Risk Management Services Research Articles

Mobile phone text messaging intervention to improve alertness and reduce sleepiness and fatigue during shiftwork among emergency medicine clinicians: study protocol for the SleepTrackTXT pilot randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundMental and physical fatigue while at work is common among emergency medical services (EMS) shift workers. Extended shifts (for example 24 hours) and excessive amounts of overtime work increase the likelihood of negative safety outcomes and pose a challenge for EMS fatigue-risk management. Text message-based interventions are a potentially high-impact, low-cost platform for sleep and fatigue assessment and distributing information to workers at risk of negative safety outcomes related to sleep behaviors and fatigue.Methods/DesignWe will conduct a pilot randomized trial with a convenience sample of adult EMS workers recruited from across the United States using a single study website. Participants will be allocated to one of two possible arms for a 90-day study period. The intervention arm will involve text message assessments of sleepiness, fatigue, and difficulty with concentration at the beginning, during, and end of scheduled shifts. Intervention subjects reporting high levels of sleepiness or fatigue will receive one of four randomly selected intervention messages promoting behavior change during shiftwork. Control subjects will receive assessment only text messages. We aim to determine the performance characteristics of a text messaging tool for the delivery of a sleep and fatigue intervention. We seek to determine if a text messaging program with tailored intervention messages is effective at reducing perceived sleepiness and/or fatigue among emergency medicine clinician shift workers. Additional aims include testing whether a theory-based behavioral intervention, delivered by text message, changes ‘alertness behaviors’.DiscussionThe SleepTrackTXT pilot trial could provide evidence of compliance and effectiveness that would support rapid widespread expansion in one of two forms: 1) a stand-alone program in the form of a tailored/individualized sleep monitoring and fatigue reduction support service for EMS workers; or 2) an add-on to a multi-component fatigue risk management program led and maintained by employers or by safety and risk management services.Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT02063737, Registered on 10 January 2014

An analysis of risk management tools utilized by Illinois farmers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships among choice of risk management tools, perceived effectiveness of risk management tools, self-reported risk attitude, and farm and farmer characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – A mail survey was used to collect information about utilization of risk management tools, perceived effectiveness of risk management tools, and factors that could influence choice of risk management tools by Illinois farmers. Cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA, χ2 tests of independence, and multinomial logistic regression were utilized to detect possible relationships among choice of risk management tools, perceived effectiveness of risk management tools, self-reported risk attitude, and farm and farmer characteristics. Findings – Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that age and gross farm income (GFI) were the strongest predictors of the risk management tool utilization group to which an individual would be assigned. The number of risk management tools utilized decreased with age but increased with GFI. Neither self-reported risk attitude nor education was a significant independent variable in the multinomial logistic regression model, but both were strongly impacted by age. Younger farmers with higher GFI were the most likely users of hedging. Research limitations/implications – The results of this study provide support for the idea that farmers who are better able to generate revenue are better able to manage risk, but the direction of causality was not investigated. Practical implications – Risk management service providers could benefit from this study as a benchmark for understanding their current and potential farmer clients’ risk management strategies. Originality/value – This study used cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression to address the complexity of decisions regarding multiple risk management tools. The number of tools utilized by individuals was investigated.

Defining Family

Perinatal Risk Management and Education Services, Portland, Oregon Disclosure: The author has disclosed that she has no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article.

Is that your final answer? The deposition process.

Perinatal Risk Management and Education Services, Portland, Oregon Disclosure: The author has disclosed that she has no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article.

Mobilising flood risk management services from rural land: principles and practice

AbstractIncreased exposure of urban areas to flood risk, especially related to climate change, has promoted interest in sustainable approaches to flood risk management (FRM), including the use of natural processes. In this context, the study set out to review the potential contribution of rural land management to the alleviation of flood risk and the suitability of a range of instruments, such as land sales, leasebacks, easements and annual payments that have been, or can be used to mobilise the provision of FRM services by land managers. Insights from literature, key informants, a review of international experience and a stakeholder workshop were used. Frameworks were developed to conceptualise and guide the selection of mechanisms of exchange between buyers and sellers of rural land‐based FRM services. Key challenges concern the definition of units of FRM service and the design of exchange mechanisms to satisfy the different needs of flood risk managers, land managers and other interests.

PS-063 The medication process at the European Institute of Oncology: application of the FMEA method in the surgical area

BackgroundErrors in drug treatment are the leading cause of injury in hospitalised patients. According to international studies, medicines errors are multifactorial and involve various health professionals.PurposeTo improve the flow of...

Shaping global agendas on climate risk management and climate services: an IRI perspective

This paper provides a historical overview of the development and mainstreaming of global agendas on climate risk management and climate services from the vantage point of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), and present two examples that illustrate how efforts to mainstream these agendas shaped both the institute and the broader communities that it sought to engage. In the first example, we trace developments that led to the emergence of a global agenda on climate services, including creation of the Climate Services Partnership (CSP). The CSP is an informal, open network of interested climate information users, providers, donors and researchers, serves as a platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration to advance climate service capabilities worldwide. The second example is mainstreaming climate risk management within the international agricultural research-for-development community. The CGIAR research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) was structured to include a research theme on “Adaptation through Managing Climate Risk,” which put climate risk management on the same footing within the agenda as adaptation to future climate change. We conclude with several lessons drawn from IRI’s involvement in the processes that shaped global agendas around climate risk management and climate services.

Ask an Expert

Founder Perinatal Risk Management and Education Services Portland, Oregon Disclosure: The author has disclosed that she has no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article.

The role of community pharmacists in screening and subsequent management of chronic respiratory diseases: a systematic review.

The purpose of this review was to evaluate the role of community pharmacists in provision of screening with/without subsequent management of undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and uncontrolled asthma. An extensive literature search using four databases (ie. Medline, PubMed, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA) and Scopus) with search terms pharmacy, screening, asthma or COPD was conducted. Searches were limited to the years 2003-2013, those in English and those reporting research with humans. Data retrieval, analysis and result presentation employed a scoping review method. Seventeen articles met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, of which fifteen studies were based on people with asthma and two were based on people with COPD. Only seven asthma studies and one COPD study involved screening followed by subsequent management. More than half of the people screened were found to be poorly controlled and up to 62% of people were identified at high risk for COPD by community pharmacists. The studies varied in the method and type of asthma control assessment/screening, the type of intervention provided and the outcomes measured. The limitations of the reviewed studies included varying definitions of asthma control, different study methodologies, and the lack of long-term follow-up. While many different methods were used for risk assessment and management services by the pharmacists, all the studies demonstrated that community pharmacists were capable of identifying people with poorly controlled asthma and undiagnosed COPD and providing them with suitable interventions. The literature review identified that community pharmacists can play an effective role in screening of people with poorly controlled asthma and undiagnosed COPD along with delivering management interventions. However, there is very little literature available on screening for these chronic respiratory conditions. Future research should focus on development of patient care delivery model incorporating a screening protocol followed by targeted management interventions delivered by the community pharmacist.

Повышение эффективности деятельности предприятий АПК на основе совершенствования управления финансовыми рисками

The inability to assess the potential risks and propose effective ways to overcome them reduces the efficiency of the company. Development strategy of agricultural enterprises suggests ways to improve the management of financial risks. The organization of risk management for agricultural enterprises can be carried out in three possible directions, depending on their size and legal forms. The first area involves the construction of its own risk management services to large enterprises. The second is aimed at creating a unified risk management services in the combined farms. The third area involves providing information and advisory services on risk management for agricultural enterprises. In our opinion, among the methods of the management of financial risks, outsourcing is of a particular importance, which can be considered as one of the effective ways to reduce the financial risks under conditions of uncertainty. Conceptually, outsourcing can be defined as the transfer of a business organization processes or functions that are not core to it, another company that specializes in the field and having to do all the necessary resources and expertise. The practice of outsourcing helps organizations and businesses to solve problems in the functioning and development of the market economy by reducing costs, faster adaptation to environmental conditions , improved product and service quality , reduce risk. Therefore , one of the fairly new directions undertaken by the Government of the Russian Federation , is the outsourcing of industry and agriculture.

The Placenta As Expert Witness

Founder Perinatal Risk Management and Education Services Portland, Oregon Disclosure: The author has disclosed that she has no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article.

Can We Talk?

Founder Perinatal Risk Management and Education Services Portland, Oregon Disclosure: The author has disclosed that she has no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article.

Is the financial innovation destruction creative? A Schumpeterian reappraisal

This essay examines the consequences of financial innovations for the economic stability through a monetary reappraisal of the Schumpeterian approach and states that changes occurring in financial markets may adversely affect financing conditions of firms and impede economic development. In the economic literature, it is usually asserted that liberalized financial markets lead to innovations that allow banks to provide better risk management, information acquisition, and monitoring services. Therefore financial liberalisation would support the Schumpeterian vision of creative destruction process. However, recent financial crises cast doubt on the creative nature of financial innovations on weakly regulated markets. When speculative bank behaviour gains ground, it leads to the financialisation of economies. Financial markets dominate over the productive activities and provoke disastrous consequences at the macroeconomic level. Unlike the Schumpeterian entrepreneurial innovations, the evolution of financial markets leads to reckless finance that generates destabilizing dynamics. Then the Schumpeterian creative destruction process turns out to be a destructive creation and the systemic sustainability of market economies calls for more consistent regulatory frameworks.JEL Codes: B31, E44, G01, O16, O31

Political risk insurance as an instrument to reduce oil and gas investment risk and manage investment returns

New oil and gas supply projects are increasingly taking place in non-OECD countries, where the rule of law and the sanctity of contracts are often not as well developed as in OECD countries. The oil and gas industry faces increasing political risk at the same time that oil prices have become more volatile and project costs have escalated, sometimes squeezing margins. The exceptionally high capital intensity of the oil and gas industry makes companies particularly vulnerable to political risk. MIGA, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency of the World Bank, in its World Investment and Political Risk 2011 report, broadly defines political risk as ‘the probability of disruption of the operations of companies by political forces and events, whether they occur in host countries or result from changes in the international environment. In host countries, political risk is largely determined by uncertainty over the actions not only of governments and political institutions, but also of minority groups and separatist movements’. The essence of this definition focuses on the risks arising from the adverse actions—or inactions—of governments. Political risk includes, for example, currency convertibility and transfer restrictions, expropriation, civil unrest, war and terrorism, breach of contract and non-honouring of sovereign financial obligations. Energy investors are understandably concerned that returns on projects in emerging markets could suffer as a result of political changes or instability in the host country. In 2010, a survey of the US Energy Industry conducted by the Aon Corporation, a leading global provider of risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, ranked political risk among the top five challenges facing the industry. The survey also revealed that most companies are not properly prepared to assess and mitigate political risk. Political risk insurance (PRI) is a relatively recent innovation in positioning companies to reduce oil and gas investment risk. This article explores how PRI can be used to mitigate risks in the oil and gas sector when conducting business across borders, thus helping to manage investment returns. The article discusses a comprehensive case study of the Chad–Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project to highlight the various facets of political risk and how these can be mitigated.

Elective Induction

Perinatal Risk Management and Education Services Portland, Oregon Disclosure: The author has disclosed that she has no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article.

USING ACCESSIBLE COST EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY TO SAVE LIVES

Background1. Public safety is an important issue for coastal management and planning.2. Despite continued efforts, coastal drowning continues at unacceptable levels.3. SLS has many systems in place to collect, analyse...

Integrated risk management in agriculture: an inductive research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to suggest an integrated risk management service for agriculture, by identifying different risk management practices that may be offered in conjunction with crop insurance, to address the various problems and challenges being faced by farmers and by insurance companies.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on an inductive approach of developing theory from case studies using within‐case and cross‐case analysis. However, apart from exploring different elements from case studies, some of the existing concepts have been reviewed from the literature for their application in agricultural risk management.FindingsAn integrated framework for risk management in agriculture has been developed by inductively exploring the various elements that may be successfully interlinked with the crop insurance to tackle the various agricultural risks more efficiently and effectively.Practical implicationsThis paper can act as a basis for new product development in agricultural risk management through the use of this integrated approach of risk management and the different elements that have been identified to improve the effectiveness of crop insurance.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils the identified need to develop a framework for an integrated risk management in agriculture.

Regulating the Cloud: More, Less or Different Regulation and Competing Agendas

Regulating the Cloud: More, Less or Different Regulation and Competing Agendas

The Economic Consequences of Banks’ Derivatives Use in Good Times and Bad Times

In a sample of 335 commercial banks, we do not detect a systematic effect on bank values from derivatives use in either the high growth period of 2003–2005 or the low growth period of 2007–2009. These findings apply to all types of derivatives including credit default swaps. Our results suggest that banks take a more balanced approach and restrict their derivative activities to providing derivative services for customers and risk management. We also find that the market disciplined banks significantly for taking TARP funds, indicating that receiving TARP funds was a signal that the banks were financially distressed. Lastly, we cannot discern valuation effects resulting from derivatives use even in large and poorly capitalized banks that are more likely to take risk-shifting opportunities. Collectively, we find no compelling evidence supporting the widespread allegation that derivatives use increased banks’ speculating behaviors and significantly contributed to the loss of value during the subprime mortgage crisis.

Climate services to support sustainable tourism and adaptation to climate change

Tourism is one of the largest global economic sectors, is a vital contributor to the econ- omy of many nations, and is highly promoted as an important means of future development and poverty reduction in developing countries. The interface between climate and tourism is multifaceted and complex, with broad significance for tourist decision-making and expenditures, as well as indus- try marketing and operations worldwide. With the close relationship of tourism to the environment and climate, the integrated effects of climate change are anticipated to markedly affect tourism busi- nesses and destinations, as well as the destination choices and mobility of individual tourists in the decades ahead. As recent major natural, political, and economic shocks have demonstrated, the tourism sector has relatively high adaptive capacity. Improved climate services will be vital for trav- elers and tourism businesses and destinations to adapt to climate change in an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable manner. This paper outlines the range of applications of weather and climate information within the tourism sector and discusses priorities for future work to advance climate services for weather risk management and climate change adaptation for the tourism sector.