Hard Copy Format Research Articles

Efficacy and Usability of a Virtual Simulation Training System for Health and Safety Hazards Encountered by Healthcare Workers.

This study evaluated the efficacy, usability, usefulness, and desirability (UUD) of a Home Healthcare Interactive Virtual Simulation Training System (HH-VSTS) designed to train home healthcare workers (HHWs) and healthcare students to identify and respond to health and safety hazards in client homes. Participants were randomly assigned to either the HH-VSTS training group or to the paper-based training group. The HH-VSTS group completed three HH-VSTS Training Modules on a laptop/desktop computer. The training modules addressed hazard identification, hazard rationale, and hazard response to electric/fire/burn, slip/trip/lift, and environmental hazards. The paper-based training group reviewed identical information in a written hard-copy format. Both groups completed an HH-VSTS Assessment module. Participants completed demographic/background and UUD questionnaires, and in-system metrics measured their performance on hazard identification, rationale, and response. Participants (n = 74) were HHWs and students in health profession programs. There were no significant differences in participants' ability to correctly identify hazards, rationale, or how to address them. Participants identified over 90% of hazards, although fewer participants were able to correctly identify what makes an item a hazard or how to manage it. For those in the HH-VSTS group, over 83% found the HH-VSTS easy to use, over 94% agreed the HH-VSTS was useful, and over 80% liked it. The HH-VSTS provided and engaging, efficacious training that was as effective as a typical paper-based training. In addition, the HH-VSTS is usable by a variety of end users, regardless of computer or gaming experience.

European dog owner perceptions of obesity and factors associated with human and canine obesity

Obesity is a common nutrition-related disorder leading to reduced life expectancy in both humans and dogs. With the aim of identifying new prevention and control options, the study objectives were (1) to investigate dog-owner perceptions about obesity in terms of themselves and their dogs, and (2) to identify factors associated with obesity and possible social, environmental and economic drivers for its development in dog owners and their pets. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed across multiple countries. The questionnaire focused on human and canine obesity, associated factors and potential drivers, and was distributed online and in the form of hard copies among dog owners in 11 European countries. In total, 3,185 responses from ten countries were included in multivariable analyses. Between 19.1% and 48.8% of the dog owners reported to be overweight/obese. Owner-reported overweight/obesity in dogs ranged from 6.0% to 31.3% based on body condition score charts, and 31.8% to 69.4% based on body fat index charts. Common factors associated with obesity in owners and their dogs were age, gender and owners’ attitudes to diet and physical activity. Dog owners who did not consider obesity to be a disease were more likely to have obese dogs.

PELATIHAN INSTALLASI DAN OPERASIONAL BLENDED LEARNING UNTUK ADMIN FAKULTAS

The Learning process at Faculty of Education and Vocational Education (FKIP)) and the Faculty of Administrative Sciences (FIA) lecturers has been providing materials by displaying lecture materials using projector, as well as writing lecture materials on the blackboard. The student quiz is conducted after several meetings, the students are required to work on and complete the quiz given by the lecturer and then immediately collected after the time is up or finished. To give and collect the task, the lecturer give it during the lecture period and there are also lecturers who give the task at the end of the lecture after the lecturer delivered the lecture material, and the collection is done during the meeting in the class or on the next day schedule in the form of hardcopy so that the lecturer must certain to correct it. To face the problems faced by the Faculty of Education (FKIP) and Faculty of Administrative Sciences (FIA) the authors suggest with the use of electronic-based learning media that is Blended Learning.

Groundwater potential in Sierra Leone

Groundwater is a major source of safe drinking water throughout Africa. Despite this, little quantitative information on aquifers potential is known in many countries. Sierra Leone has annual precipitation rates of as much of 5000 mm/yr and a capillary net of surface streams, but the hydrogeological aspect was never taken into serious consideration. Between 2016 and 2017, Hydro Nova (USA) conducted an extensive survey on all existing hydrogeological data in the country. The flagship product of this study was the Hydrogeologic Atlas of Sierra Leone, a series of 20 maps complemented with textual notes, published in official digital and hardcopy formats. The project showed that the majority of the 28900 wells, from the national survey, are located in unconfined aquifers of limited extent and of three different types: perched, along large river banks, porous, widely distributed across the country and along the coast and fractured, in the crystalline basement. The latter are generally deep and underlying the surface formation in the lateritic soils. The water table flows from NE to SW following the main water courses and is generally correlated to the topography. The crystalline basement is the common layer at the bottom of the aquifer at depth of 15-80 m. Well yield is normally in the range of 0.3-1.5 l/s and exceptionally 3-6 l/s. Transmissivity is also low (2-3 m2 /d). As a consequence many boreholes must remain unpumped, for some hours, to recover an exploitable water level. The entire report and other publications related to this paper can be accessed via the following link: http://www.salgrid.org

Lembar Kerja Siswa Berbasis ICT Sebagai Solusi Kegiatan Latihan Pembelajaran Mandiri

The main problem in this paper is focused on the useof ICT based on students’ worksheet as a solution in learningactivities. The achievement of students’ learning outcomes isnot easy to be solved the main problem (the root of theproblem). One of which is to train students with exercises, thena collection of exercises is widely used by educators (teachers)in the form of print media or hard copy called LKS, butunfortunately sometimes the presence of LKS is generally onlya set of questions that monotony which often lead to boredom,so that students become lazy in working the exercises.Sometimes the serving method of students’ worksheet alsomonotonous and less varied. The student worksheet thatcontains questions of subjects may be categorized as subjectsless desirable by the students such as, math, English or science.If the serving method of students’ worksheet are notaccompanied by variations, the students will get bored andunwilling to understand the questions.With the presence of LKS based ICT can address allthe needs of students and teachers in implementing thelearning activities to be more variety, innovative and able toenhance students' creativity. In addition, in the terms of time itis more flexible, because of the presence of ICT-basedworksheets students are able to do the exercises wherever theyare, as long as they were able to connect with the Internetnetwork and can access it.The model of ICT based on interactive of the collection ofexercises (LKS) is different from the collection of exercises(LKS) circulated in the schools. This LKS based on ICTinteractive worksheets are used to deliver the material into aseries of questions as an introduction to learners inconstructing their understanding. The series of questions toeach other are interconnected. So that students have to learnthe use of these worksheets in a coherent from beginning toend of materials. The learners learn the material presentedthrough questioning so that the formula or concept was foundby the learners.

Application of contextual design methods to inform targeted clinical decision support interventions in sub-specialty care environments

Background & ObjectivesIn healthcare, the routine use of evidence-based specialty care management plans is mixed. Targeted computerized clinical decision support (CCDS) interventions can improve physician adherence, but adoption depends on CCDS’ ‘fit’ within clinical work. We analyzed clinical work in outpatient and inpatient settings as a basis for developing guidelines for optimizing CCDS design. MethodsThe contextual design approach guided data collection, collation and analysis. Forty (40) consenting physicians were observed and interviewed in general internal medicine inpatient units and gastroenterology (GI) outpatient clinics at two academic medical centers. Data were collated using interpretive debriefing, and consolidated using thematic analysis and three work modeling approaches (communication flow, sequence and artifact models). ResultsTwenty-six consenting physicians were observed at Site A and 14 at Site B. Observations included attending (33%) and resident physicians. During research team debriefings, 220 of 341 unique topics were categorized into 5 CCDS-relevant themes. Resident physicians relied on patient assessment & planning processes to support their roles as communication and coordination hubs within the medical team. Artifact analysis further elucidated the evolution of assessment and planning over work shifts. ConclusionsThe usefulness of CCDS tools may be enhanced in clinical care if the design: 1) accounts for clinical work that is distributed across people, space, and time; 2) targets communication and coordination hubs (specific roles) that can amplify the usefulness of CCDS interventions; 3) integrates CCDS with early clinical assessment & planning processes; and 4) provides CCDS in both electronic & hardcopy formats. These requirements provide a research agenda for future research in clinician-CCDS integration.

The Pink Book—Quantifying Demand for Digital Palliative Care References (QI834)

•Recognize pinkbook.dfci.org as a free digital resource for palliative care content.•Recognize the Pink Book handbook utility. “The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women's Hospital Pain Management Table and Guidelines” pocket reference is a convenient handbook that palliative care clinicians at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) have maintained for clinicians, learners, housestaff, and fellows rotating through DFCI since 1998. The handbook, also known as the Pink Book, has been mainly distributed in a limited quantity hard copy format with a PDF format electronic copy available through unofficial channels. In May of 2017, we created a free website, pinkbook.dfci.org as the official home of the Pink Book, along with its companion reference books for nausea (Green Book) and pediatric symptoms (Blue Book). We report metrics from pinkbook.dfci.org over the initial three months since its release. To quantify demand of digital palliative care resources, we report the usage metrics of pinkbook.dfci.org over the initial three months of release of the website. We implemented an analytics platform, Angelfish web analytics (analytics.angelfishstats.com/) to pinkbook.dfci.org. We describe usage rates of the website from 5/1/17-7/31/17 via the analytics platform. Since release, pinkbook.dfci.org has had 2,652 unique visitors with 6,662 page views from these visitors. 893 visitors used mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Android). The majority of visitors were from the United States (2,002) with California (272), Massachusetts (216), and New York (197) being the top three states using pinkbook.dfci.org. A total of 1,193 Pink Book PDFs were downloaded over the three month time period. The Green Book was downloaded 533 times while the Blue book was downloaded 402 times. Total downloads for all books was 2,128 PDFs. During the first three months of its release, pinkbook.dfci.org saw 2,652 unique visitors, worldwide. Over 80 percent of visitors of pinkbook.dfci.org downloaded one of the reference books on the site. This suggests an ongoing demand for digital palliative care resources.

Making the invisible visible

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the potential to use infographics to capture, represent and communicate important information to construction designers, such that it improves their ability to understand the implications of design choices for construction workers’ health and safety.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on information obtained through a photographic Q-sort, supplemented with a literature review, health and safety information related to the design of a façade was collected from subject matter experts. This information was used to develop infographics representing the subject matter knowledge. A facilitated workshop was then held with 20 design professionals to engage them in a hazard identification process using a case study scenario. The designers were provided with the infographics and asked to comment upon how the infographics changed their assessments of the health and safety risks inherent in the case study building design. A sub-set of participants was interviewed to explore their perceptions of the impact and usefulness of the inforgraphics.FindingsInfographics were developed at different levels of detail, representing potential health and safety issues associated with the site location and surroundings, the construction site environment and the detailed façade design. Workshop participants identified a number of potential health and safety issues associated with the case study scenario. However, this number increased substantially once they had viewed the infographic. Further, the health and safety issues identified when participants had access to the infographic were more likely to be less visible issues, relating to ergonomic hazards, procurement or the organisation and sequencing of work. The workshop participants who were interviewed described how the infographics enabled them to make a more global assessment of the health and safety implications of the case study building design because it helped them to understand the design in the physical construction site context. Participants also favoured the visual nature of the infographics and suggested that this format may be particularly useful to communicate important health and safety information to novice designers with limited on-site experience.Research limitations/implicationsThe infographics developed in this research were relatively simple two-dimensional representations produced and presented in hard copy format. It is possible that more sophisticated forms of infographic could have produced different results. Thus, it is important that future research develops different types of infographics and rigorously evaluates their effectiveness in developing designers’ health and safety-related knowledge and improving decision making.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that simple infographics can help design professionals to better understand the health and safety implications of design decisions in the context of the construction site environment. In particular, the infographics appear to have increased designers’ ability to recognize less visible health and safety-related issues. The designers interviewed also described the potential usefulness of the infographics in design workshops as a tool to stimulate discussion and develop a shared understanding of the health and safety aspects of a particular design decision or choice.Originality/valueThe value of the research lies in the development and evaluation of infographics as a tool supports the integration of health and safety into design decision making. The potential to develop these tools into digital or web-based resources is also significant.

PENERAPAN METODE TERM FREQUENCY (TF) - INVERS DOCUMENT FREQUENCY (IDF) UNTUK PENCARIAN SINONIM KATA DALAM KAMUS BAHASA DAYAK NGAJU KALIMANTAN TENGAH

The available Bahasa Dayak Ngaju dictionary only in hardcopy form and only consisted of the list of words andthe meaning of them. The dictionary didn’t provide the synonym of the word we are looking for. If we want toknow the paraphrase of one particular word, we have to do it manually by searching it on all of the list of wordsin the dictionary. Therefore, this research proposed to develope a Dayak Ngaju dictionary that provide wordsynonym search. We use Term Frequency (TF) - Invers Document Frequency (IDF) algorithm that will helpsynonym searching by comparing the term emergence in the meaning of the word that we are going to look thesynonym for in all of the meaning of the words listed on the dictionary. This method will calculate the weight inall the documents based on the input query. To evaluate the methodology accuracy, we used precision and recallmethod. The results showed that after searching synonym of 100 queries, we founded that 33 queries hadsynonyms with precision = 1 and recall = 1 and all the synonyms that are found are relevant based on expert’sjustification.

Evaluation on Recording and Reporting System of Maternal Child Health in SIKDA (Regional Health Information System) of Public Health Affair Surakarta

Regional Health Information System (RHIS) is an integrated Health Information System which effectively functions as data communication in a region. This system has been used since 2012. However, it has not shown best performance. Puskesmas (Community Health Centers) send their regular reports in the form of soft copy or hard copy. However, DKK has not verified the reports on the maternal child health regularly. Moreover, they retype the report to be sent to the Ministry of Health. It results in possibility of errors in its accuracy and validity. Thus, it requires further evaluation to improve the implementation of RHIS especially in recording and reporting maternal child health to the Ministry of Health. The objective of this research is to analyze the maternal child health data recording and reporting system in RHIS Surakarta.This is a qualitative research. Data were collected by deep interview and direct observation on the implementation of the RHIS. Object of this research is the recording and reporting system of Maternal Child Health in the RHIS DKK Surakarta. The main informant is the head and the staffs of SIMKES, midwifes coordinators of SIK in 6 Community Health Centers.The results of this study propose that improvement on human resources competences should be done regularly. The data of maternal child health are taken from community health centers. That is why, there should be proper policy on the reporting the data of maternal child health. The report sent should be filed in soft copy and hard copy. Nevertheless, the available data have been processed by community health centers and are accessible for public needs.This study proposes that the recording and reporting system of maternal child health data should be developed by improving the competences of human resources, decreeing operational policy, and providing standard operating procedure.

Changes in blink rate and ocular symptoms during different reading tasks.

BackgroundReading from tablets is fundamental to modern culture. This study measured differences in the blink rate and symptoms of ocular discomfort in healthy participants during reading from a tablet and a paper book.MethodsForty healthy, normal males subjects were recruited for this study. Subjects were video recorded during reading a text presented on an electronic device (9.7 inch tablet) and a hard copy format, for 15 min. Ocular discomfort experienced during reading was scored using a visual analog scale. Each participant was examined performing one of the two tasks (randomized) on one visit and the other on a separate visit (crossover design). All subjects were evaluated before the reading tasks and every 5 min during 15 min of reading.ResultsThe mean ± standard deviation blink rate was 19.74 ± 9.12/min at baseline. The blink rate decreased significantly under both reading conditions (to 11.35 ± 10.20 and 14.93 ± 10.90/min when reading from a book and a tablet, respectively). There was no significant difference in the blink rate over 15 min during either type of reading. The mean discomfort symptom scores were 148 for the book and 134 for the tablet; both were significantly higher than baseline. A gradual increase in symptoms was found every 5 min during both types of reading.ConclusionThe study confirmed that both the blink rate and ocular discomfort symptoms were strongly affected during performance of close visual tasks. Both reading conditions affected blinking; this may interfere with tear film dynamics. Such effects were reflected in the immediate development of ocular symptoms, which increased significantly during both types of reading.

The introduction of mandatory CPD for newly state registered diagnostic radiographers: An Irish perspective

IntroductionIrish diagnostic radiography has undergone significant change with the dual introduction of state registration and mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in October 2015. We aimed to investigate motivators and barriers around CPD participation, mechanisms of CPD delivery and confidence of radiographers in using e-learning. MethodsA questionnaire distributed nationally during this period captured Radiographer opinion through the use of closed and open questions. The questionnaire was distributed in hard copy and online formats depending on site preference. Results71% of centres participated, rendering 453 responses in total from a possible 1222 respondents employed in those sites at the time of the survey. A varied range of ages and post qualification experience were represented. Respondents indicated use of several CPD options with the majority considering CPD to be important, very important or critical. Social media as a mechanism of CPD delivery was considered acceptable by 48%, while online learning elicited responses ranging from not confident to absolutely confident. Top motivators for CPD activity included interest, developing new knowledge and competency. Principal barriers included funding, time allocation and location issues. ConclusionThis study identified Radiographer desire to undertake CPD and the need for developing online CPD offerings. An overall positive perception towards CPD was noted however barriers were identified which require specific redress strategies.

System information modelling in practice: Analysis of tender documentation quality in a mining mega-project

Abstract The quality of information contained in tender documentation produced using Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) and provided in a hard-copy format to an electrical engineering contractor for a port expansion facility, which formed an integral part of an Iron Ore mega-project is analyzed. A System Information Model (SIM), which is an object oriented approach, was retrospectively constructed from the documentation provided to assist the contractor with their tender bid preparation. During the creation of the SIM, a total of 426 errors and omissions were found to be contained within the 77 tender ‘drawing’ documents supplied to the contractor by an Engineering, Construction, Procurement and Management (EPCM). Surprisingly, 70 drawings referenced in the tender documentation, and the Input/Output lists and Cause/Effect drawings were not provided. Yet, the electrical contractor was required by the EPCM organization to provide a lump sum bid and also guarantee the proposed schedule would be met; the financial risks were too high and as a result the contractor decided not to submit a bid. It is suggested that if the original tender documentation had been prepared using a SIM rather than CAD, the quality of information presented to the contractor would have enabled them to submit a competitive bid for the works. The research concludes that the economic performance and productivity of mining projects can be significantly improved by using a SIM to engineer and document electrical instrumentation and control (EIC) systems.

Psychometric Characteristics of the Clinical Nursing Mentors' Behavior Scale

The behavior of mentors impacts the quality and experience of nursing students who are studying in clinical placement. Accurately assessing the behavior of mentors is fundamental to training, regulating, guiding, and improving their behavior and quality of teaching. To test the validity and reliability of the Clinical Nursing Mentors' Behavior Scale (CNMBS) among mentors. This study included three stages. During the first stage, seven Chinese experts were invited to evaluate content validity. During the second stage, the test-retest reliability was examined with 63 mentors. During the third stage, a cross-sectional study was conducted. Seven hundred and sixty-six nursing mentors from five hospitals in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Sichuan completed the survey either online or in hard copy form. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using item analysis, construct validity, internal consistency and discriminant validity, with the results used to determine the psychometric characteristics of the CNMBS. The content validity index for the CNMBS was .91. The intra-class correlation coefficient was .89; the range of the item discrimination critical ratio was 9.42-22.43 (p < .001), and the item-total correlation was .35- .70 (p < .001). The three factors of "guiding personal growth", "promoting professional development", and "providing psychosocial support" and a total of 23 items were identified, with item factor loadings ranging from .51 to .79. The three factors explained 50.99% of total variance. The internal consistency of the CNMBS earned a Cronbach's α coefficient of .92, while those of the three subscales were .89, .86 and .75, respectively. The Clinical Nursing Mentors' Behavior Scale demonstrated high validity and reliability, supporting the CNMBS as a valid tool for assessing the teaching behavior of mentors.

ASSESSING FAMILY CARE CONFERENCES IN LONG-TERM CARE: LESSONS LEARNED FROM CONTENT ANALYSIS

End-of-life (EOL) communication in long-term care (LTC) is often inadequate and delayed, leaving residents dying with unknown preferences or goals of care. Poor communication with staff contributes to families feeling unprepared, distressed and unsatisfied negatively effecting bereavement. Family Care Conferences (FCC) aim to increase structured, systematic communication around goals and plans for EOL. FCCs were implemented as part of the ‘Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Care’ (SPA-LTC) project in four LTC sites in Ontario, Canada. The purpose of this sub-study is to evaluate: a) content, b) processes, and c) interdisciplinary engagement using mixed methods. Twenty-four FCCs were held for residents with a Palliative Performance Scale of 40% (nearing death) considered appropriate by staff. Data was collected from FCC forms (i.e., Family Questionnaires, Conference Summaries) and electronic charts. Through directed-analysis, data was analyzed using the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association’s ‘Square of Care’ model which includes eight domains of care: Disease Management, Physical, Psychological, Social, Practical, Spiritual, EOL, and Loss/Bereavement. Findings showed on average each FCC documented 66% of domains with physical and EOL care domains being used the most, and content about loss/bereavement documented the least. Use of FCC hard copy forms had benefits over standard electronic charts including: higher proportion of goals, timely completion, category for end-of-life care and accessibility. FCCs were attended by an average of three disciplines prompting holistic content although Personal Support Workers (PSW) and physicians attended minimally. Implications to optimize FCCs include tailoring use of FCCs forms, prompting bereavement discussion, furthering engagement of PSWs and physicians.

MCT: A UK Retrospective—Reminiscences of a Crystal Grower

The essentials of bulk Bridgman growth of mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) are outlined, together with some background to its use in the UK. It is still being used in a few niche applications, e.g., long-wavelength photoconductive (PC) detectors for space programs, and as material for infrared (IR) optical components. The latter requires very short-wavelength and/or larger-diameter material, and the challenges and successes in these areas are outlined. Use of a new source of high-purity silica, together with continual improvements in element purification, from our in-house tellurium zone refining and mercury distillation, reduced the carrier concentration consistently to sub-1014 cm−3, which helped to further improve PC device performance. An offer is made to supply bulk wafers to the wider community for research and development (R&D) purposes. The benefits of IR-related books, published over the past 30 years, to the community are described and a challenge laid down to continue this process of information dissemination into the future, in either hard-copy form or online versions.

Autopsy Fingerprint Technique Using Fingerprint Powder.

The collection of high-quality fingerprints is an important component of routine forensic autopsies and represents one of the several potential methods for identifying a decedent. Fingerprint collection at autopsy frequently employs a manual method using fingerprint ink and cards, although some offices use digital-scanning equipment. While these methodologies are adequate in most circumstances, this study introduces an alternative method using fingerprint powder and adhesive labels. The method is quick, easy to perform, and cost-effective and provides the additional advantage of an adhesive label that easily conforms to the finger, palm, or foot which reduces smudging of prints in individuals with rigor mortis, skin slippage, or decomposition compared to more traditional autopsy fingerprint collection techniques. The prints can then be easily stored, either in hard-copy form or scanned to make a digital record.

SOIL MAPS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

The paper gives an overview of the history of preparation of 63 soil maps in printed and digital form, out of which 62 in a scale of 1 : 50 000 for a specific sections of the topographic maps, and one in a scale of 1 : 200 000 for the whole of the Republic of Macedonia. The Project for Preparation of Soil Map in a scale of 1 : 50.000 lasted al-most seven decades (from 1947 to 2015). In the final phase of this process, within a FAO project, soil maps in hard copy and digital format were edited, together with corresponding study books for soil properties and soil forming factors for 10 regions of the country. A similar study book was written for the soils of the whole country. In addition, a common legend has been developed for all soil maps with 63 cartographic units. All classifications used during this long period of soil survey have been described and served as a basis for compiling of all legends. The areas of all car-tographic units have been presented. The contents of all 11 soil studies have been described. Digitalization of all maps and the data base of soil characteristics were accomplished. For this purpose, an internet web-portal has been created (www.maksoil.ukim.mk). The results of the Project implementation were promoted and presented to the local scien-tific and professional public. The final works on the Project completion were financed by the FAO, UN Organization.

Billing Implications of Emergency Medicine Resident Physicians’ Laceration Length Estimates

CONTEXTLacerations are a common occurrence in urgent care and emergency room settings. The types of lacerations repaired in these settings range from superficial and linear to deep and stellate. Healthcare professionals are required to describe these wounds in documentation and part of that description is length. In a busy clinical setting, many providers use a visual estimation of wound length for documentation. The purpose of this exploratory pilot study was to systematically examine the factors (e.g., sex, residency year, prior laceration training) associated with overall accuracy of five laceration length estimates made on a series of five identically-marked linear dummy torso sutured lacerations by a convenience sample of Emergency Medicine (EM) resident physicians. Before the study, the authors hypothesized that laceration estimates from later-year residents and/or those with more prior laceration training would be more accurate.METHODSThe EM residents who attended a statewide educational session were encouraged to participate in the study by independently entering information concerning their a) personal characteristics, and b) five laceration length estimates from five dummy torso sutured lacerations onto hard copy forms during break and lunch periods of the daylong conference. The use of any types of measurement devices was prohibited.RESULTSA total non-probability convenience sample of 107 participants (93 EM resident physicians and 14 medical student attendees) from 14 different Michigan-based EM residency programs completed a 10-item survey during the educational conference. Results for both composite and individual actual-to-estimated (AE) laceration differences varied widely within the sample, with up to 58.9% of laceration over estimates hypothetically having resulted in overbilling of payers for the laceration repair.CONCLUSIONSThe considerable range in laceration estimates obtained from these EM clinicians indicate the complexity of attempting to estimate lacerations without measuring devices, as well as the potential for over-billing under such conditions. Larger resident samples recording laceration length estimates, with testing of potential interaction effects on AE patterns, are needed in the future to provide additional evidence concerning this aspect of EM billing.

Representation of Geochemical Data in Geospatial Domain

Geochemical surveys are integral part of systematic geological survey to cover mineral provinces and geological basin. These surveys have indicated new mineral occurrences in different geological terrains. Large amount of data collected in the field is finally submitted as report in the hard copy format as part of the annual field survey plan. It takes many years to complete the geochemical survey of a geological basin by several parties working on different aspects. Geographical Information System (GIS) facilitates input, editing and display of spatial data collected in various forms (location, traverses, and boundaries) and analyse in most efficient way. However, large amount of geochemical data collected from various sources poses several challenges to represent and analyse the data in a meaningful way. This paper addresses all such difficulties in handling unformatted inputs and most optimal method for display, analysis and integration of geological data from various sources.