Developing a Model of Community of Practice Among Health Informatics Professionals in South and Southeast Asia

There is still debate on whether communities of practice (COP) can be formed or created. Many have claimed that they provide a venue to share knowledge which translates to action. In South and Southeast Asia, international development partners have invested in many capacity building initiatives to set-up and/or improve eHealth implementations in countries. While interest and resources for this increase, many challenges are still left unresolved due to repeated mistakes and undocumented experiences. The Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) is a community of health informatics professionals organised to share knowledge and improve the use of ICT in health systems strengthening. Objectives: This study examined how AeHIN emerged as a knowledge sharing platform, identified best practices it adopted, and developed a model that could sustain itself as a COP. Methods: A sociometric survey was used to map knowledge sharing connections of pioneer members with interviews to substantiate findings and a 20-hour participant observation to triangulate data. UCINET 6.0 was used to analyse social network data while qualitative data were coded. Results: Defining roles of health informatics professionals inside the COP influences the type of information, resources, and capacities that can enter a network. The nature of its subgroups determines potentials and barriers to the network. Twelve best practices were identified to sustain a health informatics COP. It is recommended that a learning network is an appropriate model for this type of COP and an understanding of country-specific political structure is important to support participation. Conclusion: AeHIN is a COP model whose activities have a life of their own. While some prove successful, others die down or are discontinued. This unique design proved to be fitting for a group of health informatics professionals as it accommodates success and failures crucial for project implementations

Unique health identifiers for universal health coverage

Identifying everyone residing in a country, especially the poor, is an indispensable part of pursuing universal health coverage (UHC). Having information on an individuals\u2019 financial protection is also imperative for measuring the progress of UHC. This paper examines different ways of instituting a system of unique health identifiers that can lead toward achieving UHC, particularly in relation to utilizing universal civil registration and national unique identification number systems. Civil registration is a fundamental function of the government that establishes a legal identity for individuals and enables them to access essential public services. National unique identification numbers assigned at birth registration can further link their vital event information with data collected in different sectors, including in finance and health. Some countries use the national unique identification number as the unique health identifier, such as is done in South Korea and Thailand. In other countries, a unique health identifier is created in addition to the national unique identification number, but the two numbers are linked; Slovenia offers an example of this arrangement. The advantages and disadvantages of the system types are discussed in the paper. In either approach, linking the health system with the civil registration and national identity management systems contributed to advancing effective and efficient UHC programs in those countries

Experts, theories, and electric mobility transitions: toward an integrated conceptual framework for the adoption of electric vehicles

I expand and integrate a theory of mobility (Automobility) with one of science and technology (Actor Network Theory) and one about social acceptance and user adoption (UTAUT). I apply this integrative framework to the diffusion (and non-diffusion) of electric vehicles and the process of electric mobility. I begin by presenting my methods, namely semi-structured qualitative research interviews with social theorists. Then, I present the three theories deemed most relevant by respondents. Automobility holds that, on a cultural or social level, automobiles exist as part of a complex, one that involves hardware and infrastructure—a hybridity between drivers and machines—along with patterns of identity and attitudes about driving pleasure. Actor Network Theory (ANT) involves the concepts of network assemblage, translation, enrollment, and actants and lieutenants. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, or UTAUT, states that on an individual level, the adoption of new technologies will be predicated on interconnected factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and other facilitating conditions. Based largely on the original interview data supplemented with peer-reviewed studies, I propose a conceptual framework of user acceptance consisting of motile pleasure, sociality, sociotechnical commensurability, and habitual momentum. I conclude with implications for research and policy

Electronically Reconfigurable Circuits for Millimeter-Wave and Beyond

Millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) wireless communication systems often employ phased array architecture to overcome the high path loss and to provide spatial selectivity. As the number of elements in the array increases, the complexity as well as physical area required for the circuitry also increase. This calls for circuit blocks that are multifunctional and can be electronically reconfigured. This dissertation presents the analyses, designs and implementations of electronically reconfigurable circuit blocks that operate bidirectionally and at multiple frequency bands.The first part of the dissertation discusses three mm-Wave reconfigurable circuit blocks realized using the constructive wave amplification technique (CCWA) in both SiGe BiCMOS and CMOS SOI processes. First, a power amplifier is designed at 60 GHz in a 0.12-μm SiGe BiCMOS process that incorporates a CMOS-bipolar cascode (BiFET) feedback circuit topology. Second, a dual Q- and W- band, bidirectional amplifier is demonstrated in a 45-nm CMOS SOI process where operations at different bands and directions are realized by electronically config- uring the feedback “field of FETs”. The bidirectional concept is then extended to the design of a three-port V-band reconfigurable active circulator that directs traveling waves between different pairs of ports while providing isolation from the remaining ports.Secondly, a switchless bidirectional front-end architecture is demonstrated in a 90-nm SiGe BiCMOS process. The proposed architecture enables a time-division duplexed (TDD) operation without the use of high-speed transmit and receive (T/R) switch. A passive transmission line matching network is used to isolate the power amplifier and low-noise amplifier and a bidirectional passive mixer is used for up- and down-conversion of the signal. The front-end is incorporated to a two-element linear coupled oscillator array to form a local oscillator beamforming transceiver.Finally, a high-speed track-and-hold amplifier (THA) is demonstrated in a 90-nm SiGe BiCMOS process. This work demonstrates the competitiveness of advance integrated silicon processes when being benchmarked against high performance III-V processes. The continuous improvement of silicon-based transistors will allow integrated systems to operate at higher frequencies. All the circuits techniques present in this dissertation are applicable to the design at mm-Wave and beyond

Satisfaction with paper-based dental records and perception of electronic dental records among dental professionals in Myanmar

Objectives To overcome challenges in the implementation of electronic dental record systems in a low-resource setting, it is crucial to know the level of users’ satisfaction with the existing system of paper-based dental records and their perceptions of electronic dental records. Methods A cross-sectional paper-based questionnaire survey was conducted among Myanmar dental professionals who worked in one of two teaching hospitals or in private dental clinics. Descriptive data were analyzed and regression analysis was carried out to identify factors influencing perceptions of electronic dental records. Results Most dental professionals (&gt;60%) were satisfied with just three out of six aspects of paper-based dental records (familiarity, flexibility, and portability). In addition, generalized positive perceptions were found among decision makers towards electronic dental records, and 86% of dentists indicated that they were willing to use them. Financial concerns were identified as the most important barrier to the implementation of electronic dental records among dentists who were not willing to use the proposed system. Conclusions The first step towards implementing electronic dental records in Myanmar should be improvement of the content and structure of paper-based dental records, especially in private dental clinics. Utilization of appropriate open-source electronic dental record software in private dental clinics is recommended to address perceived issues around financial barriers. For the long term, we recommend providing further education and training in health informatics to healthcare professionals to facilitate the efficient use of electronic dental record software in Myanmar in the future.</p