Elements Of Good Practice Research Articles

‘NEIGHBOURWOODS’: IDENTIFYING GOOD PRACTICE IN THE DESIGN OF URBAN WOODLANDS

Summary The urban woodlands on people's doorsteps are where societal values of woodland are highest but also where urban pressures are at their maximum. NeighbourWoods is a European-wide research project that focuses on aspects of planning, design and management of such woodland and identifies elements of good practice. This article looks at urban woodland design and uses existing information (literature review and case studies) to identify ‘tools’ that have potential to be used in the design or re-design of similar woodland situations elsewhere. Many design-related issues are considered within the range of three general subject areas: woodland location; woodland size, shape and structure; and plant size and species composition. From this review, promising design ‘tools’ are highlighted, such as the use of surveys, different woodland types, zoning, natural colonisation, art in woodlands, and vegetation classification systems.

New Approaches to Innovation Policy: Some Norwegian Examples

The paper describes and assesses three Norwegian innovation policy tools. The tools cover three different models of strengthening firms' innovation capability, i.e. direct financial support, broker and advisory systems and technology or knowledge centres. The tools include some new elements in innovation policy design, and thus, some elements of good practice. Guidelines for good practice includes an interactive perspective on innovation support, a focus on innovation systems, context sensitivity and a regional focus, learning in the support system and receiver-oriented and proactive working methods.

New Approaches to Innovation Policy: Some Norwegian Examples

The paper describes and assesses three Norwegian innovation policy tools. The tools cover three different models of strengthening firms' innovation capability, i.e. direct financial support, broker and advisory systems and technology or knowledge centres. The tools include some new elements in innovation policy design, and thus, some elements of good practice. Guidelines for good practice includes an interactive perspective on innovation support, a focus on innovation systems, context sensitivity and a regional focus, learning in the support system and receiver-oriented and proactive working methods.

Remote Area Indigenous Housing: Towards a Model of Best Practice

This article analyses housing provision for Indigenous populations in remote communities, focusing particularly on the Indigenous Australian population. It uses a 'best practice' framework to do this. It then develops a model of best practice which is used to evaluate remote area Indigenous housing in terms of four stages and six components of housing provision. After summarising the results of the application of the model to some 26 examples, with more detailed analysis of two of them, it reaches conclusions about elements of best practice in remote area Indigenous housing, about best practice methodology and about the wider applicability of the model.

Knowledge for Practice with Transgendered Persons

Most social work practitioners have had very limited knowledge about or information to inform their practice with transgend-ered persons, but cultivating a knowledge base of practice to prepare students to work more competently and effectively with transgendered persons is an essential element of good practice and needs to be integrated into a foundation level social work curriculum in meaningful and conscientious ways. The following paper explores the theme of knowledge for practice with transgendered persons by examining seven areas from where social work practice is derived.

The Cochrane Collaboration

One of the elements of best practice is the use of evidence in decision-making with clients. It is often very difficult for clinicians to access the latest research evidence, to synthesize the findings and to apply the evidence to the practice situation. A recent innovation, The Cochrane Collaboration represents an important step forward in making evidence available in a usable form for busy clinicians. This paper describes the Cochrane Collaboration and suggests ways that occupational therapists can both benefit from and contribute to the Collaboration.

Elements of Best Practice Embedded in These Units

Elements of Best Practice Embedded in These Units

Best practice in bed management

AbstractDuring 1997/98, the Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services will fund lead hospitals to develop models of best practice in bed management under the National Demonstration Hospitals Project Phase 2. The author was a member of the Steering Committee for the project and this paper is a summary of the elements of best practice identified at participating hospitals. This may aid those involved in bed management to develop their systems along best practice lines.

Current trends in the engineering management of subsidence cases

Notes that the management of subsidence cases often involves both engineering consultants and contractors. In order to obtain information on current trends in subsidence management, a survey of both consultants and contractors who deal with subsidence cases was undertaken. Presents the findings of the survey which highlight both elements of good practice and areas for improvement. Also reveals inconsistencies in the procedures adopted by different firms as well as differences between the approaches adopted by consultants and contractors. The results of the survey are being incorporated into the development of a knowledge‐based system for the management of subsidence cases.

Women's satisfaction with antenatal care in a changing maternity service

1) to provide a descriptive analysis of women's views of the antenatal care provided in the study centre; 2) to identify which aspects of antenatal care were important to women; 3) to assess whether or not women 'booked' for delivery at the study centre would welcome the formal introduction of a midwifery-led service and 4) to audit sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction identified in the survey. descriptive survey using a self-administered questionnaire, and a self-administered audit questionnaire using a modified Measure of Satisfaction. the antenatal clinic of one teaching hospital in the north of England between July 1993 and August 1993. The audit was conducted between December 1994 and February 1995. 110 women attending four 'follow up' antenatal clinics participated in the survey and 151 women participated in the audit. many women felt they were already having midwifery-led care and that it was important to them to see a doctor during pregnancy. Generally the women were satisfied with antenatal care. Factors which caused dissatisfaction were, lack of continuity of care, quality of advice, waiting time and these were the focus of the audit. local needs should be assessed before implementing changes in service. Elements of good practice should be identified to ensure that they are not compromised in a changing service. Further evaluation of the changing maternity service is needed to monitor satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

Market research and the politics of new product development

Although there continues to be considerable debate about the factors which determine success in new product development, there is considerable agreement regarding the core elements of best practice (including factors such as market knowledge, marketing skills, top management commitment, organizational flexibility). However, in new product development specifically and marketing in general, there is always the possibility that organizations will adopt the most visible manifestations of such prescriptions while ignoring their substance. The common explanation for such occurrences is the failure to recognize the need to change not just policies but also beliefs and attitudes. However, there may be instances in which a preference for trappings rather than substance reflects a more purposive decision process; in particular, procedures and techniques associated with marketing activities may be adopted as symbols to legitimize decisions which are fundamentally political rather than conventionally rational. The pr...

Cottage Parents

Community Services Victoria (CSV) is assessing the skill requirements of effective practice in its client contact workforce through the Skills Enhancement Project. Staff and clients were asked to identify the skill elements of good practice. This material was then converted into draft competency statements which were validated by other staff groups. Finally, the material was placed in questionnaire format and over 4,600 staff were surveyed about the skills involved in effective client work.Children Australia will progressively reproduce a number of the Project’s effective practice write-ups and report on conclusions arising from the Project. Further information is available from Bob Burgell at CSV. Telephone (03) 412 7140.

Supporting co-operatives and community enterprise

This article lists the elements of good practice required of local authorities in their support for community-based employment initiatives, such as worker co-operatives and highlights some of the areas which so far have received inadequate attention.

Elements of good practice in decentralized clinical laboratories.

The possibilities of producing decentralized clinical laboratory data 'nearer the patient' has augmented rapidly during the last decennium due to both simple and sophisticated equipment, often intended to be operated by nonlaboratorians. The theory and practice of quality assurance in its wider sense has not kept pace with this development. The components of Good Laboratory Practice are presented under the headings: type of laboratory work, discipline, management, personnel, premises, safety, equipment, reagents, standard operating procedures, internal quality control, external quality assessment, method, dedicated operating procedure, syllabi, and clinical relevance. The projects currently being established by different national, regional, and international bodies to formulate guidelines should be coordinated to avoid duplication and conflict.