Number Of Survey Respondents Research Articles

Digital marketing as a determinant variable for improving the business performance

This study analyzes the complex relationships between digital marketing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), сompetitiveness, and business performance in the creative industry Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), focusing on craft-leading products in urban areas of East Java province. According to the sample size, the number of survey respondents was 172. There were 86 male entrepreneurs (50%) and 86 female entrepreneurs (50%). Primary data were collected by distributing the questionnaires according to the number of respondents to SME entrepreneurs who are managers or company owners with competence in the business field and more than five years of business experience. The analysis used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results emphasize that digital marketing affects business performance through CRM by 0.126 with p-value of 0.006, and competitiveness by 0.260 with p-value of 0.000. It can be explained that digital media can identify, recruit, and turn potential customers into loyal customers. Higher demands from customers for online services are becoming increasingly crucial for digital marketing and business activities. The essence of the results of this study is that the more effective digital marketing is, the more influential the company’s CRM is to improve the company’s business performance, including profit growth, sales growth, and employment growth. The critical role of digital strategy, CRM, and competitiveness on business performance can overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and drive success in creative industry SMEs of superior products in East Java, highlighted in this study. AcknowledgmentThe author would like to thank the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology. Directorate General of Higher Education, Research and Technology of The Republic of Indonesia, which has supported the research implementation and permitted publication of this article.

Von Duden bis Deepl: zur Verwendung lexikografischer Ressourcen im Südtiroler Sprachunterricht (L1, L2, L3) im Spannungs-feld normativer Vorgaben und schulischer Praxis

The paper deals with the role of lexicographic resources in the South Tyrolean (i. e. the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen, Italy) educational context against the backdrop of legal provisions (Das neue Autonomiestatut 2019/1972) and the relevance of language education on the part of educational institutions (Rahmenrichtlinien DE, Rahmenrichtlinien IT), taking into account both normative requirements and their application in practice. The focus is on two questions that have been little researched so far, not only in the specific context but also internationally (cf. Abel 2022; Nied Curcio 2022): To what extent are lexicographic resources represented in the school framework guidelines? How are they actually used in schools? For the case study presented here, the South Tyrolean framework guidelines provided by the German and the Italian school boards at all levels of education for German and Italian as first (L1) and second (L2) languages, as well as for English as a foreign language (L3) were examined by means of a document analysis. In a second step, a questionnaire survey with language teachers at all school levels (German and Italian as L1/L2, English as L3; number of survey respondents: 644) determined the actual use of lexicographic resources.

Assessing the Sustainability of Initiatives Aimed to Enhance Patient Safety Culture: A > 10-year Experience with Multifaceted Interventions

Culture is a key factor in maintaining high-quality care. We have instituted a series of mutually-reinforcing initiatives aimed to improve operations, and patient and staff safety. We herein review the impact of these initiatives on our Patient Safety Culture over 14 years. We hypothesize that these initiatives can lead to sustained improvements in Culture. In ≈ 2009, our department, with help of dedicated quality improvement coaches from our internal Division of Healthcare Engineering (with knowledge of Lean-Six Sigma and High Reliability methods and tools), instituted (and largely sustained) initiatives aimed to improve our operations, and to improve patient/staff safety; including: (a) daily multidisciplinary team huddles, (b) daily pre-planning/treatment peer review, (c) a robust Incident Learning System, (d) weekly meetings to review reported incidents, (e) monthly department-wide meetings to review the highlights from the weekly incident review meetings, (f) celebration/recognitions for staff participation and (g) leader Gemba walks. Culture was quantitatively assessed via the AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) Patient Safety Culture Survey (with 51 questions) which was sent to the department every two years (2021 was skipped due to Covid). Changes in the summary survey results over time were assessed using 2-tailed chi-square. Within 2-4 years of starting of our initiatives, there was an increase in the number of survey respondents, and an increase in the % of favorable responses (vs. pre-initiative data from 2009), for most comparisons (see Table with representative data). The % favorable responses plateaued in ≈ 2013-2015, and there was a non-significant decline in % favorable responses in later years (vs. the high scores in 2015). A series of mutually reinforcing initiatives aimed to improve operations, and to improve patient/staff safety, can lead to improvements in Patient Safety Culture; and these improvements can be largely sustained over time. Some of the modest non-significant decline in later years may reflect staff changes, fatigue, increasing practice complexity, financial pressures, and/or Covid-related issues (in the 2022 survey). This speaks to the importance of maintaining quality/safety initiatives through transitions in leadership, staff and external stressors.

Data Management Plans in Horizon 2020: what beneficiaries think and what we can learn from their experience.

Background: Data Management Plans (DMPs) are at the heart of many research funder requirements for data management and open data, including the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020. This article provides a summary of the findings of the DMP Use Case study, conducted as part of OpenAIRE Advance. Methods: As part of the study we created a vetted collection of over 800 Horizon 2020 DMPs. Primarily, however, we report the results of qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey on the experience of Horizon 2020 projects with DMPs. Results & Conclusions: We find that a significant number of projects had to develop a DMP for the first time in the context of Horizon 2020, which points to the importance of funder requirements in spreading good data management practices. In total, 82% of survey respondents found DMPs useful or partially useful, beyond them being "just" an European Commission (EC) requirement. DMPs are most prominently developed within a project's Management Work Package. Templates were considered important, with 40% of respondents using the EC/European Research Council template. However, some argue for a more tailor-made approach. The most frequent source for support with DMPs were other project partners, but many beneficiaries did not receive any support at all. A number of survey respondents and interviewees therefore ask for a dedicated contact point at the EC, which could take the form of an EC Data Management Helpdesk, akin to the IP helpdesk. If DMPs are published, they are most often made available on the project website, which, however, is often taken offline after the project ends. There is therefore a need to further raise awareness on the importance of using repositories to ensure preservation and curation of DMPs. The study identifies IP and licensing arrangements for DMPs as promising areas for further research.

SOCIAL RELIGIOUS CHANGES OF EAST JAVA PEOPLE IN THE INDEX OF TOLERANCE ANALYSIS

The author looks at the inverse social reality looking at Indonesia’s rankings. In fact, in 2009, Indonesia was classified as a country with full freedom. Saiful Mujani (2019) believes that the decline in freedom in Indonesia is strongly related to religious or minority intolerance. Researchers see in East Java there are still cases related to acts of tolerance. The study applies Van Der Walt’s model for religious tolerance (2014) which has seven key indicators, those (a) minimizing religious differences, (b) inclusivity, (c) exclusivity and selfishness, (d) openness to change, (e) faith and respect for others, (f) religious beliefs, and (g) recognizing the freedom of others. The data for this study was collected by conducting surveys in 38 regions in East Java. The number of survey respondents was 402 and the study found that the level of religious tolerance in East Java in 2020 was 73.9 (out of 100). This is proof that religious tolerance in East Java is categorized as “good”. The highest score is on the first indicator which is 82 and the lowest score is on the sixth indicator which is 63.4. This finding is expected to be a government policy recommendation for its development program in East Java.

Data Management Plans in Horizon 2020: what beneficiaries think and what we can learn from their experience

Background: Data Management Plans (DMPs) are at the heart of many research funder requirements for data management and open data, including the EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020. This article provides a summary of the findings of the DMP Use Case study, conducted as part of OpenAIRE Advance. Methods: As part of the study we created a vetted collection of over 800 Horizon 2020 DMPs. Primarily, however, we report the results of qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey on the experience of Horizon 2020 projects with DMPs. Results & Conclusions: We find that a significant number of projects had to develop a DMP for the first time in the context of Horizon 2020, which points to the importance of funder requirements in spreading good data management practices. In total, 82% of survey respondents found DMPs useful or partially useful, beyond them being “just” an European Commission (EC) requirement. DMPs are most prominently developed within a project’s Management Work Package. Templates were considered important, with 40% of respondents using the EC/European Research Council template. However, some argue for a more tailor-made approach. The most frequent source for support with DMPs were other project partners, but many beneficiaries did not receive any support at all. A number of survey respondents and interviewees therefore ask for a dedicated contact point at the EC, which could take the form of an EC Data Management Helpdesk, akin to the IP helpdesk. If DMPs are published, they are most often made available on the project website, which, however, is often taken offline after the project ends. There is therefore a need to further raise awareness on the importance of using repositories to ensure preservation and curation of DMPs. The study identifies IP and licensing arrangements for DMPs as promising areas for further research.

The awareness and perception of chronic kidney disease in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious worldwide health problem with a rising incidence and prevalence. CKD can lead to end-stage renal failure that increases the risk of death and requires dialysis or kidney transplantation. Patients' adherence, attitude, and knowledge are important to prevent and control CKD. The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness and knowledge about CKD and attitude toward kidney donation among the general population in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study based on a questionnaire survey was conducted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We surveyed the awareness about CKD among adult residents of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We used a self-administrated questionnaire that consisted of three sections; socio-demographic information, awareness about CKD, and attitude towards kidney donation. Simple descriptive statistics was employed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 24.0 software. The number of survey respondents was 268. More than half (53.7%) of the included participants knew that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is a risk factor for CKD, whereas 54% thought that CKD could be diagnosed from a simple urine analysis, and 45% believed that lifestyle modifications can alter the course of the disease. Interestingly, most participants (57.4%) were ready to donate their kidney to a patient with end-stage renal disease, and 68.6% knew that patient can live with one kidney. The present study identifies a low rate of CKD awareness and calls for a need for awareness campaigns and other tools to strengthen knowledge dissemination. Improving public awareness about CKD needs to be addressed to help facilitate disease identification and prevention.

SHARPGrads: Development and Assessment of a Research Skills Workshop Program for Graduate Students at the University of South Carolina

INTRODUCTION Academic libraries are placing increasing emphasis on the provision of instruction for graduate students in non-traditional research skills and competencies such as scholarly communication concepts, data management and visualization, and text mining. Since proficiency in these concepts is often expected of graduate students but training may not be offered in the classroom, the library is a natural home for such instruction. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM Librarians at the University of South Carolina created a two-day workshop series for graduate students called SHARPGrads. This paper describes the planning process, survey method used to develop and assess the program, and findings obtained from attendance and survey responses. A successful collaboration with the university’s Graduate School led to higher than expected registration. Post-assessment feedback demonstrates that targeting training to graduate students early in their program of study is advantageous. Furthermore, students in social sciences and humanities disciplines reported that SHARPGrads met their expectations to a higher degree than students in the sciences and health sciences. Although a number of survey respondents reported that the training program was too short, participant retention during day two of the program dropped significantly. NEXT STEPS An evaluation of the range of second day training opportunities is considered for the next iteration of the program. Results taken from this study and recommendations for future programs will be useful for librarians involved in the development and implementation of workshops for graduate students.

CHALLENGES OF INTERPRETATION OF GENETIC TEST RESULTS ON THE EXAMPLE OF STUDY OF ENDURANCE

The purpose of the research is to study the possibility of predicting the development of aerobic endurance of athletes through a comparative analysis of the outcomes of genetic and computerized testing. Methods and organization of the research. In our research, we used scientific and methodological literature, as well as the outcomes of competitive activity and genetic analysis of a particular athlete. The total number of survey respondents was 158 people including athletes (n = 85) and coaches (n = 73). Results and discussion. Some authors find the relationship between the ability to develop and manifest endurance and the presence of the appropriate alleles of genes: ACE I, ACNT X, ACNT3 (RX, XX), ADRA2A, AMPDI C, PGC1A Gly, NFATC4, UCP2. Most studies reveal the relationship between the ACE gene and endurance supported by the I allele. Genetic foresight of the possibility of developing aerobic endurance of athletes can become the framework for the application of an individual approach in sport training, and contribute to the development of techniques aimed at the refinement of physical qualities. The modern approach to the coaching and competitive activities of athletes should include both genetic and functional studies of the human body. Conclusion. Sport forecast cannot be based solely on genetic testing results. The presence of polymorphisms in one or more genes associated with sport activity is the platform for good performance in a particular sport, but the actual manifestation of genetic predisposition depends on many factors. These factors include nutrition, daily routine and competent organization of the training process, which requires a high level of theoretical and practical competency of coaches in the field of biomedical education.

READING HABITS AND SELF-ASSESSMENT OF READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS AMONG HUNGARIAN STUDENTS IN SLOVAKIA

This paper introduces the results of a survey examining the reading habits and self-assessment of reading comprehension skills of Hungarian students in Slovakia. As the largest ethnic minority in Slovakia is Hungarian, it has extensive primary and secondary native language school networks. The purpose of this research is to map the reading habits and self-assessment of reading comprehension skills of students to answer the question how these subjective views of different age groups change and what indicators (social background, school success) they correlate with. We have chosen questionnaires composed of 28 questions as a method for examining the students’ reading habits. The total number of survey respondents was 131. There were 98 respondents from average schools where reading comprehension and reading habits are not taught separately. In that case three age groups were involved: 23 students at a secondary grammar school, 38 pupils in the second stage of primary school and 37 pupils in the first stage of primary school. Interestingly, there is no big difference in reading attitudes among the different age groups. The respondents’ answers prove that only a fraction of students read in their free time. On the other hand, the groups, regardless of age, subjectively claim that they do not have problems with reading comprehension tasks. They claim that reading is easy for them, so they understand everything that they read. It can be concluded that these statements are highly controversial with the results of international surveys. At a later stage of the research the survey was conducted in a primary school where pupils have regularly reading comprehension classes. The number of respondents from this school was 33. There were 21 pupils from the second stage and 12 pupils from the first stage of primary school. Based on the results, there are considerable differences in the answers provided by the two groups. The pupils from the primary school with reading comprehension classes differently judge their level of understanding. These results have potential implications for further research to determine the reading habits and reading comprehension skills of Hungarian pupils in Slovakia.

Potential of Using Twitter to Recruit Cancer Survivors and Their Willingness to Participate in Nutrition Research and Web-Based Interventions: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundSocial media is rapidly changing how cancer survivors search for and share health information and can potentially serve as a cost-effective channel to reach cancer survivors and invite them to participate in nutrition intervention programs.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the feasibility of using Twitter to recruit cancer survivors for a web-based survey and assess their willingness to complete web-based nutrition surveys, donate biospecimens, and to be contacted about web-based nutrition programs.MethodsWe contacted 301 Twitter accounts of cancer organizations, advocates, and survivors to request assistance promoting a web-based survey among cancer survivors. The survey asked respondents whether they would be willing to complete web-based nutrition or lifestyle surveys, donate biospecimens, and be contacted about web-based nutrition programs. Survey promotion rate was assessed by the percentage of Twitter accounts that tweeted the survey link at least once. Survey response was assessed by the number of survey respondents who answered at least 85% (26/30). We compared the characteristics of cancer survivors who responded to this survey with those who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2010 and evaluated factors associated with willingness to complete web-based surveys, donate biospecimens, and be contacted to participate in web-based nutrition programs among those who responded to the social media survey.ResultsOver 10 weeks, 113 Twitter account owners and 165 of their followers promoted the survey, and 444 cancer survivors provided complete responses. Two-thirds of respondents indicated that they would be willing to complete web-based nutrition or lifestyle surveys (297/444, 67.0%) and to be contacted to participate in web-based nutrition interventions (294/444, 66.2%). The percentage of respondents willing to donate biospecimens were 59.3% (263/444) for oral swab, 52.1% (231/444) for urine sample, 37.9% (168/444) for blood sample, and 35.6% (158/444) for stool sample. Compared with a nationally representative sample of 1550 cancer survivors in NHANES, those who responded to the social media survey were younger (53.1 years vs 60.8 years; P<.001), more likely to be female (93.9% [417/444] vs 58.7% [909/1550]; P<.001), non-Hispanic whites (85.4% [379/444] vs 64.0% [992/1550]; P<.001), to have completed college or graduate school (30.1 [133/444] vs 19.9% [308/444]; P<.001), and to be within 5 years of their initial diagnosis (55.2% [244/444] vs 34.1% [528/1550]; P<.001). Survivors younger than 45 years, female, and non-Hispanic whites were more willing to complete web-based nutrition surveys than older (65+ years), male, and racial or ethnic minority survivors. Non-Hispanic whites and breast cancer survivors were more willing to donate biospecimens than those with other race, ethnicity or cancer types.ConclusionsTwitter could be a feasible approach to recruit cancer survivors into nutrition research and web-based interventions with potentially high yields. Specific efforts are needed to recruit survivors who are older, male, racial and ethnic minorities, and from socioeconomically disadvantaged groups when Twitter is used as a recruitment method.

Implementing a perioperative efficiency initiative for orthopedic surgery instrumentation at an academic center: A comparative before-and-after study.

Optimizing surgical instrumentation may contribute to value-based care, particularly in commonly performed procedures. We report our experience in implementing a perioperative efficiency program in 2 types of orthopedic surgery (primary total-knee arthroplasty, TKA, and total-hip arthroplasty, THA).A comparative before-and-after study with 2 participating surgeons, each performing both THA and TKA, was conducted. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of surgical tray optimization on operating and processing time, cost, and waste associated with preparation, delivery, and staging of sterile surgical instruments. The study was designed as a prospective quality improvement initiative with pre- and postimplementation operational measures and a provider satisfaction survey.A total of 96 procedures (38 preimplementation and 58 postimplementation) were assessed using time-stamped performance endpoints. The number and weight of trays and instruments processed were reduced substantially after the optimization intervention, particularly for TKA. Setup time was reduced by 23% (6 minutes, P = .01) for TKA procedures but did not differ for THA. The number of survey respondents was small, but satisfaction was high overall among personnel involved in implementation.Optimizing instrumentation trays for orthopedic procedures yielded reduction in processing time and cost. Future research should evaluate patient outcomes and incremental/additive impact on institutional quality measures.

Arts in health: considering language from an educational perspective in the United States

Background: There has been tremendous progress linking the arts to health over the past five decades in the United States. An academic discipline has been clearly established through the development of programs at accredited universities, a growing body of research and dedicated field journals. However, significant inconsistencies in the use of language to reference the discipline pose challenges for practitioners, educators, policy-makers, service users and the public, and may impede progress.Methods: This descriptive study investigated the language used to reference the discipline informed by literature review, technical examination of language, a field survey and round-table dialog among educators.Results: The literature review revealed “arts and health” as the most common term used, which also was the preferred term for the greatest number of survey respondents (26%), followed by “arts, health and well-being” (22%) and “arts in health” (21%), confirming a general lack of consensus. Technical examination of language identified certain terms or phases as problematic. Dialog among round-table participants yielded the recommendation for “arts in health” as the term that, for educational purposes, may best describe the overarching discipline and be inclusive of both health care and community-based practices.Conclusions: A recommendation is made for use of the term “arts in health” to reference the discipline in educational programs in the U.S.

The prevalence and basic characteristics of knee pain in community-dwelling independent elderly: A complete survey.

Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of knee pain in independent community-dwelling elderly people and to examine the basic characteristics (sex and age) of those experiencing knee pain.Methods Survey on the health status and lifestyle habits was conducted for all (6,790) independent elderly who were 65 years or older, living in Tsuru City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The survey was carried out using a mailing questionnaire for 1 month from January 12 to February 11, 2016. Knee pain was defined as subjective pain in and around the knee joint in either one or both knees, on most days during the past month. Participants answered "Yes" if they were experienced knee pain, and "No" if they did not experience knee pain. Sex and age were investigated as basic characteristics of the participants by the questionnaire. The prevalence rate of knee pain was calculated as follows: the total number of people with knee pain divided by the total number of the respondents in the study. To examine the relationships between knee pain and age or sex, these basic characteristics were analyzed using a Chi-square test for the prevalence of knee pain within sex and age groups.Results The number of survey respondents was 5,328 (response rate: 78.5%). The number of valid respondents with complete data was 5,186 (valid response rate: 76.4%). The number of subjects who responded "with knee pain" was 1,733. The prevalence rate of knee pain was 33.4%. In addition, sex and age demonstrated strong associations with the prevalence of knee pain (both, P<0.001). In other words, the prevalence rate was higher in the elderly women than in elderly men and increased with age.Conclusion The present study suggested that one in three independently living elderly who live in medium-sized local municipalities in Japan experience chronic knee pain. The basic characteristics of a community-dwelling independent elderly with knee pain are to be a woman and older age.

Disaster Work in China: Tasks and Competences for Social Workers

This paper presents the results of a survey on the social work tasks and competences required in disaster management in China. The survey questionnaire was administered at two training workshops held in Sichuan in July and September 2010. The number of survey respondents was 67. The results of tasks analysis indicated perceptions of a division of labor among government officials, social workers, and other disaster responders. The survey results also showed that identifying and addressing the special needs of vulnerable populations required moderate to high levels of competency. Overall, the results should be seen as preliminary and used as the basis for ongoing dialogue with social work educators and social workers about what is required in disaster training.

Research in Clinical Laboratory Science: Professionals' Educational Preparation

To describe the educational preparation of CLS professionals for conducting research. A link to 3-part online survey was sent by electronic mail to 7,572 members of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and 500 program directors research project. Barriers to participation in research by undergraduates include time limitations within the curriculum, insufficient faculty time, and lack of funds, space, and equipment. Increased emphasis on developing research skills is found in educational programs at the master's degree level. The formal educational background of many CLS professionals may leave them unprepared or underprepared for conducting research. Although there was broad representation among participants across educational levels, employment settings, and job positions, the number of survey respondents was limited. Possible directions for future research include conducting this survey using members of additional professional organizations.

Research in Clinical Laboratory Science: Professionals' Involvement

To describe current qualitative and quantitative aspects of research engagement and other scholarly activities conducted by clinical laboratory science (CLS) professionals across a range of employment settings. A link to a 3-part online survey was sent by electronic mail to 7,572 members of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and 500 program directors. email message, on-line survey all ASCLS members and all directors of accredited clinical laboratory educational programs Quantitative and qualitative measures of professionals' engagement in research and other scholarly activities 556 of 7572 (7.3%) persons completed the survey. Thirty-two percent of survey respondents reported spending between 1 to > 40 work hours per week conducting research with 68% of respondents not participating in research activities. Conducting research is an employment requirement for 18% of survey participants. Twenty-nine percent of respondents have published at least one research article, and 47% of respondents who conduct research have published studies in the journal Clinical Laboratory Science. More than 57% of respondents participate in non-research scholarly activities as part of their employment. CLS professionals who conduct research are more likely to do applied, clinical, or educational research than other types of research. Fifty-seven percent of respondents who conduct research lack external funding for their work. Ninety-three percent of total research dollars is obtained by respondents who hold the Ph.D. degree. The perception of the importance of conducting research varies by employment position. Barriers to participation in research include lack of inclusion of research in the job description, time constraints, inadequate research funding, limited opportunity, and lack of space and equipment. CLS professionals participate in research in limited numbers, and are more likely to engage in non-research types of scholarly activities. Numerous barriers are identified which impose limits to conducting research. Over half of CLS's research efforts lack external funding. Although there was broad representation among participants across educational levels, employment settings, and job positions, the number of survey respondents was limited. Possible directions for future research include conducting this survey using members of additional professional organizations.

Familiarity and prevalence of Facebook use for social networking among individuals with traumatic brain injury

Objective: To examine use of Facebook among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to identify barriers preventing Facebook use.Method: An online survey was developed assessing frequency and barriers to use of Facebook. The survey was distributed electronically to individuals with TBI through four state brain injury associations. Ninety-six individuals with TBI completed the survey (60% female, age range: 23–70).Results: The relative majority of respondents (60%) reported using Facebook on a regular basis. Among those who reported not using Facebook, the most commonly reported barriers were security concerns and cognitive deficits. Approximately half of non-users indicated interest in learning to use the site, with 70% reporting that they would use it more if they were more knowledgeable about it. Both users and non-users indicated that they would be interested in receiving training to learn how to use Facebook better.Conclusions: Social networking sites are increasingly important in creating and maintaining social networks. A significant number of survey respondents expressed interest in further training on Facebook use. Increased use of social networking may have important implications for social integration among individuals with TBI.

臨床試験支援者の教育システム構築のための現状把握および教育コンテンツの検討

The systematic education is needed now, because more expectations are placed on clinical research coordinator (CRC) whose duties range from clinical trials for drug development to clinical research. The purpose of this study was to grasp the present conditions of the education opportunity for CRC and to examine the education content in order to build a better education system. The number of survey respondents was 187 (32.9%) among the total of 568 surveys distribution. Half of person was hard to take education, and time and distance were outstanding as the cause. They answered that the fundamentals of “GCP” are very important as a learning item. The need to raise understanding of fundamentals such as “ethical problem”, “compensation”, and “data management” was suggested. As well as substantiality of the training on the national scale, it was thought that teaching materials for self-learning, such as e-learning, we will be necessary for the improvement of knowledge and professional ability of CRC.

Elastic compression for varicose vein surgery

SummaryIn daily clinical practice the elastic compression before and after varicose vein surgery is not standardized and there are no clear indications on techniques or materials to use, especially for uncomplicated varicose disease (i.e., absence of ulcers, lymphoedema). Aim of the study was to evaluate the current use of elastic compression for varicose vein in different vein surgical settings in Italy, and to compare Italian practice to the customary approaches used in other European countries. Methods: A national survey exploring pre-, intra and postoperative practice in varicose vein surgery was conducted among surgical departments throughout Italy. Results: The survey, involving practice patterns in 112 Italian venous Surgical departments (26,792 venous operations), showed that a large number of survey respondents ( 57/112), considered use of elastic compression as „non indispensable” in the preparation for varicose vein surgery, but all of them applied compression in the immediate post operative management and at discharge. However, techniques and materials employed for postoperative elastic compression were generally based on personal opinions and thereby, were largely dissimilar among centres. Conclusion: The use of elastic compression for varicose vein surgery is still applied with disparate modalities according with the individual’s experience. Efforts toward more uniformed and wide application of elastic compression need to be implemented. Standardization in the management for varicose venous surgery will reflect in better results also in terms of cost-effectiveness and patient care.