153 research outputs found
Housing for married students at M.I.T.
Thesis (B.Arch.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture, 1955.MIT copy bound with: A resort hotel for Cotuit, Massachusetts / John M. Dixon. 1955. Accompanying drawings held by MIT Museum.Includes bibliographies.by Marilyn Fraser.B.Arch
Influenza vaccination among healthcare workers: Ten-year experience of a large healthcare organization
OBJECTIVE: To describe the results of different measures implemented to improve compliance with the healthcare worker (HCW) influenza immunization program at BJC HealthCare between 1997 and 2007. DESIGN: Descriptive retrospective study. SETTING: BJC HealthCare, a 13-hospital nonprofit healthcare organization in the Midwest. METHODS: Review and analysis of HCW influenza vaccination data from all BJC HealthCare Occupational Health Services and hospitals between 1997 and 2007. Occupational health staff, infection prevention personnel and key influenza vaccine campaign leaders were also interviewed regarding implementation measures during the study years. RESULTS: At the end of 2007, BJC HealthCare had approximately 26,000 employees. Using multiple progressive interventions, influenza vaccination rates among BJC employees increased from 45% in 1997 to 71.9% in 2007 (p<0.001). The influenza vaccination rate in 2007 was significantly higher than in 2006, 71.9% versus 54.2% (p<0.001). Five hospitals had influenza vaccination rates over the target goal of 80% in 2007. The most successful interventions were adding influenza vaccination rates to the incented quality scorecard and declination statements, both implemented in 2007. The most important barriers identified in the interviews related to HCWs’ misconceptions about influenza vaccination and a perceived lack of leadership support. CONCLUSIONS: Influenza vaccination rates in HCWs significantly improved with multiple interventions over the years. However, the BJC HealthCare influenza vaccination target of 80% was not attained at all hospitals with these measures. More aggressive interventions such as implementing mandatory influenza vaccination policies are needed to achieve higher vaccination rates
The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare: History and Grand Challenges
Conceptualized by social work deans and actualized with the support of major social work organizations, the American Academy
of Social Work and Social Welfare was established in 2009. This article describes the historical context and creation of the
Academy, whose objectives include recognizing outstanding social work scholars and practitioners; informing social policy by
serving as a signal scientific source of information for the social work profession and agencies seeking information; promoting the
examination of social policy and the application of research to the design and development of more effective public policies, social
welfare programs, and social work practice; and celebrating excellence in research, education, and practice. The Academy's 72
members have been selected using the methods of the National Academy of Science. The Academy's first substantive effort is the
Grand Challenges of Social Work Initiative, designed to help transform social work science, education, and practice around
visionary and achievable challenges
Lessons Learned from Implementing Service-Oriented Clinical Decision Support at Four Sites: A Qualitative Study
Objective
To identify challenges, lessons learned and best practices for service-oriented clinical decision support, based on the results of the Clinical Decision Support Consortium, a multi-site study which developed, implemented and evaluated clinical decision support services in a diverse range of electronic health records.
Methods
Ethnographic investigation using the rapid assessment process, a procedure for agile qualitative data collection and analysis, including clinical observation, system demonstrations and analysis and 91 interviews.
Results
We identified challenges and lessons learned in eight dimensions: (1) hardware and software computing infrastructure, (2) clinical content, (3) human-computer interface, (4) people, (5) workflow and communication, (6) internal organizational policies, procedures, environment and culture, (7) external rules, regulations, and pressures and (8) system measurement and monitoring. Key challenges included performance issues (particularly related to data retrieval), differences in terminologies used across sites, workflow variability and the need for a legal framework.
Discussion
Based on the challenges and lessons learned, we identified eight best practices for developers and implementers of service-oriented clinical decision support: (1) optimize performance, or make asynchronous calls, (2) be liberal in what you accept (particularly for terminology), (3) foster clinical transparency, (4) develop a legal framework, (5) support a flexible front-end, (6) dedicate human resources, (7) support peer-to-peer communication, (8) improve standards.
Conclusion
The Clinical Decision Support Consortium successfully developed a clinical decision support service and implemented it in four different electronic health records and four diverse clinical sites; however, the process was arduous. The lessons identified by the Consortium may be useful for other developers and implementers of clinical decision support services
The speculative turn in IVF: egg freezing and the financialization of fertility
Although egg freezing has received much scholarly attention, the pivotal role of financialisation in the fertility (preservation) sector remains understudied. This article discusses how processes of financialisation have instigated a step-change in the organisation of contemporary US IVF and why egg freezing is at the heart of a wider consolidating trend in the sector. The financialisation of fertility, in this context, references the financial investments in a future in which ever more women freeze their eggs, the role of capital markets in establishing new clinical and commercial infrastructures through which egg freezing becomes accessible and the role of financial products in shaping both the stories and the streamlining of fertility treatments. Together, these developments signal a shift from reproduction to fertility in IVF, in which treatment is not aimed at having a child at present, but rather at the proactive management of a more speculative fertility throughout the life course.Alan Turing Institut
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