Perceptions Of Services Research Articles

Impact of Rythu Bharosa Kendra’s as Perceived by the Farmers

Rythu Barosa Kendras (RBKs) in Andhra Pradesh aim to support farmers by providing various services and resources. Their impact on farmers' perception and utilisation has become crucial for the agricultural landscape. This study investigates the RBK services' impact using non-parametric statistical methods. The services of the RBK’s were finalised using face validity and multi-stage sampling techniques were employed to select a representative sample of 60 farmers. Results indicate that variables like caste and annual income were significant at 1 % whereas education, occupation, land holding and the source of information was significant at 5 %, influencing the perception of services. However, none of the variables under study affect service utilisation. Identified constraints include non-availability of seeds, fertilizers, green manure, fodder crop seeds, and micronutrients at RBK. Lack of credit-based input supply, farm machinery, equipment, tarpaulin, and cold storage/godowns, along with insufficient staff and marketing facilities, also hinder performance. The study highlights the valuable role of AEOs in shaping farmers' perceptions about agricultural services through the provision of information and knowledge. However, this perception did not directly lead to increased service utilization. Policymakers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector should focus on strengthening the AEOs' role and improving the accessibility of agricultural services to enhance productivity and development in the State.

Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and Climate Change in the Communities Surrounding Mt. Kenya and Mt. Elgon, Kenya

Local observations of climate change can be a critical resource for understanding the impacts of climate change, particularly in data-scarce areas. This study examines local observations of climate change in two montane areas of Kenya- Mt. Kenya and Mt. Elgon. Household questionnaires, focus group discussions, and interviews were used to explore local perceptions of ecosystem services and changes to those services. Results showed that communities had a strong appreciation for ecosystem services and had witnessed major changes in those services. Water provision was seen as the most important service and the one that had changed the most. Other observations of changes included shifts in species ranges, weather patterns, temperature, and soil properties. These changes are consistent with predictions from climate models, but they provide context-specific nuance that the models cannot provide. Spatial variables, such as distance to road and the alpine zone, played as large or larger role in affecting perceptions as demographics, which further points to the importance of context in understanding climate changes. Those that interacted with the mountains the most—the mountain guides—had particularly revealing observations of changes; these types of observations can be critical to understand and prepare for changes in the alpine areas of Kenya.

Associations between the perception of ecosystem services and well-being in urban parks

Associations between the perception of ecosystem services and well-being in urban parks

Examining maternal unmet needs and perception about autism-related services in Saudi Arabia

BackgroundThis study aimed to explore maternal experiences about autism services in Saudi Arabia. The main focus of the study was to gather maternal perceptions and needs about current services used for their autistic children in Saudi Arabia. The outcomes from this study will be an important source of information for service providers as parental experiences are considered as a reliable source of information about their children. Method and procedureData were gathered from seven focus groups with a total of twenty-nine mothers from different geographical areas in Saudi Arabia. Background data about the mothers and their family’ were also collected and considered within the framework. ResultsThree master themes were generated; i) maternal experiences of daily home/school provisions, ii) maternal suggestions to enhance existing services, and iii) maternal suggestions for future services. The findings from study provide with an understanding of Saudi mothers of autistic children’s perception of autism provision services. This study provides data from maternal lived experiences about their needs for services, barriers and their suggestions for better services. It also provides a direction for parental and community support which ought to be initiated in Saudi Arabia to provide better family outcomes.

Perception Towards Illness/Treatment and Satisfaction Towards Healthcare Services in the Advanced Level Referral Health Facilities

Since it was enacted in 2014, it has been reported that the number of JKN participants has increased every year. This increase was influenced by perceptions of illness, perceptions of treatment, and service satisfaction. This study aims to describe perception towards illness/treatment and satisfaction towards satisfaction of health services in the advanced level referral health facility (FKRTL) among national health insurance (JKN) participants and determine the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and the perceptions and satisfaction. Method: This research is an analytic observational study with a survey data collection using a cross-sectional approach. The study used a convenience sampling technique with a minimum sample size of 400 respondents. The survey was conducted online to cover respondents from all areas of Indonesia. Result: The study showed that 220 respondents (55%) had positive perceptions of illness, 213 respondents (53.2%) had positive perceptions of treatment, meanwhile 217 respondents (54.2%) %) had a satisfied perception of health services. There was a significant relationship between income level and the perception of illness (p=0.048). Conclusion: Most of the respondents have a positive perception of illness and medicine. In addition, some respondents were satisfied with the health services at the advanced-level referral health facility. The income level variable has a significant relationship with the perception of pain.

Impact of ability and willingness to pay for health insurance in Indonesia

Link of Video Abstract: https://youtu.be/w1aBTIalQSYOne way the community is financially protected from unforeseen health risks is through health insurance. The ability and willingness to pay for health insurance has been linked to improvements in public health, including better access to healthcare services, better public health, and financial protection from health risks, according to earlier research. Since 2014, Indonesia has had a government health insurance scheme under the National Health Insurance (JKN) program with the goal of enhancing community welfare and health access. However, despite the benefits provided by the JKN program, many people are still not registered and have not received benefits from the program. Recent studies have shown that high health insurance costs remain the main obstacle for people with low income to buy health insurance. The aim of this study was to identify the ability and willingness to pay for social insurance premiums in the framework of the National Health Insurance System. Utilizing the terms "impact of ability," "willingness," and "health insurance," the database search includes Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and PubMed. The last step is to choose the articles that meet the criteria, which include being published between 2011 and 2022 and having the complete text accessible. The criteria for including 13 articles were met. According to the review's findings, the majority of publications link knowledge, income, how people view health care, and family support to health insurance payment compliance. Additionally, there are barriers and constraints affecting participation in National Health Insurance (NHI), such as registration procedures, benefits received, premiums, and private insurance ownership. There are several factors that affect compliance with health insurance payment, including knowledge, income, perception of health services, and family support.

Exploring the role of public transport information sources on perceived service quality in suburban rail

Information is a powerful tool to enhance the perceived service quality of public transport. Online information sources have become very popular and coexist with traditional sources like posters and signage, however it remains unclear whether those sources impact evenly to the service perception. This paper aims to explore the influence of different information sources on the service attributes and perceived service quality. For that, we take data from the annual Traveller Satisfaction Survey of the suburban rail of Madrid Region and adapt a robust service quality assessment framework to consider information sources. First, four passenger segments arise according to their preferred information source, including online and offline. Then, we assess the perceived service quality of each segment using a combination of CART and IPA techniques. Results expose a relevant role of information on the suburban rail service satisfaction, contrarily to previous studies focused on urban rail. We have also detected some heterogeneity on the relative importance of attributes depending on the information role: online-informed passengers care most about core attributes while traditionally informed passengers are more influenced by comfort. Last, the IPA reveals a general need to improve service reliability, train supply and up-to-date information.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the perception of on-demand delivery by the younger generation: An exploratory analysis for Brazil

This paper analyses the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the perception of young generation (from 19 to 39 years old) about on-demand delivery services. An exploratory analysis was performed using data from a social media questionnaire and estimating a structural equation model. The findings showed that the perception of on-demand services and on-demand deliveries influenced on-demand purchases before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the consumer profile influenced on-demand purchases before the COVID-19 pandemic. The practicality of buying and receiving products at home is the main motivation of the young generation regarding the use of on-demand delivery services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings showed the importance of extending this exploratory analysis to other age groups in the post-pandemic time due to the increase in on-demand deliveries and the related impacts of this delivery service.

An Exploratory Comparative Analysis of Northern Plains Grain Shippers’ Perspective on Whether Operational Performance Translates into Service Quality in Freight Rail Transportation

The aim of this study is to assess whether railroad operational performance indictors translate into service quality. We achieved this by using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test to compare grain shippers’ perceptions of rail service with a pooled cross-section of survey data between 2008 and 2018 in North Dakota, U.S., involving six service dimensions: marketing and sales, timely delivery of equipment, car ordering alternatives/process, condition of equipment, availability of order information, and access to marketing personnel. The analysis is undertaken with an underlying assumption that shippers’ expectations about rail service are low. Results indicate that differences in freight rail service quality can be better explained by differences between railroads compared to differences within railroads over time. Gaps exist between shippers’ expectations and perceptions of freight rail service. It appears that some freight railroads have been able to exceed shippers’ service expectations by providing higher freight service quality than would be expected. Results suggest that the service quality of a shortline freight railroad is affected by its affiliated Class I freight railroad when comparing service quality as perceived by shortline freight railroad shippers. Although operational performance indicators including dwell time and train speed are frequently used to reflect service quality because of the dearth of knowledge about rail freight service quality, these operational performance indicators do not necessarily reflect service quality. The quality of freight rail service should be based on shippers’ perception or the gap between shippers’ perceptions and expectations.

Project approach to the control the process of the provision of the health care to cases with cardiovascular diseases at the outpatient level

Introduction. Many hospital departments are involved in a single technological cycle of ensuring the quality of medical care. The discrepancy between the work of any of the divisions and patient expectations affect the perception of the medical service provided as a whole. Implementing project approach in medical care delivery process ensures its effectiveness and increases patient satisfaction.
 Aim: to describe the experience of using project approach to improve temporal characteristics of outpatient cardiological care services.
 Material and methods. Primary medical sanitary service (PMSS) and cardiovascular care provided at the polyclinic were the object of the study. Problems affecting patient satisfaction were the subject of the study; the patients of the polyclinic were followed for the purposes of this study. Expert assessments, survey, mapping analytical and statistical methods were used in the study. The group of patients was formed according to the following criteria: undergoing scheduled appointment with a physician, having the following complaints including elevated blood pressure, periodic chest pain or heart arrhythmias, provided informed voluntary consent to participate in the study. 
 Results. According to the analysis of patients, opinion on the PMSS provided at the polyclinic — 20% of patients were “rather not satisfied” with services provided by a cardiologist, and 30% of patients were “rather not satisfied” with services provided by a physician. Patients reported the time spent waiting to a group of experts working on the National Social Initiatives. All types of patients, “time losses” were recorded in detail. Process mapping enabled us to establish the following stages: booking an appointment with a physician; undergoing examination; booking an appointment with a cardiologist and undergoing examination; follow-up examination; booking an appointment a cardiologist, undergoing examination, treatment prescription; follow-up examination. The experts identified the problems at each stage and formed proposals to increase the accessibility of outpatient care.
 Limitations of the study. There are several limitations of this study: it was a short-term study, the patient assessments of the situation can be subjective, and there was a small number of events involved in the process mapping.
 Conclusion. The project approach allows specialists to identify problems and their causes, identify areas for improvement, and develop and implement appropriate corrective measures.

Evaluation of a French health action-training program by its stakeholders; healthcare students and host institution

BackgroundMandatory “sanitary service” is an inter-disciplinary health promotion program that ensures inclusion of action training in the curriculum of French students in healthcare professions. Its evaluation is important to identify areas for improvement. ObjectivesThe objective was to evaluate the satisfaction of the actors with the general perception of the program and with its three different phases: e-learning, practical training, and interventions. DesignRetrospective, single-center study based on two self-report questionnaires completed by students and host institutions in 2021–2022. ParticipantsStudents in healthcare (medicine, pharmacy, odontology, midwifery, physical therapy and nursing) from a French university. MethodsWe calculated and compared scores based on closed-ended questions exploring several dimensions of the program (general perception of the sanitary service, and its three phases). ResultsAmong the 732 students surveyed, 418 were included (57.1 %), while among 99 host institutions surveyed (including 86 schools), 77 were included (77.8 %). The overall sanitary service student satisfaction score was 3.26 / 5 (SD = 0.96). Interventions were the best scored of the three phases of the program (3.92 / 5 (SD = 0.87)). E-learning and practical training scores varied significantly according to students' training courses (p < 0.001). Students who intervened in elementary schools (n = 253) most appreciated the interventions (4.11 / 5 (SD = 0.84)). In free comments, students emphasized that interdisciplinarity was appreciated even if it made organization more complex. The overall host institution score was 3.73 / 4 (SD = 0.25). All the heads of institutions expressed their wish to resume the sanitary service the following year. ConclusionsThe actors of the sanitary service validated the interest, quality, organization, and feasibility of an inter-field training program in health prevention for healthcare students.

Perceived benefits and receptivity to sport psychology consulting services of elite athletes in developing nations of the Oceania region

Sport psychology consulting services are commonly used by elite athletes in developed countries, but little is known about the athlete's perceptions of such services in developing countries. The present study examined the accessibility, receptivity, and perceived benefit of sport psychology services (via a sport psychology services questionnaire) through a cross-sectional survey of elite athletes ( N = 32; Mage = 23.06 years, SD = 5.81) from 12 nations of the Oceania region who participated in the Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain programme. These nations were Vanuatu, Fiji, Tuvalu, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Norfolk Island, Niue, Nauru, Kiribati, Samoa, and Papua New Guinea. The results revealed that only a quarter of the athletes had ongoing access to sport psychology consulting services. Over half reported that they were receptive to sport psychology services and perceived that these types of services would be beneficial. The most desired services related to performance enhancement (e.g. performance under pressure). The athletes reported mixed levels of knowledge regarding mental skills, and most knowledge concerned the use of mental skills in competition. Specifically, most athletes rated their knowledge of mental skills at either the low (e.g. imagery) or high (e.g. goal setting, focus, and self-talk) range, and relatively fewer athletes rated their knowledge in the mid-range. The athletes demonstrated interest in learning more mental skills to enhance their performance. These findings indicate that a need exists for sport psychology service providers among athletes in the Oceania region. Existing non-local providers may also consider supplying services through digital modalities.

Descriptive and Symbolic: The Connection Between Political Representation and Citizen Satisfaction with Municipal Public Services

While theories of local democracy mark political representation as highly important in determining the quality and perception of public services, little has been done to explore the empirical connection. This represents a lacuna in our understanding of how representation affects citizen wellbeing and how citizens determine their satisfaction with public services. We focus on descriptive and symbolic dimensions of representation to elucidate how representation influences citizens’, and minority citizens’ in particular, experience with public services. Utilizing a survey of residents of Haifa, Israel, our findings imply that beyond the descriptive makeup of municipal elected bodies, symbolic dimensions of representation might be even more important for understanding citizen satisfaction. Symbolic representation may impact satisfaction directly and through its contribution to other feelings about government. These findings expand understandings of the importance of diversity in political representation, determinants of satisfaction and how dynamics of good governance contribute to citizens’ experiences.

Micro-agents' perception of landscape services and their multi-level driving influences in the headwater area of the Qiantang River, China.

Landscape services are an important basis for maintaining regional ecological security patterns, environmental health, and sustainable socio-economic development. As an important link between regional ecosystems and socio-economic development, micro-agents' production and life as well as their cognition and perception of landscape services notably impact the maintenance of multi-functional landscape development. This paper examines 9 rural communities in different areas and different development types in the headwater area of the Qiantang River in China, China's national key ecological functional area, in a typical case study. Based on farmer interviews and household surveys, this paper explores the changes of micro-agents' diversification perception of landscape services from 2010 to 2020. A multiple linear regression method is used to construct an index model of agents' perception of diversification of landscape services and to analyze the driving factors influencing changes. The results showed that (1) from 2010 to 2020, the micro-agent perception index of the diversity of farmland, forest, garden, and grassland landscape services increased by 0.46, 0.43, 0.67, and 0.51, respectively. Among them, the micro-agents' diversified perception of forest, farmland, garden, and grassland landscape services decreased in sequence. (2) From 2010 to 2020, in regard to the importance and vulnerability of landscape services, the difference between the perception levels of farmland landscape support services and grassland landscape regulation services in the agricultural production core area was the largest. In management and rationality perception of landscape services, the difference in the perception between grassland landscape service ecological and economic development areas was the largest. (3) Individual and family characteristics are important factors affecting the diversification perception of landscape services, while the natural environment and resource endowment impose negligible influences. Environmental policies only affect the diversification of grassland perception. The research results can provide a reference for maintaining regional landscape services, improving the well-being of micro-agents, and promoting the enhancement in ecological services and regional collaborative development.

Changes in perceptions of airport services’ attributes: An assessment of the impacts of COVID-19

The aviation industry has faced the formidable and unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020. This is of particular interest, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air travel, which has potentially influenced passenger’ perceptions of airport services on offer. By applying the construal level theory, this study used structural equation modelling to examine the perceptions of airport services' attributes among airport passengers before and during the COVID-19 era. The findings of this study showed significant differences among airport passengers regarding the perceptions of or preference for attributes within specific airport service categories (e.g., security, passport and personal ID control, and wayfinding) before and during the COVID-19 era. This study provides practical guidance and insights for airport managers to develop suitable airport services and products for passengers in different operating environments, and to cope better with passengers’ needs in the post-COVID-19 era and in response to any future pandemics.

How Does Vegetation Landscape Structure of Urban Green Spaces Affect Cultural Ecosystem Services at Multiscale: Based on PLS-SEM Model

Benefits of cultural ecosystem services (CESs) of urban green spaces (UGSs) for human health and general well-being have been widely recognized. Optimizing the landscape structure of green vegetation and improving CES are essential to reduce environmental inequality, and detecting the determinant landscape features that influence CES at multi-scale is the first step. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we evaluated multiscale effects of vegetation landscape structure of UGS on residents’ perceptions of CES in 40 residential communities in Zhengzhou city, China. According to our results, at the micro-scale level in a single residential community, public activity spaces within green spaces, particularly large size of open spaces, was the most critical factor affecting residents’ perceptions of recreational services, which provided a multifunctional landscape, with opportunities for multiple recreational leisure activities and entertainment. Then, the percentage of vegetation coverage in green spaces, and large vegetation patches that can significantly improve residents’ perceptions of CES and were identified in the natural landscape. At the ecosystem level and species community level, although vegetation structure contributed little to the level of CES, an open vegetation structure with a large area of grass cover was particularly beneficial to increase aesthetic services, and both richness of flowers and ornamental trees improved residents’ spiritual perception. However, our findings suggest that improving the management of green space vegetation is the most effective and direct way of improving CES and resolving environmental inequities between residential communities with different vegetation coverage and infrastructure, and we suggest that future research should explore residents’ subjective perceptions of both vegetation and landscape structure of UGS at larger spatial scale.

Korean immigrants’ perceptions of library services and library multicultural programs for Asian communities before and during COVID-19

This study explored 141 Korean immigrant parents’ use of local libraries to enhance their families’ social and cultural capital and adjust to the host country. We searched resources in Korean, and multicultural programs planned for the public and immigrants, Asian immigrants in particular, at three libraries before COVID-19 and at two libraries during COVID-19. Parents reported dissatisfaction with library services because of language barriers (38%) and the lack of Korean resources (38%) and cultural programs (25%). Except for 18 books and 24 e-resources, no library resources in Korean were published after 2008. At Branches B and C, before COVID-19, only one multicultural program was offered for children. During COVID-19, hate crimes against Asians increased by 77%. However, at Branches B and C, the number of adult programs related to Asian culture decreased to 0% from 6% and increased to 3% from 0%, respectively, during COVID-19. The respondents’ concerns about the lack of programs supporting their adjustment and fostering multicultural dialog were validated.

Student support services: Perceptions and recommendations for the next generation.

Student support services/student affairs are central to the student academic experience and success at US and Canadian dental schools. This manuscript evaluates student and administrator perceptions of support services and offers recommendations for best practices in student services in predoctoral dental education to help institutions improve the student experience. A survey of administrators and dental students found perceptions of student support services vary between these groups. Seventeen student services administrators and 263 students started the survey, and 12 administrators and 156 students completed the full survey. Survey comments indicated access to student support services is a concern. Results of the student survey, in conjunction with current literature, were utilized to develop recommendations for dental student support services. Recommendations for student support services in dental schools include accessibility of student services, and ensuring students have access to support in the domains of wellness, academic support, and peer support as well as implementation of humanistic practices. Wellness supports should include behavioral health services, physical health services, and access to mindfulness interventions. Academic support services should include study skills, time management training, and academic supports such as tutoring. Structured peer support programs should also be implemented. Dental schools should also be mindful of the changing support needs of incoming dental students.

Tourists’ Perception of Macau’s City Image: Based on the Analysis of User-Generated Content (UGC) Text Data

City image reflects urban culture and communication and influences tourists’ travel behavior. However, based on field investigations, it was found that Macau’s city space currently faces issues such as an imbalance in practical use efficiency, an overload of historical urban areas, and a mismatch between tourist numbers and spatial capacity. To further understand tourists’ travel experiences and influencing factors in Macau, this study uses user-generated content (UGC) textual data and takes the Macau Special Administrative Region in China as a case study. The ROST CM6.0 software and grounded theory analysis method are utilized to analyze the perceptual content and underlying influencing mechanisms of city image from the perspective of tourists. The research results show that: 1. Tourists’ perception of Macau’s city image mainly stays at the intuitive and superficial level, represented by individual landscapes such as the “Ruins of St. Paul’s”, “Grand Lisboa”, and “Galaxy”. 2. Tourists’ perception of Macau’s city image can be summarized into four main dimensions: architectural and landscape image, cultural and historical image, economic and commercial image, and spatial governance and public service image. 3. Negative aspects of tourists’ perception of Macau’s city image include infrastructure perception, tourism service perception, urban experience perception, and urban safety perception, with spatial scale perception being the most influential factor. Finally, this study proposes effective measures to optimize urban spatial resource allocation, improve urban infrastructure, enhance the spatial environment of the old city, strengthen the promotion of historical culture, improve urban transportation convenience, and enhance urban safety to provide references for enriching the theory of city image perception research and the development of urban tourism in Macau.

Public perception, satisfaction and expectations from community pharmacy services and the barriers to consult the community pharmacist

ABSTRACT This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate public perception, satisfaction, expectations, and barriers to utilize the community pharmacy services. A validated self-reported online survey was distributed on 681 individuals in different regions across Jordan. The mean age of the participants was 29 (±10) years. The most reported reason for choosing a particular community pharmacy was its closure to home or workplace (79.1%), while the main reason for visiting a community pharmacy was to obtain over the counter medications (66.2%). The participants showed good perception, satisfaction, and expectations of community pharmacy services. However, several barriers were identified, including higher participants’ trust in physicians when compared to pharmacists (63.1%), and lack of privacy in the pharmacy (45.7%). Community pharmacists should participate in successful education and training programs in order to raise the quality of the provided services, meet patient requirements, and re-establish consumer confidence in community pharmacists.