Service Users Research Articles

Enhancing MaaS user satisfaction through strategic marketing: The synergy of sustainability and service experience.

As urbanization intensifies and the need for sustainable transportation grows, Mobility as a Service (MaaS) emerges as a promising solution to urban mobility challenges. This study seeks to explore the underlying mechanisms of MaaS from a sustainability perspective and to assess its impact on service experience and user satisfaction. Additionally, it examines how user satisfaction influences the broader adoption of MaaS. To address these objectives, relevant hypotheses were posited, and hypothetical models were constructed based on a comprehensive review of the literature. The interconnections among sustainability, service experience, and user satisfaction within MaaS were rigorously analyzed employing both a survey methodology and structural equation modeling for data analysis. The findings support five hypotheses, affirming that sustainability significantly influences the MaaS service experience, which in turn impacts user satisfaction. Furthermore, sustainability directly contributes to user satisfaction and is crucial for its enhancement. User satisfaction also positively affects the dissemination of MaaS services. Notably, the study identifies a critical mediating role of service experience in the utilization of MaaS, linking sustainability and user satisfaction. This research offers both theoretical insights and practical guidance for understanding the operational dynamics of MaaS and improving the user experience.

Analysis of the Influence of Dental and Oral Health Services on BPJS Patient Satisfaction at Kaliwungu Kendal Health Center

The Kaliwungu Kendal Community Health Center provides comprehensive dental services with competent dental professionals. However, the service is still not optimal due to several patient complaints, such as waiting to see the dentist, waiting even after the dentist has arrived, not receiving immediate attention, a limited number of visits, etc. Creating quality services will undoubtedly lead to satisfaction among health service users. This study aims to determine the quality of service toward the satisfaction of BPJS patients at the Kaliwungu Kendal Community Health Center. The method used in this research is a quantitative analytical survey method with a cross-sectional study design. Data was collected with a sample size of 80 BPJS patients selected through sampling. The variables used in this study include the independent variable, service quality (X), and patient satisfaction (Y) as the dependent variable. The statistical analysis used in this study included a chi-square test and logistic regression. The results of the study show that all variables in the quality of dental and oral health service, including physical appearance, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, have a positive and significant effect on patient satisfaction at the Dental Polyclinic of the Kaliwungu Kendal Community Health Center, with a p-value < 0.05. The tangible dimension has the most dominant effect, with a significant influence (exp(B)OR 18.259), followed by empathy (exp(B)OR 11.102), reliability (exp(B)OR 7.627), and assurance (exp(B)OR 5.091). However, responsiveness obtained the lowest satisfaction percentage compared to the other dimensions, with a value of (exp (B) OR 4.474).

I know your stance! Analyzing Twitter users’ political stance on diverse perspectives

The popularity of social network service users has increased in recent years, altering politicians’ interest level in social network services. Given this trend, social network services now play a central role in political communication channels, enabling them to express and share their opinions and news directly with citizens. Therefore, many researchers have attempted to investigate social network service users’ political stances and proposed a user’s political stance model utilizing this dataset. Understanding and detecting social network services and a user’s political stance can play a significant role in marketing strategies and determining election winners. In light of this, the present study examined Twitter from diverse perspectives to analyze and detect a Twitter user’s political stance. This study collected Twitter datasets and labeled a user’s stance using a clustering approach to determine whether a user was a Democrat or a Republican. After an exploratory analysis of users’ tweet content: image and text, user network, and profile description, the tweet user stance detection model was proposed and tested. The results indicated notable differences between Democrats and Republicans from diverse perspectives on Twitter, with an accuracy of 85.35% compared with baseline models. The implications and limitations of this study were discussed based on the results.

Recovery experiences among mental health service users going through the Balancing Everyday Life™ intervention – A deductive qualitative study

Background The occupational therapy intervention Balancing Everyday Life (BEL)TM aims to support mental health service users towards improved occupational balance and personal recovery. Yet, no research has specifically addressed recovery experiences among BELTM participants. Aim To investigate how the recovery process was experienced by mental health services users who had participated in BELTM. Methods The study was based on qualitative interviews with 11 participants. A deductive content analysis was performed based on the CHIME framework, a research-based tool for characterising the recovery process. Results All categories and most subcategories described in the CHIME framework could be found in the participants’ experiences. The most prominent categories were Sense of connectedness and Empowerment. Most subcategories were identified as well. Additionally, two subcategories not covered in CHIME were distinguished – occupational balance, and self-esteem and self-confidence – which may be specific to an occupational therapy intervention like BELTM. Conclusion The study showed that CHIME was relevant for characterising the recovery process among BELTM participants and identifying the features shaping that process. The findings support CHIME, while also indicating that BELTM offers some additional avenues for personal recovery. Significance An occupational therapy intervention can support mental health service users towards personal recovery.

Where is Batho Pele? The perspective of child and adolescent mental health service users in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

BackgroundMental health disorders of children and adolescents represent a key area of concern, yet child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are neglected, especially in low- and middle-income countries. There is a clear need to provide services that are relevant to the needs of service users, but little research to date has explored their needs and experiences of services, or to identify their recommendations for service strengthening. In 1997 the South African Government introduced the “Batho Pele” (‘People First’) initiative in all public sector services, with the aim of putting the voices of service users at the centre of decision-making of policy development and implementation. This study sought to explore user perspectives about CAMHS in the Western Cape, one of the nine provinces of South Africa.MethodsUsing focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews, qualitative data were collected from purposively sampled CAMHS users (caregivers and adolescents) across the Western Cape Province. Data were entered into NVivo, and thematic analysis was performed by two independent raters.ResultsResults highlighted slow, inappropriate and unacceptable CAMHS at primary level of care, and lack of dedicated CAMH resources and staff rudeness at primary and secondary levels of care. Only one positive theme was identified about a new service initiative at primary care. Only specialist CAMHS (tertiary level) were regarded as well-organised. To improve CAMHS, users recommended that the processes and procedures should be restructured to become child- and family-friendly, separate CAMHS should be developed at primary and secondary levels, CAMHS should be prioritized to provide equitable services to young people with mental health disorders, and better communication and information, including formal psychoeducation should be provided to caregivers.ConclusionsThe data from this study provided very little support for the “Batho Pele” principles and highlighted a clear need for CAMHS strengthening in the Western Cape, and in South Africa as a whole. These findings may be similar in other low-resource settings and highlight the importance of putting “people first” by listening to their voices on an ongoing basis and at all levels of service and systems strengthening.

Factors influencing participation and engagement in post-stroke cardiac rehabilitation and exercise: an exploratory qualitative study.

The secondary prevention benefits of cardiac rehabilitation and similar exercise classes for stroke survivors are well established, however post-stroke exercise participation remains low. This research aimed to explore the factors affecting participation and engagement in UK-based post-stroke cardiac rehabilitation and exercise, from the perspective of the service user and service provider. An exploratory study, using semi-structured interviews, was conducted (n = 8, service user = 4), adopting a phenomenological approach. All interviews applied a topic guide informed by the Health Belief Model and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Post-stroke cardiac rehabilitation and exercise participation was influenced by numerous factors, encompassed into three themes: Accessibility (describing the environmental pre-class limiting factors), Programme Structure (valuing in-class supervision, socialisation and adaptations) and Patient Characteristics (encompassing the influence of the service user's personality and experiences). Effective secondary prevention of stroke through cardiac rehabilitation and other exercise-based rehabilitation requires policy development and commissioning to ensure appropriate delivery. Further research should determine the feasibility of novel exercise class formats, in addition to larger trials investigating their clinical benefit and cost effectiveness.

Using digital psychometric tests in an Irish Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS): an examination of the acceptability of Q-interactive for service users and clinicians.

Using digital psychometric tests in an Irish Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS): an examination of the acceptability of Q-interactive for service users and clinicians.

Incorporating the principles of Spiritually Competent Practice in mental healthcare: A qualitative exploration with service users

ABSTRACT Though service users may view them as an important aspect of care, spiritual issues are often neglected by mental health professionals. This study explored the experiences and perceptions of mental health service users in the United Kingdom around the integration of spirituality in their care. Two new concepts which support the implementation of spirituality into clinical practice; ‘Spiritually Competent Practice’ and ‘Availability and Vulnerability’, were also examined. Qualitative data were obtained via a web-based survey (n = 170) and semi-structured interviews (n = 6) carried out during 2021. The data were analysed thematically and organised into four overarching themes: Spirituality and mental health care, Perceptions of spirituality, Spiritually Competent Practice and Availability and Vulnerability. Findings in this study showed that service users valued the integration of spirituality into mental healthcare and saw the recognition of individuals’ spiritual needs as important, but reported this was lacking in their experience. Participants provided rich and nuanced reflections on the concepts of ‘Spiritually Competent Practice’ and ‘Availability and Vulnerability’ as a means to address this gap. Findings pointed to the need for adequate training to ensure the implementation of these concepts into practice is both evidence-informed and resonant with the service user.

Funeral support services for socio-economically deprived bereaved people in Hong Kong: An exploratory study of their effectiveness

This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of funeral support services for socio-economically deprived bereaved people in Hong Kong. Via a questionnaire, service users were asked to report their psychosocial status in different domains before and after the services. A quasi-experimental design was also used to compare service users with non-service users in different psychosocial domains after the funerals had taken place. Findings showed that service users indicated positive changes after the use of the services, such as reduced negative emotions and enhanced understanding of how post-death matters/funerals could be handled. This study provides preliminary evidence of the benefits of funeral support services and suggests the importance of funeral support for socio-economically deprived bereaved people. Findings may help reflect on the provision and accessibility of funeral support services in the community and give insights into the way formal bereavement service providers may better support bereaved people in the community.

The reflective housing practitioner: the role of qualifications for building empathy and person-centered approaches in the housing sector

ABSTRACT Tragic events in the UK have led to a call to increase the “professionalism” of those managing and delivering housing-related services. As part of this process, there is a need to build and integrate empathy, solidarity and person-centered approaches into housing learning to support teaching and practice. However, compared to other professions such as education and health, the housing sector has a limited reflective practice foundation to support this. In response, this paper offers a bespoke model of reflection for the housing sector, which we argue is pivotal to driving forward sector-wide ambitions to raise professional standards through education and qualifications. The “pyramid of housing reflection” model is informed by experiences of the UK higher education context and empirical evidence that takes practitioners and learners through the journey of contextualizing their position (description), impact and positionality (feelings), person-centered practice (empathy and solidarity) alongside engaging with power and critical thinking (structural impacts) to become a reflective housing practitioner. The paper outlines the powerful nature of reflective practice to support personal and professional growth, development and to raise service standards for tenants and other service users in the UK housing sector.

Improving the healthcare user experience: an optimization model grounded in patient-centredness

BackgroundPatient satisfaction and experience are key outcomes of healthcare and can be computed as powerful measures of service quality. Understand what affects them is essential for service quality improvement. Investigating whether the care setting (i.e., medical or surgical) can impact the patients’ perception of the quality can be also important for the actionability of this data. The aim is to explore which experiential factors should be prioritized to improve patient satisfaction with hospitalization service, using experience items as intermediate results and considering different settings.MethodsPatient-reported experience measures are used in an Italian region. This study uses the optimization approach to identify factors of healthcare user experience affecting and enhancing satisfaction.ResultsThe results confirm that, among the significant determinants of satisfaction, some specific experiential aspects emerged as the potential primary focus to be prioritized in improvement actions. These aspects vary according to the specific departmental area.ConclusionsThe study presents an optimization model directly informed by healthcare service users, utilizing their insights to drive healthcare delivery improvements. It emphasizes the necessity of not only collect patient perspectives but also applying different methodologies to understand what matters to patients and what interventions could be prioritized, and to strategically use diverse insights to enhance the delivery of healthcare services and patient experience and satisfaction.

Staff and service user perspectives of a co-located homelessness centre in Scotland: a mixed-methods evaluation.

Co-location and integration of services within a psychologically-informed environment is recommended for people experiencing homeless but there are few examples of this in the UK. Such a centre opened in Scotland in November 2021. To evaluate progress of the new centre. Mixed-methods pre-post-test design before (baseline) and two years after (follow-up). Baseline and follow-up staff surveys measured knowledge of trauma-informed care, well-being, team climate, and job satisfaction. The follow-up staff survey also evaluated staff support and service improvements. In-depth staff interviews were conducted at baseline (n=25) and follow-up and analysed thematically. A service users survey was also conducted. The staff survey showed significant improvements between baseline and follow-up in trauma-informed care, burnout, and team climate, together with improvements in support, service integration, and service user care. Service users reported high satisfaction with the new centre.Staff interviews identified a more psychologically-informed environment, better staff support, and improved opportunistic multidisciplinary working over the two years of the centre opening. However, a number of barriers were also identified relating to the building and the IT systems. Further work on the centre's vision; short- and long-term integration plans; workload, and sustainability were felt to be needed. Co-location of services for people experiencing homelessness in Scotland has led to improvements in staff burn-out and team climate, and service users' satisfaction over the first two years of opening. However, barriers remain and full integration requires a clearer vision and 'road map', requiring collaborative leadership and sustainable funding.

Mapping the Scientific Research on Nutrition and Mental Health: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background/Objectives: The connection between nutrition and mental health has become a point of growing interest. In response, nutritional psychiatry research has emerged as a field dedicated to understanding these interactions. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to map the growth and trends in this area, providing insights into its evolving scope and key research contributions. Methods: A literature search was conducted within the Web of Science Core Collection. Data analysis was performed using the result analysis and citation report options of Web of Science as well as the visualization software VOSviewer (Version 1.6.20). Results: A total of 31,556 articles on nutrition and mental health were published from 2000 to 2024 across various WoS categories, mainly in “Psychiatry”, “Public, Environmental & Occupational Health”, and “Nutrition & Dietetics”. The most prolific research groups are based in North America. Recent publications mainly cover seven clusters: (1) public health and social factors, (2) interventions and biological mechanisms, (3) the health of the elderly, (4) nutrition-related illnesses, (5) lifestyle behavior, (6) observational studies, and (7) pregnancy and the postpartum period. Conclusions: In view of the increasing research activities and growing allocation of resources in nutritional psychiatry research, it is important to define research priorities in close collaboration with service users and stakeholders. Research should be approached in a holistic manner through multidisciplinary research consortia to ensure comprehensive and impactful outcomes.

Juridical Analysis of the WBK / WBBM Predicate at the UPBU Class III Office in Terms of Public Service Law

The intensive efforts by Government Agencies in Indonesia to develop Integrity Zones (ZI) towards Corruption-Free Areas (WBK) and Clean Serving Bureaucratic Areas (WBBM) reflect their commitment to enhancing the performance of Bureaucratic Reform. One critical area of improvement is public service delivery, which must be aligned with these initiatives. In the context of air transportation services, Class III UPBU offices require targeted support to actively contribute to the implementation of ZI development towards WBK/WBBM. This study adopts a normative legal research approach, focusing on an analysis of applicable laws, regulations, and principles related to the duties and functions of UPBU offices, ZI development guidelines, and public service law. The findings reveal that Class III UPBU offices, despite their smaller classification, share comparable objectives and responsibilities with other UPBU classes (Class I Main UPBU Offices, Class I UPBU Offices, and Class II UPBU Offices). These offices serve as government agencies providing essential public services, directly interacting with airport service users and adhering to the mandates of public service law. A unique contribution of this study is its identification of the need for specialized socialization and assistance for Class III UPBU offices to strengthen their capacity in aligning with ZI initiatives. This highlights the importance of tailoring ZI development efforts to address specific challenges faced by these offices, ultimately enhancing their role in delivering excellent public services and supporting national goals of integrity and anti-corruption.

‘You Can Really See the Pain in Their Eyes’: Stressors and Supports Affecting the Well-being of Homelessness Services Staff in Ireland During COVID-19

Despite their crucial roles, the well-being narratives of those working in homelessness services have frequently been overlooked in research and policy. This paper addresses that gap, presenting qualitative evidence from interviews with homelessness service workers in Cork, Ireland, during 2021 and 2022. We explore the multidimensional, layered character of service staff members’ well-being narratives, showing they are intimately connected to relationships with their own families, commitment to service users, fears about COVID-19, and their motivation to the social mission of their work: to support vulnerable people with multiple, interlinking needs. Our data reveals that stressors encountered in pre-COVID times, relating to burnout, emotional labour, inter-agency working, and career progression, were exacerbated due to government restrictions and new challenges encountered by service users. We focus on the period covering pandemic-related lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, and the immediate aftermath, to consider how those delivering crucial services coped, the informal and formal support they accessed, and the value of this support in their lives. Significantly, our analysis reflects upon the longer-term implications of these findings, contextualised against the backdrop of the housing crisis in Ireland, changing demographics of persons accessing homelessness services, and increased systemic and social pressures.

Measuring social integration, treatment, and mortality after substance use treatment: methodological elaborations in a 20-year follow-up study

ObjectiveAlcohol and Other Drug (AOD) disorders cause substantial harm. Effective Substance Use Treatment (SUT) exists, but long-term outcomes remain inconclusive. This study used a 20-year prospective follow-up of 1248 service users entering SUT in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2000–2002 to elaborate on how different dimensions of long-term outcomes may be measured by register-based indicators. Baseline characteristics and attrition bias were explicated, and register-based outcomes were examined.ResultsRegister-based indicators are valuable, but they also have inherent limitations such as the lack of substance use data and inability to differentiate between un/met treatment needs and access. Significant variations in long-term outcomes were evident depending on which register-based indicator was used, and whether used in isolation or combinations. Six out of 10 service users were still alive after 20 years, but as many as 8 out of 10 of the survivors remained in treatment, and only two out of 10 had a stable economic situation. Hence, the register indicators identified only a few survivors, with stable economic and social situations, and without recent treatment contacts 20 years after treatment entry. The long-term outcomes were concerning and even more so when combining outcome dimensions.

A Conceptual Framework for Planning Road Digital Twins

Digital twin (DT) is an emerging technology gaining traction across various industries. However, its development and application in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry remain in their early stage, lagging considerably behind other sectors. This is primarily attributed to the challenges facing the AEC industry, including digital transformation and the lack of formal standards for DT implementation. This study aims to contribute to the conceptualization of DT planning—the early stage of the DT lifecycle—focusing on the road transportation sector, particularly road physical twin planning within the AEC industry. To achieve this, we reviewed the relevant literature defining DT planning. We also examined stakeholders’ relevant guidelines and documents from national bodies that roadmap the road DT planning process to understand the scope and identify knowledge gaps. Based on the findings, mapping the existing road planning process to the constituents of road DT planning was performed for the applicable planning steps. Finally, we proposed a five-layered road DT planning framework that will roadmap future implementations comprising data acquisition, data processing, data modeling and algorithms, data analysis and control, and a service layer plus users. In addition, a case study is incorporated to validate the feasibility of the framework toward applying it further in practice.

Measuring What Outcomes Matters Most to People When Accessing Suicide Postvention Support: A Qualitative Study.

Funding for suicide postvention services, which provide support after a suicide death, has increased in Australia and globally. This rise accompanies a need to demonstrate outcomes of support. However, articulating and quantifying these outcomes presents ethical and logistical challenges. Funders' priorities may differ from those of service users. To discern the value and explore effective measurement of postvention outcomes, focus groups were conducted with postvention staff and lived experience representatives from an Australian postvention service. Transcripts were analysed using Braun and Clarke's Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results highlighted the complex context of measuring outcomes in suicide postvention and emphasized the need for flexible approaches to service provision and outcome measurement. The study suggests that the most significant benefits, as perceived by participants, are the 'flow-on' effects of postvention. It supports the notion that outcome measures require careful consideration, with trade-offs evaluated to understand what is truly valuable in suicide postvention services.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on supervised consumption service delivery in Vancouver and Surrey, Canada from the perspective of service providers

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, an ever-increasing number of people have died from the toxic drug supply in Canada. Emerging evidence suggests that reduced access to harm reduction services has been a contributing factor. However, the precise impacts of the pandemic on supervised consumption service (SCS) delivery have not been well characterized. The present study sought to explore the impacts of the pandemic on SCS delivery in Vancouver and Surrey, Canada. Between October 2021 and March 2022, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff from two SCS: SafePoint in Surrey (n = 12) and Insite in Vancouver (n = 9). Thematic analysis focused on key changes to SCS delivery after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on associated challenges and emergent staff responses. Participants described key challenges as: capacity restrictions hindering service access and compromising care quality; exclusion of frontline staff perspectives from evolving SCS policy and practice decision-making; intensified power dynamics between staff and service users; and modified overdose response procedures, combined with a rise in complex overdose presentations, undermining service accessibility and quality. Emergent staff responses to these challenges included: collective staff organizing for changes to policy; individual frontline staff non-compliance with emerging policies; and staff experiencing burnout in their roles. This study highlights how COVID-19-related changes to service delivery produced challenges for SCS staff and service users, while identifying strategies employed by staff to address these challenges. Additionally, the findings point to opportunities to improve care for people who use drugs during intersecting public health crises.

Safety-relevant components of inpatient equivalent home treatment - An investigation from the perspective of users

Our article explores the issue of safety during psychiatric treatment from the service user's point of view. This manuscript is part of the AktiV study and was written by authors with lived experience of psychiatric treatment.55 interviews with users of inpatient equivalent home treatment (=IEHT) were evaluated with the thematic analysis. The guiding question was how the safety needs of users in IEHT can be met, including in comparison to inpatient treatment.The topic of safety is the basis for support in crises for users. The attitude of the staff and their relationship with the users play a significant role in this.IEHT offers more options for safe treatment compared to the inpatient treatment context. The absence of coercion and violence is necessary for users to be safe during psychiatric treatment.