Dependability enhancing mechanisms for integrated clinical environments

In this article, we present a set of lightweight mechanisms to enhance the dependability of a safety-critical real-time distributed system referred to as an integrated clinical environment (ICE). In an ICE, medical devices are interconnected and work together with the help of a supervisory computer system to enhance patient safety during clinical operations. Inevitably, there are strong dependability requirements on the ICE. We introduce a set of mechanisms that essentially make the supervisor component a trusted computing base, which can withstand common hardware failures and malicious attacks. The mechanisms rely on the replication of the supervisor component and employ only one input-exchange phase into the critical path of the operation of the ICE. Our analysis shows that the runtime latency overhead is much lower than that of traditional approaches

Digitalisation of Development and Supply Networks: Sequential and Platform-Driven Innovations

We draw from an eight-year dataset of 98 organisational entities involved in pre-competitive innovation networks across the UK pharmaceutical sector. These data map into three networks that are representative of: (i) a product development-led sequential pathway that begins with digitalised product development, followed by digitalisation of supply networks, (ii) a supply network-led sequential pathway that starts with digitalised supply networks, followed by digitalisation of product development, and (iii) a parallel — platform-driven — pathway that enables simultaneous digitalisation of development, production, and supply networks. We draw upon extant literature to assess these network structures along three dimensions — strategic intent, the integrative roles of nodes with high centrality, and innovation performance. We conduct within-case and cross-case analyses to postulate 10 research propositions that compare and contrast modalities for sequential and platform-based digitalisation involving collaborative innovation networks. With sequential development, our propositions are congruent with conventional pathways for mitigating innovation risks through modular moves. On the other hand, we posit that platform-based design rules, rather than modular moves, mitigate the risks for parallel development pathways, and lead to novel development and delivery mechanisms

Developing a distributed electronic health-record store for India

The DIGHT project is addressing the problem of building a scalable and highly available information store for the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) of the over one billion citizens of India

Towards a virtual research environment for paediatric endocrinology across Europe

Paediatric endocrinology is a medical specialty dealing with variations of physical growth and sexual development in childhood. Genetic anomalies that can cause disorders of sexual development in children are rare. Given this, sharing and collaboration on the small number of cases that occur is needed by clinical experts in the field. The EU-funded EuroDSD project (www.eurodsd.eu) is one such collaboration involving clinical centres and clinical and genetic experts across Europe. Through the establishment of a virtual research environment (VRE) supporting sharing of data and a variety of clinical and bioinformatics analysis tools, EuroDSD aims to provide a research infrastructure for research into disorders of sex development. Security, ethics and information governance are at the heart of this infrastructure. This paper describes the infrastructure that is being built and the inherent challenges in security, availability and dependability that must be overcome for the enterprise to succeed

The Role of Military Chaplains and Effective Spiritual Care for Strengthening Military Marriages During Deployments

Military chaplains provide spiritual support and counseling to the military populations alongside conducting religious services. As a military process, chaplaincy operates as a liaison between military personnel, mental health professionals, and clinical marriage counselors. In this context, the military population is extensive and consists of military personnel, military chaplains, and their civilian families. It must be acknowledged that various service-motivated challenges confront these individuals. For instance, military marriages are threatened by lengthy deployment and family separations. Therefore, it is significant to contextualize military marriages’ coping, survival, and strengthening as most contemporary researchers have focused on this subject. Most studies have investigated several in-house mechanisms like spiritual care and outsourced coping agents like professional psychiatrists and marriage counselors among military populations (Bliese et al., 2008; Seddon et al., 2011). However, this study focused on interventions available at military facilities—chaplaincy and spiritual care. It is important to understand the role of spirituality as advanced by military chaplains as a coping mechanism among military personnel and a marriage-strengthening technique to verify its ability to improve marriage sustainability. Therefore, the study investigated the association between spirituality and marriage strengthening among military personnel. This phenomenological study aimed to examine the effectiveness of military chaplains and the spiritual care and support they provide to strengthen military marriages among military populations. As such, the study qualitatively examined the role of chaplains and spirituality among two military population participants—military personnel and chaplains at the Ellsworth Air Force Base. The theories guiding this study were the family stress theory advanced by Bowen (1971) and Selye’s (1956) stress theory, which helped explain the stressors in military marriages. Data were collected from semistructured, in-depth interviews with a study sample of 15 participants. The data were then transcribed, analyzed, and interpreted. The findings indicated that spiritual care provided by chaplains was critical in building trust and strengthening bonds among married couples. At the same time, spirituality equipped military couples with essential virtues for marriage stability. The study also found that psychological well-being was a critical factor in promoting healthy relationships and chaplains played a role in promoting the mental well-being of the military couples, which furthered the stability of the unions. Finally, the study acknowledged that other interventions and resources were critical in supporting strong marriages besides the spiritual care provided by chaplains. As such, couples were advised to join personal and family-oriented programs (e.g., marital counseling, the strong bonds program, and reintegration counseling) and use other resources to maintain their marriages

An Integrated Therapeutic Approach to Enhance Quality of Life

This case study examines the intricate challenges faced by a client experiencing constant worry in numerous areas of their life and stress at work. The counselling method employed a multifaceted approach that combined cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), attachment theory, and humanistic psychology. The main objective was to ascertain how various treatment modalities may be used to successfully address anxiety and stress-related issues, ultimately enhancing the client's general well-being. The study looked at how different therapy modalities interacted to determine the best combination for enhancing quality of life. Observational data, transcripts of counselling sessions, and in-depth interviews were all used in this qualitative study design. A detailed log of the client's feelings, subjective experiences, and behavioural patterns was kept to assess how well each therapy approach worked. By applying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the client could identify and alter harmful thought patterns associated with work-related stress. The application of the humanistic approach created a compassionate and caring therapeutic environment that enabled the exploration of underlying emotional issues. Attachment theory therapies made links between traumatic experiences in the past and current fears, which helped to clarify the dynamics of relationships. When these many approaches were merged, they provided a comprehensive framework for managing complex problems like existential discomfort and pressure from the workplace. The study emphasizes the benefits of a comprehensive approach in counselling, particularly when handling complex issues that significantly influence a person's general well-being. Counsellors can use these data to guide the development of tailored therapy plans for clients dealing with similar complex issues. The study's narrow focus on a particular client situation and the subjective nature of gathering qualitative data, which can make it difficult to draw conclusive conclusions, should be acknowledged as contributing to its limited generalizability. The study underlines the value of integrating various therapeutic approaches and stresses the importance of using an integrated strategy while providing counselling. The study demonstrates the advantages of combining cognitive-behavioral therapy, attachment theory, and humanistic psychology in treating and lowering the client's anxiety and stress levels. The client's quality of life ultimately improve. More research with larger sample sizes is recommended to fully understand the complexities and effectiveness of this integrated therapeutic strateg

Advancing Healthcare Security: A Cutting-Edge Zero-Trust Blockchain Solution for Protecting Electronic Health Records

The effective management of electronic health records (EHRs) is vital in healthcare. However, traditional systems often need help handling data inconsistently, providing limited access, and coordinating poorly across facilities. This study aims to tackle these issues using blockchain technology to improve EHR systems' data security, privacy, and interoperability. By thoroughly analyzing blockchain's applications in healthcare, we propose an innovative solution that leverages blockchain's decentralized and immutable nature, combined with advanced encryption techniques such as the Advanced Encryption Standard and Zero Knowledge Proof Protocol, to fortify EHR systems. Our research demonstrates that blockchain can effectively overcome significant EHR challenges, including fragmented data and interoperability problems, by facilitating secure and transparent data exchange, leading to enhanced coordination, care quality, and cost-efficiency across healthcare facilities. This study offers practical guidelines for implementing blockchain technology in healthcare, emphasizing a balanced approach to interoperability, privacy, and security. It represents a significant advancement over traditional EHR systems, boosting security and affording patients greater control over their health records. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2023-04-03-012 Full Text: PD