Individual Workload Research Articles

DISP-11. GENDER DISPARITY REGARDING WORK-LIFE BALANCE SATISFACTION AMONG GERMAN NEURO-ONCOLOGISTS: A YOUNGNOA SURVEY

Abstract PURPOSE Satisfaction with work-life balance (WLB) is an essential factor for persistent motivation of early career researchers. However, WLB satisfaction in the neuro-oncological landscape is not well characterized. We present the results of an interdisciplinary survey focusing on WLB satisfaction among neuro-oncologists in Germany. METHODS The questionnaire was sent to 351 physicians, all of whom were members of the Neuro-oncology Working Group “Neuroonkologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft” (NOA) of the German Cancer Society (Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft, DKG). The participants were asked for personal information, individual motivations, scientific interests, activities, individual workload, and job satisfaction. The questionnaire was accessible from 18 March 2021 to 1 April 2021. RESULTS Ninety-six physicians (36 female, 60 male) participated in this survey. Age, gender and relationship status were significantly different between participants who were satisfied and those not satisfied with their WLB. Female participants were less likely to be satisfied with their WLB than male participants (25% vs 75%, p = 0.005). In a logistic regression model, the finding that female participants were less likely to be satisfied with their WLB than male participants remained statistically significant (odds ratio [OR] 0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21–0.84, p = 0.023) after accounting for possible confounding variables such as age (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.01–1.11, p = 0.025), childlessness (children available vs not available, OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.10–1.35, p = 0.156), and relationship status (unmarried vs single, OR 2.49; 95% CI 0.50–13.98, p = 0.275; married vs single, OR 6.18; 95% CI 1.29–35.46, p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS This survey demonstrates that WLB satisfaction is significantly decreased among female neuro-oncologists in Germany. It highlights the importance of programs such as “Diversity in Neurooncology” (DivINe), founded by the NOA and aiming to address gender disparities.

Evaluating the relationship between neurological function, neuromuscular fatigue, and subjective performance measures in professional rugby union players.

Managing the health and wellbeing of full-time professional athletes is a multifaceted task. In elite high-performance environments, medical staff and strength training coaches attempt to identify improved methods to monitor player health. Monitoring player health could indicate potential injury risk and assist in adjustments to training and workload management. Measuring fatigue is a notable component of monitoring player readiness before and after training sessions, and after competitive fixtures. In the present study, a novel method of gathering non-invasive player data was investigated by utilizing the Omegawave (OW) to monitor direct current (DC) potential brainwave activity. This method allowed for non-invasive data gathering to assess recovery, player readiness and indicators of workload that may affect optimal performance. DC potential is based on recording low electrical frequencies (>0.5 Hz) that is derived from (1) Stabilization point of DC potential (mV), (2) Stabilization time (1.0-7.0) and (3) Curve shape (1.0-7.0). These measures evaluate the athlete's internal stress, readiness to perform, and neurological function through DC potential brain wave activity and heart rate variability (HRV) assessments. The primary aim of this case series was to compare the efficacy of objective DC potential brainwave activity measurements (neurological function) with neuromuscular fatigue data using reactive strength index modified (RSImod) and profile of mood states (POMS) questionnaires to assess a player's state of readiness to train. The participants in this study were eleven male senior professional rugby union players with a mean stature (±SD) of 185.2 ± 8.6 cm, mass of 101.1 ± 12.9 kg, and age of 27.1 ± 2.1 years. All players were tested 3 days per week over a 6-week mid-season period. Results from this case study suggest that DC potentials could be used as an objective measure to indicate player readiness and managing individual player workload. The final analyses identified a weak negative correlation (r = -0.17) between the RSImod data and the DC potential data was observed. DC potential brainwave activity data could be used in conjunction with subjective measures such as POMS, RSImod and reported injury status to adjust player daily activity.

Flight Technical Error and Workload During Head-Up Display Localizer Guided Takeoff

This was exploratory-in-nature follow-on research. The previous efforts focused on the operational impact of using a head-up display with localizer guidance in lieu of centerline lights for takeoff in low-visibility conditions. Herein, the goal was to examine the relationship between the subjective NASA task load index (TLX) workload ratings and flight technical error as the objective measure of performance. Instead of the total weighted scores, we analyzed the raw NASA TLX subscale ratings. Based on the analyses conducted, we proposed methods to use flight technical error data for predicting individual pilot workload ratings, and vice versa. The results indicated that the single best subjective predictor of flight technical error was the NASA TLX Performance subscale in both normal and abnormal operations. The most noteworthy finding was that when the abnormal condition included a trained failure, the ratings on the NASA TLX Temporal demand subscale had an inverse relationship with flight technical error. The pilots’ automatic response was to prioritize maintaining aircraft directional control and to compartmentalize tasks by priority. In contrast, when the pilots were presented with a failure that they had not been trained on, this automatic response was absent. The discussion also includes some notable limitations of this research and suggested mitigation methods.

A multi-robot cooperative exploration algorithm considering working efficiency and working load

The cooperative exploration in unknown environment is a tough task for the multi-robot system. The imbalance of individual workload caused by the weak autonomous cooperation ability will affect the working efficiency of the multi-robot system. In this paper, a two-objective cooperative exploration algorithm (TOCEA) is proposed, where the working efficiency and working load at the individual and system levels are both considered. There are three parts in the proposed algorithm, namely, frontier detection, target point selection and exploration decision. First, based on the analysis of the frontier characteristics, the accumulation of local frontiers is used to replace the method of traversal search, which greatly improves the exploration efficiency. Second, each robot plays as an equal role to select their candidate target points from the individual level, and uses the maximum area criterion to select the final target points. Finally, the robot target points are clustered to reduce the repeated exploration of the robots, which is essential for reduce the path length and exploration time. Significantly, the whole exploration process is completely based on the autonomous cooperation of the robots. The experimental results performed on three different platforms illustrate that the TOCEA shows improvements in terms of working efficiency, cooperation performance and applicable fields.

RoCS: Robotic Curriculum for young Surgeons

Robotic-assisted procedures gain increasing acceptance for daily surgical routine. However, structured training programs are designed for surgeons with high expertise. Hence, a comprehensive training curriculum was established to ensure a basic competence in robotic abdominal surgery for young surgeons during their residency. The aim of the current work is to propose a feasible and effective training concept. The development process of this training curriculum is based on a comprehensive literature review which led to the concept of “robotic curriculum for young surgeons” (RoCS). It was implemented in the daily routine of a German university hospital starting in 2020. The robotic assessment questionnaire (RAQ) was used for electronic data collection. After the initial phase adjustments, it led to an improvement of the initial version of the curriculum. RoCS is a multimodal training program containing basic training through assistance at the operation table during robotic-assisted operations and basic console training. Key elements are the robotic team time-out (rTTO), perioperative process standardization including feasible personnel scheduling and useful procedure clustering into organ systems, procedural steps and procedural step complexity. Evaluation of standardized communication, performance assessment, patient factors and individual overall workload using NASA Task Load Index is realizable. Flexibility and adaptability to internal organization processes of surgical departments are the main advantages of the concept. RoCS is a strong training tool to meet the specific needs of young surgeons and evaluate their learning success of robotic procedural training. Furthermore, comparison within the different robotic systems should be considered. Further studies are needed to validate a multicenter concept design.

Tools for Teachers to Support Music Students in Managing and Coping With Their Workload in Higher Education

One-to-one tuition is an essential part of studying music and is appreciated by the music students. Problems can occur when there are diverse perceptions between teacher practice and student expectations. This study provides research-based evidence on 155 music students’ experiences of workload, stress, and coping in their interaction with teachers in higher education in Finland and the United Kingdom. The theoretical framework was informed by several theories in educational psychology research, such as the influence of teaching and learning environment on students’ perceived workload, and constructivist approach in teaching and learning music. The data included 155 music students’ open-ended answers in the questionnaire and interviews with 29 music students. The qualitative analysis was conducted through the methodological framework of transcendental phenomenology. The findings illustrate music students’ interaction with teachers concerning (1) the structure of students’ workload, (2) a music student’s individual workload, (3) workload relating to teaching and learning environments, and (4) psychological and physiological issues. A total of 43 constructive tools for teachers were created based on these music students’ experiences. These tools are based on the constructivist principles focusing on the music students’ knowledge and capabilities and they can be utilized to better support students in managing and coping with their workload and stress in higher music education institutions.

Laboratory markers of adaptation to Arctic conditions: scientific search and prospects of implementation.

The complex of climatic and geographical conditions of the Arctic determines the high intensity of the polysystem adaptive response of the organism, the duration of which is additionally influenced by individual genetic characteristics, social conditions, psychological and work loads. Taking into account the relevance of timely prevention and early diagnosis of stress-induced somatic pathology in EMERCOM employees working in unfavorable climatic and geographical zones, the authors evaluated the informative value of determining the level of steroid hormones and insulin as laboratory markers of adaptation to Arctic conditions. The expediency of developing objective criteria for the interpretation of the insulin/cortisol index and studying the informativeness of the 17ONprogesterone level as the earliest marker of adaptation to unfavorable climatic and geographical conditions of the Arctic is substantiated.

Decentralized task coordination

We study decentralized task coordination. Tasks are of varying complexity and agents asymmetric: agents capable of completing high-level tasks may also take on tasks originally contracted by lower-level agents, facilitating system-wide cost reductions. We suggest a family of decentralized two-stage mechanisms, in which agents first announce preferred individual workloads and then bargain over the induced joint cost savings. The second-stage negotiations depend on the first-stage announcements as specified through the mechanism’s recognition function. We characterize mechanisms that incentivize cost-effective task allocation and further single out a particular mechanism, which additionally ensures a fair distribution of the system-wide cost savings.

Clinical Academic Rheumatology: A Boon for Health Systems.

Finding a balance between clinical and scholarly productivity is a challenge for many academic clinician-educator rheumatologists. An examination of workload and downstream revenue determines if the financial value generated by services rendered by rheumatologists are proportionate to the financial value created for a health system. A 2005 study found that academic rheumatologists generate $10.02 for every $1.00 they receive for an office visit. A retrospective analysis of ordering and billing practices of 5 full-time clinician-educator rheumatologists from August 2017 to February 2019 was conducted. Individual workload is defined as averaged full-time equivalent workload based on time spent on clinical and academic duties. Academic productivity was reviewed. Revenue-generating activities that benefited the division directly and downstream revenue were collected. Revenue was extrapolated based on volumes of referrals, publicly available drug costs, and estimated Medicare reimbursement values (average sales price) of representative drugs. The total revenue by physician that benefited the division directly was $597,203, with evaluation and management codes accounting for $174,456. Downstream revenue by physician totaled $2,119,437. The largest contributor was from referrals to the hospital-based infusion center, at $1,287,496. The downstream revenue generated by rheumatologist per dollar of evaluation and management services was found to be $12.14 ($9.37 in 2005 dollars). For every $1 generated though office visits by 5 practicing academic rheumatologists at our institution, $12.14 was generated through downstream revenue, which, when adjusted for inflation, shows stability in the value generated by academic rheumatologists ($10.02 versus $9.37).

The effect of competence, workload, and incentives on the interest of civil servants to become commitment-making officials in Malaka Regency

Abstract: Purpose: This study aimed to determine the influence of individual competence, workload, and incentives on the interest of State Civil Servants for the positions of Commitment-Making Officials in Malaka Regency. Research methodology: The type of method in this research is quantitative research method. The sampling techniques used are Non-probability Sampling method and Saturated Sampling technique. The data analysis techniques are simple linear regression and multiple linear analyses. Results: The results of this study are that partially, individual competence, workload, and incentives have a positive but not significant effect on the interest of civil servants in the Commitment-Making Official Positions in Malaka Regency. Individual competence, workload, and incentives simultaneously have a positive and significant effect on the interest of civil servants in commitment-making positions in Malaka Regency. Limitations: Research variables are complex and research results may change in the future. Contribution: The findings of this study can be used as the basis for evaluating the Malaka local government bureaucracy and can be scientific information for students of the public administration program. Keywords: 1. Commitment-Making Officials 2. Incentives 3. Individual Competence 4. Interests 5. Workload

Pathologist workload, work distribution and significant absences or departures at a regional hospital laboratory.

ObjectiveAssess the work environment of salaried pathologists via (1) the national workload system (L4E), (2) work distribution among/in three hospital groups, and (3) the frequency of significant absences or departures (SADs).MethodsAutomated analysis of pathology reports from a regional laboratory (accessioned 2011–2019) using validated computer code.ResultsThe study set contained 574,099 pathology reports, reported by 63 pathologists. The average yearly L4E workload units/full-time equivalent for three hospital groups were 8,101.6, 6,906.5 and 4,215.8. The average Gini coefficient for full-time pathologists in the three hospital groups were respectively 0.05, 0.16 and 0.23. The average yearly SADs rates were respectively 13%, 16% and 9%. The group with the highest SADs rate had the intermediate Gini coefficient and intermediate workload.ConclusionsHigh individual workload and work maldistribution appear to be associated with SADs. Individual workload maximums and greater transparency may be essential for limiting staff turnover, maintaining high morale, and efficient laboratory function with a high quality of care.

Evaluating a multi-component intervention to reduce and break up office workers\u2019 sitting with sit-stand desks using the APEASE criteria

ObjectiveSedentary workplace interventions have had success in reducing excessive sitting time in office workers, but barriers to implementation and uptake remain. This study formally assessed a theory-derived, sit-stand desk intervention using the APEASE (Acceptability, Practicability, Effectiveness, Affordability, Side-effects, Equity) criteria. MethodsThirteen adults (eight female, mean age 38 ± 10 years) from the treatment arm of a sedentary behaviour intervention participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic codes were inductively assigned to data items followed by deductive charting using the APEASE criteria. ResultsThe intervention was highly acceptable, practicable, safe to deploy, and helped workers reduce workplace sitting time, though individual preferences and workload mediated engagement. Affordability of sit-stand desks and Equity of access were potential barriers to uptake.Conclusions Through the lens of the APEASE criteria, this theory-derived, multi-component sit-stand desk intervention showed acceptability, practicability and effectiveness in reducing and breaking up sedentary time at work with minimal side effects. Using this approach with further tailoring and personalisation may help workers achieve greater reductions in workplace sitting, though affordability and equity should be considered further.

A new approach to manipulating aviator workload: A case for individualizing workload manipulations

The present study sought to manipulate workload individually for participants to evaluate whether individual manipulations of workload produces similar subjective ratings and performance changes across participants. Participants included eight Army-rated rotary-wing aviators who presented to the laboratory for two separate visits. During the first visit, individual responses to workload were determined, and during the second visit, individually manipulated high workload flights were completed. Outcome measures included flight performance and subjective workload ratings. Data were examined at the group and individual level. Subjective ratings of workload endorsed the individual workload manipulations, while performance data provided some additional support. By taking an individualized approach such as this, researchers and practitioners may be better able to control for individual differences influencing workload. This has important implications for system design and testing, development of new intervention technologies, and assessing methods for operator monitoring.

Self-Regulation of Slippery Deadlines: The Role of Procrastination in Work Performance.

We investigated the causes and impact of procrastination on “slippery deadlines,” where the due date is ill-defined and can be autonomously extended, using the unique applied setting of grievance arbitration across two studies. In Study One, using 3 years of observed performance data derived from Canadian arbitration cases and a survey of leading arbitrators, we examined the effect of individual differences, self-regulatory skills, workloads and task characteristics on time delay. Observed delay here is a critical criterion, where justice is emphasized to be swift and sure. Multilevel Modeling established trait procrastination as a substantive predictor of observed delay, equivalent to the environmental contributors of expediting the arbitration procedure or grievance complexity. Also, despite substantive negative consequence of delay for both arbitrators and their clients, arbitrators who scored one standard deviation above the mean in procrastination took approximately 83 days to write their decisions compared to the 26 days for arbitrators one standard deviation below the mean. In Study Two, we conducted a replication and extension survey with a much larger group of American arbitrators. Consistent with Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT), trait procrastination was largely explained by expectancy, value, and sensitivity to time related traits and skills, which together accounted for majority of the variance in trait procrastination, leaving little left for other explanations. For example, perfectionism connection to procrastination appears to be distal, being largely mediated by each of TMT’s core variables. Finally, procrastination was largely synonymous with a deadline pacing style, indicating that observed delay can be used as a proxy for procrastination as long as little or no prior work was done (e.g., a u-shaped pacing style is not synonymous). In all, our results indicate that procrastination is rampant in the workplace and has seriously detrimental effects.

Character Level Segmentation and Recognition using CNN Followed Random Forest Classifier for NPR System

The number plate recognition system must be able to quickly and accurately identify the plate in both low and noisy lighting conditions, as well as within the specified time limit. This study proposes automated authentication, which would minimize security and individual workload while eliminating the requirement for human credential verification. The four processes that follow the acquisition of an image are pre-processing, number plate localization, character segmentation, and character identification. A human error during the affirmation and the enrolling process is a distinct possibility since this is a manual approach. Personnel at the selected location may find it difficult and time-consuming to register and compose information manually. Due to the printed edition design, it is impossible to communicate the information. Character segmentation breaks down the number plate region into individual characters, and character recognition detects the optical characters. Our approach was tested using genuine license plate images under various environmental circumstances and achieved overall recognition accuracy of 91.54% with a single license plate in an average duration of 2.63 seconds.

Anatomic pathology quality assurance: Developing an LIS based tracking and documentation module for intradepartmental consultations

BackgroundAn electronic intradepartmental consultation system for anatomic pathology (AP) was conceived and developed in the laboratory information system (LIS) in 2019. Previously, all surgical pathology intradepartmental consultative activities were initiated and documented with paper forms which circulated with the pertinent microscopic slides and were eventually filed. In this study, we discuss the implementation and utilization of an electronic intradepartmental AP consultation system. MethodsWorkflows and procedures were developed to organize intradepartmental surgical pathology consultations from the beginning to the end point of the consultative activities entirely using a paperless system that resided in the LIS. ResultsThe electronic consult system allowed electronic documentation of all steps of intradepartmental consultative activities. The system provided tracking ability for consulted cases and improved access to consult discussion for all departmental personnel, staff, and trainees. Consultation work queue was created for each pathologist and a summary of individual consultative workload was possible. Documentation of anatomic pathology quality assurance for intradepartmental consultative activity was easily assessed. ConclusionsThe electronic intradepartmental consult system has allowed our department to electronically track intradepartmental consult cases, store the consultative opinion text with the case, record the pathologists involved, and document the consultation for internal quality assurance review as well as for accrediting organizations. Summarization of pathologist workload related to consultative activity was quantifiable and optimization of the consultative process was maximized for education in an academic setting.

Key-Value Store Coupled with an Operating System for Storing Large-Scale燰alues

The key-value store can provide flexibility of data types because it does not need to specify the data types to be stored in advance and can store any types of data as the value of the key-value pair. Various types of studies have been conducted to improve the performance of the key-value store while maintaining its flexibility. However, the research efforts storing the large-scale values such as multimedia data files (e.g., images or videos) in the key-value store were limited. In this study, we propose a new key-value store, WR-Store++ aiming to store the large-scale values stably. Specifically, it provides a new design of separating data and index by working with the built-in data structure of the Windows operating system and the file system. The utilization of the built-in data structure of the Windows operating system achieves the efficiency of the key-value store and that of the file system extends the limited space of the storage significantly. We also present chunk-based memory management and parallel processing of WR-Store++ to further improve its performance in the GET operation. Through the experiments, we show that WR-Store++ can store at least 32.74 times larger datasets than the existing baseline key-value store, WR-Store, which has the limitation in storing large-scale data sets. Furthermore, in terms of processing efficiency, we show that WR-Store++ outperforms not only WR-Store but also the other state-of-the-art key-value stores, LevelDB, RocksDB, and BerkeleyDB, for individual key-value operations and mixed workloads.

Cardiovascular risk stratification: how important is the hypertensive response to exercise?

Cardiovascular risk stratification: how important is the hypertensive response to exercise?

The Relationship between Individual Workload Perception and Individualized Care Perceptions of Nurses

The Relationship between Individual Workload Perception and Individualized Care Perceptions of Nurses

The Effect of Individual Workload Perceptions of Nurses Working in COVID-19 Clinics on their Attitudes towards Patient Safety

The Effect of Individual Workload Perceptions of Nurses Working in COVID-19 Clinics on their Attitudes towards Patient Safety