Function Of Department Research Articles

Enhancing efficiency of hospital quality monitoring and evaluation system using linked spreadsheets on Microsoft SharePoint

Background Establishment of a systematic way of measurement and utilization of indicators for improvement is one of the most challenging issues in monitoring and evaluation of indicators in healthcare settings. In realizing these fundamental challenges, we designed a monitoring and evaluation system incorporating a hospital-wide quality variance report (QVR) system using linked Microsoft Excel® spreadsheets on Microsoft SharePoint®. Methods Indicators were determined at the departmental/unit level in line with the institutional goals, departmental functions, quality expectations, inputs/outputs, clinical priorities, compliance to policies/procedures/protocols/guidelines/pathways as well as in response to gaps in service delivery picked during root cause analyses. The sample design was determined in accordance with the characteristics of the population. Drawing of sample units was done using a simple random sampling technique without replacement or systematic random sampling. The indicator’s monitoring was enhanced visually by allocating colour codes based on performance across the months and quarters. The action plan tab consisted of a platform that aids in documenting corrective actions arising from the performance reviews. Results and discussion The QVR reporting system ensured a standardized format of monitoring throughout the institution with a reduced turnaround time from data collection to analysis. Further, continuity of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system was guaranteed even if an individual left the institution. The analysis of the QVR allowed hospital-wide trending on cross-cutting indicators with consequent ease of communication to multiple stakeholders. The automation has saved time and increased accuracy which has enhanced credible engagements during quality meetings. Conclusions Use of this system greatly enhanced quality performance monitoring in the hospital, identification of major bottlenecks that warranted hospital-wide projects or departmental-level projects. The QVR system enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of quality monitoring from data collection through to performance reviews. The QVR structure allows for customized development of an M&E database application software.

Unleashing Synergies: Interplay between Human Resource Management, Strategic Marketing, and Corporate Financial Performance

This research explores the confluence of Human Resource Management (HRM), Strategic Marketing Management (SMM), and Corporate Financial Performance (CFP), offering a comprehensive understanding of their synergistic effects on organizational success. The study provides empirical evidence supporting the theory that a strategic blend of HRM and SMM is instrumental in enhancing financial performance. Efficient HRM practices, which improve productivity and innovation, coupled with effective SMM strategies that strengthen market positioning and revenue flows, are shown to be significant drivers of sustainable financial growth. The managerial implications of this integration are profound, underscoring the need for business leaders to consider investments in human resource development and strategic marketing as pivotal to the company's long-term success rather than as mere departmental functions. Through a quantitative analysis using SMARTPLS with a sample size of 150, the research contributes to management literature by highlighting the often-overlooked functional interconnections between HRM and SMM divisions. It challenges the conventional compartmentalization of these functions and advocates for a more integrative approach within corporate strategies. The findings indicate that companies embracing this integrated approach tend to report superior financial performance. This study addresses a gap in existing literature by demonstrating the collective impact of HRM and SMM on CFP across various industries, organization sizes, and cultural contexts, emphasizing the strategic amalgamation of these practices as a source of competitive advantage and financial enhancement.

Polysemy and the sociolinguistics of policy ideas: resilience, sustainability and wellbeing 2000–2020

In policy studies, there is a concern with understanding how new ideas affect policymaking. Central to this is the issue of how ideas become collectively adopted by policy actors. The policy paradigm perspective—the classical way of understanding collective adoption—has faced criticism for overestimating the coherence of adopted ideas and not paying sufficient attention to the micro-scale cognitive processes at play during collective adoption and how these are conditioned by macro-scale organisational processes and structures. This paper provides a sociolinguistic account of the collective adoption of policy ideas that explicitly relates micro-scale cognitive processes (interpretation, attention allocation) to macro-scale organisational structure (division of labour). Drawing on relevance theory, it argues that implicit in the diffusion of an idea within policy circles is an organisationally coordinated interpretive process which results in multiple versions of the idea adapted to the division of labour of government. Supporting this is an empirical analysis of the collective adoption of resilience, sustainability and wellbeing by the British government during 2000–2020. Using a dataset of policy documents (~ 163 million tokens) published by 12 British central departments, I use BERT to automatically extract the different senses expressed by occurrences of ‘resilience’, ‘resilient’, ‘sustainable’, ‘sustainability’ and ‘wellbeing’. I examine how these senses contribute to changes in the use of this vocabulary, the contents of these senses, and the distribution of these senses across the 12 departments. Through this, I examine senses that express versions of resilience, sustainability and wellbeing adapted to particular departmental functions.

Using a Result-Oriented Systems Thinking approach to design and evaluate strategies for the digital transformation management of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Digital technologies offer diverse opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, for an effective use of these technologies, a well-defined managerial strategy and implementation roadmap are essential. These elements ensure the efficient application of digital tools, ultimately leading to improved organizational performance. Organizations striving for business excellence aim to establish sustainability, drive transformation, and continuously improve their adaptable, dynamic capabilities. While customer requirements and needs should remain a primary focus, it is equally important to assess potential internal and external incidents through various scenarios.Systems Thinking approaches have been promisingly used in business model research, innovation, and development in helping to understand the complexity inherent in dynamic situations. Despite its potential, there is a scarcity of literature exploring Systems Thinking and associated network analysis specifically addressing digital transformation techniques in SMEs.This research study aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive insight into digital transformation strategies for SMEs. Employing a results-oriented, strategic Systems Thinking simulation, the study explores the identification of digital transformation strategies by evaluating the interrelations and performance of various departmental functions. With that best actions for achieving an effective, stable, and enhancing organization could be determined.

The Role of POSCO’s Communication Division: Serving as an Authentic Messenger to Promote Business Activities and Consistent Messaging

Objectives: The importance of communication in promoting a company’s management philosophy and business outcomes to both internal and external stakeholders is growing. The purpose of this case report is to introduce how a company managed to shed its 50-year-old organizational culture by embracing a new management philosophy that helped to enable the transition. Methods: This paper introduces global Korean steelmaker POSCO’s new management philosophy, “Corporate Citizenship,” which applies a systematic and strategic approach to communication, defined at both cultural and organizational levels, in media channel operations and content creation. Results: POSCO’s efforts demonstrated a successful communication alignment of management philosophy with organizational structure and departmental functions. Their corporate public relations organization comprises three departments: Public Relations (PR) Planning, PR, and Communication Content. In particular, integrated marketing communication efforts were adopted by rolling out a strategic portfolio of new media channels. As a result of POSCO’s multi-modal communication efforts, performance statistics such as page views, subscribers, and interactions increased significantly. Conclusions: Academic literature suggests that once an organizational culture has been established, it cannot be easily changed. However, by generating consensus and building understanding from a broad base of stakeholders, combined with strategic communication programs that contain authentic messaging, a significant impact can be created both inside and outside an organization.

GAPS IN THE ANTI-TERRORISM FUNCTION OF THE EMERCOM OF RUSSIA

In order to increase the effectiveness of the participation of the Russian Emergencies Ministry in countering terrorism, including nuclear (radiological) terrorism, based on the methods of interpretation of legal norms, comparative legal and system analysis of regulatory legal acts and the content of basic concepts regulating the competence of authorities, the author revealed a mismatch of functions EMERCOM of Russia and its territorial bodies. An analysis of the elements of legal norms on countering terrorism in the activities of the Ministry and its subordinate bodies shows a split approach to the entire system and its individual structural elements. The results of a comparative law study of legal relations in the field of countering terrorism demonstrate disproportions in the main functions of the Main Directorates for the constituent entities of the Russia and the Ministry itself, the mismatch of departmental competence with the norms of basic anti-terrorist legislation, which is reflected in the quality and completeness of their implementation in practice. Therefore, the author proposes to clarify departmental functions in accordance with the current legislation of the Russia and make appropriate changes to the Decree of the President of the Russia of July 11, 2004 No. 868.

A Century of Seminars: Celebrating the Centennial of Knowledge Transfer in Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota

The advent of horticulture, backed by research, teaching, and extension in the State of Minnesota during the 1800s, had long-term ramifications for initiating opportunities for the newly formed University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Minnesota State Horticultural Society—all of which worked closely together. The founding of the horticulture department in 1888, then known as the Division of Horticulture and Forestry, provided long-term commitment to address the needs of the horticulture field. The integration of female students in 1897 provided inclusivity of gender perspectives in horticulture and enabled essential services during World War I (WWI), when male students, faculty, and administrators were drafted into military service. After the sudden death of Dr. Samuel Green, the first Department Head, in 1910, Dr. LeRoy Cady (who served as an Acting Department Head) instituted a novel idea at the time of having weekly departmental seminars. These formally commenced on 13 Jan. 1913, with the first seminar entitled “Organization of the Seminar.” A survey across the country of horticulture or plant science-based departments revealed its uniqueness as being the oldest seminar series in the country and, undoubtedly, the world. An early seminar tradition included taste-testing of fruit. Early seminars were conducted in the department office of the newly built Horticulture Building (opened in 1899). This idea of the seminar format—as a valuable mechanism of exchanging ideas and increasing department associations—was spread by faculty and Dr. Cady at national and regional meetings of the American Society for Horticultural Science. The seminar concept stretched across the country to other universities and colleges with horticulture programs to make such a forum commonplace to convey research, teaching, and outreach findings in academic settings. Knowledge of the history of the seminar series remained obscure until the record book was discovered in 2010, which provided documentation of its founding and the early years of knowledge-sharing in seminar format. To mark this unique event in horticultural science, a centennial celebration of the seminar series occurred on 13 Jan. 2013. An estimated total of 1899 seminars have been presented during this century-long period. However, a gap in the seminars during 1916 to 1925 was unexplained in the record book. Examination of the departmental, college, and university archives during this time period revealed two primary reasons for this: WWI and the 1918 influenza epidemic. The War Department’s takeover of all college and university campuses in 1918 resulted in the decimation of the faculty and student body by mandatory service (all males age 18–45 years), the institution of a wartime curriculum (which limited the number and types of horticulture classes), the takeover of essential departmental functions by nondrafted men and all female students/faculty, the building of barracks (many of which were on horticultural research plots), and the cessation of all activities, including the seminar. Concurrently, the 1918 influenza outbreak prohibited social gatherings, thus limiting interactions such as seminars. Only a few photographs exist of students wearing masks in 1918, but the impact of the flu seriously affected the ability of students to return to the University of Minnesota after WWI. One subtle benefit in 1918 was the first-ever admission of disabled students (veterans) to horticulture classes. The deaths of students, faculty, and administrators on WWI battlefields, in training camps, or by influenza, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, devastated the department for years. Lessons learned from these tragedies resonate with the modern-day continuation of the seminar series in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Hospital quality monitoring and evaluation system using linked spreadsheets on Microsoft SharePoint

Background Establishment of a systematic way of measurement and utilization of indicators for improvement is one of the most challenging issues in monitoring and evaluation of indicators in healthcare settings. In realizing these fundamental challenges, we designed a monitoring and evaluation system incorporating a hospital-wide quality variance report (QVR) system using linked Microsoft Excel® spreadsheets on Microsoft SharePoint®. Methods Indicators were determined at the departmental/unit level in line with the institutional goals, departmental functions, quality expectations, inputs/outputs, clinical priorities, compliance to policies/procedures/protocols/guidelines/pathways as well as in response to gaps in service delivery picked during root cause analyses. The sample design was determined in accordance with the characteristics of the population. Drawing of sample units was done using a simple random sampling technique without replacement or systematic random sampling. The indicator’s monitoring was enhanced visually by allocating colour codes based on performance across the months and quarters. The action plan tab consisted of a platform that aids in documenting corrective actions arising from the performance reviews. Results and discussion The QVR reporting system ensured a standardized format of monitoring throughout the institution with a reduced turnaround time from data collection to analysis. Further, continuity of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system was guaranteed even if an individual left the institution. The analysis of the QVR allowed hospital-wide trending on cross-cutting indicators with consequent ease of communication to multiple stakeholders. The automation has saved time and increased accuracy which has enhanced credible engagements during quality meetings. Conclusions Use of this system greatly enhanced quality performance monitoring in the hospital, identification of major bottlenecks that warranted hospital-wide projects or departmental-level projects. The QVR system enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of quality monitoring from data collection through to performance reviews. The QVR structure allows for customized development of an M&E database application software.

Problems of Ideological and Political Education of College Students in the Era of Big Data

The ever-changing rules and regulations, teaching systems and teaching methods of world education ensure great changes in the education system.In view of the practical problems existing in the construction of the rule of law culture in colleges and universities, it is necessary to realize the mufti-disciplinary, dimensional and multi-word collaborative innovation of integrating the rule of law culture into the ideological and political education of college students, break the original boundaries and constraints, truly achieve coordinated operation of departmental functions, integrated development of mufti-disciplines and effective participation of social resources, and comprehensively promote the new development of ideological and political education of college students. Under the guidance of collaborative innovation, we should grasp the concrete working logic in the practical construction, and make it clear that the construction of legal culture in colleges and universities is to adhere to the fundamental educational idea of “cultivating people by virtue”, integrate the concept of legal culture into ideological and political education, pursue the value orientation of legal culture, take socialist core values as the logical starting point, realize the main position of education from theoretical level to practical level, and make every effort to build a new pattern of ideological and political education for college students.The results show that: the number of students returning to the dormitory is the highest when the entrance guard is 20:50-21:10, and the lowest when the entrance guard is 17:50-18:20. The percentage of the students returning to the dormitory during the period of 13:40-13:55 is higher than that of the students in the period of 11:50-12:20.

Hyperlinked Dynamic Standard Operating Procedures for Ensuring Team Safety during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a rapidly evolving situation that demanded frequent revisions to standard operating procedures1 and published guidelines. This high frequency of revisions was a peculiar aspect of the pandemic. We work in a high-volume plastic surgery department at an apex medical institute in India, and with the onset of the pandemic, sweeping changes to the hospital and departmental functions ensued. Considering the need for implementing stringent and uniform infection control protocols to ensure patient and personnel safety,2 we embarked to design standard operating procedures for the activities of our department that were adherent to the superseding institutional guidelines while being specifically tailored to the unique aspects and functions of our clinical specialty. Case-specific standard operating procedures were also necessary to ensure that our management teams were well informed and could minimize procedural delays, especially in time-critical cases of reimplantation and revascularization.3 Intended for doctors, physiotherapists, and nursing staff, we distributed the initial version as a read-only PDF file through e-mail and the WhatsApp Messaging platform (Facebook Inc., Mountain View, Calif.). When preparing the first revision to our standard operating procedures, we recognized several potential problems with this distribution method. For these standard operating procedures to be effective, the new essential information, especially revisions to previously published guidelines, had to be rapidly disseminated to those concerned. Because multiple revisions were expected over a short time span and we did not have the ability to prevent access to obsolete versions, there would be a fragmentation of versions and poor penetration of updated documents over time. This would cause confusion and could lead to accidentally following the outdated guidelines (Fig. 1, left).Fig. 1.: Diagrammatic representation of the fundamental differences between static standard operating procedures and hyperlinked dynamic standard operating procedures. (Left) Static standard operating procedures distributed individually. (Right) Hyperlinked dynamic standard operating procedures distributed using cloud services. SOPs, standard operating procedures.To address this flaw, we decided to host the standard operating procedure document (Fig. 1, right) on Google Drive (Google, Inc., Mountain View, Calif.) (dynamic standard operating procedure), one of many free online cloud storage and synchronization services. This gave us the ability to store our document online as a single file that can be accessed through a unique URL link. Any changes to the standard operating procedure were stored as new versions of the same file and could be accessed through the same URL. Thus, whenever the link is accessed, it will always serve the most recent version. Hyperlinks4 (Web links) were used to provide access to relevant institutional documents and external sources, allowing users an easy access to all relevant information at a single location, rather than having to search for them externally. The file could also be shared with others individually, whereby access is provided only after authentication through their Google account. This can prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing the document and provide feedback regarding which recipients have accessed and are thus up to date. We encouraged all members to always use the link to access the document and to not store an offline copy. We highlighted the changes in each version and maintained an amendment log at the end of the document. Added benefits included the ability for recipients to leave feedback in the form of comments and to be notified of updates. There are many other free and paid services with similar capabilities.5 DISCLOSURE None of the authors has financial conflicts of interest to disclose.

How We Do It: Modified Residency Programming and Adoption of Remote Didactic Curriculum During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVETo describe the modified operational plan we implemented for residents and faculty in our orthopedic surgery department to allow continuation of resident education and other core activities during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.DESIGNDescription of educational augmentation and programming modifications.SETTINGThe Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD.PARTICIPANTSResidents and faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.METHODSIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed and implemented a modified operational schedule and remote curriculum in the orthopedic surgery department of our health system. Our plan was guided by the following principles: protecting the workforce while providing essential clinical care; maintaining continuity of education and research; and promoting social distancing while minimizing the impact on team psychosocial well-being.RESULTSThe operational schedule and remote curriculum have been implemented successfully and allow resident education and other core departmental functions to continue as our health care system responds to the pandemic.CONCLUSIONSWe have been proactive and deliberate in implementing these operational changes, without compromise of our workforce. This experience provides residents exposure to real-life systems-based practice. We hope that our early experience will provide a framework for other surgical residency programs facing this crisis.

Generation Z Graduates Students' Perception towards Effectiveness of Hotel Exposure Training

The Hotel Management Institute provides graduate students with basic skills and knowledge to be recruited and inducted as an entry-level workforce. Before completion of the graduate program, students undergo a Hotel Exposure Training program as part of their graduate study in luxury hotels which gives immense benefits to the students to know more about different functions of the hotel. There is always the perception changes with every graduates students from the time of enrollment to completion of the course. The critical phase is when the graduates students undergo the real time work exposure in the hotel. The research study explores the perception of Generation Z category undergraduate and graduate students. Generation Z are those born after the year 1996. The study focused on the effectiveness of hotel exposure training in terms of gaining confidence, understanding of the hotel operations and its influence, the student's perception on learning professional and technical skills, management practices, departmental functions, employment law and salary and benefit and to identify post-training employment opportunity. The study covered the Generation Z students of IHMC & AN-Chennai, India. The study, conducted by survey method, found that, the perception of the generation Z graduate students on the different variables are positive except the long working hours, which the institute and the host hotel discuss and find solution through better training schedule. The majority of the preference for career choice is in core functions of the hotel. Regarding employment opportunity, there is a scope for the host hotel to identify the required talents in advance and pursue in campus interview.

Separate discussed questions of standartization of authorities of a head of the pre-trial investigation body

The paper is devoted to studying the modern condition of normative-legal regulation of authorities of a head of the pre-trial investigation body. It is noted, that the effective support of realization of criminal proceedings by the pre-trial investigation bodies, declared in art. 2 of the CPC of Ukraine, is impossible without departmental control functioning. According to the actual legislation, realization of such control at a pre-trial investigation by an investigator in criminal proceedings is entrusted to a head of the pre-trial investigation body. It is stated, that the Ukrainian legislation on organization and procedural guidance of a pre-trial investigation needs correspondence for avoiding contradictions, actual for today. Attention is accented that CPC has no foundations, at which a head of the pre-trial investigation body is entrusted to be informed about pre-trial investigation materials that brings an uncertainty element in the work of an investigator. Such statement is explained by the fact that it is not clear, when and which criminal proceeding is possible to require for studying; how many time is needed by a head for studying it; what decisions may be made according to results of such studying. According to the system analysis of the statements of part 3 art. 40 of the CPC of Ukraine and part 2, art. 312 of the CPC, it is stated, that they don’t correspond to each other. At that art. 40 of the CPC of Ukraine is general and art. 312 of the CPC of Ukraine is special, so the last one is priority. A conclusion was made that legislative gaps as to standardization of authorities of a head of the pre-trial investigation body have the negative influence on the law enforcement activity. So, they must be solved by introducing correspondent changes and additions in the CPC of Ukraine and departmental normative-legal acts, regulating the activity of a head of the pre-trial investigation body, and it concerns both organizational aspects and his/her procedural activity.

Evaluation of the short-term and long-term performance of biological invasion management in the China-Myanmar border region

Invasive alien species pose great threats to ecological and economic health and cause enormous losses to global ecosystems. The Mikania micrantha management program is a source of great theoretical and practical insights for regional agricultural and forestry development. In this paper, the invasion history and distribution patterns of M. micrantha in the China-Myanmar Border Region are summarized, and the short-term and long-term performance of the current post-border management program are evaluated. A literature survey found that M. micrantha was mainly distributed in 85 townships of five municipalities along the border in China with Myanmar, suggesting an explicit border-crossing scenario of M. micrantha. The M. micrantha management program has produced positive but short-term results due to the conduction of general investigations, establishment of an extensive monitoring network, development of integrated measures, and improvements of public awareness and participation. However, the long-term management performance was hampered by overlapping departmental functions, lagging and unreliable public feedback, inadequate funding, and biased and passive strategies. We suggest that invasive species committees, social media tools, public-private partnership, and forest restoration and conservation and biological control could greatly improve the situation. This regional-scale research provides referential insights for the development of biological invasion management systems in developing economies under transboundary contexts.

From Agile to DevOps: Smart Skills and Collaborations

Although agile software development approaches have become increasingly prevalent, many organizations, have found they were not able to achieve a more frequent release cadence, largely due to different departmental functions operating in silos. In an effort to remove these silos, companies have moved towards DevOps. As digitalization continues, companies increasingly implement DevOps. We suggest three different stages in the agile to DevOps transition: agile, continuous integration, and continuous delivery. Based on an in-depth case study in an organization with several years’ experience in DevOps, we identify a fundamental disruption in the soft skills that software teams are expected to possess, and in the patterns of collaboration among teams. Arguably, smartness may be characterized as being flexible, teaming up with people who have a different profile, belonging to a different function, and achieving a quicker delivery schedule. In light of this, we argue that DevOps leads to greater smartness for the Information Systems function.

Penggunaan Simple Additive Weighting Dalam Pengembangan Sistem Penunjang Keputusan Penentuan Bonus Karyawan

Employees are the important aspect to determine company progress. PT. Adiperkasa Anugrah Pratama is a company which engaged in manufacturing by giving bonuses to employees as appreciation action, in determining the employees bonuses they have no precise calculation and potential subjectivity to describe employees dissatisfaction. This research is conducted by using simple additive weighting (SAW) method. This method can find the best alternative to determine the amount of employees bonus by finding job period, job position, departmental function and performance value. This method can determine the solution and the optimal alternative. The application designed by Unified Modeing Language (UML) that implemented in PHP programming language with sublime text 3 and MySQL database type. The result of this study is a supportive system that can assist the management in determining the bonus amount of the employees.
 Index Terms—employee, position, bonuses, performance.

MP15: Innovative use of simulation to consolidate pediatric didactic curriculum. A pilot in emergency department continuing medical education

Introduction: Our emergency department (ED) sees a low volume of high acuity pediatric cases. A needs assessment revealed that 68% of our Emergency Physicians (EP) manage pediatric patients in less than 25% of their shifts. The same percentage of EPs as well as ED nurses indicated they were uncomfortable managing a critically unwell neonate. Thus, an interprofessional curriculum focused on pediatric emergencies for ED staff was developed. In-situ simulation education was chosen as the most appropriate method to consolidate each didactic block of curriculum, and uncover important system gaps. Methods: Needs assessment conducted, and emerging themes informed IPE curriculum objectives. A committee of experts in simulation, pediatric emergencies and nursing education designed a full-day, RCPSC accredited, interprofessional in-situ simulation program. Results: Progressive segmental strategy maximized learning outcomes. The initial phase (2 hrs) comprised an” early recognition of sepsis” seminar and 4 rotating skills stations (equipment familiarity, sedating the child, IV starts, and mixing IV medication). This deliberate, adaptive, customized practice was enhanced by expert facilitation at each station, directly engaging participants and providing real-time feedback. The second phase allowed interprofessional teams of MDs, RNs and Physician Assistants to apply knowledge gained from the didactic and skills stations to in-situ simulated emergencies. Each group participated in two pediatric emergency scenarios. Scenarios ran 20 minutes, followed by a 40 minute debrief. Each scenario had a trained debriefer and content expert. The day concluded with a final debrief, attended by all participants. Formalized checklists assessed participants knowledge translation during simulation exercises. Participants assessed facilitators and evaluated the simulation day and curriculum via anonymous feedback forms. Debriefing sessions were scribed and knowledge gaps and system errors were recorded. Results were distributed to ED leaders and responsibilities assigned to key stakeholders to ensure accountability and improvement in system errors. Results All participants reported the experience to be relevant and helpful in their learning. All participants requested more frequent simulation days. System gaps identified included: use of metric vs imperial measurements, non-compatible laryngoscope equipment, inadequate identification of team personnel. As a result, the above-mentioned equipment has been replaced, and we are developing resuscitation room ID stickers for all team roles. Conclusion: Simulation as a culmination to a didactic curriculum provides a safe environment to translate acquired knowledge, increasing ED staff comfort and familiarity with rare pediatric cases. Additionally, is an excellent tool to reveal system gaps and allow us to fill these gaps to improve departmental functioning and safety.

Designing Models for Software as a Service in Cloud Computing

This paper details the case study of the model development at a company that offers software as a service (SaaS) to clients in the services industry. The growing market for SaaS provides the company tremendous opportunities to succeed as a startup. A new cloud-based system is aimed at facilitating the automation of cross-department collaboration by integrating company's Web applications to other service providers and Enterprise Resource Planning systems. However, as it is challenging to dynamically integrate multiple autonomous software systems, the company has identified Web services technologies as the foundation of the next generation software solutions. To create an extensible solution, Event-Driven Process Chain and Unified Modeling Language models are developed to model enterprise business processes and their departmental functions. The models are abstract views of complex enterprise systems. After the implementation of such models, the management team can further address issues related to the cost effectiveness, reliability and data security of software-supported business processes.

Surgical department profile focused on surgical oncology improves significantly the outcomes of major surgery for gastric cancer

Introduction. Gastrectomy for cancer remains a challenge for both the patient and the surgical team. It is regarded as a high-risk surgery with extensive postoperative trauma and significant morbidity and mortality. The experience in the preparation and selection for operative treatment and surgery itself are important factors affecting the outcome. The aim of the study was to analyse, on the basis of the first 6 years of departmental functioning, whether the change in surgical department profile from general to oncological surgery affects the outcome of major surgery for gastric cancer. Materials and methods. Data collected from 114 consecutive patients that underwent major surgery for gastric cancer in the first 6 years of activity of our department were retrospectively reviewed. The department was created on the basis of a previously existing general surgery unit. There were 87 radical and 27 palliative resections. Total gastrectomy was the most common procedure (84%). The material was divided into 2 groups: patients who underwent surgery during first 3 years of the department’s existence (group I, n = 47) and patients who underwent surgery in the second 3-year period (group II, n = 67). Results. In the second three-year period we found: a higher mean age of patients (67.7 vs 63.1 years), a higher rate of artificial feeding applied (94% vs 66%), a higher mean number of harvested lymph nodes (21.3 vs 15.9), a lower rate of oesophageal anastomosis leak (0 vs 8.5%) and an improved 2-year survival rate (62.7% vs 44.7%). All of the mentioned differences exceeded the level of statistical significance. Postoperative mortality was 1.5% in group II and 8.5% in group I (p > 0.05). Conclusion. A surgical department profile focused on surgical oncology improves the outcome of major surgery for gastric cancer.

Local Cultures in Institutional Contexts: The Functions of Academic Departments in Liberal Arts Colleges

The academic department remains understudied as a context of faculty work, particularly in institutional settings beyond the research university. In this article, we report findings from a study of faculty experiences within academic departments in liberal arts colleges, through analysis of interviews with 55 faculty members representing a 13-member consortium of liberal arts institutions in the mid-western U.S. Through inductive analysis and deductive coding from existing models, we identified five functions of departments in liberal arts colleges, including: (a) faculty hiring, retention, and promotion; (b) new faculty socialization; (c) informal interactions, mentoring, and network-building; (d) establishing and communicating institutional and departmental policies, practices, and procedures; and (e) the structuring of academic work. Findings suggest that departmental functions in liberal arts colleges are generally the same as those in other institution types, but play out differently and thus have different consequences for academic careers. Across functions, liberal arts colleges seem to be undergoing an evolution, or perhaps revolution, that has implications for academic work in such contexts.