96 research outputs found

    Requirement Model for CIAC Services Feedback System (CSFS)

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    The universities may have an edge on the candidate’s competition, each strives to be a world recognized educational institution therefore Universiti Utara Malaysia is striving to keep hold of its global vision through the Centre for International Affairs & Cooperation (CIAC) department which is in charge of this mission. Services provided by the CIAC such as visa, accommodation and transportation are very important for the improvement of the academic and administrative quality and excellence in the education in Universiti Utara Malaysia. A requirement model for CIAC services feedback system based on the perspective of the students is developed to provide the CIAC’s decision-makers a wealth of valuable information about the response levels of the students regarding the critical services provided by the university. This requirements were gathered and developed in order to come out with a system that can perform survey easily, cost- effectively, time shortly with reports in the form of charts, graphs without needs of using data analysis tools. The collected requirements are verified and validated using a prototype to confirm that it fulfills the client needs and specifications. Rational Unified Process (RUP) methodology was adopted in order to fulfill the objectives

    The impact of next and back buttons on time to complete and measurement reliability in computer-based surveys

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    To assess the impact of including next and back buttons on response burden and measurement reliability of computer-based surveys. A sample of 807 participants (mean age of 53; 64% women, 83% non-Hispanic white; 81% some college or college graduates) from the YouGov Polimetrix panel was administered 56 items assessing performance of social/role activities and 56 items measuring satisfaction with social/role activities. Participants were randomly assigned to either (1) automatic advance to the next question with no opportunity to go back (auto/no back); (2) automatic advance to the next questions with an opportunity to go back (auto/back); (3) next button to go to the next question with no opportunity to go back (next/no back); or (4) next button to go to the next question with an opportunity to go back (next/back). We found no difference in missing data, internal consistency reliability, and domain scores by group. Time to complete the survey was about 50% longer when respondents were required to use a next button to go on. Given the similarity in missing data, reliability and mean scale scores with or without use of the next button, we recommend automatic advancement to the next item with the option to go back to the previous item

    Misconceptions of Spanish general practitioners' attitudes toward the management of urinary tract infections and asymptomatic bacteriuria: an internet-based questionnaire study.

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    OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections (UTI) vary widely across countries and practices. The objective of this study was to gain insight into general practitioners' (GP) perceptions on the current management of UTIs and asymptomatic bacteriuria in Spain. METHODS: Cross-sectional, internet-based questionnaire study answered from July to September 2013. GPs affiliated with the largest Spanish scientific society in primary care (Sociedad Española de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria) were invited to participate in the study. They were asked about the tests ordered in both uncomplicated and complicated UTIs and about the management in three clinical scenarios, depicting a 50-year woman with: 1. An uncomplicated UTI, 2. A complicated UTI, and 3. An asymptomatic bacteriuria. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 1,239 GPs (6.7%). Urine cultures were reportedly requested by 26.3% of the GPs in uncomplicated UTIs and by 71.8% of the cases corresponding to the complicated UTIs whereas it was declared that dipsticks were the preferred tests in only uncomplicated UTIs (38.2%). A total of 22% and 13.2% of the GPs stated that they would withhold antibiotic therapy in patients with low-count and high-count asymptomatic bacteriuria, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: GPs have important misconceptions as to the indications for ordering urine cultures and in interpreting the definitions of common UTIs and treating UTIs and asymptomatic bacteriuria. The unnecessary use of antibiotics in patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria is considerable in Spain

    Survey of Spanish general practitioners' attitudes toward management of sore throat: an internet-based questionnaire study

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    BACKGROUND: The management of sore throat varies widely in Europe. The objective of this study was to gain insight into clinicians' perceptions on the current management of sore throat in Spain. METHODS: Cross-sectional, internet-based questionnaire study answered from July to September 2013. General practitioners (GPs) affiliated with the two largest scientific societies of primary care were invited to participate in the study. Questions were asked about physician knowledge, the use of current national guidelines for sore throat management, and management in two clinical scenarios, depicting a young adult with sore throat and: 1. cough, coriza with or without fever, and 2. fever without cough and coriza. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 1476 GPs (5%) and 12.7% declared using rapid antigen detection tests. Antibiotics were considered by 18.8% of the GPs in the first scenario and by 32% in the second scenario (p < 0.001). The antibiotics most commonly mentioned by GPs were amoxicillin and amoxicillin + clavulanate (52.7 and 31.2%, respectively) whereas penicillin V was only prescribed in 11.9% of the cases. The drugs most commonly considered in both scenarios were analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Antitussives, decongestants and expectorants were more commonly prescribed in cases of suspected viral infection (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: GPs have misconceptions as to the indications for using rapid antigen detection tests and prescribing drugs in the management of sore throat. These results suggest that guidelines are seldom followed since one in five GPs declared giving antibiotics for patients with a suspected viral infection and the use of second-choice antibiotics seems considerable

    A web survey implementation framework : evidence-based design practices

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    Web surveying is growing in acceptance and use. However, web-based surveys appear to have lower response rates than traditional mail surveys. That may be the result of ineffective strategies for web survey implementation. This work puts together a set of important aspects to be taken into account through several phases of web survey implementation. The resulting framework has been developed to guide researchers in building a successful web survey implementation and is structured in terms of software tool selection, questionnaire design and survey administration phases. Research foundations and delivery concerns are also included in a framework to guide researchers in building an instrument able to increase response rates. Particular attention is given to key design practices under the evidence of their contribution for a successful web surveying implementation

    DADOS-Survey: an open-source application for CHERRIES-compliant Web surveys

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    BACKGROUND: The Internet has been increasingly utilized in biomedical research. From online searching for literature to data sharing, the Internet has emerged as a primary means of research for many physicians and scientists. As a result, Web-based surveys have been employed as an alternative to traditional, paper-based surveys. We describe DADOS-Survey, an open-source Web-survey application developed at our institution that, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to be compliant with the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). DADOS-Survey was designed with usability as a priority, allowing investigators to design and execute their own studies with minimal technical difficulties in doing so. RESULTS: To date, DADOS-Survey has been successfully implemented in five Institutional Review Board-approved studies conducted by various departments within our academic center. Each of these studies employed a Web-survey design as their primary methodology. Our initial experience indicates that DADOS-Survey has been used with relative ease by each of the investigators and survey recipients. This has been further demonstrated through formal and field usability testing, during which time suggestions for improvement were incorporated into the software design. CONCLUSION: DADOS-Survey has the potential to have an important role in the future direction of Web-survey administration in biomedical research. This CHERRIES-compliant application is tailored to the emerging requirements of quality data collection in medicine

    A Practical Guide for Using Electronic Surveys in Aviation Research: Best Practices Explained

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    The purpose of this article is to provide aviation researchers who are interested in using Internet-based surveys with a justification and guide, along with best practices. A brief review of research methods, research design, and research methodologies precedes information on the types of research questions that can best be answered using survey research. The interaction of survey instruments and research design is discussed, such as using a survey instrument in an experimental design. Advantages and disadvantages of paper and electronic distribution are presented to help guide researchers into the best approach given their proposed goals. Guidance is also offered on how to gather participants, with a specific focus on using Internet-based samples, such as Amazon’s ® Mechanical Turk ® (MTurk). Basic demographic factors from these populations are highlighted, along with some useful techniques to help researchers have the most success using these platforms for data collection. These best practices are discussed to provide researchers with the necessary information to successfully use online populations to effectively complete their studies and answer their research questions
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