Prescription for nursing informatics in pre-registration nurse education.

Nurses need to be able to use information and communications technology not only to support their own practice, but also to help their patients make best use of it. This article argues that nurses are not currently adequately prepared to work with information and technology through their pre-registration education. Reflecting the lack of nursing informatics expertise, it is recommended that all pre-registration nursing programmes should have access to a nursing informatics specialist. A prescription to meet the informatics needs of the newly qualified nurse is proposed. This places the areas that need to be included in pre-registration education into broad groups that both articulate the competencies that nurses need to develop, and indicate why they are needed, rather than providing context-free checklists of skills. This is presented as a binary scatter chart with two axes, skill to knowledge and technology to information

Privacy, patients and healthcare workers: a critical analysis of large scale, integrated manufacturing information systems reapplied in health

This paper examines the social impact of healthcare systems upon two key stakeholders, patients and healthcare workers. The paper focuses upon ‘privacy’, a growing concern of organisations involved in the delivery of healthcare services. Surprisingly, privacy is typically undervalued in information systems development, including healthcare systems. This paper applies a developmental privacy framework to determine a variety of privacy issues pertinent to the use of ICT for healthcare applications in the context of the two stakeholders above. The framework identifies privacy issues relevant to the stakeholders and a number of relevant themes are discussed. The paper also notes the absence of human-centred investigations of privacy in healthcare informatics. Finally, the paper demonstrates the usefulness of a recently developed privacy framework in assessing the social impact of advanced technology systems in the healthcare field

Semantic model and updated screening criteria for polymer flooding

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes produce oil that conventional methods leave behind, where interfacial forces, heavy oil viscosity, and reservoir heterogeneity make it difficult to produce. Many EOR methods are available but usually cannot be used at the same time for a candidate reservoir. Therefore, it is important to select the most appropriate EOR process from among the possible techniques. EOR screening criteria have been created using EOR datasets and serve as the first step to compare the suitability of each technique for a specific reservoir. Most of these datasets are based on field data collected from EOR surveys published in the Oil & Gas Journal and therefore are limited because they lack data from laboratory experiments and do not represent more recent research efforts. This project proposes a comprehensive study of data related to polymer flooding technology, from laboratory, pilot, and field applications. The project starts with intensive analysis of polymer flooding as a specified knowledge domain, extracting major concepts in the domain and data that can be generated from or by laboratory experiments, pilot and field applications. One of the goals of this project is to have easy access of polymer flooding techniques such a specialized domain to the public. Therefore, semantic modeling techniques are applied to construct semantic models based on the relations among the major concepts and measuring data. The models will also be published as one part of an ambition to build a semantic knowledge repository for EOR technologies. Then, laboratory data and pilot and field application data were collected and analyzed. Methodologies that can be applied to improve data quality have been studied and investigated; and screening criteria have been updated; and potential prediction methods based on the data we have are studied and investigated --Abstract, page iv

Risk assessment in the distribution channels of pharmaceutical companies

Predmet istraživanja ovog rada je proučavanje farmaceutskih kompanija i rizičnih faktora koji se pojavljuju prilikom distribucije lekova. Suština istraživanja je sagledavanje potencijalnih faktora rizika u poslovnim procesima farmaceutskih kompanija, kao i u njihovim distributivnim kanalima. Ovo istraživanje obuhvata stručnjake iz deset farmaceutskih kompanija koje posluju na teritoriji jugoistočne Evrope. Istraživanje rizika u farmaceutskim kompanijama ima za cilj održavanje otpornosti, ostvarivanje kvaliteta i kontinuiteta upravljanja distribucije lekova, efektivno i efikasno upravljanje promenama u okruženju farmaceutskih kompanija i održavanje fleksibilnosti prilikom uvođenja lekova na tržište. U radu će biti prikazane smernice za upravljanje faktorima rizika u distributivnim kanalima farmaceutskih kompanija.The subject of this paper is the study of pharmaceutical companies and the risk factors that occur during distribution of drugs. The essence of the study is to assess the potential risk factors in the business processes of pharmaceutical companies, as well as in their distribution channels. This research includes experts from ten pharmaceutical companies that operate in Southeast Europe. The study of risk in the pharmaceutical companies aims to maintain the resistance, providing high quality and continuity of management of distribution of drugs, effective and efficient management of changes in the environment of pharmaceutical companies and the maintenance of flexibility when introducing drugs to the market. The paper will present the guidelines for the management of risk factors in the distribution channels of pharmaceutical companies

O contributo do design na autonomização em saúde: o desenho de uma aplicação mobile - Life Path

Mestrado em DesignO presente estudo visa autonomizar e capacitar a comunidade para uma maior envolvência nos assuntos relativos à sua saúde, destacando a pertinência do Design e o contributo que a disciplina pode assumir nesta área. Tem como objetivo o desenho de uma aplicação mobile cujo o propósito será autonomizar os pacientes, melhorar a comunicação entre estes e os profissionais da área, bem como melhorar o seu bem-estar, permitindo aos utilizadores fazer uma gestão descomplicada, ao longo da vida, dos seus registos pessoais de saúde, tal como gerir conteúdos essenciais à saúde dos seus ascendentes e/ou descendentes familiares. Para tal, procedeu-se, inicialmente, a uma revisão da literatura e do estado de arte e realizou-se um inquérito distribuído por questionário com a finalidade de compreender qual a importância que uma aplicação deste género teria junto dos utilizadores, bem como quais as funcionalidades que mais valorizariam. Por sua vez, essas respostas foram analisadas e tratadas, dando assim origem a um protótipo que foi testado, permitindo detetar melhorias a implementar. Este contexto permitiu o desenvolvimento de um projeto de desenho de interfaces e experiência, fundamentado no enquadramento teórico sobre o estado da arte do desenho para interfaces mobile, na análise de casos de estudo das aplicações de gestão de saúde pessoal e na participação dos utilizadores. Desta forma, é refletido o contributo que o Design e as Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação podem ter na comunicação em saúde, na emancipação do paciente e na tomada de decisões relativas à sua saúde por meio de uma aplicação mobile.This study aims to assist the community on a matter of health issues making them more involved whilst showing the importance of the Design and the contribution that this area of field may represent in this matter. The main goal is the creation of a mobile application that allows the users to access their personal medical history. In doing so, this aims to improve the communication between the health specialists and the patients. This mobile application also focuses on improving the user’s welfare, by allowing them to interact in a more accessible way, managing their health issues by providing the most relevant medical information regarding themselves and their close relatives. To achieve this goal, a thorough review was conducted to collect all relevant information regarding this subject. The design of the application was a main focus for the project, looking into the way in which the applications artistic style would be perceived. This review was possible by conducting an inquiry in a form of questionnaire in order to collect, and understand, the relevance of such application and also which functionalities of it the users would consider more important. This information after thoroughly analysed lead to the development of a prototype. With this was possible, after sessions of testing with different users, to identify which areas of the application would require improvements. This context allowed the development of a design of interfaces and experience project, based on the theoretical study on the state of the art of design for mobile interfaces, the analysis of case studies of health management applications and user participation. In this way it is possible to show the contribution that the Design, as well as, the new Technologies of Information and Communication represents in matters of communication in the health care world. Giving then the user the independence as a patient of accessing his medical information and also the possibility of managing their medical issues through a mobile application

Appraisal of free online symptom checkers and applications for self-diagnosis and triage: An Australian evaluation

The internet has impacted society and changed the way companies and individuals operate on a daily basis. Seeking information online via computer or mobile device is common practice. The phrase ‘Google it’ is now part of modern vernacular and is a resource increasingly utilised by young and old alike. Around 80% of Australian’s search health-related information online as it is convenient, cheap, and available 24/7. Symptom checkers are one tool used by consumers to investigate their health issues. Symptom checkers are automated online programs which use computerised algorithms, asking a series of questions to help determine a potential diagnosis and/or provide suitable triage advice. Recent evidence suggests symptom checkers may not work the way they are intended. Inferior or incorrect healthcare information can potentially have serious consequences on the consumer’s wellbeing and may not have the desired effect of directing consumers to the appropriate point of care. This research evaluated the clinical performance of 36 symptom checkers found on websites and smartphone applications that are freely available for use by the Australian general public. Symptom checkers were exposed to 48 clinical vignettes, generating 1858 symptom checker vignette tests (SCVT). Diagnosis was assessed on the inclusion of the correct diagnosis in the first, the top three or top ten differential diagnoses (n = 1,170 SCVT). Triage advice was assessed on whether the triage category recommended was concordant with our assessment (n = 688 SCVT). The correct diagnosis was listed first in 36% (95% CI 31–42) of SCVT, within the top three in 52% (95% CI 47–59) and within the top ten in 58% (95% CI 53–65). Symptom checkers which claimed to utilise artificial intelligence (AI) outperformed non-AI with the first listed diagnosis being accurate in 46% (95% CI 40–57) versus 32% (95% CI 26–38) of SCVT. Individual symptom checker performance varied considerably, with the average rate of correct diagnosis provided first ranging between 12%–-61%. Triage advice provided was concordant with our assessment in 49% (95% CI 44–54) of SCVT. Appropriate triage advice was provided more frequently for emergency care SCVT at 63% (95% CI 52–71) than for non-urgent SCVT at 30% (95% CI 11–39). Symptom checker performance varied considerably in relation to diagnosis. Triage advice was risk-averse, typically recommending more urgent care pathways than necessary. Given this, symptom checkers may not be working to alleviate demand for health services (particularly emergency services) within Australia—counter to marketing materials of some organisations’ symptom checkers. It is important that symptom checkers do not further burden the healthcare system with inappropriate referrals or incorrect care advice. Although, a balance must be struck as avoiding unsuitable triage advice could potentially result in life-threatening consequences for consumers. Nonetheless, the results of this research make clear that the accuracy of diagnosis and triage advice provided from readily available symptom checkers for the Australian public require improvements before everyday consumers can rely entirely on health information provided via these mediums

Modelling an information management system for the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana was introduced to alleviate the problem of citizens having to pay for healthcare at the point of delivery, given that many did not have the financial resources needed to do so, and as such were unable to adequately access healthcare services. The scheme is managed from the national headquarters in the capital Accra, through satellite offices located in districts right across the length and breadth of the country. It is the job of these offices to oversee the operations of the scheme within that particular district. Current literature however shows us that there is a digital divide that exists between the rural and urban areas of the country which has led to differences in the management of information within urban-based and rural-based districts. This thesis reviews the variables affecting the management of information within the scheme, and proposes an information management model to eliminate identified bottlenecks in the current information management model. The thesis begins by reviewing the theory of health insurance, information management and then finally the rural-urban digital divide. In addition to semi-structured interviews with key personnel within the scheme and observation, a survey questionnaire was also handed out to staff in nine different district schemes to obtain the raw data for this study. In identifying any issues with the current information management system, a comparative analysis was made between the current information management model and the real-world system in place to determine the changes needed to improve the current information management system in the NHIS. The changes discovered formed an input into developing the proposed information management system with the assistance of Natural Conceptual Modelling Language (NCML). The use of a mixed methodology in conducting the study, in addition to the employment of NCML was an innovation, and is the first of its kind in studying the NHIS in Ghana. This study is also the first to look at the differences in information management within the NHIS given the rural-urban digital divide

Referencial de um sistema de informação para um serviço de pacing cardíaco

A relevância dos sistemas de informação para a qualidade e efetividade dos cuidados de saúde é óbvia, uma vez que o acesso à informação relevante no momento oportuno é fundamental no suporte à tomada de decisão, quer ao nível clínico, administrativo ou ao nível da gestão. E isto é de especial importância para um serviço de pacing cardíaco, onde a longevidade e qualidade de vida dos pacientes depende do nível de acerto das decisões ao nível do diagnóstico, terapêutica e “follow-up”. Este estudo de caso tem como objectivo contribuir para o implementação de um sistema de informação ao serviço de pacing cardíaco pertencente ao Whipps Cross University Hospital. Para alcançar este objectivo, optou-se por utilizar uma triangulação entre as técnicas da observação direta, entrevista semiestruturada e o focus group. A análise dos dados resultou na descrição do processo do serviço de pacing cardíaco. No final, é proposto um plano de intervenção, ou seja, um sistema de informação integrado e atomizado para o serviço de pacing cardíaco bem como algumas recomendações de carácter inovador; ABSTRACT:The relevance of the information systems for the quality and effectiveness of care is obvious, because good (clinical, administrative or management) decision making requires having all of the relevant information available at the time the decision needs to be made. And this is especially important in the pacing service, where the longevity and quality of life of the patients is dependent on good diagnostic, therapeutic and follow-up decisions. The purpose of this case study is to contribute for the implementation of an information system for the pacing service of Whipps Cross University Hospital. To achieve this purpose, we adopt a triangulation between the techniques of direct observation, semi-structured interview and focus group. Data analysis resulted in the process description of the pacing service. In the final part of the project we proposed an interventional plane, which consists of an integrated and automatized information system and some innovative recommendations for the pacing service

Nurses in the information age : ready, willing and able? : the role of pre-registration education in preparing nurses for working in an evolving workplace

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