A large-scale investigation into the relationship between attendance and attainment: a study using an innovative, electronic attendance monitoring system, Studies in Higher Education, 33:6, 699-717,The literature available on the relationship between student attendance and attainment is inconsistent. Nevertheless, there is some empirical evidence to suggest that attendance is a determinant of academic performance and progression. Colby published results of a study which examined the relationship within a single year 1 undergraduate module, and his findings showed a strongly significant relationship between attendance and attainment. However, Colby's article, along with countless other attendance studies, suffers inherent data collection limitations that are associated with paper-based attendance monitoring and manual data entry. UniNanny® is an electronic attendance monitoring system developed at the University of Glamorgan, which boasts high-quality data and minimises disadvantages associated with paper-based methods. The purpose of this study was to corroborate, or otherwise, the findings of Colby, though on a much larger scale, evaluating 22 first year modules within four separate award programmes, using attendance data gathered and stored electronically. The results of this study show a strong, statistically significant correlation between learning event attendance and academic attainment, thereby substantiating Colby's findings. Data revealed that the more a student attends classes, the less chance they have of failing academic assessments, and the more chance they have of attaining high grades. Attendance was found to decline considerably over time, though early morning lectures were not associated with significantly worse attendance. IntroductionStudent motivation, effective note-taking, time-management, endeavour, participation in the educational programme, attitudes about learning and reading the correct materials are likely determinants of academic achievement. However, undergraduates are often looking for additional factors to aid their chances of success on a course. In the past academics have attempted to use personality traits and other subjective factors to predict students' academic attainment. For example, Barney, Fredericks, and Fredericks (1984) investigated the impact of personality, stress, social norms, anxiety and social class on student grades. Similarly, Baird (1984) investigated how well personality, aptitude and scores on an intelligence test can be used to predict assessment outcomes. Despite producing interesting results, studies such as these are incapable of providing students with information on what they can do to enhance their own educational performance.Every student is in command of their own attendance; a course-related behaviour that can be easily and precisely measured. It would make sense to suggest that the more a student attends learning events, such as lectures or tutorials, the more information they acquire and

RESULTS• The two groups were well matched for tumour stage, presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and concomitant carcinoma in situ (CIS).• There were more high-grade tumours (77.1% vs. 56.3%; P < 0.001) but fewer lymph node positive patients (2.9% vs. 6.8%; P = 0.041) in the LNU group.• Estimated 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 73.7% and 63.4% for the ONU and LNU groups, respectively ( P = 0.124) and estimated 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) was 75.4% and 75.2% for the ONU and LNU groups, respectively ( P = 0.897).• On multivariable analyses, which included age, gender, race, previous endoscopic treatment for bladder cancer, technique for distal ureter management, tumour location, pathological stage, grade, lymph node status, LVI and concomitant CIS, the procedure type (LNU vs. ONU) was not predictive of RFS (Hazard ratio [HR] 0.80; P = 0.534) or CSS (HR 0.96; P = 0.907). CONCLUSION• The present study is the second large, independent, multicentre cohort to show oncological equivalence between ONU and LNU for well selected patients with upper urinary tract urothelial cancer, and the first to suggest parity for the techniques in patients with unfavourable disease. This second large multicentre study confirms oncological equivalence for ONU and LNU in cohorts of both low and high risk patients. OBJECTIVE• To compare oncological outcomes in patients undergoing open radical nephroureterectomy (ONU) with those in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy (LNU). PATIENTS AND METHODS• A total of 773 patients underwent radical nephroureterectomy at nine centres worldwide; 703 patients underwent ONU and 70 underwent LNU.• Demographic, perioperative and oncological outcome data were collected retrospectively.• Statistical analysis of data was performed using chi-squared, MannWhitney U -and log-rank tests, and Cox regression analyses.• The median (interquartile range) follow-up for the cohort was 34 (15-65) months.

Increasing numbers of cancer survivors and the tradition of long-term follow-up in the outpatient clinic has resulted in overcrowded oncology clinics and long waiting times. Little is known about patients' perceptions of their clinic attendance. This survey of 252 oncology patients investigated patients' satisfaction with the clinic, anxiety associated with clinic attendance and the strengths and weaknesses of the oncology service. Results demonstrated high levels of satisfaction. Far from being perceived as anxiety-provoking, the clinic was looked upon as a valuable source of reassurance, 92% of patients reporting they were 'always' or 'usually' reassured as a consequence of their visit. Qualitative data showed that clinic staff were the most important source of satisfaction. Waiting was overwhelmingly the worst aspect of the clinic, described by 27% of patients as 'excessively long'. One-fifth of the total sample had attended the clinic for 10 years or more and over a third of this group reported they would be worried at the prospect of being discharged to the care of their general practitioners. Despite disadvantages associated with long waits, the clinic was perceived as providing a valuable source of reassurance which a proportion of patients were clearly reluctant to be without.

BACKGROUNDThe recent intense attention to hospital readmissions and their implications for quality, safety, and reimbursement necessitates understanding specific subsets of readmitted patients. Frequently admitted patients, defined as patients who are admitted 5 or more times within 1 year, may have some distinguishing characteristics that require novel solutions.METHODSA comprehensive administrative database (University HealthSystem Consortium's Clinical Data Base/Resource Manager™) was analyzed to identify demographic, social, and clinical characteristics of frequently admitted patients in 101 US academic medical centers.RESULTSWe studied 28,291 frequently admitted patients with 180,185 admissions over a 1‐year period (2011–2012). These patients comprise 1.6% of all patients, but account for 8% of all admissions and 7% of direct costs. Their admissions are driven by multiple chronic conditions; compared to other hospitalized patients, they have significantly more comorbidities (an average of 7.1 vs 2.5), and 84% of their admissions are to medical services. A minority, but significantly more than other patients, have comorbidities of psychosis or substance abuse. Moreover, although they are slightly more likely than other patients to be on Medicaid or to be uninsured (27.6% vs 21.6%), nearly three‐quarters have private or Medicare coverage.CONCLUSIONSPatients who are frequently admitted to US academic medical centers are likely to have multiple complex chronic conditions and may have behavioral comorbidities that mediate their health behaviors, resulting in acute episodes requiring hospitalization. This information can be used to identify solutions for preventing repeat hospitalization for this small group of patients who consume a highly disproportionate share of healthcare resources. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2015;10:563–568. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Hospital Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Hospital Medicine

Endoscopic ureteral detachment reduces operative duration and is associated with equivalent oncological outcomes compared with open bladder cuff excision in nephroureterectomy. Caution should be exercised in patients with low ureteral tumors.

Priority areas for patient safety improvement in general practices in England include appointments, diagnosis, communication, coordination, and patient activation.

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Bacteria can be highly social, controlling collective behaviors via cell-cell communication mechanisms known as quorum sensing (QS). QS is now a large research field, yet a basic question remains unanswered: what is the environmental resolution of QS? The notion of a threshold, or “quorum,” separating coordinated ON and OFF states is a central dogma in QS, but recent studies have shown heterogeneous responses at a single cell scale.