Access To Opportunities Research Articles

QOL-11. GBM PATIENTS CONTINUE TO FACE BARRIERS TO PERSONALIZED AND COMPREHENSIVE CARE THAT MAY IMPACT LONGEVITY AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE

Abstract We assessed the quality and accessibility of healthcare services provided to Glioblastoma (GBM) patients across the United States through an online survey distributed among the OurBrainBank community and partners and promoted on social media. A total of 297 patients or caregivers completed the survey (85% caregivers; 15% GBM patients). Median age at diagnosis was 57, lower than the national average of 64. 78% of our respondents described having some college education, and 69% had commercial insurance. Preliminary results revealed that 69% were informed about tumor testing. Among those informed, 64% did not have any molecular testing beyond initial diagnostic tests. For all respondents, 65% were not informed about storing tissue for future testing, and 79% reported not having their tissue stored for possible treatments or clinical trial qualification. Additionally, 52% reported no discussion of seeking a second opinion, and 64% reported not being offered enrollment in any clinical trial. Overall, people living with GBM face significant barriers to achieving comprehensive and personalized care. Lack of tumor testing and storage present missed opportunities for future access to emerging therapies that could improve individual outcomes. Over half of patients had no discussion about seeking a second opinion and were not offered enrollment in clinical trials, highlighting significant barriers to accessing life-extending or quality-of-life (QOL) improving treatments. Compared to the general population affected by GBM, survey respondents represented a disproportionately young and urban population, suggesting potential bias in who is able to respond to the survey. This may underestimate the challenges faced by patients with additional barriers. We are implementing strategies to reach a more geographically diverse participant group, particularly in rural areas. Ongoing targeted recruitment will further elucidate barriers to patient-centered care in GBM, with the potential for significant improvements in survival and QOL.

Gym and swim: a co-facilitated exercise program that improves community connection, confidence, and exercise habits in a community mental health service.

High rates of cardiometabolic disease and poor physical health outcomes contribute to significant premature mortality in people living with severe mental illness (PLWSMI). Lifestyle interventions such as exercise are known to improve both physical and mental health outcomes, however the best way to deliver exercise programs for PLWSMI remains a challenge. This paper uses a pragmatic program evaluation of a co-delivered low-cost community-based exercise program implemented over a 6-month period. Of 46 referrals in the first half of 2023 to the SLHD Gym and Swim program, 13 gave consent to participate in standardised measures and qualitative interviews. Findings revealed an increase in average hours of sport/exercise, improvements in confidence to exercise independently and within group settings, as well as achievement of individualised goals. The success of the program was in part due to the co-facilitation between peer support workers and exercise physiologists, community connection and the established partnership between the public health service and the local government council. Results offer evidence to adopt and implement accessible and low-cost exercise opportunities in the community external to health services to address barriers of attendance for PLWSMI.

Reducing Digital Inequities: The Role of Helping Professionals in Designing Just and Inclusive Strategies

This policy brief calls on social workers and other helping professionals to participate in efforts to address broadband internet access inequities. We first highlight continuing access inequities and their consequences for low-income persons, as well as older persons, minority group members, those with disabilities, and those living in rural areas. We then describe new initiatives to improve broadband access and digital literacy through state and local programs funded by the 2021 $65 billion federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Finally, strategies are discussed for social worker engagement in such work, which include policy advocacy, contributing to the implementation of emerging programs, and serving as information conveyors to their clients concerning digital access and literacy training opportunities.

Community perceptions on socio-economic impacts of uranium exploration in Selous Ecosystem, Tanzania

Large-scale mining has positive and negative effects that impact people differently leading to varying perceptions. This study assessed perceptions of local communities on socio-economic impacts of uranium exploration in Selous Ecosystem, Tanzania. The study was guided by three main research questions (i) Are local communities aware of the impacts of uranium exploration? (ii) What are the socio-economic impacts of uranium exploration? and (iii) What are perceptions of local communities on uranium impacts? A simple random sampling technique was used to select 51 households for questionnaire survey. Additionally, 22 key informants were interviewed and 2 focus group discussions were conducted. Moreover, secondary information such as government policies, legislations, and previous published and unpublished reports were reviewed. The quantitative information was analysed through Statistical Package for Social Science. For the purpose of this study, descriptive statistics was used while qualitative information was analysed using content analysis technique. In terms of awareness, 51% were unaware on negative impacts of uranium mining. The positive socio-economic impacts reported were employment opportunities, improved quality of life, road accessibility and economic opportunities. However, the majority of people interviewed (70 %) claimed that they have not received individual benefits from uranium exploration activities. Perception differed significantly, with 72% of those employed in the mine having positive perceptions, compared to 62% of the unemployed individuals who had negative perceptions. This study recommends a community-based bottom-up approach for awareness raising on uranium impacts. In addition, the mining company should implement effectively its corporate social responsibilities because, the negative perceptions may stand as a hindrance for accomplishment of its goals. The findings of this study provide preliminary baseline for future studies to monitor the impacts of uranium in particular radioactivity pathways associated with uranium mining

Well-being interventions for emergency department staff: ‘necessary’ but ‘inadequate’ – a phenomenographic study

IntroductionStress and burnout are prevalent among emergency department (ED) staff in the UK. The concept of well-being interventions for ED staff is a growing area of interest and research worldwide....

Evaluating the Educational Sponsorship Opportunities in Siargao Island: Basis for Developing the Work2Study Online Platform to Support Students' Pathway to Success

Educational attainment remains a key challenge in many rural areas, including Siargao Island. Students often struggle to finance their studies due to limited family income and a lack of accessible sponsorship opportunities. This study evaluates current sponsorship options available to students attending the Siargao Island Institute of Technology (SIIT) and Surigao del Norte State University - Del Carmen Campus (SNSU), the only institutions of higher education on the island. The findings serve as the basis for proposing the development of Work2Study, an online platform that aims to connect students with work-study sponsorships to aid their educational journey. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study gathered quantitative data from students and qualitative insights from local sponsors to assess needs and challenges. Results highlight the need for structured sponsorships, career-aligned work opportunities, and a streamlined online application process. The proposed Work2Study platform could provide a scalable model for supporting students’ educational goals, potentially fostering long-term socio-economic benefits for Siargao Island

Peningkatan Akses dan Peluang Kewirausahaan Mahasiswa melalui Pembelajaran Fotografi Berbasis Proyek Industri di Sistem Pembelajaran Jaringan

The program to enhance student access and entrepreneurial opportunities through industry-based photography project learning in an online learning system aims to develop students' technical and managerial skills. This program combines theory and practice through real industry-relevant projects, providing a comprehensive and interactive learning experience. Results show significant improvements in students' skills and motivation. With continued support from various parties, this program is expected to sustain improvements in education quality and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Precision Oncology implementation in a regional-based health care system: a professional consensus to define the pathway

Precision Oncology requires deep changes in organizational settings but little evidence has been identified about the best strategy to guarantee the delivery of this innovation to patients. In the Italian health care system, high heterogeneity could jeopardize equal access opportunity for patients. Following a consensus method, we aim to define shared solutions to address these issues in clinical practice. A Delphi RAND method was chosen to record the consensus among involved health care professionals in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The item generation phase was conducted following a bottom-up approach. Ten statements were defined on the main topics that emerged from the direct observation of the current practice, focusing on Molecular Tumor Board organization, massive parallel sequencing technology application, laboratory report content and informed consensus submission. All the statements reached a strong consensus and have been shared with the health care government authorities of our region. The direct observation of the current practice in different health care authorities allowed to define ten statements as solution proposals to solve the identified complexities. This methodological approach could be applied in different organizational models but aiming to achieve a homogeneous clinical outcome for patients.

Disability-Related Risks Among Women and Girls Who Are Forcibly Displaced from Venezuela

Our study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Venezuelan refugee/migrant women and girls with disabilities to guide humanitarian assistance. The data analysed was part of a larger cross-sectional study whereby refugees and migrants in Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil were asked to share the migration experiences of a Venezuelan woman or girl. The sample for this analysis was drawn from one of the survey questions that asked participants whether the woman/girl in the narrative identified as a person with a disability. Thematic analysis using inductive coding was performed. A total of 126 narratives were included in the final analysis, of which four major themes were identified. Venezuelan refugees and migrants with disabilities described experiences of discrimination, violence, and physical challenges, such as exacerbation of symptoms while in transit. In host countries, refugees and migrants experienced a lack of disability-related accommodations in the workplace and long wait times when trying to obtain healthcare. Since discrimination is a cross-cutting issue, human rights awareness highlighting the dignity of persons with disabilities is imperative. Resources and support for Venezuelan refugee and migrant women and girls with disabilities should aim to create accessible employment opportunities, safe and timely access to medical care, and prioritise violence prevention.

Targeted initiatives to tackle health inequalities, integrating the Leeds Health and Care Workforce

Abstract Deprivation and poor health are significant challenges in Leeds, with the poverty gap growing in parts of the city. The Leeds One Workforce approach to narrowing inequalities (NI) was co-designed in 2021 building on the innovative partnership approach already visible in the city. Its phased approach has seen interventions put in place to boost the opportunities for people from marginalised communities to develop their skills and remove barriers to careers in health and care and has global relevance for other localities experiencing high deprivation. The overall NI approach is supported by a long-term and wide-reaching evaluation plan which mobilises our partner organisations and intends to amplify best practice in getting people into careers and supporting this group to develop within the health and care workforce. We will present findings from embedded evaluations of initiatives across the city, and individual case studies, from those who have accessed NI interventions in Leeds. These will explore the relationships and contributions of partnership organisations and presence of any unexpected barriers or facilitators to these interventions. Linking with third-sector organisations and creating accessible pre-employment opportunities to develop core working skills is a vital part of the Leeds approach to recruiting people from priority wards. Additionally, supporting people into careers in health and care which suit their values, interests and personal circumstances, in addition to employing organisations with flexibility and openness towards their employees at their core is a strong factor in recruiting and retaining from areas of deprivation. Partnership working is essential to tackling health inequalities in places of high deprivation to address individual and systemic barriers to securing employment, ensure the best chance of success for community outreach programmes, and maximise efficiencies by combining the efforts of local organisations. Key messages • Leeds, UK is transforming approaches to narrowing health inequalities through partnership working across health and social care education and employment. • Current and future best practice will be explored to demonstrate transferable NI approaches.

Social Aspects of the Demographic Situation in Uzbekistan

This article investigates the sociocultural dimensions of the demographic landscape in Uzbekistan, with a particular emphasis on population expansion, urbanization processes, and transformations in familial structures. The demographic populace of Uzbekistan has exhibited consistent growth, surpassing 36 million individuals in the year 2023, characterized by an annual increase rate of 1.5%. Current urbanization patterns indicate that half of the populace now inhabits urban locales, thereby engendering challenges in educational access, healthcare provision, and employment opportunities. The research employs data derived from national censuses alongside academic investigations to scrutinize these dynamics and offers policy recommendations aimed at alleviating their societal repercussions. Also, in this article, an attempt was made to predict the demograqfic state of birth, marriage, employment, urbanization and its prospective state in Uzbekistan.

Inteligentna rewolucja w medycynie - zastosowanie sztucznej inteligencji (AI) w medycynie: przegląd, korzyści i wyzwania

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize medical diagnostics by offering new opportunities for accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility in healthcare. This article examines the benefits of implementing AI in diagnostics, such as enhanced diagnostic precision, faster clinical decision-making, cost reduction, and increased access to healthcare. It also discusses the challenges associated with AI implementation, including ethical, legal, and technical issues. The future of AI in medicine may bring further technological advancements and personalized therapy, but it also requires addressing regulatory and ethical concerns.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mobile Interactive Technology in University Physical Education Courses

With the rapid development of mobile interactive technology, a transformative shift in the pedagogical model of university sports courses has been initiated. Traditional teaching methods are simplistic and characterized by their lack of interactivity and personalization. However, the implementation of mobile interactive technology provides students with increased opportunities for participation and access to learning resources. Although existing research focuses on the integration of mobile interactive technology in university sports courses, a significant limitation remains in the evaluation methodologies employed, with a lack of systematic quantitative analysis and a comprehensive evaluation framework. This study proposes an effectiveness evaluation model comprising three primary components: construction of the evaluation model, calculation of indicator weights, and application of the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. The objective is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of mobile interactive technology in university sports courses through scientific evaluation methods, offering insights for future educational reforms and technological implementations.

Web Scrapping Tools used in Healthcare Sector

Web scraping has become essential in the healthcare sector and provides vast opportunities for data access and analysis. This abstract outlines several key web scraping tools commonly used in healthcare:: Scrapy: A Python-based framework for structured data extraction from various medical sources, offering adaptability and scalability. Beautiful Soup: Facilitates seamless data extraction from medical websites and research articles with its user-friendly interface. Selenium: Particularly useful for extracting data from dynamic healthcare websites driven by JavaScript. Octoparse: Empowers healthcare professionals to extract data without programming expertise through an intuitive interface. ParseHub: Simplifies data extraction from complex healthcare websites with scheduling capabilities. Import.io: A visual API-based scraping solution for integrating and analyzing data from web pages and APIs. WebHarvy: Streamlines data retrieval from medical websites, journals, and forums with automatic configuration and diverse export options. Web scraping tools are invaluable for accessing and analyzing health information, enhancing assessment, decision-making, and patient outcomes. However, adherence to legal and ethical guidelines, including data privacy and consent considerations, is crucial for responsible use in the healthcare industry.

The big contradiction between the dream and the reality of homeownership: access to homeownership in Canada, 1986–2016

Homeownership is a symbol of success in many societies. Yet, deteriorating housing affordability, coupled with the spread of casual labor and job insecurity, makes homeownership out of reach for many and calls into question the sustainability of the homeownership ideology. This study contributes to the scholarly debate on the ideal versus the reality of homeownership by examining stratified access to homeownership in Canada from 1986 to 2016 using six waves of population census data. We examined three narratives underlying the promises of the homeownership ideology: (1) widespread and (2) equal opportunities for homeownership access, and (3) the achievement of financial security through building property assets. This study investigates access to three types of housing tenure: outright homeownership, mortgaged homeownership, and renting, and presents empirical evidence that challenges the ideological premises of homeownership. As homeownership becomes more unattainable, “Generation Rent” and low- and moderate-income households lose opportunities for asset building and wealth accumulation.

Trends in Gaps of Care for Patients With Congenital Heart Disease: Implications for Social Determinants of Health and Child Opportunity Index.

Lifelong continuity of care is essential for patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) to maximize health outcomes; unfortunately, gaps in care (GIC) are common. Trends in GIC and of social determinants of health factors contributing to GIC are poorly understood. This retrospective cohort study included patients with CHD, aged 0 to 34 years, who underwent surgery between January 2003 and May 2020, followed up at a pediatric subspeciality hospital. Patients were categorized as having simple, moderate, and complex CHD based on 2018 American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology guidelines. Social determinants of health, such as race, ethnicity, language, insurance status, and Child Opportunity Index, based on home address zip code, were analyzed. Of 2012 patients with CHD, a GIC of ≥3 years was identified in 56% (n=1119). The proportion of patients with GIC per year increased by 0.51% (P<0.001). Multivariable longitudinal models showed that the odds of GIC were higher for patients who were ≥10.5 years old, had simple CHD, lived out of state, lived farther from care site, received public insurance, had less protection with additional insurance plans, and with low Child Opportunity Index. A separate model for patients with only moderate/complex CHD showed similar findings. Race and ethnicity were not associated with the odds of experiencing GIC over time. GIC have increased over time for patients with CHD. Social determinants of health, like insurance, access, and neighborhood opportunity, are key risk factors for increasing GIC. Efforts to reduce GIC in patients with CHD should focus on addressing the impact of specific social determinants of health.

Developing an Adaptive Learning Recommendation Algorithm and System for MOOCs

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) based learning platform had totally changed the educational environment by providing easy and accessible learning opportunities for global learners. But even such environment display high dropout and low learner engagement which remain a significant challenge to be addressed. To handle the challenge of this study, propose an Adaptive Learning Recommendation System (ALRS) that is designed to personalize learning paths based on individual preferences and performance metrics. The study employed Open University Learning Analytics Dataset (OULAD) and build recommendation model that combine k-means Clustering, Content-based Filtering, Collaborative Filtering, and Random Forest (RF) classifiers to make course recommendations. The proposed model have shown better recommendation when compared to other models with Precision of 0.92, Recall of 0.89, F1 Score of 0.90, and AUC of 0.95. Also the proposed model had shown the lowest Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) at 0.042 and 0.205, respectively.

Australian Alpaca Demographics and Management: A National Survey.

The Australian alpaca industry has continued to grow since the introduction of alpacas in the 1980s. Little is known about the geographical distribution of alpacas or on-farm management practices. This study aimed to address this and identify key producer knowledge through an online survey. The survey consisted of 25 questions grouped into 3 areas: demographics, farm production and alpaca nutrition. The highest concentration of alpaca producers was along the east coast of Australia, primarily in high-rainfall zones, which could be attributed to more consistent year-round pasture availability and market access opportunities. The Huacaya breed accounted for 93% of the animal numbers reported in this survey. Respondents identified 12 key pasture species being grazed, with Kikuyu being the most common, followed by Subterranean Clover and Phalaris, likely due to the majority of respondents being located in suitable high-rainfall environments. Pasture species were not identified by 25% of respondents. There are no registered anthelmintics or vaccinations for alpacas, resulting in a variation in dosage rates and administration frequency, raising concerns for effective disease and parasite management. This survey has identified key knowledge gaps in alpaca management practices in Australia that will be further investigated to provide industry recommendations to improve alpaca production.

The Myhre Syndrome Foundation as a global modern support group: The business of rare.

Advocacy support groups grow into national and international organizations, but they all begin with personal experiences. As the parents to a newly diagnosed two-year-old son with Myhre syndrome, my husband and I were overwhelmed with the journey ahead. Thanks to networking, primarily through social media, we located other families living with Myhre syndrome and were quickly immersed in the challenges and joy of this community. Myhre syndrome, caused by pathogenic missense variants in SMAD4, is a rare connective tissue disease characterized by short stature, hearing loss, neurodevelopmental challenges, and fibroproliferation.This personal essay, written with physician partners, describes the development of a global advocacy group for patients with Myhre syndrome. I have the honor of serving as the founding Executive Director and reflect proudly on the great strides that our marvelous support group has made. We empower the global community impacted by this rare condition by providing meaningful and accessible data, educational opportunities, and connections with others going through similar experiences. Utilizing the expertise of our Board of Directors and my corporate expertise, we discuss how we have been able to elevate our ultra-rare community into a broader, more comprehensive network.

The Transforming Virtual Education: The Importance of Learning Analytics in Moodle

Today, online education has experienced significant growth, providing flexible and accessible learning opportunities. Learning management platforms, such as Moodle, play a key role in facilitating interaction between teachers and students in virtual learning environments. However, tracking and assessing the progress of online learning can be challenging. This is where learning analytics comes in, a discipline that uses data collected from the learning platform to gain valuable insights. In this article, we explore the importance of learning analytics in Moodle, how it works, and how it can improve the online learning experience.