Dedicated Telephone Line Research Articles

Effect of Service Quality on the Performance of Airline Industry in Nigeria

This study examines the inadequacies in service delivery provided by organizations due to issues like poor infrastructure, poor budget allocations, corrupt practices, and lack of employee incentives, amongst others. The objective, therefore, is to ascertain the effect of such service delivery on the performance of the Airline industry in Nigeria. Primary data was employed in the survey research design and obtained through administration of structured questionnaires. Simple percentage was used to analyze the data collected and ordinary least square (OLS) was used to estimate the effect of service delivery on the performance of the Airline industry in Nigeria. Findings from this study revealed that the constructs of responsiveness (RES), reliability (REL) and assurance (ASS) had positive and significant effect on customer retention with the respective values of 0.0000, 0.0000 and 0.0000. On the other hand, Empathy (EMP) had a negative and significant effect on customer retention with 0.0000. Furthermore, it showed that service delivery influenced 86% of the variation in the performance of Airline industry in Nigeria with the following breakdown: Customer retention increased by 52.4% due to a 1% increase in responsiveness; Additionally, customer retention increased by 61% due to a 1% increase in reliability, whereas it increased by 43% and 53% respectively due to a 1% increase in assurance and empathy respectively. The study concludes that there is a direct impact of service delivery on performance. In view of these, this study recommends that Airline Managers identify with and prioritize the needs of their customers, among other strategies for improving service quality such as live chats, dedicated telephone lines, and suggestion boxes. This will sustain responsiveness, and reliability constructs as well as improve the constructs of assurance and empathy which are necessary for any business to succeed.

Assistance for people with diabetes mellitus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience of the TO3 Local Health Care Service in Piedmont

People with diabetes with coronavirus infection have a high likelihood of progression to severe COVID-19. The pandemic has upset our health model; the booking suspension limited access to emergencies, made it difficult to guarantee medical services, with different access priorities, to assist chronic patients, such as diabetics, for whom discontinuity of care could become a risk for and in case of infection. In ASLTO3 we have developed an emergency procedure, in compliance with the lockdown provisions to limit the presence in the clinic, for the provision of services, in presence or at a distance, to people with diabetes blocked at home, or in isolation, hospitalized or quarantined, or to be hospitalized. We have developed a strategy based on the diabetes care pathway PDTA, standard of care in Piedmont, to stratify the risk of loss of access to services and to prepare organizational measures to select, case by case, the relative and deferred urgent requests, direct on the right location for the right answer giving priority to those who still did not know or already knew they had diabetes, even positive for COVID-19, and needed treatment, and uses dedicated telephone lines and e-mails, for a virtual clinic. During the first peak of the pandemic, we assisted over 4000 people with diabetes by providing 7598 services, 244 for endocrinology, 7199 for diabetes, 155 consultations, 431 face-to-face and over 5,000 remotes. Studies produced during the COVID-19 emergency have confirmed that the active resilience of the diabetes care service can help improve patient outcomes and system stability. Experience in the implementation of technologies, such as diabetes PDTA, adapted to the emergency, can help to triage both persons, activities, prevention and assistance, and telemedicine projects to minimize the risk in future events. KEY WORDS pandemic COVID-19; diabetes care pathway; medical services; triage patient; telemedicine.

Behaviour of occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundDisasters, crises and pandemics are emergencies which impact on businesses severely. The COVID-19 pandemic reached its peak in mid-April 2020 in the UK. During this period, NHS Occupational Health Services (OHS) were stretched to their limit along with other health services. OHS may have had to change their pattern of operation, operating times, services offered, etc. to cope with the pandemic. Data about business model modifications, services offered by the OHS businesses during the pandemic could help in better utilization of OHS resources in the future.AimsTo understand the behaviour of OHS in different parts of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsAn online survey link was sent to both accredited and unaccredited UK Occupational Health Physicians (OHPs).ResultsSixty-two OHPs responded to the survey. In the current pandemic, 51% of the OHS (95% CI 0.38–0.62) offered weekend or out-of-hours (OOH) services, 21% had to employ extra staff (95% CI 0.13–0.33) and 54% had to change their working hours (95% CI 0.41–0.65). Ninety per cent of the OHS (95% CI 0.78–0.94) continued to offer routine services; however, there was a decline in offering vaccination services. Fifty-six per cent of the OHS (95% CI 0.42–0.67) offered a dedicated telephone line and 46% of the OHS (95% CI 0.32–0.56) started a dedicated COVID-19 queries inbox.ConclusionsThere was a change in the behaviour of the OHS to cope with the pandemic. Having a dedicated helpline to manage the crisis situation seemed a logical step whilst offering routine services.

Need Coding or Reimbursement Assistance?

ASCO has offered coding and reimbursement assistance to members for more than 10 years. Staff in the Practice Division of the Cancer Policy and Clinical Affairs Department respond to oncology-related coding, reimbursement, and coverage questions, and many times, additional resources, policies, and educational materials are provided. This service was originally available through a dedicated telephone line and e-mail address. As of March 1, 2010, the coding and reimbursement service has moved to a new electronic format, and inquiries must be submitted online at http://www.asco.org/billingcoding. Some recent questions posed to the service are provided:

Postkeratoplasty emergency visits—a review of 100 consecutive visits

Preoperative counselling for penetrating keratoplasty should include awareness of symptoms and signs of possible complications as early presentation can enhance long-term success. In our corneal transplantation service, all patients are routinely instructed to arrange a same day emergency visit through a dedicated telephone line if they experience any symptoms in eyes that have undergone keratoplasty. This study was designed to evaluate the reason for presentation, management outcome of each visit and the efficiency of the system in management of postkeratoplasty complications. A review of 100 consecutive emergency visits by postpenetrating keratoplasty (PKP) patients in a tertiary eye care centre was included. Sixty-two patients with varied preoperative diagnoses presented during the review period. Sixteen visits were within the first month after surgery and 40 visits within the first year. Ten patients (16%) sought consultation more than twice during the study period with one patient presenting five times. Pain and grittiness were the main presenting symptoms (68%). Loose corneal suture (25%) necessitating removal was the most common diagnosis. Sixteen visits resulted in hospital admission for treatment. The graft survived in all patients and the visual acuity was preserved in 95% of our patients. Most corneal surgeons educate their patients to seek prompt treatment for symptoms such as redness, sensitivity to light, loss of vision, pain, or any other symptoms in eyes that have undergone keratoplasty. Early intervention of sight threatening complications increases the chance of graft survival and best-obtained vision. This review shows a simple open access system facilitates early presentation and successful management of postgraft complications.

The Evolution and Evaluation of Videoconferencing Technology for Graduate Nursing Education

The Integrated Services Digital Network H.323 (ISDN), which has been in use for the past 20 years often requires a dedicated telephone line and other equipment to implement. Consequently, expansion of ISDN-based videoconferencing requires infrastructure not always accessible in those areas that are most in need of technological connections. New H.323 technology using Internet Protocol H.320 (IP) connectivity can accommodate the use in a variety of videoconferencing software and fill this void as demonstrated by an experiment conducted live at the Syllabus Web '99 conference. When a faculty group were unable to secure ISDN connections to demonstrate their clinical evaluation of Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) students using videoconferencing technology, an ad hoc group of computer experts, educators, instructional design specialists, and corporate sponsors collaborated to design a multipoint PC-based connection using IP connectivity. This article describes the first application of this technology, the evolution of ISDN and IP systems in nursing education and practice, and suggests appropriate future trends for their utility in nursing.

A citizens' advice service in primary care: improving patient access to benefits

The links between deprivation, poverty and ill health are well known, but many people with significant health problems do not claim welfare benefits to which they are entitled. Accessing advice within primary health care may be one way of tackling this problem. The aim of this development project was to develop and evaluate over a 3-year period a welfare rights advice and information service that would not only complement the work of the primary health care team, but also target those patients who were most in need. The service was developed using an action research approach. Three models were used with different primary health care teams. The evaluation consisted of both qualitative and quantitative elements. The qualitative study used semi-structured one-to-one interviews with 11 patients who consented to be contacted, two Citizens' Advice Bureau workers and 26 primary health care team members from 10 general practices in Gateshead covering a wide range of practices and patients (approximately 73 000) from all socio-economic groups, and additional focus group interviews with three further primary health care teams. Quantitative data were collected by the Citizens' Advice Bureau on 683 patients and benefits received. A welfare rights service with an attached Citizens' Advice Bureau worker was seen as beneficial by the primary health care team. The work of the primary health care team was complemented by the CAB worker's additional expertise. Many patients entitled to benefits who would not otherwise have sought advice from a Citizens' Advice Bureau worker were referred by primary health care team members. It was found that targeting people unable to access the surgery reached those most in need in the project group. For those referred, a cumulative total of £1 641 865 was gained during the lifetime of the project. Many patients were referred and as a result received benefits. Optimum use of the service was achieved by restricting the service to the housebound. The use of a dedicated telephone line appeared to maximize the use of the workers' time, and also made few demands on the time of the primary health care team.

Meeting women's need for a flexible abortion service: retrospective study of a specialist day-care unit.

Services for women seeking termination of pregnancy under the National Health Service have persistently failed to meet targets on accessibility and quality of care. A specialist day-care service was established in Lincoln in April 1993, taking referrals from general practitioners and family planning doctors via a dedicated telephone line and offering specialist counselling and the option of medical termination. The impact of this service was investigated in a retrospective study. Women attending Lincoln County Hospital with an unwanted pregnancy between April 1991 and March 1996 were included. Demographic details and data on in-hospital care were obtained from the Patient Administration System; resident population data were obtained from routine sources; dates of last menstrual period and referral were obtained from samples of patient records and entries in ward diaries; patient satisfaction was assessed by questionnaire in a consecutive sample of 44 women. The number of terminations provided at Lincoln County Hospital increased from 24 to 40 per month at the time the service began. The proportion of the resident population's demand met by the local provider increased from 48 per cent to 83 per cent. Terminations before nine weeks increased from 24 per cent to 43 per cent; those beyond 12 weeks fell from 15 per cent to 7 per cent. Median gestational age at termination fell from 76 days to 60 days. Forty per cent of suitable women opted for medical termination. The new service was associated with a pronounced and sustained improvement in National Health Service termination of pregnancy. When offered the choice, many women opted for medical termination.

Systems electronic information

The Internet is a loosely organized and as yet unregulated network of computers. It stretches across the entire world, knowing no political or geographic boundaries. The physical connections are usually high speed, dedicated telephone lines. They may be old-fashioned copper wires, modern fiber optics, microwave or even satellite lines. There is much redundancy in the connections and the routing of information occurs almostrandomly. A computer in Minneapolis may connect to one in California by way of Denver one day and Washington, D. C. the next. No one person or even organization knows exactly how the Internet works. Local system administrators know how their own part of the network operates and what other remote systems they are connected to.

Communication during the recruitment phase of a multicenter trial: The recruitment hotline

The Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation (BARI) is a randomized trial that compares the safety and efficacy of angioplasty and bypass surgery in selected patients with multivessel coronary disease. During recruitment, the Clinical Coordinating Center (CC) required an organized manner of responding to the many questions expected from the 18 clinical sites. Thus a dedicated telephone line was established to provide the clinical sites with information quickly and ensure consistent dissemination of information. In addition, the hotline functioned as a backup mechanism for patient randomization in the event of a computer failure at one of the sites. During the first 13 months of recruitment, 1332 calls were received. The average number of daily calls peaked at 7.3 with 14 calls being the highest in any one day. Calls gradually declined as the clinical sites became more familiar with the protocol, data collection forms, and computer systems. Most questions were answered by the data management staff; however a substantial number (37%) required faculty level input. For questions that could not be answered immediately, the median time for a return call was 25 min. The BARI hotline was an efficient way to provide accurate and consistent feedback to all sites and to identify areas that required protocol clarification. It allowed rapid identification of differences in protocol interpretation across sites so that these variations could be addressed. Review of specific questions by the Operations Committee resulted in decisions on how to apply the protocol to particularly difficult or exceptional cases. While the system was labor-intensive, its benefits outweighed this disadvantage. Recommended modifications to lower costs would result in a system that could be easily adapted for use in other clinical trials.

The SIL Data Acquisition and Monitoring System

INTRODUCTION In the past, computerized seismological networks used dedicated telephone lines for continuous telemetering of relatively low-dynamic range, narrow bandwidth data to a central recording facility. These networks have served well the purpose of studying the spatial and temporal distribution of seismicity. However, the high data transmission costs, limitations in dynamic range and bandwidth, and the distortion problems associated with long-distance transfer of analog data have limited the possibility of retrieving the earthquake source information carried by the seismic waves. In the 1980s some networks were designed using microor mini-computers for digitization and data decimation at the observation sites. Event detection is performed in the computer at each site and only the detected events are transferred to the center. Partly due to the relatively high investment cost of these systems, the station spacing within the networks is rather large, limiting the routine analysis to origin time estimation, epicenter location, and...

Seismogenic zone survey by Algerian Telemetered Seismological Network; case-study of Rouina earthquake, 19 January 1992

Abstract A new telemetered seismological network has been recently installed in northern Algeria. At present, this new seismic network includes 30 stations, with a final goal of 32 stations connected by radio and dedicated telephone lines to a centre located at the CRAAG headquarters in Alger-Bouzare´ah. The Algerian Telemetered Seismological Network (ATSN) stations are all equipped with short-period seismometers. Monitoring by this network will allow a more precise knowledge of the seismicity in Algeria and southern Europe. As an example, the sequence of the Rouina earthquake ( M = 5.2) of 19 January 1992 recorded by the ATSN is described.

Evaluation of an electronic message strip to recruit smokers to a smoking cessation program.

Knowledge of outcome is essential when analyzing effectiveness of educational programs. Although quantitative data can be analyzed more rigorously than other forms of data, quantitation of behavioral processes is often difficult. To promote our smoking-cessation program we designed a method that relies on electronic message strips and a dedicated telephone line capable of providing quantitative outcome information. This approach appears quite versatile and shows that the electronic message strip is a surprisingly ineffective method of enlisting subjects into a smoking-cessation program in our hospital.

Program for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in high-risk orthopaedic patients

Postoperative orthopaedic patients remain at risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) after hospital discharge. Therefore, the authors designed and implemented a program for prevention of VTE that included outpatient adjusted-dose warfarin using twice-weekly prothrombin time (PT) determinations, a dedicated telephone line for PT results, and vigilant nurse-physician supervision to administer prophylaxis to 125 postoperative orthopaedic patients against VTE for an average of 31.4 days after discharge. PT was maintained between 13.2 and 18.3 seconds (1.1–1.5×control) in the average patient. There was a failure rate of 3.2% and 0.8% for clinically suspected and radiologically confirmed deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), respectively. The rate of bleeding complications was 3.2%, but none of these patients required transfusion or hospital readmission for hemorrhage. The authors conclude that the described program for VTE prevention is a safe, effective, and practical program to administer prophylaxis to postoperative orthopaedic patients against clinically evident VTE for the first month after hospital discharge.

Nursing Homes and Fax Machines

<h3>To the Editor. —</h3> A recent letter by Tangalos et al¹promotes facsimile (fax) transmission of medical orders and information to nursing homes. The authors state that they have found such transmission to be "efficient, error-free, and cost-effective." This may be so, but I am concerned that such transmission is not private. To transmit information using a fax machine, a number is dialed and the original paper inserted in the machine. The fax is then sent to the destination indicated by that telephone number. A misdial may send the fax to an unintended destination (such as an attorney's office). Since the fax machine uses a dedicated telephone line, this error in transmission may go undetected. Do the authors have a mechanism to document the time of transmission and the receipt of their orders? In some nursing homes, the fax machine is kept in the mailroom. Facsimiles are handled with

Real-time greenhouse monitoring and control with an expert system

An autonomous dynamic controller that chooses setpoints for the frequency and duration of misting events was developed and tested. The setpoints were chosen by an expert system, MISTING, that was based on the perceived optimal misting strategy of an experienced grower. System software ran on a general-purpose microcomputer (IBM-PC) that was located 0.5 km from the greenhouse. The remote microcomputer communicated via dedicated telephone line with a monitor/controller (CR21X) located in the greenhouse. Sensor data from the greenhouse were provided as facts to MISTING which returned setpoints to the CR21X which, accordingly, regulated misting line solenoids. Knowledge representation of the grower's perceived control strategy was straight forward because the domain was narrow and very well defined. Implementation was accomplished using commercial software packages as the primary components in the control software and readily available hardware. The system ran for 30 days with no software failures and successfully followed the grower's strategy.

Application of an automated package of pattern recognition techniques to acoustic signature inspection of railroad wheels

An operational acoustic signature inspection system for railroad wheels is described. The purpose is to inspect the wheels on a train as it goes past an inspection site and analyze the data in real time. The wheels on the train are sensed by magnetic wheel sensors that alert an electromechanical hammer installed on the inside of each rail. The hammers strike the wheels on each axle, and the sound is picked up by a microphone installed in front of each hammer and transmitted to a minicomputer at the remote location via dedicated telephone lines. Studies were performed on data obtained from a test consist, specially assembled for this work, and from revenue service trains. Various features were computed in both time and frequency domains, including the spectral cross correlation, the percentage of common peaks, and a measure based on resonance frequencies, and were analyzed using a pattern recognition package. It was concluded that the use of the package resulted in significant improvement in detection of defective wheels and reduction of false alarms.

Effect of a Call-in Prescription Refill System on Workload in an Outpatient Pharmacy

The effect of a computer-assisted call-in prescription refill system on the workload of an outpatient pharmacy was investigated. After installation of a telephone-answering device and a dedicated telephone line in the pharmacy, patients were able to call 24 hours a day and request a prescription refill. A computer system was used to screen the patient's record for drug interactions, print a new label, and update the patient's profile. Data were collected on the number of prescriptions processed per hour and per day before (period 1) and after (period 2) the system was implemented. The workload was assessed by the number of new prescriptions, refills, call-in refills, and total prescriptions processed. The mean number of prescriptions processed per hour ranged from approximately 10 to 178 during both periods. During period 2, the pharmacists processed a mean of 172 and 161 prescriptions per hour for the first and second hours of the day, respectively; for period 1, these means were 112 and 135 prescriptions, respectively. The numbers of refill prescriptions and total prescriptions dispensed during period 2 were significantly greater than those of period 1. Overall, there was a 16.9% increase in prescription volume. The computer-assisted call-in refill system had an effect on the workload and gave pharmacy management some control over the hourly work flow.

Use of Programmable Controllers for Industrial Power Distribution System Monitoring, Control, and Protection

A supervisory control system is used to improve the performance of a conventional industrial plant electrical distribution system. The control system consists of several programmable controllers located throughout a large industrial plant and intercommunicating over leased dedicated telephone lines. Described are the plant power system, supervisory control system functions, programmable controllers' communications scheme, and control programs.

Reception and transmission of infant vocalizations with dedicated telephone lines

A remote control home amplifier is described that allows the investigator to use dedicated telephone lines between the laboratory and the home to record infant vocalizations and provide auditory stimulation to the infant. The procedure allows daily test sessions with the infant, and several infants can be studied each day with one set of laboratory equipment.