Review Of Best Practices Research Articles

Bridging the urban-rural digital divide: taxonomy of the best practice and critical reflection of the EU countries’ approach

ABSTRACT This paper explores and interrogates existing approaches to urban-rural digital divide reduction. The EU and its member states are applying fragmented and diverse digitalization of territories. Any systematic review of best practice and the juxtaposition of urban and rural areas is lacking. The authors present a taxonomy of key European rural digitalization approaches and determined EU country clusters according to the extent of their use, with a critical analysis of the context of their successes or failures. The key finding is identification of digital infrastructure and virtual sphere coherence as a challenge for bridging the urban-rural digital divide.

Best Practices for Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation for Chronic Pain: Guidelines from the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience.

With continued innovations in neuromodulation comes the need for evolving reviews of best practices. Dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S) has significantly improved the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and it has broad applicability across a wide range of other conditions. Through funding and organizational leadership by the American Society for Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), this best practices consensus document has been developed for the selection, implantation, and use of DRG stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain syndromes. This document is composed of a comprehensive narrative literature review that has been performed regarding the role of the DRG in chronic pain and the clinical evidence for DRG-S as a treatment for multiple pain etiologies. Best practice recommendations encompass safety management, implantation techniques, and mitigation of the potential complications reported in the literature. Looking to the future of neuromodulation, DRG-S holds promise as a robust intervention for otherwise intractable pain.

Developing consensus-based recommendations for the delivery of dementia services for the LGBTQIA+ community in the Republic of Ireland.

The number of older LGBTQIA+ adults is set to rise significantly in the coming years. The rising numbers sit together with the rise in the number of people in Ireland diagnosed with dementia. In Ireland, no dementia-specific services exist for people from the LGBTQIA+ community. The aim of this research was to 1) identify the future needs that older LGBTQIA+ people and their care partners living in Ireland have in relation to dementia care service delivery; and 2) develop consensus-based recommendations for dementia service provision in Ireland. A six-phase consensus process was used to develop the lists of needs and recommendations: 1) development; 2) national survey; 3) interviews with key stakeholders; 4) international review of best practice; 5) consensus meeting; 6) final member checking. Participants, aged over 50, were based in Ireland, identified as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, or supported someone who is/was. Results are reported from the survey (n=49), individual interviews (n=8), and the consensus meeting (n=10). Participants have concerns related to identity management and suppression, creating an LGBTQIA+ affirmative ethos and workforce, and respect and safety. From the results and consensus process, a full list of ten prioritised needs and recommendations have been developed that focus specifically on dementia care in Ireland for the LGBTQIA+ community. The older LGBTQIA+ community has identified essential priorities for improving healthcare access and safety. These priorities need to be urgently implemented into clinical and dementia care services.

Doctor, can I see your face? The effect of COVID19 face mask wearing on interactions between physicians and the older-hard-of-hearing population; a case report, and review of best practices

Since the start of the COVID19 pandemic three years ago, face masks have been promoted as the single most effective preventive measure against the COVID19 virus. Face mask wearing is ubiquitous in public places, and mandatory for patients and physicians in the hospital setting. During the worst part of the pandemic most patient-physician encounters where physician and patient wore a mask occurred in the hospital setting, as most outpatient encounters moved online, eliminating the need for patients and physicians to wear face masks. However, as the pandemic gets under control, it is reasonable to expect that an increasing number of online patient-physician encounters will shift back to in-person, thereby increasing the total number of patient-physician encounters where both patient and physician must wear face masks. In general, but particularly in the older-hard-of-hearing population, wearing face masks makes patient-physician interactions more difficult, as it eliminates the benefit of facial expression which the older-hard-of-hearing population use to compensate for their hearing loss. Given that the older-hard-of hearing population and physicians will continue to wear face masks in the foreseeable future, it is imperative for physicians to learn and employ best practices in these situations to optimize patient care. This presentation illustrates the care of a hard-of hearing-older woman in a geriatric hospital and reviews the literature on best practices in such situations.

Gender-responsive budgeting in the Philippines: Comparative review of best practices and challenges

Gender-responsive budgeting in the Philippines: Comparative review of best practices and challenges

Integrative project and asset management strategies to maximize gas production: A review of best practices

The growing demand for natural gas as a cleaner energy source has driven the need for optimized production strategies in the oil and gas sector. This paper reviews integrative project and asset management strategies designed to maximize gas production, drawing from best practices in the industry. The review highlights the critical role of strategic alignment between project management and asset optimization in achieving sustainable and efficient gas production. Key areas explored include the integration of predictive maintenance, digital twin technologies, and data analytics to improve decision-making and operational performance. Emphasizing a life-cycle approach to asset management, the paper discusses how proactive asset monitoring, risk management, and performance tracking contribute to long-term production efficiency. The importance of stakeholder collaboration and interdisciplinary coordination across technical, operational, and financial teams is also underscored, as it facilitates the seamless execution of projects from exploration to production. This review further examines case studies where digital tools and advanced project management methodologies have been successfully implemented to reduce downtime, optimize resource allocation, and enhance production capacity. Techniques such as Lean project management and Six Sigma are highlighted as effective in streamlining operations and reducing inefficiencies. The study concludes by discussing the future trends in gas production management, including the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for predictive asset optimization and the integration of real-time monitoring systems for enhanced production forecasting. In summary, integrating advanced project and asset management strategies, with a focus on technology and collaboration, can significantly enhance gas production efficiency. By adopting these best practices, gas producers can meet rising global energy demands while maintaining operational sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

Asynchronous learning: a general review of best practices for the 21st century

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to create a “go-to-guide” of best practices in the creation of asynchronous courses. Due to the global pandemic, millions of students around the world transitioned from in-class instruction to online programs, which ranged from completely synchronous classrooms to completely asynchronous classrooms. Students were forced to learn how to engage within an online classroom environment with minimal notice and instructors were abruptly thrusted into a different operational environment, with many required to construct educational ecosystems in an unfamiliar and digitized interface. This led to several actions and the utilization of a multitude of different teaching techniques, many of which were poorly implemented.Design/methodology/approachKey words, “Asynchronous learning”, “Learning”, “Feedback”, “Online Instruction”, and “Classroom Design” were searched in online data bases (Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCO and Data Base of Open Access Journals). These then were read by the authorial team and authoritative papers were selected by the team based on the frequency of utilization by other papers in the field and the utility of these papers for the design of asynchronous courses.FindingsThis paper explores asynchronous learning from the perspective of how instructional science and learning science can be applied to create the best classroom for both pupil and instructor.Originality/valueIt looks to provide a go-to-guide for best practices in asynchronous learning and the development of K-12 classrooms, graduate and medical school classrooms and finally continuous medical education classrooms. Finally, this guide looks to facilitate the development of master instructors through statements on how to properly provide feedback to students.

Extent and nature of duplication in PROSPERO using COVID-19-related registrations: a retrospective investigation and survey

ObjectivesDuring COVID-19, the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) experienced a surge in registrations for COVID-19-related systematic reviews, and duplication of research questions became apparent. Duplication can waste funding,...

Creating multiple-choice items for testing student learning

The use of multiple-choice items for classroom testing is firmly established for many good reasons. The content any unit or course of study can be well sampled. Test scores can be reliable (trusted). And time spent administering and scoring can be minimized. This article provides a current review of best practices in the design and use of a variety of multiple-choice formats for classroom assessment of student learning. One of the most serious problems facing current educators is developing test items that measure more than simple factual recall. It is important to measure understanding, comprehension, critical thinking, and problem solving. Not only are these types of higher-level thinking described, but items are presented that illustrate how this is done. These best practices are continually evolving. The objective is always to use tests to measure validly what students have learned as well as help students learn what they have not yet learned. We call this formative and summative assessment. Guidelines are presented showing good and bad practices. What may be surprising to readers is the extensive variety of formats and methods for gathering or generating new test items. Readers are encouraged to experiment with these formats. Some formats can very efficiently measure what students were supposed to learn.

Evaluation of the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Regulatory Review Process: Challenges and Opportunities

PurposeThis study aimed to assess the current regulatory review process of the food and drugs authority (FDA) Ghana by identifying key milestones, target timelines, good review practices and quality decision-making practices and evaluating the overall regulatory performance from 2019 to 2021, as well as the challenges and opportunities for improvement.MethodsThe FDA Ghana representatives completed the optimising efficiencies in regulatory agencies (OpERA) questionnaire, including data identifying the milestones and overall approval times for all products registered by the FDA Ghana from 2019 to 2021.ResultsOf the new active substances approved from 2019 to 2021, 91% were biologicals processed by full or abridged reviews pathways. Timelines for these reviews were within authority targets but were longer compared with generics. Of generics approved from 2019 to 2021, 97% were pharmaceuticals processed by the full review pathway, with timelines within authority targets and shorter compared with new active substances. Regardless of the review model used, approval times for new active substances increased from 84 to 355 calendar days 2019–2021 due to the impact of the pandemic. Guidelines, standard operating procedures and review templates were in place and the majority of indicators for good review practices were implemented. Several quality decision-making practices were implemented, although currently there is not a systematic structured approach.ConclusionThe FDA Ghana monitors regulatory performance and currently meets its target timelines. To achieve World Health Organization Maturity Level 4 status, an electronic tracking system, benefit-risk assessment framework and template and the publication of assessment reports are recommended.

Developing consensus-based recommendations for the delivery of dementia services for the LGBTQIA+ community in the Republic of Ireland

Background: The number of older LGBTQIA+ adults is set to rise significantly in the coming years. The rising numbers sit together with the rise in the number of people in Ireland diagnosed with dementia. In Ireland, no dementia-specific services exist for people from the LGBTQIA+ community. The aim of this research was to 1) identify the future needs that older LGBTQIA+ people and their care partners living in Ireland have in relation to dementia care service delivery; and to 2) develop consensus-based recommendations for dementia service provision in Ireland. Methods: A six-phase consensus process was used to develop the lists of needs and recommendations: 1) development; 2) national survey; 3) interviews with key stakeholders; 4) international review of best practice; 5) consensus meeting; 6) final member checking. Participants, aged over 50, were based in Ireland, identified as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or supported someone who is/was. Results: Results are reported from the survey (n=49), individual interviews (n=8), and the consensus meeting (n=10). Participants have concerns related to identity management and suppression, creating an LGBTQIA+ affirmative ethos and workforce, and respect and safety. From the results and consensus process, a full list of ten prioritised needs and recommendations have been developed that focus specifically on dementia care in Ireland for the LGBTQIA+ community. Conclusion: The older LGBTQIA+ community has identified essential priorities for improving healthcare access and safety. These priorities now need to be urgently implemented into clinical and dementia care services.

Review of Best Practices for an Environmental Laboratory

Key TakeawaysUtilities with environmental laboratories can monitor water and wastewater treatment plant processes and water quality from source, through distribution, and to the consumer's tap.“Best laboratory practices” are criteria intended to ensure that environmental laboratories produce reliable and defensible water quality data that comply with regulatory requirements.Accreditation and robust quality control and quality assurance, ethics, safety, and other laboratory program criteria support data integrity and protection of public health.

Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 12 in Cities: Best Practices

Although urban areas do not occupy much of the Earth’s surface, their inhabitants account for more than half of the global population. Moreover, cities consume most of the world’s energy while emitting the bulk of carbon compounds. For that reason, metropolises should seek to implement the concept of sustainable development, as is practically embodied in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although SDG 11, addresses cities directly, all the others contain an “urban” aspect, too. One of the SDGs which is rising in importance due to the global problem of over-consumption and, consequently, over-production of waste is SDG 12 concerning responsible production and consumption. The purpose of this article is to present the actions that cities can take to achieve SDG 12. The study is based on a critical analysis of the literature on the subject, as well as on web research and case studies. Attainment of SDG 12 requires the pursuit of the concept of a circular economy (CE), namely, one where the value of products, materials and resources is maintained in the economy for as long as possible, and the generation of waste is minimised. The review of best practices from Polish and other cities, demonstrates their efforts to work towards a CE through diverse and comprehensive initiatives, beyond their tasks and competencies. Moreover, metropolises encourage their stakeholders: (i) entrepreneurs, to join them in following the CE path by creating conditions that are conducive to implementing responsible production; and (ii) residents and city users, by promoting sustainable consumption.

Advancements and Opportunities in Characterizing Patient-Specific Wall Shear Stress Imposed by Coronary Artery Stenting

The success of drug-eluting stents (DES) is limited by restenosis and, to a lesser extent, late stent thrombosis. Mechanical stimuli have been implicated in these outcomes, with indices of wall shear stress (WSS) determined from computational simulations being reported most frequently. The current work summarizes state-of-the-art computational approaches applicable to patient-specific models aimed at further understanding changes in WSS indexes imposed by stent implantation. We begin with a review of best practices involved in the process and then summarize the literature related to stent-induced WSS alterations. Image-based reconstruction methods are also discussed, along with the latest generation boundary conditions that replicate cardiac physiology and downstream vasculature in the setting of coronary artery disease. The influence of existing material property data on WSS results obtained with geometries reconstructed from finite element modeling and fluid structure interaction (FSI) simulations is reviewed, along with the novel approaches being used to provide coronary artery plaque data that are currently missing from the literature. We also consider the use of machine learning tools that have the potential for impact when assessing the role of adverse stent-induced WSS in suboptimal clinical outcomes. We conclude by focusing on challenging cases that involve DES implantation, which may benefit from recent advancements in patient-specific computational modeling.

A review of best practices in Library Resources in Academic Libraries

A review of best practices in Library Resources in Academic Libraries

Publication integrity viewed from different perspectives

Publication and communication of research findings are important for the development of science, since future scientific work relies and builds on previous findings. However, this is not possible if researchers cannot trust the published work or if the principles of research integrity are not implemented in all phases of the research process, including the publication of research results (ALLEA 2017, NASEM 2017). This study aimed to explore authorship and publication practices across different disciplinary fields and to identify areas related to the publication of research findings that require improvements. We used a purposive sample strategy to recruit researchers from different disciplinary fields (humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and medical sciences), different levels of seniority, and geographical locations. We conducted 30 focus groups with 174 researchers and other stakeholders from eight European countries (Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands). The data will be analysed using the thematic analysis approach to develop a thematic map with themes and sub-themes. Currently, we are analysing the data using the NVivo software (QSR International). Some of the codes and sub-codes already identified are: 1) authorship distribution (authorship statement/plan; disciplinary field/country specifics and differences regarding authorship distribution/practices, ethical issues in authorship, handling authorship disputes); 2) authorship, publications, and academic career (stakeholders’ evaluation of authorship and publications); 3) research publication and dissemination (examples of good publication practices, examples of issues related to publication process); 4) peer review (good peer review practices, poor peer review practices); and 5) open science (perceptions on open science; open access, open data, open collaboration, and reproducible research).One possible limitation of our study, taking into account that publication practices differ significantly in different settings (countries, fields, etc.), could be that the knowledge obtained could not be generalised and applied globally, since we included participants from European countries alone. However, we believe that by including a large number of participants we managed to map publication practices in the European area and will be able to learn what should be improved and how to foster good publication practices by European researchers.

Energy storage

Aim: The aim of this paper is to explore Energy Storage requirements and options to suit the needs of systems and transport fed from renewables. The variability of wind and solar sources in particular and the demand for transport energy are seen as key issues.
 Design / Research methods: The paper outlines the need for energy storage and compares the energy density and power density of a selection of storage options.
 Conclusions / findings: The results illustrate the difficulties of finding storage mechanisms to rival fossil fuels in both energy density and power density. Moreover finding the natural resources to provide sufficient storage will be a serious challenge even though the economic costs of storage systems are falling..
 Originality / value of the article: The article demonstrates the importance of energy storage to the successful development of renewable energy systems, and of the economic and physical characteristics that such energy storage schemes should have.
 Implications of the research: Energy storage as a topic should be given a high priority for research and development.
 Limitations of the research: This article is not comprehensive and a review of best practice internationally would be a valuable extension to this work.
 JEL: Q42

Implementation of a PACU Pause in a Pediatric Post Anesthesia Care Unit

<h3>Background Information</h3> Effective communication between the surgical team and the PACU nurse is essential to delivering safe postoperative care. Distractions during anesthesia/OR team hand-off to PACU results in gaps in information and leads to adverse patient outcomes. The PACU Clinical Practice Council (CPC) completed an observational survey on the arrival of pediatric patients from OR to PACU. The observations indicated the PACU nurse was distracted during the hand-off because anesthesia/OR team gave report while the PACU nurse placed the monitors and attempted to assess the patient's respiratory status. Additionally, the audit found that the anesthesia/OR team report did not follow a consistent communication structure. Both observations showed the PACU nurse is not receiving/processing all information needed to safely care for the patient. Distraction and lack of standardization during hand-off may result in information gaps, leading to adverse clinical outcomes. <h3>Objectives of Project</h3> The goal of this nurse led project is to increase patient safety by improving communication between the perioperative teams and provide a safe transition from the OR to PACU. <h3>Process of Implementation</h3> The CPC surveyed the PACU nurses to obtain baseline information on their perception of the current process. Most nurses reported feeling distracted during the arrival and report process of the patient to PACU. They also felt they did not receive all the information needed to safely care for the patient. The CPC completed a review of best practices and collaborated with nursing leadership and the anesthesiologists to implement an evidence-based hand-off protocol and "PACU Pause." Checklists were created and placed at each bay to facilitate standardized report. The CPC provided education to all nurses and anesthesiologists involved in hand-off and audited the process to evaluate protocol adherence. <h3>Statement of Successful Practice</h3> Implementation of the standardized perioperative protocol has enhanced safety during the transition of care from OR to PACU. Nursing satisfaction increased with the patient arrival process and hand-off from the anesthesia/OR team. Serious safety events related to communication failures decreased. <h3>Implications for Advancing the Practice of Perianesthesia Nursing</h3> Results are consistent with the literature suggesting that implementing a PACU Pause increases patient safety and facilitates undistracted communication of vital information to safely transition the pediatric patient from the OR to the PACU.

Classifying and benchmarking high-entropy alloys and associated materials for electrocatalysis: A brief review of best practices

In light of the immense compositional diversity of high-entropy materials (HEMs) recently reported ( e.g. , high-entropy chalcogenides, perovskites, ceramics, etc.) and the relatively amorphous definition of High-Entropy, it is imperative that consistent material classification and benchmarking practices be employed to facilitate comparison between reported figures of merit. In this opinion, an updated form of the numerical high-entropy definition is reviewed, which renders a universal entropy metric applicable to high-entropy alloys and emerging HEMs alike. Analytical methods to verify the existence of a solid-solution microstructure, elucidate atomic valence states, and probe atomic disorder are discussed with literature examples to facilitate the physical classification of HEMs. Electrocatalytic benchmarking is discussed in the context of water-splitting reactions and best practices are reviewed for determining the electrocatalytically active surface area, reaction overpotential, and electrocatalyst stability.

SUAS Monitoring of Coastal Environments: A Review of Best Practices from Field to Lab

Coastal environments are some of the most dynamic environments in the world. As they are constantly changing, so are the technologies and techniques we use to map and monitor them. The rapid advancement of sUAS-based remote sensing calls for rigorous field and processing workflows so that more reliable and consistent sUAS projects of coastal environments are carried out. Here, we synthesize the best practices to create sUAS photo-based surveying and processing workflows that can be used and modified by coastal scientists, depending on their project objective. While we aim to simplify the complexity of these workflows, we note that the nature of this work is a craft that carefully combines art, science, and technology. sUAS LiDAR is the next advancement in mapping and monitoring coastal environments. Therefore, future work should consider synthesizing best practices to develop rigorous field and data processing workflows used for sUAS LiDAR-based projects of coastal environments.