Confidentiality and Disclosure in Accreditation

The law and the internal policies of accrediting entities have protected the confidentiality of accreditation information, but regulators who rely on accreditation decisions for public purposes are demanding greater access to this information. The litigation involving access to accrediting information is examined

The American Commitment to Public Propoganda

Random set based methods have provided a rigorous Bayesian framework and have been used extensively in the last decade for point object estimation. In this paper, we emphasize that the same methodology offers an equally powerful approach to estimation of so called extended objects, i.e., objects that result in multiple detections on the sensor side. Building upon the analogy between Bayesian state estimation of a single object and random finite set estimation for multiple objects, we give a tutorial on random set methods with an emphasis on multiple extended object estimation. The capabilities are illustrated on a simple yet insightful real life example with laser range data containing several occlusions.CADICSCUA

Multisensor Poisson Multi-Bernoulli Filter for Joint Target-Sensor State Tracking

In a typical multitarget tracking (MTT) scenario, the sensor state is either assumed known, or tracking is performed in the sensor's (relative) coordinate frame. This assumption does not hold when the sensor, e.g., an automotive radar, is mounted on a vehicle, and the target state should be represented in a global (absolute) coordinate frame. Then it is important to consider the uncertain location of the vehicle on which the sensor is mounted for MTT. In this paper, we present a multisensor low complexity Poisson multi-Bernoulli MTT filter, which jointly tracks the uncertain vehicle state and target states. Measurements collected by different sensors mounted on multiple vehicles with varying location uncertainty are incorporated sequentially based on the arrival of new sensor measurements. In doing so, targets observed from a sensor mounted on a well-localized vehicle reduce the state uncertainty of other poorly localized vehicles, provided that a common non-empty subset of targets is observed. A low complexity filter is obtained by approximations of the joint sensor-feature state density minimizing the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD). Results from synthetic as well as experimental measurement data, collected in a vehicle driving scenario, demonstrate the performance benefits of joint vehicle-target state tracking.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Peer teaching and co-operation between different academic study programmes

The aim of this project is to put into practice different forms of peer teaching as a mode of handling restricted resources as well as giving students influence over, and responsibility for, their education. Research has shown that peer teaching is academically advantageous to students. At the same time there are positive effects to be observed with regard to the attitude of students towards their studies and on their self-confidence in the study situation. In traditional teaching there is an uneven distribution of power and responsibilities between the teachers and the students. Peer teaching may increase the students' responsibility in the educational setting at the same time as power differences will be decreased or minimised. Of course power differences may arise, in these kind of situations, especially if senior students are assigned grading or assessment authority. However, in the present project such referee duties will not be a part of the peer teaching programme. The main purpose of this project is to test and refine the implementation of the following types of peer teaching: a. "Senior students" leading reflection seminars with newcomers on the same programme. b. Students from different programmes acting as co-trainers to each other. c. Group interventions in study groups by "senior students" from another programme. The university programmes involved in this project will be the Programme for Psychologists, consisting of ten terms, and the Programme for Human Resource Management, consisting of eight terms. The idea behind this is that in the peer teaching situations, students of proven experience meet newcomers who are either on the same or a different programme; while students from different programmes, who are at the same level in their particular course of studies, are also given the opportunity of meeting each other. In (a) the newcomers will meet fellow students with more experience who will give them opportunities to reflect on the learning content and the learning process at hand. In (b) students at the same level, but with different educational experiences of similar or complementary subject areas, will meet in discussions of common subjects and problem areas but from different vantage ground and educational experience. In (c) senior students are expected to intervene in project work carried out by students at another programme. This can be seen as a form of process consultation, which also is a part of the professional training of the becoming psychologists. As a result of the interventions of these senior students, more effective study groups are expected to be created among their less experienced fellow students on the other programme. Update Activities in 2001 Three different parts of the project will be described. Senior - junior students in "reflection groups" In this part "Senior students" from the Programme for Human Resource Management were trained to supervise groups of 6-8 "newcomers" from the same programme when those groups regularly met for reflection on their study situation. In 2000 we had 10 "reflection groups" in the programme. Based on the evaluations made we made some changes for 2001. The groups started earlier, and the focus was more on the establishment of the groups and the development of structures and communication to enhance the group s capacity to work together. In 2001 26 senior students wanted to be supervisors. Of those 15 were chosen to supervise 10 groups. The groups meet every second week and after each session the supervisors meet in groups of 5 with a teacher/supervisor. These groups will be evaluated in March 2002. This part of the project was presented at the Quality Conference in Norrköping in september 1999 (National Agency for Higher Education home page http://www.hsv.se/) (Elinor Edvardsson Stiwne, e-mail: [email protected]). Students as co-trainers Students from different programmes acting as co-trainers to each other. In spring 2001 a conference was arranged where students from a Teacher training programme and a Psychology training programme met to discuss a common case concerning bullying and harassment of pupils. The students first met to discuss within their programme group and after that they met in mixed groups and the day was closed by two mixed seminar groups. The conference was evaluated by students from both programmes. In the spring 2002 another conference will be arranged between HRM students and Psychology students. This part of the project was presented at the ECER conference in Lille in september 2001. (Anders Hempel, e-mail: [email protected]). Co-operation between study programmes Group interventions in study groups by "senior students" from another programme. In the Psychology training programme students work in teams that offer their services as consultants to various organisations. In one group, the consultant team, the students support and supervise groups of students in the Programme for computer science and information technology during their project term. Students from the Business administration programme are also involved, acting as team leaders. The co-operation between students from the different programmes has been evaluated by means of questionnaires to all the participating students using quantitative and qualitative response categories. The preliminary results reveal a number of positive effects from the co-operation on the learning of the subject matter associated with the project term. Parts of the results from the project have been presented at the ECER conference in Lille, September 2001. Coming evaluations will focus on the effects of a change in the organization of student cooperation involving a more pronounced coordination between the groups of participating students as well as the reactions of the teachers responsible for the coordination of the study programmes (Lauritz Brännström, e-mail: [email protected])

From patient to person : perspectives on the role of quality data, patient experience and patient involvement in the improvement of chronic care

Introduction. Healthcare systems in many countries face numerous challenges including the increase in the number of chronic health conditions, the expectations that significant advances in healthcare and technology imposes, and the ever-tightening financial constraints. Chronic health problems, which often fluctuate in severity and duration, are complex. They require multiple responses over long periods of time and frequently involve several healthcare professions as well as the active involvement of patients. For these reasons, healthcare systems should take a more person-centred approach rather than a traditional healthcare approach that is designed for acute and episodic illnesses. Applying a health systems view argue that efforts on several health system levels need to be considered in order to improve care based on patients’ perspectives. However, how to achieve this in practice remain unclear and challenging. This thesis, which builds on two empirical cases (A and B) in Swedish healthcare, presents four studies ranging in setting from the national level to the patient level in order to understand how improvements in chronic care have evolved and how quality data and patient involvement have been issued at different levels in the healthcare system. The studies focuses on the patients’ role in developing and improving chronic care while addressing how this role can be supported. The chronological order of the studies also illustrates how the view of the patient role has changed during the last decades, and how the patients’ perspective can be captured and used for better care. Aim. The overall aim of this thesis is to contribute to our understanding of the patient as a resource in the effort to improve chronic care at three levels in the healthcare system. Methods. Case A (Studies I and II) investigates a national initiative aimed at increasing the use of national quality registries in clinical practice. Study I considers the macro level of national support functions (quality registry centres) and Study II considers the macro-meso level of national quality registries. Case B (Studies III and IV) investigates a rheumatology clinic with the mission of innovatively developing and using digital tools in patient-provider interaction. Study III considers the micro level of organisation and staff, and study IV considers the patient perspective and connects patients’ experiences to two frameworks. In case A, Studies I and II are multiple case studies. In study I, the sample consisted of all six quality registry centres (QRCs) in which managers and selected staff were interviewed twice. Documents (project plans, annual reports and web pages) were also collected. The material was analysed using conventional content analysis. Study II consisted of a purposive sample of nine national quality registries (NQRs). Managers and staff in key positions were interviewed and documents (annual reports) were collected. Conventional and directed content analysis were used in the analysis. In case B, Study III is a single-case study residing healthcare professionals purposively selected at the rheumatology clinic. Repeated interviews and documents (patient council meeting protocols) were analysed using conventional content analysis. Study IV is an interview study with patients at the rheumatology clinic purposively selected to provide a varied sample. The interviews were first inductively analysed and then related to two multi-level frameworks for person-centred care and patient engagement (directed). Results. Case A (Studies I and II) found that the QRCs and NQRs, in their support functions, adopted various strategies intended to enhance the use of quality registry data to improve healthcare work practices (e.g., by the use of patient-reported outcome and experience data). In Study I, the QRCs strategies varied from developing and adapting the quality registries’ basic characteristics for improvement purposes to supporting the healthcare organisations’ practical use of the NQRs. A main challenge for the QRCs was their lack of a formal decision mandate in the healthcare organisations they served. In Study II, the NQRs’ focused on three strategies to enhance the use of registry data: ensuring the registration of correct and complete data; ensuring updated and understandable information available to all stakeholders; and increasing the collaboration with relevant stakeholders. While the NQRs could provide these opportunities, the stakeholders (i.e., healthcare professionals, researchers, and patients) determined how the NQRs were used. Case B (Studies III and IV), shows the attempts by the rheumatology clinic to involve patients in their own care and in improvement efforts at the unit. In Study III, the unit employed several strategies for involving patients in their own care using digital patient-facing tools. At the organizational level, patients were involved in quality improvement practices. The healthcare professionals had to take on a flexible approach towards the varying needs among patients. In Study IV, the patients used several of the digital patient-facing tools provided to access information, communicate with the clinic, and take on more self-care responsibility. But the experiences and actual use of the tools among patients varied. Related to the two frameworks, the patients were mostly involved at the level of direct care, and/or in the process of care. Conclusions. Systems thinking and a historical perspective contributes with an understanding of complex, interacting systems, of contextual preconditions, and of the overall process development. The findings of this thesis provides some guidance for how to achieve improved care by involving patients. At the macro level, the findings reveal the importance to consider the kind of aggregate data captured, the use for healthcare improvement, and how patients’ experiences are captured. Hybrid support structures (as in Case A) with access at several system levels and with patient representation may provide a more holistic than narrow development perspective. At the meso level, the findings illuminate that the support structures in Case A had limited influence on the regional and hospital actors. The findings in Case B show that patients contributed in development of work practices and digital tools at unit and higher organizational levels. Yet, the patients’ role can be reinforced by care providers creating conditions for more active patients in such development processes, which requires knowledge, time and influence for patients. At the micro level, the findings show that patients’ involvement in their own care should consider the roles and responsibilities of both healthcare professionals and patients, flexibility towards variation in the patient group, the patient’s gradual progression in the self-care role, and how to manage deep-rooted expectations and ideas about who does what and how

The Informal Sector and Formal Competitiveness in Senegal

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the informal sector of the Senegalese economy with focus on the relationship with formal sector competitiveness. The paper is based on three research questions. 1. What are the characteristics of the informal sector in Senegal? 2. What are the linkages, similarities and differences between the formal and informal sector? 3. How can formal sector competitiveness be improved by actions in the informal sector? The answer to the first question makes it clear that informal sector businesses are small in size, number of employees, financial capital and thus output. It is also clear that the informal sector is rather heterogeneous. This knowledge enables the investigation of the second research question. These answers are related to the different components used when assessing competitiveness in an economy: (i) governmental performance and institutional quality, (ii) GDP and trade performance, (iii) the exchange rate, (iv) the labour force and production costs and (v) infrastructure. Finally, the third research question is addressed. There appear to be both synergetic and counteracting effects between the two sectors with respect to overall economic competitiveness. However, the counteracting effects seem to be dominating and, in the end, the informal sector needs to be diminished in order for formal sector competitiveness to be improved. Furthermore, the results obtained throughout the paper give clear indications why the informal sector is of such magnitude. It also becomes clear in what areas the main problems are to be found. Thus, the policy actions suggested in order for the informal sector to be diminished and formal competitiveness to be improved are (i) eased entry to the formal sector by re- and deregulations, (ii) a more encouraging taxation system in order to improve the quality and quantity of public goods, (iii) easier access to financial capital among small-scale producers, (iv) a labour market that makes education profitable and (v) proper wages rates

Poisson multi-Bernoulli mixture trackers: continuity through random finite sets of trajectories

The Poisson multi-Bernoulli mixture (PMBM) is an unlabelled multi-target distribution for which the prediction and update are closed. It has a Poisson birth process, and new Bernoulli components are generated on each new measurement as a part of the Bayesian measurement update. The PMBM filter is similar to the multiple hypothesis tracker (MHT), but seemingly does not provide explicit continuity between time steps. This paper considers a recently developed formulation of the multi-target tracking problem as a random finite set (RFS) of trajectories, and derives two trajectory RFS filters, called PMBM trackers. The PMBM trackers efficiently estimate the set of trajectories, and share hypothesis structure with the PMBM filter. By showing that the prediction and update in the PMBM filter can be viewed as an efficient method for calculating the time marginals of the RFS of trajectories, continuity in the same sense as MHT is established for the PMBM filter