ITIL Research Articles

Assessing Information Technology in Hospitals in Tehran: Challenges and Opportunities for Performance Improvement

Purpose: This research aimed to investigate the maturity level of information technology (IT) within hospitals in Tehran. Method: The study was applied in purpose and survey-based in method. The statistical population comprised 27 experts in urban management and IT within hospitals in Tehran. A revised standard questionnaire, based on Gartner’s IT management process maturity model, was used to measure IT maturity. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 23). Findings: The study revealed that several aspects of IT maturity within hospitals in Tehran were generally favorable. Specifically, leadership and IT management activities, customer-oriented service, control and evaluation, configuration and asset management, security management, change management, service level management, accessible management, service and support documentation, capacity management, and strategic trends were positively evaluated. However, operations management, human resource management, supplier management, and certain IT service management components were found to be below the average level of 3. Conclusion: Overall, the research indicates that the IT maturity level in hospitals in Tehran is largely favorable. Nevertheless, improvements are needed in specific areas, such as operations management and human resource management, to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of IT operations.

QM-ARC: QoS-aware Multi-tier Adaptive Cache Replacement Strategy

Distributed data-centric systems, such as Named Data Networking, utilize in-network caching to reduce application latency by buffering relevant data in high-speed memory. However, the significant increase in data traffic makes expanding memory capacity prohibitively expensive. To address this challenge, integrating technologies like non-volatile memory and high-speed solid-state drives with dynamic random-access memory can form a cost-effective multi-tier cache system. Additionally, most existing caching policies focus on categorizing data based on recency and frequency, overlooking the varying Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirements of applications and customers—a concept supported by Service Level Agreements in various service delivery models, particularly in Cloud computing. One of the most prominent algorithms in caching policy literature is the Adaptive Replacement Cache (ARC), that uses recency and frequency lists but does not account for QoS. In this paper, we propose a QoS-aware Multi-tier Adaptive Replacement Cache (QM-ARC) policy. QM-ARC extends ARC by incorporating QoS-based priorities between data applications and customers using a penalty concept borrowed from service-level management practices. QM-ARC is generic, applicable to any number of cache tiers, and can accommodate various penalty functions. Furthermore, we introduce a complementary feature for QM-ARC that employs Q-learning to dynamically adjust the sizes of the two ARC lists. Our solution, evaluated using both synthetic and real-world traces, demonstrates significant improvements in QoS compared to state-of-the-art methods by better considering priority levels. Results show that QM-ARC reduces penalties by up to 45% and increases the hit rate for high priority data by up to 84%, without negatively impacting the overall hit rate, which also increases by up to 61%.

Researching Informational Technologies of Trust: From Blockchain to Paradata and Digital Archives

ABSTRACTInformation science research has a long‐time interest in diverse informational means of codifying, communicating and maintaining trust as an antecedent and outcome of information, and a central constituent of information practices. While the landscape of the gatekeepers and guarantors of access to trustworthy information for a long time remained relatively stable, since the turn of the millennium, it has evolved rapidly with several new and repurposed social and digital technologies developed and repurposed for mediating and preserving trust. The purpose of this panel is to engage in exploring from theoretical, practical and empirical perspectives such technologies across the information field. The panelists present research conceptualizing, documenting, developing and describing informational technologies of mediating and preserving trust specifically addressing: 1) what different approaches to mediating and maintaining trust exist and can be identified in information science and technology research and practice; 2) how different information technologies of trust influence the understanding and conceptualisations of trust and trustworthy information; and 3) what novel insights from the current state‐of‐the‐art research can be drawn for helping practitioners to empower and put people first when interacting with informational technologies of trust in different areas of the information field, including knowledge organisation and information behaviour and practices, records management, digital preservation, and and development of information systems and services.

Understanding Mumps Dynamics: Epidemiological Traits and Breakthrough Infections in the Population under 15 Years of Age in Jiangsu Province, China, 2023.

Despite coverage of two doses of mumps-containing vaccines, mumps epidemics persist among children and young adults in China. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of mumps in Jiangsu Province, with a particular focus on breakthrough cases among high-incidence groups. Mumps cases reported in 2023 were systematically collected from the Infectious Disease Surveillance and Reporting System. A comprehensive descriptive epidemiological analysis was performed to elucidate the characteristics of the reported cases. A joinpoint regression (JPR) model was utilized to identify the temporal trends across various periods. Subsequently, immunization information for cases under 15 years of age was obtained through the Jiangsu Province Vaccination Integrated Service Management Information System to identify breakthrough cases and conduct exploratory analyses. A total of 4142 mumps cases were reported in Jiangsu Province in 2023, yielding an annual incidence rate of 4.86/100,000. A total of 81.75% of the cases were students and childcare children, and the gender ratio was 1.5:1 (male/female). The JPR model analysis of weekly reported cases identified five distinct trend segments (1st: 1-8, weekly percent change (WPC) = 26.67 *; 2nd: 9-28, WPC = 3.11 *; 3rd: 29-34, WPC = -5.31; 4th: 35-37, WPC = 15.48; 5th: 38-52, WPC = -4.06 *), and the gender subgroups demonstrated similar trends to the overall pattern. Notably, 89.14% (3692/4142) of the total cases were among individuals under 15 years, with 96.02% (3545/3692) having been vaccinated against mumps. The number of single-dose breakthrough cases (SdBCs) was approximately fourfold (2847/698) that of two-dose breakthrough cases (TdBCs). The main population composition of TdBCs was children aged 0-5 years old, and the classification was dominated by childcare children and scattered children. The median time interval between initial immunization and onset were shorter in TdBCs than in the SdBCs group, and the median time interval between the last immunization and onset was interestingly similarly shorter. However, these situations were interestingly reversed in 105 laboratory-confirmed breakthrough cases. Therefore, the current vaccination strategies have demonstrated tangible effectiveness in preventing and controlling mumps. However, the high incidence of breakthrough cases among high-risk pediatric populations indicates that mumps immunization strategies still deserve more attention and research for better herd protection.

A systematic literature review on information service management and information-seeking behavior in tourism

A systematic literature review on information service management and information-seeking behavior in tourism

LIBRARY SKILLS REQUIRED BY THE PARAPROFESSIONAL STAFF IN USER SERVICES DEPARTMENT

This paper provides a review on the library skills that are required by the paraprofessional staff in user services department, explore the specific types of paraprofessional staff for user service department, and their roles. The study put together comparatively the user service information resource and service delivery responsibilities and the information utilitarian service support roles of the paraprofessional library staff and examines that, the more befitting type of paraprofessional library staff for user services are the “page”, “library aides”, and “library Services Assistant”. The types of responsibilities of user services paraprofessional staff was examined to be the middle level complementary roles in a way that relates to ‘user assistance’, and ‘library support’ in user management, information retrieval and access, shelve management, circulation desks services, reading area management and close access information services, among others. It also examined the library skills required by the user service paraprofessional library staff, who are expected to have the soft library – skills, hard library – skills, and the library information technologies use – skills, among others. The study concludes by stressing the existence of differing practices in the labelling paraprofessional library staff as “library support staff”, “library nonprofessional”, “not-certified” or “non-licenced librarians”, “post-secondary school” or “diploma certificate holders” in consistently, as well as confusion in their schedule of responsibilities. The study suggests the need for library regulatory agencies/parastatals and the libraries themselves to review the existing library staffing pattern/nomenclature and responsibilities to suit the current changing library environment, development in knowledge acquisition and certificates, changing users’ information needs and seeking behaviour and the changing trends in information services, among others.

Data analysis method for power big data

This paper discusses a data quality analysis and evaluation mode based on power big data. Its basic content is to use the analysis platform template to conduct acquisition control and process rule analysis, and then use the data quality management module to call out the platform database system that realizes the inspection and analysis function, and retrieve and generate inspection data from the entity base. The analysis program will classify, count, sort, and sort the data, The final generated quantitative indicator data reflecting the project implementation status and data quality will be saved in the analysis result table. The analysis result report called from the middle platform can obtain a more detailed data quality analysis and evaluation report reflecting the data quality of various quantitative projects. This paper has improved the intelligent degree of information quality management and evaluation, realized the intelligent control of information service quality, adapted to the needs of large-scale information service management, and completed the quantitative research and evaluation of information completeness, timeliness, accuracy, accuracy and other important parameters.

Designing A Dealer Service Management Information System Motorcycle with Unified Modeling Language (UML) Method

Designing A Dealer Service Management Information System Motorcycle with Unified Modeling Language (UML) Method

Evaluation of Financial Statements in Assessing the Financial Performance of the Local Government of South Labuhanbatu Regency

South Labuhanbatu Regency financial management is limited by established regulations, such as South Labuhanbatu Regent Regulation Number 66 of 2018 concerning Management of Information and Documentation Services within the South Labuhanbatu Regency Government. The South Labuhanbatu Regency Government carries out observations and research in carrying out research, as was carried out in research using a methodology published in 2018This study aims to evaluate the financial performance of the local government of South Labuhanbatu Regency based on the following factors: (1) Regional Autonomy Level Ratio (2) Regional Financial Dependence Ratio (3) Fiscal Decentralization Rate Ratio (4) Regional Original Revenue Effectiveness Ratio (5) Regional Original Revenue Efficiency Ratio (6) Regional Fiscal Management Effectiveness Ratio (7) Regional Tax Management Efficiency Ratio (8) Contribution Rate Ratio of Regional Owned Enterprises. The data is analyzed based on the theories of previous experts, then explained in detail for decision making on the financial performance of local governments. Based on the research conducted, the results show the regional financial performance of South Labuhanbatu Regency from 2013 to 2022 as follows: (1) The Regional Autonomy Level Ratio shows a very low level, with an average value of 6.98%, (2) the Regional Financial Dependence Ratio shows a high category, with an average value of 90.75%, (3) The Fiscal Decentralization Rate Ratio shows a very low level, with an average of 6.21%, (4) the Regional Original Revenue Effectiveness Ratio shows the less effective category with an average of 7.87%, (5) the Regional Original Revenue Efficiency Ratio shows the very efficient category with an average of 92.93%, (6) the Regional Fiscal Management Effectiveness Ratio shows the fairly effective category with an average of 97.74%, (7) the Regional Tax Management Efficiency Ratio shows the efficient category with an average of 19.37%, (8) The ratio of the degree of contribution of Regional-Owned Enterprises shows a contribution of 2.87%. So in this case the central government has failed in developing BUMD in South Labuhanbatu district. From the results of this analysis, it can be concluded that overall the development of South Labuhanbatu Regency carried out by the central government has been successfully implemented, this can be seen from the analysis of regional government financial reports which are reviewed from 8 measurement proportions, South Labuhanbatu Regency which has 4 measurement proportions that have been successful , while the proportion of 4 measurements that were unsuccessful, it can be seen that the proportion of measurements that were successful and those that were unsuccessful were the same. The suggestion in this analysis is that the South Labuhanbatu regional government can optimize human resources and natural resources as well as pay attention to infrastructure development and also increase the number of years of observation.

The Critical Role of Information Technology Service Management Using ITIL Best Practices to Improve Business Management

The ITIL is a well-known and internationally recognized Information Technology Infrastructure Library. A study was conducted to ascertain the role of Information Technology Service Management in business processes and to understand its impact on business results, success, and competitiveness on the example of ITIL. The importance of ITIL, the key processes and activities essential for its effective implementation from the perpective of Georgian organizations is discussed. As part of this project, research was done to determine the benefits and obstacles of implementing ITIL processes across different organizational divisions. The activities of the first phase create the foundation for a more thorough exploration and detailed examination of the problem.

Driving towards inclusion: Using a service design framework to investigate technology-induced inequalities

Technological growth is realizing an ever more intelligent and convenient future. However, is this future equal, and what role does service design play in addressing, or exacerbating, these inequalities? The relationship between technology and inequality is fluid, moving from the elimination of existing inequalities to the creation of new ones, and service design has the potential to impact this bidirectional relationship. On the other hand, the current literature fails to clearly identify service design’s contribution to the technology-inequality-design nexus. This paper develops a framework to do so. Drawing on the four dimensions of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) 4 model, this paper uses double diamond design process and methods, including user journey, problem framing, and prototyping, etc. to propose a novel framework incorporating four dimensions of service design and their links to inequality. The framework is then demonstrated through an application to autonomous vehicle technology. More broadly, the framework can be used by service designers and practitioners to identify different dimensions of hidden inequality within service design.

"Finding my voice again" - women's experiences of psychological therapy in perinatal secondary care settings: a qualitative study.

Although women often experience mental health comorbidities in the perinatal period, the evidence-base for psychological therapy across diagnostic boundaries in the perinatal period remains limited. As there is a need to understand experiences of therapy, irrespective of diagnosis, to inform intervention provision, the aims of this study were to explore women's experiences of psychological therapy for perinatal mental health difficulties and to identify the mechanisms that women attributed to the most significant therapeutic change for themselves and/or the mother-infant relationship. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 women who received therapy within specialist perinatal community mental health settings in the Northwest of England, the UK. Interview data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. One overarching theme entitled participant life stories were at the heart of therapy was identified alongside three other main themes: 1.) We're in this together - therapeutic bond and establishing a coherent sense of self, 2.) Surfing the urge to 'fix' feelings - Sitting with emotions improved regulation and 3.) Seeing myself in a new light - Shifting self-blame to self-compassion enhanced self-efficacy. Theme 1 consisted of three subthemes. Participants described the quality of the therapeutic relationship as the fundamental foundation to (re)connecting with their needs, values and boundaries, which improved their sense of agency, self-esteem, therapeutic engagement and self-understanding. Shifting emotional avoidance to emotional engagement improved their self-regulation. Considering alternative factors that could have contributed to their experiences helped them to defuse self-blame and enhance self-compassion. Finally, changes in their mental health led to positive relational changes in their relationship with their infant and improved communication with partners. Sensitivity, engagement and responsivity experienced in the therapist-woman relationship was reported to be mirrored in the mother-infant relationship. Developing a coherent sense of self and self-regulation skills both appeared to heighten women's self-compassion and empathy for their infants, which also seemed to improve their ability to tolerate uncertainty and mixed emotions within themselves and their infants. The mechanisms of change in the perinatal period are important to consider at a stakeholder, therapist and service management level to parsimoniously and best meet the needs of women and the mother-infant relationship.

Common Data Elements and Databases Essential for the Study of Musculoskeletal Injuries in Military Personnel.

Injuries are the leading cause of medical encounters with over 2 million medical encounters for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and over 700,000 acute injuries per year. Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) are by far the leading health and readiness problem of the U.S. Military. The Proceedings of the International Collaborative Effort on Injury Statistics published a list of 12 data elements deemed necessary for injury prevention in the civilian population; however, there are no standardized list of common data elements (CDEs) across the DoD specifically designed to study MSKIs in the Military Health System (MHS). This study aims to address this gap in knowledge by defining CDEs across the DoD for MSKIs, establishing a CDE dictionary, and compiling other necessary information to quantify MSKI disease burden in the MHS. Between November 2022 and March 2023, we conducted an environmental scan of current MSKI data metrics across the DoD. We used snowball sampling with active engagement of groups housing datasets that contained MSKI data elements to determine CDEs as well as information on readiness databases across the DoD containing up-to-date personnel information on disease, hospitalizations, limited duty days (LDDs), and deployability status for all military personnel, as well as MSKI-specific measures from the MHS Dashboard which tracks key performance measures. We identified 8 unique databases: 5 containing demographic and diagnostic information (Defense Medical Surveillance System, Medical Assessment and Readiness Systems, Military Health System Data Repository, Person-Data Environment, and Soldier Performance, Health, and Readiness Database); and 3 containing LDD information (Aeromedical Services Information Management System, eProfile, and Limited Duty Sailor Marines Readiness Tracker). Nine CDEs were identified: DoD number, sex, race, ethnicity, branch of service, rank, diagnosis, Common Procedural Terminology coding, and cause codes, as they may be captured in any database that is a derivative of the Military Health System Data Repository. Medical Assessment and Readiness Systems contained most variables of interest, excluding injury/place of region and time in service. The Limited Duty Sailor Marines Readiness Tracker contains a variable corresponding to "days on limited duty." The Aeromedical Services Information Management System uses the "release date" and "profile date" to calculate LDDs. The eProfile system determines LDDs by the difference between the "expiration date" and "approved date." In addition, we identified 2 measures on the MHS Dashboard. One measures the percentage of service members (SMs) who are on limited duty for longer than 90 days because of an MSKI and the other tracks the percentage of SMs that are not medically ready for deployment because of a deployment-limiting medical condition. This article identifies core data elements needed to understand and prevent MSKIs and where these data elements can be found. These elements should inform researchers and result in evidence-informed policy decisions supporting SM health to optimize military force readiness.

Impact of community service on university performance and efficiency

Purpose This study aims to analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of research-based community service programs in Indonesia that used government funds in 2017–2021. Design/methodology/approach The design of this research is a quantitative research method using a data envelopment analysis to evaluate 370 leading universities in Indonesia. Furthermore, six analytical models were considered to compare effectiveness and efficiency between universities. It involved two resource (budget and staff academic involved), three output (intellectual property, prototype and publication) and three outcome variables (economic impact, social impact and capacity building). Findings The findings showed that several universities are considered necessary, with great potential to increase output and outcome efficiency in community involvement. The study mapped and divided the position of 370 universities for additional information. The effectiveness aspect provides another perspective in assessing the performance of tertiary institutions in Indonesia and can be an option for evaluating research performance to improve the quality of output. Originality/value The authors use data from research and community service management information systems used, both the resources used and the results. Efficiency and effectiveness of 370 universities were compared in this study, including comparing their position on the previous assessment with the assessment of the results of this study. Approach to the concept of Mandl et al. (2008) regarding the relationship between input, output and outcome as the main component of the indicators, the authors apply to analyze efficiency and effectiveness.

ОЦЕНКА СКОРОСТИ И ВРЕМЕНИ В ПУТИ ОБЩЕСТВЕННОГО ТРАНСПОРТА

Speed is an important parameter when describing traffic conditions in a transport network. This pa-rameter is used to assess the quality of service by public transport, for which travel time, including speed, is necessary for the dynamic transmission of data to passenger information service and traf-fic management systems

Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Approach to Disaster Management Policy: The Case of the Bali Disaster Response Authority

This article describes the application of the GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion) approach to disaster management policies with special reference to the Province of Bali. The province, which frequently experiences natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and floods, recognizes the need to pay attention to gender differences, disabilities and social inclusion in all aspects of disaster management. The GEDSI approach promotes active participation and an equal role for all community members in dealing with disasters. The findings show that Bali is committed to ensuring equal access to information, protection and disaster management services for vulnerable groups. It seeks to integrate a gender perspective in disaster management planning, including ensuring women's participation in decision-making and their involvement in policy implementation. In addition, the GEDSI approach also emphasizes social inclusion and the needs of people with disabilities. Bali seeks to remove physical and social barriers that may impede the participation and accessibility of persons with disabilities during disasters. Disabled persons-friendly facilities and services are provided, and disability groups are involved in policy planning and evaluation. With the GEDSI approach, disaster management in Bali can be inclusive and responsive to the needs of all individuals. This approach will ensure equity, respect human rights and enhance sustainability in the face of natural disasters.

An overview of cybersecurity in Zimbabwe's financial services sector.

As nations, businesses, and individuals rely on the Internet for everyday use, so are cybercriminals manipulating systems to access information illegally and disrupting services for financial gain. The global cost of cybercrime eclipsed one trillion US Dollars in 2020, with Africa losing US $3.5 billion. A quantitative research methodology was adopted to investigate factors affecting cybercrime in Zimbabwean financial institutions. The study focused on the technical aspects of cybersecurity. Data were collected from July 2022 to October 2022, targeting technology experts in the financial services sector. Participants were recruited from 13 institutions to rank cybersecurity constructs, frameworks, and challenges associated with cybersecurity. Data was collected using a questionnaire distributed to participants. Descriptive statistics were used to extract meanings from the responses that measure mean and standard deviation. Network and data security were the most highly ranked cybersecurity constructs, while physical security was the least. The top three barriers are increasing sophistication of threats, limited skills and emerging technologies, while lack of executive support was the least. The top frameworks used are the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT), while a fifth is yet to adopt cybercrime frameworks. The study proposes that financial institutions establish a cybersecurity culture to fight cybercrime, addressing cybersecurity barriers and following best practices. Financial institutions should invest in cybersecurity technologies, train security specialists, and employ a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The study's small sample may affect the generalisability of the results. Financial institutions should implement strategies to raise awareness and collaborate with institutions to train cybersecurity security specialists to close the skills gap.

Development of Discord-Based Career Information Service Management Model to Improve Students' Career Planning Ability

This research aims to develop a Discord-based career information service management model to enhance students' career planning abilities. This research method used research and development with the ADDIE model, which consists of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. The developmental research was conducted at SMA Muhammadiyah Plus Salatiga, with teachers and students as the research subjects. The results of the study were validated using technical triangulation and source triangulation techniques. Data analysis utilized the interactive model for qualitative data and descriptive analysis for quantitative data. The IT expert validation resulted in a score of 92%, and the management expert validation yielded 90%. Additionally, the average trial results for teachers and students were 95.5% and 97.5%, respectively. Based on these findings, the development was categorized as excellent, feasible, and acceptable and can be utilized to enhance student's career planning abilities.

Augmenting Monte Carlo Tree Search for managing service level agreements

Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) is an algorithmic technique utilized in reinforcement learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence, that combines tree-based search and random sampling for decision-making in uncertain environments. Although MCTS has been successfully used for playing complex games such as Chess and Go, without customizing the original algorithm using domain knowledge, it struggles to effectively solve complex supply chain problems. This study proposes several augmenting mechanisms for MCTS, tailored for managing service level agreements. Furthermore, we enhance the proposed solution for products/services where adjusting the base-stock level is feasible. The results demonstrate that even with non-stationary demand, where most optimization methods reach their limits, employing these augmentation mechanisms significantly improves MCTS performance.

Penerapan Information Technology Infrastructure Library di Perusahaan Persero

Along with the times, many companies implement IT governance to create effectiveness and efficiency that can grow the company to become faster and bigger. The purpose of this paperwork is to find out the weaknesses and strengths regarding the implementation of IT governance, as well as lessons learned from PT Pos Indonesia Balikpapan City, PT Telkomsel, and PT PLN. The use of methods and data collection in making paperwork is through qualitative analysis and library research. From the research results, it can be stated that service quality is an important thing in these state-owned companies because it can affect customer satisfaction and requires the Information Technology Infrastructure Library version 3.0 (ITILv3) framework in evaluating or managing IT services effectively and efficiently.