Social Media in the Dental School Environment, Part A: Benefits, Challenges, and Recommendations for Use

Social media consist of powerful tools that impact not only communication but relationships among people, thus posing an inherent challenge to the traditional standards of who we are as dental educators and what we can expect of each other. This article examines how the world of social media has changed dental education. Its goal is to outline the complex issues that social media use presents for academic dental institutions and to examine these issues from personal, professional, and legal perspectives. After providing an update on social media, the article considers the advantages and risks associated with the use of social media at the interpersonal, professional, and institutional levels. Policies and legal issues of which academic dental institutions need to be aware from a compliance perspective are examined, along with considerations and resources needed to develop effective social media policies. The challenge facing dental educators is how to capitalize on the benefits that social media offer, while minimizing risks and complying with the various forms of legal constraint

Privacy Vulnerabilities in the Practices of Repairing Broken Digital Artifacts in Bangladesh

This paper presents a study on the privacy concerns associated with the practice of repairing broken digital objects in Bangladesh. Historically, repair of old or broken technologies has received less attention in ICTD scholarship than design, development, or use. As a result, the potential privacy risks associated with repair practices have remained mostly unaddressed. This paper describes our three-month long ethnographic study that took place at ten major repair sites in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We show a variety of ways in which the privacy of an individual’s personal data may be compromised during the repair process. We also examine people’s perceptions around privacy in repair, and its connections with their broader social and cultural values. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for future research to strengthen the repair ecosystem in developing countries. Taken together, our findings contribute to the growing discourse around post-use cycles of technology

The promotion of data sharing in pharmacoepidemiology

This article addresses the role of pharmacoepidemiology in patient safety and the crucial role of data sharing in ensuring that such activities occur. Against the backdrop of proposed reforms of European data protection legislation, it considers whether the current legislative landscape adequately facilitates this essential data sharing. It is argued that rather than maximising and promoting the benefits of such activities by facilitating data sharing, current and proposed legislative landscapes hamper these vital activities. The article posits that current and proposed data protection approaches to pharmacoepidemiology — and more broadly, re-uses of data — should be reoriented towards enabling these important safety enhancing activities. Two potential solutions are offered: 1) a dedicated working party on data reuse for health research and 2) the introduction of new, dedicated legislation

Developing a Framework for Creating mHealth Surveys

Various issues in the design of surveys for mobile health (mHealth) research projects yet exist. As mHealth solutions become more popular, new issues are brought into consideration. Researchers need to collect some critical information from participants in these mHealth studies. These mHealth studies require a specialized framework to create surveys, track progress and analyze user data. In these procedures, mHealth’s needs differ from other studies. Therefore, there has to be a new framework that satisfies needs of mHealth research studies. Although there are studies for creating efficient, robust and user-friendly surveys, there is no solution or study, which is specialized in mHealth area and solves specific problems of mHealth research studies. mHealth research studies sometimes require real-time access to user data. Reward systems may play a key role in their study. Most importantly, storing user information securely plays a key role in these studies. There is no such solution or study, which covers all these areas. In this thesis, we present guidelines for developing a framework for creating mHealth surveys. In doing this, we hope that we propose a solution for problems of creating and using of surveys in mHealth studies

An evaluation of antimicrobial stewardship in community pharmacy

This study investigated several aspects of antimicrobial stewardship by gathering information from community pharmacists and members of the public. The aim was to identify how community pharmacists implement antimicrobial stewardship guidelines and influence patients on the use of antibiotics. This study required and received approval from the University of Huddersfield Ethics Committee. Information and opinions of community pharmacists in the Kirklees and Calderdale areas, and surrounding local areas, and of members of the public in Huddersfield town centre, were gathered using two different questionnaires. These focused on initiatives regarding antibiotic resistance, development of the competencies required for medicines optimisation and antimicrobial stewardship, patient education by pharmacists, monitoring of antibiotic prescribing and pharmacy access to records. The results obtained were then analysed. The study consisted of 50 participating pharmacists and 100 participating members of the public. It was identified that eight pharmacists had undertaken recent professional development regarding antimicrobial stewardship, 11 had made an Antibiotic Guardian pledge and eight monitored antibiotic prescribing. It was also discovered that, when handing out a prescription for antibiotics, five pharmacists (all of whom work in an independent pharmacy) always questioned the indication and seven always provided extra self-care information. Finally, 92 members of the public selected that they would be comfortable allowing their indication (the condition that the antibiotic is being used to treat) to be provided on prescriptions for antibiotics, and 83 selected that they would be comfortable with pharmacies having access to medical records. This study suggests that increased awareness is necessary of the resources that are available to pharmacists regarding antibiotic resistance initiatives and monitoring of antimicrobial prescribing. In addition, an improvement is required concerning patient education by community pharmacists. Finally, the public should be appropriately educated regarding patient confidentiality and the benefits of pharmacies having access to patient information

Ravin Revisited: Alaska\u27s Historic Common Law Marijuana Rule at the Dawn of Legalization

For the past forty years, Alaska has had one of the most unique marijuana laws in the United States. Under the Ravin Doctrine, adults in Alaska could use and possess a small amount of marijuana in their homes for any personal purpose. That common law rule, grounded in the Alaska Constitution\u27s explicit right of privacy, was effectively codified in November 2014 when Alaska voters approved Ballot Measure 2: An act to tax and regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana. Measure 2 ushered in a new era of marijuana regulation, adding Alaska to the short list of states that permit the retail sale and use of recreational marijuana. This Article begins a discussion of this next phase of marijuana regulation in Alaska. The Article starts with a brief history of Alaska marijuana law prior to Measure 2, then summarizes the adoption and implementation of the ballot measure, including listing the marijuana-related activities now permitted, reviewing the ongoing process of developing a statewide regulatory framework, and describing the federal government\u27s response to state-level marijuana legalization. The Article concludes with an analysis of the relationship between Measure 2 and the Ravin Doctrine, identifying new issues raised by the process of ballot initiative-led statutory legalization and finding that although Measure 2 did not clear up all of the previous grey areas surrounding marijuana regulation in Alaska, it was a significant step towards reconciling the Ravin Doctrine with Alaska\u27s criminal marijuana laws