Hospital information systems : a nursing viewpoint : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Nursing Studies at Massey University

This thesis is concerned with hospital information systems. The literature relating to management information systems is examined in conjunction with the literature which specifically focuses upon hospital and nursing information systems. A field study, using a case study approach, is designed and implemented, its purpose being to analyse five sub-systems of a current hospital information system in use in one Hospital Board. This field study utilises a basic systems analysis methodology focusing upon the problem identification and performance identifications of the analysis cycle. In the problem identification phase forty-two subjects are interviewed, (83.3% of the sample being nurses in management positions). Check lists designed to test the sub-systems abilities to generate, store, retrieve and utilise data, and test the subjects knowledge of the sub-systems are devised and applied. The data obtained from the application of check lists is analysed and data flow charts and in-depth interview schedules developed for use in phase two or the performance identification phase of the field study. In phase two (performance identification) eleven subjects in administrative positions within the Hospital Board are interviewed using the data flow charts and the in-depth interview schedules as tools for eliciting data. Contrary to the author's expectations the field study results reveal a considerable diversity. In phase one the respondents possessed a sound knowledge of the admission/discharge, patient care and nursing management sub-systems. 85,7% of the nurse respondents have knowledge of the patient care sub-system and a further 79.2% have some knowledge of its ability to generate, store, retrieve and utilise information. In common with the administrators the high level of knowledge of retrieval and utlisation (89.2%) would indicate frequent use of the system. By contrast only 5.4% of the respondents in phase one had knowledge of retrieval and utilisation of the staffing information sub-system as compared with 100% in the administrators group. This same pattern emerges for the financial sub-system with 13.5% of the respondents having knowledge of retrieval and 18.9% of utilisation of the sub-system compared with 81.8% of administrators. These results indicate to the author that information systems development tends to be associated with each health discipline rather than with the macro development of a relevant, comprehensive hospital information system. To this end a series of questions are raised and possible answers provided. Finally a model which could become a prescription for future development is presented

A Path to Peace: Thoughts on Olympic Revenue and the IOC/USOC Divide

U.S. Public Law 95-606 (otherwise known as the Amateur Sports Act), passed in 1978, has contributed significantly to the relationship between the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the past thirty years. Exclusive rights to the use of Olympic marks and emblems in the U.S. territory granted to it in the Amateur Sports Act were leveraged by the USOC to obtain amounts of Olympic generated revenue from the sale of television rights fees and major corporate sponsorships far larger than any of the other National Olympic Committees (NOCs) recognized by the IOC. This privileged financial position has become a divisive issue for the USOC, IOC, and the world’s 204 other NOCs. The IOC and USOC have agreed to commence discussions towards the establishment of a revised method to distribute Olympic revenue to members of the Olympic Tripartite (IOC, NOCs, and International Sport Federations). We suggest broadening this discussion to include a move to increase the amount of money from these sources transferred to Olympic Organizing Committees (OCOGs) to support a more formalized legacy plan for Olympic athletic facilities in host cities, and adding a new sponsor category to the existing corporate sponsorship program, The Olympic Partners (TOP), to enhance the IOC’s commitment to social responsibility and sustainability. We also propose a new formula for the distribution of Olympic television and corporate sponsorship revenue as a means of contributing to this dialogue that must target a mutually acceptable resolution in order to foster a more harmonious working relationship between the IOC and USOC

Emotional intelligence: competencies that contribute to the professional identity of dance educators

Emotional competencies, directly related to the construct of emotional intelligence, are an integral part of educators‘ pedagogical skills and abilities; however, as research shows, they lack in the field of dance education. This research aims to explore the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in the development of dance educators’ professional teaching identities. This multi-level, mixed-method study applied at the first level a quantitative-qualitative sequential research design, employing three different EI approaches to investigate the emotional intelligence level of third-year dance education students . The findings through descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rank regression revealed that the Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC) might be an appropriate tool to identify dance education students’ and professionals’ strengths and weaknesses among their emotional competencies. Follow-up focus group discussions provided explorative perspectives to deepen the results of the quantitative data set. At the second level, a multiple case study used a concurrent quantitative and qualitative mixed-methods research design to determine the emotional competencies of four dance education professionals. The study revealed that dance education professionals scored at a high EI level, but exposed differences between the global factors and some subscales of the PEC in reference to length of teaching experience. No significant correlation is found between teaching times and the PEC, the emotional self-efficacy, and the teacher's sense of efficacy. Based on the cognitive competence matrix paradigm of Burch (1970), the findings suggested that the variable length of teaching experience might influence the PEC only within the first five years To give more depth to the quantitative results, they have been triangulated with self-evaluation reports and semi-structured interviews. Using NVivo software as a useful springboard for developing more analytic-level themes, a follow-up deductive pre-set coding scheme, emerging from Goleman’s EI model (Goleman, 1995) and Jordan's awareness model (Jordan, 2011), has been put into operation. The findings revealed a deeper awareness of the value of emotional intelligence, instructional strategies, student-teacher relationships, and tailored development programmes as prerequisites towards the professional teaching identity of dance education professionals

Barangay -My Community, My Family

Our lives (hopes, ideologies, ambitions) are shaped by what we remember. Personal change stirs our memories and enforces our belief systems and our behaviors. Therefore, our memory can predict who will we become in the future. As an artist, I am constantly observing the world around me. However, with my own transition into adulthood, I became more aware of the changes occurring within myself. In preparation for my own family, I am overwhelmed with wonderful memories of the two communities that support me: my mother’s Filipino family and my Southern one. Even though the two communities are on two different coasts, both carry a strong sense of community that encompasses much more than blood relatives. As these memories surfaced, I found that the strongest similarities between the two lie within the individuals and how my memory selectively produced an image of each person in a unique way

A report on marron fishing in Western Australia.

The marroning experience is one enjoyed by many Western Australians. A rapid increase in fishing effort evidenced by the increase in number of recreational fishing licences issued, combined with low rainfall in the last few years resulted in a dramatic reduction of marron catch rates during 1986/87. In view of the state of marron stocks, the Minister for Fisheries considered it appropriate to close the 1987/88 marron season

“Who will pay for the concierge?”— ‘Place-making’ and its exclusion in Whitechapel Wenn Er Tan

Stepping out of Aldgate East station, one is immediately overwhelmed by the implosion of new towers on every corner; the briefest of London sun bouncing off the shiny metal and glass surfaces. It is here that we begin our fieldtrip— for the study of class cannot be contained in the classroom. Recognising that the spatial and the social are innately intertwined, we see class distinctions inscribed into the very architecture of a city

Issues of Gender & Sexuality in Special Needs Children: Keeping Students with Autism & Learning Disability Safe at School

The following paper addresses some of the issues presented by students with Special Needs, (especially autism) at school. It particularly focusses upon sexuality and gender. For example, autism and gender dysphoria appear to co-occur more often than in typically developing students. However, these young people may not understand how their reality translates to living within the public arena. This is also true of sexuality. Acceptance, understanding and accommodation of these students needs to inform our measures for keeping safe at school; this is of utmost priority

Women & Girls on the Autism Spectrum: A Profile

Being female and autistic is poorly understood, but is autism really 'rare' in females? Historically, autism has been associated with traditionally masculine features and stereotypes of behaviour, with some believing autism only occurred in males [1]. This leads scientific enquiry to the critical question of whether there are more males living with autism or, conversely, do females on the autistic spectrum present differently to males and, therefore, are at risk of remaining undiagnosed

Adaptive Morphing and Coping with Social Threat in Autism: An Autistic Perspective

This paper highlights the role of terminology, such as camouflage and masking, commonly used in autism research. The author suggests researchers question assumptions around language commonly used to check it is fully representative of the autistic position. Being autistic often means being very literal. This literality means it is very important for researchers - particularly non-autistic researchers - to design research questions in a way that will gather accurate information often underlying autistic understanding. Words are powerful tools and lead to beliefs and positions held. Adaptive morphing in autism (currently referred to as camouflage or masking) infers a response, not of deceit, but one that is biological and not necessarily chosen. The author of this paper suggests masking, as a choice to deceive, is quite different from adaptive morphing for safety

Problems with Object Permanence: Rethinking Traditional Beliefs Associated with Poor Theory of Mind in Autism

Poor Theory of Mind (ToM) (or difficulties imputing mental states to self and others) [1], (See also [2-5]) is often blamed for certain responses and behaviour in autism. However, the Theory of Mind Task Battery requires an understanding of language, the use of cognitive skills, as well as the child’s motivation and attention to complete. All of these factors are either weak or under-developed in individuals with autism suggesting that this is not the best means to measure one’s understanding that other people have their own thoughts, plans, beliefs, or point of view. Behaviours like strong defiance, insistence on sameness, fear associated with sudden change and severe anxiety may be related to difficulties seeing beyond the ‘now’ [6]. This paper suggests that some of the stress and anxiety in the autism population may actually be due to delayed object permanence (OP) (knowing something may still exist even if it is out of sight), which can appear as poor ToM. This delay in establishing OP is governed by single focused attention. For more information on this concept see: Lawson, W. (2011) The passionate mind, JKP:London. Although ToM and OP are defined differently, this paper aims to show the relationship between them and how one concept can influence the other using examples in everyday life to illustrate how poor OP is associated with single focused attention, which detracts from the bigger picture