Digital maturity and its determinants in General Practice: a cross- sectional study in 20 countries

Background: The extent to which digital technologies are employed to promote the delivery of high-quality healthcare is known as Digital Maturity. Individual and systemic digital maturity are both necessary to ensure a successful, scalable and sustainable digital transformation in healthcare. However, digital maturity in primary care has been scarcely evaluated. Objectives: This study assessed the digital maturity in General Practice (GP) globally and evaluated its association with participants' demographic characteristics, practice characteristics and features of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) use. Methods: GPs across 20 countries completed an online questionnaire between June and September 2020. Demographic data, practice characteristics, and features of EHRs use were collected. Digital maturity was evaluated through a framework based on usage, resources and abilities (divided in this study in its collective and individual components), interoperability, general evaluation methods and impact of digital technologies. Each dimension was rated as 1 or 0. The digital maturity score was calculated as the sum of the six dimensions and ranged between 0 to 6 (maximum digital maturity). Multivariable linear regression was used to model the total score, while multivariable logistic regression was used to model the probability of meeting each dimension of the score. Results: One thousand six hundred GPs (61% female, 68% Europeans) participated. GPs had a median digital maturity of 4 (P25–P75: 3–5). Positive associations with digital maturity were found with: male gender [B = 0.18 (95% CI 0.01; 0.36)], use of EHRs for longer periods [B = 0.45 (95% CI 0.35; 0.54)] and higher frequencies of access to EHRs [B = 0.33 (95% CI 0.17; 0.48)]. Practicing in a rural setting was negatively associated with digital maturity [B = −0.25 (95%CI −0.43; −0.08)]. Usage (90%) was the most acknowledged dimension while interoperability (47%) and use of best practice general evaluation methods (28%) were the least. Shorter durations of EHRs use were negatively associated with all digital maturity dimensions (aOR from 0.09 to 0.77). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated notable factors that impact digital maturity and exposed discrepancies in digital transformation across healthcare settings. It provides guidance for policymakers to develop more efficacious interventions to hasten the digital transformation of General Practice

Healthy diet in primary care: views of general practitioners and nurses from Europe

Background: Most of the national colleges of general practitioners (GPs) do not have their own dietary/nutritional tools, and GPs and nurses do not have the time, knowledge, or skills to advise their patients about desirable dietary practices. Objective: To assess the usefulness of a simple and practical guide on healthy diet to be used by European GPs and nurses. Design: A postal survey was mailed to 171 GPs and nurses from 12 European countries to obtain information about the usefulness of a guide on healthy diet developed by EUROPREV. Results: The perception of health professionals is that the main source of information on healthy diet for the population was the media. In all, 95% of GPs and nurses reported that the guide was useful; 93, 95, and 82% reported that the concepts were concise, easy to understand, and realistic, respectively. Also, 77% reported that the type of counselling recommended was feasible and could be applied, 94% reported that the implementation measures proposed could be effective and 88% reported that the Traditional Mediterranean Diet Pyramid is useful, but some concerns about the content were mentioned. Conclusions: GPs and nurses from Europe think that a practical guide on healthy diet developed by EUROPREV could be used to advise patients in primary care, although the Traditional Mediterranean Diet Pyramid should be modified

AIDS knowledge and attitudes in a Turkish population: an epidemiological study

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate and present some pertinent comments concerning Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) knowledge, attitudes and misconceptions among the general population in a city of west Turkey. This study was deemed important and relevant due to the increasing importance of AIDS in Turkey and the other countries. METHODS: Using a multistage area sampling method, a random sample of individuals aged 11–83 years, living in 65 different quarters in the city of Eskisehir, Turkey during September, October and November 2004 were interviewed. RESULTS: In all, 1048 respondents completed the survey. In most items, respondents displayed a fairly good to excellent degree of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Individuals with higher degrees of education indicated more correct responses in all items relating to knowledge of HIV/AIDS. In general, the respondents' attitudes towards AIDS and people with AIDS were found to be tolerant and positive, with one answer choice showing that the majority of the respondents agreed with the statement that those with HIV/AIDS must be supported, treated and helped (90.7%). Moreover, the proportions of the respondents' misconceptions were found to be significantly low for all the items. However, nearly one fourth of the respondents agreed with the misconceptions 'AIDS is a punishment by God' and 'One is not infected with HIV/AIDS if engaged in sport and well nourished'. CONCLUSION: In general HIV/AIDS related knowledge was high and people showed positive attitudes. However, people continue to hold misconceptions about AIDS and these need to be addressed by health education programs targeting those at higher risk

Disruption of Lateral Efferent Pathways: Functional Changes in Auditory Evoked Responses

The functional consequences of selectively lesioning the lateral olivocochlear efferent system in guinea pigs were studied. The lateral superior olive (LSO) contains the cell bodies of lateral olivocochlear neurons. Melittin, a cytotoxic chemical, was injected into the brain stem using stereotaxic coordinates and near-field evoked potentials to target the LSO. Brain stem histology revealed discrete damage to the LSO following the injections. Functional consequences of this damage were reflected in depressed amplitude of the compound action potential of the eighth nerve (CAP) following the lesion. Threshold sensitivity and N1 latencies were relatively unchanged. Onset adaptation of the cubic distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) was evident, suggesting a reasonably intact medial efferent system. The present results provide the first report of functional changes induced by isolated manipulation of the lateral efferent pathway. They also confirm the suggestion that changes in single-unit auditory nerve activity after cutting the olivocochlear bundle are probably a consequence of disrupting the more lateral of the two olivocochlear efferent pathways.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41379/1/10162_2002_Article_3018.pd

Optical specifications of laser-induced Rosen-Morse quantum well

WOS:000470938600035In this study, for the first time, the influences of a monochromatic linearly polarized laser field on the total refractive index changes (TRICs) and the total absorption coefficients (TACs) of quantum well (QW) with the Rosen-Morse potential confinement by constituting GaAs/GaAlAs heterostructure are considered. Time-dependent in the Schrodinger equation is modified through the Kramers-Henneberger (KH) transformation and the dipole approximation, and then the laser-dressed counterpart of well potential is generated by using the Ehlotzky approximation. The bound state energy values and the wave functions of the Rosen-Morse quantum well (RMQW) under the influence of the intense laser field (ILF) are obtained by using the diagonalization method in the framework of the effective mass approach and the parabolic band approximation. The effects of structure parameters on TRICs and TACs of RMQW are also explained in detail, as well as the ILF's ones. In addition to these, the alternativeness to each other of the structure parameters and the ILF on the optical specifications is also discussed. The results of the present work are necessary and crucial in optimization of the optical specifications of RMQW to be fabricated for devices applications

The functionality of the external electric and magnetic field on optical specifications of Rosen-Morse quantum well

WOS:000469808100002In this study, for the first time, we probe the influences of the external electric and magnetic field (EF and MF) on the total refractive index changes (TRICs) and the total absorption coefficients (TACs) of quantum well (QW) with the Rosen-Morse (RM) potential confinement constituting by GaAs/GaAlAs heterostructure. To do this, the bound state energies and the wave functions of the Rosen-Morse quantum well (RMQW) under the influence of the external EF and MF are determined by solving the corresponding wave equation using the diagonalization method within the framework of the effective mass approach and the parabolic band approximation. As the purpose of the present work is to find out the functionality of the external EF and MF on TRICs and TACs of RMQW, same RMQW with V-1 = 250 meV, V-2 = 228 meV, eta = 0.01 cm(-1) is taken into consideration throughout the work. The TRICs and TACs of RMQW in the weak and strong regimes of the external fields are discussed in detail. The present work introduces to researches that how to and in what regimes apply the EF and MFs to be considered in devices designs and applications including RMQW

Intersubband optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes in modulation-doped asymmetric double quantum well

The linear and the third-order nonlinear optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes in a modulation-doped asymmetric double quantum well are studied theoretically. The electron energy levels and the envelope wave functions in this structure are calculated by the Schrodinger and Poisson equations self-consistently in the effective mass approximation. The analytical expressions of optical properties are obtained by using the compact density-matrix approach. In this regard, the linear, nonlinear and total intersubband absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are investigated as a function of right-well width (Lw(2)) of asymmetric double quantum well. Our results show that the total absorption coefficients and refractive index changes shift toward higher energies as the right-well width decreases. In addition, the total optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes is strongly dependent on the incident optical intensity. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved