leaders who integrate the mission and identity of a Catholic university align with the servant leadership model’s behavioral competencies. (f) Commitment to the mission: Academic lay leaders across diverse religious affiliations sustain and strengthen the following mission aspects of a Catholic university: advocating social justice, open-mindedness and respect for diversity, willingness to serve, support for Catholic intellectual tradition, support for Catholic social teaching, respect for the dignity of the human person, the expression of Catholic identity in the curriculum, and permeation of mission and identity in research initiatives.
The study contributed to the discourse on lay leadership in Catholic higher education. The findings of the study are insightful for institutions of Catholic higher education to strengthen the existing and introduce new processes that aim to institutionalize mission engagement, impart mission-centered education, hire for the mission, develop new leaders, and foster ecclesial lay ministry. The conclusions imply that Catholic universities and colleges should develop a strong community of committed lay leaders across various faith traditions to support and enhance its mission and identity. This will also require significant changes in the ways in which the mission and identity of Catholic colleges and universities are sustained, strengthened, and transmitted
Patient-Centered Implementation of Statin Therapy in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Get PDFHeart disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The American Diabetes Association recommends statins and lifestyle modifications for all patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events. A patient-centered approach to primary prevention is encouraged, yet there are no specific instructions regarding implementation. The Statin Choice Decision Aid is a tool designed to facilitate shared decision-making between the patient and the provider in the clinical setting. The 2018 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were implemented into practice by prescribing statins and patient education for the appropriate patients. The Statin Choice Decision Aid was integrated into the electronic health record and accessed by the provider during the clinical encounter with the patient to help guide the decision to initiate statin therapy. Results yielded an impressive 82% increase in the provider’s statin prescribing practice. In addition, more than half (75%) of those patients had their individual atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk score computed and documented in the electronic health record. The Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project helped to achieve optimal and patient-centered approach to successfully adhering to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines
Thinking Across Borders. 13th Annual Research Week: Event Proceedings
Get PDFPoster and podium presentations of research by students and faculty of University of the Incarnate Word
How Leaders and Employees Experience, Make Sense of, and Find Meaning in Humility
Get PDFBy just about any measure, organizations today are more dynamic, diverse, and interdependent than at any other time in history. This environment puts unprecedented pressure on the human capacity to lead. And still, we demand more from our leaders—even as employees experience rising stress levels, declining loyalty, and deteriorating trust in their employers, and organizations face historically high rates of employee turnover along with the resulting financial and emotional costs. Clinging to romanticized notions of the larger-than-life leader blinds us to the paradoxical promise of humility; namely, that a leader’s greatest strength may lie, ironically, in the ability to admit weakness while being open to the ideas and feedback of others.
The majority of research on leader humility has been quantitative in nature, establishing correlations between leader humility and employee measures. These studies have yielded valuable insights, but they have not explored the complex, dynamic, and reciprocal ways that humility can operate within organizations. Nor have they captured the individual perceptions of participants as articulated in their own authentic voices. This exploratory instrumental case study addressed this gap in the literature by exploring what happened when leaders and employees at a large, complex, geographically dispersed organization participated in interactions that were infused with four humility elements: language, verbal expressions, non-verbal behaviors, and physical objects and settings. By applying constructivist grounded theory methods for data analysis, the study explained how participants made sense of and found meaning in those experiences, as well as how humility functioned during the interactions.
Eight conceptual categories were developed through close analysis of the coded data: Accurately Assessing Oneself, Being Accountable to Others, Being Part of Something Bigger, Caring for and Being Cared for, Connecting with Others on a Personal Level, Creating a Safe, Comfortable Environment, Grounding Oneself, and Recognizing the Value and Contributions of Others. Four overarching themes were identified from the categories: Seeking Clarity and Truth, Putting Oneself in Context, Achieving Reciprocity, and Transcending the Perceptual. These themes represented the primary ways participants expressed, experienced, and defined humility, and they contributed to the Reciprocal Relation Theory of Humility posited in the study.
Findings from this study suggested that infusing humility into leader-employee interactions may be an effective strategy to improve leader effectiveness and organizational performance by bringing people’s best ideas and authentic feelings into honest discussions focused on spurring individual growth, solving shared problems, achieving team goals, and/or advancing an organization’s mission. Results also suggested that humility fostered the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of leaders and employees, while laying the foundation for respectful, productive, and mutually beneficial interactions in the future. Participants expressed a range of thoughts and feelings in describing how they experienced, made sense of, and found meaning in humility, including increased relational trust, organizational loyalty, and self-efficacy; a stronger sense of belonging and being valued; and the perception of greater team effectiveness and adaptability along with enhanced organizational learning and innovation. The study made several recommendations to help practitioners develop leader humility programs with the potential to influence these and other employee, team, and organizational measures
Quantifying Hypertension Indicators Through Informatics
Get PDFThe purpose of this quality improvement project was to create optimal quality indicators for hypertension measures using evidence-based practice to improve metric percentages, improving hypertension management for the practice. Implementing associated interventions for the quality measures and providing the interprofessional team with fundamental knowledge of inclusion and exclusion criteria and will empower the team with knowledge, improving patient care.
An expert panel was chosen to conduct a series of three PDSA cycles for systematic measurement until desired quality indicators were achieved, within a three-month duration. The expert panel consisted of the head physician, a physician assistant, the facility administrator and coordinator, the quality measurement manager, and two registered nurses. The outcome of the project consisted of having the quality indicators completed after the PDSA cycles, tracking the measure percentages weekly through the integrated dashboard, with a goal of ten percent improvement to hypertension quality measures by May 21, 2020.
After a series of three PDSA cycles from February 7, 2020, to April 24, 2020, the finalized quality indicators are medication agreement greater than or equal to 80% equals 292 days, and controlled hypertension greater than or equal to 140/90 with the same inclusion and exclusion criteria per Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines. As of April 24, 2020, the medication agreement quality indicator improved from 33% to 40%, and the controlled hypertension quality indicator improved from 63% to 80%