191 research outputs found
The federal government commissioner for patient issues in Germany: initial analysis of the user inquiries
BACKGROUND: The political objective in many countries worldwide is to give better consideration to the interests of patients within the health system. The establishment of a federal government commissioner for the issues of patients in the health system in Germany in 2004 is part of these endeavours. The structure and field of activities of this institution has been unique so far. This study investigates for the first time the inquiries the commissioner receives from the public. METHODS: A 33% sampling (n = 850) of the written inquiries (correspondence and e-mails) addressed to the commissioner in the first six months of the year 2005 (n = 2580) was investigated. In a procedure comprising combined qualitative and quantitative levels, the material was thematically encoded and the inquiries allocated to the resulting categories (multiple nominations). The results are presented in descriptive form and investigated especially with respect to sex and age-specific differences. The interdependences between the categorized criteria are analysed. RESULTS: The inquirers are equally spread out amongst the sexes (49% women, 51% men). Older persons outweigh the younger (69% over 60 years). In most cases the issues take the form of claims (72%, n = 609). In every fifth inquiry (n = 168) the personal financial burden for health services is considered as being too high; about equally high (n = 159) is the proportion of persons who criticize the communication with health professionals, especially hospitals and doctors' surgeries. Every third who mentions a medical practice uses terms such as "uncertainty" and "anxiety". It is conspicuous that men more often than women write that they feel unfairly treated in the health system (62% vs. 38%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Predominantly older persons seek the assistance of the federal government commissioner for patient issues. Considerable uncertainty and anxiety with respect to services and charges within the system of the German health insurances become evident. It is not possible from the data to draw conclusions concerning the impact of the commissioner's work on the health system. Nor do we gain any knowledge about the usefulness of the service for the individual. Therefore, evaluation of the political impact and the user satisfaction should follow
Validation of a Brazilian quantitative sensory testing (QST) device for the diagnosis of small fiber neuropathies
The same but different: Understanding entrepreneurial behaviour in disadvantaged communities
While entrepreneurship is widely viewed as being equally accessible in all contexts, it could be questioned if potential or nascent entrepreneurs from minority and disadvantaged communities experience entrepreneurship in a similar manner to the mainstream population. This chapter examines immigrant, people with disability, youth, gay and unemployed communities to explore how their entrepreneurial behaviour might differ from the practices of mainstream entrepreneurs. What emerges is that marginalised communities can frequently find it difficult to divorce business from social living. This can have both positive and negative connotations for an entrepreneur, plus they face additional and distinctive challenges that mainstream entrepreneurs do not experience. The chapter concludes by proposing a novel âfunnel approachâ that policymakers might adopt when seeking to introduce initiatives targeted at these disadvantaged communities
Factors affecting e-government adoption in Liberia: A practitioner perspective
Globally, eâgovernment implementation is growing, including in subâSaharan Africa, evidenced by the frequently reported benefits of eâgovernment programs in developed countries. The government of Liberia is pursuing an eâgovernment agenda to improve governance through the effective and efficient use of technology in the public sector. Liberia, one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world is bedeviled by over 10âyears of civil war and most recently an Ebola virus outbreak which created severe human capacity gaps. The government has realized that in order to accelerate development and enhance its peoples' livelihood, it must integrate technology into its public administration procedures. However, the implementation of eâgovernment in Liberia has had mixed success. The objective of this research is to identify critical factors affecting the implementation of eâgovernment in Liberia. To achieve this aim, a reflective practitioner approach is employed as a lens to collect and guide the analysis of qualitative data. The data are collected through focus group discussion with senior IT practitioners (CIOs) of Liberia who are leading the delivery of eâinitiatives in Liberia. The factors identified are intended to guide how eâgovernment initiatives are implemented in Liberia. This research contributes to raising awareness about Liberia's eâgovernment program
Information Asymmetries between Parents and Educators in German Childcare Institutions
Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs): Evaluation of evidence to support public policy development
Dubbelzien ten gevolge van diabetische neuropathie
Contains fulltext :
23744___.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access
Zur Standortbestimmung von Unternehmen in einer modernen Gesellschaft
Bibliothek Weltwirtschaft Kiel A 162769 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman
- âŠ