Effective Information Provision Research Articles

Challenges of user-centred assistive technology provision in Australia: shopping without a prescription

Purpose: People with disability have a right to assistive technology devices and services, to support their inclusion and participation in society. User-centred approaches aim to address consumer dissatisfaction and sub-optimal outcomes from assistive technology (AT) provision, but make assumptions of consumer literacy and empowerment. Policy discourses about consumer choice prompt careful reflection, and this paper aims to provide a critical perspective on user involvement in assistive technology provision. Methods: User-centred approaches are considered, using literature to critically reflect on what user involvement means in AT provision. Challenges at the level of interactions between practitioners and consumers, and also the level of markets and policies are discussed, using examples from Australia. Results: There is no unanimous conceptual framework for user-centred practice. Power imbalances and differing perspectives between practitioners and consumers make it difficult for consumers to feel empowered. Online access to information and international suppliers has not surmounted information asymmetries for consumers or lifted the regulation of publicly funded AT devices. Conclusions: Ensuring access and equity in the public provision of AT is challenging in an expanding market with diverse stakeholders. Consumers require personalised information and support to facilitate their involvement and choice in AT provision.Implications for RehabilitationVariations in approaches informing AT provision practices have a profound impact on equity of access and outcomes for consumers.An internationalised and online market for AT devices is increasing the need for effective information provision strategies and services.Power imbalances between practitioners and consumers present barriers to the realisation of user-centred practice.

Regional vitalization by movie production -Effective provision of information and information gathering to the citizens of Soja-

Regional vitalization by movie production -Effective provision of information and information gathering to the citizens of Soja-

Information seeking and avoidance throughout the cancer patient journey: two sides of the same coin? A synthesis of qualitative studies.

Understanding what motivates patients to seek or avoid information beyond the medical consultation is essential for effective information provision that will be relevant to patients' needs and preferences. We conducted a synthesis of published qualitative research to provide insight into patients' motivations for cancer information seeking and avoidance. We searched five electronic databases: Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Communication and Mass Media Complete, and Sociological Abstracts. We complemented this process by reviewing reference lists of relevant articles and searching in Google Scholar. We independently assessed the quality of selected studies and used the technique of meta-ethnography to synthesize available findings. Eighteen articles that reported the information-seeking experiences of 650 patients diagnosed with more than 20 different types of cancer were included. Key concepts were experience of diagnosis, sense of control, trust in medical expertise, hope and fear, and need to resume normality. The synthesis revealed the fluid boundaries existing between information seeking and avoidance throughout the cancer journey and pointed toward the exploration of factors that could influence patients' motivations to engage in information seeking. Patient characteristics, disease characteristics, characteristics of incoming information, and the context of cancer care were found to facilitate or hinder individuals' willingness and potential to assume the role of 'informed patient'. This meta-ethnography suggests that information seeking and avoidance should not be necessarily considered as two distinct behaviors pertaining to different groups of patients; rather, a number of personal and contextual characteristics should be taken into account when evaluating patient desire for information.

IN-FLIGHT WEATHER DATA OBTAINING AND EXCHANGE FOR OPERATIVE FLIGHT PATH CORRECTION

In this paper the possibility to use operative information from the dynamic sensors - aircrafts for reconstruction of dangerous weather phenomena actual location and distribution is considered. The algorithm of onboard automated system operation that obtains, exchanges, processes meteorological data and make decision-making support is presented. The system automatically selects and uses operative information that is of high importance for particular flight. The given approach serves to develop safe and economical way of operative flight correction. It is necessary to stress that only the simplest situation is considered in this paper when boarders of dangerous meteorological phenomena is reconstructed using the information from two aircrafts. The presented approach can be used as the basical for broad information flow organization and for control in order to provide the effective information provision and decision-making support to aircraft crew. The results are appointed to satisfy the requirements to modern aviation tendencies and can be used as well to improve the meteorological provision of all corresponding services.

An Architecture for Cloud-based Consumer Support Software-as-a-Service

For enterprises, customer relationships have been commonly recognized as a critical factor in success. Effective customer relationships could help enterprises deliver services to customers based on their needs, preferences, or past transactions. This model, however, emphasizes the use of customer information to benefit enterprises. Customers, in contrast, receive less information from enterprises. To address this issue, the paradigm Consumer Support Systems is proposed to support effective information provision for customers to aid their decision making. In addition, Cloud-based Software-as-a-Service has become popular for its rich set of features and practical applications for business. Thus Consumer Support Systems can begin to employ Software-as-a-Service as the service provisioning model to further enhance their effectiveness with customer relationships. We therefore present an outline for such a Consumer Support Software-as-a-Service system. The architecture is identified from the consideration of Consumer Support Systems and Software-as-a-Service characteristics, through the recognition of architectural components that support the employment of Software-as-a-Service into Consumer Support Systems, and finally ends with a collaborative specification among architectural components to realize the employment. In particular, with Software-as-a-Service features, prospective clouds and their intrinsic configuration elements are identified for deploying architectural components into these elements to facilitate the realization of Consumer Support Software-as-a-Service. The architecture is illustrated by a Consumer Support Software-as-a-Service system for travel arrangements.

Effect of Accessibility and Utilization of Electronic Information Resources on Productivity of Academic Staff in Selected Nigerian Universities

The aim of the paper was to investigate the effect of accessibility and utilization of electronic resources on productivity of academic staff in Nigerian universities. A survey method was used in the study, with a questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. Responses from 324 academic staff out of 586 that were surveyed were used for data analysis. Correlation analysis showed that, there was a positive correlation between accessibility and utilization of electronic resources on productivity of respondents in the survey (r=0.135; p=0.015). This implies that increase in access and use of e-resources will lead to increase in productivity among respondents at the surveyed universities. Similar result was obtained when the hypothesis was tested at international level with r=0.158 and p=0.004. In other words, respondents that access and use e-resources in research frequently publish more articles in international journals than those who do not. It was recommended that, in view of the observed positive impact of e-resources on productivity in the survey; university managements, university librarians, National Universities Commission (NUC) and other stakeholders in Nigerian universities should intensify the process of effective information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion and provision of relevant e-resources in Nigerian universities towards qualitative research. This will also make academic staff in Nigerian universities to be globally competitive for journal space in international journals, and thus bridge the productivity gap between Nigeria and developed countries.

Barriers to Effective End-Of-Life Nursing Care Out-Of-Hours

The End of Life Care Strategy recommended that terminally ill patients living at home must have access to community out-of-hours end-of-life care services. The Strategy particularly emphasised that rapid-response community nursing services should be made available in all areas, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The lack of end-of-life care out-of-hours services can lead to terminally ill and dying patients who want to be cared for at home being admitted unnecessarily to hospital. The number of out-of-hours end-of-life care services has started to increase. However, there are significant variations in terms of service availability and service quality and patients/carers are still experiencing barriers in accessing out-of-hours community care. This article will highlight how lack of information about the out-of-hours service, inadequate nursing communication skills and poor inter-professional communication can have a negative impact on care. It is suggested that effective information provision early in community palliative care could positively impact out-of-hours palliative/end-of-life care nursing services. Conflicts of interest: none

Classifying the Reasons Men Consider to be Important in Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Testing Decisions: Evaluating Risks, Lay Beliefs, and Informed Decisions

Despite uncertainty regarding the benefits of prostate cancer screening, many men have had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. This study aims to identify classes of reasons guiding men's decisions about prostate cancer screening and predict reasoning approaches by family history and prior screening behaviour. First-degree relatives of men with prostate cancer (n = 207) and men from the general population (n = 239) of Australia listed reasons they considered when deciding whether to have a PSA test. Responses were coded into 31 distinct categories. Latent class analysis identified three classes. The evaluation of risk information cues class (20.9%) contained a greater number of men with a family history (compared with control and overcome cancer/risk class; 52.7%). Informed decisions and health system class (26.5%) included a lower proportion of men who had had a PSA test and greater proportions of highly educated and married men. Understanding the reasons underlying men's screening decisions may lead to a more effective information provision and decision support.

Assessing the Suitability of Written Stroke Materials: An Evaluation of the Interrater Reliability of the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) Checklist

Purpose: Written materials are frequently used to provide education to stroke patients and their carers. However, poor quality materials are a barrier to effective information provision. A quick and reliable method of evaluating material quality is needed. This study evaluated the interrater reliability of the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) checklist in a sample of written stroke education materials. Methods: Two independent raters evaluated the materials (n = 25) using the SAM, and ratings were analyzed to reveal total percentage agreements and weighted kappa values for individual items and overall SAM rating. Results: The majority of the individual SAM items had high interrater reliability, with 17 of the 22 items achieving substantial, almost perfect, or perfect weighted kappa value scores. The overall SAM rating achieved a weighted kappa value of 0.60, with a percentage total agreement of 96%. Conclusion: Health care professionals should evaluate the content and design characteristics of written education materials before using them with patients. A tool such as the SAM checklist can be used; however, raters should exercise caution when interpreting results from items with more subjective scoring criteria. Refinements to the scoring criteria for these items are recommended. The value of the SAM is that it can be used to identify specific elements that should be modified before education materials are provided to patients.

Patterns of Coping with Partner Violence: Experiences of Refugee Women in Jordan

The relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and women's use of negative and positive coping strategies was investigated. For this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 300 refugee women was recruited from health care centers in three cities in Jordan. Logistic regression adjusted to women's demographic characteristics was used. The study's results revealed that, compared to non victims, victimized women showed a lower tendency to receive psychological support from the family (adjusted OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.29-0.96), to smoke (adjusted OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.09-0.82), to use tranquilizers (adjusted OR = 0.014, 95% CI = 0.00-0.86), to think of suicide (adjusted OR = 0.04, 95% CI = 0.009-0.15), and to attempt suicidal actions (adjusted OR = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.002-0.19). The study indicated that women's lack of use of negative coping strategies (smoking, use of tranquilizers, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal actions) was promising. However, the lack of use of positive coping strategies (disclosure of abuse, psychological support from friends, and help from family/friends) was somewhat concerning. The role of health care professionals may be helpful in this context. Counseling and support to IPV victims via effective listening, nonjudgmental discussions, and provision of information can be offered by health professionals as part of the treatment in health care centers.

A Semantic-Based Development Method for Consumer Support Systems

For enterprises, customer relationships have been commonly recognized as a critical factor to succeed their business. Effective customer relationships could help enterprises deliver services to customers based on their needs, preferences, or past transactions. This model however emphasizes on the use of customer information for benefiting enterprises; customers in contrast receive less information from enterprises. To address this issue, a new paradigm, namely Consumer Support Systems (CSS) is initiated to support effective information provision for customers to help on their decision making. In this paper, we present a semantic-based method for the development of such a new CSS paradigm. The method starts from the identification of CSS characteristics, through the recognition of architectural components that support the realization of these issues, and finally ends with the specification of collaborations among architectural components to realize these issues. In particular, for those inherent integration issues in CSS, it imposes semantic ontologies on the specifications to facilitate integration among customers and enterprises. The method is modeled by UML and illustrated by a CSS for travel arrangement.

Effective Information Provision as a Panacea for The Resolution Of Conflict In Autonomous Communities: A Case Study Of Amiyi Akah Community

The paper studied the Amiyi Akah Community, a village in Umuaka Autonomous Community in Njaba Local Government area of Imo State, Nigeria. The paper adopted a survey method and used questionnaire complemented with unstructured interviews and observation to elicit the desired responses. In all, the target population was 10% of the entire population. Since it runs in thousands only 1480 were used. Data collected were analyzed using tables and graphic representations. In conclusion, it was observed that autonomous community creation is a welcome venture if the government would strictly stipulate guideline be used in Ezeship election of which has been the major source of conflict. Communities should work towards establishing rural libraries and information centres to help in keeping the populace educated and informed on the on-goings in the society. Keywords: Information provision, conflict resolution autonomous communities, Amiyi Akah Community.

Potentials of fee-based library services in Nigeria: with a case report of a fee-based service in a medical library

Libraries have traditionally been custodians of information which are provided free of charge to users. Recent decline in funds to libraries and the change in the concept of information from a free resource to a marketable resource in the information age have necessitated the re-evaluation of free services in the libraries. The article presents a case report of a fee-based CD-ROM Medline medical information search service in the medical library of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. Analysis of the Annual Reports of Medline service shows that a total of 1561 users accessed the service during the six year period it lasted. The article presents the potential benefits of fee on the service as no interruption of service because of lack of funds and staff motivation. In addition the paper presented other potential benefit Nigerian libraries can derive from fee-based service which include increased technology acquisition as most fee-based services require a measure of technology. In conclusion the paper notes that with careful planning, fee-based library services have the potentials to help generate income for effective information provision in Nigerian libraries.Key words: SERVICOM, User, Services, Univeristy, LibraryKey words: Fee-based, Library, Services, MEDLINE, University

Effective communication and information provision in radiotherapy—the role of radiation therapists

AbstractIntroduction:Health professionals have a duty of care to radiotherapy patients in providing them with adequate information before treatment. There is a lack of research that describes the roles of radiation therapists and radiation oncology nurses in providing information to patients. This study aimed to: (1) explore how radiation therapists communicate with breast cancer patients during a radiotherapy planning appointment; (2) determine what information is provided during this appointment and (3) explore radiation therapists’ perspectives on their role in providing patient information and support.Methods:The following methodologies were used: self-report questionnaires; simulated radiotherapy planning sessions and joint interpretive forums. Statistical analysis was used to analyse the questionnaires and the simulated planning sessions and forums were analysed qualitatively.Results:A total of 110 radiation therapists participated in the survey. We simulated two radiotherapy planning appointments and held two forums. Four themes emerged: role definitions, reducing patient anxiety and distress, barriers and strategies for effective communication and confidence in patient communication.Conclusion:Radiation therapists play an important role in communicating with patients and providing information, particularly if patients exhibit anxiety and distress. Further research is required to determine whether patients’ information needs can be met with additional information provided by radiation therapists.

Child and family information centre in paediatric accident and emergency

Purpose – In the era of evolving National Health Service with its visions for the future planned, the concept of “informed patient” has never been so important. Effective information provision is a prerequisite for partnership among child patients, their parents and health professionals. The purpose of this study is to determine the need for a Child and Family Information Centre outreach terminal in the waiting area of the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department for parents/carers who would like information about their child's medical condition.Design/methodology/approach – This was a prospective study, which was conducted in a paediatric A&E department. It included 184 patients over six weeks' duration.Findings – A total of 91 per cent of parents requested information. Young mothers were the group most interested in access to information. Most respondents in the A&E setting admitted that they would be unlikely to use a terminal in the A&E department but would complete enquiry forms to request postal inform...

Capability-Enhanced Probe Vehicle Surveillance System with Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

A variety of robust advanced traffic management and information systems (ATMIS) are in development. ATMIS applications include real-time traveler information, route guidance, traffic control, congestion monitoring, incident detection and management, and evaluation. Point- and section-based traffic measurements are available through existing surveillance technologies such as loops and automatic vehicle identification systems. However, seamless and more reliable traffic data are required for more effective traffic information provision and operations. With the advancement of sensor and communication technologies, such as the Global Positioning System, individual vehicle travel information is readily available. The availability of individual vehicle trajectory data would enable determination of seamless and reliable real-time travel times that could be used by ATMIS. A novel probe vehicle surveillance system that uses vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) wireless communication is introduced. A framework for the proposed system and evaluations, including simulation and field experiments, is presented. Parameters associated with the functional requirements of the proposed system, including the market penetration rate of equipped vehicles, the V2V communication range, and the travel time aggregation interval are investigated in an evaluation framework based on Monte Carlo simulation. Field test results and identified technical issues are discussed. It is expected that the proposed system will serve as an invaluable precursor to the development of a next-generation traffic surveillance system.

AN OBJECT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT METHOD FOR CONSUMER SUPPORT SYSTEMS

In recent years, customer relationships have been recognized by enterprises as a critical factor to succeed in their business. Effective customer relationships can help enterprises to deliver more satisfying products/services to customers based on their needs, preferences, or past transactions. This model, however, emphasizes the use of customer information to benefit enterprises; in contrast customers receive less information from enterprises. To address this problem, many technologies have been proposed such as recommendation systems and intelligent agents that provide customers with more information for their possible needs. However, these technologies still have some shortcomings that initiate the discussion of a new Consumer Support Systems (CSS) paradigm. CSS is specifically structured to provide consumers with effective information from enterprises to support their decision making. In this paper, we present an object-oriented method for the development of CSS that supports enhanced customer relationships by emphasizing on effective information provision from enterprises to consumers. The method starts from the identification of CSS characteristics, through the recognition of a system architecture that supports the realization of these characteristics, and finally ends with the analysis and design of architectural class objects that collaborate to realize these characteristics. The method is use case driven with UML and Petri nets notations utilized and extended as its modeling tool. To illustrate this, the method is applied to an exemplified CSS for book publishing.

Measuring patient satisfaction in sexually transmitted infection clinics: a systematic review

Objectives:Measuring patient satisfaction is an important aspect of making services attractive to patients and improving service delivery, and outpatient-based clinics are increasingly assessing service quality using patient-based outcome measures. No...

Meeting information needs of patients with incurable progressive disease and their families in South Africa and Uganda: multicentre qualitative study

Objectives To explore the information needs of patients with progressive, life limiting disease and their family caregivers in South Africa and Uganda and to inform clinical practice and policy in...

Provision Of Information Services For Distance Learners In Developing Countries: A Case Of The Open University Of Tanzania

The success of distance education depends on effective provision of information to students and lecturers. With the prevailing economic circumstances in developing countries quite a number of distance education institutions and programmes are more likely to be developed. The Open University of Tanzania (OUT) which was established in 1993 is one such programme. It started off with only a few educational and information resources and facilities but now provides university education to many who could not afford to join full-time campus based universities. Based on case study approach that is characterised by interviews and documentary sources, this work examines some of the information provision practices and experiences of the university that can be emulated by other distance education institutions and programmes in the developing world. Specifically the study examines the feasibility of establishing the university, availability of study materials, provision of study centres, and utilization of nation-wide information resources, forging links with other institutions, provision of ICT-based resources and facilities, equity and gender issues.University of Dar Es Salaam Library Journal Vol. 9 (1) 2007: pp. 16-30