The Sulzer Hip Replacement Recall Crisis: A Patient\u27s Perspective

This case discusses a product recall that resulted from a manufacturing defect and the degree to which the company distributed accurate and timely information to affected patients. More specifically, the case examines the crisis communication of Sulzer Orthopedics and its efforts to negotiate the interests of various stakeholders, while limiting liability. Written from the perspective of a patient, the case raises interesting questions regarding organizational duties related to product liability. It also provides valuable insights into how organizational communication may have both short- and long-term effects on its relationship with patients and physicians, among others

Decentralised Clinical Guidelines Modelling with Lightweight Coordination Calculus

Background: Clinical protocols and guidelines have been considered as a major means to ensure that cost-effective services are provided at the point of care. Recently, the computerisation of clinical guidelines has attracted extensive research interest. Many languages and frameworks have been developed. Thus far, however,an enactment mechanism to facilitate decentralised guideline execution has been a largely neglected line of research. It is our contention that decentralisation is essential to maintain a high-performance system in pervasive health care scenarios. In this paper, we propose the use of Lightweight Coordination Calculus (LCC) as a feasible solution. LCC is a light-weight and executable process calculus that has been used successfully in multi-agent systems, peer-to-peer (p2p) computer networks, etc. In light of an envisaged pervasive health care scenario, LCC, which represents clinical protocols and guidelines as message-based interaction models, allows information exchange among software agents distributed across different departments and/or hospitals. Results: We outlined the syntax and semantics of LCC; proposed a list of refined criteria against which the appropriateness of candidate clinical guideline modelling languages are evaluated; and presented two LCC interaction models of real life clinical guidelines. Conclusions: We demonstrated that LCC is particularly useful in modelling clinical guidelines. It specifies the exact partition of a workflow of events or tasks that should be observed by multiple "players" as well as the interactions among these "players". LCC presents the strength of both process calculi and Horn clauses pair of which can provide a close resemblance of logic programming and the flexibility of practical implementation

Research Highlights

Research Highlights was a newsletter highlighting the research being done at the Boston University School of Management (Questrom School of Business)

The Negativity Bias Predicts Response Rate To Behavioral Activation For Depression

Background and Objectives: This treatment study investigated the extent to which asymmetric dimensions of affective responding, specifically the positivity offset and the negativity bias, at pretreatment altered the rate of response to Behavioral Activation treatment for depression. Method: Forty-one depressed participants were enrolled into 16 weekly sessions of BA. An additional 36 lifetime healthy participants were evaluated prospectively for 16 weeks to compare affective responding between healthy and remitted patients at post-treatment. All participants were assessed at Weeks 0, 8 and 16 using repeated measures, involving a structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders, questionnaires, and a computerized task designed to measure affective responses to unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant images. Results: The negativity bias at pre-treatment predicted the rate of response to BA, while the positivity offset did not. Limitations: Only one treatment condition was used in this study and untreated depressed participants were not enrolled, limiting our ability to compare the effect of BA. Conclusions: Baseline negativity bias may serve as a signal for patients to engage in and benefit from the goal-directed BA strategies, thereby accelerating rate of response

Analysis Of MRI Knee Joint Examination In Meniscus Tear Case With STIR Sequence And T2 Medic Sagittal Cut At Radiology Installation Of Balimed Hospital Denpasar

Knee injuries are often encountered in general practice and in hospitals. One injury that can occur is injury to the meniscus which causes a meniscus tear. The meniscus is a fibro cartilage disc which is the content of the knee joint and is divided into two, namely the lateral meniscus and the medial meniscus. To confirm the diagnosis of injured ligaments is by carrying out an MRI examination. MRI examination of the knee joint using T2* Multi Echo Rechalled Gradient Echo can provide optimal images in cases of meniscus tears. MRI examination of the knee joint using MEDIC is very useful for cervical imaging, cartilage, joint and musculoskeletal examination. The advantage of the MEDIC sequence is that it can be used for 2D and 3D imaging and can reduce chemical shift artifacts. Based on the journal taken by the author, the sequence needed to clinically show a meniscus tear on an MRI Knee Joint examination is sagittal STIR and sagittal T2 MEDIC. then the most optimal sequence in clinically showing a meniscus tear is chosen to increase the efficiency of the examination time. The type of research used is qualitative research with a case study approach. The subjects used in this research were 3 Radiology Specialist Doctors and 3 Radiographers. The STIR and T2 MEDIC sequences on the MRI Knee Joint examination have their respective roles in confirming the diagnosis of Tear Meniscus. The STIR sequence plays a role in assessing the Anterior Cruriated Ligament, Posterior Cruriated Ligament, radiologists also want to see edema or swelling that occurs in the patient's genu. The MEDIC T2 sequence plays a role in assessing the medial and lateral meniscus, the radiologist also wants to see blood production in the patient's genu. The STIR and T2 MEDIC sequences in the MRI Knee Joint examination at the Balimed Denpasar Hospital installation are able to confirm the diagnosis, especially in the clinical Tear Meniscus, because with these two sequences, the picture of the Medial Meniscus, Lateral Meniscus, Anterior Cruriated Ligament, Posterior Cruriated Ligament, product blood and edema can be clearly seen

Reshaping dominant stories : a poststructuralist approach to online role play

Online role play is an increasingly popular teaching/learning technique in higher education (Wills & McDougall 2009) but there has been little research into ways a poststructuralist approach may be supported in this format. This paper describes two very different means of incorporating a poststructuralist approach into role plays in higher education to problematise dominant assumptions in the language and content of the subject matter. The first method was a series of interventions in a face-to-face role play in which medical students practised consultations with adolescent school students. The consultations were interrupted repeatedly with activities designed to interrogate assumptions and the school students acted as coaches to improve the medical students\u27 technique. Although this role play was performed face-to-face, some of its activities may be redeveloped to suit an online role-playing format. The second method was a feature of an online role play involving Middle-East politics and journalism students, in which daily online newspapers provided a reflecting and distorting mirror to the political events simulated by the politics students. Indications of ways in which the two methods produced changes in understanding were gathered using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods: questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, participant observation and analysis of online discussions and artefacts

Nurses' Experiences of Cultural and Language Barriers to Patient Safety and Quality Care during the Hajj Season

Context: Language and cultural barriers between patients and nurses can contribute to patient safety, dissatisfaction, and poor quality of care, especially with Hajj patients. Effective communication between patients and nurses is key to safe and quality nursing care. Multicultural and multi-language barriers stand in the way of this effective communication, so an in-depth study is needed to describe this phenomenon based on nurses' perspective. Aim: This research aims to identify issues and challenges related to the cultural and language differences between patients and nurses during the Hajj season and to describe nurses' experiences in providing care in a multicultural and multi-language healthcare setting during the Hajj season. Methods: Qualitative descriptive design. Five Hospitals in Makkah Health clusters were selected for this study. A purposive sample of 50 nurses was recruited for this study. Data collection Procedure including Audio-recorded interview using semi-structured questionnaires. Results: Most participants identified language differences in their caring experience for Hajj patients. Because the participants felt unable to communicate with patients effectively, the language barrier affected nursing care. Despite the challenges of taking care of patients with different cultures, the majority of the staff feel it is a good experience for them. The last major theme identified in the study was the understanding of trans-cultural nursing. Most participants were honest enough to tell that they do not know at all that transcultural nursing means. Some participants were familiar with the term but were unsure what it meant or how to explain it, and a few knew the term and its concept. Conclusion: Nurses had difficulty communicating with patients due to the language barrier. Providing an interpreter or translator, seeking assistance from the patient's relations officer, and using technology such as Google Translate to address this issue are all possible solutions. The study recommends addressing the cultural barriers, al

Advances in Teaching & Learning Day Abstracts 2005

Proceedings of the Advances in Teaching & Learning Day Regional Conference held at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2005