Organization Of Support Services Research Articles

Healthcare for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Italy

AbstractThe Italian healthcare system is public and freely available to the population. With a few exceptions, there are no distinctions between the healthcare services and practices (e.g., primary care) designed for the general population and those for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Prevalence data on adults with IDD are lacking and most disability policies and resources are designed for people with disabilities broadly defined, without specification based on disability type or severity level. Recent legislation provides specific supports for individuals with severe disabilities or autism spectrum disorder. This paper describes the legislation and health policies developed for people with disabilities, the organization of the Italian healthcare system, and the organization of disability support services and healthcare services. Strengths (e.g., availability of many financial resources, adoption of biopsychosocial approach to disability, presence of innovative projects to address the healthcare needs of people with IDD) and weaknesses (e.g., lack of distinction among disability types, territorial differences, lack of disability training of healthcare providers) of the current healthcare practices are reported and discussed.

I'd better say something! How empathy shapes bystander psychological reactance and intervention to online trolling of service organizations

PurposeOnline trolling is a detrimental behavior for consumers and service businesses. Although online trolling research is steadily increasing, service research has yet to thoroughly explore how this behavior impacts businesses. Further, the role of bystanders, consumers who witness a victim (business) being trolled, remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this paper is thus to introduce online trolling to the service literature and begin to identify when (types of online troll content) and why (empathy and psychological reactance) bystanders are likely to intervene and support a service business being trolled by posting positive eWOM.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a two-study (Study 1 n = 313; Study 2 n = 472) experimental design with scenarios of a service business experiencing online trolling (moral versus sadistic). Participants' responses as bystanders were collected via an online survey.FindingsResults reveal bystanders are more likely to post positive eWOM to support a service organization experiencing sadistic trolling. Psychological reactance is shown to mediate the relationship between trolling type and positive eWOM. Further, spotlight analysis demonstrates that bystanders with higher levels of empathy are more likely to post positive eWOM, whereas bystanders with low levels of empathy are likely to have a significantly higher level of psychological reactance.Originality/valueThis research is among the first in the service literature to specifically explore the consumer misbehavior of online trolling. Further, it provides new perspectives to online trolling by probing the role of bystanders and when and why they are likely to support service organizations being trolled.

중증장애인 근로지원인의 역할갈등 및 역할모호성이 이직의도에 미치는 영향

This study examined the prevalence of role conflict and role ambiguity among labor support workers with severe disabilities in the labor support service system, and their influence on burnout that leads to turnover intention. A survey was conducted on labor support personnel in 15 labor support service organizations in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, and a total of 232 copies were collected and analyzed. The collected data was subjected to frequency analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, and correlation analysis using SPSS 26.0, and statistical significance was verified using Process Macro 4. The results of the study were as follows: First, the higher the perception of role conflict among labor support workers, the more the positive (+) effects on job burnout and turnover intention. Role conflict was found to have a positive (+) effect on burnout, but it did not have a significant effect on turnover intention. Second, job burnout partially mediated the relationship between role conflict and turnover intention, and completely mediated the relationship between role ambiguity and turnover intention. Based on these results, policy and practical measures were proposed to resolve the role conflict and role ambiguity experienced by labor support workers during services delivery in the future and to ensure a continuous and stable professional life for disabled workers.

Health care for people with intellectual disability in Spain

AbstractWe describe the healthcare system for people with intellectual disability (ID) in Spain. First, we provide general population statistics before focusing on the most recent prevalence data related to people with disability in general, and with ID in particular. We also discuss how health care is organized. Most of the Spanish population is covered by the public healthcare system, which is structured into primary care (first‐level health services; easily accessible and capable of tackling the most common ailments) and specialized care (second‐level health services; comprising the most complex and costly diagnostic and therapeutic resources). We then explain Spain's primary legislation that promotes the rights of people with disabilities, highlighting the importance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which is enshrined in the Spanish General Law on the Rights of People with Disabilities and their Social Inclusion (Royal Legislative Decree 1/2013). Second, we describe the organization of Spanish disability support and health services, whose regulation is highly complex given that the autonomous regions set their own rules about coverage, services, and financing. Third, we present some recent studies that allow a better understanding of health care for people with ID in Spain, including a summary of the ongoing #Rights4MeToo project. We report specific data on the right to habilitation/rehabilitation. People with ID and professionals providing them with supports agreed that the most problematic aspects of health care for people with ID were the lack of: coordination across services, user‐friendly information to maintain or improve their health, psychological treatments, preventive medical check‐ups, and knowledge about disability among health professionals. There is a need to give people with ID priority access to services, reduce waiting times, increase the length of medical appointments, and create protocols and prevention campaigns targeting them.

Issues of Special Education in Romanian Schools

Abstract School managers, teachers, students, as well as their parents are faced with increasingly frequent attempts to integrate the diversity of pupils as a result of integration policies at national and European level. Educational needs of impaired persons require special attention. Is necessary to make steps should be taken to ensure access to education for each category of disabled person as part of the education system. Legislative framework in the field of special education Romania takes into account the legislation created by the international bodies on the education of persons with special educational needs, to which Romania has adhered. This paper presents aspects regarding the organization of educational support services dedicated to children, students and young people with special educational needs in mainstream schools in accordance with Romanian law; it also underlines the international legal framework of reference. This paper is part of a wider project that focuses on teacher training to optimize the integration of SEN pupils into the mainstream school; we used data collection methods, such as social document study and focus-group. An integrated and tailored approach is needed for children with SEN (special educational needs); focus-groups organized with primary school and gymnasium children, as well as with support teachers, revealed a number of adaptation issues from both sides (pupils with SEN and students with no problems). On the other hand, the itinerant teachers are assaulted by a series organization problems and it becomes impossible to provide support and assistance to children with special needs who are growing in numbers.Training of teachers is one of the most important pillars in the integration of all those involved in education, it is the way to optimize service organizations. Teacher training must respond to the real and complex needs of the beneficiaries, based on exploratory learning.In the final, will be presented and analyzed the main important problems faced by both teachers and pupils in the current educational context.

Impact of a Low-Cost Postsecondary Enrollment Intervention: Evidence from Louisiana

Abstract It is well understood that postsecondary education increases lifetime earnings, yet the complexity of the college application process creates a barrier to postsecondary enrollment. This paper investigates a whole-school external application assistance program run by a nonprofit student support services organization, Career Compass of Louisiana. We use panel data of Louisiana high schools in a difference-in-differences framework and find that exposure to Career Compass increases postsecondary enrollment by 3.9 percentage points. Moreover, the effect of exposure is larger in school districts with a majority of black students as well as districts with a majority of low-income students. By providing services to all schools within a district, the program is able to achieve low costs relative to similar programs and effects that are in line with many more expensive programs, suggesting that scaling this model to new areas could provide a cost-effective approach to increasing postsecondary enrollment among high school graduates.

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS: AN ITALIAN CASE

The COVID-19 pandemic has had severe effects on social health services worldwide. Many people with neurodevelopmental disorders have lost their professional support. The interruption of supportive assistance has been devastating since it has negatively affected their continuity of care as well as their social inclusion and socialization. This paper aims to illustrate the impact of the COVID-19 on an Italian Public Social Health System Services for people with disability. It highlights and discusses the strategy that was adopted in order to ensure the continuity of care assistance provided to the service clients as the organization of emergency remote support and individual support services for independent living. An exploratory study was conducted involving the entire population of people with neurodevelopmental disorders (n=333) included in the Disability System Services of Udine (Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, North-East Italy) to analyze the main repercussions occurred on the organization of services during the pandemic period. A comparative analysis of the number of persons enrolled in the different types of support services and of individuals’ support needs, evaluated throught the Support intensity scale (SIS), pre- and post-pandemic crisis (January 2020 – January 2021) was conducted. The data shows that, despite the enormous difficulties, the adopted strategy has succeeded in limiting the risks of isolation and the negative impact on individual interventions, and opened the way to new alternative and innovative strategies for planning and implementing support.

Community Care and COVID-19: A Case Study.

Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes provides primary care through its Community Health Centre, a range of hospice services and numerous community support services. Along with other essential service providers, our organization has continued to operate throughout the pandemic. As a community-based health services provider, we recognized the imperative and the privilege for our organization and the larger home and community care sector to support individuals, especially those most vulnerable due to health status, socio-economic circumstances or isolation, to safely remain at home during the pandemic, in compliance with public health directives. This article describes the strategies and approaches we implemented along with reflections on the leadership practices and principles that emerged. It does not purport to be an exemplar for crisis management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, it seeks to draw attention to the contributions made by community-based organizations and potentially serve as a case study for debate.

The organization of customer support services

The organization of customer support services

The Psychological Impact of Epidemic and Pandemic Outbreaks on Healthcare Workers: Rapid Review of the Evidence.

Purpose of ReviewWe aim to provide quantitative evidence on the psychological impact of epidemic/pandemic outbreaks (i.e., SARS, MERS, COVID-19, ebola, and influenza A) on healthcare workers (HCWs).Recent FindingsForty-four studies are included in this review. Between 11 and 73.4% of HCWs, mainly including physicians, nurses, and auxiliary staff, reported post-traumatic stress symptoms during outbreaks, with symptoms lasting after 1–3 years in 10–40%. Depressive symptoms are reported in 27.5–50.7%, insomnia symptoms in 34–36.1%, and severe anxiety symptoms in 45%. General psychiatric symptoms during outbreaks have a range comprised between 17.3 and 75.3%; high levels of stress related to working are reported in 18.1 to 80.1%. Several individual and work-related features can be considered risk or protective factors, such as personality characteristics, the level of exposure to affected patients, and organizational support.SummaryEmpirical evidence underlines the need to address the detrimental effects of epidemic/pandemic outbreaks on HCWs’ mental health. Recommendations should include the assessment and promotion of coping strategies and resilience, special attention to frontline HCWs, provision of adequate protective supplies, and organization of online support services.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11920-020-01166-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

ПРОГРАММА «ЗЕМСКИЙ УЧИТЕЛЬ»: ВЗГЛЯД ИЗ ПРОШЛОГО

The article discusses the tasks and prospects of implementing the state program «Zemstvo teacher», provides the main criteria for competitive selection of candidates, provides statistics on the implementation of the program in certain regions of the country, demonstrating the interest of teachers in the program. The comparative historical and pedagogical analysis of certain provisions of the program «zemstvo teacher» with experience of Zemstvo institutions in the XIX-XX centuries. Special attention is paid to the personality of the Zemstvo teacher, his moral qualities, selflessness, dedication to his work, evidence, historical facts of difficult working conditions and life of teachers are provided. It is noted that despite the low level of equipment in rural schools, lack of textbooks, lack of premises for classes, education was developed in the Russian hinterland, the number of schools and students was increased, educational training was transformed, and there was training in crafts. Examples are given of the fact that the activities of Zemstvo teachers were not limited to teaching subjects in the classroom, but extended to educating the population as a whole, setting up reading rooms, lodging houses, shelters for the destitute, assistance and assistance to the poor. Historical Parallels are illustrated by local examples of school work in the modern Republic of Karelia and the former Olonets province, as proof, excerpts from documentary sources are given, and the views of different authors are compared. In the final part, the author presents the opinions of modern teacherscientists on the need to take into account the historical experience of rural teachers of the past, draws conclusions about the features of the situation of modern rural teachers and their role in the development of rural society. The author emphasizes the need for comprehensive support of a modern zemstvo teacher, the creation of meaningful, sociopsychological, organizational-pedagogical and socio-economic conditions, the organization of support and support services, and the experience of organizing pedagogical communities on the example of the Yaroslavl public organization «Leaders of rural schools».

With whom are you dealing? Using social network analysis as a tool to strengthen service delivery structures for low socioeconomic status populations.

Background: Health disparities between populations with different socioeconomic status (SES) are increasing. Although a wide variety of support service organizations and arrangements are in place, no general overview of this social network, its reach, and harmonization of services surrounding low-SES populations are available. The present participatory health research study examined the current network structure and the utility of using social network analysis (SNA) as a tool to improve service delivery structures.Design and methods: We applied a mixed-methods study design. An online-questionnaire was used to examine the relationships among organizations assumed to support low-SES individuals in the municipality of Vaals, the Netherlands. In addition, semi-structured interviews and a networking session were used to examine the current network structure and to explore opportunities for improvement.Results: The SNA revealed a weak network structure, and all interviewed professionals mentioned that the current structure should be improved. Participants indicated that a first step would be to install a central information system.Conclusions: SNA can be a useful tool to gain more in-depth insights into the relations within a service delivery network. The professionals were assisted in discovering new organizations that could help them reach low SES populations and in harmonizing and improving their service delivery.Significance for public healthAlthough intervention programs to decrease health disparities between populations with different socioeconomic status (SES) are in place, low-SES individuals seem to experience barriers to participate. The daily issues they face related to being poor devote most of their mental energy, leaving no cognitive attention to any other health promoting goals to act upon. To enable these populations to improve their health, professionals should support them individually and help them in making optimal use of the available services to improve their situation. By fulfilling their basic needs, opportunities arise to enhance their health status. Currently professionals struggle to make optimal use of synergy and referral to relevant care, being unable to fulfil the basic needs of low-SES populations. This study gained more insight in the current network among low-SES families by using social network analysis, where this analysis was used as a tool to improve service delivery structures.

Open Service Innovation: The Role of Intermediary Capabilities

This study examines how intermediaries, in general, and those with digital service platforms specifically, engage with clients to help them innovate their services within their service ecosystem. Based on an embedded, longitudinal case study, the results reveal the cumulative development and deployment of technological, marketing, and co‐creation capabilities by intermediaries, and how these capabilities allow intermediaries to engage with clients, so as to enable clients’ open service innovation despite their internal challenges. In turn, this article extends theory on service innovation by clarifying the role and function of intermediaries in service ecosystems in enabling clients to leverage open service innovation. Second, this study contributes to resource‐based scholarship by clarifying how these three sets of capabilities and their micro‐foundations relate to each other. Despite the obvious importance of technological capabilities, online intermediaries are more than just “virtual” service platform providers. The intermediary’s technological and marketing capabilities assist clients in dealing with project‐related and organizational challenges to open service innovation. Acting as a higher‐order capability, co‐creation capabilities—through shaping marketing and technological capabilities over time and also through conditioning their deployment—improve the proficiency of these capabilities. The findings advance insights on the agential role of the intermediary’s co‐creation capabilities, purposefully developed and deployed to foster client engagement, and thus support service organizations in leveraging open service innovation.

Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities Associated With Online Learning: A Scaffolding Theory Approach

In 2013, approximately 5.3 million students took an online course in the United States—a 3.7% increase, when compared with 2012. This growth in e-learning may impact sport participation and the educational experience of student-athletes. This change creates various challenges and opportunities for those who support student-athletes’ educational development. Therefore, using the zone for proximal development and scaffolding theory, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the role student-athlete support services staff play in ensuring the effectiveness and quality of e-learning, and to identify strategies and best practices associated with e-learning. Qualitative interviews were conducted with directors of student-athlete support service organizations within Division I athletics. Results of the analysis engendered three central themes: (a) faculty relations, (b) lack of formal assessment, and (c) educational opportunities. The results aligned with the tenets of the zone of proximal development and scaffolding theory. In addition, a framework to assist student-athletes’ development is presented.

Testing additive versus interactive effects of person-organization fit and organizational trust on engagement and performance

PurposeTo date, most research has assumed an additive relationship between work-related predictors and engagement. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the refinement of engagement theory by exploring the extent to which two predictors – person-organization fit and organizational trust – interact to influence employees’ engagement, which in turn, positively influences their task performance.Design/methodology/approachA test of moderated mediation was conducted using survey data collected from 335 employees and matched performance records from the Human Resource department in a support services organization in the UK.FindingsEngagement was best predicted by the interactive model, rather than the additive model, as employees who felt a close fit with their organization and who trusted their organization were most engaged with their work. Further, engagement mediated the relationship between the interaction and task performance.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a refinement of engagement theory by presenting and testing a model that explains the synergistic effect of work-related factors on engagement.

Prioritizing lean practices for implementation in IT support services

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to capture the perception of the IT support service practitioners regarding the applicability of the lean practices and prioritize them after analyzing the gaps with respect to current usage and importance from practitioners’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach – It involved development of an instrument to capture the perceptions of the IT support service practitioners. The data collected was quantitatively analyzed by using statistical techniques and it involved testing of the hypotheses. Findings – The study conducted a gap analysis on the perceived current usage of the lean practices versus the perceived ideal usages of the lean practices from practitioners’ perspective. The gap analysis report revealed that gaps of all practices are not same from the practitioners’ viewpoint. This gap analysis was useful for prioritizing of the practices and resource allocation. Originality/value – This study was conducted in a relatively new domain, where mature empirically based studies are scarce. This study set out to determine the practitioners’ perception of the applicability of lean practices in IT support service organizations. It provides a sound basis for further research on lean implementation in IT support service area.

Process Evaluation Results From an Intergenerational Physical Activity Intervention for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.

Grandparents and the grandchildren they raise may experience stress related to their caregiving relationship that negatively impacts their health. Thus, there is a need to develop intergenerational health promotion interventions for these kinship families. An 8-week intergenerational physical activity intervention for kinship families was developed and implemented. The specific goal was to understand the process of implementing the intervention. Content analysis of observational data provided an in-depth account of the intervention's process (ie, recruitment, dose delivered, dose received, fidelity, and context). Community and support service organizations referred more participants to the study than individual stakeholders. Most participants attended approximately 10 classes, and the grandparents were more engaged than the grandchildren during the classes. Intervention fidelity was confirmed with the fidelity checklist and observational notes. Health emerged as a barrier to participation, while the intergenerational nature of the intervention was a facilitator. Lastly, the context domain described how the grandparents' complex lives affected their ability to participate, while the dedication of the recreation staff helped the intervention to proceed efficiently. The distinct details gleaned from this study can provide guidance on how to develop and implement future intergenerational interventions.

Making meaningful improvements to direct care worker training through informed policy: Understanding how care setting structure and culture matter

ABSTRACTWell-intentioned policy governing the training of direct care workers (DCWs) who serve older persons, in practice, may become merely a compliance issue for organizations rather than a meaningful way to improve quality of care. This study investigates the relationships between best practices in DCW training and the structure and culture of long term support service (LTSS) organizations. Using a mixed-methods approach to analyzing data from 328 licensed LTSS organizations in Pennsylvania, the findings suggest that public policy should address methods of training, not just content, and consider organizational variations in size, training evaluation practices, DCW integration, and DCW input into care planning. Effective training also incorporates support for organizations and supervisors as key aspects of DCWs’ learning and working environment.

Bill of Services (BOS)

Bill of Services (BOS) is a novel management tool designed to support service organizations in developing their services and planning resources to satisfy management's target service level. This paper presents a methodology for configuration of the BOS in a manner similar to configuration of the Bill of Materials (BOM) in a manufacturing organization. Definition of the BOS enables management to calculate the capacity of the resources needed to satisfy service demand and support the cost process of any service category in the organization. The BOS may also support management during the phase of negotiations with potential customers by testing various service alternatives. The BOS assists management in the day-to-day planning and control of activities, and facilitates a professional management infrastructure in service organizations. The paper presents a detailed example of a hotel BOS and elaborates the advantages of using this management tool.

Pediatric Neurocritical Care: A Short Survey of Current Perceptions and Practices.

Although attention to neurologic injuries and illnesses in pediatric critical care is not new, a sub-specialized field of pediatric neurocritical care has only recently been recognized. Pediatric neurocritical care is an emerging area of clinical and investigative focus. Little is known about the prevalence of specialized pediatric neurocritical care services nor about perceptions regarding how it is impacting medical practice. This survey sought to capture perceptions about an emerging area of specialized pediatric neurocritical care among practitioners in intersecting disciplines, including pediatric intensivists, pediatric neurologits and pediatric neurosurgeons. A web-based survey was distributed via email to members of relevant professional societies and groups. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Differences in responses between groups of respondents were analyzed using Chi-squared analysis where appropriate. Specialized clinical PNCC programs were not uncommon among the survey respondents with 20% currently having a PNCC service at their institution. Despite familiarity with this area of sub-specialization among the survey respondents, the survey did not find consensus regarding its value. Overall, 46% of respondents believed that a specialized clinical PNCC service improves the quality of care of critically ill children. Support for PNCC sub-specialization was more common among pediatric neurologists and pediatric neurosurgeons than pediatric intensivists. This survey found support across specialties for creating PNCC training pathways for both pediatric intensivists and pediatric neurologists with an interest in this specialized field. PNCC programs are not uncommon; however, there is not clear agreement on the optimal role or benefit of this area of practice sub-specialization. A broader dialog should be undertaken regarding the emerging practice of pediatric neurocritical care, the potential benefits and drawbacks of this partitioning of neurology and critical care medicine practice, economic and other practical factors, the organization of clinical support services, and the formalization of training and certification pathways for sub-specialization.