Patterns Of Computer Use Research Articles

Handwritten and Typed Discourse in People With Aphasia: Reference Data for Sequential Picture Description and Comparison of Performance Across Modality.

Writing can be completed by hand or by typing. Increasingly, functional and social activities are completed in the virtual domain, which often requires discourse level writing. Yet, there is a shortage of research on discourse writing in aphasia. The purpose of this study was to provide preliminary reference data for a sequential picture description task in writing by hand and typing for people with aphasia. Additionally, we examined individual modality differences when comparing handwritten and typed discourse. Fifteen people with mild-moderate aphasia participated in this study. They completed a sequential picture description task in handwriting and in typing. Discourse samples were coded for Correct Information Units (CIUs) and Complete Utterances. Measures of productivity were also evaluated (e.g., Total Words, Total Utterances). Participants completed a computer use questionnaire regarding their current and premorbid typing and computer use. Preliminary reference data are reported. No significant differences were found at the group level for the measures evaluated. At the individual level, there was evidence of a modality effect for seven participants who demonstrated differences in the proportion of CIUs. Although preliminary, these findings suggest that, at the group level, the handwritten and typed discourse produced by people with mild-moderate aphasia is similar. However, at the individual level, there is potential for modality differences. Consistent patterns of premorbid computer use, difficulty ratings, and individual differences in writing modes were not identified for the participants who demonstrated a modality effect. However, there was preliminary evidence that poststroke handedness may contribute to modality differences exhibited by some participants, which should be explored in future research. Additionally, these reference data are preliminary and further research is required from a more heterogeneous group of people with aphasia and to better establish assessment practices for discourse writing.

Does gender role influence the pattern of internet and computer use among physiotherapy undergraduates?

Gender roles affect some components of life and whether this difference persist in using advanced technologies such as computers and internet is unclear. Aim of this study was to compare the computer and internet using patterns among male and female physiotherapy undergraduates. Methods: Out of the registered physiotherapy undergraduates, 92 participated in the study with a response rate of 80%. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from students in first to final academic years. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Results: Out of participants, 37% (n=34) were males and age ranged from 19 to 26 years. Majority of 95.7% (n=88) participants owns a computer and 64.1% (n=59) mainly use it for entertainment. Females tend to seek more formal learning computer classes compared to males. Majority of study participants spend more than 8 hours per week to go online and values were 29.4% (n=10) for males and 25.9% (n=15) for females. Conclusion: A significant relationship was seen between gender and formal learning classes for computers. Usage time and purposes did not show any difference among genders. Internet was used mainly for entertainment and secondly for social communication in both genders.

Pattern of internet use by iranian nursing students. Facilitators and barriers

Objective. To evaluate the pattern of internet use and factors that facilitate or dissuade its use among nursing students from a university in Urmia, Iran.Methods. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted with 162 nursing students selected through simple random sampling.Results. The findings indicated that 49.1% of the students used the internet from 15 to 60 min per day. The principal use of the internet was to search for scientific content in the Web. Factors that facilitated internet use were "ease of use" and "Access to experts to solve problems and answer questions", while the dissuasive factors were "lack of concentration", "cost of internet services", and preference for information provided by professors or available directly in textbooks. Internet use by the students was related with the use of this tool in classroom activities and with English fluency.Conclusion. Students have an internet use pattern aimed at self-study that should be strengthened with knowledge of English, assignments online, familiarization with the use of electronic databases, and other strategies to motivate them to use this technology with greater frequency.

Patterns of computer and Internet use and its association with HIV knowledge in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

BackgroundHealthcare systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are fraught with numerous governance and infrastructural issues including lack of access to quality care and health worker shortage. Policy makers are becoming increasingly interested in adopting novel technologies such as web-based interventions within the scope of e-Health to bridge the gaps in care delivery in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. Successful implementation of these policies is reliant on evidences regarding people’s access to these technologies, which are scarce for countries in SSA.ObjectivesTo 1) investigate the variation in the prevalence of accessing computer and internet across regional and socioeconomic groups, and 2) assess association between ever accessing computer and internet and knowledge of routes and risk factors of HIV transmission in selected SSA countries.MethodsWe analyzed cross-sectional datasets from UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Participants were16,194 men and 39,121 women from Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Main outcome variable was ever-accessing computer and Internet for any purpose. Associations were assessed by multivariable regression methods.ResultsLifetime computer usage in Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Malawi and Zimbabwe was respectively 21.5%, 13.4%, 12.3%, 28.4% among men, and 12.5%, 8.3%, 4.8%, 20.5% among women, and that of internet was 14.9%, 11.7%, 10.8%, 34% among men, and 6.4%, 6.9%, 4.2%, 21.6% among women in the aforementioned order. Participants who reported ever using computer and Internet were more likely to have higher knowledge regarding the transmission of HIV compared to those who did not.ConclusionsPrevalence of lifetime access to computer and Internet was considerably low in all four countries. Several socioeconomic factors appeared to be associated with the access to computer and Internet, addressing which might prove beneficial for the successful expansion e-Health in these countries.

Using smart offices to predict occupational stress

Occupational stress is increasingly present in our society. Usually, it is detected too late, resulting in physical and mental health problems for the worker, as well as economic losses for the companies due to the consequent absenteeism, presenteeism, reduced motivation or staff turnover. Therefore, the development of early stress detection systems that allow individuals to take timely action and prevent irreversible damage is required. To address this need, we investigate a method to analyze changes in physiological and behavioral patterns using unobtrusively and ubiquitously gathered smart office data. The goal of this paper is to build models that predict self-assessed stress and mental workload scores, as well as models that predict workload conditions based on physiological and behavior data. Regression models were built for the prediction of the self-reported stress and mental workload scores from data based on real office work settings. Similarly, classification models were employed to detect workload conditions and change in these conditions. Specific algorithms to deal with class-imbalance (SMOTEBoost and RUSBoost) were also tested. Results confirm the predictability of behavioral changes for stress and mental workload levels, as well as for change in workload conditions. Results also suggest that computer-use patterns together with body posture and movements are the best predictors for this purpose. Moreover, the importance of self-reported scores' standardization and the suitability of the NASA Task Load Index test for workload assessment is noticed. This work contributes significantly towards the development of an unobtrusive and ubiquitous early stress detection system in smart office environments, whose implementation in the industrial environment would make a great beneficial impact on workers’ health status and on the economy of companies.

Use of Tablet Computers to Promote Physical Therapy Students' Engagement in Knowledge Translation During Clinical Experiences.

Physical therapists strive to integrate research into daily practice. The tablet computer is a potentially transformational tool for accessing information within the clinical practice environment. The purpose of this study was to measure and describe patterns of tablet computer use among physical therapy students during clinical rotation experiences. Doctor of physical therapy students (n = 13 users) tracked their use of tablet computers (iPad), loaded with commercially available apps, during 16 clinical experiences (6-16 weeks in duration). The tablets were used on 70% of 691 clinic days, averaging 1.3 uses per day. Information seeking represented 48% of uses; 33% of those were foreground searches for research articles and syntheses and 66% were for background medical information. Other common uses included patient education (19%), medical record documentation (13%), and professional communication (9%). The most frequently used app was Safari, the preloaded web browser (representing 281 [36.5%] incidents of use). Users accessed 56 total apps to support clinical practice. Physical therapy students successfully integrated use of a tablet computer into their clinical experiences including regular activities of information seeking. Our findings suggest that the tablet computer represents a potentially transformational tool for promoting knowledge translation in the clinical practice environment.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A127).

Do Boys and Girls Use Computers Differently, and Does It Contribute to Why Boys Do Worse in School than Girls?

Boys are doing worse in school than are girls, which has been dubbed Boy Crisis. An analysis of the latest data on educational outcomes among boys and girls reveals extensive disparities in grades, reading and writing test scores, and other measurable educational outcomes, and these disparities exist across family resources and race. Focusing on disadvantaged schoolchildren, I then examine whether time investments made by boys and girls related to computer use contribute to the gender gap in academic achievement. Data from several sources indicate that boys are less likely to use computers for schoolwork and are more likely to use computers for playing games, but are less likely to use computers for social networking and email than are girls. Using data from a large field experiment randomly providing free personal computers to schoolchildren for home use, I also test whether these differential patterns of computer use displace homework time and ultimately translate into worse educational outcomes among boys. No evidence is found indicating that personal computers crowd out homework time and effort for disadvantaged boys relative to girls. Home computers also do not have negative effects on educational outcomes such as grades, test scores, courses completed, and tardies for disadvantaged boys relative to girls.

Do Boys and Girls Use Computers Differently, and Does It Contribute to Why Boys do Worse in School Than Girls?

Abstract Boys are doing worse in school than are girls, which has been dubbed “the Boy Crisis.” An analysis of the latest data on educational outcomes among boys and girls reveals extensive disparities in grades, reading and writing test scores, and other measurable educational outcomes, and these disparities exist across family resources and race. Focusing on disadvantaged schoolchildren, I then examine whether time investments made by boys and girls related to computer use contribute to the gender gap in academic achievement. Data from several sources indicate that boys are less likely to use computers for schoolwork and are more likely to use computers for playing games, but are less likely to use computers for social networking and email than are girls. Using data from a large field experiment randomly providing free personal computers to schoolchildren for home use, I also test whether these differential patterns of computer use displace homework time and ultimately translate into worse educational outcomes among boys. No evidence is found indicating that personal computers crowd out homework time and effort for disadvantaged boys relative to girls. Home computers also do not have negative effects on educational outcomes such as grades, test scores, courses completed, and tardies for disadvantaged boys relative to girls.

English

Computerized jobs are more sedentary as it requires more cognitive processing and mental attention. Besides, to put computers into operation for many tasks in tandem means that the operator would necessarily sit before visual display terminal of computers screen within a very restricted posture range. This could have deteriorative effects on the eyes. Hence, this study investigated the pattern of computer use in association with visual acuity among National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) staff. The study was a cross-sectional survey which utilized multi-stage sampling method to recruit 297 staff from selected 17 NOUN Study Centres. A self-administered and structured questionnaire was used to obtain information for the study. Snellens and Jeggars chart were used to determine visual acuity among the respondents. Findings from the study revealed that prolonged “daily” computer use was associated with less desirable visual acuity (p<0.05). Likewise, the longer the hours spent on daily computer use, the lesser the desirable visual acuity (p<0.05). It is however, recommended that periodic eye examination and public health campaign should be adopted as preventive strategies in order to maintain vision integrity among computer users.   Key words: Pattern, computer use, visual acuity.&nbsp

Do Boys and Girls Use Computers Differently, and Does it Contribute to Why Boys Do Worse in School than Girls?

Boys are doing worse in school than are girls, which has been dubbed Boy Crisis. An analysis of the latest data on educational outcomes among boys and girls reveals extensive disparities in grades, reading and writing test scores, and other measurable educational outcomes, and these disparities exist across family resources and race. Focusing on disadvantaged schoolchildren, I then examine whether time investments made by boys and girls related to computer use contribute to the gender gap in academic achievement. Data from several sources indicate that boys are less likely to use computers for schoolwork and are more likely to use computers for playing games, but are less likely to use computers for social networking and email than are girls. Using data from a large field experiment randomly providing free personal computers to schoolchildren for home use, I also test whether these differential patterns of computer use displace homework time and ultimately translate into worse educational outcomes among boys. No evidence is found indicating that personal computers crowd out homework time and effort for disadvantaged boys relative to girls. Home computers also do not have negative effects on educational outcomes such as grades, test scores, courses completed, and tardies for disadvantaged boys relative to girls.

Attitude, Awareness and Usage Skills of Computer and Internet among Medical Students

Background: The aim of this study is to assess the pattern of computer and internet use among the undergraduate medical students of S.V.Medical College, Tirupati. Methods: 180 first year medical students participated in the study. A questionnaire was designed to know their level of computer and internet usage skills. Results: Maximum number of students was aged 18 with 60% females. Among the users, 88.3% have own computer at home and majority are using it for entertainment. 68.89% have average computer skill and majority use internet daily or every alternate day. Majority (78.89%) is satisfied with computer assisted teaching and many would like to have short training courses for acquiring computer knowledge in their institution. Conclusion: The study shows that majority of medical students had experience with computer and internet, but the frequency, pattern and purpose of use is variable. More facilities should be available to the students regarding computer and internet for better utilization of internet resources.

Bridging the Digital Divide in Rural India

The focus of this article is an alternative policy approach to bridging the digital divide, through organisational innovations that provide low cost Internet access in rural India. We use survey data from 500 individuals in four states of India: Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, to examine factors influencing patterns of computer and Internet use. We estimate logit and multinomial logit models, using microeconomic variables and infrastructure factors. We go beyond simple analyses of penetration at the country level, to understand the microeconomics of computer and Internet use in rural India.

Evaluating the use of a computerized clinical decision support system for asthma by pediatric pulmonologists

PurposeTo investigate use of a new guideline-based, computerized clinical decision support (CCDS) system for asthma in a pediatric pulmonology clinic of a large academic medical center. MethodsWe conducted a qualitative evaluation including review of electronic data, direct observation, and interviews with all nine pediatric pulmonologists in the clinic.Outcome measures included patterns of computer use in relation to patient care, and themes surrounding the relationship between asthma care and computer use. ResultsThe pediatric pulmonologists entered enough data to trigger the decision support system in 397/445 (89.2%) of all asthma visits from January 2009 to May 2009. However, interviews and direct observations revealed use of the decision support system was limited to documentation activities after clinic sessions ended. Reasons for delayed use reflected barriers common to general medical care and barriers specific to subspecialty care. Subspecialist-specific barriers included the perceived high complexity of patients, the impact of subject matter expertise on the types of decision support needed, and unique workflow concerns such as the need to create letters to referring physicians. ConclusionsPediatric pulmonologists demonstrated low use of a computerized decision support system for asthma care because of a combination of general and subspecialist-specific factors.Subspecialist-specific factors should not be underestimated when designing guideline-based, computerized decision support systems for the subspecialty setting.

Different but similar: computer use patterns between young Korean males and females

This study was developed to identify and describe new trends and gender differences in the use of computers and the Internet in South Korea. In this mixed-method study, both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used. Results indicated that both males and females used computers generally for four purposes: social networking, personal knowledge, formal learning, and entertainment. The study also found differences in preference between the sexes: Males liked playing multi-user online games, especially in internet cafes with friends, while females enjoyed social networking websites more. Although the patterns of computer use between males and females were ostensibly different, all participants used computers for fun and socializing. Therefore, more emphasis should be placed on understanding various uses and the implications of emerging differences. Also, consideration should be given to building learning environments that appeal to the computer preferences for both genders.

The digital divide in rural South Asia: Survey evidence from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka

This paper examines bridging the digital divide through organisational innovations that provide low cost Internet access in developing countries, within the existing conditions of income levels. We use survey data from three South Asian countries, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, to examine factors influencing patterns of computer and Internet use. We find that education plays a key role, in terms of its acquisition as a reason for computer and Internet use, and as an enabling variable (especially in the case of English language knowledge).

Why has Computer Assisted Learning made so little impact in secondary education? Lessons from an economics and business subject case‐study

This article reports the findings and draws lessons from a major twenty‐year longitudinal study of computer use in economics and business studies teaching in UK secondary schools. Over the period, the level and pattern of computer use within subject lessons has changed substantially. In particular, there has been a progressive shift away from enquiry‐based applications, associated with the Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) genre of software, in favour of generic applications. Various factors within the school and the wider educational environment have contributed to the observed changes, including teachers' continuing lack of confidence with ICT, the collapse of the educational software market and the increasingly competitive nature of schools. The result has been a virtual halving of computer use within mainstream lessons over the past decade. The article concludes that perhaps the time has arrived to take a more even‐handed approach towards different learning resources and approaches.

Pattern of computer and internet use among medical students in Coastal South India

The South-East Asian Journal of Medical Education (SEAJME) is the culmination of the SEARAME's vision to bring together medical educationists in the region to promote collaborative efforts toward uplifting the standards of medical education in the region and beyond through dissemination of knowledge. This journal will be the ideal platform to disseminate research findings and stimulate discussion among experts in the field. Open access policy of the journal will facilitate this ideal.From November 2019, The South-East Asian Journal of Medical Education (SEAJME) is indexed in EuroPub

Stroke survivors' experiences of computer use at home

Using computers can lead to increased independence and an improved social network for stroke survivors. However, little is known about how and why stroke survivors are using computers at home and the barriers they encounter. The objective of this study was to gain an understanding about the experiences of stroke survivors using home computers, including the reasons stroke survivors use the computer, how patterns of computer use have changed post-stroke and any barriers or enablers to computer use. A modified grounded theory approach was utilized. In-depth interviews and observations with six stroke survivors were conducted. The constant comparison method was used to analyze the data. Two main themes emerged from the data: connected through doing and occupational tensions and strategies. The first theme refers to the reasons why and what purposes the computer was used for, and the meaning of computer use, while the second theme highlights barriers to access to computer use and the attempts to overcome difficulties. The results of this preliminary study shed light on stroke survivors' use of computers at home, which may help guide occupational therapists working with this population.

Pattern of Computer and Internet Use among Teachers in Higher Institutions in Nigeria

This research borders on assessing teachers’ competences in the use of ICT tools in teaching and research in Nigeria. Two common ICTs: the computer and the internet were selected, and the skills and attitudes of teachers in 7 Nigerian higher Institutions were assessed. About 760 questionnaires were distributed to 7 higher institutions comprising 4 Universities, 2 Polytechnics & one College of Education; a response rate of 67% was achieved. Our result showed that about 96.7% of the teachers have access to a PC and 84.9% have self-owned PCs. Access to Internet stood at 88.6% and the point of access was traced mostly to cyber cafes (49.8%), although slightly over half of all respondents (54.4%) claimed to have access point in their offices, and one out of every 5 have Internet connections at home. Encouragingly, 40.8% and 37.5% have more than 5yrs experience using both computer and the internet respectively and a paltry 8.5% have used both the computer and the internet for less than one year across the institutions. About 53% of these teachers were found to be frequent with the use of the computer out of which 45% spend up to 5hrs on a weekly basis. On the overall, time spent online per teacher is calculated at about 5hrs per week. A good number of the teachers were found to be proficient with varied computer applications and several Internet services (mean=3.51, S.D 1.08). To foster improved access and use of both Computer and the Internet, a number of useful policy directions are advanced. This tends to increase Teacher's productivity in all higher school of Learning.

Do general practitioners change how they use the computer during consultations with a significant psychological component?

Objectives To describe the patterns of computer use during patient visits to family doctors and to determine whether doctors alter their pattern of computer use in consultations which have significant psychological content. Design Observational, non-randomised cluster trial with data being collected from videotaped consultations. Setting Three inner-city Family Practice offices involved in physician training in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Participants Ten family doctors, who declared using computers during their consultations and consecutive consenting adult patients attending these doctors. Results One hundred consultations were videotaped (59% patient participation rate). The average consultation time was 9 min 48 s, and number of problems per consultation was 1.9. Three broad styles of computer use were defined: (1) “end users” who only used the computer at the end of a consultation to summarise the consultation, (2) “continuous users”, who interacted with the computer throughout the consultation, and (3) “minimal users”, who only ever used the computer at the end of the consultation mostly to issue prescriptions. Of the 100 consultations videoed 37% were of a psychological nature. Consultations with psychological content were on average longer (11 min 47 s vs. 8 min 39 s) and the average percentage time doctors spent on the computer was about half that of non-psychological consultations (11% vs. 23% and p < 0.001). Conclusion The doctors were found to adopt one of three broad styles of computer use during their consultations. In consultations with observable significant psychological content doctors significantly reduce the proportion of time at the computer suggesting an ability to appropriately tailor their use of the computer during consultations.