Assessment of Program Delivery to Small Farmers: Fax Information Center System at Satellite Locations

Due to the many variables associated with small and part-time farmers, such as widely ranging educational levels and available time applied to farming, effectively providing extension information to this group of farmers can be quite difficult. The use of innovative, program delivery methods for reaching small and part-time farmers has been tried in several North Carolina counties with variable success. One means of reaching these special audiences is a satellite information center at agribusiness or other locations away from the extension office itself. A fax request system prominently placed directly in these satellite locations has produced widely variable results in level of use from the perspective of requests for information originating from the centers. Yet, where the centers have been used for both an information request system and an informational bulletin board with timely information sent to the centers from Cooperative Extension for posting on the bulletin boards, the results have been very favorable. While many factors have been found to affect the success of individual locations, the fax satellite centers appear to be able to provide a niche for innovative program delivery by extension and can have highly beneficial side effects of positively marketing the extension programs in the respective counties

The Dynamics of a Fjord Estuary: Silver Bay, Alaska

Office of Naval Research contract Nonr-477(10) and Nonr-477(01

Perceived barriers of heart failure nurses and cardiologists in using clinical decision support systems in the treatment of heart failure patients

<p>Background: Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) can support guideline adherence in heart failure (HF) patients. However, the use of CDSSs is limited and barriers in working with CDSSs have been described as a major obstacle. It is unknown if barriers to CDSSs are present and differ between HF nurses and cardiologists. Therefore the aims of this study are; 1. Explore the type and number of perceived barriers of HF nurses and cardiologists to use a CDSS in the treatment of HF patients. 2. Explore possible differences in perceived barriers between two groups. 3. Assess the relevance and influence of knowledge management (KM) on Responsibility/Trust (R&T) and Barriers/Threats (B&T).</p><p>Methods: A questionnaire was developed including; B&T, R&T, and KM. For analyses, descriptive techniques, 2-tailed Pearson correlation tests, and multiple regression analyses were performed.</p><p>Results: The response-rate of 220 questionnaires was 74%. Barriers were found for cardiologists and HF nurses in all the constructs. Sixty-five percent did not want to be dependent on a CDSS. Nevertheless thirty-six percent of HF nurses and 50% of cardiologists stated that a CDSS can optimize HF medication. No relationship between constructs and age; gender; years of work experience; general computer experience and email/internet were observed. In the group of HF nurses a positive correlation (r .33, P</p><p>Conclusions: Both cardiologists and HF-nurses perceived barriers in working with a CDSS in all of the examined constructs. KM has a strong positive correlation with perceived barriers, indicating that increasing knowledge about CDSSs can decrease their barriers.</p>