Usage Of Facilities Research Articles

Environmental Aerobic Bacterial Associated with Infectious and General Solid Waste: Screening at the “Université des Montagnes” Teaching Hospital Waste Accumulation Sites

Background: Waste is a source of potentially dangerous microorganisms for users of healthcare facilities, and its accumulation is a risk factor for infectious agent dissemination. Objective: The first aim of the present study was to identify and quantify aerobic bacteria around solid waste accumulation sites at the “Université des Montagnes” Teaching Hospital. The second one was to assess bacteria susceptibility to common conventional antibacterial agents. Methods: Soil samples and airborne bacteria were collected at various distances from the target solid waste accumulation sites. Bacteria isolation and susceptibility tests were thereafter conducted according to standard protocols. Results: Isolated organisms (123 bacterial isolates) included Staphylococcus spp (48%), Gram-positive rods (32%) and Gram-negative rods (20%). Polymorphism and bacterial loads were highest at the sampling locations closer to the accumulation sites and decreased with increasing distances from these sites. Overall findings revealed that variations of polymorphism and bacterial loads is likely associated with anthropogenic activities. In addition, susceptibility rates for Staphylococcus were high. Conclusion: Together with the overall bacterial population distribution trends, the high susceptibility rates recorded deserve better understanding in future research initiatives for optimal hospital hygiene.

Survey on the Usage of E-Banking Facilities Among Generation Y and Generation Z in Ahmedabad

Survey on the Usage of E-Banking Facilities Among Generation Y and Generation Z in Ahmedabad

Reduced burden on urban hospitals by strengthening rural health facilities: Perspective from India.

In India, rural-urban health disparities have been persisting over a period. Migration of patients from rural to urban is an integral part of population dynamics thereby creating an additional burden on urban hospitals. Over the decade, India has made significant advances in health in reducing the rural-urban gap. The article highlights how the strengthening of rural healthcare facilities has reduced the burden of urban hospitals. Secondary data on the usage of public and private healthcare facilities from two rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in 2016 and 2021 and the Rural Health Statistics 2021-2022 were analyzed. The proportion of beneficiaries seeking care from public health facilities has increased from 41.9% to 45.7% in rural areas and 31% to 35.3% in urban areas between 2014 to 2017. The institutional deliveries have increased from 56% to 69.2% in rural areas and from 42% to 48.3% in urban areas. The State and local level interventions such as the upgradation of existing physical infrastructure, human resources, regular supply of medicines and consumables, development of referral linkages, patient transportation, and enhancing community participation have strengthened the rural healthcare system. Adequate utilization of the resources is crucial to addressing the lag and alleviating the rural-urban divide.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among Users of Primary Health Care Facilities in Morocco [Letter

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among Users of Primary Health Care Facilities in Morocco [Letter

의료시설의 유니버설디자인 적용 실태에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study is to examine previous studies with the aim of accommodating the needs of various users of domestic medical facilities and improving accessibility and usability of facilities, and to analyze obstacles in stages according to access to medical facilities and medical lines through current status surveys and expert interviews, and to propose a user-centered universal design approach. In order to present basic data on the universal design of medical facilities, this study first reviewed regulations applicable to domestic law and considered the classification system of medical facilities through consideration of laws related to domestic and foreign medical facilities. In addition, interviews with experts and users were conducted to identify the necessity of applying universal design to medical facilities and problems with current medical facilities, and problems and improvement directions were presented through a current survey of a total of 15 medical facilities from hospitals to advanced general hospitals. Through this, the laws related to the construction plan of medical facilities provided the basis for providing evidence, design, and installation guidelines from the perspective of universal design through the Building Act, the Medical Act, the Convenience Act for the Disabled, and the Fire Protection Act. Second, it is intended to derive elements necessary for the composition and planning of unit spaces such as ward space, treatment rooms, and examination rooms that are not presented in laws and guidelines. Third, medical facilities should be improved from a universal design point of view, taking into account the access and use of all users, and appropriate facilities and facilities for the contents stipulated by the Convenience Act, such as the disabled, are essential. In this respect, this study attempted to lay the basic foundation for the application of universal design in medical facilities, and it is expected to be used as basic data for medical service planning and medical facility construction planning in the future.

Knowledge, attitude and practice about menstruation and menstrual hygiene among adolescent school girls of rural field practice area of tertiary care hospital, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh: a cross-sectional study

Background: As the reproduction starts from the puberty and in which most of the girls will be not aware of menstruation and they will lack the knowledge as most of the girls will be in school age group. This study is done to understand their knowledge, attitude and practice on menstruation and menstrual hygiene in school going girls. Methods: A school based cross sectional study was conducted after getting ethics committee clearance during August-September 2023 (2 months) in RHTC field area of Santhiram medical college, Nandyal among high school girls of 8th, 9th and 10th classes by simple random sampling method with sample size 230, study tool was pre-designed, pre-tested, semi structured questionnaire by interview method collected data and analysed by SPSS 25 version. Results: In this study out of 230 participants about 43% were under the age group 13 years, 57.8% were have knowledge on menstruation and 60% were not aware of origin of blood and 76.1% are attending school during the menses, 31% of girls Still feels embarrassing buying pads, 40% don’t attend to perform house activities and sitting at the corner. Only 51.7% are using dustbins for disposal. Conclusions: This study results shows that girls have a poor knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene. There is a gap between knowledge and menstrual hygiene and usage of proper sanitation, school administration and health facilities should conduct awareness programmes on menstrual hygiene.

Fitness tests as predictors of physical exertion on graded hiking trails

Lack of information regarding the level of fitness required to complete a hiking trail may create perceived and real health risks for inexperienced hikers. In this study, the link between current fitness levels of potential hikers and actual exertion on hiking trails is investigated. In particular, we investigated whether simple, pre-hike fitness tests (Step-up and Cooper tests) could be used to predict physical exertion on two graded hiking trails (Trail 1: graded easy; Trail 2: graded moderate). Fifty participants completed the pre-hike fitness tests and the two hiking trails. Correlations between relevant sets of variables were calculated, together with the associated p-value. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models followed by model selection were used to investigate if the exertion levels on the two trails, as characterised by the minimum heart rate (HR), mean HR and maximum HR at the end of the trail, could be predicted by the pre-hike fitness tests. A statistical model was created that predicts the mean HR and maximum HR of hikers undertaking an easy and a moderate hike; the Step-up test best predicted mean and maximum HR on Trial 1, and maximum HR on Trail 2, while the combination of Step-up and Cooper tests best predicted mean HR on Trail 2. Management implicationsPark managers are continuously looking to implement new and novel techniques that will increase customer enjoyment, while simultaneously minimise customer risk. By using an accurate predictive model such as the one proposed, managers can improve users' experiences. Satisfied customers are more likely to return to these facilities and positive reviews may increase facility usage.

A valuation study to identify the determinants of the demand for time spent outdoors among users of hospital facilities, their willingness-to-pay for green infrastructure improvements, and the implications for planning

ABSTRACT Green infrastructure has been promoted as an urban planning tool for the achievement of health and environmental policy objectives. The capacity of economic valuation methods to estimate monetary benefit values for intangible goods, such as mental health and wellbeing, renders them useful in justifying green infrastructure interventions and guiding their implementation. In this case study we used stated preference methods to elicit cross-sectional data on the preferences of staff (n=118), visitors (n=88), and inpatients (n=35) of Musgrave Park Hospital in Northern Ireland, for improvements in the hospital’s outdoor grounds. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to use the contingent behavior method to examine the demand for time spent on the improved outdoor grounds of a hospital and the first to use the contingent valuation method to obtain the respective willingness-to-pay values. The results show that the three hospital user groups differed in their preferred types of green infrastructure and their motivations for using the outdoor grounds, an important input for planning the transformation of the outdoors. Other findings suggest that to maximize health and well-being benefits, complementary measures to address the issues of sedentary lifestyles and inadequate use of the outdoors as a stress-coping mechanism are needed.

The impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on mental health patient populations in the United States

During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, lockdowns and movement restrictions were thought to negatively impact population mental health, since depression and anxiety symptoms were frequently reported. This study investigates the effect of COVID-19 mitigation measures on mental health across the United States, at county and state levels using difference-in-differences analysis. It examines the effect on mental health facility usage and the prevalence of mental illnesses, drawing on large-scale medical claims data for mental health patients joined with publicly available state- and county-specific COVID-19 cases and lockdown information. For consistency, the main focus is on two types of social distancing policies, stay-at-home and school closure orders. Results show that lockdown has significantly and causally increased the usage of mental health facilities in regions with lockdowns in comparison to regions without such lockdowns. Particularly, resource usage increased by 18% in regions with a lockdown compared to 1% decline in regions without a lockdown. Also, female populations have been exposed to a larger lockdown effect on their mental health. Diagnosis of panic disorders and reaction to severe stress significantly increased by the lockdown. Mental health was more sensitive to lockdowns than to the presence of the pandemic itself. The effects of the lockdown increased over an extended time to the end of December 2020.

Design of a shared context-aware assistive robot for personalised aged-care services

ABSTRACT Background: Sensors, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics hold considerable potential for enhancing the efficiency of care and health outcomes in the health and aged care sectors. The Australian aged care sector in particular faces significant challenges due to an aging population and outdated technological infrastructure. This article builds upon the foundational research conducted through the collaboration between the University of New South Wales and the University of the Sunshine Coast, as part of the European Union VictoryaHome (VH) project (2014–2016). The VH project, which involved partners from Australia, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Portugal, aimed to enhance the emotional well-being and security of elderly individuals in their homes. The present study specifically addresses some of the challenges identified in relation to the prohibitively high costs and usability of robots for personalized services in the aged care sector. Methods: This paper presents the design and implementation of an affordable service robot specifically developed to offer personalized services to multiple users in aged care facilities. The system utilizes a Raspberry Pi 4 and incorporates functionalities that are tailored to the needs identified through interviews with facility managers and staff. Results: We successfully demonstrate tracking of entities within a room-scale environment and the switching of profiles using cost-effective devices. Moreover, by tracking multiple entities simultaneously we were able to achieve powerful context-aware functionality that was seamless to the end-user. Conclusion: This study underscores the feasibility and potential benefits of employing low-cost, context-aware service robots in aged care environments.

An Assessment of Facilities in Public Motor Parks in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria.

This research assesses facilities in public motor parks in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area (LGA), Rivers State, Nigeria. The population consisted of frequent users of public motor parks in Obio/Akpor LGA, and a sample size was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through pre-coded questionnaires and oral communication, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The assessment findings indicate an overall unsatisfactory state of facilities in public motor parks. These facilities received low ratings, with a substantial percentage of respondents expressing dissatisfaction. Toilet facilities particularly raised concerns regarding hygiene and maintenance, with many considering them to be in poor condition. The canteens and automobile workshops received mixed ratings, suggesting room for improvement in food quality, service, safety standards, and equipment provision. Similarly, the shop outlets and shelters received predominantly negative ratings, indicating the need for improvements in design, infrastructure, and functionality. The study also revealed a lack of awareness among park users regarding the policies governing facility usage. Therefore, it is recommended that proper dissemination and communication of these policies are crucial to ensure effective implementation. Based on the findings, collaboration among relevant authorities, park management, and stakeholders is recommended to address the identified issues. By prioritizing these improvements, public motor parks in Obio/Akpor LGA, Rivers State, can significantly enhance the overall experience and satisfaction of park users, contributing to a more efficient and enjoyable travel experience.

Quadratic Optimization Models for Balancing Preferential Access and Fairness: Formulations and Optimality Conditions

Typically, within facility location problems, fairness is defined in terms of accessibility of users. However, for facilities perceived as undesirable by communities hosting them, fairness between the usage of facilities becomes especially important. Limited research exists on this notion of fairness. To close this gap, we develop a series of optimization models for the allocation of populations of users to facilities such that access for users is balanced with a fair utilization of facilities. The optimality conditions of the underlying nonconvex quadratic models state the precise balance between accessibility and fairness. We define new classes of fairness and a metric to quantify the extent to which fairness is achieved in both optimal and suboptimal allocations. We show that a continuous relaxation of our central model is sufficient to achieve a perfect extent of fairness, while a special case reduces to the classical notion of proportional fairness. Our work is motivated by pervasive ecological challenges faced by the waste management community as policymakers seek to reduce the number of recycling centers in the last few years. As a computational case study, applying our models on data for the state of Bavaria in Germany, we find that even after the closure of a moderate number of recycling centers, large degrees of access can be ensured, provided that the closures are conducted optimally. Fairness, however, is impacted more, with facilities in rural regions shouldering larger loads of visiting populations than those in urban regions. History: Accepted by Pascal Van Hentenryck, Area Editor for Computational Modeling: Methods & Analysis. Funding: Computer resources and support provided by the Erlangen Regional Computing Center are gratefully acknowledged. B. Singh was partially financially supported by the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art (Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst) under the Competence Network for Scientific High Performance Computing in Bavaria. Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplemental Information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2022.0308 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2022.0308 ). The complete IJOC Software and Data Repository is available at https://informsjoc.github.io/ .

The Relationship Between Proximity of Collegiate Recreation Facilities and Usage Levels

The purpose of this study was to further explore the relationship between travel time and frequency of visits to collegiate recreation facilities. After surveying all students using collegiate recreation facilities at a large public southeastern US university, the local address of the 559 respondents was converted into travel time to their preferred facility using their preferred transportation method. This travel time was compared with swipe data on visits to the facility over a semester. A multinomial logistic regression was conducted to analyze the relationship between collegiate recreation facility usage level and travel time. Results support past research and ecological models of health behaviors demonstrating that proximity of recreation facilities is positively associated with higher usage by college students.

A very low energy ion beam extraction system design of the GTS ECR ion source at GANIL

The GTS ion source, operated at 14.5GHz, provides multiply charged heavy ion beams for the ARIBE facility at GANIL. The facility variety is limited by the efficiency of the extraction especially in the few keV/q domain. In order to improve the ion source, the extraction system was upgraded numerically using IBSimu. The shape of the plasma and the puller electrodes was changed. It causes the increase of the electric field near the plasma meniscus and allows the use of lower extraction voltages at constant total ion beam current. The required beam parameters were taken from the experimental data. The opportunity of effective low energy beam formation (at a few keV/q or several hundreds eV/q beam energy) was studied. The high current and low energy ion beam production will provide new possibilities for ARIBE facility users.

A Study on Nursing Personnel Operations to Ensure Evacuation Safety during Medical Facility Disasters

Worldwide, the number of users of medical facilities is increasing due to the pandemic phenomenon and extended life expectancy. In addition, the majority of medical facility occupants are patients, leading to issues of inconvenience in movement and increased vulnerability during evacuations in the event of a fire. Therefore, the availability of nursing personnel, who serve as assistants in tasks such as transporting beds and wheelchairs essential for patient evacuation, is crucial for ensuring evacuation safety. However, a global shortage of nursing personnel has led to ongoing research on optimizing workforce allocation. In this study, the Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) and Required Safe Egress Time (RSET) were quantitatively compared for medical facilities with a combination of intensive care units and general wards, utilizing a Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Flexsim Healthcare simulations to assess fire risk. The research goal here is to provide sustainable research directions for determining the minimum ratio of nurses to patients required for evacuation in a disaster, ensuring the continuous availability of nursing personnel in medical facilities. To achieve this, the variable was set to five stages based on the total number of patients per nurse. As a result of this study, it was confirmed that when the nurse-to-patient ratio exceeded 1:6, more than 70% of bedridden patients died. Additionally, it was verified that maintaining a patient-to-nurse ratio of less than 1:1 is effective for ensuring evacuation safety.

Turning European XFEL raw data into user data

The European X-ray Free Electron Laser is a research facility located close to Hamburg, offering X-ray pulses with ultra-high brilliance and femtosecond duration at megahertz repetition rates. The detection systems necessary to unlock the full scientific potential made possible by this machine poses considerable challenges both in terms of data volume and rate, as well as the interpretation of their recorded signal. To provide optimal data quality, expert and detector-specific knowledge not easily accessible to external facility users is essential, and its implementation must cope with the generated volumes. We therefore aim to perform these preparatory processing steps and offer users a dataset suitable for further analysis as the primary data product. This work describes the machinery and workflows providing this data to users in an automatic, configurable and reproducible manner, both online during the experiment, and offline for scientific analysis afterward on the way to publication.

EXAMINATION OF SERVICE QUALITY PERCEPTIONS OF MULTI-PURPOSE SPORTS FACILITY USERS

The purpose of this study: multi-purpose sports facility users are examining the perceptions of service quality. In the study, a questionnaire technique was used from quantitative research techniques. In this context, data were collected from 164 people from sports facilities operating in Gaziantep province. In this study, various statistical methods and analyzes were applied in order to evaluate the service quality of multi-purpose sports facilities by using the SERVQUAL scale used in UTKU (2019)'s Mes Service Facilities in Local Governments: Etimesgut Municipality Case”. The expectations and perceptions of the participants regarding the service quality of the sports facilities were determined using the SERVQUAL scale. Therefore, the averages of expected service quality and perceived service quality were obtained through this scale. Descriptive statistics showing the basic properties of the data set (average, standard deviation, media, quarter) have been calculated. Independent sample T-test, independent sample T-test were applied to determine the differences between the expected and perceived service quality between the two groups. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) is a statistical analysis method used to compare multiple groups. This analysis has been used to determine whether there is a significant difference between the averages of expected and perceived service quality. When the data was analyzed, no statistically significant difference was found between the expected service and perceived service scores according to gender, membership duration, weekly facility usage frequency, and daily facility usage time. On the other hand, a significant difference was found in some parameters between the expected service and perceived service quality according to income level and education level variables. As a result, it can be said that sports facility users can largely obtain the service they expect from a sports facility, but they cannot receive the expected service in the personnel sub-dimension. It is thought that in-service training to be provided in public sports facilities to increase the quality of personnel may be useful.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0661/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Designing for pupils with the autism spectrum disorder, case study of the Northern School for Autism, Melbourne, Australia

The manuscript presents the case study of The Northern School for Autism in Melbourne (2013), designed by Hede Architects. The building achieved several rewards including first place in the Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI) Regional Award and the CEFPI Educational Facilities Award. It appeared on the list of finalists of the World Architecture News Awards 2013. Specialist Magda Mostafa classified it as one of the most dedicated facilities for people with autism spectrum according to Autism design index ASPECTSS™ rating. Practical autism therapists have been interviewed to carry out the expert survey about the subject building. Responses have been based on photographic material and diagrams attached to the survey. Respondents have been based on so-called sensorisms, i.e. manifestations of discomfort in the receiving and processing of sensory stimuli. This symptom can be recognized in pupils’ behaviour, revealed in unfavourable conditions for people with ASD. The examined group has been also based on their own therapeutic experience during the usage of educational facilities. The survey determined the probable impact of the applied design solutions on the perception of a child on the spectrum. The special method of designing for people with autism is to follow sensory features of different spaces as the main superior design tool. As a consequence, sensor map determines building functional zones. The manuscript describes other specific architectural solutions used in the project to decrease the deleterious impact of external stimuli on the sensory integration of students. Presented survey method reveals, that designing architectural project with sensorial guidelines may have a positive effect on the concentration of attention of students on the autism spectrum. By providing appropriate educational and therapeutic conditions, students might have a chance to function better in the community and be revalidated.

Profitability of Palm Kernel Marketing in Southeast Nigeria: The Intervening Role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

The actual impact of ICT facilities on the profitability of palm Kernel marketing remains inadequately understood. Thus, this study investigated the intervening role of ICT on the profitability of palm kernel marketing in Southeast Nigeria. Data for this study were collected from 360 palm oil marketers from 30 markets of three randomly selected states of Southeast Nigeria using multistage sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and budgetary techniques. The result on ICT facilities available for marketing of palm kernel revealed that majority of the palm kernel marketers in Abia (65%), Imo (68.3%) and Anambra (86.6%) used social media marketing platform in the marketing of palm kernel in the study area. The findings on the cost and return in the use of ICT in the marketing of palm kernel revealed that the labour constituted the highest percentage (18.10%) of the total variable. Cost of palm kernel marketing in the study area followed by cost of purchases (18.04%), cost of transportation (13.63%) and the least, cost of packaging (2.59%). The return on investment (ROI) realized by the marketers of palm kernel using ICT to aid the business was ₦0.27 implying that for every ₦1 invested in palm kernel marketing in Southeast, a return of ₦0.27 was realized. Evidence from the findings shows that palm kernel marketing with the use of ICT facilities is a profitable enterprise in Southeast Nigeria. It was recommended that marketers awareness on how usage of ICT facilities could improve their marketing returns should be intensified through enlightens campagna and that marketers utilization of ICT facilities for marketing palm kernel should be intensified through training to acquire requisite skills in using these facilities.

Discontinuation of implants and associated factors among women in health facilities of Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

IntroductionDiscontinuation of implants is the removal or switch to other methods before duration completion. Despite the improvement in the utilization of implants, discontinuation is high. There are limited studies conducted on implant discontinuation and factors in Bahir Dar City. This research aimed to evaluate the proportion and explanatory variables of discontinuation of implants among users in health facilities in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia. MethodsA health facility-based cross-sectional design was conducted on 415 respondents from April 1 to May 30, 2021. Data were collected through face-to-face interview questionnaires using a systematic random sampling method. Epi Data version 3.1 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences were used for data entry and formal analysis, respectively. Logistic regression analyses were used, and a P value less than 0.05 was considered a statistically significant factor for discontinuation. ResultsThe overall proportion of discontinuation of implants was 55.3 % (95 % CI: 61.42–69.13). In bivariate logistic regression analysis, sociocultural factors like maternal religion and occupation, were factors for discontinuation of implants. After adjusting other variables in multivariate regression analysis, no formal education (AOR = 0.49; 95 % CI: 0.30–0.82), primary education (AOR = 0.39; 95 % CI: 0.18–0.81), wish to become pregnant (AOR = 2.57; 95 % CI: 1.64 to 4.02), no history of contraceptive use (AOR = 2.01; 95 % CI: 1.19 to 3.38), no counselling on benefits (AOR = 1.68; 95 % CI: 1.08–2.62), and side effects (AOR = 1.95; 95 % CI: 1.21–3.16) were the factors associated with discontinuation. ConclusionThe overall discontinuation of implants was low compared to the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey. Education, desire for pregnancy, no history of contraceptives, lack of counselling on benefits, and side effects were factors for discontinuation.