Healthcare services managers: what information do they need and use?

Objectives: To gain insight into the information behaviour of healthcare services managers as they draw on information while engaged in decision making unrelated to individual patient care. Objectives – The purpose of this research project was to gain insight into the information behaviour of healthcare services managers as they use information while engaged in decision-making unrelated to individual patient care. Methods – This small-scale, exploratory, multiple case study used the critical incident technique in nineteen semi-structured interviews. Responses were analyzed using ‘Framework,’ a matrix-based content analysis system. Results – This paper presents findings related to the internal information that healthcare services managers need and use. Their decisions are influenced by a wide variety of factors. They must often make decisions without all of the information they would prefer to have. Internal information and practical experience set the context for new research-based information, so they are generally considered first. Conclusions – Healthcare services managers support decisions with both facts and value-based information. These results may inform both delivery of health library services delivery and strategic health information management planning. They may also support librarians who extend their skills beyond managing library collections and teaching published information retrieval skills, to managing internal and external information, teaching information literacy, and supporting information sharing

Effect of type of otolith and preparation technique on age estimation of larval and juvenile spot (Leiostomus xanthurus)

Otoliths of larval and juvenile fish provide a record of age, size, growth, and development (Campana and Neilson, 1985; Thorrold and Hare, 2002). However, determining the time of first increment formation in otoliths (Campana, 2001) and assessing the accuracy (deviation from real age) and precision (repeatability of increment counts from the same otolith) of increment counts are prerequisites for using otoliths to study the life history of fish (Campana and Moksness, 1991). For most fish species, first increment deposition occurs either at hatching, a day after hatching, or after first feeding and yolksac absorption (Jones, 1986; Thorrold and Hare, 2002). Increment deposition before hatching also occurs (Barkmann and Beck, 1976; Radtke and Dean, 1982). If first increment deposition does not occur at hatching, the standard procedure is to add a predetermined number to increment counts to estimate fish age (Campana and Neilson, 1985)

Differential Interests of Agricultural College Students as Measured by the Kuder Preference Record

The Kuder Preference Record has enjoyed wide usage as a counselor\u27s aid in determining categorical interests of individuals. Many studies have been made in an attempt to discover differential interests of occupational groups and of those engaged in the pursuit of various college curricula. Such significant differences in interests as are found have been deemed to be of valuable assistance to the vocational and educational counselor. So far as the writer has been able to discover, little use has been made of the Kuder Preference Record in the measurement of interests of college students pursuing an agricultural curriculum. This may be due to the fact that, until the recent publication of Form C, there was no section of the Kuder Record which, by title at least, was suggestive of interests of those engaged in or preparing for agricultural work. While the outdoor section of Form C is pertinent for agricultural activities in general, it is reasonable to assume that the differential· interests which might occur in the other nine sections have important implications for guidance

Attitudes towards the maned wolf amongst adolescents in the southeast of Brazil

The relationships between people and carnivores are a worldwide concern for the conservation of species and habitats. The maned wolf is an endangered, endemic canid inhabiting the southeast of Brazil - highly populated and rich in biodiversity and endemism. Strategies to conserve this key stone species may benefit the also declining Cerrado biome. The attitudes of teenagers towards wild carnivores are also of worldwide interest as future citizens and future decision makers. The present study investigates the attitudes of two age groups (12-13 and 16-17) towards the maned wolf. Questionnaires aimed to identify selected attitudes, beliefs and knowledge in relation to the maned wolf in urban areas of three locations in the São Paulo state. Responses were analysed according to age groups, gender, location and experiences concerning the maned wolf. Results suggest that positive attitudes declined with age; gender have very little effect on attitudes; zoos, as well as seeing the maned wolf in nature may increase support for the conservation of the species amongst the younger group; while identification with some maned wolf attributes amongst older teens may foster intentions to help the species. Conservation strategies and environmental education can help to provide early positive experiences of contact with the maned wolf and the Cerrado and be tailored to address attitudes in different age groups. This study can inform the planning of effective environmental educational strategies to foster long term support for the conservation of the maned wolf and the Cerrado

Implications of teenagers' attitudes toward maned wolf conservation in Brazil

The relationships between people and wild canids are a widespread concern for the conservation of species and habitats. The maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus is a Near Threatened species inhabiting South America. Strategies to conserve this keystone species may benefit the also-declining Cerrado biome. The attitudes of teenagers toward wild carnivores are also of worldwide interest as these youth are the future decision makers. We investigated selected attitudes, beliefs and knowledge in relation to the maned wolf of two age groups (12-13 and 16-17), using questionnaires delivered in three urban areas of the São Paulo state, a region highly populated and rich in biodiversity and endemism. Responses were analysed according to age groups, gender, location and experiences concerning the maned wolf. Results suggest that positive attitudes declined with age; gender has very little effect on attitudes; seeing the maned wolf in nature and zoos may increase support for the conservation and may facilitate learning about the species, while identification with some maned wolf attributes amongst older teens in the most urbanised areas may foster sympathy toward the species. Conservation strategies and environmental education can help to provide early positive experiences of contact with the maned wolf and the Cerrado, especially if they are tailored to address the variation we found in attitudes between different age groups. Research report Implications of teenagers' attitudes toward maned wolf conservation in Brazil. Available from

Reaching health service managers with research

Introduction. The aim of this paper is to identify and characterize the routes by which research may reach health service managers to influence their critical decisions. Method.This research used two series of qualitative interviews, documentary analysis (a calendar study) and a card-sorting exercise to explore the workplace information practices of thirty-six health service managers. Analysis. Both interview studies used the cross-case analysis. The second interview study also used within-case analysis in the form of information transaction mapping. Information transactions, calendar study and card-sorting exercise data were reported quantitatively. Results. This exploratory study found that these health service managers overcame short time lines, unclear processes and simultaneous conflicting priorities by bringing together groups accustomed to sharing information orally to inform their critical decisions. Each decision was informed by different categories and types of information. Group decisions allowed information from multiple sources, including research, to be integrated until there was just enough for a comfortable decision. Research reached these managers through one or more of at least eight different routes. Conclusions. Professional standards, conferences, structurally positioned gatekeepers (knowledgeable co-workers in positions related to the critical decision subject) and other information sources that appraise and filter research then blend it with local context are preferred over research papers that must be searched, read, appraised and then integrated with other information types. Eight routes by which research reaches health services managers are compared with seven elements in a research-to-policy conceptual framework

PADAMOT : project overview report

Background and relevance to radioactive waste management International consensus confirms that placing radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel deep underground in a geological repository is the generally preferred option for their long-term management and disposal. This strategy provides a number of advantages compared to leaving it on or near the Earth’s surface. These advantages come about because, for a well chosen site, the geosphere can provide: • a physical barrier that can negate or buffer against the effects of surface dominated natural disruptive processes such as deep weathering, glaciation, river and marine erosion or flooding, asteroid/comet impact and earthquake shaking etc. • long and slow groundwater return pathways from the facility to the biosphere along which retardation, dilution and dispersion processes may operate to reduce radionuclide concentration in the groundwater. • a stable, and benign geochemical environment to maximise the longevity of the engineered barriers such as the waste containers and backfill in the facility. • a natural radiation shield around the wastes. • a mechanically stable environment in which the facility can be constructed and will afterwards be protected. • an environment which reduces the likelihood of the repository being disturbed by inadvertent human intrusion such as land use changes, construction projects, drilling, quarrying and mining etc. • protection against the effects of deliberate human activities such as vandalism, terrorism and war etc. However, safety considerations for storing and disposing of long-lived radioactive wastes must take into account various scenarios that might affect the ability of the geosphere to provide the functionality listed above. Therefore, in order to provide confidence in the ability of a repository to perform within the deep geological setting at a particular site, a demonstration of geosphere “stability” needs to be made. Stability is defined here to be the capacity of a geological and hydrogeological system to minimise the impact of external influences on the repository environment, or at least to account for them in a manner that would allow their impacts to be evaluated and accounted for in any safety assessments. A repository should be sited where the deep geosphere is a stable host in which the engineered containment can continue to perform according to design and in which the surrounding hydrogeological, geomechanical and geochemical environment will continue to operate as a natural barrier to radionuclide movement towards the biosphere. However, over the long periods of time during which long-lived radioactive wastes will pose a hazard, environmental change at the surface has the potential to disrupt the stability of the geosphere and therefore the causes of environmental change and their potential consequences need to be evaluated. As noted above, environmental change can include processes such as deep weathering, glaciation, river and marine erosion. It can also lead to changes in groundwater boundary conditions through alternating recharge/discharge relationships. One of the key drivers for environmental change is climate variability. The question then arises, how can geosphere stability be assessed with respect to changes in climate? Key issues raised in connection with this are: • What evidence is there that 'going underground' eliminates the extreme conditions that storage on the surface would be subjected to in the long term? • How can the additional stability and safety of the deep geosphere be demonstrated with evidence from the natural system? As a corollary to this, the capacity of repository sites deep underground in stable rock masses to mitigate potential impacts of future climate change on groundwater conditions therefore needs to be tested and demonstrated. To date, generic scenarios for groundwater evolution relating to climate change are currently weakly constrained by data and process understanding. Hence, the possibility of site-specific changes of groundwater conditions in the future can only be assessed and demonstrated by studying groundwater evolution in the past. Stability of groundwater conditions in the past is an indication of future stability, though both the climatic and geological contexts must be taken into account in making such an assertion

Social media applications within the NHS: role and impact of organisational culture, information governance, and communications policy

The paper focuses on health professionals’ attitudes to and use of Web 2.0 and social media within their practice and on the management of access to Web 2.0 and social media applications within NHS organisations. It discusses the following specific issues: 1) the nature and extent of restrictions on access to such applications within NHS organisations arising from organisational policies; 2) their impacts on professional information seeking and sharing, and working practices in general; 3) the attitudes, professional norms, presuppositions and practices which bear on how social media policy is implemented within NHS trusts, in relation to overall organisational strategies. There is a need to develop a better understanding of, on the one hand, a clear need for robust information governance and network security, with, on the other hand, systems and procedures that enable appropriate access to valid online resources to support professional information needs. Particular questions that need to be addressed include: Why are restrictions imposed on access to Web 2.0 or social media-based information resources, or technologies to support professional information seeking? What issues for the accessibility of information within the English NHS are posed by current approaches to information governance risk