Administrative Purposes Research Articles

Adoption and Use of Telemedicine and Digital Health Services Among Older Adults in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Repeated Cross-Sectional Analysis.

As the population ages and the prevalence of long-term diseases rises, the use of telecare is becoming increasingly frequent to aid older people. This study aims to explore the use and adoption of 3 types of telehealth services among the older population in Israel before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the use characteristics of older adults (aged ≥65 years) belonging to Clalit Health Services in several aspects in the use of 3 types of telehealth services: the use of digital services for administrative tasks; the use of synchronous working-hours telehealth visits with the patient's personal physician during clinic business hours; and the use of after-hours consultations during evenings, nights, and weekends when the clinics are closed. The data were collected and analyzed throughout 3 distinct periods in Israel: before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the COVID-19 peak. Data of 618,850 patients who met the inclusion criteria were extracted. Telehealth services used for administrative purposes were the most popular. The most intriguing finding was that the older population significantly increased their use of all types of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in most types, this use decreased after the COVID-19 peak, but to a level that was higher than the baseline level before the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 23.1% (142,936/618,850) of the study population used working-hours telehealth visits, and 2.2% (13,837/618,850) used after-hours consultations at least once. The percentage of use for these services increased during the COVID-19 pandemic to 59.2% (366,566/618,850) and 5% (30,777/618,850) and then decreased during the third period to 39.5% (244,572/618,850) and 2.4% (14,584/618,850), respectively (P<.001). Multiple patient variables have been found to be associated with the use of the different telehealth services in each period. Despite the limitations and obstacles, the older population uses telehealth services and can increase their use when they are needed. These people can learn how to use digital health services effectively, and they should be given the opportunity to do so by creating suitable and straightforward telehealth solutions tailored to this population and enhancing their usability.

Effect of Probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus plantarum on Caries and Periodontal Diseases: A Systematic Review.

Caries and periodontitis are the most prevalent oral diseases worldwide. Major factors contributing to the development of these oral conditions include poor oral hygiene, dental biofilm formation, high carbohydrates diet, smoking, other systemic diseases, and genetic factors. Various preventive measures have been established to mitigate the risk of caries and periodontal disease development. The present review aims to discuss the role of the probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus plantarum in the prevention and treatment of caries and periodontal diseases. The study was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and was registered on PROSPERO. The search involved PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus and considered the PICO format. Studies were screened by two reviewers independently, and disagreements were solved by consensus with a third reviewer. Data extraction included details about the type of probiotics, strains, and purpose of administration. A total of 15 RCTs were included, of which just 1 was about tooth cavities. Overall, 87% of the included studies were good-quality papers regarding the Jadad Scale. Several studies agreed on the potential of probiotics L. rhamnosus and L. plantarum, both alone and combined, to prevent and improve clinical outcomes in caries and periodontal treatments, weaker evidence is provided for the microbiological benefit.

HRConnect

Human Resource Management System (HRMS) seems to matter for Human Resource Management (HRM) in the current digital economy. Many firms transform their HRM functions from the manual work processes to the computerized work processes. Information technology is expected to drive Human Resource (HR)'s transition from a focus on Human Resource Management (HRM) to Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM). This strategic role not only adds a valuable dimension to the HR function, but also changes the competencies that define HR professional and practitioner success. Interestingly, an HRMS is utilized for administrative purposes rather than analytical purposes. The main objective is to know the payroll software's used in the organization and the roll of HR in payroll. The secondary objectives of this study are, To understand the HR roll in Payroll, To review the effectiveness of the Payroll process of HRConnect, To find about the software's used in Payroll process and satisfactory level of employees using this software's To analysis whether these software's are user friendly, To suggest the Latest Software's in achieving organizational objective.

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF TAX ADMINISTRATION: FUNDAMENTALS OF FISCAL MANAGEMENT

In the complex world of fiscal management, tax administration is a cornerstone that serves as the basis for financial security of the population and implementation of public policies. As governments face the eternal problem of resource allocation, understanding the theoretical foundations underlying tax administration is of paramount importance. The article analyzes the existing scientific research on the essence and definition of the elements of the tax administration mechanism and highlights numerous controversial issues in this regard.&#x0D; It is argued that administration should be considered in two aspects: both as a procedural activity (process) and as a method of management in the presence of a certain goal - public, state, etc. Based on the existing purpose of administration, its content is determined.&#x0D; It is substantiated that tax administration is a set of regulations, strategies, methods and tools used by specially authorized state bodies to perform management tasks in the tax area. This activity is aimed at monitoring compliance with the legislation on taxes and fees, ensuring the correctness of calculation, completeness and timeliness of payment of taxes and fees to the respective budgets.&#x0D; It is determined that tax administration is a key component of the effective functioning of both the tax system and the economy as a whole. The effectiveness of the tax system depends on the full identification of sources of income for taxation and minimization of costs associated with their mobilization and payment

Evaluation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Programmes in Nigeria: The Kirkpatrick Model

This study aims to evaluate the Technical and Vocational, Education and Training (TVET) program in the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro using the Kirkpatrick model. The model provided a very reliable and valuable framework for evaluating education and technical training or programs with four levels of Behaviour, Learning, Reaction, and Outcome/Impact. The study population is 14290 students registered during the 2021/2022 academic session of the Institution. Krejcie and Morgam's (1974) sampling technique was adopted to have a 375 sample size for questionnaire administration purposes. The study purposively selected 375 sample sizes among the graduating classes in three out of five faculty, in which the institution was divided, to represent fifty percent of the stratification. The choice of graduating classes is to have those that are about to complete their academic program, and have gone through TVET-inclined programs for self-evaluation on the changes in their behavior, learning, reaction, and noticeable outcome-impact of TVET program on them in their immediate business environment. Descriptive and inferential statistics were adopted for analysis. The result of the findings through regression analysis produced an Adjusted R-Square of -0.005, F Statistics of 0.363, and a significant value of 0.780, which indicate that Learning, Behaviour, and Reaction did not influence the Outcome or Result of the TVET program. It was concluded that learning, reaction, and behavior were adequate in the TVET program with most respondents agreeing to the variables used to test the three levels, but had no influence on the Outcome/Impact on the improvement in the trainee’s life after the program in the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Nigeria.

Aseguramiento de la calidad y evaluación de programas y cursos en línea

The objective of this work is to explore the categories, criteria and indicators necessary to evaluate the quality of the educational programs and the instructional design of their courses on e-learning. This is, with the intention of generating indicators and/or instruments for quality assurance and its evaluation that serve intrinsic purposes to the instructional design, to the operation of the courses object of the design and the educational programs in this modality, as well as to administrative purposes in higher education institutions. For this, different models are examined, and the context of the official Mexican evaluation models is reviewed. Finally, recommendations are integrated according to the situation of Higher Education Institutions in Mexico.

Development of tax administration in the Russian Federation in the context of digital transformation

The digital transformation of business and the public sector has had a significant impact on business activities. New types of business have emerged, mainly carried out in the digital space. In addition, new means of payment have emerged: cryptocurrencies and digital financial assets. These facts are shocks to tax administration models created to interact with taxpayers engaged in traditional activities. In this regard, in 2020, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) at the XIII plenary meeting of the Forum on Tax Administration proposed the concept of digital transformation of tax administration “Tax Administration 3.0: Digital transformation of tax administration.” Taking into account the noted factors, the article provides a theoretical analysis of the risks caused by digital transformation for the purposes of tax administration, and also considers the best practices for leveling risks, including through the digitalization of tax administration. The subject of the study is the digital transformation of tax administration in the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study is to develop proposals for the development of tax administration in the Russian Federation, taking into account the best global practices, as well as using advanced technologies of the digital economy. As part of the study, the following research methods were used: retrospective analysis, synthesis, comparison and forecasting. The article provides a general analysis of the phenomenon of digital transformation and the associated risks for the purposes of tax administration; OECD proposals for the digital transformation of tax administration were reviewed, including their advantages and disadvantages; actual approaches to the transformation of the tax administration model used in the Russian Federation are noted. The scientific novelty of the work is expressed in the proposed further directions for the development of tax administration in the Russian Federation, including: the development of electronic document management; expanding the use of Blockchain technology; using the capabilities of smart contracts to automate the process of calculating and paying taxes. The solutions proposed in the study can be used in the practical implementation of measures to develop tax administration in the Russian Federation.

ABOUT THE HISTORICAL PREREQUISITES OF THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY CENTERS IN THE CONDITIONS OF UKRAINE

The purpose of publication is analysis of literary and archival sources in order to establish the historical stages of the formation of the Service of Emergency Situations, ascertaining of its main tasks, and mainly to identify the features of the structural and functional organization of historical prototypes for modern centers of public safety. In general, the process of formation and development of the fire protection system, its transformation into an emergency service has so deep roots, starting with the laws of the state Kievan Rus until today. An analysis of the development of the fire service on the example of separate cities of Ukraine showed, that in the process of its development it was placed in buildings of sacred (churches) and administrative (town halls) purpose. Later, a single network of a separate type of architectural objects was gradually formed (watchtowers, fire stations), which were expanding according to the development of the city. Buildings where fire service personnel were placed, contained all the necessary means for notifying the population, quick reaction, and counter measuring in the case of an emergency situation and updated with the advent of modern technologies. It should be noted separately that during certain periods of fire protection development this service was located together with the police service, which is an important prerequisite for the formation of a structural and functional organization of modern centers of public safety. Also noteworthy is the fact that the civilian population was involved in fire protection on a voluntary basis. In general, we can say that during the development of the fire service of Ukraine prototypes of networks of public safety centers in cities already existed, but they were not considered as a separate typological group of architectural and urban planning objects. Historically, it happened that the fire service, and in the 20th century - also the civil defense service (which initially was developing separately), during the last decade were united into a single state structure – SESU. The main stages (periods) of the development of which begin with the historical period (before 1494) and end with the modern period of development (arrangement of SESU) from 2012 to the present time.

Investigation of e-learning adoption in higher education based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model

The use of information technologies has increased significantly in developing countries like India. Many educational institutes have adopted information and communication technology for academic and administration purposes. While technological devices on college campuses are ubiquitous, students’ readiness for E-learning in India has yet to be thoroughly explored. The study intends to investigate students' intention to adopt E-learning using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. This research was exploratory, and data was collected online from 410 students (of a single university). The findings suggest that ‘performance expectancy,' ‘effort expectancy,' and ‘social influence’ support ‘behavioral intention,' while ‘facilitating conditions’ are not favorable to support usage. Behavioral intention shows positive support for the usage of E-learning platforms. The moderating factors gender, graduation background, and region do not have an impact on behavioral intention or usage of E-learning. The study has positive implications for increasing the adoption of E-learning by the students in educational institutes, universities, and the Government.

Using natural language processing for automated classification of disease and to identify misclassified ICD codes in cardiac disease

Abstract Aims ICD codes are used for classification of hospitalizations. The codes are used for administrative, financial, and research purposes. It is known, however, that errors occur. Natural language processing (NLP) offers promising solutions for optimizing the process. To investigate methods for automatic classification of disease in unstructured medical records using NLP and to compare these to conventional ICD coding. Methods and results Two datasets were used: the open-source Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-III dataset (n = 55.177) and a dataset from a hospital in Belgium (n = 12.706). Automated searches using NLP algorithms were performed for the diagnoses ‘atrial fibrillation (AF)’ and ‘heart failure (HF)’. Four methods were used: rule-based search, logistic regression, term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Bio-Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BioBERT). All algorithms were developed on the MIMIC-III dataset. The best performing algorithm was then deployed on the Belgian dataset. After preprocessing a total of 1438 reports was retained in the Belgian dataset. XGBoost on TF-IDF matrix resulted in an accuracy of 0.94 and 0.92 for AF and HF, respectively. There were 211 mismatches between algorithm and ICD codes. One hundred and three were due to a difference in data availability or differing definitions. In the remaining 108 mismatches, 70% were due to incorrect labelling by the algorithm and 30% were due to erroneous ICD coding (2% of total hospitalizations). Conclusion A newly developed NLP algorithm attained a high accuracy for classifying disease in medical records. XGBoost outperformed the deep learning technique BioBERT. NLP algorithms could be used to identify ICD-coding errors and optimize and support the ICD-coding process.

Promoting Digital Literacy: Assessing Teachers Readiness in Utilizing Information and Communication Technology for Learning in Rural Area

This research aims to evaluate and ascertain the readiness of teachers to utilize Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in educational settings, with a particular focus on rural environments. By examining teachers' preparedness in employing ICT, the study sheds light on the unique conditions and phenomena associated with technology use in learning activities in rural areas. The methodology adopted for this research was a descriptive qualitative approach, using a case study design focused on the island of Belitung. The study involved 12 classroom teachers from three elementary schools in Badau Village as research subjects. Data were gathered through interviews and document analysis, employing thematic analysis techniques for data interpretation. To ensure the validity of the data, techniques of technical and source triangulation were used. The findings indicate six themes regarding the teachers' readiness to use ICT, including teachers' proficiency in operating laptops/computers, and their capability to plan, select, and integrate ICT tools for educational and administrative purposes. Additionally, skills in collaboration, using the internet, and leveraging other advanced applications are deemed crucial. The study also reveals that teachers need to comprehend their roles and functions in adapting to ICT developments, thereby aligning their readiness with the standards of professional teacher competency. The study highlights the need for teachers to understand their roles in ICT adaptation, aligning with professional competency standards. These insights provide a framework for future research, policymaking, and practice enhancement in educational ICT, aiming to improve educational quality and effectiveness in the digital age.

Enhancing Higher Education Security Through Fog/Edge Computing: A Novel Approach

Fog/Edge computing represents a transformative paradigm in the realm of computing, extending the capabilities of traditional cloud computing to the edge of the network. This approach enables real-time data processing and reduces latency, thereby offering immense potential for revolutionizing various sectors, including higher education. The higher education system faces numerous challenges, among which data security and privacy concerns loom large. With the proliferation of digital platforms for learning and administrative purposes, educational institutions are increasingly vulnerable to data breaches and unauthorized access. However, edge computing emerges as a beacon of hope, offering a solution to these pressing security issues. By leveraging edge devices deployed within educational institutions, sensitive data can be processed and stored locally, minimizing exposure to potential threats from external entities. Our proposed methodology involves the strategic deployment of edge devices equipped with robust security measures, including encryption techniques and access controls. This approach ensures that sensitive educational data remains protected against unauthorized access or breaches while still facilitating efficient data processing. Moreover, by distributing computational tasks closer to end-users, this methodology reduces reliance on centralized servers, thereby enhancing overall system efficiency. The adoption of this novel approach brings forth a plethora of benefits to the higher education system. Not only does it bolster data security and privacy protection, but it also enhances data processing efficiency and reduces latency.

Patient knowledge of surgical informed consent and shared decision-making process among surgical patients in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundInformed consent is one of the safeguarding of the patient in medical practice at different standards such as ethical, legal, and administrative purposes. Patient knowledge and perception of informed consent are one of the priority concerns in surgical procedures. Patient knowledge and perception towards informed consent increased patient satisfaction, feeling high power on their determination, and accountability for the management, and facilitated positive treatment outcomes. Despite this, in Ethiopia, there are small-scale primary studies with inconsistent and inconclusive findings. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis study estimated the pooled prevalence of patient knowledge and perception of informed consent and its determinants in Ethiopia.MethodsWe searched major databases such as PubMed, Hinary, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Scopus, African Journal Online (AJO), Semantic Scholar, Google Scholar, google, and reference lists. Besides this, University databases in the country were also searched from August 20, 2023, until September 30, 2023,. All published and unpublished studies that report the prevalence of patient knowledge and perception toward informed consent and its associated factors were included. All studies reported in English were included. Studies conducted between January 01, 2015 to September 30, 2023 were included. There are three outcome measurements pooled level of patient knowledge towards informed consent, pooled level of patient perception towards informed consent, and pooled effect that affects patient knowledge of informed consent. Three reviewers (MMM, NK, and YT) independently screened the articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria to avoid the risk of bias. The studies’ quality was appraised using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) version.ResultsThe pooled prevalence of appropriate patient knowledge and perception towards informed consent was 32% (95% CI: 21, 43) and 40% (95% CI: 16, 65) respectively. Having formal education 2.69 (95% CI: 1.18, 6.15) and having a history of signed informed consent before 3.65 (95% CI:1.02,13.11) had a statistically significant association with good patient knowledge towards informed consent.ConclusionThe appropriate patient knowledge and perception of informed consent in Ethiopia is low. Formal education and history of signed informed consent were positive factors for appropriate patient knowledge of informed consent in Ethiopia. Physicians, policymakers, and health facility managers should focus on patients without prior experience with signed informed consent and not have formal education to improve patient knowledge towards informed consent. The protocol was registered at Prospero with number CRD42023445409 and is available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/#myprospero.

A comparison of time series methods for post-COVID transit ridership forecasting

Transit agencies conduct system-level ridership forecasting for planning, budgeting, and other administrative purposes. However, the COVID-19 pandemic introduced substantial changes in transit ridership levels and seasonal patterns, which has impacted the performance of ridership forecasting. Although time series methods are commonly used for forecasting transportation demand, they have received limited use in practice for public transit ridership forecasting. This study compares the performance of seven time series forecasting methods for predicting system-wide, monthly transit ridership for heavy rail agencies in the continental United States. The forecasting methods are: ETS, ARIMA, STL with ETS, STL with ARIMA, TBATS, a neural network, and a hybrid model. Ridership was forecasted for pre- and post-COVID periods (pre- and post- March 2020), as well as for the full series (January 2002 to December 2023). The MAPE and MASE were used to compare forecast performance. Using the pre-COVID period, 43% of the models produced a MAPE below 5% and 82% produced a MAPE below 10%. Using the full-series and post-COVID periods, only about 10% of the models produced a MAPE below 5% and half produced a MAPE below 10%. The classical and hybrid methods outperformed the other models using the full series period, and the TBATS, neural network, and hybrid methods outperformed the other methods using the post-COVID period. The findings suggest that even a few years into the post-COVID era, patterns that were typical of heavy rail ridership before the pandemic have not returned at most agencies in the United States, posing challenges to forecasting post-COVID ridership.

Legacy of Colonialism and Indigenous Religious Resilience: A Study of Marapu Belief in East Nusa Tenggara

&lt;p class="Abstract"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Indigenous&#x0D; religions encompass spiritual customs originating from the ancestral heritage&#x0D; of specific ethnic and geographical groups. These traditional beliefs often&#x0D; come into conflict with state-recognised official religions, a consequence of&#x0D; modernity's tendency to streamline religion into a mere belief system. In line&#x0D; with this, the post-colonial view sees that indigenous religions which are&#x0D; repressed by the state are the result of the state's view of showing Western&#x0D; superiority. Indonesia bears the enduring legacy of colonialism, manifesting as&#x0D; negative perceptions that persistently affect to indigenous religions. One of&#x0D; the colonial legacies is sociological, psychological, and moral problems,&#x0D; besides physics and material heritance. According to Syeid Hussen Alatas in the&#x0D; Myth of Lazy Natives (1989), this is the greatest damage caused by colonialism&#x0D; because this problem hinders solutions to other problems. Indonesia, as a&#x0D; geographical region, has many indigenous religions, one of which is the Marapu&#x0D; belief in Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara. Many adherents of the Marapu faith are&#x0D; forced to embrace one religion for the purposes of population administration,&#x0D; but at the same time continue to practice their beliefs. This article aims to&#x0D; unravel how Marapu followers uphold their ritual practices within the confines&#x0D; of their traditional religion and how the enduring colonial legacy shaped local&#x0D; religious observances. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method by&#x0D; focusing on a literature review with research data sources from journals and&#x0D; documentary videos. The research finding of this enquiry is the exploration of&#x0D; the intersection between religion and society and how post-colonial&#x0D; perspectives have seen this phenomenon.&amp;nbsp;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Microbial feed additives in ruminant feeding.

The main purposes of feed additives administration are to increase feed quality, feed utilization, and the performance and health of animals. For many years, antibiotic-based feed additives showed promising results; however, their administration in animal feeds has been banned due to some public concerns regarding their residues in the produced milk and meat from treated animals. Some microorganisms have desirable properties and elicit certain effects, which makes them potential alternatives to antibiotics to enhance intestinal health and ruminal fermentation. The commonly evaluated microorganisms are some species of bacteria and yeasts. Supplementing microorganisms to ruminants boosts animal health, feed digestion, ruminal fermentation, animal performance (meat and milk), and feed efficiency. Moreover, feeding microorganisms helps young calves adapt quickly to consume solid feed and prevents thriving populations of enteric pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract which cause diarrhea. Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Lactococcus, Bacillus, Enterococcus, Bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Aspergillus oryzae are the commonly used microbial feed additives in ruminant production. The response of feeding such microorganisms depends on many factors including the level of administration, diet fed to animal, physiological status of animal, and many other factors. However, the precise modes of action in which microbial feed additives improve nutrient utilization and livestock production are under study. Therefore, we aim to highlight some of the uses of microorganisms-based feed additives effects on animal production, the modes of action of microorganisms, and their potential use as an alternative to antibiotic feed additives.

공존과 융합을 지향하는 실용적 국가행정조직법제의 개선

In-depth research on administrative organization from the perspective of administrative law has not been sufficiently conducted so far. In a situation where social problems are becoming more complex and diverse, and the risks and uncertainties inherent therein are increasing, it is necessary to study from a legal perspective on the appropriate administrative organization to respond to the situation. Among the many topics that can be studied in relation to that study, legal research on administrative operations involving multiple administrative agencies is particularly necessary because it can serve as a starting point for understanding the reality of frequent interactions within public administration and preventing and resolving disputes between administrative agencies. This paper is a broad-brush study of administrative operations related to multiple administrative agencies. This paper focuses on the relationship between multiple central administrative organizations while leaving the relationship with local administrative organizations as a future research topic. First, this paper reviews the current status of laws and systems premised on administrative operations related to multiple central administrative agencies. Next, it reviews republicanism as an administrative organization principle for realizing appropriate administrative purposes of multiple central administrative agencies, and coexistence and convergence as its central values. Finally, based on the results of such review, this paper presents practical ways to improve the central administrative organization legal system, aiming for and realizing the coexistence and convergence of multiple central administrative agencies.

Between Barbarism and Civilization: The Image of the Inhabitants of Dalmatia under Napoleon (1806–1813) from the French Perspective in the Mediterranean Context

The article analyzes the image of the population of Dalmatia in the Napoleonic era. The analysis is mainly based on documents produced by the French administration of Dalmatia between 1806 and 1813, when the province was first part of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and from 1809 belonged to a separate entity of the French Empire, the Illyrian Provinces. The study analyzes the picture of Dalmatian society that the French drew for practical administrative purposes and places it in the broader context of the concepts of the Balkans and Eastern Europe and, in particular, the environmental and historical peculiarities of the Mediterranean region. The article shows that the tensions between the settled population on the coast and the semi-nomadic pastoral communities in the Dalmatian hinterland, which was a characteristic phenomenon of the Mediterranean world, had a great influence, at least in the Dalmatian context, on the formation of ideas that later became part of the image of Balkan backwardness and other ideas about the Balkan region that took shape in the Age of Enlightenment.

Sustainable architectural design and land-use application to civic centres in Ghana: the case of Damongo

ABSTRACTThe country’s ever-growing population and numerous administrative areas and centres for decentralisation, good administration, and efficient use of the country’s resources have allowed for the construction of several administrative buildings. However, these spaces are typically modified or do not meet the architectural and planning criteria of administrative centres due to shortcomings in planning standards as well as a lack of sustainable design standards and principles. Using an observational data collection method and qualitative research methods, the results of the study examined the appraisal of the proposed design. The study proposed a sustainable design that would help minimise the usage of vast lands for only administrative purposes and provide developable lands for the fast-growing urban population. The study analysed three sites for their suitability. Details of the proposed design are emphasised in the rest of the paper.

Readiness of managers and health care workers for e-Health: a cross-sectional study in Khartoum primary health care centers, Sudan

Backgrounde-Health is defined as “the use, in the health sector, of digital data— transmitted, stored and retrieved electronically—for clinical, educational and administrative purposes, both at the local site and at a distance”. In Primary health care (PHC), the role of e-Health in promoting PHC systems defines its need to achieve the PHC aims. This literary work aims to study the readiness of managers and healthcare workers for e-Health at Khartoum state PHC centers.MethodsThis was a facility-based cross-sectional study that took place between February and August 2022. A sample size of 327 was calculated, and multistage cluster sampling was used. A validated questionnaire was used, and the generated data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Variables were described as n (%) and mean ± SD. Non-parametric tests and Spearman’s correlation were used to investigate the association of readiness scores with different categorical and numerical variables, respectively. A standard multiple regression model was used to model the associations.ResultsA total of 262 forms were completed. The overall readiness percentages were low for both managers (52.8%) and healthcare workers (55.3%). Factors associated with e-Health readiness included occupation, doctors’ level of expertise, PHC center, and PHC center type.ConclusionsThis study reports low levels of e-Health readiness as reflected by managers and HCWs in Khartoum State PHC. Project planners need to be aware of the obstacles and threats faced by e-Health initiatives if they are not carefully planned, executed, and monitored. Special attention must be given to addressing health inequities and inequalities to ensure that these projects will contribute to fostering accessibility to health services and narrowing the digital divide.