Gamification - The Pedagogy of Modern Times

Gamification används idag i flertalet verksamheter för att öka motivation och engagemang. Det är en pedagogisk metod som idag ses vara ett komplement till övrigt pedagogiskt arbete. Gamification brukas i många spektra; utbildning, e-handel, sjukvård, hotellbranschen och mer. Däremot har gamification som begrepp utforskats svagt. Tidigare forskning har behandlat hur enskilda spelifierade element skapar effekt hos verksamheter men inte påvisat hur begreppet kan skapa påverkan på människor som nyttjar gamification via flertalet beståndsdelar. Vissa menar att gamification som forskningsämne behandlats svagt. Vissa forskare anser dessutom att gamification borde ses som pedagogisk lärteori och som ett pedagogiskt arv. Studiens syfte var att analysera och förstå begreppet gamification genom en analys av tidigare forskning kring gamification och pedagogik. Syftet innefattade även analys av existerande gamification-plattformar på marknaden för att påvisa vilka pedagogiska lärteorier som appliceras i dessa. Resultatet visade att ju fler existerande relationer mellan spelifierade element i en gamification-plattform, desto närmre låg plattformen gentemot gamification som pedagogisk lärteori. Det gav även upphov till en agnostisk plattform vilket i sin tur skapade möjlighet till en holistisk design som ser till både individ- och verksamhetsmål i större mån. Slutligen kunde det påvisade resultatet redovisa hur gamification knyter ihop olika teorier kring motivation och gamification som pedagogisk lärteori. Studiens metoddiskussion presenterar även ett alternativt analysverktyg för gamification baserat på visualiseringar av spelelementariska relationer

Battle of the Forms

Denna uppsats behandlar frågan om kolliderande standardavtal, internationellt benämnt battle of the forms. Problematiken grundas i att två parter i en avtalsförhandling har tillsänt varandra olika standardavtal med motstridiga villkor. Tvist uppkommer sedan oftast när parterna börjat prestera eller till och med fullbordat avtalet. Frågan uppkommer då vilka villkor som skall gälla samt hur denna problematik bör lösas. Eftersom problematiken är sparsamt utredd i svensk rätt har vi valt att studera tre nationella och tre internationella rättskällor och regelverk för att söka ledning i frågan. Utifrån det vi har kommit fram till kan det påpekas att en betydande majoritet av de rättskällor och regelverk vi har undersökt har frångått att lösa problematiken med hjälp av den klassiska synen på avtal samt anbud och accept. Syftet med uppsatsen har varit att ge läsaren en helhetsbild av problematiken med kolliderande standardavtal samt visa i vilken riktning utvecklingen på området tenderar att gå. Efter att ha utrett de olika rättskällorna kan vi fastslå att the knock-out rule torde vara den lösningsmodell som domstolarna generellt föredrar att tillämpa

Strategic groups in the biopharmaceutical industry: Implications for performance

The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by intense competition, high uncertainty, and strong dependence on scientific knowledge. We show that in order to succeed in this industry, firms need to be positioned along three strategic dimensions: the level of inter-firm R&D partnering, the level of diversification, and the size of the firm. Prior research has revealed that a firm's membership in so-called ‘strategic groups’ impacts strongly on its performance. This study analyzes strategic groups in the biopharmaceutical industry along the strategic dimensions listed. The performance of the groups differs significantly. The best performing groups are the ones that consist of large firms with a high level of in-house diversification across therapeutic areas and the medium-sized firms that pursue partnership with other companies

Repeated intermittent ulipristal acetate in the treatment of uterine fibroids : a cost-effectiveness analysis

There are limited treatment options available for women with moderate to severe symptoms of uterine fibroids (UFs) who wish to avoid surgery. For these women, treatment with standard pharmaceuticals such as contraceptives is often insufficient to relieve symptoms, and patients may require surgery despite their wish to avoid it. Clinical trials demonstrate that ulipristal acetate 5 mg (UPA) is an effective treatment for this patient group, but its cost-effectiveness has not been assessed in this population. A decision-analytic model was developed to simulate a cohort of patients in this population under treatment with UPA followed by surgery as needed compared to treatment with iron and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) followed by surgery as needed (best supportive care, BSC). The analysis took the perspective of the National Health Service (NHS) in England, UK, and was based on the published UPA clinical trials. Results were calculated for the long-term costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for each treatment arm and combined into an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) as the primary outcome. The impact of parameter uncertainty on the results was assessed using scenario, deterministic, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. The results show that treating patients with the UPA strategy, instead of the BSC strategy, results in an additional cost of 1,115 pound and a gain of 0.087 QALYs, resulting in an ICER of 12,850 pound. Given commonly accepted cost-effectiveness thresholds in England, the use of UPA as a repeated, intermittent treatment for women with moderate to severe symptoms of UF wishing to avoid surgery is likely to be a cost-effective intervention when compared to BSC

The effect of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on otitis media from 2005 to 2013 in children aged ≤5 years: a retrospective cohort study in two Swedish regions

Seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced to Sweden in 2009 and replaced by pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) or 13-valent PCV (PCV13) from late 2009. A retrospective cohort study assessed the impact of PCVs on otitis media/acute otitis media (OM) in children aged ≤5 years (NCT02742753) living in Skåne (PCV7 then PHiD-CV) or Västra Götalandsregionen (PCV7 then PCV13) between 2005 and 2013 using linked regional and national databases. Time-series analyses described differences between pre-PCV and post-PCV eras. Adjusted age-period-cohort (APC) predictive models estimated vaccine effectiveness and OM incidence ratios between PCV cohorts. Time-to-first OM diagnosis was estimated in ≤2 year-olds by survival analysis using a Cox proportional hazards model. Descriptive interrupted time-series analyses showed OM incidence in ≤2 year-olds declined by 42% (Skåne) and 25% (Västra Götalandsregionen) after PHiD-CV/PCV13, respectively, versus pre-PCV, but baseline OM incidence and duration of PCV7 use differed between regions. In adjusted APC models, OM incidence decreased after PHiD-CV by 9.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.4; 15.1, p < .001) and PCV13 by 2.3% (95%CI: −3.2; 7.6, p = .401) compared with pre-PCV. Both PHiD-CV and PCV13 decreased the risk of first OM diagnosis: hazard ratio (95%CI) for PHiD-CV relative to pre-PCV 0.67 (0.65; 0.69); 0.87 (0.85; 0.89) for PCV13 relative to pre-PCV; p < .001 for both comparisons. Within the limitations of this study conducted in two large Swedish regions, descriptive time-series analyses showed that OM incidence rates declined following the introduction of PHiD-CV and PCV13; however, this reduction only reached statistical significance for PHiD-CV in the adjusted APC models

An economic evaluation of nivolumab for the treatment of squamous and non-squamous NSCLC in the Swedish setting

The cost-effectiveness of nivolumab versus docetaxel in patients with previously treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was estimated in a cohort-based, partitioned survival model with three health states (progression-free, progressed disease, and death) and a time horizon of 15 years. The base-case model was developed using extrapolations of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) data from the CheckMate 017 and 057 randomized trials, and 2015 Swedish unit costs. An annual discount rate of 3% was applied. Base-case time-on-treatment was based on PFS (CheckMate 017) or time-to-treatment discontinuation (CheckMate 057), depending on whether PFS was a close proxy for time-on-treatment. Data extrapolations from CheckMate 017 and 057 were validated against external trial and registry data. Model utilities were derived from CheckMate 017 and 057 with UK weights (base-case) and Swedish weights (scenario analysis). Uncertainty was assessed using sensitivity analyses adjusted for clinical, utility, and cost data. Outcomes included incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. The base-case model showed that nivolumab was associated with QALY gains of 0.72 (squamous) and 0.81 (non-squamous) versus docetaxel at an incremental cost of 734,573 SEK (€69,174) and 999,032 SEK (€94,078), respectively. This resulted in an incremental cost per QALY gained for nivolumab versus docetaxel of 1,013,697 SEK (€95,459) and 1,231,664 SEK (€115,985) in squamous and non-squamous NSCLC, respectively. Scenario analysis utilizing Swedish utility weights resulted in slightly lower incremental cost per QALY gained of 855,505 SEK (€80,562) (squamous) and 1,165,401 SEK (€109,745) (non-squamous). Deterministic sensitivity analysis showed that utility weights, treatment costs, discount rates, and body weight were key drivers of cost-effectiveness. Overall, the model showed that cost-effectiveness was driven by nivolumab price, but nivolumab remained cost-effective in squamous and non-squamous NSCLC in accordance with previous appraisals by the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (Tandvårds- och läkemedelsförmånsverket) and New Therapies Council in Sweden. Published: Online December 2019

Collaboration between local health and local government agencies for health improvement

In many countries, national, regional and local inter- and intra-agency collaborations have been introduced in order to improve health outcomes. Evidence is needed on the effectiveness of locally-developed partnerships which target changes in individual health outcomes and behaviours

Initial invasive or conservative strategy for stable coronary disease

BACKGROUND Among patients with stable coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia, whether clinical outcomes are better in those who receive an invasive intervention plus medical therapy than in those who receive medical therapy alone is uncertain. METHODS We randomly assigned 5179 patients with moderate or severe ischemia to an initial invasive strategy (angiography and revascularization when feasible) and medical therapy or to an initial conservative strategy of medical therapy alone and angiography if medical therapy failed. The primary outcome was a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure, or resuscitated cardiac arrest. A key secondary outcome was death from cardiovascular causes or myocardial infarction. RESULTS Over a median of 3.2 years, 318 primary outcome events occurred in the invasive-strategy group and 352 occurred in the conservative-strategy group. At 6 months, the cumulative event rate was 5.3% in the invasive-strategy group and 3.4% in the conservative-strategy group (difference, 1.9 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8 to 3.0); at 5 years, the cumulative event rate was 16.4% and 18.2%, respectively (difference, 121.8 percentage points; 95% CI, 124.7 to 1.0). Results were similar with respect to the key secondary outcome. The incidence of the primary outcome was sensitive to the definition of myocardial infarction; a secondary analysis yielded more procedural myocardial infarctions of uncertain clinical importance. There were 145 deaths in the invasive-strategy group and 144 deaths in the conservative-strategy group (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.32). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with stable coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia, we did not find evidence that an initial invasive strategy, as compared with an initial conservative strategy, reduced the risk of ischemic cardiovascular events or death from any cause over a median of 3.2 years. The trial findings were sensitive to the definition of myocardial infarction that was used

Health-status outcomes with invasive or conservative care in coronary disease

BACKGROUND In the ISCHEMIA trial, an invasive strategy with angiographic assessment and revascularization did not reduce clinical events among patients with stable ischemic heart disease and moderate or severe ischemia. A secondary objective of the trial was to assess angina-related health status among these patients. METHODS We assessed angina-related symptoms, function, and quality of life with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) at randomization, at months 1.5, 3, and 6, and every 6 months thereafter in participants who had been randomly assigned to an invasive treatment strategy (2295 participants) or a conservative strategy (2322). Mixed-effects cumulative probability models within a Bayesian framework were used to estimate differences between the treatment groups. The primary outcome of this health-status analysis was the SAQ summary score (scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health status). All analyses were performed in the overall population and according to baseline angina frequency. RESULTS At baseline, 35% of patients reported having no angina in the previous month. SAQ summary scores increased in both treatment groups, with increases at 3, 12, and 36 months that were 4.1 points (95% credible interval, 3.2 to 5.0), 4.2 points (95% credible interval, 3.3 to 5.1), and 2.9 points (95% credible interval, 2.2 to 3.7) higher with the invasive strategy than with the conservative strategy. Differences were larger among participants who had more frequent angina at baseline (8.5 vs. 0.1 points at 3 months and 5.3 vs. 1.2 points at 36 months among participants with daily or weekly angina as compared with no angina). CONCLUSIONS In the overall trial population with moderate or severe ischemia, which included 35% of participants without angina at baseline, patients randomly assigned to the invasive strategy had greater improvement in angina-related health status than those assigned to the conservative strategy. The modest mean differences favoring the invasive strategy in the overall group reflected minimal differences among asymptomatic patients and larger differences among patients who had had angina at baseline