A Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) data warehouse as a resource for improving the quality of dementia care. Exploring requirements for secondary use of DCM data using a user-driven approach and discussing their implications for a data warehouse

The secondary use of Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) data, if that data were held in a data warehouse, could contribute to global efforts in monitoring and improving dementia care quality. This qualitative study identifies requirements for the secondary use of DCM data within a data warehouse using a user-driven approach. The thesis critically analyses various technical methodologies and then argues the use and further demonstrates the applicability of a modified grounded theory as a user-driven methodology for a data warehouse. Interviews were conducted with 29 DCM researchers, trainers and practitioners in three phases. 19 interviews were face to face with the others on Skype and telephone with an average length of individual interview 45-60 minutes. The interview data was systematically analysed using open, axial and selective coding techniques and constant comparison methods. The study data highlighted benchmarking, mappers’ support and research as three perceived potential secondary uses of DCM data within a data warehouse. DCM researchers identified concerns regarding the quality and security of DCM data for secondary uses, which led to identifying the requirements for additional provenance, ethical and contextual data to be included in a warehouse alongside DCM data to meet requirements for secondary uses of this data for research. The study data was also used to extrapolate three main factors such as an individual mapper, the organization and an electronic data management that can influence the quality and availability of DCM data for secondary uses. The study makes further recommendations for designing a future DCM data warehouse

Towards Data Governance for International Dementia Care Mapping (DCM). A Study Proposing DCM Data Management through a Data Warehousing Approach.

Information Technology (IT) plays a vital role in improving health care systems by enhancing the quality, efficiency, safety, security, collaboration and informing decision making. Dementia, a decline in mental ability which affects memory, concentration and perception, is a key issue in health and social care, given the current context of an aging population. The quality of dementia care is noted as an international area of concern. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is a systematic observational framework for assessing and improving dementia care quality. DCM has been used as both a research and practice development tool internationally. However, despite the success of DCM and the annual generation of a huge amount of data on dementia care quality, it lacks a governance framework, based on modern IT solutions for data management, such a framework would provide the organisations using DCM a systematic way of storing, retrieving and comparing data over time, to monitor progress or trends in care quality. Data Governance (DG) refers to the implications of policies and accountabilities to data management in an organisation. The data management procedure includes availability, usability, quality, integrity, and security of the organisation data according to their users and requirements. This novel multidisciplinary study proposes a comprehensive solution for governing the DCM data by introducing a data management framework based on a data warehousing approach. Original contributions have been made through the design and development of a data management framework, describing the DCM international database design and DCM data warehouse architecture. These data repositories will provide the acquisition and storage solutions for DCM data. The designed DCM data warehouse facilitates various analytical applications to be applied for multidimensional analysis. Different queries are applied to demonstrate the DCM data warehouse functionality. A case study is also presented to explain the clustering technique applied to the DCM data. The performance of the DCM data governance framework is demonstrated in this case study related to data clustering results. Results are encouraging and open up discussion for further analysis

A study proposing a data model for a dementia care mapping (DCM) data warehouse for potential secondary uses of dementia care data

NoCopying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. There is growing emphasis on sharing and reusing dementia care-related datasets to improve the quality of dementia care. Consequently, there is a need to develop data management solutions for collecting, integrating and storing these data in formats that enhance opportunities for reuse. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is an observational tool that is in widespread use internationally. It produces rich, evidence-based data on dementia care quality. Currently, that data is primarily used locally, within dementia care services, to assess and improve quality of care. Information-rich DCM data provides opportunities for secondary use including research into improving the quality of dementia care. But an effective data management solution is required to facilitate this. A rationale for the warehousing of DCM data as a technical data management solution is suggested. The authors also propose a data model for a DCM data warehouse and present user-identified challenges for reusing DCM data within a warehouse

Wiki-health: from quantified self to self-understanding

Today, healthcare providers are experiencing explosive growth in data, and medical imaging represents a significant portion of that data. Meanwhile, the pervasive use of mobile phones and the rising adoption of sensing devices, enabling people to collect data independently at any time or place is leading to a torrent of sensor data. The scale and richness of the sensor data currently being collected and analysed is rapidly growing. The key challenges that we will be facing are how to effectively manage and make use of this abundance of easily-generated and diverse health data. This thesis investigates the challenges posed by the explosive growth of available healthcare data and proposes a number of potential solutions to the problem. As a result, a big data service platform, named Wiki-Health, is presented to provide a unified solution for collecting, storing, tagging, retrieving, searching and analysing personal health sensor data. Additionally, it allows users to reuse and remix data, along with analysis results and analysis models, to make health-related knowledge discovery more available to individual users on a massive scale. To tackle the challenge of efficiently managing the high volume and diversity of big data, Wiki-Health introduces a hybrid data storage approach capable of storing structured, semi-structured and unstructured sensor data and sensor metadata separately. A multi-tier cloud storage system—CACSS has been developed and serves as a component for the Wiki-Health platform, allowing it to manage the storage of unstructured data and semi-structured data, such as medical imaging files. CACSS has enabled comprehensive features such as global data de-duplication, performance-awareness and data caching services. The design of such a hybrid approach allows Wiki-Health to potentially handle heterogeneous formats of sensor data. To evaluate the proposed approach, we have developed an ECG-based health monitoring service and a virtual sensing service on top of the Wiki-Health platform. The two services demonstrate the feasibility and potential of using the Wiki-Health framework to enable better utilisation and comprehension of the vast amounts of sensor data available from different sources, and both show significant potential for real-world applications.Open Acces

Front-Line Physicians' Satisfaction with Information Systems in Hospitals

Day-to-day operations management in hospital units is difficult due to continuously varying situations, several actors involved and a vast number of information systems in use. The aim of this study was to describe front-line physicians' satisfaction with existing information systems needed to support the day-to-day operations management in hospitals. A cross-sectional survey was used and data chosen with stratified random sampling were collected in nine hospitals. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The response rate was 65 % (n = 111). The physicians reported that information systems support their decision making to some extent, but they do not improve access to information nor are they tailored for physicians. The respondents also reported that they need to use several information systems to support decision making and that they would prefer one information system to access important information. Improved information access would better support physicians' decision making and has the potential to improve the quality of decisions and speed up the decision making process.Peer reviewe

The work of registered nurses and care assistants with older people in nursing homes: Can the outcomes be distinguished?

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The need for Registered Nurses (RNs) in the long-term care of older people is being questioned, particularly in the context of nursing shortages, while suggestions for 'professionalising' Care Assistant (CA) roles are emerging. Despite ongoing debates about the importance of their work, research has so far been unable to provide an evidence-base for the outcomes of the work of either RNs or CAs in UK care homes. Using a multi-method interpretive approach, adopting a structure-process-outcome framework and grounded in the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer, this qualitative research sought to illuminate the distinct contributions made by RNs and CAs to outcomes for older people in care homes. RNs and CAs from around the UK contributed 'significant' examples of their work for Phase 1 of the study and Phase 2 comprised researcher fieldwork (observation, interviews and documentary analysis) in three care homes around England. Participants included RNs, CAs, older residents, relatives, home managers and professionals working in the homes. The findings offer a rich and detailed analysis of the realities of the work, much of which takes place 'behind closed doors' and has been described to a limited extent in the literature. They suggest that the CAs' daily support helps residents to function and to feel valued, and that close, reciprocal, family-type relationships develop. The health knowledge and clinical expertise of good RNs is critical in determining residents' health outcomes, particularly in the long-term, and RNs' 24-hour 'perceptual presence' can make life or death differences in acute or emergency situations. RNs also influence the environment, atmosphere and quality of care in the home. In the context of the literature, the findings offer new insights into the role and contribution of RNs and CAs, the outcomes of their work and the priorities of residents. The study produced new models of RN and CA roles in care homes, encompassing dimensions not previously acknowledged in the literature or their job descriptions, and a new framework within which the outcomes of care for older people could be evaluated. The research offers a positive image of work with older people in independent sector care homes

New Metropolitan Perspectives

​This open access book presents the outcomes of the symposium “NEW METROPOLITAN PERSPECTIVES,” held at Mediterranea University, Reggio Calabria, Italy on May 26–28, 2020. Addressing the challenge of Knowledge Dynamics and Innovation-driven Policies Towards Urban and Regional Transition, the book presents a multi-disciplinary debate on the new frontiers of strategic and spatial planning, economic programs and decision support tools in connection with urban–rural area networks and metropolitan centers. The respective papers focus on six major tracks: Innovation dynamics, smart cities and ICT; Urban regeneration, community-led practices and PPP; Local development, inland and urban areas in territorial cohesion strategies; Mobility, accessibility and infrastructures; Heritage, landscape and identity;and Risk management,environment and energy. The book also includes a Special Section on Rhegion United Nations 2020-2030. Given its scope, the book will benefit all researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in issues concerning metropolitan and marginal areas

2023- The Twenty-seventh Annual Symposium of Student Scholars

The full program book from the Twenty-seventh Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 18-21, 2023. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/sssprograms/1027/thumbnail.jp

New Metropolitan Perspectives

​This open access book presents the outcomes of the symposium “NEW METROPOLITAN PERSPECTIVES,” held at Mediterranea University, Reggio Calabria, Italy on May 26–28, 2020. Addressing the challenge of Knowledge Dynamics and Innovation-driven Policies Towards Urban and Regional Transition, the book presents a multi-disciplinary debate on the new frontiers of strategic and spatial planning, economic programs and decision support tools in connection with urban–rural area networks and metropolitan centers. The respective papers focus on six major tracks: Innovation dynamics, smart cities and ICT; Urban regeneration, community-led practices and PPP; Local development, inland and urban areas in territorial cohesion strategies; Mobility, accessibility and infrastructures; Heritage, landscape and identity;and Risk management,environment and energy. The book also includes a Special Section on Rhegion United Nations 2020-2030. Given its scope, the book will benefit all researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in issues concerning metropolitan and marginal areas