Introduction Of Choice Research Articles

Case study: suggesting choice: inclusive assessment processes

ABSTRACTThis project aimed to explore staff and student opinions on the introduction of choice in assessment, drawing upon the principles of Inclusive Pedagogy, Disability Studies and Universal Design. The mixed methods research explored the possibility that students may feel more positively supported during the assessment and feedback process if a range of methods of assessment are available.There was overall support for the proposal, but with some reservations, for example, parity between the different modes of assessment, and student access to different forms of assessment to develop employability skills would need to be planned. Inclusive assessment and feedback processes in Higher Education are essential if the diversity of our students is to be recognised. However, this needs to be balanced with the need to develop a range of life skills. Therefore, choice in assessment methods needs to be designed with clear strategies for skills development, and targeted individualised support.

Introduction of freedom of choice for hospital outpatient care in Portugal: Implications and results of the 2016 reform

In Portugal, the National Health Service (NHS) assures universal access to medical treatment and care that is free at the point of delivery – except for relatively small user charges. Freedom of choice is limited and competition between the public and the private sectors is almost non-existent. In May 2016, the Ministry of Health introduced a new law that facilitates the referral of NHS users from primary healthcare units to outpatient consultations in NHS hospitals outside of the referral area. However, for inpatient care, patients are still bound to receive treatment within their referral area, which is determined by place of residence. The aim of the reform was to provide a timelier response to citizens' health needs and to increase efficiency. According to preliminary data from June 2016 to May 2017, 10.6% of all outpatient referrals from NHS primary health care units were made to an NHS hospital out of the referral area, with the highest proportion in the Lisbon (15.8%) region. In general, median waiting time for first outpatient consultation increased after the introduction of choice in the five specialties with the highest proportions of out-of-area referrals - but it reduced in two departments with the longest waiting times prior to the reform. The reform constitutes a major change to the relationship between NHS hospitals, with foreseeable consequences in hospital funding and the patients' perception of hospital quality.

Expanding choice of primary care in Finland: much debate but little change so far

“Putting the patient in the driver's seat” is one of the top issues on the health policy agenda in Finland. One of the means believed to promote patient empowerment and patient centeredness is the introduction and further expansion of choice policies with accompanying competition between public and private service providers. However, the Finnish health care system has a highly decentralized administration with multiple funding sources and three different types of providers that people can seek primary care from (municipal health centers, occupational health care services, and private sector providers). This complicates the implementation of choice at the level of primary health care. In this paper, we describe the current policy debates and initiatives promoting the expansion of the choice of primary care provider in Finland. We examine the legislation and policies that have contributed to the current, complex service system in Finland. In light of this examination, we critically discuss the current debate on choice policies as well as the introduction of choice in the context of primary health care.

Choice in Public Health Services: A Multilevel Analysis of Perceived Primary Care Doctor Choice in 22 Countries

The introduction of choice in public services, and in health services more specifically, is part of a wider movement to introduce consumerism in health care. We analyze how citizens perceive the availability of choice of primary care doctors in 22 European countries and the factors that influence their opinions using multilevel analyses and data from the European Social Survey (Round 2, 2004; 22 countries, N = 33,375). We distinguish between individual factors and structural or country-level factors. We find that perceptions of having enough choice are not influenced by the opportunity to freely choose primary care doctors, the density of doctors in a country, or the level of health expenditure. Instead, these perceptions are influenced by individual attributes, such as personal health circumstances, age, sex, location of residence (rural or urban), and level of satisfaction with the health system.

Internationalisation of library and information science education: Adopting choice based credit system (CBCS) in Indian universities with special reference to library and information science in Mizoram University

On the recommendation of National Knowledge Commission, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), University Grants Commission (UGC), the universities in India are planning major academic reforms to bring quality in higher education. University Grants Commission, a national apex body responsible for planning, policy making and maintenance of standards in higher education in India has taken a number of measures including introduction of choice based credit system in the university. This system will provide ample opportunities to make a choice from array of subjects offered by the same department and other departments in the campus. The present paper discusses the introduction of choice based credit system in library and information science keeping in view the international trends and developments with regards to its recognition, credit transfer and quality assurance. The paper further discusses the credits, courses and components of Master's course in Library and Information Science based on choice based credit system and introduced in Mizoram University, located in the north-eastern part of India. The authors conclude that the effective implementation of the course depends on proper counselling to the students opting for soft courses and open electives and monitoring at regular interval. The ultimate objective of this system is to bring quality at par with international standard in which the pass out students not only enhance their subject knowledge and learning skills but get international recognition as well.

Choice, consumerism and devolution: growing old in the welfare state(s) of Scotland, Wales and England

ABSTRACTThe introduction of choice and consumer mechanisms in public services has been identified as a fundamental shift in welfare service provision internationally. Within the United Kingdom (UK), such mechanisms developed and integrated into English services have not been replicated in their entirety in Scotland and Wales. For the first time since the inception of the UK welfare state, there are now formal differences in entitlement for older people as a result of devolution. This paper uses comparative policy analysis to review a range of sources not hitherto brought together in order to explore how these concurrent developments – choice and devolution – impact on people over state retirement age. We also consider the extent to which a more consumerist approach to public services might redress or increase later-life inequalities. Drawing on theoretical research and policy evidence, we argue that for many people over state retirement age, the prospect of becoming a consumer in these varied contexts is difficult and unwelcome. We suggest that although it is too early in the devolutionary process for any significant impact of these divergent policies to materialise, continued policy divergence will lead to different experiences and outcomes for older people in Scotland, Wales and England. We conclude that these divergent social policies offer significant research opportunities, particularly concerning their impact on later-life inequalities.

GP triage to paediatric rheumatology clinic following the introduction of choice and book

AimsGeneral Practitioners (GPs) using ‘Choose and Book’ can select a new patient slot in either a ‘non-inflammatory clinic’ or in a ‘fast track’ clinic for children with suspected inflammatory joint...

Gendered perceptions of learning and fairness when choice between exam types is offered

This study examined the differences in male and female students’ perceptions of how much they had learned and how fairly their performance had been measured when choice between constructed response, selective response, or mixed testing formats was introduced into different classrooms. Results revealed that introducing assessment choice into a classroom has significant but small effects on perceptions of learning and fairness. While results of gender differences were not found to be significant, the introduction of choice into classroom settings was found to have opposite effects on males and females. Specifically, male students became more convinced over the course of the term that they were being evaluated fairly when they were only permitted to take selective response tests, and less satisfied with the fairness of the evaluation if they were offered a choice. Female students were found to believe the opposite. Implications and recommendations for future research are then discussed.

Towards a history of choice in UK health policy

This paper examines health policy documents from the period in which the NHS was planned through to New Labour's reforms, to examine how the terms 'choice' and 'responsiveness' are used to position both users and the public in particular roles. It suggests that health consumerism is a process that has gradually appeared in the NHS through an extension of the choices offered to patients and the terms on which they were offered. Utilising Hirschman's classic framework of exit, voice and loyalty, we suggest that although there appears to be a strong relationship between the introduction of choice with the aim of securing greater responsiveness, that does not necessarily work in the opposite direction because the analysis of responsiveness suggests that there are other means of achieving this goal other than increasing choice through consumerist approaches to organisation. The implications of this analysis are explored for contemporary health service reform.

Brand strategy for acute NHS trusts

Since January 2006 and the introduction of choice at the point of referral, marketing is increasingly recognised as an essential tool for survival in the new market for NHS patients and their choice of service provider. In March 2008, the Department of Health published a code of practice for the promotion of NHS funded services. In April 2008, 'Free Choice' was rolled out, giving increased freedom of choice to patients. Most senior managers in the NHS acknowledge the increasing need for an understanding of marketing and how it can benefit their organisation. This is illustrated by the proliferation of marketing conferences and meetings available, such as the recent NHS Marketing Forum 2008 held by the Health Service Journal in October 2008, supported by the NHS and the Chartered Institute of Marketing, among others.

Brand strategy for acute NHS trusts

Since January 2006 and the introduction of choice at the point of referral, marketing is increasingly recognised as an essential tool for survival in the new market for NHS patients and their choice of service provider. In March 2008, the Department of Health published a code of practice for the promotion of NHS funded services. In April 2008, 'Free Choice' was rolled out, giving increased freedom of choice to patients. Most senior managers in the NHS acknowledge the increasing need for an understanding of marketing and how it can benefit their organisation. This is illustrated by the proliferation of marketing conferences and meetings available, such as the recent NHS Marketing Forum 2008 held by the Health Service Journal in October 2008, supported by the NHS and the Chartered Institute of Marketing, among others.

Patient choice: Friend or foe?

The introduction of choice into the NHS has been a major feature of the UK Government's health policy of the past few years. This paper discusses the limits of choice, emphasising the need for clarity between the NHS and independent sector in making treatment available to those patients who choose to pay for it. The financial limit placed on the NHS, however, is one limit to choice that cannot be overcome. This will be more constrained in the future, due to the slowdown in increases in government spending on the NHS. This slowdown signals a policy shift away from individual choice to a more personal type of care through the introduction of 'collective' patient engagement mechanisms, introducing a patient's 'voice' into the development of quality local health services. The paper concludes that how the NHS — and private providers — responds to these challenges will determine whether choice will prove to be a friend or foe.

The Introduction of Choice of Superannuation Fund: Results to Date

Commonwealth legislation providing for choice of superannuation fund has now been in operation since 1 July 2005. This paper explores the extent to which employees have exercised choice in the period immediately following the implementation of fund choice. The data available suggest that choice of fund has had only a modest impact. However, while community awareness of superannuation has increased and the level of member attachment to the main superannuation fund has increased, a downturn in investment returns, and subsequently in member sentiment, could have a significant impact on member preparedness to choose another fund

An Economic History of Sweden. By Lars Magnusson. London: Routledge, 2000. Pp. xvii, 305. $70.00.

This book is an English translation of the abridged edition of Professor Magnusson's grand survey of Swedish economic history. The latter has emerged as the standard introductory text on the subject within Sweden, and this book is likely finally to replace Eli Heckscher's venerable work of the same title (actually a translation of a “popular” work first published in 1957) as the Anglophone's introduction of choice to Swedish economic history. In exchange for later coverage and a more up-to-date approach, however, the reader will have to forego any discussion of the period before 1750. While Magnusson's Swedish text covers earlier centuries, this material was apparently deemed inessential for Anglo-Saxons. Unfortunately, there will also be some loss of reading pleasure. Although certainly competent and understandable, the present translation is excessively mechanical. The book's Swedish origin is apparent, without, however, preserving the smooth flow of Magnusson's prose. Nor is it up to the—admittedly very high—standard established by Goran Ohlin (with the active participation of Alexander Gerschenkron) with his translation of Heckscher.

Social Security Reform with a Focus on the Netherlands

The essay discusses the general issues of labor market incentives and of adapting to the trend to longer lives, including legislated adaptations in Chile, Italy, Sweden, and the US. For the Netherlands there are two concrete proposals – that the AOW fund hold a diversified portfolio and that workers have the option of delaying the start of AOW benefits in order to receive larger benefits for themselves and surviving spouses. Three issues are identified for evaluation and monitoring: whether widow benefits from private pensions might become too small in the future (given the introduction of choice between higher worker benefits and survivor benefits), whether final-pay pensions should be modified to indexed career-average pensions (to improve labor mobility and fairness), and whether there should be some automatic adjustments for cohort life expectancy.