Region Of Andalusia Research Articles

Digital transformation influence on organisational resilience through organisational learning and innovation

This study investigates the substantial influence of digital transformation (DT) on enhancing organisational resilience by examining the contributions of organisational learning and innovation—dimensions frequently overlooked in prior research. By addressing this gap, the study not only empirically validates these associations, but also conducts a rigorous examination using a sample of 376 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Andalusia region of Spain, selected through purposive sampling to include 259 respondents. The findings from regression analysis reveal how digital technologies facilitate organisational learning and innovation, thereby augmenting the resilience of SMEs. Empirical evidence indicates that these technologies enhance SMEs' learning capacity and stimulate innovation, ultimately improving their adaptability. This increased flexibility enables SMEs to respond adeptly to market fluctuations and capitalise on emerging opportunities.

Assessing farmers’ intention to adopt drought insurance. A combined perspective from the extended theory of planned behavior and behavioral reasoning theory

Agriculture in Mediterranean climates, such as that of southern Spain, is highly vulnerable to climate change, and particularly to hydrological drought. Financial instruments such as weather index-based insurance have been developed in response to increasing climate risks. In previous studies of intention to adopt this type of insurance, little attention has been paid to farmers’ underlying psychological motivations related to their perceptions of climate change, reasons for or against insurance adoption, attitudes toward insurance, subjective norms, or perceived control over the instrument. To comprehensively address this gap, a combined exploratory model based on the theory of planned behavior and behavioral reasoning theory is proposed. Specifically, the aim of this research is to analyze the psychological factors that determine farmers' intention to adopt drought insurance. The conceptual model is tested on a sample of 146 farmers from an irrigated area in the lower Guadalquivir region of Andalusia. The data are analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Contrary to expectations, the results of the study suggest that belief in climate change does not significantly influence the reasons for or against insurance adoption, nor the attitudes toward or perceived control over it. The recommendations drawn from this study can contribute to the design of more effective policies and communication strategies that address farmers' psychological perceptions and motivations, thereby helping to boost the adoption of drought insurance.

Unraveling the ecological niche signals of Verticillium dahliae: Insights from Mediterranean landscapes.

Verticillium wilt (VW), caused by the soil-borne plant pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae, is a major disease impacting olive crops globally. In view of the lack of effective post-infection treatments, exclusion and avoidance strategies are essential in disease management. Assessing the risks posed by this pathogen is essential to prevent the spread and to ensure selection of suitable sites for new plantations. This study aimed to elucidate the environmental factors driving V. dahliae establishment in the Andalusia region, in southern Spain, an emblematic Mediterranean landscape for olive cultivation. To this end, we explored ecological niche signals for this fungal pathogen by analyzing 62 environmental variables across 1.6 million hectares dedicated to olive and cotton cultivation, using a 15-yr survey data on VW incidence on presence-absence from both olive and cotton fields. To ensure robust identification of ecological niche signals, we employed randomization-based, non-parametric univariate tests to compare presence records with the broader sampling universe (including absence records). Our findings identified key environmental variables that are associated significantly with V. dahliae presence, including temperature range seasonality (including mean diurnal and annual ranges), summer temperature (maximum of the warmest month, mean of the warmest quarter), and moisture and water availability (near-surface humidity, potential evapotranspiration, vapor pressure) as core niche variables for V. dahliae. Our results replicated the pathogen's known distribution, identifying the Guadalquivir Valley as a particularly high-risk area in view of its mild winters and distinct rainy seasons, providing new insights into the specific environmental conditions that facilitate the pathogen's survival and spread. Furthermore, this study introduces a novel approach to niche modeling that prioritizes variables with consistent effects and significant impact on the presence and distribution of V. dahliae and identifies potential data artifacts. This approach enhances our understanding of ecological requirements in V. dahliae and informs targeted management strategies.

The Priority of Water Consumption in the Spanish Tourism Industry: A Dilemma for Residents and Researchers

Spain is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. Regional governments face the challenge of ensuring long-term water security for residents and tourists. In 2024, Catalonia declared a state of emergency to tackle the problem of a lack of water. Catalonia and Andalusia regions imposed water restrictions, prohibiting residents from washing the exterior of their houses and cars or filling their swimming pools to guarantee tourism activities in hotels and other tourism companies. The research objective of the present study is to tackle the priority of water consumption in the Spanish tourism industry so that the availability of water is guaranteed for residents, without constraints on the supply. This research uses qualitative and quantitative methods to obtain a comprehensive view of the water consumption in Spain’s territory and the main zones of water scarcity that are affecting residents and the tourism industry. In addition, this study uses the Web of Science (WoS) database to analyse the bibliometrics on the topic of water consumption in the tourism industry from 2000 to 2023, as well as quantify the number of articles published by researchers. Findings reveal that although the tourism industry is the economic engine of Spain, water consumption by tourists is above the level of consumption of residents, and this asymmetrical situation should be reversed in favour of the welfare of Spanish citizens. It is noteworthy that the water scarcity in Spain and its continuing restrictions in the Andalusian and Catalonian regions have caused huge problems with drinking water supply in the last few years. Indeed, local and regional Spanish governments cannot demand that a resident consume 133 L per day, while a tourist is allowed to consume between 400 and 1000 L per day. For this reason, water availability must be a priority for residents and, especially, for the tourism industry. Economic interests cannot override citizens’ needs and well-being. This research has helped us better understand the complex relationships between the use of water in the tourism industry and by residents in the context of climate change.

Transferability of Empirical Models Derived from Satellite Imagery for Live Fuel Moisture Content Estimation and Fire Risk Prediction

Estimating live fuel moisture content (LFMC) is critical for assessing vegetation flammability and predicting potential fire behaviour, thus providing relevant information for wildfire prevention and management. Previous research has demonstrated that empirical modelling based on spectral data derived from remote sensing is useful for retrieving LFMC. However, these types of models are often very site-specific and generally considered difficult to extrapolate. In the present study, we analysed the performance of empirical models based on Sentinel-2 spectral data for estimating LFMC in fire-prone shrubland dominated by Cistus ladanifer. We used LFMC data collected in the field between June 2021 and September 2022 in 27 plots in the region of Andalusia (southern Spain). The specific objectives of the study included (i) to test previous existing models fitted for the same shrubland species in a different study area in the region of Madrid (central Spain); (ii) to calibrate empirical models with the field data from the region of Andalusia, comparing the model performance with that of existing models; and (iii) to test the capacity of the best empirical models to predict decreases in LFMC to critical threshold values in historical wildfire events. The results showed that the empirical models derived from Sentinel-2 data provided accurate LFMC monitoring, with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 15% in the estimation of LFMC variability throughout the year and with the MAE decreasing to 10% for the critical lower LFMC values (<100%). They also showed that previous models could be easily recalibrated for extrapolation to different geographical areas, yielding similar errors to the specific empirical models fitted in the study area in an independent validation. Finally, the results showed that decreases in LFMC in historical wildfire events were accurately predicted by the empirical models, with LFMC <80% in this fire-prone shrubland species.

Fencing Training with Reaction Time Lights

Authors Rafael Barañano-Alcaide Msc, PhD student for Complutense University of Madrid.(Spain). Corresponding author . rafabara@ucm.es Dr. Manuel Sillero-Quintana, Titular professor of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (INEF), Sports Department, Madrid, (Spain). Dr. Ricardo-Bernardez, Titular professor of optometry department of the University Complutense of Madrid.(Spain). Jimena Barañano-Perez, student of I.E.S Luis de Gongora of Córdoba (Spain). Rut Gonzalez-Jiménez Msc, PhD student for Complutense University of Madrid.(Spain). Abstract Objective: evaluate different reaction times in fencing training with reaction time lights Method: This manuscript proposes four specific exercises for evaluating the simple reaction time (SRT), the elective reaction time (ERT), the go/no-go response time (G/NG) and the decision decision-making after lunge (DML), march (DMM) and braking (DMB) in fencers. The sample consisted of 48 fencers (22 males and 17 females; age: 21 ± 13 years) from several fencing clubs in the region of Andalusia, competing at amateur (10 athletes), regional (17 athletes), national (7 athletes), and international (5 athletes) in the three official fencing weapons: Epee (E), Saber (S), and Foil (F). The exercises were developed for the Queling Sport lighting system, connected by Bluetooth with the ReactionX android application, which controlled the activation of the lights and recorded the reaction time and the correction of the execution for each trial. Results: The results by gender did not show significant differences. Considering the results by weapon, the foil fencers were fastest than saber fencers, in all the exercises, but they were only significantly faster in the DML and DMM exercises. The performance in all the exercises was directly related with the competition level of the fencer, but only significantly better in foil fencers than in sable fencers when the exercise required decision-making processes. Conclusions: We propose a reference scale to evaluate the perceptive ability of the fencers that could be applied in talent detection processes and for evaluating the specific perceptive ability of the fencers.

GIS mapping of agricultural plastic waste in southern Europe

The escalating use of plastics in agriculture, driven by global population growth and increasing food demand, has concurrently led to a rise in Agricultural Plastic Waste (APW) production. Effective waste management is imperative, prompting this study to address the initial step of management, that is the quantification and localization of waste generated from different production systems in diverse regions. Focused on four Southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Greece, and Portugal) at the regional level, the study uses Geographic Information System (GIS), land use maps, indices tailored to each specific agricultural application and each crop type for plastic waste mapping. Furthermore, after the data was employed, it was validated by relevant stakeholders of the mentioned countries.The study revealed Spain, particularly the Andalusia region, as the highest contributor to APW equal to 324,000 tons per year, while Portugal's Azores region had the lowest estimate equal to 428 tons per year. Significantly, this research stands out as one of the first to comprehensively consider various plastic applications and detailed crop cultivations within the production systems, representing a pioneering effort in addressing plastic waste management in Southern Europe. This can lead further on to the management of waste in this area and the transfer of the scientific proposition to other countries.

Analyzing post-COVID-19 demographic and mobility changes in Andalusia using mobile phone data

This work studies changes in the demographics of the different spatial units that make up the Andalusia region in Spain throughout the year 2021, with the aim of seeing the progressive recovery of the population after the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobile phone data from Origin–Destination matrices has been used, due to the ease of obtaining updated information quickly and constantly. A methodology has been developed to transform the number of travelers into an estimated population without biases, and an interpolation function has been used to take into account all the data available in the year 2021. Results show a direct link between the demographic changes in Andalusia and the removal of the mobility restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increase of non-related work mobility and a decrease of static population. Travel distances between home and work places are also affected, with an increase of long trips after the end of the mobility restrictions. In addition, different patterns have been visualized, such as the concentration of commuting in the metropolitan areas of the region during working days, the population growth in rural areas during weekends, or the population displacement to coastal areas in summer.

The Development of Ḥadīth in 9th Century Andalusia: A Study of Al-Bida’ Wa Al-Nahy ‘Anhā by Ibn Waddah Al-Qurtubi

Based on data presented by ‘Abd al-Razzāq, out of 60 ḥadīth studies spanning from 1986 to 2004, only five focused on the Andalusian region, accounting for approximately 8.3%, with none specifically addressing areas in Andalusia. More specifically, there is no connection found with the study of ḥadīth that centers on researching the figure of Muhammad Ibn Waḍḍāh (d. 899) in his book titled al-Bida’ wa al-Nahy ‘Anhā. The purpose of this writing is to explore the biography and scholarly journey of Ibn Waḍḍāh, as well as to delve deeply into related backgrounds, systematics, and methods employed in the preparation of the book al-Bida’ wa al-Nahy ‘Anhā. The method employed in this article is qualitative, utilizing a library study approach, given that the desired data is narrative and extracted from written literature. The article concludes that the background of composing the book is influenced by socio-political conditions favoring Ibn Waḍḍāh as a scholar dedicated to global knowledge. The socio-cultural conditions were alarming, marked by phenomena such as cultural acculturation, interfaith marriages, and massive conversions to Islam, prompting Ibn Waḍḍāh (d. 899) to react to the degradation of faith at that time.

The Labor Market Integration of Women Having Suffered Gender Violence: Some Critical Questions.

The integration of women victims of gender-based violence (WVGBV) in the labor market is key to women's autonomy and empowerment. After pursuing some personal stability in different domains (emotional, physical, relational, etc.), these women require a further step toward recovery, which is often related to financial independence and, therefore, to their integration in the labor market. In this article, we describe the results of a study that focused on the actions aimed at integrating WVGBV into the labor market in the region of Andalusia (Spain). Based on a qualitative methodology, we collected the narratives and perspectives of the different actors involved in these processes (public administrations, nongovernmental organizations, the business world, and the WVGBV). The results revealed a series of deficiencies in social intervention methodologies that can sometimes lead to greater social exclusion. In conclusion, we believe that more participatory methodologies in their design, incorporating the views of woman themselves, are necessary.

Differentiation of Synanthropic Fleas from Andalusia (Spain) through Geometric Morphometrics Analysis.

Fleas (Siphonaptera) are ectoparasitic hematophagous insects responsible for causing bites and itchy skin conditions in both humans and animals. Furthermore, they can act as vectors of different pathogens of a wide variety of diseases worldwide, including bartonellosis, rickettsiosis, and bubonic plague. Accurate identification of fleas is necessary for the study of their epidemiology, prevention, and control. In addition to traditional morphological classification approaches and molecular biology techniques, geometric morphometrics is increasingly proving to be a useful complementary tool for discriminating between Siphonaptera taxa. With the objective of determining the capacity of this technique to identify and differentiate synanthropic fleas, a principal component analysis was carried out on populations of Ctenocephalides felis, Pulex irritans, and Archaeopsylla erinacei collected in distinct regions of Andalusia (Spain). The analysis carried out on 81 male and female specimens revealed factorial maps that allowed the differentiation of the populations under study, with only partial overlaps that did not prevent their correct identification. Global size differences were also detected, with a slightly larger size in P. irritans males and a bigger size in A. erinacei females. Therefore, the present study emphasizes the role of geometric morphometrics as a useful complementary technique in taxonomic studies of arthropods, especially in the case of flea specimens lacking representative morphological features.

Shutting down to save lives: A regression discontinuity analysis of non-essential business closure

This article quantifies the impact of the non-essential business closure policy implemented in the Spanish region of Andalusia during the COVID-19 pandemic between January and May 2021. Taking advantage of the fact that municipalities were assigned a two-week closure of non-essential businesses on the basis of whether the 14-day infection rate (per 100,000 inhabitants) was above a predetermined cutoff value of 1,000, we use a regression discontinuity design to estimate the causal impact of the policy on new COVID-19 cases and deaths. Using weekly administrative data, the estimates suggest that, on average, the policy produced a 23 percent reduction in new COVID-19 cases and a 2 percent decrease in new COVID-19 deaths. Notably, the heterogeneity analysis reveals that the policy was more effective in rural areas than in urban areas. Overall, this study provides compelling evidence that shutting down businesses served as an effective tool to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reciprocity of perceived organizational support and employee engagement in SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper examines the reciprocal relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and employee engagement within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this crisis, a positive association was observed: SMEs that committed to their employees tended to see a corresponding engagement from their employees. To assess how performance influenced this relationship, the study also explored whether this reciprocal pattern varied with different levels of business performance—decreased, unchanged, or improved—relative to pre-crisis economic performance. An empirical analysis was conducted on a sample of 114 SMEs from the Andalusian region (Spain) using a regression model with mediating effects. The findings reveal that reciprocity between POS and employee engagement was evident during the pandemic and was particularly strong among SMEs belonging to the sub-sample with negative economic results.

Holocene relative sea-level variation and coastal changes in the Bay of Cádiz: New insights on the influence of local subsidence and glacial hydro-isostatic adjustments

The Bay of Cádiz is located in South-western Spain (Andalusia region) and constitutes an example of a typical estuarine salt marsh environment. In this study we reconstruct its Holocene morpho-evolution and relative sea-level change history by assembling a geodatabase of geological sea-level markers derived from boreholes and bibliographic data, standardized to the most recent international guidelines for RSL studies. The identified high-precision sea-level index points were compared to a number of new site-specific glacio-hydro-isostatic adjustment (GIA) models in order to disentangle potential components which influenced the sea-level evolution and finally obtain the vertical displacement (VD) trends that affect this coastal area by using a Bayesian statistical approach including Monte Carlo simulations. In general, the whole area was affected by overall subsidence related to the local sediment compaction, which had an impact on the morpho-evolution of the different zones with a variable entity and completely outclassed the GIA-driven component. Between 6.7 and 3.0 ka BP, the northern sector of the bay was characterized by subsidence rates of about - 0.65 mm/yr while, during the last 3.0 ka, the general trend appears to be homogeneous for both the main sectors of the bay with an average subsidence rate of - 1.6 mm/yr. The Holocene RSL curve from the Gulf of Cádiz aligns with past reconstructions, revealing subtle differential trends in subsidence rates in the northern and southern sectors of the Bay of Cádiz due to varying substratum.

Analisis Kepemimpinan Pendidikan Islam Abad Pertengahan dan Penetrasinya terhadap Renaisans di Eropa

Purpose − This research aims to understand the state of Europe before the Renaissance, describe the process of the Renaissance, and analyze the penetration of Islamic education to the Renaissance movement in Europe.
 Method − This research is qualitative type with a library research approach. Where research was carried out by collecting, reading and reviewing books related to the analysis of Islamic educational leadership and its penetration into the renaissance in Europe. The analysis techniques in collecting data for this research are data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions using a historical approach.
 Findings − The results of this study describe the condition of Europeans before the renaissance, the process of the renaissance, and the analysis of the contribution of Islamic education to the renaissance movement in Europe. The condition of Europe before the Renaissance experienced dark ages, moral degradation, and ignorance (dark ages). The dark ages of Europeans can be seen from economic, political, socio-cultural, and religious aspects. The process of the renaissance was motivated by the Muslims who occupied the Andalusian region (Spain) in 771 AD under the caliphate of the Umawid State, namely Al-Walid bin Abdul Malik and the governor of North Africa Musa bin Nushair and commanders Tharif bin Malik and Thariq bin Ziyad. Andalusia (Spain) developed under the leadership of the Umawid State and the Abbasid State which carved a glorious civilization. Muslim scientists were born, one of which was Ibn Rushd, for his thoughts was born the bluff of Averroeism. The Renaissance first appeared in Italy by the bourgeoisie and the word renaissance was first introduced in France by Jules Michelet and popularized by Jacob Burckhardt. On the other hand, the renaissance also began with the Rusydian movement (students of Ibn Rushd) from among the Westerners themselves, among them Musa Ibn Maimun and Siger de Barbant. The contribution of Islamic Education to the renaissance can be seen from the existing education system or level of education such as, kuttab, mosque, book translation center and library. Where it made a long-term contribution to the renaissance process.

Impacts of climate change on airborne Quercus pollen trends in Andalusia region (southern Spain)

Quercus species are the most frequent autochthonous arboreal taxa in the natural areas of Andalusia region (southern Spain). Due to their abundance and anemophilous character, high airborne pollen concentrations are detected in natural and urban areas of the region. Variations in its reproductive phenology can be considered an important bio-indicator regarding the impacts of climate change on vegetation in the Mediterranean region. This study aims to analyze trends in flowering patterns using airborne pollen concentrations from the capital cities of the 8 provinces of Andalusia region and to study its relationships with meteorological parameters and climate change over decades. Variations in time and intensity of flowering have been studied using different methods for defining the pollen season. This study demonstrates that for comparing results, it is relevant to choose the right definition to calculate the pollen season. The analysis of historical databases of Quercus airborne pollen in Andalusia showed variations in the floral phenology with an increase in the intensity of the pollen season throughout the studied period and an advance in the start trends due to the increase of temperature. Nevertheless, this increase might have been smoothed by the decrease of precipitations in some sampler locations, a limiting factor in the area. It has been also observed a delay in the end dates that caused a lengthening of the season. Climate change could be provoking longer and more intense pollen seasons that will lead to more intense and persistent symptoms in sensitive patients.

Genotypic influence in the juvenile to adult transition in olive seedlings.

Olive breeding is a long process and any improvement in shortening the juvenile phase is highly desirable. In the present study, the effect of olive tree parents in different agronomic characteristics have been evaluated during four years in 520 olive genotypes generated from three different crosses in three different experimental fields, all located in Andalusia region, Spain. The crosses evaluated are 'Arbosana' x 'Sikitita' and its reciprocal, whose parents are characterized by being early bearers; and 'Frantoio' free pollinated, whose mother variety is characterized by having a long unproductive period. We studied plant height, distance and time to the first flowering, plant vigor and percentage of olive oil in the fruits. The findings reveal that progeny from 'Arbosana' and 'Sikitita' crosses, irrespective of the direction of the cross, exhibited a lower distance to flower, early bearing, reduced vigor and a lower percentage of olive oil in fruit compared to 'Frantoio' seedlings obtained from free pollination. Furthermore, no discernible differences were observed in the evaluated characteristics when comparing reciprocal crosses across the three fields in the four-years assessment period. Therefore, these results highlight the significance of planting height in reducing the evaluation period required in an olive breeding program and support the hypothesis that there is no maternal effect in the inheritance of the evaluated agronomic characteristics in olive trees.

Assessment of physical schemes for WRF model in convection-permitting mode over southern Iberian Peninsula

Convection-permitting models (CPMs) enable the representation of meteorological variables at horizontal high-resolution spatial scales (≤ 4 km), where convection plays a significant role. In this regard, physical schemes need to be evaluated considering factors in the studied region such as orography and climate variability. This study investigates the sensitivity of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model as CPM to the use of different physics schemes on Andalusia, a complex orography region in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula (IP). To do that, a set of 1-year WRF simulations was completed based on two “one-way” nested domains: the parent domain (d01) spanning the entire IP with 5 km spatial resolution and the nested domain (d02) for the region of Andalusia at 1 km of spatial resolution. 12 physic schemes were examined from combinations of microphysics (MP) schemes including THOMPSON, WRF single moment 6-class (WSM6), and WRF single moment 7-class (WSM7), and different options for the convection in d01, the Grell 3D (G3), Grell-Freitas (GF), Kain-Fritsch (KF), and deactivated cumulus parameterization (OFF). The simulated precipitation and 2-m temperature for the year 2018, characterized to be a very wet year, were compared with observational datasets from different sources to determine the optimal WRF configuration, including point-to-point and station-point comparisons at different time aggregations (from annual to hourly). In general, greater differences were shown when comparing the results of convection schemes in d01. Simulations completed with GF or OFF presented better performance compared to the reference datasets. Concerning the MP, although THOMPSON showed a better fit in high mountain areas, it generally presents a worse agreement with the reference datasets. In terms of temperature, the results were very similar and, therefore, the selection of the “best” configuration was based mainly on the precipitation results with the WSM7-GF scheme being suitable for Andalusia region.

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Spain: A Systematic Review.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Spain, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, with the lack of control of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) being the main contributing factor. The CVRFs of greatest clinical interest are high blood pressure (HBP), smoking, diabetes mellitus (DM2), overweight, obesity, hypercholesterolaemia, and sedentary lifestyle. The main objective of this review was to compare the prevalence of the different CVRFs according to population-based studies carried out in Spain. For this, a systematic review based on publications assessing CVRFs in the adult population and estimating their national prevalence was conducted. Pubmed and Dialnet databases were consulted, and the selected articles were analysed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Español (CASPe) tool for cohort studies and the Berra et al. tool for cross-sectional studies. A total of 33 studies were obtained from the autonomous regions of Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Castilla-Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Extremadura, the Balearic Islands, Madrid, Murcia, and Navarra. In all the population-based studies, there was a greater representation of women in the sample. The most prevalent CVRFs differed across the studies according to the autonomous region targeted, with dyslipidaemia, sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolaemia, overweight, and obesity standing out. Numerous differences exist between the studies included in this review, such as the age range, the CVRFs analysed and their prevalence, and remarkable aspects such as the over-representation of the female sex in all cases. It can be concluded that, based on the presented results, the prevalence of CVRFs in Spain varies according to the autonomous region, the sex of the individual, and the studied age range.

A prospective observational concordance study to evaluate computational model-driven clinical practice guidelines for Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) provide healthcare professionals with performance and decision-making support during the treatment of patients. Sometimes, however, they are poorly implemented. The IDE4ICDS platform was developed and validated with CPGs for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Objective: The main objective of this paper is to present the results of the clinical validation of the IDE4ICDS platform in a real clinical environment at two health clinics in the Andalusian Public Health System (SSPA) in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia. Methods: National and international knowledge sources on T2DM were selected and reviewed and used to define a diabetes CPG model on the IDE4ICDS platform. Once the diabetes CPG was configured and deployed, it was validated. A total of 506 patients were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria, of whom 130 could be recruited and 89 attended the appointment. Results: A concordance analysis was performed with the kappa value. Overall agreement between the recommendations provided by the system and those recorded in each patient's EHR was good (0.61 - 0.80) with a total kappa index of 0.701, leading to the conclusion that the system provided appropriate recommendations for each patient and was therefore well-functioning. Conclusions: A series of possible improvements were identified based on the limitations for the recovery of variables related to the quality of these recolected variables, the detection of duplicate recommendations based on different input variables for the same patient, and clinical usability, such as the capacity to generate reports based on the recommendations generated. Nevertheless, the project resulted in the IDE4ICDS platform: a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) capable of providing appropriate recommendations for improving the management and quality of patient care and optimizing health outcomes. The result of this validation is a safe and effective pathway for developing and adopting digital transformation at the regional scale of the use of biomedical knowledge in real healthcare.