A national health information strategy for Malta

In 1992 a national health information strategy was developed jointly by the Department of Health and the Information Systems Division. A detailed strategy study report was compiled, with recommendations for the development of a number of information systems. The main system proposed was an integrated and comprehensive health care information system encompassing all of Malta’s hospitals and health centres, based on a single Patient Master Index. This system would support the concepts of an integrated health record and of a person-based view for resource management.peer-reviewe

Bored with school: An exploration of young persons' experiences of becoming disengaged from school and attending alternative provision

Student disengagement is a multidimensional construct consisting of cognitive, behavioural and affective dimensions. Whilst past research has addressed factors which lead students to become disengaged from school, little research has focused on identifying what works to prevent student disengagement. This research aimed to explore the views of young persons in their final year of compulsory schooling and who were attending an Alternative Learning Programme (ALP). The research also aimed to develop a theory which could explain the process of student disengagement. In order to investigate this process, grounded theory was used to analyse the data collected from the interviews. A mixed methods research design was applied. The quantitative approach involved the distribution of a questionnaire to all the students attending the ALP to collect demographic information, to inform which areas to explore in the qualitative approach and to select participants for the following phase. The data was analysed through SPSS and descriptive statistics were produced. In the qualitative approach, ten semi-structured interviews were carried out. The participants answered questions about their engagement at school. The emergent theory states that student disengagement is likely to occur when there is an interaction between the variables; unmet needs, unappealing curriculum and hostile relationships. The participants attributed reengagement in learning at the ALP to vocational subjects which were considered as practical and hands-on. Students also considered the curriculum as appropriate for their level. School staff were perceived as caring and supportive and this was key to making them develop a sense of belonging at school. The findings from this research indicate the strong impact teachers have on their students. Thus, teachers need to increase their awareness on how much they can influence their students. Finally, when students find their learning as useful, relevant, and are able to succeed, they are more likely to be engaged at school

Prospective three-year follow up of a cohort study of 240 patients with chronic facial pain

Background: Patients often present with facial pain ascribed to sinusitis, despite normal nasal endoscopy and sinus computed tomography. Facial pain is increasingly recognised to be of neurological origin. Method: A cohort of 240 patients with chronic facial pain was followed up for 36 months at an otolaryngological practice in Malta. The types of facial pain were classified according to International Headache Classification criteria. The body mass index, occupation and educational level of patients were compared with the general population. Results: Tension-type mid-facial pain and facial migraine without aura were the most common types of chronic facial pain. The sites of pain, symptoms, treatment and outcomes for these principal pain types are discussed. Patients with mid-facial pain were treated with low-dose amitriptyline for eight weeks. After three years, nearly half of the patients were symptom free, and in a third the pain changed from being chronic to being episodic. The treatment of patients with facial migraine was more varied but the length of time until recurrence of pain was similar. Conclusion: The most effective long-term treatments for tension-type mid-facial pain and facial migraine were low-dose amitriptyline and low-dose amitriptyline and triptans, respectively.peer-reviewe

Patients’ willingness to access cross-border healthcare

European Union (EU) Member States were required to direct their health practices to ensure implementation of ‘Directive on patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare’ which provides the right for EU citizens to seek treatment abroad. This study recruited Maltese patients, consequently it identified and quantified domains constituting willingness to access cross-border healthcare. Via this analytical approach, the results and recommendations were presented to assist cross-border healthcare policy.peer-reviewe

The MaaS Dictionary

This dictionary provides the definition of the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) concept, as well as the definitions of the actors involved in MaaS

Controlling crystallization damage by the use of salt inhibitors on Malta's limestone

Parallel text in Spanish and EnglishThe main building stone in the Maltese Islands is the Globigerina Limestone, of which the Lower member is commonly used. This occurs in two types, the durable franka and the more easily weathered soll. Two types of fresh franka (bajda (white) and safra (yellow)), as well as fresh soll stone blocks, were obtained, based on the identification by quarry owners. Their designation was confirmed by geochemistry. Physical and mechanical properties of the three were investigated, including uniaxial compressive strength, water absorption by capillarity, permeability and porosimetry. Porosimetry results confirmed outcomes of previous research work. Soll was found to have a lower overall porosity, but a high percentage of small pores with practically no large pores. Some of the tested stones were then treated with a non-toxic phospho- organic compound containing carboxylic moieties as a salt inhibitor and the corresponding non-phosphorylated compound.peer-reviewe

Legal Frameworks for Protecting Cultural Heritage in Conflict Zones

Cultural heritage has always been at risk during times of war. UNESCO first endeavored to address the issue shortly after World War II, in 1954, when it passed the first of three signature conventions to protect against the damage, destruction, and pillage of cultural property in times of armed conflict. Lacunae and other deficiencies in their frameworks, however, rendered these conventions difficult to enforce and largely ineffectual. This study offers an assessment of the strengths and limitations of the UNESCO system of cultural-heritage protection, with a particular focus on the 1954 Hague Convention. It is argued that, by superseding certain key liabilities therein, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) proved particularly influential in shaping more effective legal frameworks for protecting cultural heritage, as reflected in subsequent measures taken by UNESCO, the ICC, and the Security Council. The question of whether and to what extent the imperative to protect cultural heritage has achieved broad normative status is likewise evaluated. The study concludes with a brief assessment of recent cultural crimes in Iraq, Mali, and Syria, followed by a consideration of possible new frameworks for protecting cultural heritage that seek to improve on the limitations of existing systems and respond to the unique risks that currently imperil culture in conflict zones

Hymn to the heroes of Malta

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Alla fil-ħolqien ta’ Ġużè Agius Bonello – Is-sena u l-bniedem ta’ Ġużè Ellul-Mercer – Li tiżra’ taħsad ta’ Vic. Apap – Huwa ta’ Gino Muscat-Azzopardi – Żewġ friefet ta’ Vincent Caruana – Iċ-ċagħka ta’ Ġużè Borg – Warda midbiela ta’ C. Gauci – It-tfajla tas-sulfarini ta’ Albert M. Cassola – L-aħħar traduzzjoni ta’ May Butcher qabel ma mietet – Hymn to the heroes of Malta.N/