Abstract Strategies for Supporting Consumer Health Information Seeking

Despite a growing number of available Web-based health information resources, consumers continue to face a variety of barriers as they attempt to access these resources. Developing a system that appropriately responds to user queries poses several challenges. Guided by an earlier study that analyzed a large number of queries submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov, we developed a variety of techniques to assist user information seeking. We tested the efficacy of these techniques by submitting the original user queries to our new search engine to determine if these techniques would result in better system performance. Overall, the number of query failures was reduced, but the largest improvement was found in the system’s query suggestion capability. For a subset of query failures, the current system was able to cut the earlier failure rate almost in half, in most cases providing a suggestion rather than directly finding records. The techniques described here provide a new approach for responding to user queries. The techniques are tolerant of certain types of errors and provide feedback to assist users in reformulating their queries

Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work

Background: Interdisciplinary team work is increasingly prevalent, supported by policies and practices that bring care closer to the patient and challenge traditional professional boundaries. To date, there has been a great deal of emphasis on the processes of team work, and in some cases, outcomes. Method: This study draws on two sources of knowledge to identify the attributes of a good interdisciplinary team; a published systematic review of the literature on interdisciplinary team work, and the perceptions of over 253 staff from 11 community rehabilitation and intermediate care teams in the UK. These data sources were merged using qualitative content analysis to arrive at a framework that identifies characteristics and proposes ten competencies that support effective interdisciplinary team work. Results: Ten characteristics underpinning effective interdisciplinary team work were identified: positive leadership and management attributes; communication strategies and structures; personal rewards, training and development; appropriate resources and procedures; appropriate skill mix; supportive team climate; individual characteristics that support interdisciplinary team work; clarity of vision; quality and outcomes of care; and respecting and understanding roles. Conclusions: We propose competency statements that an effective interdisciplinary team functioning at a high level should demonstrate

“Sacred to the Hart”*: Identity and dignity as reflected in the memorial landscapes of postemancipation African Americans in Pensacola, Florida

This article broadens the discussion of 19th century monuments associated with the Lost Cause by exploring the monument landscapes of post-emancipation African American cemeteries and the people who are associated with them. Method. Exemplars from several cemeteries in Pensacola, Florida, are used to examine how the post-emancipation population maintained deep ties to their cultural roots while assimilating into society as free people. Results. The built environment of postemancipation African American cemeteries contains monuments reflecting black identity and dignity in life and in death. Conclusions. Examining a broader sample of memorial landscapes can be a starting point in expanding the national dialogue on our country’s history in a more inclusive fashion. Historic cemeteries, especially African American cemeteries established post-Civil War, offer an excellent means of doing this in a manner that almost all citizens can understand and respectJournal ArticlePublishe