Is Europe in the Driver's Seat? The Competitiveness of the European Automotive Embedded Systems Industry

This report is one of a series resulting from a project entitled ¿Competitiveness by Leveraging Emerging Technologies Economically¿ (COMPLETE), carried out by JRC-IPTS. Each of the COMPLETE studies illustrates in its own right that European companies are active on many fronts of emerging and disruptive ICT technologies and are supplying the market with relevant products and services. Nevertheless, the studies also show that the creation and growth of high tech companies is still very complex and difficult in Europe, and too many economic opportunities seem to escape European initiatives and ownership. COMPLETE helps to illustrate some of the difficulties experienced in different segments of the ICT industry and by growing potential global players. This report reflects the findings of a study conducted by Egil Juliussen and Richard Robinson, two senior experts from iSuppli Corporation on the Competitiveness of the European Automotive Embedded Software industry. The report starts by introducing the market, its trends, the technologies, their characteristics and their potential economic impact, before moving to an analysis of the competitiveness of the corresponding European industry. It concludes by suggesting policy options. The research, initially based on internal expertise and literature reviews, was complemented with further desk research, expert interviews, expert workshops and company visits. The results were ultimately reviewed by experts and also in a dedicated workshop. The report concludes that currently ICT innovation in the automotive industry is a key competence in Europe, with very little ICT innovation from outside the EU finding its way into EU automotive companies. A major benefit of a strong automotive ICT industry is the resulting large and valuable employment base. But future maintenance of automotive ICT jobs within the EU will only be possible if the EU continues to have high levels of product innovation.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

MULTIPLE MICROPROCESSORS WITH A SHARED CONTROL MEMORY AND A SHARED MAIN-MEMORY

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Quality of care for peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) in Nepal: A cross-sectional study on feasibility and inter-rater agreement of the Peripheral Intravenous Catheters-mini Questionnaire (PIVC-miniQ) in a tertiary care hospital

Objectives There is a lack of data regarding the quality of peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC)-related care from low-income and middle-income countries, even though the use of PIVCs may lead to local or severe systemic infections. Our main objective was to assess the feasibility and inter-rater agreement on the PIVC-mini Questionnaire (PIVC-miniQ) in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal. Design We performed an observational cross-sectional quantitative study using the PIVC-miniQ to collect information on PIVC quality. Setting Secondary care in a Nepalese hospital. All patients with PIVCs in selected wards were included in the study and PIVCs were assessed independently by two raters. Eight Nepalese nurses, one Nepalese student and three Norwegian students participated as raters. Primary and secondary outcome measures The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), positive, negative, absolute agreement, Scott’s pi and sum score were calculated using PIVC-miniQ. We also aimed to describe PIVC quality of care, as it is important to prevent PIVC-associated complications such as phlebitis or catheter-associated bloodstream infections. Results A total of 390 patients (409 PIVCs) were included in the study. The ICC between raters was 0.716 for Nepalese raters, 0.644 for Norwegian raters and 0.481 for the pooled data. The most frequently observed problems associated with PIVCs were blood in the intravenous line (51.5%), pain and tenderness on palpation (43.4%), and fixation with opaque tape (38.5%). The average sum score was 3.32 deviations from best practice for PIVCs fixed with non-sterile opaque tape and 2.37 for those fixed with transparent dressing (p<0.001). Conclusion The PIVC-miniQ is a feasible and reliable tool for nurses assessing PIVC quality in hospitalised patients in Nepal. The study revealed gaps in PIVC quality and care that could be improved by providing transparent PIVC dressings for all patients and requiring all PIVC insertions to be documented in patient charts