Personal Dynamic Feedback in Acquiring Information to Manage Your Health

This paper makes two contributions at two different levels: one is about a design principle of HCI, namely the provision of personalized and dynamic feedback in interactive applications; the second contribution is a demonstration of the need for visual and dynamic representations to explain the design of interactive interfaces. At the first level, in the context of patients managing their health behavior, we analyze the design of feedback that builds on Visualization, Personalization, and Interactivity. Utilizing these elements DPF creates the right atmosphere for a unique InfoVis experience. We argue that such feedback will increase comprehension, participation in planning health behavior and self-efficacy. These three factors positively affect intentions to change behavior as recommended by the medical staff. A pilot study demonstrates the feasibility and impact of personalized and dynamic feedback. At the second level, we demonstrate how to use, contingently, three forms of visuals: static, dynamic distilled visuals and dynamic visuals in context (film

‘Riding the waves’ - an exploration of how students undertaking a pre-registration nursing programme develop emotional resilience

Background The study was prompted by recognition of the many emotional demands and challenges on mature students undertaking professional qualifying programmes. These can cause excessive levels of stress and anxiety with an impact on retention of students on programmes. Aim and objectives The overall aim was to identify what pre-registration nurses identified as challenges or adversity in their transition from health care support workers to accountable professionals and what factors they perceived as significant in contributing to their own emotional resilience. The objective was then to make specific recommendations related to the nursing curriculum, academic and work based support structures in order to promote resilience. Participants Participants were pre-registration nursing students on adult and mental health branches nearing the end of their final year of a pre-registration nursing programme with the Open University. Methods A qualitative methodology was used with use of one focus group and eleven in depth interviews. Results Four different dimensions of resilience were identified; ways of being/personal characteristics, personal survival tactics, immediate social and work based environment and wider social and cultural environment. Key findings included the importance of peer support, positive feedback and enhancing the student’s ability to re-frame difficulties or problems, a positive culture of work place learning , supporting and validating personal reflection outside academic discourses, and support in ‘meaning making’. As well as peer support, examples of good practice demonstrated by mentors, programme tutors and tutors were essential in supporting students in these identified areas. Conclusion and recommendations Emotional resilience is a multi-dimensional concept and different levels of intervention are therefore needed to promote it. The curriculum needs to reflect the importance of affective as well as cognitive aspects of development in order to promote the resilience of students and support structures need to be embedded in programme design to promote peer interaction and sharing of good practice between those in education roles. Key words Pre-registration nursing education, emotional resilience, adversity, communities of practic

What can management theories offer evidence-based practice? A comparative analysis of measurement tools for organisational context

Background: Given the current emphasis on networks as vehicles for innovation and change in health service delivery, the ability to conceptualise and measure organisational enablers for the social construction of knowledge merits attention. This study aimed to develop a composite tool to measure the organisational context for evidence-based practice (EBP) in healthcare. Methods: A structured search of the major healthcare and management databases for measurement tools from four domains: research utilisation (RU), research activity (RA), knowledge management (KM), and organisational learning (OL). Included studies were reports of the development or use of measurement tools that included organisational factors. Tools were appraised for face and content validity, plus development and testing methods. Measurement tool items were extracted, merged across the four domains, and categorised within a constructed framework describing the absorptive and receptive capacities of organisations. Results: Thirty measurement tools were identified and appraised. Eighteen tools from the four domains were selected for item extraction and analysis. The constructed framework consists of seven categories relating to three core organisational attributes of vision, leadership, and a learning culture, and four stages of knowledge need, acquisition of new knowledge, knowledge sharing, and knowledge use. Measurement tools from RA or RU domains had more items relating to the categories of leadership, and acquisition of new knowledge; while tools from KM or learning organisation domains had more items relating to vision, learning culture, knowledge need, and knowledge sharing. There was equal emphasis on knowledge use in the different domains. Conclusion: If the translation of evidence into knowledge is viewed as socially mediated, tools to measure the organisational context of EBP in healthcare could be enhanced by consideration of related concepts from the organisational and management sciences. Comparison of measurement tools across domains suggests that there is scope within EBP for supplementing the current emphasis on human and technical resources to support information uptake and use by individuals. Consideration of measurement tools from the fields of KM and OL shows more content related to social mechanisms to facilitate knowledge recognition, translation, and transfer between individuals and groups

SCUdent Books: A University-Focused Bookselling Platform

As the beginning of each university semester or quarter commences, so does the rush to acquire books for classes. The search for school books is a busy and important task for many students. However, an entire slew of problems and frustrations emerge with this academic race to gather books. To begin, students have to deal with the traditional frustrations of expensive textbooks sold at the university bookstore which is especially troublesome for those on a tight budget. Additionally, required textbooks for classes may not be available at the bookstore or require restocking which can take an unknown amount of time. Because of this, students turn to cheaper, faster, and more efficient alternatives for acquiring school books including online retailers such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble. While the Internet makes book shopping appear easier, there exist issues that come with it. Students have to put in more effort ordering online, pay for extra shipping, and wait for their books to arrive. Also, online shopping for books is incredibly decentralized with no convenient platform to cater to students\u27 needs. Students must first spend time finding out which books are required for each class and then spend even more time comparing prices from multiple online retailers. In addition, once a student completes a class he or she may no longer need the book. As a result, the student has no convenient method of disposing the book and must now sell it, throw it away, or keep it. Overall, the process of acquiring books in university is disorganized, stressful, and inconvenient for students

A Case for Developing Spiritual Intelligence in Leaders through Equine Facilitated Learning

Unpredictable circumstances, growing stresses in an ever-increasing global market, and ubiquitous ennui have left organizations and today’s leaders in government, industry, and academia without the necessary tools to transition to change in a principled manner. The authors explain that the development and maintenance of genuine leadership skills — adaptive to the dictates of the modern world — must be borne from one’s inner self, a retreat to spirituality. One available method of achieving this is through Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning (EFEL), a technique whereby leaders develop critical management skills by working with horses

The Feasibility of Using Expert Systems in the Management of Human Resources

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a decision aid that is being used increasingly in the business world, the expert system, and to begin to examine its potential for human resource management. First, the expert system technology is reviewed, with a special emphasis on the players, those involved in developing and using the system, and the parts, the three main components of a system. This is followed by an analysis of the costs and benefits and the advantages and disadvantages that have been ascribed to expert systems. We conclude this initial research endeavor by presenting some preliminary findings which suggest that employees are willing to cooperate with expert systems, even those that require personal information, and that they see some benefits to using expert systems as decision aids

Framework of Social Customer Relationship Management in E-Health Services

Healthcare organization is implementing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as a strategy for managing interactions with patients involving technology to organize, automate, and coordinate business processes. Web-based CRM provides healthcare organization with the ability to broaden service beyond its usual practices in achieving a complex patient care goal, and this paper discusses and demonstrates how a new approach in CRM based on Web 2.0 or Social CRM helps healthcare organizations to improve their customer support, and at the same time avoiding possible conflicts, and promoting better healthcare to patients. A conceptual framework of the new approach will be proposed and highlighted. The framework includes some important features of Social CRM such as customer's empowerment, social interactivity between healthcare organization-patients, and patients-patients. The framework offers new perspective in building relationships between healthcare organizations and customers and among customers in e-health scenario. It is developed based on the latest development of CRM literatures and case studies analysis. In addition, customer service paradigm in social network's era, the important of online health education, and empowerment in healthcare organization will be taken into consideration.Comment: 15 pages. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1204.3689, arXiv:1203.3919, arXiv:1204.3685, arXiv:1203.4309, arXiv:1204.3691, arXiv:1203.392

Global Innovations in Measurement and Evaluation

We researched the latest developments in theory and practice in measurement and evaluation. And we found that new thinking, techniques, and technology are influencing and improving practice. This report highlights 8 developments that we think have the greatest potential to improve evaluation and programme design, and the careful collection and use of data. In it, we seek to inform and inspire—to celebrate what is possible, and encourage wider application of these ideas

Supporting decision making process with "Ideal" software agents: what do business executives want?

According to Simon’s (1977) decision making theory, intelligence is the first and most important phase in the decision making process. With the escalation of information resources available to business executives, it is becoming imperative to explore the potential and challenges of using agent-based systems to support the intelligence phase of decision-making. This research examines UK executives’ perceptions of using agent-based support systems and the criteria for design and development of their “ideal” intelligent software agents. The study adopted an inductive approach using focus groups to generate a preliminary set of design criteria of “ideal” agents. It then followed a deductive approach using semi-structured interviews to validate and enhance the criteria. This qualitative research has generated unique insights into executives’ perceptions of the design and use of agent-based support systems. The systematic content analysis of qualitative data led to the proposal and validation of design criteria at three levels. The findings revealed the most desirable criteria for agent based support systems from the end users’ point view. The design criteria can be used not only to guide intelligent agent system design but also system evaluation