A Framework for Measuring Return on Investment for Healthcare Simulation-Based Training

In the healthcare sector, providing high-quality service in a safe environment for both patient and staff is an obvious and ultimate major objective. Training is an essential component for achieving this important objective. Most organizations acknowledge that employee simulation-based training programs are an important part of the human capital strategy, yet few have effectively succeeded in quantifying the real and precise ROI of this type of investment. Therefore, if the training is perceived as a waste of resources and its ROI is not clearly recognized, it will be the first option to cut when the budget cut is needed. The various intangible benefits of healthcare simulation-based training are very difficult to quantify. In addition, there was not a unified way to count for the different cost and benefits to provide a justifiable ROI. Quantifying the qualitative and intangible benefits of medical training simulator needed a framework that helps to identify and convert qualitative and intangible benefits into monetary value so it can be considered in the ROI evaluation. This research is a response to the highlighted importance of developing a comprehensive framework that has the capability to take into consideration the wide range of benefits that simulation-based training can bring to the healthcare system taking into consideration the characteristics of this specific field of investment. The major characteristics of investment in this field include the uncertainty, the qualitative nature of the major benefits, and the diversity and the wide range of applications. This comprehensive framework is an integration of several methodologies and tools. It consists of three parts. The first part of the framework is the benefits and cost structure, which pays special attention to the qualitative and intangible benefits by considering the Value Measurement methodology (VMM) and other previously existing models. The second part of the framework is important to deal with the uncertainty associated with this type of investment. Monte Carlo simulation is a tool that considered multiple scenarios of input sets instead of a single set of inputs. The third part of the framework considers an advanced value analysis of the investment. It goes beyond the discounted cash flow (DCF) methodologies like net present value (NPV) that consider a single scenario for the cash flow to Real Options Analysis that consider the flexibility over the lifetime of the investment when evaluating the value of the investment. This framework has been validated through case studies

Antenna Bandwidth and Radiation Control by Topology and use of Non-Conductive Materials.

The demand for ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas have been on the rise in the last decade. There are many different systems and devices such as ground penetrating radars (GPRs) and wireless communications where such antennas find very unique applications. Many topologies and configurations have been studied and reported in designing UWB antennas. These topologies are corresponding to radiation pattern, polarization, and band of operation. In addition, in low frequencies, the size of the antenna becomes a major factor that must be taken into consideration. A portion of this thesis focuses on the design of novel UWB antennas. A new approach in design of a cavity-backed coupled sectorial loop antenna (CB-CSLA) with directional radiation pattern is presented. This antenna is backed by a short cylindrical cavity with a special modal suppressing septum to accomplish a unidirectional radiation pattern while maintaining a very wide bandwidth. Another approach, more applicable to ground penetrating radars, based on dielectric loaded multi-resonant slot antenna is also presented. Unidirectional radiation is achieved by a symmetrically loading the slot radiators. Since the slot length is reduced, radiation is preferentially aimed towards the dielectric superstrate. By gradually changing the index of refraction, the radiation from the dielectric back to the surrounding medium is facilitated. A prototype with dimension of 0.28λ by 0.2λ by 0.07λ is fabricated and shown to have a bandwidth of 35.5% and a front to back ratio of 12dB. For the new 700MHz band considered for wireless communication applications, a novel planar wideband slot antenna is designed. The slot antenna size is reduced from the traditional λ/2 slot to λ/4. Then parasitic coupling, using a number of λ/4 slot elements appropriately positioned around the driving element, and direct feeding are used to increase the bandwidth. For communication applications, a novel miniaturized impedance matched antenna with an omnidirectional horizontally polarized radiation pattern is presented. The antenna structure resembles a circular loop formed by a circular array of shunt miniaturized n-fold resonant dipole antennas which is referred to as a miniature composite wire-loop antenna (MCWLA). This antenna has a diameter of λ/9 and a height of less than λ/500.PhDElectrical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120697/1/hbukhari_1.pd

Effect of the COVID-19 Vaccine on the Menstrual Cycle among Females in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: The number of reports of menstrual changes after COVID-19 vaccination in the Saudi population is still unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 vaccine(Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna) on the menstrual cycle among females in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) from August 2021 to February 2022. Data was collected through a previously validated online questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 2338 participants who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine participated in this study; 1606 (68.7%) of them received the second dose in addition to the first. The mean age of the study participants was 35.4±9.5 years. No significant associations were found between the type of COVID-19 vaccine and the impact on the menstrual cycle, either for the first or second dose (P-values > 0.05). A significant association was found only between the first dose vaccination day and the impact on the menstrual cycle in the second question of “After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, your next period was” (P-value ≤ 0.05). Significant associations were found between the second dose vaccination day and the impact on the menstrual cycle in the first and second questions of “After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, your next period was”, and “After receiving the first dose, your next period was," respectively (P-values ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study found a potential association between the COVID-19 vaccine and menstrual cycle irregularities, which could impact females' quality of life

Agent-Based Modeling Simulation And Its Application To Ecommerce

In the past decade, ecommerce created new business models. Information Technology leveled the playing field for new participants, who were capable of causing disruptive changes in every industry. We investigate how actions of stakeholders (represented by agents) in an ecommerce system affect system performance. Viewing consumer-to-consumer ecommerce from a systems perspective calls for integration of different levels of behaviors. Complex interactions exist among stakeholders, the environment and available technology and agents is the best paradigm to mimic these behaviors. The presence of continuous and discrete behaviors coupled with stochastic and deterministic behaviors present challenges for using standalone simulation tools to simulate the business model. This research takes into account dynamic system complexity and risk. By combining system dynamics at the strategy level with agentbased models of consumer behaviors, and neural networks to find historical relationships, a representation of the business model that makes for sound basis of decision making can be achieved. The case study is based on a peer-to-peer lending environment

Compact Microstrip Lowpass Filter with Low Insertion Loss for UWB Medical Applications

A microstrip lowpass filter based on transmission line elements for UWB medical applications is proposed in this paper. The filter is constructed of two symmetric shunt open-circuited stubs and three series unit elements. The filter is designed to exhibit an elliptic function response with equal ripple in the passband and the rejection band. A prototype is successfully designed, fabricated, and measured, where a good agreement is attained. The filter shows a high filtering selectivity and an ultra-wide stopband up to 20 GHz with an attenuation level of more than 20-dB. The filter is compact and has a low insertion loss and an ultra-wideband (UWB) rejection which makes it attractive for many technologies such as UWB medical applications

A Framework for Determining the Return on Investment of Simulation-Based Training in Health Care

This article describes a framework that has been developed to monetize the real value of simulation-based training in health care. A significant consideration has been given to the incorporation of the intangible and qualitative benefits, not only the tangible and quantitative benefits of simulation-based training in health care. The framework builds from three works: the value measurement methodology (VMM) used by several departments of the US Government, a methodology documented in several books by Dr Jack Phillips to monetize various training approaches, and a traditional return on investment methodology put forth by Frost and Sullivan, and Immersion Medical. All 3 source materials were adapted to create an integrated methodology that can be readily implemented. This article presents details on each of these methods and how they can be integrated and presents a framework that integrates the previous methods. In addition to that, it describes the concept and the application of the developed framework. As a test of the applicability of the framework, a real case study has been used to demonstrate the application of the framework. This case study provides real data related to the correlation between the pediatric patient cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) survival rates and a simulation-based mock codes at the University of Michigan tertiary care academic medical center. It is important to point out that the proposed framework offers the capability to consider a wide range of benefits and values, but on the other hand, there are several limitations that has been discussed and need to be taken in consideration

Structure and Performance Attributes Optimization and Ranking of Gamma Irradiated Polymer Hybrids for Industrial Application

The selection of suitable composite material for high-strength industrial applications, from the list of available alternatives, is a tedious task as it requires an optimized structural performance-based solution. This study aimed to optimize the concentration of fillers, i.e., vinyl tri-ethoxy silane and absorbed gamma-dose, to enhance the properties of an industrial scale polymer, i.e., ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). The UHMWPE hybrids, in addition to silane, were treated with (30, 65, and 100 kGy) gamma dose and then tested for ten application-specific structural and performance attributes. The relative importance of attributes based on an 11-point fuzzy conversation was used for establishing the material assessment graph and corresponding adjacency matrix. Afterwards, the normalized values of attributes were used to establish the decision matrix for each alternative. The normalization was performed after the identification of high obligatory valued (HOV) and low obligatory valued (LOV) attributes. After this, suitability index values (SIVs) were calculated for ranking the hybrids that revealed hybrids 65 kGy irradiated the hybrid as the best choice and ranked as first among the existing alternatives. The major responsible factors were higher oxidation strength, a dense cross-linking network, and elongation at break. The values of the aforementioned factors for 65 kGy irradiated hybrids were 0.24, 91, and 360 MPa, respectively, as opposed to 0.54, 75, and 324 MPa for 100 kGy irradiated hybrids, thus placing the latter in second place regarding higher values of Yield Strength and Young Modulus. Finally, it is believed that the reported results and proposed model in this study will improve preoperative planning as far as considering these hybrids for high-strength industrial applications including total joint arthroplasty, textile-machinery pickers, dump trucks lining ships, and harbors bumpers and sliding, etc