Expert Interview Study Research Articles

Exploring Differing Perspectives on Sustainability and Corresponding Strategies in German Automotive Companies

In addition to acute crises dominating the societal discourse, such as the global consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the world continues to face the ongoing challenge of limiting climate change and achieving a sustainable transformation. Yet, in public discourse, the widely used terms “sustainability” and “transformation” are not clearly defined, and the understanding varies greatly depending on the industry and the stakeholders considered. One important transformation arena lies within the German automotive industry, as it is one of the country’s biggest industrial sectors by revenue and the number of employees. In addition, the German automotive industry is currently going through a transition period due to the switch to electric drivetrains as the main propulsion technology opposed to combustion engines. Therefore, the following paper identifies the differing understandings of sustainability and according actions in the German automotive industry. Moreover, possible conflicts and prioritizations along the economic, ecological, and social dimensions of sustainability are presented based on an expert interview study. To do so, a structuring qualitative content analysis in combination with a descriptive approach was used focusing on the differing perspectives on sustainability of both the interviewees and their companies. The gathered data then allows to compare the aggregated individual and corporate sustainability perspectives in the German automotive industry, as well as comparing the sustainability perspectives of the interviewees and their respective companies case by case. The results suggest that there is a considerable discrepancy between individual and corporate understandings of sustainability. These differences can mainly be attributed to the companies’ economically driven views in contrast to the individuals’, mostly ecologically driven sustainability perspective. Moreover, several barriers and conflicts, rooted in the prioritization of economic gains, can be traced back to conflicts in the supplier pyramid. The identification of common transformation goals and measures among companies is necessary to enable a collaborative, sustainable transformation in the German automotive industry, which benefits all societal stakeholders in or attached to this sector.

Safety, Identity, Attitude, Cognition, and Capability: The ‘SIACC’ Framework of Early Childhood AI Literacy

With the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in early childhood education (ECE), young children face the challenge of learning to use AI ethically and appropriately. Developing AI education programs requires an age- and culturally-appropriate AI literacy framework. This study addresses this fundamental gap by creating a Chinese framework for early childhood AI literacy through an expert interview study with a grounded theory approach. Seven Chinese experts, including ECE and AI professors, kindergarten principals, and Directors of ECE Information Departments, were purposely sampled and interviewed, representing scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. The synthesis of the transcribed evidence generated five dimensions of young children’s AI literacy, namely Safety, Identity, Attitude, Cognition, and Capability, collectively forming a holistic framework titled the ‘SIACC’ framework. The Chinese definition of early childhood AI literacy was also reported. This study introduces the Chinese framework of AI literacy and provides a scientific basis for policymakers to establish AI literacy standards for young children. Additionally, it offers a conceptual structure for developing systematic indicators and scales within AI literacy in ECE.

The interrelation of scientific, ethical, and translational challenges for precision medicine with multimodal biomarkers – A qualitative expert interview study in dermatology research

This qualitative study examines the impact of scientific, ethical, and translational challenges of precision medicine for atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. The study explores how these challenges affect biomarker research for inflammatory skin diseases as identified by stakeholders, including patient board representatives, pharmaceutical industry partners, and postdoctoral and senior researchers from multiple disciplines in biomarker research. We recruited participating experts both within and associated with the international Biomarkers in Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis (BIOMAP) consortium to ensure representation of the different organizational units of the consortium. For the study, we followed the COREQ checklist. The interviews were conducted using GDPR-safe online platforms and the pseudonymized transcripts were analyzed using Atlas.ti. We analyzed the interviews from participants' personal experiences, topic-oriented, and group specific to identify the main themes presented in this article. The findings were presented to peers and to the wider BIOMAP audience, discussed, and a draft was circulated within the consortium for feedback. In this study, we identify and discuss the interrelation of challenges that are relevant to improving precision medicine with multimodal biomarkers. We show how scientific challenges can interrelate with ethical and translational issues, and explain these interdependencies and articulate epistemic and social factors of interdisciplinary collaboration. Based on our findings, we suggest that including patient representatives’ perspectives is crucial for highly interrelated and widely diverse research. The proposed integrative perspective is beneficial for all involved stakeholders. Effective communication of science requires reflection on the tension between scientific uncertainty and the goals of precision medicine. Furthermore, we show how changing the perception of the diseases, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis can benefit patients beyond medical practice.

Building trees by juggling information and following rules: an expert interview study on tree-building and phylogenetic inference

Tree-thinking is a fundamental skill set for understanding evolutionary theory and, thus, part of biological and scientific literacy. Research on this topic is mostly directed towards tree-reading—the umbrella-term for all skills enabling a person to gather and infer information from a given tree. Tree-building or phylogenetic inference as the second complementary sub-skill-set, encompassing all skills which enable a person to build a phylogenetic tree from given data, is not understood as well. To understand this topic we conducted think-aloud-tasks with tree-building experts and conducted supplementary guided interviews with them. We used school-like character tables, as they are common in high schools for the experts to build trees and audio-recorded their speech while building the trees. Analyzing the transcripts of the tasks we could find a basic methodology for building trees and define a set of backbone-skills of tree-building. Those are based on an iterative cycle going through phases of organizing information, searching and setting taxa/characters, organizing and checking oneself. All experts used simple guidelines, either deploying maximum parsimony to arrive at a solution or relying heavily on their previous knowledge. From that, we were able to utilize our result to formulate a guideline and helpful suggestions especially for beginners and novices in the field of tree-building to develop a better understanding of this topic.

How do behavioral public policy experts see the role of complex systems perspectives? An expert interview study.

Amidst the global momentum of behavioral insights (BI), there has been a shift from mostly nudge-based BI applications to systemic approaches. This is particularly pressing in public health, where interacting issues regularly produce unanticipated consequences. Regardless, little is known about adopting complex systems approaches in behavioral public policy. This study aims to capture current practices of international BI experts on the definition, application, drivers, and hindering factors in adopting complex systems approaches in public policy. Semi-structured individual expert interviews (n = 12) of international BI experts with extensive experience in educating, cooperating with, and/or advising public servants were analyzed with inductive content analysis. While the working definition of BI aligned with published definitions, experts varied in their descriptions of complex systems approaches and its significance for public policy, including socioecological aspects, systematic BI use across policy stages, recognizing intertwined behavior, and lack of ready-made solutions. They emphasized the importance of systems approaches, identifying drivers (e.g. need for a broader focus) and hindrances (e.g. pressure for quick results). Embracing complex systems in behavioral public policy provides a holistic perspective, extending beyond simple nudges, sometimes presumed as universally applicable. While complexity perspectives would align with policymakers' worldview, applications require more work to tailor to local situations and to evaluate. Recognizing that, given their distinct expertise content, BI expertise can be quite different from complex systems expertise. The field would benefit from clear descriptions and specialized training for effective integration and advocacy for these approaches.

A national evaluation analysis and expert interview study of real-world data sources for research and healthcare decision-making

Real-world data (RWD) can provide intel (real-world evidence, RWE) for research and development, as well as policy and regulatory decision-making along the full spectrum of health care. Despite calls from global regulators for international collaborations to integrate RWE into regulatory decision-making and to bridge knowledge gaps, some challenges remain. In this work, we performed an evaluation of Austrian RWD sources using a multilateral query approach, crosschecked against previously published RWD criteria and conducted direct interviews with representative RWD source samples. This article provides an overview of 73 out of 104 RWD sources in a national legislative setting where major attempts are made to enable secondary use of RWD (e.g. law on the organisation of research, "Forschungsorganisationsgesetz"). We were able to detect omnipresent challenges associated with data silos, variable standardisation efforts and governance issues. Our findings suggest a strong need for a national health data strategy and data governance framework, which should inform researchers, as well as policy- and decision-makers, to improve RWD-based research in the healthcare sector to ultimately support actual regulatory decision-making and provide strategic information for governmental health data policies.

Conscientious objection and barriers to abortion within a specific regional context - an expert interview study.

While most countries that allow abortion on women's request also grant physicians a right to conscientious objection (CO), this has proven to constitute a potential barrier to abortion access. Conscientious objection is regarded as an understudied phenomenon the effects of which have not yet been examined in Germany. Based on expert interviews, this study aims to exemplarily reconstruct the processes of abortion in a mid-sized city in Germany, and to identify potential effects of conscientious objection. Five semi-structured interviews with experts from all instances involved have been conducted in April 2020. The experts gave an insight into the medical care structures with regard to abortion procedures, the application and manifestations of conscientious objection in medical practice, and its impact on the care of pregnant women. A content analysis of the transcribed interviews was performed. Both the procedural processes and the effects of conscientious objection are reported to differ significantly between early abortions performed before the 12th week of pregnancy and late abortions performed at the second and third trimester. Conscientious objection shows structural consequences as it is experienced to further reduce the number of possible providers, especially for early abortions. On the individual level of the doctor-patient relationship, the experts confirmed the neutrality and patient-orientation of the vast majority of doctors. Still, it is especially late abortions that seem to be vulnerable to barriers imposed by conscientious objection in individual medical encounters. Our findings indicate that conscientious objection possibly imposes barriers to both early and late abortion provision and especially in the last procedural steps, which from an ethical point of view is especially problematic. To oblige hospitals to partake in abortion provision in Germany has the potential to prevent negative impacts of conscientious objection on women's rights on an individual as well as on a structural level.

Mapping the German Diamond Open Access Journal Landscape

In the current scientific and political discourse surrounding the transformation of the scientific publication system, significant attention is focused on Diamond Open Access (OA). Diamond OA is characterized by no charges for readers or authors and relies on monetary allowances and voluntary work. This article explores the potential and challenges of Diamond OA journals, using Germany as a case study. Two key questions are addressed: first, the current role of such journals in the scientific publication system is determined through bibliometric analysis across various disciplines. Second, an investigation is conducted to assess the sustainability of Diamond OA journals and identify associated structural problems or potential breaking points. This investigation includes an in-depth expert interview study involving 20 editors of Diamond OA journals. The empirical results are presented using a landscape map that considers two dimensions: 'monetized and gift-based completion of tasks' and 'journal team size.' The bibliometric analysis reveals a substantial number of Diamond OA journals in the social sciences and humanities, but limited adoption in other fields. The model proves effective for small to mid-sized journals, but not for larger ones. Additionally, it was found that 23 Diamond OA journals have recently discontinued their operations. The expert interviews demonstrate the diversity within the landscape and the usefulness of the two dimensions in understanding key differences. Journals in two of the four quadrants of the map exemplify sustainable conditions, while the other two quadrants raise concerns about long-term stability. These concerns include limited funding leading to a lack of division of labor and an excessive burden on highly committed members. Gift-like contributions, while appealing, also present challenges as potential donors not only decide whether to contribute but also how to contribute, potentially creating friction between the gift and the journal's requirements. Furthermore, journals in the lower right quadrant often rely on third-party funding, necessitating a transformation once the funding expires. Common pathways for sustaining operations include lobbying for funding at the journal's home institution or increasing reliance on gift-based completion of tasks. These findings underscore the need for the development of more sustainable funding models to ensure the success of Diamond OA journals.

Insights on the Current State and Future Outlook of AI in Health Care: Expert Interview Study.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often promoted as a potential solution for many challenges health care systems face worldwide. However, its implementation in clinical practice lags behind its technological development. This study aims to gain insights into the current state and prospects of AI technology from the stakeholders most directly involved in its adoption in the health care sector whose perspectives have received limited attention in research to date. For this purpose, the perspectives of AI researchers and health care IT professionals in North America and Western Europe were collected and compared for profession-specific and regional differences. In this preregistered, mixed methods, cross-sectional study, 23 experts were interviewed using a semistructured guide. Data from the interviews were analyzed using deductive and inductive qualitative methods for the thematic analysis along with topic modeling to identify latent topics. Through our thematic analysis, four major categories emerged: (1) the current state of AI systems in health care, (2) the criteria and requirements for implementing AI systems in health care, (3) the challenges in implementing AI systems in health care, and (4) the prospects of the technology. Experts discussed the capabilities and limitations of current AI systems in health care in addition to their prevalence and regional differences. Several criteria and requirements deemed necessary for the successful implementation of AI systems were identified, including the technology's performance and security, smooth system integration and human-AI interaction, costs, stakeholder involvement, and employee training. However, regulatory, logistical, and technical issues were identified as the most critical barriers to an effective technology implementation process. In the future, our experts predicted both various threats and many opportunities related to AI technology in the health care sector. Our work provides new insights into the current state, criteria, challenges, and outlook for implementing AI technology in health care from the perspective of AI researchers and IT professionals in North America and Western Europe. For the full potential of AI-enabled technologies to be exploited and for them to contribute to solving current health care challenges, critical implementation criteria must be met, and all groups involved in the process must work together.

‘It’s a nightmare’: informed consent in paediatric genome-wide sequencing. A qualitative expert interview study from Germany and Switzerland

The use of genome-wide sequencing (GWS) in paediatrics has added complexity to informed consent (IC) and pretest counselling because of the vast number and interpretation of potential findings, and their implications. However, empirical data from continental Europe on these issues remains limited. This study therefore aimed to explore the experiences and views of medical geneticists working with children in Germany and Switzerland regarding the challenges of obtaining valid IC in paediatric GWS. Qualitative interviews with 20 medical geneticists were analysed employing reflexive thematic analysis. In the interviews, many medical geneticists questioned the validity of parents’ IC due to the enormous amount of relevant information given and the variety and complexity of the possible test outcomes. Key barriers identified included familial implications, administrative challenges and struggles with non-directiveness. Medical geneticists’ suggestions for improvement included increasing the number of genetics professionals and better information material, which is crucial as GWS becomes a diagnostic standard in the early care pathways of children. An adjustment of aspirations from still existing ideal of traditional fully IC to appropriate IC seems to be needed. Such a more realistic and ethically sound adaptation of the requirements for IC can lead to better ‘informedness’ and improve the validity of the consent. This might also help reduce the moral distress for the medical geneticists involved.

Towards a less voluntary vaccination policy in the Netherlands? Findings from an expert interview study

BackgroundThe Netherlands traditionally favours a voluntary approach to vaccination. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic multiple European countries drastically altered their vaccination policies, which fuelled societal and political debate about the need to make the Dutch vaccination policy less voluntary, particularly by utilising pressure or coercion. AimTo provide insight in expert’s views on main normative issues concerning a less voluntary vaccination policy (for adults). Our study adds to the existing debate by addressing this topic from a multidisciplinary viewpoint. MethodsWe conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with legal, medical and ethical experts on the Dutch vaccination policy, between November 2021 and January 2022. We analysed interview transcripts through inductive coding. ResultsMost experts believe a less voluntary vaccination policy is of added value under certain circumstances, as exemplified by the outbreak of COVID-19. For such a policy, a legislative approach might be most effective. However, different views exist on the desirability of a less voluntary approach. Main arguments in favour are based on epidemiological circumstances and a duty towards the collective health interest, whilst arguments against are based on the questionable necessity and adverse effectiveness of such policy. ConclusionsIf implemented, a less voluntary vaccination policy should be context-specific and take into account proportionality and subsidiarity. It is recommendable for governments to embed such policy (a priori) in flexible legislation.

Leveraging Digital Technologies in Logistics 4.0: Insights on Affordances from Intralogistics Processes

AbstractEmerging digital technologies are transforming logistics processes on a large scale. Despite a growing body of knowledge on individual use cases ranging from collaborative robots to platform-based planning systems in the frontline industrial development of Logistics 4.0, organizations lack a systematic understanding of the opportunities digital technologies afford for logistics processes. To foster such understanding, this study takes an intra-organizational perspective as a central starting point for digitalization initiatives toward Logistics 4.0. It synthesizes current academic research and industrial insights from a systematic literature review and an expert interview study through an affordance lens. The result is a catalog and conceptual framework of ten digital technology affordances in intralogistics (DTAILs) and 46 practical manifestations. Thereby, this study contributes to understanding and leveraging the opportunities digital technologies afford in a leading-edge information systems application domain. It serves as a foundation for further theorizing on Logistics 4.0 and for structuring strategic discussions among organizational stakeholders.

Promoting participation in remote digital health studies: An expert interview study.

Remote digital health studies are on the rise and promise to reduce the operational inefficiencies of in-person research. However, they encounter specific challenges in maintaining participation (enrollment and retention) due to their exclusive reliance on technology across all study phases. The goal of this study was to collect experts' opinions on how to facilitate participation in remote digital health studies. We conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with principal investigators, researchers, and software developers who had recent experiences with remote digital health studies. Informed by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework, we performed a thematic analysis and mapped various approaches to successful study participation. Our analyses revealed four themes: (1) study planning to increase participation, where experts suggest that remote digital health studies should be planned based on adequate knowledge of what motivates, engages, and disengages a target population; (2) participant enrollment, highlighting that enrollment strategies should be selected carefully, attached to adequate support, and focused on inclusivity; (3) participant retention, with strategies that minimize the effort and complexity of study tasks and ensure that technology is adapted and responsive to participant needs, and (4) requirements for study planning focused on the development of relevant guidelines to foster participation in future studies. Our findings highlight the significant requirements for seamless technology and researcher involvement in enabling high remote digital health study participation. Future studies can benefit from collected experiences and the development of guidelines to inform planning that balances participant and scientific requirements.

System Orientation as an Enabler for Sustainable Frugal Engineering: Insights from Automotive Material Development

Research about barriers towards green material transition in automotive often points to technical or regulatory barriers. Contrary we emphasize an under-researched inhibitor, namely the underlying innovation assumptions and technical requirements in organizations that define themselves as quality-driven. As sufficiency represents a vital strategy to encounter corporate sustainability, especially Western organizations are forced to rethink their “bigger and better innovation ideologies”. Thus, our research shows that overly high and complex technical requirements that may not be relevant for a specific use case represent a serious barrier for the implementation of often inferior secondary polymer materials.We address the emerging challenges through the theoretical lens of frugal engineering that offers a promising contribution to corporate sus-tainability due to its focus on core functionalities and optimized performance levels. Using a mixed-method expert interview study as part of an ongoing action research project within a leading German automotive OEM we develop a system-oriented approach for sustainable and frugal engineered polymer materials. The method will support engineers and product developers to overcome overengineering and mitigate requirement-based inhibitors of life cycle engineering. Future research should examine the discussed barrier in other industries and substantiate the applicability of our proposed method with further case studies.

Opportunities and Challenges of Using Feynman Diagrams with Upper Secondary Students

Particle physics is an exciting subject for high school students, and there have been various approaches on how to introduce the topic in the classroom. Feynman diagrams (FDs) are an often-used form of representation in particle physics and could play an important role in such an introduction. However, their potential educational value has not yet been investigated. To this end, we interviewed four experts in the field of particle physics education on the opportunities and challenges Feynman diagrams could pose for high school students. We analyzed their answers using a thematic analysis framework, categorizing them into five themes. The results of these interviews show that there are two challenges (FDs elicit and perpetuate inadequate conceptions about particle physics, and FDs can only be treated superficially in school) and three opportunities (FDs can link particle physics and other physics topics in high school education, FDs offer an opportunity for different particle physics topics to be taught, and FDs offer a connection to current research). The results of this expert interview study lead to several suggestions on how to design learning environments that incorporate Feynman diagrams.

From Testers to Cocreators-the Value of and Approaches to Successful Patient Engagement in the Development of eHealth Solutions: Qualitative Expert Interview Study.

BackgroundResearch has shown that patient engagement is most commonly done at the beginning of research or to test readily available prototypes and less commonly done in other phases such as the execution phases. Previous studies have reported that patients are usually assigned a consultative rather than a decision-making role in health service planning and evaluation.ObjectiveThis study had 2 objectives: to better understand the challenges and opportunities in the inclusion of patients in the development of eHealth technologies and ideas on how to overcome the identified gaps and to create a research-based end-to-end practical blueprint that can guide the relevant stakeholders to successfully engage patients as cocreators in all human-centered design phases rather than mere testers of preplanned prototypes.MethodsKey informant interviews were conducted using in-depth semistructured interviews with 20 participants from 6 countries across Europe. This was followed by a focus group to validate the initial findings. Participants encompassed all the relevant stakeholder groups including patient experts, eHealth experts, health technology providers, clinicians, pharma executives, and health insurance experts.ResultsThis study shows that engaging patients in eHealth development can help provide different types of value; namely, identifying unmet needs, better usability and desirability, better fit into the patient journey, better adoption and stickiness, better health outcomes, advocacy and trust, a sense of purpose, and better health equity and access. However, the participants agreed that patients are usually engaged too late in the development process, mostly assuming a sounding role in testing a ready-made prototype. The justification for these gaps in engagement is driven by some prominent barriers, notably compliance risks, patient-related factors, power dynamics, patient engagement as lip service, poor value perception, lack of resources, mistrust, and inflexibility. On the positive side, the participants also reflected on facilitators for better patient engagement; for instance, engaging through engagement partners, novel approaches such as the rise of professional patient experts, embedding patients in development teams, expectation management, and professional moderation services.ConclusionsOvercoming the current gaps in patient engagement in eHealth development requires consolidated efforts from all stakeholders in a complex health care ecosystem. The shift toward more patient-driven eHealth development requires education and awareness; frameworks to monitor and evaluate the value of patient engagement; regulatory clarity and simplification; platforms to facilitate patient access and identification; patient incentivization, transparency, and trust; and a mindset shift toward value-based health care.

Indicators and countermeasures of modern slavery in global supply chains: Pathway to a social supply chain management framework

AbstractEven though global supply chains are (usually unintentionally) tied to slave labor, research and practice have largely ignored the issue. This is expected to change as civil society activism and new legislation increase the risk of litigation and reputational damage to supply chain partners. To deal with and combat modern slavery in the supply chain, a theory inspired social supply chain management framework consisting of indicators and countermeasures of modern slavery in the supply chain is developed. The framework is refined in a qualitative expert interview study. The theoretical framework is then evaluated by a multimethod empirical analysis that includes a multicase study based on publicly available supply chain data from 6000 media articles and company websites as well as a quantitative empirical study based on survey data from 280 corporate sustainability experts operating in global supply networks. The results show that economic, political‐legal, social, and environmental factors have a significant impact on contemporary slavery in the supply chain. The study also motivates supply chain partners to use preventative and detective measures to reduce the probability of encountering modern slavery actions in their supply chain. Theoretical and managerial implications are drawn from the findings, pointing to a holistic approach to combatting modern slavery in the supply chain.

Neither carrots nor sticks? Challenges surrounding data sharing from the perspective of research funding agencies-A qualitative expert interview study.

BackgroundData Sharing is widely recognised as crucial for accelerating scientific research and improving its quality. However, data sharing is still not a common practice. Funding agencies tend to facilitate the sharing of research data by both providing incentives and requiring data sharing as part of their policies and conditions for awarding grants. The goal of our article is to answer the following question: What challenges do international funding agencies see when it comes to their own efforts to foster and implement data sharing through their policies?MethodsWe conducted a series of sixteen guideline-based expert interviews with representatives of leading international funding agencies. As contact persons for open science at their respective agencies, they offered their perspectives and experiences concerning their organisations’ data sharing policies. We performed a qualitative content analysis of the interviews and categorised the challenges perceived by funding agencies.ResultsWe identify and illustrate six challenges surrounding data sharing policies as perceived by leading funding agencies: The design of clear policies, monitoring of compliance, sanctions for non-compliance, incentives, support, and limitations for funders’ own capabilities. However, our interviews also show how funders approach potential solutions to overcome these challenges, for example by coordinating with other agencies or adjusting grant evaluation metrics to incentivise data sharing.Discussion and conclusionOur interviews point to existing flaws in funders’ data sharing policies, such as a lack of clarity, a lack of monitoring of funded researchers’ data sharing behaviour, and a lack of incentives. A number of agencies could suggest potential solutions but often struggle with the overall complexity of data sharing and the implementation of these measures. Funders cannot solve each challenge by themselves, but they can play an active role and lead joint efforts towards a culture of data sharing.

Risk assessment in gene therapy and somatic genome-editing: An expert interview study

BackgroundInnovation in gene therapy and genome editing raises high expectations for therapeutic breakthroughs. With the increasing maturity of the field, gene products using “gene transfer” technology, such as viral vectors, designer nucleases, incl. CRISPR/Cas, as the most recent, are frequently tested in clinical trials. Before such trials are launched, the anticipated risks and benefits of using gene transfer technologies must be evaluated to ascertain an ethical balance of risks and benefits. MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with experts (n=15) in gene therapy/genome editing. We applied thematic text analysis to identify the qualitative spectrum of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of a risk assessment approach to gene therapy/genome editing research based on a comprehensive set of nine mechanistic categories of adverse reactions combined with estimates of risk probability according to World Health Organization (WHO) adverse reaction terminology. ResultsOur study revealed a clear demand for a structured approach to risk assessment gene therapy/genome editing. The interviews indicate that the nine presented mechanistic categories may be helpful to structure this risk assessment prior to initiating a new study. The interviews revealed a broad spectrum of practice-oriented SWOT, described in detail in this manuscript. DiscussionThe here presented SWOT for a structured approach to risk assessment prior to clinical trials with gene therapy/genome editing inform the refinement and implementation of such standardized approaches and the discussion among researchers, regulators, and funders. To overcome potential weaknesses and threats in the application of such a risk-based approach, the mechanistic categories need to be case-sensitive and complemented by information on the validity of relevant animal models, long-term risks, and information about patient characteristics.

Mobility on Demand for Everybody—Investigation of the Current Challenges in Establishing Ride-Pooling Services for Persons with Mobility Impairments in Germany

The ongoing transformation of mobility, including new services such as on-demand mobility, raises the question of how services need to be designed so that everyone can use them. The number of persons with mobility impairments is increasing as a result of demographic change, and with the current amendment of the law, it will be mandatory in Germany to take these person’s needs into due consideration. After all, a transport provider’s success relies on sufficient demand in society (including persons with and without disabilities). Due to changing mobility routines, increased comfort, and other individual personal requirements, vehicles smaller than conventional buses are necessary for passenger transportation. The following investigation is a research study, which is based on an intensive literature review and expert interview study. The goal of this work is to evaluate the current status quo of the German public transport system with respect to inclusive on-demand services and their satisfaction with user requirements. Therefore, guideline-oriented interviews with experts from the mobility sector were consulted and analyzed. For this purpose, the procedure of the qualitative analysis was used. Furthermore, user analysis and methodological processes were conducted in order to strategically establish necessary measures. On the one hand, the current initial situation is addressed and initial experience with these new services is reported. The current focus is on the automation and electrification of these vehicles. In order to make them accessible to all potential customers, ergonomic requirements should be considered from the beginning. The previous experiences with other vehicle classes as well as the legal framework conditions are to serve as a benchmark. On the other hand, existing challenges will be discussed, and necessary steps will be worked out. A result of this situational analysis shows that the currently available vehicle concepts do not fulfill all requirements. It is important to consider the vehicle and the barrier-free mobility chain (booking and paying for the journey or vehicle, as well as boarding, traveling, and alighting). Overall, the design of barrier-free mobility systems requires a process of both political and social rethinking in order to succeed.