Quality Evaluation Framework Research Articles

Evaluation of the quality of care of a haemodialysis public-private partnership programme for patients with end-stage renal disease

BackgroundHaemodialysis (HD) is one of the life-saving options for patients with end stage renal disease but demand for this treatment exceeds capacity in publicly funded hospitals. One novel approach to addressing this problem is through a shared-care model whereby government hospitals partner with qualified private HD service providers to increase the accessibility of HD for needy patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate and enhance the quality of care (QOC) provided in such a shared-care programme in Hong Kong, the Haemodialysis Public-Private Partnership Programme (HD-PPP).Methods/DesignThis is a longitudinal study based on Action Learning and Audit Spiral methodologies to measure the achievement of pre-set target standards for the HD-PPP programme over three evaluation cycles. The QOC evaluation framework is comprised of structure, process and outcome criteria with target standards in each domain developed from review of the evidence and in close collaboration with the HD-PPP working group. During each evaluation cycle, coordinators of each study site complete a questionnaire to determine adherence with structural criteria of care. Process and clinical outcomes, such as adverse events and dialysis adequacy, are extracted from the patient records of consenting study participants while face-to-face interviews are conducted to ascertain patient-reported outcomes such as self-efficacy and health-related quality of life.DiscussionThe study relies on the successful implementation of partnership-based action research to develop an evidence-based and pragmatic framework for evaluation of quality of care in an iterative fashion, and to use it to identify possible areas of quality enhancements in a shared-care programme for HD patients. The approach we take in this study emphasizes partnership and engagement with the clinical and administrative programme team, a robust but flexible evaluation framework, direct observation and the potential to realize positive change. The experience will be useful to inform the process of coordinating research studies involving multiple stakeholders and results will help to guide service planning and policy decision making.Trial registrationUS Clinical Trial Registry NCT02307903Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12882-016-0284-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Operation Mechanisms of External Quality Assurance Frameworks of Foreign Higher Education and Implications for Graduate Education

:The higher education quality evaluation and assurance frameworks and their operating mechanisms of countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and the United States show that higher education systems, traditional culture, and social background all impact quality assurance operating mechanisms. A model analysis of these higher education quality assurance frameworks shows that quality assurance entities having clear and harmonious responsibilities and interest relations is a precondition to the good operation of higher education quality assurance mechanisms, and the model of internal self-discipline of the higher education institutions taking precedence and internal and external assurances integrating organically is a developing trend in higher education quality assurance.

Evaluación de la calidad de lenguajes de modelado a través de análisis taxonómico: una propuesta preliminar

The Model-Driven Engineering (mde) paradigm promotes the usage of conceptual models in information systems (is) engineering and research. As engineering products, conceptual models must have quality, which applies on both conceptual models and modeling language employed to build them. This paper presents a modeling language quality evaluation framework. This framework uses the principles from the popular Zachman framework for information systems as a taxonomic tool applied over modeling rtifacts used in an information system development. The purpose of this taxonomic tool is to perform analytic procedures that are aligned with an is reference architecture and ontological reasoning. Throughout this work, we describe how the Zachman framework supports analytics over modeling languages for quality purposes by its native management of semantics.

A framework and tool to manage Cloud Computing service quality

Cloud Computing has generated considerable interest in both companies specialized in Information and Communication Technology and business context in general. The Sourcing Capability Maturity Model for service (e-SCM) is a capability model for offshore outsourcing services between clients and providers that offers appropriate strategies to enhance Cloud Computing implementation. It intends to achieve the required quality of service and develop an effective working relationship between clients and providers. Moreover, quality evaluation framework is a framework to control the quality of any product and/or process. It offers a tool support that can generate software artifacts to manage any type of product and service efficiently and effectively. Thus, the aim of this paper was to make this framework and tool support available to manage Cloud Computing service quality between clients and providers by means of e-SCM.

Constraints Framework for Automatic Quality Evaluation of Generalized Map

Constraints Framework for Automatic Quality Evaluation of Generalized Map

Satellite imagery for urban air quality evaluation: using Landsat and Systeme Pour l'Observation de la Terre image for particulate matter concentration retrieval

Based on a literature review, it is known that satellite remote sending, coupled with ground-based instrumentation, is a feasible approach to study air pollutants from a spatial statistical perspective and is meanwhile a work around to the absence of emission inventory and the impracticability of interpolation modelling. Since this approach has yet gained familiarity among the researchers of urban air quality, this study of particulate matter (PM) distribution across Hong Kong over 2001, 2006 and 2011 acts as an example to promote a new framework for air quality evaluation using the integrated approach for future applications. Techniques regarding the modelling and simulation for PM concentration retrieval, hotspot visualisation for localised analysis, as well as detection for temporal change in PM concentration distribution are all demonstrated. Results show that the new approach is able to provide highly reliable spatial statistics and is capable of locating hotspots both macroscopically and microscopic...

Quality evaluation framework (QEF): Modeling and evaluating quality of business processes

Business process modeling is an important part of information systems design as well as of any business engineering or reengineering activity. Business process modeling languages provide standard ways of presentation and communication between different stakeholders. A business process model is the externalization of the conceptualization of some parts of the object world that deal with those aspects that pertain to the way business transactions are carried out and supported by an information system. This paper deals with an essential issue in this context, namely the assessment of the quality of business processes through their models. This objective raises two major issues, (a) the identification of the quality factors relevant to business processes, and (b) the definition of the metrics that provide a means for objectively measuring quality of business processes. These two issues are addressed in this paper through a quality evaluation framework, known as QEF that enables business process modelers to explicitly incorporate a wide variety of requirements corresponding to quality factors. Quality factors of business processes are defined in this paper and categorized into different quality dimensions. Application of the quality framework as well as proposed quality dimensions, factors and metrics are discussed through an illustrative example.

Dynamic Framework of Quality Evaluation for Web-based SOA

웹서비스로 구현되는 SOA(Service Oriented Architecture)에 대한 포괄적인 품질평가 체제를 제시한다. SOA 이해 당사자들의 품질평가 요청에 동적으로 반응할 수 있도록 품질평가를 위한 웹 데이터베이스인 SQEDB의 운영이 제안된다. 품질평가와 관련된 모든 SOA 이해당사자들의 활동이 이 데이터베이스에서 통합되어 지속적으로 갱신되는 (동적) 통합 품질 모형이 구현될 수 있다. 품질 모형의 이러한 동적 통합을 바탕으로, SOA의 웹서비스와 연계하여 이 데이터베이스를 운영함으로써 평가에 관여하는 어느 시점에서나 모든 이해당사자들의 상호작용과 협력이 가능한 동적 품질평가 모형의 틀이 구성된다. 이 SQEDB 데이터베이스의 갱신된 자료들을 활용하는 실제적인 평가과정이 평가조정자 및 평가지원자의 역할과 함께 제시된다.

Calibration of a Public Transport Performance Measurement System for Switzerland

Performance evaluation is fundamental to transport analysis and operations. This paper describes a quality evaluation framework based on level of service (LOS) developed for urban public transport in Switzerland. The framework focuses on four key indicators: on-time performance, headway adherence, speed, and passenger loads. The framework allows users to assess service quality at different levels by measuring the indicators at the single element level and aggregating scores over larger sets of elements. Because the number of indicators is relatively small compared with other frameworks, application of the method is easier, but the method also provides less detailed results. An earlier paper presented a conceptual approach for the framework. This paper extends that work by describing the approach in more detail and focusing on calibration of the LOS framework and application of the framework to a real example in Zurich, Switzerland. The research is part of a larger effort designed to develop a consistent multimodal LOS evaluation system for Switzerland. This system would include nonmotorized traffic, public transport, and road-based transport.

A Model of View-Based Enterprise Business Service Quality Evaluation Framework

The symbiosis between an enterprise architecture and service-oriented architecture results in so-called service-oriented enterprise architecture and brings up new problems for service-oriented enterprise systems engineering. One of the most important is a business service quality definition, specification and evaluation. The paper proposes a formal model of enterprise business service quality evaluation framework to encompass and balance all the viewpoints and perspectives on an enterprise business service quality.

Framework for a global quality evaluation of a website

PurposeThis paper aims to propose a high‐level structure for a global quality evaluation of a website. This structure is based on the characteristics, sub‐characteristics and attributes of three main dimensions (content, service, and technical quality) that will substantiate the development of broad website quality evaluation, comparison and improvement methodologies, according to particular sectors of activity and evaluator's perspective.Design/methodology/approachBased on the literature and the author's experience a framework is proposed for a global quality evaluation of a website.FindingsConsidering the results of some studies, as well as the systematisation of the knowledge available in several bibliographies, website quality can be grouped into three main dimensions: content quality, service quality, and technical quality. There has not yet been an evaluation methodology that focuses on these three main website quality dimensions in a broad and transversal sense.Originality/valueThe paper presents an innovative high‐level structure for a global quality evaluation of a website, based on three dimensions not previously considered together.

A quality management based on the Quality Model life cycle

Managing quality is a hard and expensive task that involves the execution and control of processes and techniques. For a good quality management, it is important to know the current state and the objective to be achieved. It is essential to take into account with a Quality Model that specifies the purposes of managing quality. QuEF (Quality Evaluation Framework) is a framework to manage quality in MDWE (Model-driven Web Engineering). This paper suggests managing quality but pointing out the Quality Model life cycle. The purpose is to converge toward a quality continuous improvement by means of reducing effort and time.

Quality‐of‐care framework in urological cancers: where do we stand?

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Provision of high-quality care necessitates the identification and measurement of relevant quality indicators. Urological surgery currently does not have a validated quality-of-care framework to guide surgical quality improvement. This article aims to delineate quality of care processes, current status of quality indicators for major urological cancers as well as recommend a provisional framework for evaluation of quality for urological procedures. Growing demands for patient safety, lower cost and quality of care have resulted in several initiatives of quality measurement across urological surgery. Although candidate indicators have been proposed in various procedures, the field still lacks a valid quality framework. Better understanding of the interplay between patient selection, surgical expertise, preoperative-, intraoperative, postoperative processes and outcomes is needed. Consensus needs to be achieved in which validated structural, process and outcomes measures to employ, how this data should be collected, which agencies to share this data with and how to use this data to effect change in health policy. Compliance with quality framework needs to be continuously audited with its outcomes frequently benchmarked against international standards. Pursuit of quality improvement schemes require significant investment and need to be weighed against current budgetary constraints.

A Framework for the Quality Evaluation of MDWE Methodologies and Information Technology Infrastructures

Diverse development web methodologies currently exist in the field of Model-Driven Web Engineering (MDWE), each of which covers different Levels of Abstraction on Model-Driven Architecture (MDA): Computation Independent Model (CIM), Platform Independent Model (PIM), Platform Specific Model (PSM), and Code. Given the high number of methodologies available, it has become necessary to define objective evaluation tools to enable development teams to improve their methodological environment and help designers of web methodologies design new effective and efficient tools, processes and techniques. Since proposals are constantly evolving, the need may arise not only to evaluate the quality but also to find out how it can be improved. This paper presents an approach named QuEF (Quality Evaluation Framework) oriented towards evaluating, through objectives measures, the quality of information technology infrastructure, mainly in MDWE methodology environments.

A novel interval-valued fuzzy MCDM method for improving airlines’ service quality in Chinese cross-strait airlines

This paper presents an effective approach based on combining VIKOR, GRA, and interval-valued fuzzy sets to evaluate service quality of Chinese cross-strait passenger airlines via customer surveys. The proposed approach can enable decision-makers to understand the gaps between alternatives and aspired levels. An empirical study is used to establish a complete service quality evaluation framework for reducing the gaps to achieve the aspired level. Based on the gaps in priorities, it can help an airline to identify its own strengths and weaknesses in specific areas of passenger service to further improve service quality.

The Presence of Web 2.0 Applications Is Associated with the Overall Service Quality of Library Websites

A Review of:
 Chua, A. Y. K., & Goh, D. H. (2010). A study of Web 2.0 applications in library websites. Library & Information Science Research, 32(3), 203-211. 
 
 Objective – To determine the prevalence and use of web 2.0 applications in library websites and to determine whether or not their presence enhances the quality of the sites.
 
 Design – Content analysis.
 
 Setting – Public and academic libraries in North America, Europe, and Asia.
 
 Subjects – A total of 120 academic and public library websites in English.
 
 Methods – This study identified and selected library websites from academic and public libraries using a combination of directories, ratings reports, and ranking lists from three geographic regions. Over a four-month period in 2009, three coders conducted a three-step content analysis of the selected library websites. This analysis was conducted after having established inter-coder reliability using Cohen’s Kappa and analytic procedure familiarity, using a randomly selected pilot set of 30 library websites. The remaining 90 websites were evenly distributed among the three coders for analysis. They determined whether web 2.0 applications were present, examined how those applications were used, and gave an overall appraisal of website quality. Coders inspected library website links, conducted site searches, used search engines, and searched within major social networking sites to determine the presence of web 2.0 applications. A quality framework classification scheme was used during coding to identify how the web 2.0 applications were being used within library websites. This framework was established around four dimensions of library services: information acquisition (blogs and wikis), information dissemination (Rich Site Summary, or “RSS”), information organization (social tagging), and information sharing (social networking and instant messaging). A five-point Likert scale was also used in concert with a website quality evaluation framework to assess the quality of the library websites. This framework included three aspects of website quality: system quality, information quality, and service quality. A combination of statistical techniques such as Chi-square analysis, Cramer’s V, analysis of variance, Tukey’s statistic, and multiple regression were then used to analyze the findings.
 
 Main Results – Web 2.0 applications have been adopted by libraries across North America, Europe, and Asia. The most popular web 2.0 applications were blogs (56.6%), RSS (50%), and instant messaging services (46.6%) while less prevalent were social networking services (20%), wikis (16.6%), and social tagging applications (16.6%). The extent of libraries’ adoption of web 2.0 applications also varied according to region. North American libraries used all web 2.0 applications most consistently and were more attuned to heavier users, particularly with regard to information sharing applications (e.g., instant messaging, social networking). European libraries lagged behind those in Asia in embracing information acquisition applications (e.g., blogs, wikis) but were comparable to other regions. Social networking services and instant messaging were strongly associated with region; RSS, blogs, and social tagging showed moderate to moderately strong associations; and only wikis did not demonstrate a statistically significant association with region. 
 
 This study also identified how web 2.0 applications were being used. Blogs were used to generate interest, engage users, and endear users to library personnel, while wikis culled resources from users thematically. RSS feeds communicated news, events or resource updates, and were also used in combination with library blogs. Social tagging invited users to save, organize, and share information, while some websites used librarian-generated tags for search and discovery or included them as tag clouds in library blogs. Instant messaging was used to assist users synchronously during scheduled timeslots; meanwhile, social networking sites offered alternate channels to communicate and build connections with users.
 
 The authors found a relationship between website quality and the presence of web 2.0 applications based on the criteria presented in their quality evaluation framework. Applications facilitating information sharing (i.e., social networks and instant messaging) had a stronger influence on a website’s overall quality than those being used for information acquisition and dissemination (i.e., RSS, wikis, and blogs). Web 2.0 applications among academic and public libraries shared a similar level of presence on the library websites; therefore, the type of library is not associated with the quality of the library website. North American websites tended to be higher in quality than European or Asian library websites, and differences in quality between European and Asian sites were insignificant.
 
 Conclusion – This study reveals that libraries in various geographic regions adopt web 2.0 applications differently. Web 2.0 applications in library websites enhance users’ experience with library resources and support their interests. Library websites are implementing web 2.0 applications in a myriad of ways, including using these applications in concert with one another to increase user engagement. The presence of web 2.0 applications strongly affects service quality but only weakly influences information quality.

Enhanced Architecture of a Web Warehouse based on Quality Evaluation Framework to Incorporate Quality Aspects in Web Warehouse Creation

In the recent years, it has been observed that World Wide Web (www) became a vast source of information explosion about all areas of interest. Relevant information retrieval is difficult from the web space as there is no universal configuration and organization of the web data. Taking the advantage of data warehouse functionality and integrating it with the web to retrieve relevant data is the core concept of web warehouse. It is a repository that store relevant web data for business decision making. The basic function of web warehouse is to collect and store the information for analysis of users. The quality of web warehouse data affects a lot on data analysis. To enhance the quality of decision making different quality dimensions must be incorporated in web warehouse architecture. In this paper enhanced web warehouse architecture is proposed and discussed. The enhancement in the existing architecture is based on the quality evaluation framework. The enhanced architecture adds three layers in existing architecture to insure quality at various phases of web warehouse system creation. The source assessment, query evaluation and data quality layers enhance the quality of data store in web warehouse.

Research In Higher Education: The Role Of Teaching And Student Learning

Over the past 20 years, national processes for research-quality assessment have been introduced or amended across Europe. Whatever the benefits of these systems might have brought to the organisation and quality of research most of them have contributed for a devaluing teaching and to a growing separation between the research worlds of the university and student learning. This study aims to contribute to a broader understanding of the role of research for the quality of teaching and student learning and, through the collection of good practices and recommendations, argue for the integration of these indicators in research quality assessment tools and evaluation frameworks. The outcomes indicate the need to discuss the role of teaching, staff professional development, assessment criteria and the impact of research on graduate/ postgraduate student learning. Research assessment systems should value teaching and student learning through research and, at an institutional level, planning must support this link through the development of strategies based on a broader and context-driven conception of ‘scholarship’.

Technology Enhanced Learning in Higher Education: results from the design of a quality evaluation framework

This paper presents an ongoing research that deals with the development of a quality framework of reference for Technology Enhanced Learning in Higher Education. We will present the design of the methodology used for building our framework linked to a collection of internal and external references. We will also present criteria derived from this data collection phase. We will set landmarks for discussing what determines quality in Technology Enhanced Learning and what dimensions must be considered to evaluate its quality.

A modified VIKOR multiple-criteria decision method for improving domestic airlines service quality

This study applies a modified VIKOR method to improve service quality among domestic airlines in Taiwan. Our model allows decision-makers to understand the gaps between alternatives and aspired-levels in practice. A large sample is used to establish a complete service quality evaluation framework for reducing the gaps to achieve the aspired-level. We then applied the modified VIKOR method to establish the gaps in priorities between alternatives and aspired-levels. Finally, based on these gaps in priorities, we provide managerial implications to improve different carriers for satisfying the customers’ needs to achieve the aspired-level.