Process Innovation With Lightweight It at an Emergency Unit

In this paper, we are studying the role of lightweight IT in process innovation. Our research question is how can lightweight IT support process innovation within an established e-health information infrastructure? Our empirical evidence is a qualitative case study at a primary care emergency service in Oslo. We provide two contributions. First, applying the lens of business process innovation to the literature on information infrastructures, we retain the value of the installed base, while we at the same time ad speed to the implementation project. Second, we demonstrate the role of lightweight technology in improving logistics and message interaction within and between health units. The lightweight technologies availability on the commercial market makes acquisition and implementation faster. Based on this, we briefly suggest a bypassing strategy where a new layer of technology is built separately from the existing infrastructure in order to effectively address process innovation efforts

Extension and remodelling of teachers' perceived professional space

This article examines the sociocultural shaping of teacher agency by focusing on how various conditions mediate teachers’ perceived professional space. Agency is understood from a sociocultural perspective as the mediated capacity to act, which is achieved and exercised in a professional space, and, consequently, shaped by the perceptions of this space. Based on thematic and interpretative analysis of interviews with Norwegian L1 upper secondary teachers, the article identifies several conditions that mediate the teachers’ perceived professional space: the exam, the curriculum, accountability demands, school leadership, colleagues, students, learning materials, and subject traditions and purposes. Two aspects of mediation are identified, what we respectively term extension and remodelling. Extension conveys how mediating conditions provide resources or constraints that contribute to expanding or narrowing the teachers’ perceived professional space. Remodelling, however, conveys how mediating conditions qualitatively transform the perceived professional space. Findings highlight the subject as a resource for teachers, and teacher agency as socioculturally shaped by the perceived size and character of professional space.acceptedVersio

”Ta hjemmetempen”. Rapport fra Forskningskampanjen 2012

Man vet en god del om hvor mye energi norske husholdninger bruker, men mindre om hvor varmt vi har det inne og hvordan temperaturen varierer over døgnet, både i Norge og internasjonalt. Vi vet også svært lite om hvor fornøyd vi er med innetemperaturen og hvordan innetemperatur og strømforbruk henger sammen med oppvarmingsutstyr og utetemperatur. Dette er noen av de spørsmålene Forskningskampanjen 2012 kan bidra til å gi svar på. Forskningskampanjen arrangeres hvert år av Norges forskningsråd og Nettverk for miljølære, og har som formål at skolebarn fra hele landet skal få delta i aktivt forskningsarbeid. Elevene som deltok i Forskningskampanjen 2012 målte temperaturen ute og inne i fire rom, morgen og kveld, og registrerte strømforbruket. I tillegg ble fokuset på strømforbruk og -sparing i familien kartlagt gjennom et intervju med familien om oppvarmingsutstyr, hvor fornøyd de er med innetemperaturen, holdninger til, og masing om, energisparing og ulike former for spareatferd. Denne informasjonen gjør datamaterialet fra Forskningskampanjen 2012 helt unikt, også i en internasjonal sammenheng. Vi finner at en stor andel av norske barnefamilier holder en lavere innetemperatur enn det de synes er behagelig på kalde vintermorgener, og mor fryser oftest. Det er også mange indikasjoner i dataene på at dette er bevisst atferd, og at mange velger å ha det litt kaldere enn det de synes er behagelig deler av døgnet for å spare energi eller penger. Vi finner også en klar sammenheng mellom innetemperaturen og hva slags oppvarmingsutstyr husholdningen har. Husholdninger med varmepumper og felles sentralfyr med andre husholdninger holder i gjennomsnitt en høyere innetemperatur, mens husholdninger som bruker vedfyring holder en lavere gjennomsnittlig innetemperatur i stua om morgenen enn andre husholdninger. Et annet spennende funn er at det er en sammenheng mellom innetemperatur og masing om energisparing1 , ved at det i de husholdningene hvor det mases mest om energisparing også er kaldest i stua om morgenen. Det kan imidlertid være vanskelig å si noe om hva som driver denne sammenhengen, siden det er grunn til å tro at det mases mest i de husholdningene hvor behovet for sparing er størst, og hvor man generelt er opptatt av strømsparing. Alt i alt viser resultatene fra denne undersøkelsen en utstrakt energisparing i norske husholdninger, og at mange husholdninger velger å holde en lavere temperatur inne i deler av døgnet enn det de synes er behagelig. Det er også klare indikasjoner på at så fort energi til oppvarming blir billigere, eller man ikke betaler etter forbruk, reduseres denne spareatferden, og husholdningene velger å øke temperaturen inne

Health related quality of life after extremely preterm birth: a matched controlled cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The majority of infants born before the last trimester now grow up. However, knowledge on subsequent health related quality of life (HRQoL) is scarce. We therefore aimed to compare HRQoL in children born extremely preterm with control children born at term. Furthermore, we assessed HRQoL in relation to perinatal and neonatal morbidity and to current clinical and sociodemographic characteristics.</p> <p>Method</p> <p><it>The Child Health Questionnaire </it>(CHQ-PF50) and a general questionnaire were applied in a population based cohort of 10 year old children born at gestational age ≤ 28 weeks or with birth weight ≤ 1000 grams in Western Norway in 1991-92 and in term-born controls, individually matched for gender and time of birth. The McNemar test and paired t-tests were used to explore group differences between preterms and matched controls. Paired regression models and analyses of interaction (SPSS mixed linear model) were used to explore potential effects of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on HRQoL in the two groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All 35 eligible preterm children participated. None had major impairments. Learning and/or attention problems were present in 71% of preterms and 20% of controls (odds ratio (OR): 7.0; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.2 to 27.6). Insufficient professional support was described by 36% of preterm vs. 3% of control parents (OR: infinite; CI: 2.7 to infinite). Preterms scored lower on eight CHQ-PF50 sub-scales and the two summary scores, boys accounting for most of the deficits in areas of behavior, psychosocial functioning and parental burden. HRQoL was associated with learning and/or attention problems in both preterm and control children, significantly more so in preterms in areas related to health and parental burden. Within the preterm group, HRQoL was mostly unrelated to perinatal and neonatal morbidity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HRQoL for children born extremely preterm, and particularly for boys, was described by parents to be inferior to that of children born at term, and sufficiently poor to affect the daily life of the children and their families. Learning and/or attention problems were reported for a majority of preterms, strongly influencing their HRQoL.</p

The manager as innovator and equilibrist: a qualitative study of the experiences of Norwegian managers in health and welfare service taking part in research partnership with higher education

The manager as innovator and equilibrist: a qualitative study of the experiences of Norwegian managers in health and welfare service taking part in research partnership with higher educationpublishedVersio

Seasonal variation in transport of zooplankton into the Arctic Basin through the Atlantic gateway, Fram Strait

Source at: http://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00194 The largest contribution of oceanic heat to the Arctic Ocean is the warm Atlantic Water (AW) inflow through the deep Fram Strait. The AW current also carries Atlantic plankton into the Arctic Basin and this inflow of zooplankton biomass through the Atlantic-Arctic gateway far exceeds the inflow through the shallow Pacific-Arctic gateway. However, because this transport has not yet been adequately quantified based on observational data, the present contribution is poorly defined, and future changes in Arctic zooplankton communities are difficult to project and observe. Our objective was to quantify the inflow of zooplankton biomass through the Fram Strait during different seasons, including winter. We collected data with high spatial resolution covering hydrography (CTD),currents (ADCP and LADCP) and zooplankton distributions (LOPC and MultiNet) from surface to 1,000 m depth along two transects crossing the AW inflow during three cruises in January, May and August 2014. Long-term variations (1997–2016) in the AW inflow were analyzed based on moored current meters. Water transport across the inflow region was of the same order of magnitude during all months (January 2.2 Sv, May 1.9 Sv, August 1.7 Sv). We found a higher variability in zooplankton transport between the months (January 51 kg C s −1 , May 34 kg C s −1 , August 50 kg C s −1), related to seasonal changes in the vertical distribution of zooplankton. However, high abundances of carbon-rich copepods were observed in the AW inflow during all months. Surface patches with high abundances of C. finmarchicus, Microcalanus spp., Pseudocalanus spp., and Oithona similis clearly contributed to the advected biomass, also in winter. The data reveal that the phenology of species is important for the amount of advected biomass, and that the advective input of zooplankton carbon into the Arctic Basin is important during all seasons. The advective zooplankton input might be especially important for mesopelagic planktivorous predators that were recently observed in the region, particularly during winter. The inflow of C. finmarchicus with AW was estimated to be in the order of 500,000 metric tons C y −1 , which compares well to modeled estimates

Visual problems are associated with long-term fatigue after stroke

Objective: Post-stroke fatigue may be associated with functioning even in patients with mild stroke. In order to guide rehabilitation, the aim of this study was to investigate the independent contribution of 12 function-related domains to severe long-term fatigue. Design: Observational follow-up study. Subjects: A total of 144 stroke survivors (mean age 67.3, standard deviation (SD) 10.9 years) were included. Methods: Fatigue 3–4 years post-stroke was measured with the Fatigue Severity Scale (cut-off ≥5). Independent variables were the multidimensional Stroke-Specific Quality of Life scale with 12 domains, demographics, and baseline stroke characteristics. Results: Most of the participants had mild and moderate stroke. Thirty-five percent (n = 51) reported severe fatigue 3–4 years after stroke. Those living with a significant other, and working participants reported significantly less fatigue. All domains of the Stroke-specific Quality of Life scale were significantly associated with the Fatigue Severity Scale. Adjusted for age, sex, marital status, and work status, the domains “energy”, “mood”, and, unexpectedly, the domain “vision”, were all variables independently associated with severe long-term fatigue. Conclusion: Stroke survivors with prominent self-reported visual problems were more likely to experience fatigue. This finding should be verified in further studies. Visual examination and visual rehabilitation may reduce fatigue in selected stroke survivors

Self-reported medication use among coronary heart disease patients showed high validity compared with dispensing data

Objective - To validate self-reported use of medications for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a population-based health study by comparing self-report with pharmacy dispensing data, and explore different methods for defining medication use in prescription databases. Study design and setting - Self-reported medication use among participants with CHD (n = 1483) from the seventh wave of the Tromsø Study was linked with the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD). Cohen’s kappa, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated, using NorPD as the reference standard. Medication use in NorPD was defined in three ways; fixed-time window of 180 days, and legend-time method assuming a daily dose of one dosage unit or one defined daily dose (DDD). Results - Kappa-values for antihypertensive drugs, lipid-lowering drugs and acetylsalicylic acid all showed substantial agreement (kappa ≥0.61). Validity varied depending on the method used for defining medication use in NorPD. Applying a fixed-time window gave higher agreement, positive predictive values and specificity compared with the legend-time methods. Conclusion - Self-reported use of medication for secondary prevention of CHD shows high validity when compared with pharmacy dispensing data. For CHD medications, fixed-time window appears to be the most appropriate method for defining medication use in prescription databases

Strong decline in female sterilization rates in Norway after the introduction of a new copayment system: a registry based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>January 1, 2002, copayment for outpatient female sterilization in Norwegian public hospitals increased from 33 euros to 750 euros after a revision of the health care system. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the new copayment system on female sterilization epidemiology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We retrieved data on all female sterilizations 1999–2005 (N = 23 1333) from the Norwegian Patient Register, an administrative register to which it is mandatory for all hospitals to report. Sterilizations with diagnostic codes indicative of vaginal delivery, caesarean section, spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, and termination of pregnancy were analyzed separately. All other sterilizations were defined as "interval sterilization".</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An abrupt fall in female sterilization was observed after the raise in copayment. Age-adjusted incidence rates dropped from 6.3–6.8 per 1000 women in 1999–2001 to 2.2–2.3 per 1000 women during 2002–2005. Interval sterilizations dropped to 25% of the previous level after the rise in copayment while sterilizations in conjunction with caesarean section and postpartum sterilization remained constant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>For many Norwegian women seeking contraception, sterilization is no longer an available alternative.</p

Self-reported medication information needs among medication users in a general population aged 40 years and above – the Tromsø study

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and associated factors of self-reported medication information needs among medication users in a general population aged 40 years and above – The Tromsø Study. Methods: Cross-sectional study of medication users (n=10,231) among participants in the Tromsø Study, a descriptive analysis of questionnaire data and multivariable logistic regression (n=9,194). Results: Sixteen percent of medication users expressed a need for more information about own medications. Overall, medication users agreed to a higher degree to have received information from the GP compared to the pharmacy. Concerned medication users and those disagreeing to have received information about side effects had the highest odds for needing more information (OR 5.07, 95% CI 4.43–5.81) and (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.83–2.68), respectively. Medication users who used heart medications (e.g., nitroglycerin, antiarrhythmics, anticoagulants) (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.46–2.01), medication for hypothyroidism (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.13–1.64) or had moderately health anxiety had expressed need for medication information. Whereas medication users with lower education, those that never used internet to search for health advice, and medication users who disagreed to have received information about reason for-use were associated with lower odds (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.62–0.91), (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74–0.98) and (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53–0.88), respectively. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that there is need for more information about own medications in a general population aged 40 years and above and shed light on several characteristics of medication users with expressed information need which is important when tailoring the right information to the right person