ON ATTAINING THE PRESCRIBED QUALITY OF A CONTROLLED FOURTH ORDER SYSTEM

In this paper, we discuss a method of auxiliary controlled models and its application to solving some robust control problems for a system described by differential equations. As an illustration, a system of nonlinear differential equations of the fourth order is used. A solution algorithm, which is stable with respect to informational noise and computational errors, is presented. The algorithm is based on a combination of online state/input reconstruction and feedback control methods

Taylorism, targets and the pursuit of quantity and quality by call centre management

The paper locates the rise of the call centre within the context of the development of Taylorist methods and technological change in office work in general. Managerial utilisation of targets to impose and measure employees' quantitative and qualitative performance is analysed in four case-study organisations. The paper concludes that call centre work reflects a pardigmic re-configuration of customer servicing operations, and that the continuing application of Taylorist methods appears likely

Adherence to Antihypertensives in Patients With Comorbid Condition.

BackgroundComorbidity has been noted as a potential barrier to proper adherence to antihypertensive medications.ObjectivesWe decided to investigate whether comorbidity could significantly affect adherence of Iranian patients with hypertension to their medication regimen.Patients and methodsTwo hundred and eighty consecutive hypertensive patients were interviewed in 4 cities of Iran. The 8-item Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-8) (validated in Persian) was used to assess medication adherence. This scale determines adherence by scores as lower than 6 (low adherence), 6 or 7 (moderate adherence), and 8 (high adherence). Comorbidity was considered as any concomitant medical condition, which necessitates the patient to take medicine for a minimum of 6 months prior to the interviews.ResultsThe most common comorbid conditions were ischemic heart disease (65 patients, 23.2%), diabetes mellitus (55 patients, 19.6%), and dyslipidemia (51 patients, 18.2%). Mean (± SD) MMAS-8 score in comorbid group was 5.68 (± 1.85) and in non-comorbid hypertensive patients, it was 5.83 (± 1.91) (P = 0.631). Mean (± SD) number of comorbidities was 1.53 (± 0.75) in low adherence group compared to 1.54 (± 0.77) in moderate/high adherers (P = 0.98). With increasing the number of comorbid diseases, the proportion of patients with high adherence decreased successively from 20% in those with no comorbid disease to 14.1% in those with one or two comorbid conditions, and finally 11.1% in those with 3 to 5 comorbid conditions.ConclusionsWith increasing the number of comorbid conditions, the proportion of patients with high adherence decreases. In our opinion, this finding is a useful clinical note for healthcare providers when managing patients with hypertension who have other medical problems at the same time

What do measures of patient satisfaction with the doctor tell us?

Objective: To gain an understanding of how patient satisfaction (PS) with the doctor (PSD) is conceptualized through an empirical review of how it is currently being measured. The content of PS questionnaire items was examined to (a) determine the primary domains underlying PSD, and (b) summarize the specific doctor-related characteristics and behaviors, and patient-related perceptions, composing each domain. Methods: A scoping review of empirical articles that assessed PSD published from 2000 to November 2013. MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were searched. Results: The literature search yielded 1726 articles, 316 of which fulfilled study inclusion criteria. PSD was realized in one of four health contexts, with questions being embedded in a larger questionnaire that assessed PS with either: (1) overall healthcare, (2) a specific medical encounter, or (3) the healthcare team. In the fourth context, PSD was the questionnaire's sole focus. Five broad domains underlying PSD were revealed: (1) Communication Attributes; (2) Relational Conduct; (3) Technical Skill/Knowledge; (4) Personal Qualities; and (5) Availability/Accessibility. Conclusions: Careful consideration of measurement goals and purposes is necessary when selecting a PSD measure. Practice implications: The five emergent domains underlying PSD point to potential key areas of physician training and foci for quality assessment

Improving Medicaid Managed Care for Youth With Serious Behavioral Health Needs: A Quality Improvement Toolkit

Profiles successful initiatives by Medicaid managed care organizations in a collaboration to implement systems of care emphasizing early identification, coordination and management, and various services and supports in the least restrictive settings

An International Study in Competency Education: Postcards from Abroad

Acknowledging that national borders need not constrain our thinking, we have examined a selection of alternative academic cultures and, in some cases, specific schools, in search of solutions to common challenges we face when we consider reorganizing American schools. A wide range of interviews and e-mail exchanges with international researchers, government officials and school principals has informed this research, which was supplemented with a literature review scanning international reports and journal articles. Providing a comprehensive global inventory of competency-based education is not within the scope of this study, but we are confident that this is a representative sampling. The report that follows first reviews the definition of competency-based learning. A brief lesson in the international vocabulary of competency education is followed by a review of global trends that complement our own efforts to improve performance and increase equitable outcomes. Next, we share an overview of competency education against a backdrop of global education trends (as seen in the international PISA exams), before embarking on an abbreviated world tour. We pause in Finland, British Columbia (Canada), New Zealand and Scotland, with interludes in Sweden, England, Singapore and Shanghai, all of which have embraced practices that can inform the further development of competency education in the United States

Beyond contested elections: the processes of bill creation and the fulfillment of democracy's promises

Long before 1996, earlier promises of 'development' had splintered into a million shards. Development -- defined as the use of state power to bring about social, political, and economic change in favor of the mass of the population almost everywhere had seemingly imploded. 5 Babies in the poorer countries could expect to live from ten to thirty years fewer than those born in industrialized countries. [TRUNCATED

The Need for Changing Control of Teacher Colleges in the Quest for Teacher professionalism in Tanzania

In Tanzania today there is ongoing debate concerning the need to change control of teacher colleges in order to educate teachers who are competent professionals. In the current setup teacher colleges are highly controlled by the government; whereby most of the decisions are centrally made. However, despite strong government influence on curriculum, assessment and management, yet teacher colleges are criticized for training ill trained teachers. This paper discusses the impact of imposed curriculum change, assessment system, authoritarian teacher college culture as well as principals’ roles on preparing student teachers to become creative and supportive of the learning of each individual student. To enable teachers to take a proactive part in their profession, this paper raises the issue of providing teacher colleges with more autonomy.Key Words: teacher professionalism, teachers’ college, control, Tanzani