Communication Problems Research Articles

Factors influencing an advanced nursing practice service for people with intellectual disabilities

Abstract Background People with intellectual disabilities (PWID) have less access to preventive healthcare services and are therefore more likely to suffer from certain chronic diseases. Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) can be a suitable approach for this group. However, APN is not yet widespread in all European countries. This intervention focuses on PWID in Hamburg, Germany, who receive case management and prevention focusing on stress, nutrition, mobility and addiction through community-based APN to improve their health status. We aimed to explore the facilitators, barriers and experiences of stakeholders in the context of the APN intervention. Methods We conducted 90 semi-structured problem-centered interviews with PWID, family members, professional caregivers and prevention service providers in 2023 and 2024. We employed convenience sampling. Data were analyzed by qualitative content analysis with mixed inductive-deductive coding using MAXQDA. Results Overall interviewees were satisfied with the intervention. It was reported that the clients exercised more, ate healthier, learned techniques to reduce stress and coped better with addiction. In addition, barriers to preventive services were reduced. We identified factors that positively influenced the success of the intervention: good interprofessional collaboration, successful relationship building with clients, concise goal setting and target group-specific work materials. Barriers were: neglect of the professional care network, difussion of agreements, lack of available prevention services, and communication problems. The results are preliminary. Conclusions This is one of the first evaluation studies of an APN intervention for PWID in Germany. The results show that this new form of care can be implemented if the relevant stakeholders work together and good relationships with the clients are established. Specific goals should be defined and the professional carergivers should develop a community network. Key messages • APN is a suitable approach for disease prevention and health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities, given interprofessional collaboration and a well-established relationship with clients. • Preventive healthcare for the target group is difficult to implement if the stakeholders do not work together and if there are insufficient suitable preventive services available in the community.

Training for migrant live-in care workers in Austria: results from an online survey

Abstract Background In Austria, almost 60.000 migrant “24-hour” live-in caregivers work in two- or four-week shifts, travelling between Austria and their countries of origin (mostly Romania, Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary and more) to care for frail older people at home. As opposed to other social and healthcare professions, live-in care workers do not require any formal training at all to be able to work in Austria. Methods With the aim of gaining an in-depth insight into the working conditions of live-in caregivers and with the aim of recording their problems and needs, an online survey including 40 questions was conducted from 15 July to 15 September 2023 in four languages (Slovak, Romanian, Bulgarian and German). The study is part of the MigraCare project which focuses on improving working and living conditions for migrant live in care workers. Results Results show that many live-in caregivers are not fully aware of their job profile: what are nursing and medical tasks they are only allowed to do when delegated by professional healthcare staff? Most respondents have to take on tasks that are outside their job profile. Many state that it is difficult to care for people with dementia. In addition, some caregivers report physical and psychological violence and sexual harassment. Most wish for training possibilities regarding topics like dementia, communication with client and family, legal framework regarding their job in the long-term care sector and others. Conclusions Live-in care workers wish for continuous education activities and for a better relationship with the family relatives and the care recipient. Based on the results of the survey short multilingual training videos have been developed easily accessible on a video platform for live-in care workers. Also, a connection to community nurses has been established in order to improve communication between care recipient, family members and live-in care workers. Key messages • Results from an online survey show that live-in care workers face challenges at work which are partly due to an unclear job profile as well as communication problems with the care recipient. • Results of an online survey show that live-in care workers wish for education and training opportunities (mother tongues) in the field of dementia care, communication with family or legal framework.

Challenges of People With Disabilities With the Medical Commission of the State Welfare Organization

Background and Objectives: The international classification of functioning-disability and health (ICF) has been used by the State Welfare Organization in the medical commission in recent years. The present study was conducted with the aim of understanding the challenges of people with disabilities with the medical commission of the State Welfare Organization. Methods: The research method was qualitative and content analysis type. The method of data collection was done through in-depth and semi-structured interviews while respecting ethical considerations. The current research field of Tehran City and the medical commissions of the welfare organization departments in Tehran City and the samples were people with disabilities referring to this commission or their companions. To select a pooled sample, snowball sampling and theoretical targeted sampling were used. Data analysis was done using the method of qualitative content analysis with conventional approach. In order to ensure the reliability of the research, the four pillars of reliability, validity, transferability and verifiability were used. Results: In this research, 86 codes were finally extracted, which formed the theme of “challenges of people with disabilities” in two sub-topics: “Executive problems of clients with medical commission” and “communication problems of clients with members of medical commission". Conclusion: The findings of the research showed that those referring to the medical commissions of the welfare organization face problems related to the implementation of classification of function, disability and health, which need to be addressed by the authorities.

Development and Validation of a Theoretical Model for Addressing Problems in Agile Meetings: A Systematic Literature Review and a Qualitative Study

Agile meetings are an essential part of modern software development, but they often face challenges such as lack of focus, communication problems, technological difficulties, and the like. Previous research has often addressed individual issues of agile meetings but has not provided sufficiently integrated or practical models to comprehensively address these challenges. This research fills this gap, developing a theoretical model that not only identifies key issues but systematically links them to provide a deeper understanding of their impact on meeting effectiveness.In this paper, we present a theoretical model that depicts intra-team problems in agile meetings developed through a systematic literature review (SLR). After initial development, the model was validated and improved through the qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with IT experts. This research aimed to confirm the coverage and relevance of the content of the preliminary model, as well as to identify the need for modification. The results of the interviews suggest that the presented model is adequate but that there is a need for potential improvement. IT experts agreed with the items in the model, and some of them suggested improvements. The model is promising because it illustrates the key issues that influence the effectiveness of agile meetings in a promising way. IT experts agreed on the items in the model, and some of them suggested improving the model.

Conceptualizing Financial Crisis Communication: Central Bank’s Reputation Management Strategies During a Crisis

Research suggests that financial crises are inherently and mostly communication problems, making it crucial to study how central banks deploy crisis communication strategies for reputation management. This study proposed financial crisis communication conceptual framework to examine how the Central Bank of Ghana communicatively managed the financial industry reputation during the Ghanaian banking crisis. Findings revealed that whereas the Central Bank of Ghana deployed justification, differentiation, shifting blame, and attacking the accuser strategies to manage its own reputation, it used corrective action, good intentions, and minimization strategies to manage the reputation of the financial industry at large. Implications for practice are discussed.

Dreams, Visions, and Worldmaking: Envisioning Anthropology Through Dreamscapes

What does it mean to envision or dream a world into existence? Dreams and visions are often deeply personal and private experiences, but they also open up social spaces for worldmaking. From Australian Aboriginal “Dreamtime” to the ethnographic dreams of anthropologists and their research partners, many dreams and visions are entangled with the historical and analytical trajectories of anthropology. I set out in this article to stretch further the anthropological imagination about the kinds of dreams and visions that may emerge from any dreamscape. To this end, I show that the anthropology of dreams and visions is built on more than the interpenetration of dreaming and waking life, metaphysical questions, problems of communication and interpretation, active or passive dreaming, the powerful idioms that dreams afford for collective visions, or nightmares and metaphorical dreaming. Myriad dreams and visions also unfold as what I call cosmological visions that shape anthropology and vice versa.

Social Media as a Village Government Communication Channel in Improving Public Services to the Community in Minahasa Regency

Public service issues are still often the main topic in society, starting from the lack of clear information and slow service that occurs in government in various cases, both related to information, administration and implementation of development in various fields, to the lack of resources that are able to provide the best service to the community. The current era of information technology, new media, which includes social media, is certainly one of the right solutions in overcoming communication and information problems for the government, but the problem is whether social media has been used optimally in carrying out public service duties by the government, especially the government in the village. Along with the many complaints from the public regarding government services, even though communication and information technology is already present in the midst of society and the government. This is the basis of this study, to be studied and studied in more depth, using a qualitative research approach, related to how social media becomes a communication channel for village governments in improving public services. Village governments in Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi Province have not optimally used social media as an information channel in an effort to improve public services. This is evidenced by the lack of official social media from the village government as a media/information channel in supporting public services. Not all village governments have the human resource capabilities that can manage and operate social media well, actively and intensively in providing information to the public regarding programs, policies, and government regulations. Most village governments in Minahasa Regency do not yet have official social media as a medium/channel of information to the public. There are still many village government officials who use their personal social media for the needs of conveying information to the public, even then only when necessary. Obstacles to the Village Government in utilizing social media to improve public services include limited human resources, technological infrastructure, and cultural constraints, these factors affect the effectiveness of communication through social media.

Modeling risky portfolios with guaranteed maximize returns under a patent race

This paper studies the patent race problem of communication enterprises investing in communication technologies, and constructs a portfolio optimization model which considers the expected returns, investment risks, and replacement costs, in order to achieve the dual goals of maximizing the net investment income of backward enterprises and minimizing the expected investment risk. Through numerical experimental analysis, the optimal investment portfolio strategy under different risk levels and the impact of different risk levels on the net income of lagging company are obtained. The research results show that due to the backward research in the first stage of the backward enterprises, when their own investment decision-making power is relatively high, they can focus on the development of self-interested key technology areas in order to achieve the victory of the patent race.

Векторы социальной психологии: опережая время (к 100-летию со дня рождения Галины Михайловны Андреевой)

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective.</strong> Analysis of the main methodological and theoretical directions in social psychology developed by Professor Galina Mikhailovna Andreyeva, one of the founders of Russian social psychology; consideration of the key problems of modern social psychology. <br><strong>Background. </strong>The vectors of scientific knowledge identified by G.M. Andreyeva and the problems she developed in the field of social psychology have become general methodological principles in various fields of psychological science. Among them there are the problems of joint activity and communication, which have become the basis for the study of social groups and personality. A fundamental principle of the new paradigm of social psychology offered by G.M. Andreyeva, – the issues of the influence of the social context and the influence of social changes on the formation (construction) of a person's world image and his social behavior. Significant moments in the field of social cognition created by G.M. Andreyeva are highlighted. The potential of her main ideas in modern psychology is shown. The main biographical data of Galina Andreyeva are presented, showing her life path and significant for the creation of the G.M. Andreyeva School of Social Psychology at Moscow University. <br><strong>Methodology.</strong> The article uses methods of deductive analysis; methods of historical and psychological hermeneutics. <br><strong>Conclusions.</strong> The main scientific ideas of G.M. Andreeva not only became the theoretical and methodological basis for understanding and explaining the fundamental problems of socio-psychological knowledge, but also made a huge contribution to understanding the ongoing social changes.</p>

Investigating the Impact of Social Communication Deficiencies in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Their Parents' Depression and Anxiety Levels

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) significantly impacts individuals' social communication abilities, affecting both the diagnosed children and their families, especially the mental health of their parents. While existing literature has focused on the direct implications for individuals with ASD, the psychological toll on caregivers is often overlooked. This study explores the relationship between children's social communication challenges due to ASD and the subsequent mental health outcomes in their parents, specifically depression and anxiety levels. Using a correlational design, the research involved 400 parents of children with ASD aged 4-18 from various urban centers in Turkey. Data were collected using the Social Communication Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory to assess children's social communication deficits and parents' psychological states. Spearman’s correlation coefficients and subgroup analyses evaluated the relationships between the severity of children's social communication problems and parental depression and anxiety levels. The findings revealed a strong correlation between the severity of social communication deficiencies in children with ASD and heightened levels of depression and anxiety among their parents. Spearman’s correlation coefficients showed significant negative correlations, with r=-0.218 for depression and r=-0.263 for anxiety. Parents of children with more severe communication deficits reported higher psychological distress. This pattern was consistent across different demographic subgroups. The study's unique contribution lies in its quantitative confirmation of these relationships within a Turkish urban population, underscoring the need for holistic, family-centered approaches in ASD management.

Effectiveness of the active communication education program in improving the general quality of life of older adults who use hearing aids: a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundHearing loss in older adults affects general, generic health-related and disease-specific quality of life (QoL). The conventional strategy to address it is through hearing aids, which have been shown to improve disease-specific QoL. However, the long-term results regarding general quality of life are unknown, and communication problems and stigma associated with hearing loss may persist. An effective intervention strategy to address these problems is group communication programs, most notably Active Communication Education (ACE). This program has been shown to increase communication strategies and reduce communication activity limitations and participation restrictions. These precedents allow us to hypothesize that this program could improve general QoL.MethodsA randomized clinical trial was conducted on 114 older adult hearing aid users. Fifty-four subjects composed the intervention group that received the ACE program, while 60 subjects composed the control group that received an informational-lectures type intervention. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to measure general QoL. Measurements were taken before and right after the intervention, with follow-ups at 6 and 12 months. Multilevel linear mixed models were estimated, considering the WHOQOL-BREF dimension scores and total score as the outcomes, and an interaction term between time since intervention and group as the predictor. Within- and between-group comparisons were made.ResultsCompared to the baseline time-point, the ACE group showed significant improvements right after the intervention, and at the 6-month and 12-month follow-ups for the dimensions of psychological health, social relationships, environment, and total score. Compared to the control group, the ACE group exhibited significantly greater improvements in the social dimension at all postintervention assessments, as well as in the environment dimension and total score at the 12-month follow-up.ConclusionsThe ACE program improved general QoL in terms of social relationships and environment dimensions, which lasted up to 12 months after the intervention. Therefore, ACE is positioned as an effective complement for HA users, enhancing and delivering new benefits related to broader aspects of QoL not necessarily tied to health.Trial registrationISRCTN54021189 (retrospectively registered on 18/07/2023).

Virtual Reality-Assisted Informed Consent for Anesthesia: A Prospective and Randomized Proof-of-Concept Study.

Background/Objectives: Informed consent for anesthesia poses both legal challenges and problems of understandable communication. Fulfilling all the requirements through anesthesiologists directly interacting with patients is a time- and staff-consuming strategy. Given today's smart technologies, notably including virtual reality (VR), we explored in a prospective randomized study whether 'VR-assisted informed consent' could improve this situation. Methods: Fifty patients scheduled for orthopedic surgery were randomized. In the control group, informed consent was obtained via patient-specialist dialogs only. The patients in the study group, wearing a head-mounted display, watched an 8 min immersive 3D movie with the standard explanations of general anesthesia, followed by a patient-specialist dialog to address open questions. The time spent on the dialogs in both groups was evaluated as the primary outcome variable. As secondary variables, we analyzed both a three-item Likert scale on patient satisfaction with the VR experience and cost differences between both groups. Results: Patient-specialist dialogs were carried on for median (IQR) durations of 93 (20-182) seconds in the study group versus 665 (261-829) seconds in the control group (p < 0.001). All the patients exposed to VR rated this experience as favorable (87.5%) or neutral (12.5%). Based on anesthesiologists' incomes in the US and UK, our approach would reduce the staff expenditure for each patient-specialist dialog by median amounts of USD ≈40 or ≈11, respectively (2 × p < 0.001). Conclusions: 'VR-assisted informed consent' for anesthesia is well accepted by patients and reduces the time requirements for patient-specialist dialogs, thus pointing out a potential avenue towards increasing the work-time efficiency of anesthesiologists.

Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Peserta Didik Kelas VII A Melalui Implementasi Model Pembelajaran Problem Based Learning (PBL) pada Materi Aku Memiliki Kemampuan di SMP Xaverius 1 Jambi

This research focuses on the importance of developing intrapersonal skills in achieving psychological well-being and reducing juvenile delinquency among junior high school students. Personal growth, which includes self-awareness, socialization, and priority-setting, becomes a key factor in shaping individual character. Cases of juvenile delinquency often stem from communication problems and low empathy, which are rooted in a lack of self-awareness. Through the application of Problem Based Learning in this study, the aim is to improve the learning outcomes of Grade VII A students at SMP Xaverius 1 Jambi in the 2024-2025 academic year on the topic "I Have Abilities". This problem-based learning model can facilitate students' self-understanding process, increase active engagement, and create an enjoyable learning environment. Data collection techniques used observation and tests. Data were analyzed quantitatively descriptively and presented in the form of tables and graphs, and processed using Excel. The results showed an increase in student learning outcomes, with 26% in the first cycle, then increasing to 79% in the second cycle. This means there was an increase of 53%. Thus, the use of a problem-based learning model in Catholic Religious Education subjects can improve the learning outcomes of Grade VIIA students at SMP Xaverius 1 Jambi.

PQSF: post-quantum secure privacy-preserving federated learning

In federated learning, secret sharing is a key technology to maintain the privacy of participants’ local models. Moreover, with the rapid development of quantum computers, existing federated learning privacy protection schemes based on secret sharing will no longer be able to guarantee the data security of participants in the post-quantum era. In addition, existing privacy protection methods have the problem of high communication and computational overhead. Although the multi-stage secret sharing scheme proposed by Pilaram et al. is one of the effective solutions to the above problems, existing studies have proven the privacy leakage risk of this scheme. This paper firstly designs a new lattice-based multi-stage secret sharing scheme Improved-Pilaram to solve the security problem, which allows participants to use public vectors to reconstruct different secret values without changing the secret sharing. Based on Improved-Pilaram, this article proposes a post-quantum secure federated learning scheme PQSF. PQSF uses double masking technology to encrypt model parameters and achieves mask reconstruction through secret sharing. Since Improved-Pilaram is multi-stage, participants do not need to update their local secret shares frequently during training. Analysis and experimental results show that the PQSF proposed in this paper reduces the communication complexity between participants and reduces the computational overhead by about 20% compared with existing solutions.

SELECTION OF MATERIALS TO CREATE A MATERIAL LIBRARY IN CARUARU-PE/BRAZIL: CASE STUDY OF ORNAMENTAL STONES

This study presents the first actions and steps towards creating a Material Library, which is related to the collection of ornamental, natural and synthetic stones. The work method was designed in three stages: 1. Analysis of communication problems perceived between the design and architecture areas in an ornamental stone transformation industry in the city of Caruaru - PE/Brazil; 2. Mapping of raw materials used by the company; 3. Systematization of data based on the mechanical properties and surface treatment of ornamental stones. As a result, a collection of more than 50 samples was catalogued, which will be used for the knowledge and daily use of the general population, for the learning of students, professionals and suppliers involved in the subject of material selection.

Exploring the Challenges and Needs of Arab Patients for Arabic Communication in Malaysian Healthcare Public Relations

Arabic communication is fundamental particularly for the Malaysian healthcare industry that handles the raising number of Arab patients coming to Malaysia to seek healthcare treatment. However, studies showed that most Arab patients are unable to speak other than their mother tongue language which is Arabic language, and they are very attached to their unique culture, which makes them prefer specialized services at healthcare centers. Thus, this research aims at acquiring the challenges faced by Arab patients and their utmost needs toward Arabic communication aspects to be addressed by healthcare personnel while attending them. This qualitative research employed semi-structured interview using needs analysis theory by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) toward 6 Arab patients at 5 different selected healthcare centers in Klang valley. The results demonstrated that the informants faced communication problems with limited understanding of formal Arabic including management and promotional issues. In addressing these problems, informants indicated their needs toward a competent healthcare public relations personnel who are able to assist them in their communication issues especially related to translation and interpretation, as well as knowledgeable in Arabic dialects and culture to boost effective communication. Good handling of Arabic communication with Arab patients has the potential to expedite the overall processes and procedures at all levels of healthcare management and hinder unprecedented problems throughout the entire process.

Personal digital sovereignty: communicative aspect

The article reveals the essence and content of the personal digital sovereignty in the context of dynamically developing digitalization processes. The relevance of the topic is based on the growing need in security of personal, private and other sensitive data in the digital space. The use of digital profiles and accounts containing sensitive and confidential information, the use of smart devices, programs and technologies raises the question of understanding the digital sovereignty of the individual, the ways to ensure it, and the problem of communication in the digital space as a whole. In scientific and practical literature significant attention has recently been paid to the digital sovereignty of the state. However, the peculiarities of the development of a digital society, i.e. the issues of protection of the rights and interests of individual in the digital space, remain poorly studied. The subject of the article is the personal digital sovereignty, its basic characteristics and structural elements. The authors reveal the main approaches to defining the essence of this concept from the standpoint of many disciplines and branches of knowledge. The study is concluded with the authors’ definition of the concept of “personal digital sovereignty”.

Interethnic communications in the formation and implementation of state information policy

The article examines the problems of interethnic communications in the context of changing state information policy and from the point of view of the increasing impact of mass media on social processes in the world. The author introduces the concept of pseudo-communication used by subjects of the global information space, in particular, within the framework of information confrontation. Analyzing the space of political communication, the author draws attention to its saturation with information noise, verbal aggression, which creates problems and barriers in the process of communication between states. These problems are no less characteristic of interethnic communications, that is, for the processes of interaction with certain ethnic groups or between them. Noting the growth of the ethnic factor in modern political processes, the author calls for taking into account the range of problems inherent in interethnic communications at the present stage of their development, in the formation and practical implementation of the state information policy, which should respond to the needs and interests of society, taking into account the cultural and ethnic diversity of its representatives.

Assessing the impact of the unfinished part of the Cascade architectural and monumental complex as a communicative core between Kentron and Kanaker-Zeytun districts in Yerevan and a proposal for solving the urban planning problem

The paper considers the problem of communication between Kentron and Kanaker-Zeytun districts in Yerevan. Particular attention is paid to the Cascade architectural and monumental complex. It obtains an important urban planning significance in the structure of public spaces in Yerevan and is considered by citizens as one of main symbols of the capital of Armenia. The study is aimed at identifying the grounds for poor pedestrian communication between the districts of the city and determining the prospects of development, transformation, and modernization of the territory. The methodology involved a comparative analysis of public spaces in the city center, publicly available GPS tracks and the results of a sociological survey. The results of the urban planning analysis outline the problem of pedestrian accessibility in the city, and demonstrate the relationship between public spaces. The sociological survey depicts the demands of the citizens and guests of Yerevan for the further development of the Cascade architectural and monumental complex. Studying the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of public spaces revealed the problems of communication between the districts of the city on the northsouth compositional axis, which are associated with the incomplete construction of the fifth terrace of the complex. Sociological research necessitates the construction to be completed. The survey shows the opinions of citizens and guests of the city about the potential development of the Cascade environment.

Model Komunikasi dalam Mitigasi Bencana Banjir di Kabupaten Kerinci dan Sungai Penuh

This article discusses the problems of development communication in flood disaster mitigation in Kerinci Regency and Sungai Penuh City. Kerinci Regency with its mountainous topography and extensive river network often experiences flood disasters, which have worsened in recent years. This study aims to explore an effective communication model in reducing the impact of flooding and improving community preparedness. Using a literature study method, this study highlights the importance of two-way communication between the government and the community, community-based education, and the use of modern technology such as social media and mobile applications. The results of the study indicate that a participatory communication model that actively involves the community and a technology-based early warning system can improve disaster mitigation and community response. This article provides a more inclusive communication approach, involving various stakeholders, to strengthen community resilience to future disasters.