HEP Outreach, Inreach, and Web 2.0

I report on current usage of multimedia and social networking "Web 2.0" tools for Education and Outreach in high-energy physics, and discuss their potential for internal communication within large worldwide collaborations, such as those of the LHC. Following a brief description of the history of Web 2.0 development, I present a survey of the most popular sites and describe their usage in HEP to disseminate information to students and the general public. I then discuss the potential of certain specific tools, such as document and multimedia sharing sites, for boosting the speed and effectiveness of information exchange within the collaborations. I conclude with a brief discussion of the successes and failures of these tools, and make suggestions for improved usage in the future.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90828/1/1742-6596_331_8_082003.pd

Implementing a telehealth prehabilitation education session for patients preparing for major cancer surgery

Background: Prehabilitation services assist patients in preparing for surgery, yet access to these services are often limited by geographical factors. Enabling rural and regional patients to access specialist surgical prehabilitation support with the use of telehealth technology has the potential to overcome health inequities and improve post-operative outcomes. Aim: To evaluate the current and likely future impact of a telehealth preoperative education package for patients preparing for major abdominal cancer surgery. Methods: A telehealth alternative to a hospital based pre-operative education session was developed and implemented at a dedicated cancer hospital. Adult patients (≥18 years) scheduled for elective major cancer surgery were offered this telehealth alternative. Impact evaluation was conducted using the RE-AIM framework. Results: To date, 35 participants have consented to participate in the study. Thirty-one participants attended the intervention; 24 (69%) residing in rural or regional areas. Twenty-four (77%) reported that if given a choice they would prefer the online session as opposed to attending the hospital in person. The majority (97%) reported they would recommend the intervention to others preparing for surgery. Session information was recalled by all 26 participants and 77% of participants reported acting on recommendations 2 weeks after the session. Lessons learnt and recommendations for providers implementing similar programs are reported. Conclusion: Telehealth alternatives to hospital based pre-operative education are well received by patients preparing for major cancer surgery. We make seven recommendations to improve implementation. Further evaluation of implementation strategies alongside clinical effectiveness in future studies is essential

Automatic identification in accessible iTV services: Proposal of an IPTV interface

Interactive Television (iTV) services that currently exist may be subject to a set of improvements in order to become more efficient and meet the needs of visually impaired users (VIU). The current television distribution infrastructures, since supplemented with a return channel and appropriated Set-Top Boxes (STB), open an interesting opportunity for the creation of an iTV service that integrates advanced features and can be automatically adjusted to the preferences of users with visual impairment. In this context, this paper proposes an adapted iTV service for visually impaired users complemented by an automatic user identification system. With this complementarity, the service can be dynamically adjusted to the preferences of the user that is in fact watching TV, automatically invoking the options previously selected in the respective settings