Organizational Use Research Articles

Hospital process performance and the adoption of medical devices: An organization-based view.

Over the past two decades, there has been a growing scholarly interest in the adoption of technology in healthcare. While numerous studies have delved into the effects of specific technologies on the performance of different organizational units and medical specialties, the findings have often been divergent. Unlike the established literature, our approach focuses on the organization's perspective to analyze how technology impacts process performance in hospital settings. More precisely, we compiled a tailored dataset from 56 healthcare organizations in Italy and conducted a comprehensive analysis of panel data from 2016 to 2019, utilizing Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression as our main analytical tool. The data shows a clear relationship between an organization's use of medical devices and its overall process performance. Our research highlights the importance of achieving substantial improvements in process performance by strategically integrating new technologies and devices. Policymakers are encouraged to consider introducing incentives to drive hospitals to invest in innovative technologies. Furthermore, monitoring expenditures on new devices could serve as a valuable metric for assessing the extent of technology adoption within clinical practices.

Global antimicrobial resistance and use surveillance system (GLASS 2022): Investigating the relationship between antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial consumption data across the participating countries.

For the first time since 2015, the World Health Organization's (WHO) global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance (GLASS) featured both global reports for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial consumption (AMC) data in its annual reports. In this study we investigated the relationship of AMR with AMC within participating countries reported in the GLASS 2022 report. Our analysis found a statistically significant correlation between beta-lactam/cephalosporin and fluoroquinolones consumption and AMR to these antimicrobials associated with bloodstream E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae among the participating countries (P<0.05). We observed that for every 1 unit increase in defined daily dose DDD of beta-lactam/cephalosporins and quinolone consumptions among the countries, increased the recoveries of bloodstream-associated beta-lactam/cephalosporins-resistant E. coli/Klebsiella spp. by 11-22% and quinolone-resistant E. coli/Klebsiella spp. by 31-40%. When we compared the antimicrobial consumptions between the antimicrobial ATC (Alphanumeric codes developed by WHO) groups and countries, we observed a statistically significant higher daily consumption of beta-lactam-penicillins (J01C, DDD difference range: 5.23-8.13) and cephalosporins (J01D, DDD difference range: 2.57-5.13) compared to other antimicrobial groups among the countries (adjusted for multiple comparisons using Tukey's method). Between the participating countries, we observed a statistically significant higher daily consumption of antimicrobial groups in Iran (DDD difference range: 3.63-4.84) and Uganda (DDD difference range: 3.79-5.01) compared to other participating countries (adjusted for multiple comparisons using Tukey's method). Understanding AMC and how it relates to AMR at the global scale is critical in the global AMR policy development and implementation of global antimicrobial stewardship.

УПРАВЛІННЯ ФІНАНСОВИМИ РЕЗУЛЬТАТАМИ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ

The article discusses the topical issue of managing financial results in the conditions of a market economy. The article analyzes the scientific works of Ukrainian and foreign researchers and specialists on the study of methods and techniques for analyzing financial results; the main complex measures for ensuring and forming the financial results of organizations in Ukraine are defined; a study of the main methods of planning financial results was carried out. The article states that the study of the dynamics of financial results according to the components of accounting will solve a number of problems: evaluate the competitive position of the organization: the growth of profit from sales, which indicates an increase in the competitiveness of the organization and its products; evaluate the organization's asset management strategy: a decrease in profit from sales while increasing operating income may mean a reduction in the main type of activity along with an increase in operations related to the transfer of property for lease or asset sales; give an assessment of the “quality” of economic and legal work in the organization: for example, an increase in unrealized income signals the high quality of claims work or the collection of receivables previously recognized as hopeless. It was determined that a general assessment of the organization's activity is given on the basis of such financial indicators as profit – an absolute indicator and profitability – a relative indicator. It was determined that the concept of “financial leverage effect” is used to assess the effectiveness of the organization's use of loan funds. When borrowing funds, profit before taxation is reduced due to the inclusion of interest for their use in the composition of expenses. The main component dependencies are analyzed, which reflect the increase in the return on equity due to the tax corrector, the differentiation of financial leverage and financial leverage. Approaches to the formation, distribution and analysis of such indicators as profit and profitability have been considered, allowing to manage the activities of the organization in order to maximize financial results. The concept of profit, which needs three goals, has been studied: 1) tax calculation; 2) creditor protection; 3) choosing a reasonable investment policy. It is determined that the return on equity can be increased by using borrowed funds and the factors that affect the return on equity are determined.

A protocol for a systematic review of standardised tools used in perinatal death review programmes.

Introduction: Perinatal mortality encompasses stillbirths and early neonatal deaths. A perinatal death surveillance and response cycle has been recommended by the World Health Organization for use in the review of perinatal deaths. The main components of the cycle include identifying and reporting perinatal deaths, and reviewing the deaths, including potentially modifiable factors, in order to measure and improve quality of care provided to women and infants. There is no consensus on the best way to design, implement and conduct perinatal death reviews. This systematic review aims to identify standardised tools that are used to review perinatal deaths. Objectives: The primary aim of this protocol is to describe methodology for a systematic search of the literature to identify standardised tools that are used to review perinatal deaths in upper-middle to high-income countries. Review tools may include standardised checklists, forms, frameworks or other structured documents used to review perinatal deaths. Review tools will be appraised to see if they incorporate the identification of modifiable factors in perinatal deaths and establish recommendations for improvements to quality of care provided. Methods: A systematic review of the literature will be performed to identify peer-reviewed publications and grey literature describing the use of perinatal mortality review tools without date restrictions. The eligibility of review tools for inclusion will be based on inclusion and exclusion criteria applied to the SPIDER framework. Data will be extracted based on the structure and content of included review tools, and the tools will be appraised using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation Health Systems (AGREE-HS) instrument. Conclusion: This systematic review protocol for identifying and appraising standardised perinatal mortality review tools may help to establish the optimal way to structure a standardised review process for perinatal mortality in middle- to high-income countries. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022326877.

Laboratory Surveillance, Quality Management, and Its Role in Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance in Africa: A Narrative Review.

AMR is a major public health concern that calls for extensive work and a multidisciplinary team approach. The high prevalence of infectious diseases in African nations leads to widespread antibiotic usage and eventual antimicrobial resistance, which has significant negative effects on people's health, the economy, and society. Additionally, inadequate or nonexistent antimicrobial drug regulations, inappropriate prescription practices, and restrictions on public health prevention initiatives such as immunization, water and sanitation, and sexual health may all contribute to the emergence of AMR. Despite the need for laboratory quality assurance, many African laboratories confront substantial difficulties in implementing efficient quality assurance programs. AMR surveillance in Africa is hampered by a lack of laboratory capacity, insufficient data collection and analysis, and poor stakeholder collaboration. Several initiatives and programs, including the World Health Organization's Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (AMRSNET), and the Fleming Fund, a UK government initiative aimed at tackling AMR in low- and middle-income countries, have been established to strengthen AMR surveillance in Africa and globally.

AI governance: themes, knowledge gaps and future agendas

PurposeFollowing the surge of documents laying out organizations' ethical principles for their use of artificial intelligence (AI), there is a growing demand for translating ethical principles to practice through AI governance (AIG). AIG has emerged as a rapidly growing, yet fragmented, research area. This paper synthesizes the organizational AIG literature by outlining research themes and knowledge gaps as well as putting forward future agendas.Design/methodology/approachThe authors undertake a systematic literature review on AIG, addressing the current state of its conceptualization and suggesting future directions for AIG scholarship and practice. The review protocol was developed following recommended guidelines for systematic reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).FindingsThe results of the authors’ review confirmed the assumption that AIG is an emerging research topic with few explicit definitions. Moreover, the authors’ review identified four themes in the AIG literature: technology, stakeholders and context, regulation and processes. The central knowledge gaps revealed were the limited understanding of AIG implementation, lack of attention to the AIG context, uncertain effectiveness of ethical principles and regulation, and insufficient operationalization of AIG processes. To address these gaps, the authors present four future AIG agendas: technical, stakeholder and contextual, regulatory, and process. Going forward, the authors propose focused empirical research on organizational AIG processes, the establishment of an AI oversight unit and collaborative governance as a research approach.Research limitations/implicationsTo address the identified knowledge gaps, the authors present the following working definition of AIG: AI governance is a system of rules, practices and processes employed to ensure an organization's use of AI technologies aligns with its strategies, objectives, and values, complete with legal requirements, ethical principles and the requirements set by stakeholders. Going forward, the authors propose focused empirical research on organizational AIG processes, the establishment of an AI oversight unit and collaborative governance as a research approach.Practical implicationsFor practitioners, the authors highlight training and awareness, stakeholder management and the crucial role of organizational culture, including senior management commitment.Social implicationsFor society, the authors review elucidates the multitude of stakeholders involved in AI governance activities and complexities related to balancing the needs of different stakeholders.Originality/valueBy delineating the AIG concept and the associated research themes, knowledge gaps and future agendas, the authors review builds a foundation for organizational AIG research, calling for broad contextual investigations and a deep understanding of AIG mechanisms. For practitioners, the authors highlight training and awareness, stakeholder management and the crucial role of organizational culture, including senior management commitment.

Genetic stabilization of attenuated oral vaccines against poliovirus types 1 and 3

Vaccination with Sabin, a live attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV), results in robust intestinal and humoral immunity and has been key to controlling poliomyelitis. As with any RNA virus, OPV evolves rapidly to lose attenuating determinants critical to the reacquisition of virulence1–3 resulting in vaccine-derived, virulent poliovirus variants. Circulation of these variants within underimmunized populations leads to further evolution of circulating, vaccine-derived poliovirus with higher transmission capacity, representing a significant risk of polio re-emergence. A new type 2 OPV (nOPV2), with promising clinical data on genetic stability and immunogenicity, recently received authorization from the World Health Organization for use in response to circulating, vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks. Here we report the development of two additional live attenuated vaccine candidates against type 1 and 3 polioviruses. The candidates were generated by replacing the capsid coding region of nOPV2 with that from Sabin 1 or 3. These chimeric viruses show growth phenotypes similar to nOPV2 and immunogenicity comparable to their parental Sabin strains, but are more attenuated. Our experiments in mice and deep sequencing analysis confirmed that the candidates remain attenuated and preserve all the documented nOPV2 characteristics concerning genetic stability following accelerated virus evolution. Importantly, these vaccine candidates are highly immunogenic in mice as monovalent and multivalent formulations and may contribute to poliovirus eradication.

Information misbehavior: How organizations use information to deceive

AbstractRecent examples of organizational wrongdoing such as those that led to the opioid crisis and the 2008 financial meltdown show that organizations can deliberately use information to deceive others, resulting in serious harm. This brief communication explores the role of information in organizational wrongdoing. We analyze a dataset consisting of 80 cases of high‐penalty corporate wrongdoing in the United States in the period 2000–2020. Our analysis of documents filed by the US Department of Justice and federal regulatory agencies in those cases found that organizations use two general information strategies to deceive and mislead. First, organizations can “sow doubt” on statements by others that hurt the organization's interests. Second, organizations can “exploit trust” that others have placed in them to provide truthful information. Our analysis suggests that which strategy is adopted depends on the degree that the organization's external information use environment is “contested” or “controlled.” Across the cases examined, we observe three types of information behaviors that implement the strategy of sowing doubt and exploiting trust: information obfuscation, information concealment, and information falsification.

Hubert Harrison: The Struggle for Equality, 1918–1927

Hubert Harrison: The Struggle for Equality, 1918–1927

Joint drivers of different shades of green IT/IS practices: a strategic cognition perspective

PurposePractitioners and academics are starting to recognize the benefits of green IT/IS practices. Despite these benefits, this study aims to know more regarding the factors that would drive organizations to use green IT/IS practices within their IT function and across the enterprise. To further understanding in this area, this study applies a strategic cognition framework of firm responsiveness and institutional theory to determine the extent to which an organization uses green IT/IS practices in response to stakeholder concerns. This study investigates the extent to which two organizational logics – expressive and instrumental – and three institutional pressures – coercive, mimetic and normative – jointly affect an organization's use of both green IT practices and green IS practices.Design/methodology/approachThis study tested the hypotheses with survey data collected from 306 organizations. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.FindingsFindings support four joint effects: (1) individualistic identity orientation and coercive pressure positively affect green IT practices; (2) collectivistic identity orientation and normative pressure positively influence green IS practices; (3) cost reduction orientation and mimetic pressure positively affect green IT practices; and (4) revenue expansion orientation and normative pressure positively influence green IS practices.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by providing evidence for joint drivers of green IT and green IS practices. Green IT and IS practices represent organizations' different levels of commitment to environmental sustainability and responsiveness to stakeholders (i.e. green IT/IS practices). Organizations of different expressive and instrumental orientations are attuned to institutional pressures to various degrees, which leads to different green IT/IS practices.

Application of mathematical and statistical methods to the problem of resource management in agricultural production, taking into account uncertainty and risk

The agricultural sphere of production has always been accompanied by the influence of a wide range of factors, among which a large share is assigned to natural and climatic. The activities of agricultural organizations, especially in the field of crop production, are directly related to weather events, and in addition, a number of unstable processes of economic content (prices, demand, etc.), as well as problems caused by sanctions and the need to resolve import substitution issues, force management decisions to be made in conditions of uncertainty and risk. At the same time, the competent use of resource potential enables enterprises to reduce production costs and increase its efficiency in general. The purpose of the study was to develop a procedure for the formation of alternative solutions to the problem of land management for optimal placement of crops in fields using mathematical and statistical methods. The article presents an overview of a number of scientific studies related to the improvement of the activities of agricultural organizations, the results of which highlight and consider the main factors, methods and methods of increasing its effectiveness. According to official statistical sources, the analysis of the state of agricultural production in Russia, the Volga Federal District and the Orenburg Region in the context of the crop industry is given. The methods of game theory are chosen as tools that allow the formation of alternative options according to a number of criteria (Maximax criterion, Wald maximin criterion, Savage minimum risk criterion, Hurwitz pessimism-optimism criterion). The testing of the computational algorithm was carried out on the materials of one of the agricultural organizations of the Orenburg region. As a result of the study, several strategies for the use of land resources were formed when the enterprise was operating under conditions of uncertainty and risk, depending on the behavior of market conditions and natural and climatic factors. The analysis of the presented calculations showed an increase in the profit of the organization when planning the distribution of areas for agricultural crops using mathematical and statistical tools, and the possibility of automating the computational process (against the background of the digitalization of data flow processing that is relevant today) will significantly reduce the time when making managerial decisions. The results of the work can be recommended to agricultural organizations for use in the process of land management to achieve maximum efficiency and profitability of the business.

CFD Modeling of Waste Heat Recovery System to Dry Sand Mold at G-7 Trading and Industry PLC, Ethiopia

As the energy crisis's impact spreads, energy consumption has emerged as the fundamental impediment to industry's long-term viability. Utilizing and recovering various sources of waste heat can considerably reduce an organization's energy use. Energy conservation is crucial not just for fuel use, but also for the conservation and protection of the global ecosystem. As a result, it is necessary to make a concerted effort to save energy generated by waste heat. This paper aims to develop flue gas as a substitute for wood burning for drying mold at foundry shop of G-7 trading and industrial PLC. Flue gas temperature and velocity were measured at various locations throughout this study, and an analytical computation was done on the flue gas supply system and mold drying chamber. To show what happens within the hot flue gas supply duct and mould drying chamber, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Ansys software was used. The business benefits by eliminating the usage of wood as a fuel and making the process more cost-effective and environmentally friendly by capturing hot flue gas from the top section of the furnace or chimney and supplying it through duct to the drying chamber to dry the mold. As a result, the negative impact of deforestation will be mitigated, and a favorable working environment will be established.

Territorial planning of use and protection of land resources in the Russian Federation

The purpose of this study is investigation of territorial planning in the Russian Federation in order to improve the legal, scientific, methodological and organizational development of this sphere. The object of the study is the Republic of Bashkortostan as a region of the Russian Federation, and the subject is the territorial planning schemes and the organization of use and protection of lands. To achieve the goal of the study, the following tasks were investigated: – the relationship of land and food resources; – the development of scientific ideas about territorial planning in the former USSR, Russia and other countries; – the legal basis of territorial planning in Russia at the present stage of development of land relations; – the information basis of territorial planning schemes; – the content of territorial planning schemes at regional and municipal levels; – comparative analysis of territorial planning and land management schemes at different administration levels.

Physician organizations' use of behavioral nudges to influence physician behavior.

Because physicians' decisions drive health care costs and quality, there is growing interest in applying behavioral economics approaches, including behavioral nudges, to influence physicians' decisions. This paper investigates adoption of behavioral nudges by health system-affiliated physician organizations (POs), types of nudges being used, PO leader perceptions of nudge effectiveness, and implementation challenges. Mixed-methods study design (PO leader survey followed by in-depth qualitative interviews). Purposive sample of 30 health system-affiliated POs in 4 states; POs varied in size and quality performance. We collected data between October 2017 and June 2019. The survey asked PO leaders to report their organization's use of 5 categories of nudges to influence primary and specialty physicians' actions. We conducted semistructured phone interviews to confirm survey responses, elicit examples of the nudges that POs reported using, understand how nudges were structured, and identify implementation challenges. We present descriptive tabulations of nudge use and effectiveness ratings. We applied thematic analysis to the interview data. Almost all POs in this study reported nudge use. Clinical templates, patient action lists, and altered order entry were most commonly used. However, PO leaders reported that nudge use was limited to a narrow range of clinical applications, not widespread across the organization, and mostly structured as suggestions rather than default actions or hard stops. Nudge use remains limited in practice. Opportunities exist to expand use of nudges to influence physician behavior; however, expanding use of behavioral nudges will require PO investment of resources to support their construction and maintenance.

Assessment of Polypharmacy, Drug Use Patterns, and Associated Factors at the Edna Adan University Hospital, Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Polypharmacy is the use of multiple drugs by a patient at the same time and is common in the elderly. To our knowledge, drug use patterns in Somaliland are rarely studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate polypharmacy, drug use patterns, and their predictors at the Edna Adan University Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland. A retrospective cohort analysis of 1140 medical records and prescriptions over a year from August 28, 2019, to August 27, 2020, was reviewed. The data completeness and consistency were checked and entered with the SPSS version 25.0. The association between total polypharmacy and different variables was analyzed using multivariable binary logistic regression and expressed as an odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). In addition, the World Health Organization's core drug use and facility indicators were used to assess the drug use patterns. The overall polypharmacy in this study was 71%. Statistically significant association was observed between the polypharmacy and variables such as age (P = 0.01; OR = 3.4, 95% CI = 1.9–6.1), chronic illness (P = 0.01, OR = 8.6, 95% CI = 5.1–14.7), and comorbidity (P = 0.01, OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 2.1–12.9). However, the ward admitted/visited and gender did not have a statistically significant association with polypharmacy. There was overuse of brand drugs (63.9%) and antibiotics (55.2%), while the use of injectables (19.9%) was within the acceptable range. Polypharmacy and overuse of brand drugs and antibiotics were prevalent in the study setting. Essential drugs list, formularies, and treatment and regulatory guidelines are needed in place to ensure appropriate drug use.

A protocol for a systematic review of standardised tools used in perinatal death review programmes

Introduction: Perinatal mortality encompasses stillbirths and early neonatal deaths. A perinatal death surveillance and response cycle has been recommended by the World Health Organization for use in the review of perinatal deaths. The main components of the cycle include identifying and reporting perinatal deaths, and reviewing the deaths, including potentially modifiable factors, in order to measure and improve quality of care provided to women and infants. There is no consensus on the best way to design, implement and conduct perinatal death reviews. This systematic review aims to identify standardised tools that are used to review perinatal deaths. Objectives: The primary aim of this protocol is to describe methodology for a systematic search of the literature to identify standardised tools that are used to review perinatal deaths in upper-middle to high-income countries. Review tools may include standardised checklists, forms, frameworks or other structured documents used to review perinatal deaths. Review tools will be appraised to see if they incorporate the identification of modifiable factors in perinatal deaths and establish recommendations for improvements to quality of care provided. Methods: A systematic review of the literature will be performed to identify peer-reviewed publications and grey literature describing the use of perinatal mortality review tools without date restrictions. The eligibility of review tools for inclusion will be based on inclusion and exclusion criteria applied to the SPIDER framework. Data will be extracted based on the structure and content of included review tools, and the tools will be appraised using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation Health Systems (AGREE-HS) instrument. Conclusion: This systematic review protocol for identifying and appraising standardised perinatal mortality review tools may help to establish the optimal way to structure a standardised review process for perinatal mortality in middle- to high-income countries. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022326877

Monitoring the Level of Digital Transformation in Education: Indexes and Technologies

Purpose of the study. Digital transformation is the foundation of global and national economic growth. Currently, a strategic direction has been adopted in the field of digital transformation of education until 2030, which belongs to the field of activity of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. In the process of implementing educational programs, the introduction of digital technologies for learning is of paramount importance, so the problem of assessing the degree of their integration in education is relevant. As part of the study, the existing approaches to monitoring the use of modern technologies in schools, lyceums and gymnasiums were analyzed. The purpose of this work is to develop criteria indexes and groupings of educational organizations for use in the methodology for assessing the level of digital transformation of education, improving the information base and increasing the accuracy of the results of a comparative analysis. To create a model for the process of assessing the level of digital transformation of education, it is necessary to identify the key stages in the monitoring system.Materials and methods. The study of approaches to monitoring digital transformation in the field of education was performed as a result of a review of the methods used to assess the degree of implementation of digital technologies in education. The methods of statistical, systemic and comparative analysis were used in the paper. The basis of the study is indexes of the development of specific technologies defined in regulations, official statistical reporting, and materials of the Unified Interdepartmental Statistical Information System. The methodology for assessing the level of digital transformation of education in the region is applicable in the framework of achieving the indexes of the national project “Education”. Modeling the process of monitoring the state of digitalization of education was performed considering the use of a methodology that includes indexes of the introduction of digital technologies and the grouping of educational institutions.Results.The main issues of monitoring the digital transformation of school education are viewed, considering the assessment of the degree of integration of end-to-end digital technologies. The main results of the study are improving the information base, supplementing the methodology for assessing the digital transformation of school education and building a model for the process of assessing the level of digital transformation of education in the region. Within the framework of the monitoring of the education system, criteria indexes for the introduction of end-to-end digital technologies are proposed. The developed model characterizes the stages of monitoring from data collection to decision-making, and shows the interrelation between the system functions. The modeling was performed to develop a system that determines the level of implementation of digital solutions in the field of education in the regional context.Conclusion.The digitalization of school education involves the integration of new technologies in education, primarily to achieve higher educational results for students. It is important to assess the current state of the digital transformation of educational organizations at different levels in the framework of the application of modern technologies in the educational process. The proposed indexes for the introduction of end-to-end digital technologies and the groupings of educational institutions can be used by data analysts, as well as in research and practical activities of executive authorities when monitoring the education sector.

Establishment of an emergency regulatory approval system in Japan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges in developing domestically produced vaccines.

Although ten vaccines against novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have been placed on the World Health Organization (WHO)'s emergency use list, no vaccine has been developed by Japanese pharmaceutical companies. As of March 2022, 10 billion doses of vaccines have been administered worldwide 2 years after the infection was declared a pandemic by the WHO. Japan lacks a system for approval of pharmaceuticals at the stage of presumed efficacy in emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The absence of such an emergency approval mechanism is believed to have been a stumbling block to the rapid availability of urgently needed drugs. Further promotion of vaccine development in Japan will require comprehensive improvement of investment in the vaccine field, which is critically lacking from a long-term perspective.

Опыт компьютерного моделирования паводкового стока реки Кубань к Краснодарскому водохранилищу на основе модели DWAT

The article is dedicated to PC modeling of the maximum water runoff of the Kuban rivers flowing to the Krasnodar reservoir after the storm rains. A mathematical model of the «precipitation-runoff» type – DWAT was used. This model is recommended by the World Meteorological Organization for use on rivers with flash floods, based on river survey digital elevation models and storm rain forecasts. A possibility of using proposed approach, the estimated possibility of using DWAT for short-term forecasting of flood inflow to the Krasnodar reservoir based on storm precipitation at predictor meteorological stations, which is tentatively assessed based on the analysis of the dependence of the main elements of floods on the storm rain characteristics. In addition to the digital relief model, the model uses georeferenced layers of data on vegetation, land use types and soils of the catchment area. In general, the article shows the process of entering and processing data into the model. The obtained final simulation results, expressed by the forecast hydrograph, are compared with the observed true values. The forecasted flood graphs correspond suffi ciently to the observed ones and in general the ma ximum water discharges of the forecasted floods obtained using the model under study for previous precipitation are for the most part slightly higher than the observed ones, which is partly explained by the spatial data due to map resolution used. The use of more detailed source data and map resolution may improve the final result.

Pilot study to evaluate usability and acceptability of the 'Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool' in Russian primary healthcare.

Background and aimsAccurate and user-friendly assessment tools quantifying alcohol consumption are a prerequisite to effective prevention and treatment programmes, including Screening and Brief Intervention. Digital tools offer new potential in this field. We developed the ‘Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool’ (AAA-Tool), a mobile app providing an interactive version of the World Health Organization's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) that facilitates the description of individual alcohol consumption via culturally informed animation features. This pilot study evaluated the Russia-specific version of the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool with regard to (1) its usability and acceptability in a primary healthcare setting, (2) the plausibility of its alcohol consumption assessment results and (3) the adequacy of its Russia-specific vessel and beverage selection.MethodsConvenience samples of 55 patients (47% female) and 15 healthcare practitioners (80% female) in 2 Russian primary healthcare facilities self-administered the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool and rated their experience on the Mobile Application Rating Scale – User Version. Usage data was automatically collected during app usage, and additional feedback on regional content was elicited in semi-structured interviews.ResultsOn average, patients completed the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool in 6:38 min (SD = 2.49, range = 3.00–17.16). User satisfaction was good, with all subscale Mobile Application Rating Scale – User Version scores averaging >3 out of 5 points. A majority of patients (53%) and practitioners (93%) would recommend the tool to ‘many people’ or ‘everyone’. Assessed alcohol consumption was plausible, with a low number (14%) of logically impossible entries. Most patients reported the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool to reflect all vessels (78%) and all beverages (71%) they typically used.ConclusionHigh acceptability ratings by patients and healthcare practitioners, acceptable completion time, plausible alcohol usage assessment results and perceived adequacy of region-specific content underline the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool's potential to provide a novel approach to alcohol assessment in primary healthcare. After its validation, the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool might contribute to reducing alcohol-related harm by facilitating Screening and Brief Intervention implementation in Russia and beyond.