Evaluation of Brainstorming Session as a Teaching-learning Tool among Postgraduate Medical Biochemistry Students

PubMed Central

Goswami, Binita; Jain, Anju; Koner, Bidhan Chandra

2017-01-01

Background: The thrust for postgraduate teaching should be self-directed learning with equal participation by all students in academic discussions. Group discussions involve conduction of the discourse by a leader who guides the discussion as well as points out any wrong information. This discourages quieter students from participation with the fear of rebuke. Brainstorming is devoid of all such fallacies with no judgment and reprimand. Aim: The aim of this study was to use brainstorming as a teaching-learning tool among postgraduate students of medical biochemistry. Materials and Methods: The project was commenced after due approvals from the research and ethical committee. The participants were enrolled after informed consent and sensitization. All the pro forma and questionnaires were duly validated by experts. After piloting and incorporation of the suggestions for improvisation, the main sessions were planned and implemented. The response was judged by posttest scores and feedback forms. Results: There was an improvement of understanding of the biochemical concepts as assessed by the posttest scores and solving of a similar clinical problem. The students expressed satisfaction with the conduction, timing, and discussion of the clinical problems. The drawbacks of traditional teaching as expressed during the feedback stage were also taken care of by the brainstorming sessions. Conclusions: Our project made the students and the faculty aware about the utility of brainstorming for teaching purposes in medical education which till now was considered efficacious only for troubleshooting in advertising and management institutions. The students were satisfied with this technique for understanding of biochemical concepts. PMID:29344451

A management plan for hospitals and medical centers facing radiation incidents.

PubMed

Davari, Fereshteh; Zahed, Arash

2015-09-01

Nowadays, application of nuclear technology in different industries has largely expanded worldwide. Proportionately, the risk of nuclear incidents and the resulting injuries have, therefore, increased in recent years. Preparedness is an important part of the crisis management cycle; therefore efficient preplanning seems crucial to any crisis management plan. Equipped with facilities and experienced personnel, hospitals naturally engage with the response to disasters. The main purpose of our study was to present a practical management pattern for hospitals and medical centers in case they encounter a nuclear emergency. In this descriptive qualitative study, data were collected through experimental observations, sources like Safety manuals released by the International Atomic Energy Agency and interviews with experts to gather their ideas along with Delphi method for polling, and brainstorming. In addition, the 45 experts were interviewed on three targeted using brainstorming and Delphi method. We finally proposed a management plan along with a set of practicality standards for hospitals and medical centers to optimally respond to nuclear medical emergencies when a radiation incident happens nearby. With respect to the great importance of preparedness against nuclear incidents adoption and regular practice of nuclear crisis management codes for hospitals and medical centers seems quite necessary.

Brainstorming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, Daniel W.

1973-01-01

Suggests the technique of brainstorming, in which a group generates spontaneous thoughts regarding how something might be used or how a problem might be solved, as a valuable way to help elementary school children learn science. (JR)

Home dialysis and the Internet: designing an e-learning platform via brainstorming sessions.

PubMed

Piccoli, Giorgina Barbara; Ferraresi, Martina; Murciano, Antonio; Pereno, Amina; Consiglio, Valentina; Scognamiglio, Stefania; Deagostini, Maria Chiara; Randone, Olga; Digiorgio, Gerardo; Calderale, Mario Pasquale

2012-01-01

The resurgence of home hemodialysis (HHD) underlines the importance of educational programs. Brainstorming is a powerful tool for innovation, widely employed in industry but seldom used in medicine. The aim of this study was to define an e-learning Web platform for HHD patients via a brainstorming approach. Four brainstorming sessions were held 2-6 weeks apart. Twelve people were involved: 2 dialysis physicians, 2 nurses, 2 HHD patients, 2 caregivers, a filmmaker, 2 computer experts (1 with a psychology degree) and a senior engineer. Each session was summarized as the starting point for the following one. The topics discussed were the platform structure and its logo. For the platform, the following requirements were defined: teaching should be extensive and tailored to different levels of knowledge; all available teaching tools (tutorials, demonstrations, recorded and written materials) should be used; films enhance emotional participation and can be used to reduce fears; the contents should include general information on chronic kidney disease, details of all types of renal replacement therapy (RRT) (how and why), dialysis accidents, blood and imaging tests, laws and reimbursements, direct experiences and history of RRT. Remote monitoring and visual interactions are important for reassurance about HHD and should be provided. The requirements for the logo were that it be innovative, related to daily life, representative of a holistic approach and convey happiness. The logo "Hom-e-hem" was created, playing on the assonance between the religious term Om and the word home, with the e of electronic linking it with hem, short for hemodialysis. Brainstorming sessions can be used to design patient-tailored educational interventions. The key message, "self-care is a bridge from illness back to life," may apply to a wider context.

Electronic Creativity Techniques for Organizational Innovation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siau, Keng L.

1996-01-01

Discusses using advanced electronic and communication technology to improve organizational innovation. Group creativity techniques, such as electronic brainstorming, PMI (a brainstorming approach involving plus, minus, and interesting points), synectics, and their verbal counterparts are compared. Electronic PMI and synectics are found to be…

Guiding Students through the Writing Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Margaret, Ed.

1982-01-01

A variety of process-oriented writing instruction strategies are presented in this focused journal issue. Article titles and authors are as follows: (1) "Central Reference to the Rescue" (Rod Kessler); (2)"Brainstorming: A Heuristic that Works" (Frank C. Cronin); (3) "Brainstorming: A Valuable Supplemental Technique for…

Creative Reflections on Brainstorming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byron, Kevin

2012-01-01

Brainstorming is the default method of idea-generation in organisations, and is widely applied in higher education by students, academics and support staff. Its popularity is mainly attributable to an illusory belief that groups working together are more productive than individuals working apart. Shared responsibility, the need for collaboration…

Brainstorming for Ideas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mogahed, Mogahed M.

2011-01-01

Learners occasionally complain that they lack ideas when sitting down to write a composition. Teachers complain that they do not want to spend half the class time telling students what to write. There is an answer. Teachers brainstorm words connected with the topic in class before setting the composition for homework. The question remains: how to…

Information Requirements Specification II: Brainstorming Collective Decision-Making Technique.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Telem, Moshe

1988-01-01

Information requirements specification (IRS) constitutes an Achilles heel in the system life cycle of management information systems. This article establishes a systematic overall IRS technique applicable to organizations of all types and sizes. The technique's integration of brainstorming and theory Z principles creates an effective, stimulating,…

Strategies for Teaching Brainstorming in Design Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentzer, Nathan; Farrington, Shawn; Tennenhouse, Jason

2015-01-01

Innovation has been an important aspect of economic and scientific success in the United States for decades. Hobday, Coffey, Saalfeld, and Colwell (2011) suggested that, in order to produce innovative ideas, one must have a design-thinking mentality. This article provides the readers with an example of brainstorming techniques that have been…

Identifying determinants of care for tailoring implementation in chronic diseases: an evaluation of different methods.

PubMed

Krause, Jane; Van Lieshout, Jan; Klomp, Rien; Huntink, Elke; Aakhus, Eivind; Flottorp, Signe; Jaeger, Cornelia; Steinhaeuser, Jost; Godycki-Cwirko, Maciek; Kowalczyk, Anna; Agarwal, Shona; Wensing, Michel; Baker, Richard

2014-08-12

The tailoring of implementation interventions includes the identification of the determinants of, or barriers to, healthcare practice. Different methods for identifying determinants have been used in implementation projects, but which methods are most appropriate to use is unknown. The study was undertaken in five European countries, recommendations for a different chronic condition being addressed in each country: Germany (polypharmacy in multimorbid patients); the Netherlands (cardiovascular risk management); Norway (depression in the elderly); Poland (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease--COPD); and the United Kingdom (UK) (obesity). Using samples of professionals and patients in each country, three methods were compared directly: brainstorming amongst health professionals, interviews of health professionals, and interviews of patients. The additional value of discussion structured through reference to a checklist of determinants in addition to brainstorming, and determinants identified by open questions in a questionnaire survey, were investigated separately. The questionnaire, which included closed questions derived from a checklist of determinants, was administered to samples of health professionals in each country. Determinants were classified according to whether it was likely that they would inform the design of an implementation intervention (defined as plausibly important determinants). A total of 601 determinants judged to be plausibly important were identified. An additional 609 determinants were judged to be unlikely to inform an implementation intervention, and were classified as not plausibly important. Brainstorming identified 194 of the plausibly important determinants, health professional interviews 152, patient interviews 63, and open questions 48. Structured group discussion identified 144 plausibly important determinants in addition to those already identified by brainstorming. Systematic methods can lead to the identification of large numbers of determinants. Tailoring will usually include a process to decide, from all the determinants that are identified, those to be addressed by implementation interventions. There is no best buy of methods to identify determinants, and a combination should be used, depending on the topic and setting. Brainstorming is a simple, low cost method that could be relevant to many tailored implementation projects.

Segmentation Techniques for Expanding a Library Instruction Market: Evaluating and Brainstorming.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Rebecca; Hayes, Sherman; Gunter, Donna

2001-01-01

Describes a two-part segmentation technique applied to an instruction program for an academic library during a strategic planning process. Discusses a brainstorming technique used to create a list of existing and potential audiences, and then describes a follow-up review session that evaluated the past years' efforts. (Author/LRW)

Re-Operationalizing Established Groups in Brainstorming: Validating Osborn's Claims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Kenneth J.; Heuett, Kyle B.; Reno, Katie M.

2017-01-01

Since the introduction of brainstorming as an idea-generation technique to address organizational problems, researchers have struggled to replicate some of the claims around the technique. One major concern has been the differences in the number of ideas generated between established groups as found in industry versus the non-established groups…

Brainstorming Themes that Connect Art and Ideas across the Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walling, Donovan R.

2006-01-01

Ideas are starting points-for thought, discussion, reading, viewing, writing, and making. The two "brainstorms on paper" presented in this article illustrate how taking an idea and examining it from an artistic point of view can generate thematic starting points to help teachers and students connect the visual arts to ideas that ripple across the…

Expanding Third Graders' Vocabulary Using a Data Base, Individual Thesauri and Brainstorming Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaffuri, Ann

A practicum was developed to expand written vocabulary for third graders through training in using a data base and brainstorming strategies. Individual thesauri were written and published to demonstrate the results of collecting vocabulary and applying it to specific topics. Daily process writing became an integral part of the curriculum. Class…

The Effects of Group Size, Memory Instruction, and Session Length on the Creative Performance in Electronic Brainstorming Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coskun, Hamit

2011-01-01

In the literature, there has been a focus on the effectiveness of larger sized electronic brainstorming groups; however, mechanisms for its effectiveness still remain open to question and some methodological concerns (e.g., the evaluation of ideas and the typing speed, and the use of different formats) continue to be important problems. To…

Brainstorming for breakthrough thinking.

PubMed

Shirey, Maria R

2011-12-01

This department highlights change management strategies that may be used in strategically planning and executing organizational change initiatives. With the goal of presenting practical approaches helpful to nurse leaders advancing organizational change, content includes evidence-based projects, tools, and resources that mobilize and sustain organizational change initiatives. In this article, the author discusses brainstorming as a viable innovation technique and goal-based change intervention.

Standardization and future directions in pattern identification research: International brainstorming session.

PubMed

Jung, Jeeyoun; Park, Bongki; Lee, Ju Ah; You, Sooseong; Alraek, Terje; Bian, Zhao-Xiang; Birch, Stephen; Kim, Tae-Hun; Xu, Hao; Zaslawski, Chris; Kang, Byoung-Kab; Lee, Myeong Soo

2016-09-01

An international brainstorming session on standardizing pattern identification (PI) was held at the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine on October 1, 2013 in Daejeon, South Korea. This brainstorming session was convened to gather insights from international traditional East Asian medicine specialists regarding PI standardization. With eight presentations and discussion sessions, the meeting allowed participants to discuss research methods and diagnostic systems used in traditional medicine for PI. One speaker presented a talk titled "The diagnostic criteria for blood stasis syndrome: implications for standardization of PI". Four speakers presented on future strategies and objective measurement tools that could be used in PI research. Later, participants shared information and methodology for accurate diagnosis and PI. They also discussed the necessity for standardizing PI and methods for international collaborations in pattern research.

Single Operator Control of Multiple UAS: A Supervisory Delegation Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shively, Jay

2017-01-01

This presentation will be given as part of the UAS EXCOM Science and Research Panel's (SARP) workshop on multiple UAS controlled by a single operator. Participants were asked to identify public use cases for multiple Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) control and identify research, policy, and technical gaps in those operations. The purpose of this workshop is to brainstorm, categorize, and prioritize those use cases and gaps. Here, I will discuss research performed on this topic when I worked for the Army and on-going work within the division and a NATO working group on Human-Autonomy Teaming.

Examining Harry Thaw's "brain-storm" defense: APA and ANA presidents as expert witnesses in a 1907 trial.

PubMed

Pinta, Emil R

2008-06-01

In 1907, Harry K. Thaw, son of a railroad multi-millionaire, stood trial for shooting and killing architect Stanford White during the performance of a Broadway musical. The defense claimed that Thaw had experienced a "brain storm" causing temporary insanity. The brain-storm defense was ridiculed by professional groups, the public and the press. However, the defense experts were all respected leaders in their fields. They included five past or future presidents of the American Psychiatric Association and American Neurological Association. With no standard terminology in 1907, the much-maligned brain-storm diagnosis was in many respects an appropriate term for a sudden, drastic and temporary defect of reasoning having a physical cause. In spite of a strict test for mental nonresponsibility, the jury did not return a murder verdict.

"Where Will I Work When I Grow Up?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slobodzian, Jean

1984-01-01

Hearing impaired 7- and 8-year-olds participated in a social studies unit on the community that incorporated techniques of brainstorming, categorizing jobs, interviewing parents, and goal-setting. (CL)

Brainstorm: A User-Friendly Application for MEG/EEG Analysis

PubMed Central

Tadel, François; Baillet, Sylvain; Mosher, John C.; Pantazis, Dimitrios; Leahy, Richard M.

2011-01-01

Brainstorm is a collaborative open-source application dedicated to magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) data visualization and processing, with an emphasis on cortical source estimation techniques and their integration with anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. The primary objective of the software is to connect MEG/EEG neuroscience investigators with both the best-established and cutting-edge methods through a simple and intuitive graphical user interface (GUI). PMID:21584256

Improving extreme-scale problem solving: assessing electronic brainstorming effectiveness in an industrial setting.

PubMed

Dornburg, Courtney C; Stevens, Susan M; Hendrickson, Stacey M L; Davidson, George S

2009-08-01

An experiment was conducted to compare the effectiveness of individual versus group electronic brainstorming to address difficult, real-world challenges. Although industrial reliance on electronic communications has become ubiquitous, empirical and theoretical understanding of the bounds of its effectiveness have been limited. Previous research using short-term laboratory experiments have engaged small groups of students in answering questions irrelevant to an industrial setting. The present experiment extends current findings beyond the laboratory to larger groups of real-world employees addressing organization-relevant challenges during the course of 4 days. Employees and contractors at a national laboratory participated, either in a group setting or individually, in an electronic brainstorm to pose solutions to a real-world problem. The data demonstrate that (for this design) individuals perform at least as well as groups in producing quantity of electronic ideas, regardless of brainstorming duration. However, when judged with respect to quality along three dimensions (originality, feasibility, and effectiveness), the individuals significantly (p < .05) outperformed the group. When quality is used to benchmark success, these data indicate that work-relevant challenges are better solved by aggregating electronic individual responses rather than by electronically convening a group. This research suggests that industrial reliance on electronic problem-solving groups should be tempered, and large nominal groups may be more appropriate corporate problem-solving vehicles.

The role of community conversations in facilitating local HIV competence: case study from rural Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background This paper examines the potential for community conversations to strengthen positive responses to HIV in resource-poor environments. Community conversations are an intervention method through which local people work with a facilitator to collectively identify local strengths and challenges and brainstorm potential strategies for solving local problems. Methods We conducted 18 community conversations (with six groups at three points in time) with a total of 77 participants in rural Zimbabwe (20% HIV positive). Participants were invited to reflect on how they were responding to the challenges of HIV, both as individuals and in community groups, and to think of ways to better support openness about HIV, kindness towards people living with HIV and greater community uptake of HIV prevention and treatment. Results Community conversations contributed to local HIV competence through (1) enabling participants to brainstorm concrete action plans for responding to HIV, (2) providing a forum to develop a sense of common purpose in relation to implementing these, (3) encouraging and challenging participants to overcome fear, denial and passivity, (4) providing an opportunity for participants to move from seeing themselves as passive recipients of information to active problem solvers, and (5) reducing silence and stigma surrounding HIV. Conclusions Our discussion cautions that community conversations, while holding great potential to help communities recognize their potential strengths and capacities for responding more effectively to HIV, are not a magic bullet. Poverty, poor harvests and political instability frustrated and limited many participants’ efforts to put their plans into action. On the other hand, support from outside the community, in this case the increasing availability of antiretroviral treatment, played a vital role in enabling communities to challenge stigma and envision new, more positive, ways of responding to the epidemic. PMID:23590640

The role of community conversations in facilitating local HIV competence: case study from rural Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Campbell, Catherine; Nhamo, Mercy; Scott, Kerry; Madanhire, Claudius; Nyamukapa, Constance; Skovdal, Morten; Gregson, Simon

2013-04-17

This paper examines the potential for community conversations to strengthen positive responses to HIV in resource-poor environments. Community conversations are an intervention method through which local people work with a facilitator to collectively identify local strengths and challenges and brainstorm potential strategies for solving local problems. We conducted 18 community conversations (with six groups at three points in time) with a total of 77 participants in rural Zimbabwe (20% HIV positive). Participants were invited to reflect on how they were responding to the challenges of HIV, both as individuals and in community groups, and to think of ways to better support openness about HIV, kindness towards people living with HIV and greater community uptake of HIV prevention and treatment. Community conversations contributed to local HIV competence through (1) enabling participants to brainstorm concrete action plans for responding to HIV, (2) providing a forum to develop a sense of common purpose in relation to implementing these, (3) encouraging and challenging participants to overcome fear, denial and passivity, (4) providing an opportunity for participants to move from seeing themselves as passive recipients of information to active problem solvers, and (5) reducing silence and stigma surrounding HIV. Our discussion cautions that community conversations, while holding great potential to help communities recognize their potential strengths and capacities for responding more effectively to HIV, are not a magic bullet. Poverty, poor harvests and political instability frustrated and limited many participants' efforts to put their plans into action. On the other hand, support from outside the community, in this case the increasing availability of antiretroviral treatment, played a vital role in enabling communities to challenge stigma and envision new, more positive, ways of responding to the epidemic.

[Therapeutic education didactic techniques].

PubMed

Valverde, Maite; Vidal, Mercè; Jansa, Margarida

2012-10-01

This article includes an introduction to the role of Therapeutic Education for Diabetes treatment according to the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the Diabetes Education Study Group (DESG) of the "European Association for Study of Diabetes (EASD) and the clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) of the Spanish Ministry of Health. We analyze theoretical models and the differences between teaching vs. learning as well as current trends (including Internet), that can facilitate meaningful learning of people with diabetes and their families and relatives. We analyze the differences, similarities, advantages and disadvantages of individual and group education. Finally, we describe different educational techniques (metaplan, case method, brainstorming, role playing, games, seminars, autobiography, forums, chats,..) applicable to individual, group or virtual education and its application depending on the learning objective.

Conceptual PHES-system models of the Aysén watershed and fjord (Southern Chile): testing a brainstorming strategy.

PubMed

Marín, Víctor H; Delgado, Luisa E; Bachmann, Pamela

2008-09-01

The use of brainstorming techniques for the generation of conceptual models, as the basis for the integrated management of physical-ecological-social systems (PHES-systems) is tested and discussed. The methodology is applied in the analysis of the Aysén fjord and watershed (Southern Chilean Coast). Results show that the proposed methods can be adequately used in management scenarios characterized by highly hierarchical, experts/non-experts membership.

Ideas for Advancing Code Sharing: A Different Kind of Hack Day

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teuben, P.; Allen, A.; Berriman, B.; DuPrie, K.; Hanisch, R. J.; Mink, J.; Nemiroff, R. J.; Shamir, L.; Shortridge, K.; Taylor, M. B.; Wallin, J. F.

2014-05-01

How do we as a community encourage the reuse of software for telescope operations, data processing, and ? How can we support making codes used in research available for others to examine? Continuing the discussion from last year Bring out your codes! BoF session, participants separated into groups to brainstorm ideas to mitigate factors which inhibit code sharing and nurture those which encourage code sharing. The BoF concluded with the sharing of ideas that arose from the brainstorming sessions and a brief summary by the moderator.

Proteomics in India: A Report on a Brainstorming Meeting at Hyderabad, India

PubMed Central

Chatterjee, Bhaswati; Makarov, Alexander; Clemmer, David E.; Steen, Hanno; Steen, Judith; Saffell-Clemmer, Wendy; Moghekar, Abhay R.; Mohan Rao, Chintalagiri; Bradshaw, Ralph A.; Thakur, Suman S.

2016-01-01

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India, was host for an international forum, or “brainstorming meeting,” on proteomics held in November 2014, which provided the opportunity to showcase proteomic science in India and to allow discussions between Indian scientists and students and several international visitors. This provided an amalgamation of speakers and participants whose interests lay mainly in developing and using mass-spectrometry-based proteomics to advance their research work. A week-long workshop with hands-on training in proteomic methodology followed the meeting. PMID:27114450

Active Learning through Online Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulbahar, Yasemin; Kalelioglu, Filiz

2010-01-01

This article explores the use of proper instructional techniques in online discussions that lead to meaningful learning. The research study looks at the effective use of two instructional techniques within online environments, based on qualitative measures. "Brainstorming" and "Six Thinking Hats" were selected and implemented…

Identifying protein complexes based on brainstorming strategy.

PubMed

Shen, Xianjun; Zhou, Jin; Yi, Li; Hu, Xiaohua; He, Tingting; Yang, Jincai

2016-11-01

Protein complexes comprising of interacting proteins in protein-protein interaction network (PPI network) play a central role in driving biological processes within cells. Recently, more and more swarm intelligence based algorithms to detect protein complexes have been emerging, which have become the research hotspot in proteomics field. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm for identifying protein complexes based on brainstorming strategy (IPC-BSS), which is integrated into the main idea of swarm intelligence optimization and the improved K-means algorithm. Distance between the nodes in PPI network is defined by combining the network topology and gene ontology (GO) information. Inspired by human brainstorming process, IPC-BSS algorithm firstly selects the clustering center nodes, and then they are separately consolidated with the other nodes with short distance to form initial clusters. Finally, we put forward two ways of updating the initial clusters to search optimal results. Experimental results show that our IPC-BSS algorithm outperforms the other classic algorithms on yeast and human PPI networks, and it obtains many predicted protein complexes with biological significance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Affinity+: Semi-Structured Brainstorming on Large Displays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burtner, Edwin R.; May, Richard A.; Scarberry, Randall E.

2013-04-27

Affinity diagraming is a powerful method for encouraging and capturing lateral thinking in a group environment. The Affinity+ Concept was designed to improve the collaborative brainstorm process through the use of large display surfaces in conjunction with mobile devices like smart phones and tablets. The system works by capturing the ideas digitally and allowing users to sort and group them on a large touch screen manually. Additionally, Affinity+ incorporates theme detection, topic clustering, and other processing algorithms that help bring structured analytic techniques to the process without requiring explicit leadership roles and other overhead typically involved in these activities.

Proteomics in India: A Report on a Brainstorming Meeting at Hyderabad, India.

PubMed

Chatterjee, Bhaswati; Makarov, Alexander; Clemmer, David E; Steen, Hanno; Steen, Judith; Saffell-Clemmer, Wendy; Moghekar, Abhay R; Mohan Rao, Chintalagiri; Bradshaw, Ralph A; Thakur, Suman S

2016-07-01

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India, was host for an international forum, or "brainstorming meeting," on proteomics held in November 2014, which provided the opportunity to showcase proteomic science in India and to allow discussions between Indian scientists and students and several international visitors. This provided an amalgamation of speakers and participants whose interests lay mainly in developing and using mass-spectrometry-based proteomics to advance their research work. A week-long workshop with hands-on training in proteomic methodology followed the meeting. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Ideational conflict: the key to promoting creative activity in the workplace.

PubMed

Dagostino, Lorraine

1999-01-01

This article defines the concept of ideational conflict as it applies to the process of identifying a problem and developing a plan of action for resolving the problem. Then the article examines and illustrates how the ideational conflict that is generated by brainstorming can lead to creative thinking that resolves disparate points of view. The illustration extends the generally accepted view of brainstorming and applies it to identifying a problem related to the university/college work environment. The problem situation is that of the loss of high ability faculty and sutdents to other institutions.

Investigating the Effect of Discussion Prompts on Knowledge Construction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Ginger S.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of Andrews' (1980) three structured divergent prompt designs (Playground prompt, Brainstorm prompt, and Focal prompt) on knowledge construction. Sixty-five online graduate participants at a university in a South Atlantic state were a part of the study. Students' posts were analyzed using the…

Using concept mapping to explore why patients become lost to follow up from an antiretroviral therapy program in the Zomba District of Malawi

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Retention in antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes remains a challenge in many settings including Malawi, in part due to high numbers of losses to follow-up. Concept Mapping (CM), a mix-method participatory approach, was used to explore why patients on ART are lost to follow-up (LTFU) by identifying: 1) factors that influence patient losses to follow-up and 2) barriers to effective and efficient tracing in Zomba, Malawi. Methods CM sessions (brainstorming, sorting and rating, interpretation) were conducted in urban and rural settings in Zomba, Malawi. Participants included ART patients, ART providers, Health Surveillance Assistants, and health managers from the Zomba District Health Office. In brainstorming, participants generated statements in response to “A specific reason why an individual on ART becomes lost to follow-up is…” Participants then sorted and rated the consolidated list of brainstormed items. Analysis included inductive qualitative methods for grouping of data and quantitative cluster identification to produce visual maps which were then interpreted by participants. Results In total, 90 individuals brainstormed 371 statements, 64 consolidated statements were sorted (participant n = 46), and rated on importance and feasibility (participant n = 69). A nine-cluster concept map was generated and included both patient- and healthcare-related clusters such as: Stigma and Fears, Beliefs, Acceptance and Knowledge of ART, Access to ART, Poor Documentation, Social and Financial Support Issues, Health Worker Attitudes, Resources Needed for Effective Tracing, and Health Worker Issues Related to Tracing. Strategies to respond to the clusters were generated in Interpretation. Conclusions Multiple patient- and healthcare focused factors influence why patients become LTFU. Findings have implications particularly for programs with limited resources struggling with the retention of ART patients. PMID:23758879

Using concept mapping to explore why patients become lost to follow up from an antiretroviral therapy program in the Zomba District of Malawi.

PubMed

Rachlis, Beth; Ahmad, Farah; van Lettow, Monique; Muula, Adamson S; Semba, Medson; Cole, Donald C

2013-06-11

Retention in antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes remains a challenge in many settings including Malawi, in part due to high numbers of losses to follow-up. Concept Mapping (CM), a mix-method participatory approach, was used to explore why patients on ART are lost to follow-up (LTFU) by identifying: 1) factors that influence patient losses to follow-up and 2) barriers to effective and efficient tracing in Zomba, Malawi. CM sessions (brainstorming, sorting and rating, interpretation) were conducted in urban and rural settings in Zomba, Malawi. Participants included ART patients, ART providers, Health Surveillance Assistants, and health managers from the Zomba District Health Office. In brainstorming, participants generated statements in response to "A specific reason why an individual on ART becomes lost to follow-up is…" Participants then sorted and rated the consolidated list of brainstormed items. Analysis included inductive qualitative methods for grouping of data and quantitative cluster identification to produce visual maps which were then interpreted by participants. In total, 90 individuals brainstormed 371 statements, 64 consolidated statements were sorted (participant n = 46), and rated on importance and feasibility (participant n = 69). A nine-cluster concept map was generated and included both patient- and healthcare-related clusters such as: Stigma and Fears, Beliefs, Acceptance and Knowledge of ART, Access to ART, Poor Documentation, Social and Financial Support Issues, Health Worker Attitudes, Resources Needed for Effective Tracing, and Health Worker Issues Related to Tracing. Strategies to respond to the clusters were generated in Interpretation. Multiple patient- and healthcare focused factors influence why patients become LTFU. Findings have implications particularly for programs with limited resources struggling with the retention of ART patients.

Single Operator Control of Multiple UAS: A Supervisory Delegation Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shively, Jay

2017-01-01

This presentation will be given as part of the UAS EXCOM Science and Research Panel's (SARP) workshop on multiple UAS controlled by a single operator. Participants were asked to identify public use cases for multiple UAS control and identify research, policy and technical gaps in those operations. The purpose of this workshop is to brainstorm, categorize and prioritize those use canses and gaps. Here, I will discuss research performed on this topic when I worked for the Army and on-going work within the division and a NATO working group on Human-Autonomy Teaming.

The Academic Knowledge Management Model of Small Schools in Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tumtuma, Chamnan; Chantarasombat, Chalard; Yeamsang, Theerawat

2015-01-01

The Academic Knowledge Management Model of Small Schools in Thailand was created by research and development. The quantitative and qualitative data were collected via the following steps: a participatory workshop meeting, the formation of a team according to knowledge base, field study, brainstorming, group discussion, activities carried out…

POWER GENERATION USING MEGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC GENERATOR WITH A CIRCULATION FLOW DRIVEN BY SOLAR-HEAT-INDUCED NATURAL CONVECTION

EPA Science Inventory

The project team has theoretically studied the mechanism of magnetohydrodynamic generator, the coupling of heat transfer and buoyancy-driven free convection, and radiation heat transfer. A number of ideas for the projects have been brainstormed in the team. The underline physi...

Becoming Original: Effects of Strategy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van de Kamp, Marie-Thérèse; Admiraal, Wilfried; Rijlaarsdam, Gert

2016-01-01

Visual arts education focuses on creating original visual art products. A means to improve originality is enhancement of divergent thinking, indicated by fluency, flexibility and originality of ideas. In regular arts lessons, divergent thinking is mostly promoted through brainstorming. In a previous study, we found positive effects of an explicit…

Crossroads: Quality of Life in a Nuclear World. A High School Social Studies Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Dan; And Others

One of a set of high school curricula on nuclear issues, this 10-day social studies unit helps students understand the interrelationship of economics, the arms race, military spending, and the threat of nuclear war. Activities such as role plays, discussion, brainstorming, and problem solving develop students' abilities to evaluate issues and…

Social Studies Fresh Frontier for Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gewertz, Catherine

2011-01-01

Feeling that social studies has been sidelined by a test-driven focus on math and English/language arts, subject-matter specialists from more than a dozen states met last week with representatives of content-area groups to brainstorm ways to improve academic standards in that subject. The two-day gathering in Charlotte, N.C., is the third convened…

Applying a structured innovation process to interventional radiology: a single-center experience.

PubMed

Sista, Akhilesh K; Hwang, Gloria L; Hovsepian, David M; Sze, Daniel Y; Kuo, William T; Kothary, Nishita; Louie, John D; Yamada, Kei; Hong, Richard; Dhanani, Riaz; Brinton, Todd J; Krummel, Thomas M; Makower, Joshua; Yock, Paul G; Hofmann, Lawrence V

2012-04-01

To determine the feasibility and efficacy of applying an established innovation process to an active academic interventional radiology (IR) practice. The Stanford Biodesign Medical Technology Innovation Process was used as the innovation template. Over a 4-month period, seven IR faculty and four IR fellow physicians recorded observations. These observations were converted into need statements. One particular need relating to gastrostomy tubes was diligently screened and was the subject of a single formal brainstorming session. Investigators collected 82 observations, 34 by faculty and 48 by fellows. The categories that generated the most observations were enteral feeding (n = 9, 11%), biopsy (n = 8, 10%), chest tubes (n = 6, 7%), chemoembolization and radioembolization (n = 6, 7%), and biliary interventions (n = 5, 6%). The output from the screening on the gastrostomy tube need was a specification sheet that served as a guidance document for the subsequent brainstorming session. The brainstorming session produced 10 concepts under three separate categories. This formalized innovation process generated numerous observations and ultimately 10 concepts to potentially to solve a significant clinical need, suggesting that a structured process can help guide an IR practice interested in medical innovation. Copyright © 2012 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From development to implementation-A smartphone and email-based discharge follow-up program for pediatric patients after hospital discharge.

PubMed

Hopkins, Israel Green; Dunn, Kelly; Bourgeois, Fabienne; Rogers, Jayne; Chiang, Vincent W

2016-06-01

The purpose of this case study was to investigate opportunities to electronically enhance the transitions of care for both patients and providers and to describe the process of development and implementation of such tools. We describe the current challenges and fragmentation of care for pediatric patients and families being discharged from inpatient stays, and review barriers to change in practice. Care transitions vary in the complexity of the clinical and social scenarios and no one-size-fits-all approach works for every patient, provider or hospital system. A substantial challenge that providers who are designing and implementing digital tools for patients surrounds the complexity in building such tools to apply to such broad populations. Our case study provides a framework using a multidisciplinary approach, brainstorming and rapid digital prototyping to build an in-house electronic discharge follow-up platform. In describing this process, we review design and implementation measures that may further support digital tool development in other areas. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing English Writing Proficiency in Limited English Proficient College Students through Cooperative Learning Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gooden-Jones, Epsey M.; Carrasquillo, Angela L.

A study followed ten limited-English-proficient (LEP) community college students who were taught English largely using a cooperative learning approach. For four months, the students worked together using brainstorming techniques and collaborative reading and writing tasks. Task emphasis was on development of thinking skills through collaboration…

Attendance and Achievement in Problem-Based Learning: The Value of Scaffolding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Mike; Cook, Kathryn

2012-01-01

The impact of problem-based learning (PBL) in improving academic achievement comparedwith other forms of teaching is equivocal. This paper argues that poor tutorial preparation and vague reporting of the brainstorming stage of PBL are major contributing factors. To address these issues this study incorporated a scaffolding mechanism into the…

Beyond Idea Generation: The Power of Groups in Developing Ideas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMahon, Kibby; Ruggeri, Azzurra; Kämmer, Juliane E.; Katsikopoulos, Konstantinos V.

2016-01-01

Brainstorming research has claimed that individuals are more creative than groups. However, these conclusions are largely based on measuring creativity by the number of ideas generated, and researchers have tended to neglect other important components of creativity, such as the quality of developed ideas. These studies aim to address this gap in…

User-centered ecotourism development.

PubMed

Talsma, L; Molenbroek, J F M

2012-01-01

The transfer of knowledge in an ecotourism project is never a one-way affair. An approach connected to bottom-up development is the submersion into another culture, while creating a new organizational structure. For co-creation, patterns that are often latent, such as leadership roles, the association with business, or even the color of education can be revealed by carefully facilitated brainstorms or workshops. Especially in countries with a different hierarchical structure, such as Indonesia compared to Holland, a careful analysis is needed before starting cooperation. Although a case is only a temporary view on a situation and not a guarantee for a truly sustainable system, the bottom-up approach tested has interesting starting points for an ecotourism system. Two cases were conducted in Bali, Indonesia, which resulted in guidelines on how to approach user-centered ecotourism development.

Condition Based Maintenance Technology Impact Study: Assessment Methods, Study Design and Interim Results

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-01

Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, Structuration Model of Technology, UNCLASSIFIED DSTO-TR-2992 UNCLASSIFIED 5 Adaptive...Structuration Theory , Model of Mutual Adaptation, Model of Technology Appropriation, Diffusion/Implementation Model, and Tri-core Model, among others [11...simulation gaming essay/scenario writing genius forecasting role play/acting backcasting swot brainstorming relevance tree/logic chart scenario workshop

BrainStorm: a psychosocial game suite design for non-invasive cross-generational cognitive capabilities data collection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Faizan; Chen, Yiqiang; Hu, Lisha; Wang, Shuangquan; Wang, Jindong; Chen, Zhenyu; Jiang, Xinlong; Shen, Jianfei

2017-11-01

Currently available traditional as well as videogame-based cognitive assessment techniques are inappropriate due to several reasons. This paper presents a novel psychosocial game suite, BrainStorm, for non-invasive cross-generational cognitive capabilities data collection, which additionally provides cross-generational social support. A motivation behind the development of presented game suite is to provide an entertaining and exciting platform for its target users in order to collect gameplay-based cognitive capabilities data in a non-invasive manner. An extensive evaluation of the presented game suite demonstrated high acceptability and attraction for its target users. Besides, the data collection process is successfully reported as transparent and non-invasive.

Student ownership of projects in an upper-division optics laboratory course: A multiple case study of successful experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dounas-Frazer, Dimitri R.; Stanley, Jacob T.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2017-12-01

We investigate students' sense of ownership of multiweek final projects in an upper-division optics lab course. Using a multiple case study approach, we describe three student projects in detail. Within-case analyses focused on identifying key issues in each project, and constructing chronological descriptions of those events. Cross-case analysis focused on identifying emergent themes with respect to five dimensions of project ownership: student agency, instructor mentorship, peer collaboration, interest and value, and affective responses. Our within- and cross-case analyses yielded three major findings. First, coupling division of labor with collective brainstorming can help balance student agency, instructor mentorship, and peer collaboration. Second, students' interest in the project and perceptions of its value can increase over time; initial student interest in the project topic is not a necessary condition for student ownership of the project. Third, student ownership is characterized by a wide range of emotions that fluctuate as students alternate between extended periods of struggle and moments of success while working on their projects. These findings not only extend the literature on student ownership into a new educational domain—namely, upper-division physics labs—they also have concrete implications for the design of experimental physics projects in courses for which student ownership is a desired learning outcome. We describe the course and projects in sufficient detail that others can adapt our results to their particular contexts.

Secrets to Writing Great Papers. The Study Smart Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kesselman-Turkel, Judi; Peterson, Franklynn

This book explains how to work with ideas to hone them into words, providing techniques and exercises for brainstorming, choosing the right approach, working with an unknown or boring assigned topic, and selecting the best point of view. It presents 10 steps, noting related problems: (1) "Decide on Size" (no specific length is assigned);…

A Comparison of Traditional and Engaging Lecture Methods in a Large, Professional-Level Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Cynthia J.; McNear, Jacquee; Metz, Michael J.

2013-01-01

In engaging lectures, also referred to as broken or interactive lectures, students are given short periods of lecture followed by "breaks" that can consist of 1-min papers, problem sets, brainstorming sessions, or open discussion. While many studies have shown positive effects when engaging lectures are used in undergraduate settings,…

Anticipating cascading change in forests: Seeking a deeper understanding of the future

Treesearch

David N. Bengston; Mike Dockry; Stephen R. Shifley

2017-01-01

This study used a participatory group brainstorming process called the Futures Wheel to identify and evaluate the direct and higher-order implications of this trend: Central Hardwood forests lack age-class diversity and will uniformly grow old. Five 1st-order consequences of this trend were identified: continued significant decrease in early-successional forest,...

Constructing Student Knowledge in the Online Classroom: The Effectiveness of Focal Prompts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Ginger S.; LaCour, Misty M.; McGlawn, Penny A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of three Structured Divergent discussion board prompt designs on knowledge construction in a graduate online course. According to Andrews (1980), the form of the question affects the extent of the response within a discussion. The Playground prompt, the Brainstorming prompt, and the Focal prompt…

Public Health Nurses in Israel: A Case Study on a Quality Improvement Project of Nurse's Work Life.

PubMed

Kagan, Ilya; Shachaf, Sara; Rapaport, Zofia; Livne, Tzipi; Madjar, Batya

2017-01-01

Public health nurses (PHNs) working in Well Baby Clinic in Israel's Haifa district were voicing great distress to inspectors-the impossibility of meeting their workload, feeling overwhelmed, poor physical, and technological conditions. They were feeling tired and frustrated and burn-out was rising. The district's nursing management took the decision, together with Tel Aviv University's nursing research unit, to conduct a quality improvement project based on issues that arose from meetings with focus groups on the nurses' difficulties. This paper is a case study of a quality improvement project targeting nurses daily working life. One of its chief contributions is as a study of meeting PHNs' frustration by integrating focus groups and round-table brainstorming (involving nurses, clinic managers and nursing inspectors) in order to identify targets for practical intervention. This strategy has been very successful. It has provided the district's nursing management a battery of forcefully argued and realistically grounded proposals for making the work of Well Baby clinics more relevant to their communities and giving nurses (a) the conditions to meet their assignments and (b) greater professional self-respect. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Africa Yoga Project: A Participant-Driven Concept Map of Kenyan Teachers' Reported Experiences.

PubMed

Klein, Jessalyn E; Cook-Cottone, Catherine; Giambrone, Carla

2015-01-01

The Africa Yoga Project (AYP) trains and funds Kenyans to teach community yoga classes. Preliminary research with a small sample of AYP teachers suggested the program had a positive impact. This study used concept mapping to explore the experiences of a larger sample. Participants brainstormed statements about how practicing and/or teaching yoga changed them. They sorted statements into self-defined piles and rated them in terms of perceived importance. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) of sort data calculated statement coordinates wherein each statement is placed in proximity to other statements as a function of how frequently statements are sorted together by participants. These results are then and mapped in a two-dimensional space. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of these data identified clusters (i.e., concepts) among statements. Cluster average importance ratings gave the concept map depth and indicated concept importance. Bridging analysis and researchers' conceptual understanding of yoga literature facilitated HCA interpretive decisions. Of 72 AYP teachers, 52 and 48 teachers participated in brainstorming and sorting/rating activities, respectively. Teachers brainstormed 93 statements about how they had changed. The resultant MDS statement map had adequate validity (stress value = .29). HCA created a 12-cluster solution with the following concepts of perceived change: Identity as a Yoga Teacher; Prosocial Development; Existential Possibility; Genuine Positive Regard; Value and Respect for Others (highest importance); Presence, Acceptance, and Competence; Service and Trust; Non-judgment and Emotion Regulation (lowest importance); Engagement and Connection; Interpersonal Effectiveness; Psychosocial Functioning; and Physical Competence and Security. Teachers perceived the AYP as facilitating change across physical, mental, and spiritual domains. Additional research is needed to quantify and compare this change to other health promotion program outcomes.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Domke, W.K.; Krantz, S.; Stulberg, A.

This report is an overview of the discussions and papers given at a workshop and brainstorming secession on missile proliferation. The relationship between missiles and nuclear and chemical weapons are also discussed. (JEF)

Adolescents Can Know Best: Using concept mapping to identify factors and pathways driving adolescent sexuality in Lima, Peru

PubMed Central

Bayer, Angela M.; Cabrera, Lilia Z.; Gilman, Robert H.; Hindin, Michelle J.; Tsui, Amy O.

2011-01-01

The primary objective of this study was to identify and describe individual- and environmental-level factors that Peruvian adolescents perceive to be related to adolescent sexuality. A series of concept mapping sessions were carried out from January-March 2006 with 63 15–17 year olds from a low-income community near Lima in order for adolescents to (1) brainstorm items that they thought were related to sexuality (2) sort, group and rate items to score their importance for sexuality-related outcomes, and (3) create pathways from the groups of items to engaging in sex. Brainstorming resulted in 61 items, which participants grouped into 11 clusters. The highest rated clusters were personal values, respect and confidence in relationships, future achievements and parent-child communication. The pathway of decision-making about having sex primarily contained items rated as only moderately important. This study identified important understudied factors, new perspectives on previously-recognized factors, and possible pathways to sexual behavior. These interesting, provocative findings underscore the importance of directly integrating adolescent voices into future sexual and reproductive health research, policies and programs that target this population. PMID:20382462

The Facebook Influence Model: A Concept Mapping Approach

PubMed Central

Kota, Rajitha; Schoohs, Shari; Whitehill, Jennifer M.

2013-01-01

Abstract Facebook is a popular social media Web site that has been hypothesized to exert potential influence over users' attitudes, intentions, or behaviors. The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework to explain influential aspects of Facebook. This mixed methods study applied concept mapping methodology, a validated five-step method to visually represent complex topics. The five steps comprise preparation, brainstorming, sort and rank, analysis, and interpretation. College student participants were identified using purposeful sampling. The 80 participants had a mean age of 20.5 years, and included 36% males. A total of 169 statements were generated during brainstorming, and sorted into between 6 and 22 groups. The final concept map included 13 clusters. Interpretation data led to grouping of clusters into four final domains, including connection, comparison, identification, and Facebook as an experience. The Facebook Influence Concept Map illustrates key constructs that contribute to influence, incorporating perspectives of older adolescent Facebook users. While Facebook provides a novel lens through which to consider behavioral influence, it can best be considered in the context of existing behavioral theory. The concept map may be used toward development of potential future intervention efforts. PMID:23621717

The Facebook influence model: a concept mapping approach.

PubMed

Moreno, Megan A; Kota, Rajitha; Schoohs, Shari; Whitehill, Jennifer M

2013-07-01

Facebook is a popular social media Web site that has been hypothesized to exert potential influence over users' attitudes, intentions, or behaviors. The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework to explain influential aspects of Facebook. This mixed methods study applied concept mapping methodology, a validated five-step method to visually represent complex topics. The five steps comprise preparation, brainstorming, sort and rank, analysis, and interpretation. College student participants were identified using purposeful sampling. The 80 participants had a mean age of 20.5 years, and included 36% males. A total of 169 statements were generated during brainstorming, and sorted into between 6 and 22 groups. The final concept map included 13 clusters. Interpretation data led to grouping of clusters into four final domains, including connection, comparison, identification, and Facebook as an experience. The Facebook Influence Concept Map illustrates key constructs that contribute to influence, incorporating perspectives of older adolescent Facebook users. While Facebook provides a novel lens through which to consider behavioral influence, it can best be considered in the context of existing behavioral theory. The concept map may be used toward development of potential future intervention efforts.

Food Production Info Sharing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-13

Scientists in the Exploration Research and Technology Directorate brainstorm innovative approaches to food production with industry representatives at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Brainstorming: weighted voting prediction of inhibitors for protein targets.

PubMed

Plewczynski, Dariusz

2011-09-01

The "Brainstorming" approach presented in this paper is a weighted voting method that can improve the quality of predictions generated by several machine learning (ML) methods. First, an ensemble of heterogeneous ML algorithms is trained on available experimental data, then all solutions are gathered and a consensus is built between them. The final prediction is performed using a voting procedure, whereby the vote of each method is weighted according to a quality coefficient calculated using multivariable linear regression (MLR). The MLR optimization procedure is very fast, therefore no additional computational cost is introduced by using this jury approach. Here, brainstorming is applied to selecting actives from large collections of compounds relating to five diverse biological targets of medicinal interest, namely HIV-reverse transcriptase, cyclooxygenase-2, dihydrofolate reductase, estrogen receptor, and thrombin. The MDL Drug Data Report (MDDR) database was used for selecting known inhibitors for these protein targets, and experimental data was then used to train a set of machine learning methods. The benchmark dataset (available at http://bio.icm.edu.pl/∼darman/chemoinfo/benchmark.tar.gz ) can be used for further testing of various clustering and machine learning methods when predicting the biological activity of compounds. Depending on the protein target, the overall recall value is raised by at least 20% in comparison to any single machine learning method (including ensemble methods like random forest) and unweighted simple majority voting procedures.

Lessons learned in the deployment of a HIV counseling and testing management information system on a new project.

PubMed

Makinde, Olusesan A; Ezomike, Chioma F; Lehmann, Harold P; Ibanga, Iko J

2011-11-28

To share our experience on how we used simple but detailed processes and deployed a management information system on a new HIV counseling and testing (HCT) project in Nigeria. The procedures used in this study were adopted for their strength in identifying areas of continuous improvement as the project was implemented. We used an iterative brainstorming technique among 30 participants (volunteer counselors and project management staff) as well as iterative quality audits to identify several limitations to the success of the project and to propose solutions. We then implemented the solutions and reevaluated for performance. Findings from the evaluations were then reintroduced into the brainstorming and planning sessions. Several limitations were identified with the most prominent being the poor documentation of records at the site and the lack of a document transfer trail for audit purposes. Communication, cohesion and team focus are necessary to achieve success on any new project. Institutionalizing routine HIV behavioral surveillance using data collected at HCT will help in streamlining interventions that will be evidence-based. 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

REASONS FOR ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE USE BEYOND CIGARETTE SMOKING CESSATION: A CONCEPT MAPPING APPROACH

PubMed Central

Soule, Eric K.; Rosas, Scott R.; Nasim, Aashir

2016-01-01

Introduction Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) continue to grow in popularity, however, limited research has examined reasons for ECIG use. Methods This study used an integrated, mixed-method participatory research approach called concept mapping (CM) to characterize and describe adults’ reasons for using ECIGs. A total of 108 adults completed a multi-module online CM study that consisted of brainstorming statements about their reasons for ECIG use, sorting each statement into conceptually similar categories, and then rating each statement based on whether it represented a reason why they have used an ECIG in the past month. Results Participants brainstormed a total of 125 unique statements related to their reasons for ECIG use. Multivariate analyses generated a map revealing 11, interrelated components or domains that characterized their reasons for use. Importantly, reasons related to Cessation Methods, Perceived Health Benefits, Private Regard, Convenience and Conscientiousness were rated significantly higher than other categories/types of reasons related to ECIG use (p<.05). There also were significant model differences in participants’ endorsement of reasons based on their demography and ECIG behaviors. Conclusions This study shows that ECIG users are motivated to use ECIGs for many reasons. ECIG regulations should address these reasons for ECIG use in addition to smoking cessation. PMID:26803400

Reasons for electronic cigarette use beyond cigarette smoking cessation: A concept mapping approach.

PubMed

Soule, Eric K; Rosas, Scott R; Nasim, Aashir

2016-05-01

Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) continue to grow in popularity, however, limited research has examined reasons for ECIG use. This study used an integrated, mixed-method participatory research approach called concept mapping (CM) to characterize and describe adults' reasons for using ECIGs. A total of 108 adults completed a multi-module online CM study that consisted of brainstorming statements about their reasons for ECIG use, sorting each statement into conceptually similar categories, and then rating each statement based on whether it represented a reason why they have used an ECIG in the past month. Participants brainstormed a total of 125 unique statements related to their reasons for ECIG use. Multivariate analyses generated a map revealing 11, interrelated components or domains that characterized their reasons for use. Importantly, reasons related to Cessation Methods, Perceived Health Benefits, Private Regard, Convenience and Conscientiousness were rated significantly higher than other categories/types of reasons related to ECIG use (p<.05). There also were significant model differences in participants' endorsement of reasons based on their demography and ECIG behaviors. This study shows that ECIG users are motivated to use ECIGs for many reasons. ECIG regulations should address these reasons for ECIG use in addition to smoking cessation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Source-Modeling Auditory Processes of EEG Data Using EEGLAB and Brainstorm.

PubMed

Stropahl, Maren; Bauer, Anna-Katharina R; Debener, Stefan; Bleichner, Martin G

2018-01-01

Electroencephalography (EEG) source localization approaches are often used to disentangle the spatial patterns mixed up in scalp EEG recordings. However, approaches differ substantially between experiments, may be strongly parameter-dependent, and results are not necessarily meaningful. In this paper we provide a pipeline for EEG source estimation, from raw EEG data pre-processing using EEGLAB functions up to source-level analysis as implemented in Brainstorm. The pipeline is tested using a data set of 10 individuals performing an auditory attention task. The analysis approach estimates sources of 64-channel EEG data without the prerequisite of individual anatomies or individually digitized sensor positions. First, we show advanced EEG pre-processing using EEGLAB, which includes artifact attenuation using independent component analysis (ICA). ICA is a linear decomposition technique that aims to reveal the underlying statistical sources of mixed signals and is further a powerful tool to attenuate stereotypical artifacts (e.g., eye movements or heartbeat). Data submitted to ICA are pre-processed to facilitate good-quality decompositions. Aiming toward an objective approach on component identification, the semi-automatic CORRMAP algorithm is applied for the identification of components representing prominent and stereotypic artifacts. Second, we present a step-wise approach to estimate active sources of auditory cortex event-related processing, on a single subject level. The presented approach assumes that no individual anatomy is available and therefore the default anatomy ICBM152, as implemented in Brainstorm, is used for all individuals. Individual noise modeling in this dataset is based on the pre-stimulus baseline period. For EEG source modeling we use the OpenMEEG algorithm as the underlying forward model based on the symmetric Boundary Element Method (BEM). We then apply the method of dynamical statistical parametric mapping (dSPM) to obtain physiologically plausible EEG source estimates. Finally, we show how to perform group level analysis in the time domain on anatomically defined regions of interest (auditory scout). The proposed pipeline needs to be tailored to the specific datasets and paradigms. However, the straightforward combination of EEGLAB and Brainstorm analysis tools may be of interest to others performing EEG source localization.

What If They Just Want To Write?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilmar, Sybil

1979-01-01

Writing workshops are held for gifted students (7 to 15 years old) and include journalism, guidebook, and fiction work with critical analysis of each other's writing. Sample exercises and brainstorming techniques are discussed. (CL)

Thirteen Strategies to Improve Oral Communication Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clinkscale, Bella G.

1979-01-01

The group strategies that are discussed include brainstorming, problem solving, debate, games, the lecture forum, open forums, panel discussion, question and answer sessions, role playing, quizzes, roundtable discussions, success-storytelling, and the symposium. (RL)

Fall Prevention: Simple Tips to Prevent Falls

MedlinePlus

... she can help you brainstorm other fall-prevention strategies. Some solutions are easily installed and relatively inexpensive. Others may require professional help or a larger investment. If you're concerned about the cost, remember ...

Brainstorming Design for Health: Helping Patients Utilize Patient-Generated Information on the Web

PubMed Central

Huh, Jina; Hartzler, Andrea; Munson, Sean; Anderson, Nick; Edwards, Kelly; Gore, John L.; McDonald, David; O’Leary, Jim; Parker, Andrea; Streat, Derek; Yetisgen-Yildiz, Meliha; Pratt, Wanda; Ackerman, Mark S.

2013-01-01

Researchers and practitioners show increasing sinterest in utilizing patient-generated information on the Web. Although the HCI and CSCW communities have provided many exciting opportunities for exploring new ideas and building broad agenda in health, few venues offer a platform for interdisciplinary and collaborative brainstorming about design challenges and opportunities in this space. The goal of this workshop is to provide participants with opportunities to interact with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and practices—researchers, practitioners, designers, programmers, and ethnographers—and together generate tangible design outcomes that utilize patient-generated information on the Web. Through small multidisciplinary group work, we will provide participants with new collaboration opportunities, understanding of the state of the art, inspiration for future work, and ideally avenues for continuing to develop research and design ideas generated at the workshop. PMID:24499843

The Views of Turkish Pre-Service Teachers about Effectiveness of Cluster Method as a Teaching Writing Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitis, Emine; Türkel, Ali

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to find out Turkish pre-service teachers' views on effectiveness of cluster method as a writing teaching method. The Cluster Method can be defined as a connotative creative writing method. The way the method works is that the person who brainstorms on connotations of a word or a concept in abscence of any kind of…

Stakeholders' contributions to tailored implementation programs: an observational study of group interview methods.

PubMed

Huntink, Elke; van Lieshout, Jan; Aakhus, Eivind; Baker, Richard; Flottorp, Signe; Godycki-Cwirko, Maciek; Jäger, Cornelia; Kowalczyk, Anna; Szecsenyi, Joachim; Wensing, Michel

2014-12-06

Tailored strategies to implement evidence-based practice can be generated in several ways. In this study, we explored the usefulness of group interviews for generating these strategies, focused on improving healthcare for patients with chronic diseases. Participants included at least four categories of stakeholders (researchers, quality officers, health professionals, and external stakeholders) in five countries. Interviews comprised brainstorming followed by a structured interview and focused on different chronic conditions in each country. We compared the numbers and types of strategies between stakeholder categories and between interview phases. We also determined which strategies were actually used in tailored intervention programs. In total, 127 individuals participated in 25 group interviews across five countries. Brainstorming generated 8 to 120 strategies per group; structured interviews added 0 to 55 strategies. Healthcare professionals and researchers provided the largest numbers of strategies. The type of strategies for improving healthcare practice did not differ systematically between stakeholder groups in four of the five countries. In three out of five countries, all components of the chosen intervention programs were mentioned by the group of researchers. Group interviews with different stakeholder categories produced many strategies for tailored implementation of evidence-based practice, of which the content was largely similar across stakeholder categories.

Creative Thinking Package

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Clive

1972-01-01

A look at the latest package from a British managment training organization, which explains and demonstrates creative thinking techniques, including brainstorming. The package, designed for groups of twelve or more, consists of tapes, visuals, and associated exercises. (Editor/JB)

Global Morning: A Consumer Awareness Activity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Mary Gale

1995-01-01

Presents a script designed to teach students about the extent of global interdependence and the costs in human, environmental, social, and economic terms. Includes questions for discussion, brainstorming suggestions for action, and assessing action questions. (MKR)

Food Production Info Sharing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-12

Bryan Onate, Advanced Plant Habitat project manager, with the Exploration Research and Technology Directorate, brainstorms innovative approaches to food production with industry representatives inside a laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

RX for Writer's Block.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tompkins, Gail E.; Camp, Donna J.

1988-01-01

Describes four prewriting techniques that elementary and middle grade students can use to gather and organize ideas for writing, and by so doing, cure writer's block. Techniques discussed are: (1) brainstorming; (2) clustering; (3) freewriting; and (4) cubing.

What-if-not? An Elaboration and Second Illustration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Stephen I.; Walter, Marion I.

1970-01-01

Afurther analysis of a brainstorming technique, described in an earlier article, which can be used to encourage mathematics students to pose new problems. The technique should also be valuable to teachers and curriculum writers. (FL)

Writing with a Personal Voice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rico, Gabriele Lusser

1985-01-01

Clustering is a nonlinear brainstorming technique that can encourage children's natural writing ability by helping them draw on their need to make patterns out of their experience. Tips for introducing cluster writing into the classroom are offered. (MT)

Creater-cizes: Creativity Exercises.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rule, Michael

1998-01-01

Creativity exercises, or creater-cizes, can help camp staff generate ideas and solve problems. Common techniques are brainstorming, story-boarding, analogies and metaphors, association and free association, spinning, and lists. Defines and gives examples of each technique. (SAS)

Technical Progress: Three Ways to Keep Up.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patterson, J. Wayne; And Others

1988-01-01

The authors analyzed three techniques employed in technological forecasting: (1) brainstorming, (2) extrapolation, and (3) scenario writing. They argue that these techniques have value to practitioners, particularly managers, who are often affected by technological change. (CH)

A Structured Approach to Teaching Applied Problem Solving through Technology Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischbach, Fritz A.; Sell, Nancy J.

1986-01-01

Describes an approach to problem solving based on real-world problems. Discusses problem analysis and definitions, preparation of briefing documents, solution finding techniques (brainstorming and synectics), solution evaluation and judgment, and implementation. (JM)

Stimulated by Novelty? The Role of Psychological Needs and Perceived Creativity

PubMed Central

De Jonge, Kiki M. M.; Rietzschel, Eric F.; Van Yperen, Nico W.

2018-01-01

In the current research, we aimed to address the inconsistent finding in the brainstorming literature that cognitive stimulation sometimes results from novel input, yet other times from non-novel input. We expected and found, in three experiments, that the strength and valence of this relationship are moderated by people’s psychological needs for structure and autonomy. Specifically, the effect of novel input (vs. non-novel input), through perceived creativity, on cognitive stimulation was stronger for people who were either low in need for structure or high in need for autonomy. Also, when the input people received did not fit their needs, they experienced less psychological cognitive stimulation from this input (i.e., less task enjoyment and feeling more blocked) compared with when they did not receive any input. Hence, to create the ideal circumstances for people to achieve cognitive stimulation when brainstorming, input novelty should be aligned with their psychological needs. PMID:29405847

Breakthrough thinking from inside the box.

PubMed

Coyne, Kevin P; Clifford, Patricia Gorman; Dye, Renée

2007-12-01

Companies often begin their search for great ideas either by encouraging wild, outside-the-box thinking or by conducting quantitative analysis of existing market and financial data and customer opinions. Those approaches can produce middling ideas at best, say Coyne, founder of an executive-counseling firm in Atlanta, and Clifford and Dye, strategy experts at McKinsey. The problem with the first method is that few people are very good at unstructured, abstract brainstorming. The problems with the second are that databases are usually compiled to describe current--not future--offerings, and customers rarely can tell you whether they need or want a product if they've never seen it. The secret to getting your organization to regularly generate lots of good ideas, and occasionally some great ones, is deceptively simple: First, create new boxes for people to think within so that they don't get lost in the cosmos and they have a basis for offering ideas and knowing whether they're making progress in the brainstorming session. Second, redesign ideation processes to remove obstacles that interfere with the flow of ideas--such as most people's aversion to speaking in groups larger than ten. This article offers a tested approach that poses concrete questions. For example, what do Rollerblades, Häagen-Dazs ice cream, and Spider-Man movies have in common? The answer: Each is something that adults loved as children and that was reproduced in an expensive form for grown-ups. Asking brainstorming participants to ponder how their childhood passions could be recast as adult offerings might generate some fabulous ideas for new products or services.

Toward Green Challenge Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Karl E.

1999-01-01

Designing environmentally friendly challenge courses involves considering factors such as clearing, trees versus poles, soil erosion and compaction, toilet design, waste disposal, and carrying capacity. Strategies used in "green development" such as systems thinking, solution multipliers, and brainstorming with stakeholders could promote…

Changing physician knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about migraine: evaluation of a new educational intervention.

PubMed

Patwardhan, Meenal B; Samsa, Gregory P; Lipton, Richard B; Matchar, David B

2006-05-01

Use a presurvey of primary care providers (PCPs) enrolled in a continuing medical education (CME) program on headache management to ascertain their existing knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding migraine and use a postsurvey to determine the extent to which the CME program has brought participant knowledge, attitudes, and skills closer to conformance with best evidence. Migraine is a common and debilitating condition, which PCPs may not always manage satisfactorily. In an effort to improve management, the American Headache Society has developed a CME program called BRAINSTORM that encourages PCPs to adopt the US Headache Consortium Guidelines for headache care. A 20-item questionnaire was developed that covered the essential elements of migraine care. The questionnaire was administered before and after a BRAINSTORM presentation to 254 consenting primary care clinicians attending a medical meeting at 1 of 6 sites. A control group of 112 comparable physicians who did not attend the presentation completed the same questionnaire. Prepresentation scores of attendees were compared to scores of nonattendees to assess the generalizability of results. Prepresentation scores on selected questions were used to assess participant baseline knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. Pre- and postpresentation scores for attendees at all sites were compared using the Mantel-Haenszel statistic to assess the effectiveness of the BRAINSTORM CME. Pre- and postpresentation scores were compared by site using the Breslow-Day test to evaluate any differential impact based on CME location. Prepresentation scores of attendees and nonattendees were found to be similar. No significant difference in performance was noted across sites. A chi-square analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between pre- and postpresentation scores for 16 of the test's 20 questions. In the pretest, all participants scored <66% on 2 questions related to prevalence, impact, and pathophysiology of migraine, 2 questions pertaining to history taking/physical examination, and 3 migraine management questions. Attendee scores improved to >66% posttest on all except 2 questions related to prevalence, impact, and pathophysiology of migraine. Our results indicate that PCPs need to acquire greater understanding about the epidemiology and pathophysiology of migraine and may require guidance in history taking and physical examination of migraine patients. Improvement in scores posttest confirms that the BRAINSTORM program has a significant immediate impact on the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of participants. The program could be strengthened to improve emphasis in some areas where posttest scores showed no improvement.

Development of a smartphone app for adolescents with lupus: a collaborative meeting-based methodology inclusive of a wide range of stakeholders.

PubMed

Herschman, Jessica; Kasenberg, Todd; Levy, Deborah; Ruth, Natasha; Taberner, Christy; Kaufman, Miriam; Regina, Andrea

2014-01-01

Traditional challenges of creating a medical app include hearing the voices of various stakeholders as a collective rather than in a consultative process that is sequential. This report describes the development of a mobile (smartphone) app for adolescents with lupus as well as the process that was used to overcome the challenge described above. The development of the smartphone app addressed optimal ways to incorporate information about 1) lupus, including the effects of both the disease and the medications used to treat it; 2) how life choices can affect lupus patients' condition; and 3) ways to increase self-management and communication. The collaborative concept-generating and requirements-gathering methodology was used during a two-day workshop with a range of stakeholders (ages 16 - 59 years) that focused on leveraging user-centered design methods to generate guidance to mobile app developers. The app development process conducted during the workshop included the following steps: 1) recruiting a goal-focused collaborative group, 2) defining app objectives, 3) evaluating potential needs of users, 4) brainstorming app features and use-case modeling, 5) reviewing existing app features and prototypes, 6) refining functionalities, 7) writing user narratives, 8) visualizing navigation and feature design, and 9) identifying content. The use of creative devices such as drawing interfaces fostered fun, engagement, and sustained energy, and the use of a brainstorming technique leveraged methods that ensured an inclusive process so that even participants who were shy, quiet, or easily intimidated by "professionals" felt confident to contribute. In addition to a name change for the app, project outcomes included the selection of the following app features: symptom tracking; appointment and medication reminders; a social media component; a medical summary; easy navigation; informational content; gamification; and personalization (options for customization).

Describing the organisational culture of a selection of community pharmacies using a tool borrowed from social science.

PubMed

Scahill, Shane; Harrison, Jeff; Carswell, Peter

2010-02-01

To describe the dimensions of organisational culture within a selection of community pharmacies. Community pharmacy in the New Zealand primary care sector which is partially government funded and currently undergoing major reform. Community pharmacy is under pressure to take on new roles, integrate within the wider primary care team and deliver the expectations of contemporary health policy. The mixed methods approach of concept mapping was undertaken with 10 representatives from six community pharmacies selected as case sites. The process was split into three parts (a) face to face brainstorming to generate statements describing culture, followed by (b) statement reduction, piloting and approval of statement list by participants, followed by (c) sorting the statements into 'like' groups. Multidimensional scaling analysis of participant sorting allows the development of discrete clusters of statements that describe aspects of organizational culture. A set of 105 statements were generated at the brainstorming meeting. Eight clusters of organisational culture resulted from participant sorting: leadership and staff management; valuing each other and the team; free thinking, fun and open to challenge; trusted behaviour; customer relations; focus on external integration; providing systematic advice; embracing innovation. Community pharmacy is under pressure to take on new roles and deliver and there is some evidence organisational culture of pharmacy may be a barrier. Our paper outlines the development of a survey instrument for describing organisational culture through Concept mapping, a tool borrowed from social sciences. This tool can be used for exploration of aspects of culture that may be important in the change management process for improving the effectiveness of community pharmacy as expected by contemporary primary health care policy.

Does drywall installers' innovative idea reduce the ergonomic exposures of ceiling installation: A field case study.

PubMed

Dasgupta, Priyadarshini Sengupta; Punnett, Laura; Moir, Susan; Kuhn, Sarah; Buchholz, Bryan

2016-07-01

The study was conducted to assess an intervention suggested by the workers to reduce the physical or ergonomic exposures of the drywall installation task. The drywall installers were asked to brainstorm on innovative ideas that could reduce their ergonomic exposures during the drywall installation work. The workers proposed the idea of using a 'deadman' (narrow panel piece) to hold the panels to the ceiling while installing them. The researcher collected quantitative exposure data (PATH, 3DSSPP) at the baseline and intervention phases and compared the phases to find out any change in the exposure while using the 'deadman'. Results showed that ergonomic exposures (such as overhead arm and awkward trunk postures and heavy load handling) were reduced at the intervention phase while using the 'deadman' with an electrically operated lift. The concept of the 'deadman', which was shown to help reduce musculoskeletal exposures during ceiling installation, can be used to fabricate a permanent ergonomic tool to support the ceiling drywall panel. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Developing an agenda for research about policies to improve access to healthy foods in rural communities: a concept mapping study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Policies that improve access to healthy, affordable foods may improve population health and reduce health disparities. In the United States most food access policy research focuses on urban communities even though residents of rural communities face disproportionately higher risk for nutrition-related chronic diseases compared to residents of urban communities. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify the factors associated with access to healthy, affordable food in rural communities in the United States; and (2) prioritize a meaningful and feasible rural food policy research agenda. Methods This study was conducted by the Rural Food Access Workgroup (RFAWG), a workgroup facilitated by the Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network. A national sample of academic and non-academic researchers, public health and cooperative extension practitioners, and other experts who focus on rural food access and economic development was invited to complete a concept mapping process that included brainstorming the factors that are associated with rural food access, sorting and organizing the factors into similar domains, and rating the importance of policies and research to address these factors. As a last step, RFAWG members convened to interpret the data and establish research recommendations. Results Seventy-five participants in the brainstorming exercise represented the following sectors: non-extension research (n = 27), non-extension program administration (n = 18), “other” (n = 14), policy advocacy (n = 10), and cooperative extension service (n = 6). The brainstorming exercise generated 90 distinct statements about factors associated with rural food access in the United States; these were sorted into 5 clusters. Go Zones were established for the factors that were rated highly as both a priority policy target and a priority for research. The highest ranked policy and research priorities include strategies designed to build economic viability in rural communities, improve access to federal food and nutrition assistance programs, improve food retail systems, and increase the personal food production capacity of rural residents. Respondents also prioritized the development of valid and reliable research methodologies to measure variables associated with rural food access. Conclusions This collaborative, trans-disciplinary, participatory process, created a map to guide and prioritize research about polices to improve healthy, affordable food access in rural communities. PMID:24919425

Use of multiple methods to determine factors affecting quality of care of patients with diabetes.

PubMed

Khunti, K

1999-10-01

The process of care of patients with diabetes is complex; however, GPs are playing a greater role in its management. Despite the research evidence, the quality of care of patients with diabetes is variable. In order to improve care, information is required on the obstacles faced by practices in improving care. Qualitative and quantitative methods can be used for formation of hypotheses and the development of survey procedures. However, to date few examples exist in general practice research on the use of multiple methods using both quantitative and qualitative techniques for hypothesis generation. We aimed to determine information on all factors that may be associated with delivery of care to patients with diabetes. Factors for consideration on delivery of diabetes care were generated by multiple qualitative methods including brainstorming with health professionals and patients, a focus group and interviews with key informants which included GPs and practice nurses. Audit data showing variations in care of patients with diabetes were used to stimulate the brainstorming session. A systematic literature search focusing on quality of care of patients with diabetes in primary care was also conducted. Fifty-four potential factors were identified by multiple methods. Twenty (37.0%) were practice-related factors, 14 (25.9%) were patient-related factors and 20 (37.0%) were organizational factors. A combination of brainstorming and the literature review identified 51 (94.4%) factors. Patients did not identify factors in addition to those identified by other methods. The complexity of delivery of care to patients with diabetes is reflected in the large number of potential factors identified in this study. This study shows the feasibility of using multiple methods for hypothesis generation. Each evaluation method provided unique data which could not otherwise be easily obtained. This study highlights a way of combining various traditional methods in an attempt to overcome the deficiencies and bias that may occur when using a single method. Similar methods can also be used to generate hypotheses for other exploratory research. An important responsibility of health authorities and primary care groups will be to assess the health needs of their local populations. Multiple methods could also be used to identify and commission services to meet these needs.

Developing an agenda for research about policies to improve access to healthy foods in rural communities: a concept mapping study.

PubMed

Johnson, Donna B; Quinn, Emilee; Sitaker, Marilyn; Ammerman, Alice; Byker, Carmen; Dean, Wesley; Fleischhacker, Sheila; Kolodinsky, Jane; Pinard, Courtney; Pitts, Stephanie B Jilcott; Sharkey, Joseph

2014-06-12

Policies that improve access to healthy, affordable foods may improve population health and reduce health disparities. In the United States most food access policy research focuses on urban communities even though residents of rural communities face disproportionately higher risk for nutrition-related chronic diseases compared to residents of urban communities. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify the factors associated with access to healthy, affordable food in rural communities in the United States; and (2) prioritize a meaningful and feasible rural food policy research agenda. This study was conducted by the Rural Food Access Workgroup (RFAWG), a workgroup facilitated by the Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network. A national sample of academic and non-academic researchers, public health and cooperative extension practitioners, and other experts who focus on rural food access and economic development was invited to complete a concept mapping process that included brainstorming the factors that are associated with rural food access, sorting and organizing the factors into similar domains, and rating the importance of policies and research to address these factors. As a last step, RFAWG members convened to interpret the data and establish research recommendations. Seventy-five participants in the brainstorming exercise represented the following sectors: non-extension research (n = 27), non-extension program administration (n = 18), "other" (n = 14), policy advocacy (n = 10), and cooperative extension service (n = 6). The brainstorming exercise generated 90 distinct statements about factors associated with rural food access in the United States; these were sorted into 5 clusters. Go Zones were established for the factors that were rated highly as both a priority policy target and a priority for research. The highest ranked policy and research priorities include strategies designed to build economic viability in rural communities, improve access to federal food and nutrition assistance programs, improve food retail systems, and increase the personal food production capacity of rural residents. Respondents also prioritized the development of valid and reliable research methodologies to measure variables associated with rural food access. This collaborative, trans-disciplinary, participatory process, created a map to guide and prioritize research about polices to improve healthy, affordable food access in rural communities.

Food Production Info Sharing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-12

During a brainstorming session on innovative approaches to food production, an industry participant looks at plants growing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The workshop was hosted by the Exploration Research and Technology Directorate.

Active Learning and Teaching: Improving Postsecondary Library Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Eileen E.

1995-01-01

Discusses ways to improve postsecondary library instruction based on theories of active learning. Topics include a historical background of active learning; student achievement and attitudes; cognitive development; risks; active teaching; and instructional techniques, including modified lectures, brainstorming, small group work, cooperative…

Improving the University Tutorial.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanton, Harry E.

1982-01-01

Frequently, tutorial or seminar members take no part in discussion, a feature considered essential to this teaching method. Tutors may be largely responsible by dominating discussion. Student participation can be increased by varying teaching methods; reducing discussion group size, brainstorming, idea development techniques, and student…

Capitalizing on Happenstance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krumboltz, John D.

2011-01-01

Unplanned events occur every day and have a deep impact on individuals' lives. The happenstance learning theory (Krumboltz, 2009; Krumboltz & Levin, 2010), briefly summarized in this article, provides guidance for employment counselors assisting clients to clarify goals and brainstorm actions to capitalize on chance events.

Strategic planning: a biomedical communications model.

PubMed

Barrett, J E

1991-01-01

This article describes a biomedical communications approach to strategic planning. This model produces a short-term plan that allows a department to take the competitive advantage, react to technological change, and make timely decisions on new courses of action. The model calls for self-study, involving staff in brainstorming sessions where options are identified and ideas are prioritized into possible strategies for success. The article recommends that an evaluation and monitoring schedule be implemented after decisions have been made.

Development and content validity of the CENA Program for Educational Training on the Neuropsychology of Learning, with an emphasis on executive functions and attention.

PubMed

Pureza, Janice R; Fonseca, Rochele P

2017-01-01

The importance of executive functions (EF) in childhood development, and their role as indicators of health, well-being, professional and academic success have been demonstrated by several studies in the literature. FE are cognitive processes that aim to control and manage behavior to achieve specific goal and included skills planning, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, (executive) attention and the central executive component of working memory (WM). In the context of education, the EF are crucial for continued learning and efficient academic performance due to their involvement in several components of the educational process. The aim of this article was to describe the development and content validity of the CENA Program for Educational Training on the Neuropsychology of Learning, with an emphasis on executive functions and attention. The study involved seven specialists (four responsible for evaluating the program, and three involved in brainstorming), and was carried out in three stages:Background research: neuropsychology and education;Program development - author brainstorming andEvaluation by expert judges The goals, language and methods. CENA Program were considered adequate, attesting to its content validity as a school-based neuropsychological intervention. Teacher training in school neuropsychology may be an important area for future investment and contribute to academic achievement and student development in the Brazilian education system.

Development and content validity of the CENA Program for Educational Training on the Neuropsychology of Learning, with an emphasis on executive functions and attention

PubMed Central

Pureza, Janice R.; Fonseca, Rochele P.

2017-01-01

Introduction The importance of executive functions (EF) in childhood development, and their role as indicators of health, well-being, professional and academic success have been demonstrated by several studies in the literature. FE are cognitive processes that aim to control and manage behavior to achieve specific goal and included skills planning, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, (executive) attention and the central executive component of working memory (WM). In the context of education, the EF are crucial for continued learning and efficient academic performance due to their involvement in several components of the educational process. Objective The aim of this article was to describe the development and content validity of the CENA Program for Educational Training on the Neuropsychology of Learning, with an emphasis on executive functions and attention. Methods The study involved seven specialists (four responsible for evaluating the program, and three involved in brainstorming), and was carried out in three stages: Background research: neuropsychology and education; Program development - author brainstorming and Evaluation by expert judges The goals, language and methods. Results CENA Program were considered adequate, attesting to its content validity as a school-based neuropsychological intervention. Conclusion Teacher training in school neuropsychology may be an important area for future investment and contribute to academic achievement and student development in the Brazilian education system. PMID:29213497

Microcomputer Competencies for Vocational Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roth, Gene L.; Tesolowski, Dennis G.

1984-01-01

This joint research and development project of two state departments of education used the DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) process to identify microcomputer competencies for vocational instructors. Brainstorming techniques were used to identify five categories of microcomputer applications and to determine which competencies belonged in each…

Successful Instructional Strategies for the Community College Student.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franse, Stephen R.

1992-01-01

Describes methods which have proven effective in motivating largely nontraditional and bilingual community college students to succeed. Suggests that teachers require writing, use graphs/illustrations creatively, use primary sources as required readings, provide supplementary readings, use brainstorming and quality circle techniques, and prepare…

Strategy Formulation in Small Enterprises: A Developmental Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paton, Robert; Brownlie, Douglas

1991-01-01

The Small Company European Analysis Technique is a diagnostic tool that small businesses can use to analyze market opportunities in preparation for 1992. The approach uses small group consensus building as in the Delphi technique and brainstorming to formulate a strategic plan. (SK)

Pascal's Snowshoes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akcay, Behiye

2004-01-01

The chief purpose of this activity is to strengthen students' understanding of concepts of floatation such as surface area and pressure (weight per unit area) via snowshoes. Students brainstorm, make predictions, perform calculations, and practice communication skills through interviewing elders and experts. This activity lets students see the…

Death of the Talking Heads: Participatory Workshops for Curricular Reform.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeal, Ann P.

1998-01-01

Describes active learning activities that can be useful in college faculty development workshops, including three activity types: introductory exercises (personal introductions, goal-setting, warm-ups); problem-solving activities (brainstorming, hands-on exercises, reflection); and closure (consolidating concepts, cognitive mapping,…

A Model of Supervisor Decision-Making in the Accommodation of Workers with Low Back Pain.

PubMed

Williams-Whitt, Kelly; Kristman, Vicki; Shaw, William S; Soklaridis, Sophie; Reguly, Paula

2016-09-01

Purpose To explore supervisors' perspectives and decision-making processes in the accommodation of back injured workers. Methods Twenty-three semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with supervisors from eleven Canadian organizations about their role in providing job accommodations. Supervisors were identified through an on-line survey and interviews were recorded, transcribed and entered into NVivo software. The initial analyses identified common units of meaning, which were used to develop a coding guide. Interviews were coded, and a model of supervisor decision-making was developed based on the themes, categories and connecting ideas identified in the data. Results The decision-making model includes a process element that is described as iterative "trial and error" decision-making. Medical restrictions are compared to job demands, employee abilities and available alternatives. A feasible modification is identified through brainstorming and then implemented by the supervisor. Resources used for brainstorming include information, supervisor experience and autonomy, and organizational supports. The model also incorporates the experience of accommodation as a job demand that causes strain for the supervisor. Accommodation demands affect the supervisor's attitude, brainstorming and monitoring effort, and communication with returning employees. Resources and demands have a combined effect on accommodation decision complexity, which in turn affects the quality of the accommodation option selected. If the employee is unable to complete the tasks or is reinjured during the accommodation, the decision cycle repeats. More frequent iteration through the trial and error process reduces the likelihood of return to work success. Conclusion A series of propositions is developed to illustrate the relationships among categories in the model. The model and propositions show: (a) the iterative, problem solving nature of the RTW process; (b) decision resources necessary for accommodation planning, and (c) the impact accommodation demands may have on supervisors and RTW quality.

"Yes, and …" Exploring the Future of Learning Analytics in Medical Education.

PubMed

Cirigliano, Matt M; Guthrie, Charlie; Pusic, Martin V; Cianciolo, Anna T; Lim-Dunham, Jennifer E; Spickard, Anderson; Terry, Valerie

2017-01-01

This Conversations Starter article presents a selected research abstract from the 2017 Association of American Medical Colleges Northeastern Region Group on Educational Affairs annual spring meeting. The abstract is paired with the integrative commentary of three experts who shared their thoughts stimulated by the study. Commentators brainstormed "what's next" with learning analytics in medical education, including advancements in interaction metrics and the use of interactivity analysis to deepen understanding of perceptual, cognitive, and social learning and transfer processes.

Assistive Technology and Adults with Learning Disabilities: A Blueprint for Exploration and Advancement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raskind, Marshall

1993-01-01

This article describes assistive technologies for persons with learning disabilities, including word processing, spell checking, proofreading programs, outlining/"brainstorming" programs, abbreviation expanders, speech recognition, speech synthesis/screen review, optical character recognition systems, personal data managers, free-form databases,…

Engaging Student Learning in Physical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Andy

2002-01-01

Explores the significance of engagement as a stance toward teaching and learning, noting how engagement can affect the way teachers and students interact in physical education settings and surrounding environments and presenting activities to encourage engagement (develop performance routines, say and switch, roundtable brainstorm, bubble gum…

Start Your Engines...Start Your Year!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adair, Lila M.; Loveless, Garry C.

1994-01-01

Provides a first-week activity in which student groups brainstorm and build cars to win a race. Includes rules, suggestions, time line, and evaluation methods. Notes that many misconceptions may arise from the activity but these are dealt with in the next few weeks of class. (MVL)

Components of a Comprehensive Market Research Program for Commuter Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clagett, Cragi

1999-01-01

Describes and evaluates eight elements of a comprehensive market-research program for commuter colleges: secondary research with formal environmental scanning, local business community-needs assessment; adult community-member telephone survey, classroom survey, new student survey, focus groups, brainstorming sessions, and survey of college…

Internet, World Wide Web, and Creativity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siau, Keng

1999-01-01

This article presents the services available on the Internet for creativity and discusses their applicability to electronic brainstorming. Services include bulletin boards, electronic mail and listservs, chat groups, file transfers, and remote login. Opportunities provided by the World Wide Web are discussed, along with tools available to…

Teaching Writing Skills with Children's Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dierking, Connie Campbell; Anderson-McElveen, Susan

Intended for teachers, this workbook uses 20 well-known children's books as models to teach expository and narrative writing skills. The workbook teaches students about brainstorming, focus, organization, elaboration, and writing conventions with readily-available quality children's literature, such as "When I Was Young in the…

A Dialogue with Carl Rogers: Cross-Cultural Challenges of Facilitating Person-Centered Groups in Africa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hain-Hill, Alicia; Rogers, Carl R.

1988-01-01

Presents brainstorming dialogue with Carl Rogers which was held in January of 1987, shortly before Rogers's death. Explores basic challenges involved in a large-scale, cross-cultural application of person-centered group work in South Africa. (Author)

The impact of project-based learning on improving student learning outcomes of sustainability concepts in transportation engineering courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fini, Elham H.; Awadallah, Faisal; Parast, Mahour M.; Abu-Lebdeh, Taher

2018-05-01

This paper describes an intervention to enhance students' learning by involving students in brainstorming activities about sustainability concepts and their implications in transportation engineering. The paper discusses the process of incorporating the intervention into a transportation course, as well as the impact of this intervention on students' learning outcomes. To evaluate and compare students' learning as a result of the intervention, the Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education survey instrument was used. The survey instrument includes five constructs: higher-order cognitive skills, self-efficacy, ease of learning subject matter, teamwork, and communication skills. Pre- and post-intervention surveys of student learning outcomes were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the intervention on enhancing students' learning outcomes. The results show that the implementation of the intervention significantly improved higher-order cognitive skills, self-efficacy, teamwork, and communication skills. Involving students in brainstorming activities related to sustainability concepts and their implications in transportation proved to be an effective teaching and learning strategy.

The comparative evaluation of expanded national immunization policies in Korea using an analytic hierarchy process.

PubMed

Shin, Taeksoo; Kim, Chun-Bae; Ahn, Yang-Heui; Kim, Hyo-Youl; Cha, Byung Ho; Uh, Young; Lee, Joo-Heon; Hyun, Sook-Jung; Lee, Dong-Han; Go, Un-Yeong

2009-01-29

The purpose of this paper is to propose new evaluation criteria and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model to assess the expanded national immunization programs (ENIPs) and to evaluate two alternative health care policies. One of the alternative policies is that private clinics and hospitals would offer free vaccination services to children and the other of them is that public health centers would offer these free vaccination services. Our model to evaluate the ENIPs was developed using brainstorming, Delphi techniques, and the AHP model. We first used the brainstorming and Delphi techniques, as well as literature reviews, to determine 25 criteria with which to evaluate the national immunization policy; we then proposed a hierarchical structure of the AHP model to assess ENIPs. By applying the proposed AHP model to the assessment of ENIPs for Korean immunization policies, we show that free vaccination services should be provided by private clinics and hospitals rather than public health centers.

Problem-Based Learning as an Effective Learning Tool in Community Medicine: Initiative in a Private Medical College of a Developing Country.

PubMed

Joseph, Nitin; Rai, Sharada; Madi, Deepak; Bhat, Kamalakshi; Kotian, Shashidhar M; Kantharaju, Supriya

2016-01-01

Knowledge of community medicine is essential for health care professionals to function as efficient primary health care physicians. Medical students learning Community Medicine as a subject are expected to be competent in critical thinking and generic skills so as to analyze community health problems better. However, current teaching by didactic lectures fails to develop these essential skills. Problem-based learning (PBL) could be an effective strategy in this respect. This study was hence done to compare the academic performance of students who were taught Community Medicine by the PBL method with that of students taught by traditional methods, to assess the generic skills of students taught in a PBL environment and to assess the perception of students toward PBL methodology. This study was conducted among seventh-semester final-year medical students between June and November 2014. PBL was introduced to a randomly chosen group of students, and their performance in an assessment exam at the end of postings was compared with that of the remaining students. Generic skills and perception toward PBL were also assessed using standardized questionnaires. A total of 77 students took part in the brainstorming session of PBL. The correlation between self-assigned scores of the participants and those assigned by the tutor in the brainstorming session of PBL was significant (r = 0.266, P = 0.05). Out of 54 students who took part in the presentation session, almost all 53 (98.1%) had good perception toward PBL. Demotivational scores were found to be significantly higher among males (P = 0.024). The academic performance of students (P < 0.001) and success rates (P = 0.05) in the examination were higher among students who took part in PBL compared to controls. PBL helped improve knowledge of students in comparison to those exposed only to didactic lectures. As PBL enabled students to identify the gaps in their knowledge and enhanced their group functioning and generic skills, we recommend PBL sessions: They would help optimize the training in Community Medicine at medical schools. Good correlation of tutor and self-assessment scores of participants in the brainstorming session suggests that the role of tutors could be restricted to assessment in presentation sessions alone. Demotivation, which hinders group performance in PBL, needs to be corrected by counselling and timely feedback by the tutors.

Improved workflow modelling using role activity diagram-based modelling with application to a radiology service case study.

PubMed

Shukla, Nagesh; Keast, John E; Ceglarek, Darek

2014-10-01

The modelling of complex workflows is an important problem-solving technique within healthcare settings. However, currently most of the workflow models use a simplified flow chart of patient flow obtained using on-site observations, group-based debates and brainstorming sessions, together with historic patient data. This paper presents a systematic and semi-automatic methodology for knowledge acquisition with detailed process representation using sequential interviews of people in the key roles involved in the service delivery process. The proposed methodology allows the modelling of roles, interactions, actions, and decisions involved in the service delivery process. This approach is based on protocol generation and analysis techniques such as: (i) initial protocol generation based on qualitative interviews of radiology staff, (ii) extraction of key features of the service delivery process, (iii) discovering the relationships among the key features extracted, and, (iv) a graphical representation of the final structured model of the service delivery process. The methodology is demonstrated through a case study of a magnetic resonance (MR) scanning service-delivery process in the radiology department of a large hospital. A set of guidelines is also presented in this paper to visually analyze the resulting process model for identifying process vulnerabilities. A comparative analysis of different workflow models is also conducted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Creative Thinking with Fairy Tales.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flack, Jerry

2001-01-01

This article discusses how creative thinking can be encouraged in students through such classic tools as brainstorming and the productive thinking elements of fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. It describes how fairy tales can be used to foster these thinking skills and suggests classroom activities. (Contains two references.) (CR)

It's No Problem to Invent a Solution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graca, Rose M.

2012-01-01

A kindergarten class learns about inventions, inventors, and how to be an inventor. Engaging students in learning about pencil sharpeners led to researching and developing a lesson plan designed so students could learn how inventions are solutions to problems. Through identifying, researching, and brainstorming new inventions, the students…

On Creativity: A Brainstorming Session

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brockling, Ulrich

2006-01-01

The article problematizes in aphoristic condensation the heterogeneous concepts of creativity in philosophy, psychology and sociology and outlines their paradoxes. Creativity in these concepts is tied to the human potential to bring into being something new and to the capacity of drawing differences. In its contingency, creativity is ambivalent to…

Marketing the Uniqueness of Small Towns. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn, Douglas; Hogg, David H.

The key to marketing a town is determining and promoting the town's "differential advantage" or uniqueness that would make people want to visit or live there. Exercises to help communities gain important insights into the town's competitive edge include a brainstorming session with knowledgeable community members, a visitor…

Representing the Self in Sculpture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelken, Miranda

2011-01-01

Deborah Rael-Buckley creates stunning figurative self-portraits in clay that layer "personal, cultural, historical, and biological imagery" in a narrative style. Her work provides an exciting challenge in three-dimensional self-portraits for eighth graders. In this article, the author suggests some exercises to get students brainstorming visual…

LDRD Program Gives NREL Researchers Path Toward Innovation | News | NREL

Science.gov Websites

projects over the years. Photo by Dennis Schroeder The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy handful of LDRD projects. Photo by Dennis Schroeder Money Funds Brainstorming Work While most of the LDRD , renewable electricity generation, and sustainable transportation. Photo by Dennis Schroeder Different Groups

Highlights from the Coordinating Research Council’s 2016 Air Quality Research Needs Workshop: Top 11 ResearchNeeds

EPA Science Inventory

The Coordinating Research Council (CRC) conducted an Air Quality Research Needs Workshop on February 9-10, 2016 at the Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta, GA. The workshop brought together researchers from academia, government, and industry to brainstorm and prioritize ...

A Graphical, Self-Organizing Approach to Classifying Electronic Meeting Output.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orwig, Richard E.; Chen, Hsinchun; Nunamaker, Jay F., Jr.

1997-01-01

Describes research using an artificial intelligence approach in the application of a Kohonen Self-Organizing Map (SOM) to the problem of classification of electronic brainstorming output and an evaluation of the results. The graphical representation of textual data produced by the Kohonen SOM suggests many opportunities for improving information…

Improving the Skills of Health Professionals in Engaging Patients in Diabetes-Related Problem Solving.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Elaine Boswell; Schlundt, David G.; Pichert, James W.; Kinzer, Charles K.; Backer, Barbara A.

2002-01-01

Nurses, dietitians, physicians, and a pharmacist (n=33) attended a patient teaching and problem-solving course emphasizing assessment, brainstorming, collaboration, and direct instruction skills. Analysis of videotaped patient teaching exercises revealed significant improvement in all four skills. Length of teaching sessions remained the same.…

Profiling a Mind Map User: A Descriptive Appraisal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker, Joanne M.; Armstrong, Gary R.; Massad, Victor J.

2010-01-01

Whether manually or through the use of software, a non-linear information organization framework known as mind mapping offers an alternative method for capturing thoughts, ideas and information to linear thinking modes such as outlining. Mind mapping is brainstorming, organizing, and problem solving. This paper examines mind mapping techniques,…

Creativity Styles of Freshman Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, V. K.; And Others

1991-01-01

First-year college students (n=182) were tested to determine their beliefs about and approaches to creative endeavors. Students self-identified as creative employed a greater number of techniques such as brainstorming and were less motivated by the goal of developing a final product, compared to those identified as least creative. (JDD)

Realistic Approach to Innovation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawson, Garth C.

Part of the Omaha police in-service training program was devoted to innovative approaches to solving police department problems and improving community relations. The sessions were an attempt to use the brainstorming technique to elicit new solutions to everyday problems faced by the rank-and-file members of the police department. The report…

Using Tiered Assignments to Engage Learners in Advanced Placement Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geddes, Kimberly A.

2010-01-01

This article presents lesson plans that incorporate tiered objectives and brainstorming techniques as means for differentiating instruction and ensuring that learners are challenged at levels commensurate with their abilities even though they are developing an understanding of the same physics concepts. A listing of materials and resources…

The Teaching of Thinking Skills: Does It Improve Creativity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ristow, Robert S.

1988-01-01

Direct instruction of brainstorming, product-improvement techniques, and verbal problem solving to 19 third graders for 30 minutes per week significantly improved their performance on the flexibility and originality components of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. No significant change occurred on the fluency component, perhaps a result of…

Design Fixation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelley, Todd R.; Sung, Euisuk

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide awareness of the danger of design fixation and promote the uses of brainstorming early in the design process--before fixation limits creative ideas. The authors challenged technology teachers to carefully limit the use of design examples too early in the process and provided suggestions for facilitating…

Fender Bender Physics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bevin, Roy Q.; Raudebaugh, Robert A.

This book is based on an integrated approach to science and technology and targets middle schools students. Each unit includes a teacher's guide and eight science activities. Units include: (1) "The Mousetrap Car"; (2) "The CO2 Car"; and (3) "The Space Frame Vehicle". Supplemental materials consist of seven readings including: (1) "Brainstorming";…

Tangible Technology-Enhanced Learning for Improvement of Student Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barneva, Reneta P.; Gelsomini, Federico; Kanev, Kamen; Bottoni, Paolo

2018-01-01

Collaboration among students in the course of learning plays an important role in developing communication skills. In particular, it helps for team building and brainstorming on solutions of complex problems. While an effective group organization is critical for the success of such collaborative learning, many instructors would make arbitrary…

Creative Conflict: Collaborative Playwriting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melville, Kathleen

2013-01-01

In some ways, the project which the author's class had undertaken--creating collaborative plays about issues important in students' lives--was going very well. The students, 20 high school seniors, seemed engaged and invested in the work, from brainstorming and improvising to writing and revising. The class had read and watched a variety of…

Digital Video Cameras for Brainstorming and Outlining: The Process and Potential

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unger, John A.; Scullion, Vicki A.

2013-01-01

This "Voices from the Field" paper presents methods and participant-exemplar data for integrating digital video cameras into the writing process across postsecondary literacy contexts. The methods and participant data are part of an ongoing action-based research project systematically designed to bring research and theory into practice…

My First Million: A Fantasy for the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trede, Mildred

1990-01-01

The paper presents activities for improving students' literacy, oral communication, and thinking skills. Students brainstorm ideas for improving consumer products, think of ideas for starting a business, design an advertisement, estimate costs involved, create a demand for the product or service, and write a research paper on relieving stress.…

Stage 2--Information Seeking Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elsenberg, Michael B.

2005-01-01

A brief overview of one Big6 stage by Mike Eisenberg, followed by articles by two exemplary Big6 teachers, Barbara Jansen and Rob Darrow, offering practical uses of the Big6 in elementary and secondary situations is presented. The two-part nature of information seeking strategies that includes brainstorming and choosing is emphasized.

"Rewind and Replay:" Changing Teachers' Heterosexist Language to Create an Inclusive Classroom Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Nicole Aydt; Markowitz, Linda

2009-01-01

Objectives: By completing the "Rewind and Replay" activity, participants will: (1) identify heterosexist language in common classroom interactions, (2) discuss underlying heterosexist assumptions embedded in common teacher statements, (3) brainstorm inclusive terms and expressions for use in place of heterosexist language, and (4) verbally…

Living, Being, Eating: Decisions We Make.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgia State Dept. of Education, Atlanta. Office of Vocational Education.

Developed for use in the Youth Development Center of Georgia, these fifteen lessons respond to a need for nutrition education and training. Lesson titles are (1) Pre-Test and Brainstorming Exercises; (2) Moods and Emotions; (3) Reasons (rational vs. emotional thinking); (4) Two Sides of an Issue (rational, emotional, and combination thinking;…

Holidays in the Public School Kindergarten: An Avenue for Emerging Religious and Spiritual Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Michal Elaine; Myers, Barbara Kimes

2002-01-01

Addresses holidays in the curriculum and concerns raised for educators about how to be inclusive and recognize students' different cultures. Presents a sample approach to exploring holidays in the classroom, including techniques for brainstorming, celebration activities, children's individual experiences, expanding experiences, engaging families,…

Gorbachev's unofficial arms-control advisers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Hippel, Frank

2014-05-01

After President Ronald Reagan's 1983 Star Wars speech, a puzzled group of Soviet scientists asked US colleagues opposed to ballistic-missile defense if they had changed their minds. This led to a collaborative brainstorming process that provided a basis for some of the key initiatives that helped end the Cold War.

The Oral History Curriculum Issue: A Step toward Quality Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Jerry

Sixty-five students in an undergraduate reading class wrote narratives on literacy life experiences from oral history tapes collected from interviews. Students interviewed middle and high school-level reluctant readers. In classroom workshops, the college students brainstormed about how to conduct the interviews and write the narratives. In later…

All in a Day's Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felder, Richard M.; Brent, Rebecca

2000-01-01

Discusses a scenario about offending student behaviors in a classroom during lecture, specifically focusing on a sleeping student. Presents a list of responses for possible solutions to these behaviors from a brainstorming session. Makes recommendations to teachers for what to do in that kind of situation. Provides two Internet addresses for…

Research Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Serig, Dan

2011-01-01

In this review, the author explores an often-used process in research--the mind map. He uses this method in his own research and artwork. He also uses this extensively with students, particularly master students when they are trying to surround issues in their thesis projects. Mind maps are closely associated with brainstorming, as brainstorming…

Use of Cognitive Therapy and the Balance Sheet Procedure to Assist Career Decision Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Hare, Marianne M.

1989-01-01

A balance sheet technique enables counselors to help clients identify and overcome anxiety associated with career decision making. Steps include describing the problem, brainstorming alternatives, listing expected positive and negative outcomes in terms of self and others, seeking information, and choosing alternatives. (SK)

Smart Training, Smart Learning: The Role of Cooperative Learning in Training for Youth Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doll, Carol A.

1997-01-01

Examines cooperative learning in youth services and adult education. Discusses characteristics of cooperative learning techniques; specific cooperative learning techniques (brainstorming, mini-lecture, roundtable technique, send-a-problem problem solving, talking chips technique, and three-step interview); and the role of the trainer. (AEF)

Tools for Achieving TQE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latta, Raymond F.; Downey, Carolyn J.

This book presents a wide array of sophisticated problem-solving tools and shows how to use them in a humanizing way that involves all stakeholders in the process. Chapter 1 develops the rationale for educational stakeholders to consider quality tools. Chapter 2 highlights three quality group-process tools--brainstorming, the nominal group…

The Anti-Trash Costume Bash

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokrocki, Mary

2010-01-01

To educate one's students about recycling garbage, art teachers can plan an "anti-trash costume bash" to promote public awareness of the ugly, unhealthy, and costly effects of litter. Such an event was brainstormed by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), a regional agency made up of the valley communities in Arizona working to…

Fresh Ideas. Instant Replay, Instant Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCutcheon, Susan

1996-01-01

Describes how to motivate students to learn by having them teach back to the class what they have just learned from the teacher. Students break into small groups and brainstorm how to teach what has just been presented, then the teacher picks one group to teach back to the class. (SM)

Concept Mapping: A Graphical System for Understanding the Relationship between Concepts. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plotnick, Eric

This ERIC Digest discusses concept mapping, a technique for representing the structure of information visually. Concept mapping can be used to brainstorm, design complex structures, communicate complex ideas, aid learning by explicitly integrating new and old knowledge, and assess understanding or diagnose misunderstanding. Visual representation…

Spectacles in Space: A Museum of the Hubble Telescope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vermillion, Patricia

2004-01-01

When the space shuttle "Columbia" was "lost entering the Earth's atmosphere," third graders at the Lamplighter School in Texas became curious about space travel. Using topics of interest and brainstorming exercises based on a presentation by Elaine Scott, author of "Adventures in Space: The Flight to Fix the Hubble,"…

Animals in Jeopardy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, Annette

1996-01-01

Describes a schoolwide project culminating in a week of activities on the theme of endangered species. However, most of the planning guidelines and many of the activities are easily adaptable to other themes as well. Lists eight tips for getting organized including a brief brainstorming session and how to handle committee meetings. (AIM)

Rain Forest Murals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleiner, Cheryl

2010-01-01

The rain forest murals in the author's school began as a request from her principal to have students decorate the cafeteria with their own paintings. She decided to brainstorm ideas with her eighth-grade students. Taking into consideration the architectural space and the environmental concerns they wanted to convey, students chose the rain forest…

Preparing for the future: a case study of role changing and reengineering. Recognize and seize the new opportunities.

PubMed

Holland, C A

1995-01-01

Today's laboratory managers are caught in the midst of a tumultuous environment as a result of managed care, mergers and acquisitions, and downsizing. We must prepare ourselves through continuous learning, recognize the marketable value of our skills outside of the laboratory, and seize opportunities to expand into new roles. At Arkansas Children's Hospital, the Chief Executive Officer selected the Administrative Director of Laboratories to reengineer the General Pediatric Center. Our goals were to improve quality of care, efficiency, teamwork, clinic visit times, and satisfaction of patients, staff, and physicians. We developed ideal objectives from surveys, brainstorming sessions, and interviews to serve as guidelines for reengineering teams. Teams met the goals and 12 of 15 ideal objectives. Patient flow redesign resulted in different processes for different patient populations and a 35% decrease in the average clinic visit time. Patient, staff, and physician satisfaction improved, as did the clinic's financial status. The project's success confirms that our leadership and analytical skills are transferable from the laboratory to carry us to new heights in other health-care arenas.

Community-based approaches to strategic environmental assessment: Lessons from Costa Rica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sinclair, A. John; Sims, Laura; Spaling, Harry

This paper describes a community-based approach to strategic environmental assessment (SEA) using a case study of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad's (ICE) watershed management agricultural program (WMAP) in Costa Rica. The approach focused on four highly interactive workshops that used visioning, brainstorming and critical reflection exercises. Each workshop represented a critical step in the SEA process. Through this approach, communities in two rural watersheds assessed the environmental, social and economic impacts of a proposed second phase for WMAP. Lessons from this community-based approach to strategic environmental assessment include a recognition of participants learning what a participatory SEA is conceptually andmore » methodologically; the role of interactive techniques for identifying positive and negative impacts of the proposed program and generating creative mitigation strategies; the effect of workshops in reducing power differentials among program participants (proponent, communities, government agencies); and, the logistical importance of notice, timing and location for meaningful participation. The community-based approach to SEA offers considerable potential for assessing regional (watershed) development programs focused on sustainable resource-based livelihoods.« less

[Qualitative techniques for public health research and the development of health care services: more than just another technique].

PubMed

March Cerdà, J C; Prieto Rodríguez, M A; Hernán García, M; Solas Gaspar, O

1999-01-01

Regarding the debate on the existence of two current focuses on health science research (qualitative and quantitative), the paper states the need for complementing the techniques which contribute to a better knowledge of populations and communities, and the need for offering effective solutions to different problems. The article analyses the usefulness of qualitative methods, describes the techniques and procedures more frequently used to guarantee the validity and reliability of research findings and ends bringing up the need for using qualitative and quantitative approaches. This way of working together or learning from each other will enrich research and interventions on public heath and health management fields. Qualitative methods are useful for sound understanding of a given issue that is being investigated or evaluated taking into account the point of view of the participants under research. Key techniques, listed from the most structured to the less structured are among others: structured interview, Delphi, nominal group, case study, semistructured interview, focal group, brainstorming, discussion group, in depth interview, life story and participant observation.

Strengthening the Role of Nurses in Medical Device Development.

PubMed

Castner, Jessica; Sullivan, Suzanne S; Titus, Albert H; Klingman, Karen J

2016-01-01

Medical devices and innovative technology promise to revolutionize health care. Despite the importance of involving nurses in the collaborative medical device development processes, there are few learning opportunities in nursing programs. The purpose of this article is to provide a conceptual guide for nurse educators and researchers to engage nursing expertise in medical device development processes. A review of the literature guided the creation of the "Strengthening the Role of Nurses in Medical Device Development Roadmap" model. The model was used to describe how nurses can be engaged in multidisciplinary design of medical devices. An academic transdisciplinary team piloted the application of the model. The model includes the stages of needs assessment, planned brainstorm, feasibility determination, concept design, and prototype building. A transdisciplinary team case study of improving an asthma home-monitoring devices illustrates effective application of the model. Nurse leaders in the academic setting can effectively use the "Strengthening the Role of Nurses in Medical Device Development Roadmap" to inform their engagement of nurses in early medical device development and innovation processes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

WorldWide Telescope and Google Sky: New Technologies to Engage Students and the Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landsberg, R. H.; Subbarao, M. U.; Dettloff, L.

2010-08-01

New, visually rich, astronomical software environments coupled with large web-accessible data sets hold the promise of new and exciting ways to teach, collaborate, and explore the universe. These freeware tools provide contextual views of astronomical objects, real time access to multi-wavelength sky surveys, and, most importantly, the ability to incorporate new data and to produce user created content. This interactive panel examined the capabilities of Google Sky and WorldWide Telescope, and explored case studies of how these tools have been used to create compelling and participatory educational experiences in both formal (i.e., K-12 and undergraduate non-science majors classrooms), and informal (e.g., museum) settings. The overall goal of this session was to stimulate a discussion about future uses of these technologies. Substantial time was allotted for participants to create conceptual designs of learning experiences for use at their home institutions, with feedback provided by the panel members. Activities included technical discussions (e.g., mechanisms for incorporating new data and dissemination tools), exercises in narrative preparation, and a brainstorming session to identify potential future uses of these technologies.

In search of the quickest way to disseminate health care innovations.

PubMed

Schrijvers, Guus; Oudendijk, Nico; de Vries, Pety

2003-10-14

Innovations in health care are slowly disseminated in The Netherlands and elsewhere. That's why the researchers defined their research question: What is the quickest way of disseminating health care innovations? The design was a comparative, qualitative case study. The researchers invited a group of 52 authors to describe their 21 health care innovations. All case descriptions were published in a book of 261 pages. Six types of innovations were distinguished. Most innovations simultaneously improved quality from the patient's point of view (18 out of 21 cases), professional pride (18/21) and speed of introduction (16/21). Clinical outcomes were better or comparable in 13 of the 21 cases. Brainstorm sessions took place with the innovators and the 22 experts on the quickest way to disseminate the innovations more widely in The Netherlands. These sessions looked for the critical success factors for the dissemination of the 21 projects and identified nine. The following factors were identified: 1. A clear distribution of responsibilities between professionals within the innovation (20/21). 2. Enough educational programs about the innovations for the professionals (18/21). 3. Adequate ICT support for the running of the innovations (15/21). 4. Suitable publicity for the innovations (12/21). 5. An adequate payment system for innovative care providers (7/21). 6. The right size of catchment's area for the innovations (6/21). 7. Enough professional freedom to adopt the innovation (5/21). 8. Fast managerial and public decision-making about the adoption of the innovation (3/21). 9. The embedding of the innovations in quality management assurance policy (1/21). The results of the study had some influence on the political health agenda in The Netherlands, leading to greater emphasis on innovations and quality of care.

International service trade and its implications for human resources for health: a case study of Thailand.

PubMed

Wibulpolprasert, Suwit; Pachanee, Cha-Aim; Pitayarangsarit, Siriwan; Hempisut, Pintusorn

2004-06-29

This study aims at analysing the impact of international service trade on the health care system, particularly in terms of human resources for health (HRH), using Thailand as a case study. Information was gathered through a literature review and interviews of relevant experts, as well as a brainstorming session.It was found that international service trade has greatly affected the Thai health care system and its HRH. From 1965 to 1975 there was massive emigration of physicians from Thailand in response to increasing demand in the United States of America. The country lost about 1,500 physicians, 20% of its total number, during that period.External migration of health professionals occurred without relation to agreements on trade in services. It was also found that free trade in service sectors other than health could seriously affect the health care system and HRH. Free trade in financial services with free flow of low-interest foreign loans, which started in 1993 in Thailand, resulted in the mushrooming of urban private hospitals between 1994 and 1997. This was followed by intensive internal migration of health professionals from rural public to urban private hospitals.After the economic crisis in 1997, with the resulting downturn of the private health sector, reverse brain drain was evident. At the same time, foreign investors started to invest in the bankrupt private hospitals. Since 2001, the return of economic growth and the influx of foreign patients have started another round of internal brain drain.

International service trade and its implications for human resources for health: a case study of Thailand

PubMed Central

Wibulpolprasert, Suwit; Pachanee, Cha-aim; Pitayarangsarit, Siriwan; Hempisut, Pintusorn

2004-01-01

This study aims at analysing the impact of international service trade on the health care system, particularly in terms of human resources for health (HRH), using Thailand as a case study. Information was gathered through a literature review and interviews of relevant experts, as well as a brainstorming session. It was found that international service trade has greatly affected the Thai health care system and its HRH. From 1965 to 1975 there was massive emigration of physicians from Thailand in response to increasing demand in the United States of America. The country lost about 1,500 physicians, 20% of its total number, during that period. External migration of health professionals occurred without relation to agreements on trade in services. It was also found that free trade in service sectors other than health could seriously affect the health care system and HRH. Free trade in financial services with free flow of low-interest foreign loans, which started in 1993 in Thailand, resulted in the mushrooming of urban private hospitals between 1994 and 1997. This was followed by intensive internal migration of health professionals from rural public to urban private hospitals. After the economic crisis in 1997, with the resulting downturn of the private health sector, reverse brain drain was evident. At the same time, foreign investors started to invest in the bankrupt private hospitals. Since 2001, the return of economic growth and the influx of foreign patients have started another round of internal brain drain. PMID:15225376

The need of a multi-actor perspective to understand expectations from virtual presence: managing elderly homecare informatics.

PubMed

Mettler, Tobias; Vimarlund, Vivian

2011-12-01

Different studies have analysed a wide range of use cases and scenarios for using IT-based services in homecare settings for elderly people. In most instances, the impact of such services has been studied using a one-dimensional approach, either focusing on the benefits for the patient or health service provider. The objective of this contribution is to explore a model for identifying and understanding outcomes of IT-based homecare services from a multi-actor perspective. In order to better understand the state of the art in homecare informatics, we conducted a literature review. We use experiences from previous research in the area of informatics to develop the proposed model. The proposed model consists of four core activities 'identify involved actors', 'understand consequences', 'clarify contingencies', 'take corrective actions', and one additional activity 'brainstorming IT use'. The primary goal of innovating organisations, processes and services in homecare informatics today, is to offer continued care, better decision support both to practitioners and patients, as well as effective distribution of resources. A multi-actor analysis perspective is needed to understand utility determination for the involved stakeholders.

Strategic Factors on Interpreting Remanufacturing Quality-Certifying Framework to Address Warranty Aftermarket for Malaysian Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, N.; Saman, M. Z. M.; Sharif, S.; Hamzah, H. S.

2018-03-01

While the concept of remanufacturing is gaining popularity globally, literature and theory on strategic decision-making on certifying for warranty in this area remain limited. A strategic and establish concept flow is developed based on extensive literature review and surveys with experienced experts who are dealing with remanufactured, reconditioned, rebuilt and reused components. The remanufacturing research on evaluating quality assurance of remanufactured component targets macro-level parameters and the indicators which must be confirmed for evaluation. The strategic remanufacturing factors identified from the literature review are discussed in a brainstorming session with a number of remanufacturing researchers and academic experts. The study is further broadened by industrial surveys and case studies to justify the inputs on developing a framework to certify remanufactured components. Preliminary results have established the key factors of remanufacturing quality control that might lead to the strict quality assurance of remanufactured components. Later, the developed framework can be used as a benchmarking tool to certify remanufactured components and warranty issuance. The findings serve as the foundation for further research concerning Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or Original Equipment Remanufacturer (OER) and Independent Equipment Remanufacturer (IER) in the Malaysian Remanufacturing Industry.

The Impact of Integrating Visuals in an Elementary Creative Writing Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Margaret; And Others

Most children's books are filled with pictures, yet when schools design curricula to teach writing, they often ignore the role of visual images in the writing process. Historically, methods for teaching writing have focused on text. Even relatively recent techniques like brainstorming and story webbing still focus on verbal information. In some…

Don't Erase that Whiteboard! Archiving Student Work on a Photo-Sharing Website

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Edward; Tsui, Stephen; Hart, Alicia; Saucedo, Lydia

2011-01-01

Students in physics courses often use whiteboards to brainstorm, solve problems, and present results to the rest of the class, particularly in courses involving collaborative small group work and whole class discussions. The whiteboards contain a valuable record of students' collaborative work. Once a whiteboard is erased, however, its contents…

Framing the Text: Using Storyboards to Engage Students with Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruce, David L.

2011-01-01

Storyboards deliver a narrative through discrete visual representations. The purpose of the storyboards was always to "scaffold" the final product and students were free to add, delete, or adapt those images that were most helpful to their project. The storyboards served as a brainstorming activity, much like a prewriting exercise for a written…

Synectics for Creative Thinking in Technology Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hummell, Laura

2006-01-01

Synectics is a creative problem-solving process developed by William J. J. Gordon and George Prince in the 1960s (Gordon, 1961). A result of Gordon and Prince observing brainstorming sessions that achieved varying levels of success, Synectics outlines the processes that people can use to help them overcome mental blocks while working on difficult…

Women's Transitions from Welfare: "Where Does that Leave Us? Employable or in the Pit?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andruske, Cynthia Lee

2001-01-01

A British Columbia preemployment program for women on welfare focused on engaging them in identifying their needs and determining content. Brainstorming and popular theatre techniques demonstrated the relevance of learning, helped them discover the extent of their experience and knowledge, engaged them in problem solving and reflection, and…

The Effect of Structured Decision-Making Techniques and Gender on Student Reaction and Quality of Written Documents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neal, Joan; Echternacht, Lonnie

1995-01-01

Experimental groups used four decision-making techniques--reverse brainstorming (RS), dialectical inquiry (DI), devil's advocacy (DA), and consensus--in evaluating writing assignments. Control group produced a better quality document. Student reaction to negative features of RS, DI, and DA were not significant. (SK)

"Scrubbing" Data for D3M

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercurius, Neil

2005-01-01

Data-driven decision-making (D3M) appears to be the new buzz phrase for this century, the information age. On the education front, teachers and administrators are engaging in data-centered dialog in grade-level meetings, lounges, hallways, and classrooms as they brainstorm toward closing the gap in student achievement. Clearly, such discussion…

Confrontation or Cooperation? Africa's Role in the North-South Dialogue on Communication. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keune, Reinhard, Ed.

A background paper sent to the participants of the Nairobi Conference inviting them to take part in a brainstorming on "Africa's Role in the North-South Dialogue on Communication" introduces this booklet. It is comprised of four articles, "Intensifying the Dialogue," which summarizes the proceedings and recommendations; "A…

A Tribute to the Donkey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marion, L. Marvin

The "mini-unit" for gifted students at the elementary and middle or junior high school levels presents 27 activities based on B. Bloom, E. P. Torrance, and F. Williams' models of instruction. Activities focus on the theme of the donkey and include such tasks as using nonverbal communication to make a model donkey; brainstorming resources,…

An Exploration of Distributed Parallel Sorting in GSS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diller, Christopher B. R.

2013-01-01

When the members of a group work collaboratively using a group support system (GSS), they often "brainstorm" a list of ideas in response to a question or challenge that faces the group. The satisfaction levels of group members are usually high following this activity. However, satisfaction levels with the process almost always drop…

From Shop to Shakespeare: Interdisciplinary Instruction at Auburn High School, Riner, Virginia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Steve; Sauter, Jerry; Harris, Kevan; Sumner, Bonnie; Jervis, Charles; Miller, Bob; Turner, Pat

This paper provides an overview of the interdisciplinary program at Auburn High School, a small high school in Riner, Virginia, and describes a recent schoolwide project to construct an Elizabethan gazebo and Shakespeare garden. To develop interdisciplinary units, the teachers begin by brainstorming ideas, looking for overlapping content. The next…

Scalable Emergency Response System for Oceangoing Assets Report on Brainstorming Concept Evaluations

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-11

Andr´e Badertscher, Andr´e Guignard, and Auke Jan Ijspeert, Swimming and Crawling with an Amphibious Snake Robot. 4. Alexander S. Boxerbaum, Philip ... Kotler , Mindy & Hillman, Ian “Japanese Nuclear Energy Policy and Public Opinion” James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy Rice University May 2000

Let's Take a Road Trip

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hildebrandt, Martha E.; Biglan, Barbara; Budd, Lisa

2013-01-01

In this article, the authors describe activities that can keep math and science skills sharp over summer breaks. A fourth-grade class was encouraged to talk about their coming summer break. The class brainstormed about what one might see on the road--"Observing landscapes, vehicles, and highway signage were quick replies." The children…

Brainstorming transformative solutions - Sustainable Puerto Rico in 2080 - a focus on energy and food security

EPA Science Inventory

This narrative scenario depicts one of many possible futures for the island of Puerto Rico in which the goals of energy and food supply resilience have been met. Set in the year 2080, the narrative describes a series of hypothetical (but possible) events, a set of proactive gover...

Analysis of the Technical Writing Profession through the DACUM Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nolan, Timothy; Green, Marc

To help develop a curriculum program for technical writers, Cincinnati Technical College used the Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) method to produce a technical writing skills profile. DACUM develops an occupation analysis through a modified brainstorming process by a panel of expert workers under the direction of a qualified coordinator. This…

Composition Theory as Metaphor: For Our Eyes Only?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matzen, Richard N., Jr.

Teachers know that these metaphors affect the teaching of composition: the banking concept of knowledge, student ownership of writing, and writing as risk-taking. However, these metaphors explain more to teachers and less to students who are writers. When teachers speak of the writing process in such terms as mapping, voicing, and brainstorming,…

Psychological effects of thought acceleration.

PubMed

Pronin, Emily; Jacobs, Elana; Wegner, Daniel M

2008-10-01

Six experiments found that manipulations that increase thought speed also yield positive affect. These experiments varied in both the methods used for accelerating thought (i.e., instructions to brainstorm freely, exposure to multiple ideas, encouragement to plagiarize others' ideas, performance of easy cognitive tasks, narration of a silent video in fast-forward, and experimentally controlled reading speed) and the contents of the thoughts that were induced (from thoughts about money-making schemes to thoughts of five-letter words). The results suggested that effects of thought speed on mood are partially rooted in the subjective experience of thought speed. The results also suggested that these effects can be attributed to the joy-enhancing effects of fast thinking (rather than only to the joy-killing effects of slow thinking). This work is inspired by observations of a link between "racing thoughts" and euphoria in cases of clinical mania, and potential implications of that observed link are discussed. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved

Teaching Introductory Oceanography through Case Studies: Project based approach for general education students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farnsworth, K. L.; House, M.; Hovan, S. A.

2013-12-01

A recent workshop sponsored by SERC-On the Cutting Edge brought together science educators from a range of schools across the country to discuss new approaches in teaching oceanography. In discussing student interest in our classes, we were struck by the fact that students are drawn to emotional or controversial topics such as whale hunting and tsunami hazard and that these kinds of topics are a great vehicle for introducing more complex concepts such as wave propagation, ocean upwelling and marine chemistry. Thus, we have developed an approach to introductory oceanography that presents students with real-world issues in the ocean sciences and requires them to explore the science behind them in order to improve overall ocean science literacy among non-majors and majors at 2 and 4 year colleges. We have designed a project-based curriculum built around topics that include, but are not limited to: tsunami hazard, whale migration, ocean fertilization, ocean territorial claims, rapid climate change, the pacific trash patch, overfishing, and ocean acidification. Each case study or project consists of three weeks of class time and is structured around three elements: 1) a media analysis; 2) the role of ocean science in addressing the issue; 3) human impact/response. Content resources range from textbook readings, popular or current print news, documentary film and television, and data available on the world wide web from a range of sources. We employ a variety of formative assessments for each case study in order to monitor student access and understanding of content and include a significant component of in-class student discussion and brainstorming guided by faculty input to develop the case study. Each study culminates in summative assessments ranging from exams to student posters to presentations, depending on the class size and environment. We envision this approach for a range of classroom environments including large group face-to-face instruction as well as hybrid and fully online courses.

AMS 4.0: consensus prediction of post-translational modifications in protein sequences.

PubMed

Plewczynski, Dariusz; Basu, Subhadip; Saha, Indrajit

2012-08-01

We present here the 2011 update of the AutoMotif Service (AMS 4.0) that predicts the wide selection of 88 different types of the single amino acid post-translational modifications (PTM) in protein sequences. The selection of experimentally confirmed modifications is acquired from the latest UniProt and Phospho.ELM databases for training. The sequence vicinity of each modified residue is represented using amino acids physico-chemical features encoded using high quality indices (HQI) obtaining by automatic clustering of known indices extracted from AAindex database. For each type of the numerical representation, the method builds the ensemble of Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) pattern classifiers, each optimising different objectives during the training (for example the recall, precision or area under the ROC curve (AUC)). The consensus is built using brainstorming technology, which combines multi-objective instances of machine learning algorithm, and the data fusion of different training objects representations, in order to boost the overall prediction accuracy of conserved short sequence motifs. The performance of AMS 4.0 is compared with the accuracy of previous versions, which were constructed using single machine learning methods (artificial neural networks, support vector machine). Our software improves the average AUC score of the earlier version by close to 7 % as calculated on the test datasets of all 88 PTM types. Moreover, for the selected most-difficult sequence motifs types it is able to improve the prediction performance by almost 32 %, when compared with previously used single machine learning methods. Summarising, the brainstorming consensus meta-learning methodology on the average boosts the AUC score up to around 89 %, averaged over all 88 PTM types. Detailed results for single machine learning methods and the consensus methodology are also provided, together with the comparison to previously published methods and state-of-the-art software tools. The source code and precompiled binaries of brainstorming tool are available at http://code.google.com/p/automotifserver/ under Apache 2.0 licensing.

A model of supervisor decision-making in the accommodation of workers with low back pain

PubMed Central

Williams-Whitt, Kelly; Kristman, Vicki; Shaw, William S.; Soklaridis, Sophie; Reguly, Paula

2016-01-01

PURPOSE To explore supervisors’ perspectives and decision-making processes in the accommodation of back injured workers. METHODS Twenty-three semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with supervisors from eleven Canadian organizations about their role in providing job accommodations. Supervisors were identified through an on-line survey and interviews were recorded, transcribed and entered into NVivo software. The initial analyses identified common units of meaning, which were used to develop a coding guide. Interviews were coded, and a model of supervisor decision-making was developed based on the themes, categories and connecting ideas identified in the data. RESULTS The decision-making model includes a process element that is described as iterative “trial and error” decision-making. Medical restrictions are compared to job demands, employee abilities and available alternatives. A feasible modification is identified through brainstorming and then implemented by the supervisor. Resources used for brainstorming include information, supervisor experience and autonomy, and organizational supports. The model also incorporates the experience of accommodation as a job demand that causes strain for the supervisor. Accommodation demands affect the supervisor’s attitude, brainstorming and monitoring effort and communication with returning employees. Resources and demands have a combined effect on accommodation decision complexity, which in turn affects the quality of the accommodation option selected. If the employee is unable to complete the tasks or is reinjured during the accommodation, the decision cycle repeats. More frequent iteration through the trial and error process reduces the likelihood of return to work success. CONCLUSIONS A series of propositions is developed to illustrate the relationships among categories in the model. The model and propositions show: a) the iterative, problem solving nature of the RTW process; b) decision resources necessary for accommodation planning, and c) the impact accommodation demands may have on supervisors and RTW quality. PMID:26811170

Towards the next generation of simplified Dark Matter models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albert, Andreas; Bauer, Martin; Brooke, Jim; Buchmueller, Oliver; Cerdeño, David G.; Citron, Matthew; Davies, Gavin; de Cosa, Annapaola; De Roeck, Albert; De Simone, Andrea; Du Pree, Tristan; Flaecher, Henning; Fairbairn, Malcolm; Ellis, John; Grohsjean, Alexander; Hahn, Kristian; Haisch, Ulrich; Harris, Philip C.; Khoze, Valentin V.; Landsberg, Greg; McCabe, Christopher; Penning, Bjoern; Sanz, Veronica; Schwanenberger, Christian; Scott, Pat; Wardle, Nicholas

2017-06-01

This White Paper is an input to the ongoing discussion about the extension and refinement of simplified Dark Matter (DM) models. It is not intended as a comprehensive review of the discussed subjects, but instead summarises ideas and concepts arising from a brainstorming workshop that can be useful when defining the next generation of simplified DM models (SDMM). In this spirit, based on two concrete examples, we show how existing SDMM can be extended to provide a more accurate and comprehensive framework to interpret and characterise collider searches. In the first example we extend the canonical SDMM with a scalar mediator to include mixing with the Higgs boson. We show that this approach not only provides a better description of the underlying kinematic properties that a complete model would possess, but also offers the option of using this more realistic class of scalar mixing models to compare and combine consistently searches based on different experimental signatures. The second example outlines how a new physics signal observed in a visible channel can be connected to DM by extending a simplified model including effective couplings. In the next part of the White Paper we outline other interesting options for SDMM that could be studied in more detail in the future. Finally, we review important aspects of supersymmetric models for DM and use them to propose how to develop more complete SDMMs. This White Paper is a summary of the brainstorming meeting "Next generation of simplified Dark Matter models" that took place at Imperial College, London on May 6, 2016, and corresponding follow-up studies on selected subjects.

Using the theoretical domains framework to guide the development of a self-management program for individuals with spinal cord injury: Results from a national stakeholder advisory group.

PubMed

Munce, Sarah E P; Allin, Sonya; Wolfe, Dalton L; Anzai, Karen; Linassi, Gary; Noonan, Vanessa K; Jaglal, Susan B

2017-11-01

To determine the implementation considerations for a targeted self-management program for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) from the perspective of a national stakeholder advisory group using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) as a guide. Qualitative descriptive approach. Two focus groups held at the 6 th National Spinal Cord Injury Conference (October 2-4 th , 2014) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A total of 25 stakeholders from across Canada participated in focus groups or "brainstorming sessions". The stakeholders included 5 clinicians, 14 researchers, 3 policy makers, and 3 individuals with SCI. Not applicable. Not applicable. All 14 theoretical domains were identified in the brainstorming sessions. No new themes or domains were identified. The need to consider the theoretical domains of Knowledge, Skills, Reinforcement, Intentions, Goals (e.g. the readiness of the individual with SCI), Environmental Context and Resources (e.g. considerations for governance and ownership of the program and a business model for sustainability), as well as Social Influences (e.g. issues of privacy and security in the context of on-line delivery) was identified. The current study provides complementary results to our previous series of studies on the implementation considerations for the development of a targeted self-management program for individuals with SCI by emphasizing the health care professional/health policy perspective. It is anticipated that such a program could not only reduce secondary complications and subsequent inappropriate health care use but it may also improve the quality of life for individuals with SCI and their caregivers.

The Delphi Method: An Approach for Facilitating Evidence Based Practice in Athletic Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandrey, Michelle A.; Bulger, Sean M.

2008-01-01

Objective: The growing importance of evidence based practice in athletic training is necessitating academics and clinicians to be able to make judgments about the quality or lack of the body of research evidence and peer-reviewed standards pertaining to clinical questions. To assist in the judgment process, consensus methods, namely brainstorming,…

Flight Simulator: Use of SpaceGraph Display in an Instructor/Operator Station. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sher, Lawrence D.

This report describes SpaceGraph, a new computer-driven display technology capable of showing space-filling images, i.e., true three dimensional displays, and discusses the advantages of this technology over flat displays for use with the instructor/operator station (IOS) of a flight simulator. Ideas resulting from 17 brainstorming sessions with…

Building on Authentic Learning for Pre-Service Teachers in a Technology-Rich Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latham, Gloria; Carr, Nicky

2015-01-01

The article "Authentic learning for pre-service teachers in a technology-rich environment" (Latham & Carr, 2012) appeared in the "Journal of Learning Design," Volume 5, Issue 1 in 2012. Since writing this paper three years ago, the authors reflect upon and brainstorm what they describe here as a radically revised approach.…

Crossroads: Quality of Life in a Nuclear World. A High School Science Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Dan; Phillips, Connie

One of a set of high school curricula on nuclear issues, this 10-day science unit helps students understand the interrelationship between the economy, the arms race, military spending, and the threat of nuclear war. Through activities such as role playing, discussion, brainstorming, and problem solving, students develop their ability to evaluate…

Developing Creative Thinking among Intellectually Able Filipino Children from Disadvantaged Urban Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naval-Severino, Teresita

1993-01-01

Disadvantaged Filipino children (ages 5-6) who were fast learners were given 20 sessions (n=7) or 46 sessions (n=8) of training in creative activities, using such techniques as brainstorming, figural/verbal/physical exercises, and problem solving. Children exposed to more training activities over a longer period of time manifested gains in…

Scenarios for the Future of Air Quality: Planning and Analysis in an Uncertain World

EPA Science Inventory

On November 15 and 16 of 2010, EPA hosted a workshop: The Future of Air Quality: Planning and Analysis in An Uncertain World in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This workshop was an “outside-of-the-box” thinking exercise, where a small group of EPA staff and managers brainstormed o...

A Report on the Science Summer Camp for the Gifted 9th Grade Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyeonggi Province Board of Education, Suweon (Republic of Korea).

A summer science camp was held in Korea for 30 ninth grade students gifted in science. Students were divided into three groups (physics, chemistry, and biology) for activities which included problem solving, brainstorming, and experimental work. The experiments of the physics group addressed the use of solar energy, the chemistry group focused on…

Improving DoD Energy Efficiency: Combining MMOWGLI Social-Media Brainstorming with Lexical Link Analysis (LLA) to Strengthen the Defense Acquisition Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

from MIT and co-founded Quantum Intelligence, Inc. She has been a principal investigator (PI) for six DoD Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR... consciously and consistently.  Following a series of deliberate experiments, long-term procedural improvements to the formal milestone acquisition process

Shifting Priorities: Print and Electronic Serials at the University of Montana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millet, Michelle S.; Mueller, Susan

2005-01-01

Following a library-wide brainstorming session and retreat, the Dean of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library tasked an ad-hoc committee to discuss implications for the library and its users if certain processes were implemented or eliminated in order to streamline the processing of serials. As the library's collection continues to shift from…

Crossroads: Quality of Life in a Nuclear World. A High School English Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Dan; And Others

One of a set of high school curricula on nuclear issues, this 10-day unit for English classes informs students of the issues surrounding the nuclear arms race and military spending. Each lesson includes readings, worksheets, and a daily homework assignment and focuses on one of the following activities: discussion, brainstorming, role playing, or…

The Secret Chambers in the Chephren Pyramid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutowski, Bartosz; Józwiak, Witold; Joos, Markus; Kempa, Janusz; Komorowska, Kamila; Krakowski, Kamil; Pijus, Ewa; Szymczak, Kamil; Trojanowska, Malgorzata

2018-01-01

In 2016, we (seven high school students from a school in Plock, Poland) participated in the CERN Beamline for Schools competition. Together with our team coach, Mr. Janusz Kempa, we submitted a proposal to CERN that was selected as one of two winning proposals that year. This paper describes our experiment from the early days of brainstorming to…

Astronaut to Zoologist: Changing the Dramatic Play Area!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brouette, Scott J.

Changing the dramatic play area in a child care setting promotes creativity and gives children the chance to experience a place they may never experience in real life. Whenever possible, the children should be involved in the process of changing the area, by moving furniture and exchanging props, as well as brainstorming ideas for changes. The…

Making Changes: A Futures-Oriented Course in Inventive Problem Solving. Lesson Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, John W.

This textbook/workbook for secondary school students is designed to stimulate inventive problem solving of future world problems. It is organized into four units and contains 23 lessons. Unit I defines the nature of the course and provides methods for stating and defining problems, brainstorming, working in groups, and judging ideas. Unit II…

Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of Classroom Activities Commonly Used in English Speaking Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Xiaoyu; Hu, Xinyue

2016-01-01

Classroom activities, such as English dubs, role-play, brainstorming etc can be very useful for the teaching of oral English. In recent years, although considerable attention has been paid to the use of classroom activities in English speaking classes, the perceptions of teachers and students about such activities have been ignored. Therefore,…

The Impact of Project-Based Learning on Improving Student Learning Outcomes of Sustainability Concepts in Transportation Engineering Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fini, Elham H.; Awadallah, Faisal; Parast, Mahour M.; Abu-Lebdeh, Taher

2018-01-01

This paper describes an intervention to enhance students' learning by involving students in brainstorming activities about sustainability concepts and their implications in transportation engineering. The paper discusses the process of incorporating the intervention into a transportation course, as well as the impact of this intervention on…

Thinking outside the Clocks: The Effect of Layered-Task Time on the Creative Climate of Meetings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agypt, Brett; Rubin, Beth A.; Spivack, April J.

2012-01-01

The turbulence of the new economy puts demands on organizations to respond rapidly, flexibly and creatively to changing environments. Meetings are one of the organizational sites in which organizational actors "do" creativity; interaction in groups can be an important site for generating creative ideas and brainstorming. Additionally, Blount…

Effects of Problem Scope and Creativity Instructions on Idea Generation and Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rietzschel, Eric F.; Nijstad, Bernard A.; Stroebe, Wolfgang

2014-01-01

The basic assumption of brainstorming is that increased quantity of ideas results in increased generation as well as selection of creative ideas. Although previous research suggests that idea quantity correlates strongly with the number of good ideas generated, quantity has been found to be unrelated to the quality of selected ideas. This article…

Facilitating Creative Idea Selection: The Combined Effects of Self-Affirmation, Promotion Focus and Positive Affect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Buisonjé, David R.; Ritter, Simone M.; de Bruin, Suze; ter Horst, J. Marie-Louise; Meeldijk, Arne

2017-01-01

Generating creative ideas in a brainstorm session `is a crucial part of innovation. However, for actual implementation, the most creative ideas must be selected from a pool of ideas. To date, idea selection has remained relatively unexplored and validated instruments to measure idea selection performance are not systematically employed. This study…

Integrating social science into forestry in the wildland/urban interface

Treesearch

Jeffrey J. Brooks; Hannah Brenkert; Judy E. Serby; Joseph G. Champ; Tony Simons; Daniel R. Williams

2006-01-01

A different kind of storm--neither fire nor wind--brought 60 forestry practitioners who work in wildfire risk prevention and several social science researchers together near Lyons, CO. Brainstorm. This unique retreat--a meeting of the minds--commingled these two groups to share and tackle ideas concerning social issues that shape decisions and behaviors regarding...

Evaluating Quality Circles in a College of Further Education. Manchester Monographs 31.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Tim

Quality circles (QCs) are small volunteer groups of workers who meet weekly with a trained leader operating to a strict code of conduct. They use techniques of brainstorming, cause and effect classification, pareto analysis, and presentation to consider work-related problems and recommend solutions to management. QCs have been tried in educational…

Using Technology To Improve Remote User Support: A Report from the "In Your Face" Working Committee.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlabach, Marty; Callais, Donna; Davis, Phil; Kehoe, Bill; Trelease, Ben

In July 1996, the Library Director of Cornell University's Mann Library formed a working committee to explore the technology solutions to providing a library presence with remote users. The committee began its explorations by brainstorming possible services that would utilize technology to bring the library closer to the remote user. After…

The Bottomless Churn: An Antique World of Collectibles. A Unit for Gifted and Talented Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marion, L. Marvin

The "mini-unit" focuses on the hobby of antiques and collectibles for gifted students. Among 10 objectives listed for the unit are to exhibit elaboration of ideas, use visual imagery, and learn social courtesies by working with older people in the community. Activities emphasize brainstorming, writing, conducting interviews, going on…

Classroom Notes Plus: A Quarterly of Teaching Ideas, 2004-2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Council of Teachers of English, 2005

2005-01-01

This document is a compilation of the four issues in the 22nd volume of "Classroom Notes Plus." The August 2004 issue includes: Celebrating Our Names (Nitza Agam); Group Resume (Jennifer L. Alex); There's Much to Learn from Listening (Ann McKenna); Roll Call Turns into Brainstorming (John R. Banks); Create Your Own Museum (Jennifer Collison);…

Administering Grants, Contracts, and Funds. Evaluating and Improving Your Grants System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, David G.; Otto, Mary L.

Aspects of the grants system are examined, and information on ways to improve the structure of a grants office and sharpen staff skills are provided. Thirteen chapters deal with the following topics: the purpose of the office of grants and contract administration (e.g., the essentials of brainstorming); measuring the success of a grants system…

Innovation and Skills Development in the Rural Voluntary Sector in Nova Scotia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Rural Partnership, 2002

2002-01-01

This report is a summary of discussions that took place at the Rural Voluntary Sector Leaders' Dialogue, entitled "Innovation and Skills Development in the Rural Voluntary Sector in Nova Scotia", held in Truro, Nova Scotia on September 20, 2002. Many of the discussions took place in brainstorming sessions at which no limits were placed…

One Book, One Community: One Great Idea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dempsey, Beth

2009-01-01

In 1998, Nancy Pearl and Chris Higashi, librarians working in the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library (SPL), had a brainstorm. Challenged with a grant to develop new audiences for literature, they were intrigued with the power of books to unite diverse audiences. With that in mind, they expanded the book club concept to…

Schools Integrate Dance into Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robelen, Erik W.

2010-01-01

Photosynthesis may be an unlikely topic to inspire an opera or ballet, but in a 2nd grade classroom in Pikesville, Maryland, the children were asked to use dance to help them learn about that process. Small groups of pupils in this class at Fort Garrison Elementary School brainstormed to come up with dance movements to convey elements of…

The Futures Wheel: A method for exploring the implications of social-ecological change

Treesearch

D.N. Bengston

2015-01-01

Change in social-ecological systems often produces a cascade of unanticipated consequences. Natural resource professionals and other stakeholders need to understand the possible implications of cascading change to prepare for it. The Futures Wheel is a "smart group" method that uses a structured brainstorming process to uncover and evaluate multiple levels of...

Guiding the Noticing: Using a Dramatic Performance Experience to Promote Tellability in Narrative Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Shanetia

2012-01-01

In this article, the author describes her use of dramatic performance to promote tellability in narrative writing within a seventh and eighth grade English and language arts classroom. By experiencing dramatic performance, the students were able to actively and physically perform the writing process: brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing.…

Oil Spill Cleanup

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kauble, Christena Ann

2011-01-01

Several classroom activities using a model of a seashore and an oil spill demonstrate the basic properties of oil spills in oceans. Students brainstorm about how to best clean up the mess. They work in teams, and after agreeing on how they will proceed, their method is tested by measuring the amount of oil removed and by rating the cleanliness of…

Reasons for using flavored liquids among electronic cigarette users: A concept mapping study.

PubMed

Soule, Eric K; Lopez, Alexa A; Guy, Mignonne C; Cobb, Caroline O

2016-09-01

Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) aerosolize liquids often containing flavorants for inhalation. Few studies have examined the role of flavors in ECIG use. This study's purpose was to examine reasons for flavored ECIG use using a mixed-method approach, concept mapping (CM). Forty-six past 30-day adult ECIG users recruited from vape forums/conferences completed three online CM tasks. Participants brainstormed responses to a prompt: "A specific reason I use flavored e-liquid in my electronic cigarette product is…". The final 107 brainstormed statements were sorted by participants into groups of similar content. Participants rated each statement on a 7-point scale (1-Definitely NOT a reason to 7-Definitely a reason) based on a prompt: "This is a specific reason why I used flavored e-liquid in my electronic cigarette product in the past month." A cluster map was generated from participants' sorting and ratings using CM statistical software. Cluster mean ratings were compared. Analysis revealed five clusters of reasons for flavored ECIG use including Increased Satisfaction/Enjoyment, Better Feel/Taste than Cigarettes, Variety/Customization, Food Craving Suppression, and Social Impacts. Statements in the Increased Satisfaction/Enjoyment and Better Feel/Taste than Cigarettes clusters were rated significantly higher than statements from other clusters (ps<0.05). Some statements indicated flavors were perceived as masking agents for nicotine or other bad tastes associated with cigarette smoking making ECIG use more palatable. Flavored ECIGs are used for many reasons. Some statements suggested flavors may increase the rewarding and possible addictive effects of ECIGs. These results support continued examination of the role of flavors and ECIG use behaviors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Course Design Based on the Kolb Learning Style as It Relates to Student Success in Online Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perantoni, Edward John

2010-01-01

Educators are taught that differentiated instruction is important to ensuring that students are offered an opportunity to learn. As a result, student learning styles become important in the design of an online course. Certain students prefer group work, discussions, and brainstorming sessions all of which are part of the socialization process.…

Report Writing for Technical Staff. P.R.I.D.E. People Retraining for Industry Excellence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burt, Lorna

This guide, part of a series of workplace-developed materials for retraining factory workers, provides teaching materials for a workplace course in report writing skills for technical staff. The course has been designed to help new engineers with all aspects of report writing. It covers the outline and structure of reports, brainstorming,…

Simulation into Reality: Some Effects of Simulation Techniques on Organizational Communication Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Richard K.

In an attempt to discover improved classroom teaching methods, a class was turned into a business organization as a way of bringing life to the previously covered lectures and textual materials. The simulated games were an attempt to get people to work toward a common goal with all of the power plays, secret meetings, brainstorming, anger, and…

The Idea Storming Cube: Evaluating the Effects of Using Game and Computer Agent to Support Divergent Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Chun-Chieh; Yeh, Ting-Kuang; Li, Tsai-Yen; Chang, Chun-Yen

2010-01-01

The objective of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of a collaborative and online brainstorming game, Idea Storming Cube (ISC), which provides users with a competitive game-based environment and a peer-like intelligent agent. The program seeks to promote students' divergent thinking to aid in the process of problem solving. The…

Enhancing Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking Skills of First Grade ESOL Students through the Use of Semantic Webbing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufman, Madeline

In response to low reading scores among first grade students of English as a Second Language (ESL) in one inner-city school, the teaching techniques of semantic webbing and brainstorming were used to improve student reading skills. Subjects were eight first grade ESL students. Pretests were administered to assess student levels of reading…

Excite Kids about Engineering: Design Squad[TM] and Engineer Your Life[TM] Resources Make It Easy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Jack

2008-01-01

The author discusses "Design Squad", a television program designed to introduce students to the engineering process. Each episode tells the story of how two teams tackled a particular challenge. A graphic announces each stage (e.g., brainstorm, design, build, test, and redesign) as the teams construct their solutions. These graphics make visual…

The Impact of Semantic Relevance and Heterogeneity of Pictorial Stimuli on Individual Brainstorming: An Extension of the SIAM Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guo, Jing; McLeod, Poppy Lauretta

2014-01-01

Drawing upon the Search for Ideas in Associative Memory (SIAM) model as the theoretical framework, the impact of heterogeneity and topic relevance of visual stimuli on ideation performance was examined. Results from a laboratory experiment showed that visual stimuli increased productivity and diversity of idea generation, that relevance to the…

Listen-Identify-Brainstorm-Reality-Test-Encourage (LIBRE) Problem-Solving Model: Addressing Special Education Teacher Attrition through a Cognitive-Behavioral Approach to Teacher Induction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerra, Norma S.; Hernandez, Art; Hector, Alison M.; Crosby, Shane

2015-01-01

Special education teacher attrition rates continue to challenge the profession. A cognitive-behavioral problem-solving approach was used to examine three alternative certification program special education teachers' professional development through a series of 41 interviews conducted over a 2-year period. Beginning when they were novice special…

Mastering the Maestro: The Effective Maestro Asks Writers, Photographers, and Designers to Trade Places with Readers as They Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cripe, Dennis

1998-01-01

Considers two very different fictional high school newspaper editorships to see how the "maestro" process works. Notes that the process is a management technique similar to brainstorming but in which one person keeps the planning meeting focused. Suggests that the effective maestro asks writers, photographers, and designers to trade places with…

Design a Recycling Game! Grades 3-5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rushton, Erik; Ryan, Emily; Swift, Charles

Earth is running out of space in landfills and non-renewable resources are being depleted. In this activity, students address the question, "How can we reuse some of our garbage so that we begin to throw away less?" Students brainstorm ideas for an effective board game format and design a game in which players try to come up with alternative uses…

Order from Chaos: An Arts-Based Approach to Counteract Trauma and Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Lisa; Arnold, Alice

2014-01-01

In this visual essay, NAEA Women's Caucus members gather at the National Convention to create collages in an effort to brainstorm ways to end violence. The mission of the Women's Caucus of the National Art Education Association is a clear call for equity between men and women and a call for social justice in general. Discriminatory practices and…

From Brainstorming to C-Sketch to Principles of Historical Innovators: Ideation Techniques to Enhance Student Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Christina; Wood, Kristin; Jensen, Dan

2012-01-01

The heart and soul of engineering is innovation and our ability to improve the human condition through design. To enrich engineering education, it is critical that we advance our teaching in innovation and design processes. This research focuses on the ideation component of innovation through the investigation of a suite of concept generation…

Semiotics of Umberto Eco in a Literary Translation Class: The Model Reader as the Competent Translator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozturk Kasar, Sündüz; Can, Alize

2017-01-01

Classroom environment can be thought as an absolute place to practice and improve translation skills of students. They have the possibility to brainstorm and discuss problematic points they face with each other during a translation activity. It can be estimated in the same way in a literary translation class. Students who are supposed to become…

Does attitude hinder or help selecting evaluation questions?

PubMed

Shams, Behzad; Dehghani, Mostafa

2015-06-01

Positive attitude leads to a more successfully implementation of a change. We investigated the effect of attitudes of stakeholders toward a program on their prioritization of the program components for selecting the key question of a theory-driven evaluation with concept mapping method. During a brainstorming session, stated statements defined the program components. Then they were sorted and rated regarding the importance and feasibility of them. In addition, the attitudes of participants were assessed by a 30 items questionnaire extracted from a pool named as "50 reasons not to change." We determined and compared the consensus points of participants both with and without of considering their attitudes toward the program. The participants were divided into two groups of high (45% - above the mean) and low (55% - below the mean) attitude. Brainstorming discussions generated a pool of almost 120 statements which were subsequently refined to 44 statements. Matching the rating scores between two attitude groups yielded a consensus at a higher priority than the other method. In the concept mapping procedure, it is crucial to reach the consensus with respect to the participants' attitude, rather than the similarity of mean scores of feasibility and importance.

The development and assessment of an evaluation tool for pediatric resident competence in leading simulated pediatric resuscitations.

PubMed

Grant, Estée C; Grant, Vincent J; Bhanji, Farhan; Duff, Jonathan P; Cheng, Adam; Lockyer, Jocelyn M

2012-07-01

It is critical that competency in pediatric resuscitation is achieved and assessed during residency or post graduate medical training. The purpose of this study was to create and evaluate a tool to measure all elements of pediatric resuscitation team leadership competence. An initial set of items, derived from a literature review and a brainstorming session, were refined to a 26 item assessment tool through the use of Delphi methodology. The tool was tested using videos of standardized resuscitations. A psychometric assessment of the evidence for instrument validity and reliability was undertaken. The performance of 30 residents on two videotaped scenarios was assessed by 4 pediatricians using the tool, with 12 items assessing 'leadership and communication skills' (LCS) and 14 items assessing 'knowledge and clinical skills' (KCS). The instrument showed evidence of reliability; the Cronbach's alpha and generalizability co-efficients for the overall instrument were α=0.818 and Ep(2)=0.76, for LCS were α=0.827 and Ep(2)=0.844, and for KCS were α=0.673 and Ep(2)=0.482. While validity was initially established through literature review and brainstorming by the panel of experts, it was further built through the high strength of correlation between global scores and scores for overall performance (r=0.733), LCS (r=0.718) and KCS (r=0.662) as well as the factor analysis which accounted for 40.2% of the variance. The results of the study demonstrate that the instrument is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate pediatric resuscitation team leader competence. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reasons for Using Flavored Liquids among Electronic Cigarette Users: a Concept Mapping Study

PubMed Central

Soule, Eric K.; Lopez, Alexa A.; Guy, Mignonne C.; Cobb, Caroline O.

2016-01-01

Background Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) aerosolize liquids often containing flavorants for inhalation. Few studies have examined the role of flavors in ECIG use. This study’s purpose was to examine reasons for flavored ECIG use using a mixed-method approach, concept mapping (CM). Methods Forty-six past 30-day adult ECIG users recruited from vape forums/conferences completed three online CM tasks. Participants brainstormed responses to a prompt: “A specific reason I use flavored e-liquid in my electronic cigarette product is…”. The final 107 brainstormed statements were sorted by participants into groups of similar content. Participants rated each statement on a 7-point scale (1-Definitely NOT a reason to 7-Definitely a reason) based on a prompt: “This is a specific reason why I used flavored e-liquid in my electronic cigarette product in the past month.” A cluster map was generated from participants’ sorting and ratings using CM statistical software. Cluster mean ratings were compared. Results Analysis revealed five clusters of reasons for flavored ECIG use including Increased Satisfaction/Enjoyment, Better Feel/Taste than Cigarettes, Variety/Customization, Food Craving Suppression, and Social Impacts. Statements in the Increased Satisfaction/Enjoyment and Better Feel/Taste than Cigarettes clusters were rated significantly higher than statements from other clusters (ps<.05). Some statements indicated flavors were perceived as masking agents for nicotine or other bad tastes associated with cigarette smoking making ECIG use more palatable. Conclusions Flavored ECIGs are used for many reasons. Some statements suggested flavors may increase the risk of ECIG addiction. These results support continued examination of the role of flavors and ECIG use behaviors. PMID:27460860

From the Past, into the Future: Journeying through 20 Years of "Tribal College Journal"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talahongva, Patty

2009-01-01

From the very start each issue of the "Tribal College Journal" (TCJ) was (and remains) a result of weeks of planning, thinking up themes, brainstorming story ideas, and tracking the progress at the various tribal colleges, and then putting it all into a single quarterly issue. In the past 20 years there have been 80 issues dedicated to the Tribal…

A STEM Brainstorm at NASA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Tom

2009-01-01

"I wanna be an astronaut when I grow up" was a common refrain from children in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, and it might have given the U.S. space program leaders a false sense of security that an endless line of well-qualified workers would be waiting outside their door for years to come. The reality has been that not enough students have chosen…

User-identified electronic cigarette behavioral strategies and device characteristics for cigarette smoking reduction.

PubMed

Soule, Eric K; Maloney, Sarah F; Guy, Mignonne C; Eissenberg, Thomas; Fagan, Pebbles

2018-04-01

There is limited evidence on how cigarette smokers use electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) for smoking cessation and reduction. This study used concept mapping, a participatory mixed-methods research approach, to identify ECIG use behaviors and device characteristics perceived to be associated with cigarette smoking cessation or reduction. Current ECIG users aged 18-64 were recruited from seven cities selected randomly from U.S. census tract regions. Participants were invited to complete concept mapping tasks: brainstorming, sorting and rating (n=72). During brainstorming, participants generated statements in response to a focus prompt ("A SPECIFIC WAY I HAVE USED electronic cigarettes to reduce my cigarette smoking or a SPECIFIC WAY electronic cigarettes help me reduce my cigarette smoking is…") and then sorted and rated the statements. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses were used to generate a cluster map that was interpreted by the research team. Eight thematic clusters were identified: Convenience, Perceived Health Effects, Ease of Use, Versatility and Variety, Advantages of ECIGs over Cigarettes, Cigarette Substitutability, Reducing Harms to Self and Others, and Social Benefits. Participants generated several statements that related to specific behavioral strategies used when using ECIGs for smoking reduction/complete switching behaviors such as making rapid transitions from smoking to ECIG use or using certain ECIG liquids or devices. Former smokers rated the Perceived Health Effects cluster and several behavioral strategy statements higher than current smokers. These results help to identify ECIG use behaviors and characteristics perceived by ECIG users to aid in cigarette smoking cessation or reduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of interventions on road traffic injuries in Peru: a qualitative approach

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Evaluation of interventions on road traffic injuries (RTI) going beyond the assessment of impact to include factors underlying success or failure is an important complement to standard impact evaluations. We report here how we used a qualitative approach to assess current interventions implemented to reduce RTIs in Peru. Methods We performed in-depth interviews with policymakers and technical officers involved in the implementation of RTI interventions to get their insight on design, implementation and evaluation aspects. We then conducted a workshop with key stakeholders to analyze the results of in-depth interviews, and to further discuss and identify key programmatic considerations when designing and implementing RTI interventions. We finally performed brainstorming sessions to assess potential system-wide effects of a selected intervention (Zero Tolerance), and to identify adaptation and redesign needs for this intervention. Results Key programmatic components were consistently identified that should be considered when designing and implementing RTI interventions. They include effective and sustained political commitment and planning; sufficient and sustained budget allocation; training, supervision, monitoring and evaluation of implemented policies; multisectoral participation; and strong governance and accountability. Brainstorming sessions revealed major negative effects of the selected intervention on various system building blocks. Conclusions Our approach revealed substantial caveats in current RTI interventions in Peru, and fundamental negative effects on several components of the sectors and systems involved. It also highlighted programmatic issues that should be applied to guarantee an effective implementation and evaluation of these policies. The findings from this study were discussed with key stakeholders for consideration in further designing and planning RTI control interventions in Peru. PMID:22269578

Evaluation of interventions on road traffic injuries in Peru: a qualitative approach.

PubMed

Huicho, Luis; Adam, Taghreed; Rosales, Edmundo; Paca-Palao, Ada; López, Luis; Luna, Diego; Miranda, J Jaime

2012-01-23

Evaluation of interventions on road traffic injuries (RTI) going beyond the assessment of impact to include factors underlying success or failure is an important complement to standard impact evaluations. We report here how we used a qualitative approach to assess current interventions implemented to reduce RTIs in Peru. We performed in-depth interviews with policymakers and technical officers involved in the implementation of RTI interventions to get their insight on design, implementation and evaluation aspects. We then conducted a workshop with key stakeholders to analyze the results of in-depth interviews, and to further discuss and identify key programmatic considerations when designing and implementing RTI interventions. We finally performed brainstorming sessions to assess potential system-wide effects of a selected intervention (Zero Tolerance), and to identify adaptation and redesign needs for this intervention. Key programmatic components were consistently identified that should be considered when designing and implementing RTI interventions. They include effective and sustained political commitment and planning; sufficient and sustained budget allocation; training, supervision, monitoring and evaluation of implemented policies; multisectoral participation; and strong governance and accountability. Brainstorming sessions revealed major negative effects of the selected intervention on various system building blocks. Our approach revealed substantial caveats in current RTI interventions in Peru, and fundamental negative effects on several components of the sectors and systems involved. It also highlighted programmatic issues that should be applied to guarantee an effective implementation and evaluation of these policies. The findings from this study were discussed with key stakeholders for consideration in further designing and planning RTI control interventions in Peru.

Defining community readiness for the implementation of a system of care.

PubMed

Behar, Lenore B; Hydaker, William M

2009-11-01

Developing systems of care for children with emotional disorders requires changes in the organization and delivery of services. Using concept mapping, the authors conducted a study to define factors of a community's readiness to make such changes. Participants were from 25 of 27 federally-funded, advanced sites, plus a panel of experts. The participants completed three tasks: brainstorming, rating, and sorting. This process produced eight factors: Leadership, Network of Local Partners, Shared Goals, Collaboration, Families and Youth as Partners, Accountability, Evaluation, and Plans to Expand Services. Understanding factors that contribute to successful implementation should help communities identify and make needed changes.

Interactive instruction in otolaryngology resident education.

PubMed

Schweinfurth, John M

2007-12-01

Today's academic faculty was typically trained under an education system based entirely on didactic lectures. However, if the aim is to teach thinking or change attitudes beyond the simple transmission of factual knowledge, then lectures alone, without active involvement of the students, are not the most effective method of teaching. If the goals of teaching are to arouse and keep students' interest, give facts and details, to make students think critically about the subject, and to prepare for independent studies by demonstration of problem solving and professional reasoning, then only two of these purposes are suited to didactic lectures. The problem then is how to organize lecture material so that individual student's learning needs are better addressed. The education literature suggests that instruction include a variety of activities designed to stimulate individual thought. These activities include small group discussion, working problems during lecture time, questions included in the lecture, and quizzes at the end of lecture, among others. The current study was undertaken to examine the feasibility of using these types of interactive learning techniques in an otolaryngology residency program. Possibilities considered in the current study include standard interactive lecturing, facilitated discussion, brainstorming, small group activities, problem solving, competitive large group exercises, and the use of illustrative cliff hanger and incident cases. The feasibility of these methodologies being effectively incorporated into a residency curriculum is discussed.

Data Warehousing at the Marine Corps Institute

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-09-01

applications exists for several reasons. It allows for data to be extracted from many sources, by “cleaned”, and stored into one large data facility ...exists. Key individuals at MCI, or the so called “knowledge workers” will be educated , and try to brainstorm possible data relationships that can...They include querying and reporting, On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) and statistical analysis, and data mining. 1. Queries and Reports The

Addressing Counterfeit Parts in the DoD Supply Chain

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

Social - Media Brainstorming With Lexical Link Analysis (LLA) to Strengthen the Defense Acquisition Process Ying Zhao, Don Brutzman, and Douglas J...serve as a “broker” to market specific research topics identified by our sponsors to NPS graduate students. This three-pronged approach provides for a... socials . Many of our researchers use these occasions to establish new teaming arrangements for future research work. Despite the fact that we will

Asking questions: a management tool.

PubMed

Wachs, J E; Price, M

1995-05-01

The occupational health nurse manager does not have all the answers. In using a democratic style of leadership with well qualified professionals, the technique of questioning can be invaluable in clarifying the issue, brainstorming solutions, developing a course of action, and monitoring success. The personal rewards to the occupational health nurse manager will include a reputation for being an effective listener, a problem solver, and a valued member of the company's management team.

Nominal group technique: a brainstorming tool for identifying areas to improve pain management in hospitalized patients.

PubMed

Peña, Adolfo; Estrada, Carlos A; Soniat, Debbie; Taylor, Benjamin; Burton, Michael

2012-01-01

Pain management in hospitalized patients remains a priority area for improvement; effective strategies for consensus development are needed to prioritize interventions. To identify challenges, barriers, and perspectives of healthcare providers in managing pain among hospitalized patients. Qualitative and quantitative group consensus using a brainstorming technique for quality improvement-the nominal group technique (NGT). One medical, 1 medical-surgical, and 1 surgical hospital unit at a large academic medical center. Nurses, resident physicians, patient care technicians, and unit clerks. Responses and ranking to the NGT question: "What causes uncontrolled pain in your unit?" Twenty-seven health workers generated a total of 94 ideas. The ideas perceived contributing to a suboptimal pain control were grouped as system factors (timeliness, n = 18 ideas; communication, n = 11; pain assessment, n = 8), human factors (knowledge and experience, n = 16; provider bias, n = 8; patient factors, n = 19), and interface of system and human factors (standardization, n = 14). Knowledge, timeliness, provider bias, and patient factors were the top ranked themes. Knowledge and timeliness are considered main priorities to improve pain control. NGT is an efficient tool for identifying general and context-specific priority areas for quality improvement; teams of healthcare providers should consider using NGT to address their own challenges and barriers. Copyright © 2011 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Design and Feasibility of an Intervention to Support Cancer Genetic Counselees in Informing their At-Risk Relatives.

PubMed

de Geus, Eveline; Eijzenga, Willem; Menko, Fred H; Sijmons, Rolf H; de Haes, Hanneke C J M; Aalfs, Cora M; Smets, Ellen M A

2016-12-01

Cancer genetic counselees receive individualized information regarding heightened risks and medical recommendations which is also relevant for their at-risk relatives. Unfortunately, counselees often insufficiently inform these relatives. We designed an intervention aimed at improving counselees' knowledge regarding which at-risk relatives to inform and what information to disclose, their motivation to disclose, and their self-efficacy. The intervention, offered by telephone by trained psychosocial workers, is based on the principles of Motivational Interviewing. Phase 1 of the intervention covers agenda setting, exploration, and evaluation, and phase 2 includes information provision, enhancing motivation and self-efficacy, and brainstorming for solutions to disseminate information within the family. Fidelity and acceptability of the intervention were assessed using recordings of intervention sessions and by counselee self-report. A total of 144 counselees participated. Psychosocial workers (n = 5) delivered the intervention largely as intended. Counselees highly appreciated the content of the intervention and the psychosocial workers who delivered the intervention. In the sessions, psychosocial workers provided additional and/or corrective information, and brainstorming for solutions was performed in 70 %. These results indicate that this intervention is feasible and warrants testing in clinical practice. For this, a randomized controlled trial is currently in progress to test the intervention's efficacy.

Use of cardiovascular polypills for the secondary prevention of cerebrovascular disease.

PubMed

Masjuan, J; Gállego, J; Aguilera, J M; Arenillas, J F; Castellanos, M; Díaz, F; Portilla, J C; Purroy, F

2018-01-08

There is little control of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in secondary prevention after an ischaemic stroke, in part due to a lack of adherence to treatment. The CV polypill may contribute to proper treatment adherence, which is necessary for CV disease prevention. This study aimed to establish how and in what cases the CV polypill should be administered. A group of 8 neurologists drafted consensus recommendations using structured brainstorming and based on their experience and a literature review. These recommendations are based on the opinion of the participating experts. The use of the CV polypill is beneficial for patients, healthcare professionals, and the health system. Its use is most appropriate for atherothrombotic stroke, lacunar stroke, stroke associated with cognitive impairment, cryptogenic stroke with CV risk factors, and silent cerebrovascular disease. It is the preferred treatment in cases of suspected poor adherence, polymedicated patients, elderly people, patients with polyvascular disease or severe atherothrombosis, young patients in active work, and patients who express a preference for the CV polypill. Administration options include switching from individual drugs to the CV polypill, starting treatment with the CV polypill in the acute phase in particular cases, use in patients receiving another statin or an angiotensin ii receptor antagonist, or de novo use if there is suspicion of poor adherence. Nevertheless, use of the CV polypill requires follow-up on the achievement of the therapeutic objectives to make dose adjustments. This document is the first to establish recommendations for the use of the CV polypill in cerebrovascular disease, beyond its advantages in terms of treatment adherence. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Monitoring of the Quality of the Defense Contract Audit Agency FY 2010 Audits

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-07

performed by regional audit managers include reviewing high risk assignments and reports prior to their issuance, performing post-issuance reviews, or...brainstorming procedure requires the audit team ( managers , supervisors, and auditors) to discuss the risk of fraud for that engagement and to discuss the risk ...auditors to make inquiries of contractor management of management’s knowledge of fraud risks during its annual planning meeting with major contractors

Creating Fantastic PI Workshops

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biedermann, Laura B.; Clark, Blythe G.; Colbert, Rachel S.

The goal of this SAND report is to provide guidance for other groups hosting workshops and peerto-peer learning events at Sandia. Thus this SAND report provides detail about our team structure, how we brainstormed workshop topics and developed the workshop structure. A Workshop “Nuts and Bolts” section provides our timeline and check-list for workshop activities. The survey section provides examples of the questions we asked and how we adapted the workshop in response to the feedback.

Practical Software Measurement: Measuring for Process Management and Improvement,

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-04-01

Ishikawa , Kaoru . Guide to Quality Control, Second Revised Edition. White Plains, N.Y.: UNIPUB-Kraus International Publications, 1986. CMU/SEI-97...begin, you may want to assemble a group of people who work within the process to brainstorm possible reasons for the unusual behavior. Ishikawa charts...control limits and center line. • Cause-and-effect diagrams (also know as Ishikawa charts) allow you to probe for, map, and prioritize a set of factors

Combining MMOWGLI Social Media Brainstorming with Lexical Link Analysis (LLA) to Strengthen the DoD Acquisition Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

founded Quantum Intelligence, Inc. She was principal investigator (PI) for six contracts awarded by the DoD Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR... Quantum Intelligence, Inc. CLA is a computer-based learning agent, or agent collaboration, capable of ingesting and processing data sources. We have...opportunities all need to be addressed consciously and consistently.  Following a series of deliberate experiments, long-term procedural improvements to the

Food for creativity: tyrosine promotes deep thinking.

PubMed

Colzato, Lorenza S; de Haan, Annelies M; Hommel, Bernhard

2015-09-01

Anecdotal evidence suggests that creative people sometimes use food to overcome mental blocks and lack of inspiration, but empirical support for this possibility is still lacking. In this study, we investigated whether creativity in convergent- and divergent-thinking tasks is promoted by the food supplement L-Tyrosine (TYR)-a biochemical precursor of dopamine, which is assumed to drive cognitive control and creativity. We found no evidence for an impact of TYR on divergent thinking ("brainstorming") but it did promote convergent ("deep") thinking. As convergent thinking arguably requires more cognitive top-down control, this finding suggests that TYR can facilitate control-hungry creative operations. Hence, the food we eat may affect the way we think.

Social factors in space station interiors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cranz, Galen; Eichold, Alice; Hottes, Klaus; Jones, Kevin; Weinstein, Linda

1987-01-01

Using the example of the chair, which is often written into space station planning but which serves no non-cultural function in zero gravity, difficulties in overcoming cultural assumptions are discussed. An experimental approach is called for which would allow designers to separate cultural assumptions from logistic, social and psychological necessities. Simulations, systematic doubt and monitored brainstorming are recommended as part of basic research so that the designer will approach the problems of space module design with a complete program.

User-Centred Design Using Gamestorming.

PubMed

Currie, Leanne

2016-01-01

User-centered design (UX) is becoming a standard in software engineering and has tremendous potential in healthcare. The purpose of this tutorial will be to demonstrate and provide participants with practice in user-centred design methods that involve 'Gamestorming', a form of brainstorming where 'the rules of life are temporarily suspended'. Participants will learn and apply gamestorming methods including persona development via empathy mapping and methods to translate artefacts derived from participatory design sessions into functional and design requirements.

Inefficient by Design: A Model for Leader Assessment of Organizational Efficiency

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-22

wishing them away only cements their status as points of friction. Leaders should investigate the principal motivations of their peer organizations and...immediate aim of brainstorming in creativity classes was to develop “ideational fluency ”—that is, to produce lots of ideas quickly. The gurus assumed... cement a course of action not intended by A. When A fails to perceive such organizational drift and takes no corrective action, then the potential

The Effects of Evaluation and Production Blocking on the Performance of Brainstorming Groups

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-08-01

NUMBER OF PAGES 701 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 20. LMIITATION OF ABSTRACT OF...special interest group. Once again, the people in the above examples share many things in common such as a sense of civil duty, an employer, a love for a...people respond differently in the presence of others, a phenomenon Zajonc refers to as compresence . In group settings, social facilitation can be

Novel tool for deprescribing in chronic patients with multimorbidity: List of Evidence-Based Deprescribing for Chronic Patients criteria.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Pérez, Aitana; Alfaro-Lara, Eva Rocío; Albiñana-Perez, Sandra; Nieto-Martín, María Dolores; Díez-Manglano, Jesús; Pérez-Guerrero, Concepción; Santos-Ramos, Bernardo

2017-11-01

To create a tool to identify drugs and clinical situations that offers an opportunity of deprescribing in patients with multimorbidity. A literature review completed with electronic brainstorming, and subsequently, a panel of experts using the Delphi methodology were applied. The experts assessed the criteria identified in the literature and brainstorming as possible situations for deprescribing. They were also asked to assess the influence of life prognosis in each criterion. A tool was composed of the most appropriate criteria according to the strength of their evidence, usefulness in patients with multimorbidity and applicability in clinical practice. Out of a total of 100, 27 criteria were selected to be included in the final list. It was named the LESS-CHRON criteria (List of Evidence-baSed depreScribing for CHRONic patients), and was organized by the anatomical group of the Anatomical, Therapeutic, Chemical (ATC) classification system of the drug to be deprescribed. Each criterion contains: drug indication for which it is prescribed, clinical situation that offers an opportunity to deprescribe, clinical variable to be monitored and the minimum time to follow up the patient after deprescribing. The "LESS-CHRON criteria" are the result of a comprehensive and standardized methodology to identify clinical situations for deprescribing drugs in chronic patients with multimorbidity. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2200-2207. © 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Meso level multi-disciplinary approach for reduction of pre-treatment loss to follow-up in Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program, Delhi, India.

PubMed

Sharma, Nandini; Chandra, Shivani; Dhuria, Meera; Kohli, Charu; Chopra, Kamal Kishore; Aggarwal, Nishi; Sachdeva, Kuldeep

2017-10-01

Universal access to tuberculosis (TB) care services emphasizes early detection and initiation of treatment for all pulmonary TB patients. Pre-treatment loss to follow-up patients needs to be actively tracked and treated to break the chain of transmission in the community. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire based cross sectional study of a sample of 340 patients who were pre-treatment loss to follow-up was conducted from November 2011 to March 2012 in Delhi. Qualitative study involved focused group discussions with paramedical providers using a topic outline guide, patients were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire and brainstorming of program managers to elicit reasons, suggestions and health seeking behavior among those who were pre-treatment loss to follow-up. Preference for private practitioners (64.4%), lack of trust in government health system (26.7%), inconvenient time of Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) centre (18.5%) and wrong patient address (14%) were the main reasons for pre-treatment loss to follow-up. Paramedical provider's opinion elicited in focused group discussion was that there is an increased tendency of pre-treatment loss to follow-up in drug addicts and home-less patients. Brainstorming with program managers revealed that a lack of trust in allopathic system of medicine and human resource constraints were the leading causes of pre-treatment loss to follow-up. A Meso level multi disciplinary model with community participation through Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) has been designed based on the above findings. The model suggests mutual collaboration between government and non government agencies for promotion of International Standards of TB care in private clinics, de addiction services and social welfare schemes through RWAs. There is a need for Advocacy Communication and Social Mobilization on a large scale. Collaboration with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and with practitioners from alternate systems of medicine should be encouraged. Copyright © 2017 Tuberculosis Association of India. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

TU-D-213AB-01: How You Can Be the Speaker and Communicator Everyone Wants You to Be.

PubMed

Collins, J; Aydogan, B

2012-06-01

Effectiveness of an oral presentation depends on the ability of the speaker to communicate with the audience. An important part of this communication is focusing on two to five key points and emphasizing those points during the presentation. Every aspect of the presentation should be purposeful and directed at facilitating learners' achievement of the objectives. This necessitates that the speaker has carefully developed the objectives and built the presentation around attainment of the objectives. A presentation should be designed to include as much audience participation as possible, no matter the size of the audience. Techniques to encourage audience participation include questioning, brainstorming, small-group activities, role-playing, case-based examples, directed listening, and use of an audience response system. It is first necessary to motivate and gain attention of the learner for learning to take place. This can be accomplished through appropriate use of humor, anecdotes, and quotations. This course will review adult learning principles and effective presentation skills, Learning Objectives: 1. Apply adult learning principles. 2. Demonstrate effective presentations skills. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

A Proposed 2025 Ground Systems, Systems Engineering Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-01

Ten sio ns Egy pt Int ern al Ten sio ns Ira n R eg ion al An ata go nis ms Yem en In sta bil ity Ter ror ist Ch all en ge s Sud an Co nfl ict Ter...brainstorm solutions. Meanwhile, engineers can observe what is working and program managers can assess the true tactical value of technolo- gies ...user needs into materiel solutions (Boehm, 2010). Due to the length of the existing process, decisions made and available technolo- gies that were

Technology Insertion (TI)/Industrial Process Improvement (IPI) Task Order Number 1. Quick Fix Plan for WR-ALC, 7 RCC’s

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-25

Orders and test specifications. Some mandatory replacement of high failure items are directed by Technical Orders to extend MTBF. Precision bearing and...Experience is very high but natural attrition is reducing the numbers faster than training is furnishing younger mechanics. Surge conditions would be...model validation run output revealed that utilization of equipment is very low and manpower is high . Based on this analysis and the brainstorming

Current state of the art, multimodality research and future visions for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer: consensus results from "Challenges and Chances in Prostate Cancer Research Meeting 2013".

PubMed

Combs, Stephanie E; Debus, Jürgen; Feick, Günter; Hadaschik, Boris; Hohenfellner, Markus; Schüle, Roland; Zacharias, Jens-Peter; Schwardt, Malte

2014-11-04

A brainstorming and consensus meeting organized by the German Cancer Aid focused on modern treatment of prostate cancer and promising innovative techniques and research areas. Besides optimization of screening algorithms, molecular-based stratification and individually tailored treatment regimens will be the future of multimodal prostate cancer management. Effective interdisciplinary structures, including biobanking and data collection mechanisms are the basis for such developments.

Computer literacy enhancement in the Teaching Hospital Olomouc. Part I: project management techniques. Short communication.

PubMed

Sedlár, Drahomír; Potomková, Jarmila; Rehorová, Jarmila; Seckár, Pavel; Sukopová, Vera

2003-11-01

Information explosion and globalization make great demands on keeping pace with the new trends in the healthcare sector. The contemporary level of computer and information literacy among most health care professionals in the Teaching Hospital Olomouc (Czech Republic) is not satisfactory for efficient exploitation of modern information technology in diagnostics, therapy and nursing. The present contribution describes the application of two basic problem solving techniques (brainstorming, SWOT analysis) to develop a project aimed at information literacy enhancement.

New Location Improves Efficiency | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Nancy Parrish, Staff Writer The physical proximity of the SAIC-Frederick Intellectual Property (IP) Office to the NCI Technology Transfer Center (NCI-TTC) is one of the many benefits of being at the Advanced Technology Research Facility (ATRF), according to Courtney Silverthorn, Ph.D. Being in one location “has increased the effectiveness of both informal communication and formal meetings. We have already brainstormed solutions for several issues in the hallway during an informal chat,” said Silverthorn, an SAIC-Frederick IP specialist.

Faculty Activity to Reach Consensus and Develop the SF-ROCKS Outreach Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grove, K.; White, L.

2003-12-01

The Geosciences Department at San Francisco State University has prided itself on the excellent relationships among its faculty and students and on its proven ability to train students for careers in industry and academia. Yet, like many Geoscience departments, it recognized a need to generate higher enrollments in the undergraduate majors programs and to increase collaborations among departmental disciplines (in our case, geology, meteorology, and oceanography). To address these concerns, the department created a new outreach program that involves a majority of the faculty and that aims to increase the number of students (particularly those from underrepresented groups) who pursue a career in Geosciences at SFSU and who appreciate the role of the geosciences in their daily lives. The outreach idea was generated at a retreat of departmental faculty in January 2001. The department chair (Grove) used a classroom teaching technique to have faculty brainstorm ideas about increasing student enrollments and to reach consensus about actions to be taken. The faculty was divided into 4 groups of 3 members. Each group member spent 10 minutes brainstorming ideas and writing each idea on a post-it note. Group members then convened for 15 minutes to cluster their post-it note ideas into affinity groups. Each group subsequently had 10-15 minutes to present their ideas to the larger group, who then proceeded to decide on action items. From this activity came a clear consensus about the need for more outreach activities, and the faculty decided to submit a request for funding to a newly created NSF Geosciences program (OEDG---Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences). Our proposal was successful and we received a 5-year grant to fund SF-ROCKS (Reaching out to Communities and Kids with Science in San Francisco), a program now in its second year and directed by the current department chair (White). The multi-layered program involves faculty and students from SFSU and City College of San Francisco with local high school teachers and their students (see session ED15 for high school student research results and program web site---http://sf-rocks.sfsu.edu---for more details). The program has created more cohesion among department faculty and has been an effective mechanism for engaging faculty and students from our range of Geoscience disciplines, and for providing college students with meaningful experiences in the discipline.

Item development process and analysis of 50 case-based items for implementation on the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination.

PubMed

Park, In Sook; Suh, Yeon Ok; Park, Hae Sook; Kang, So Young; Kim, Kwang Sung; Kim, Gyung Hee; Choi, Yeon-Hee; Kim, Hyun-Ju

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to improve the quality of items on the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination by developing and evaluating case-based items that reflect integrated nursing knowledge. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study to develop new case-based items. The methods for developing test items included expert workshops, brainstorming, and verification of content validity. After a mock examination of undergraduate nursing students using the newly developed case-based items, we evaluated the appropriateness of the items through classical test theory and item response theory. A total of 50 case-based items were developed for the mock examination, and content validity was evaluated. The question items integrated 34 discrete elements of integrated nursing knowledge. The mock examination was taken by 741 baccalaureate students in their fourth year of study at 13 universities. Their average score on the mock examination was 57.4, and the examination showed a reliability of 0.40. According to classical test theory, the average level of item difficulty of the items was 57.4% (80%-100% for 12 items; 60%-80% for 13 items; and less than 60% for 25 items). The mean discrimination index was 0.19, and was above 0.30 for 11 items and 0.20 to 0.29 for 15 items. According to item response theory, the item discrimination parameter (in the logistic model) was none for 10 items (0.00), very low for 20 items (0.01 to 0.34), low for 12 items (0.35 to 0.64), moderate for 6 items (0.65 to 1.34), high for 1 item (1.35 to 1.69), and very high for 1 item (above 1.70). The item difficulty was very easy for 24 items (below -2.0), easy for 8 items (-2.0 to -0.5), medium for 6 items (-0.5 to 0.5), hard for 3 items (0.5 to 2.0), and very hard for 9 items (2.0 or above). The goodness-of-fit test in terms of the 2-parameter item response model between the range of 2.0 to 0.5 revealed that 12 items had an ideal correct answer rate. We surmised that the low reliability of the mock examination was influenced by the timing of the test for the examinees and the inappropriate difficulty of the items. Our study suggested a methodology for the development of future case-based items for the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination.

Developing the WCRF International/University of Bristol Methodology for Identifying and Carrying Out Systematic Reviews of Mechanisms of Exposure-Cancer Associations.

PubMed

Lewis, Sarah J; Gardner, Mike; Higgins, Julian; Holly, Jeff M P; Gaunt, Tom R; Perks, Claire M; Turner, Suzanne D; Rinaldi, Sabina; Thomas, Steve; Harrison, Sean; Lennon, Rosie J; Tan, Vanessa; Borwick, Cath; Emmett, Pauline; Jeffreys, Mona; Northstone, Kate; Mitrou, Giota; Wiseman, Martin; Thompson, Rachel; Martin, Richard M

2017-11-01

Background: Human, animal, and cell experimental studies; human biomarker studies; and genetic studies complement epidemiologic findings and can offer insights into biological plausibility and pathways between exposure and disease, but methods for synthesizing such studies are lacking. We, therefore, developed a methodology for identifying mechanisms and carrying out systematic reviews of mechanistic studies that underpin exposure-cancer associations. Methods: A multidisciplinary team with expertise in informatics, statistics, epidemiology, systematic reviews, cancer biology, and nutrition was assembled. Five 1-day workshops were held to brainstorm ideas; in the intervening periods we carried out searches and applied our methods to a case study to test our ideas. Results: We have developed a two-stage framework, the first stage of which is designed to identify mechanisms underpinning a specific exposure-disease relationship; the second stage is a targeted systematic review of studies on a specific mechanism. As part of the methodology, we also developed an online tool for text mining for mechanism prioritization (TeMMPo) and a new graph for displaying related but heterogeneous data from epidemiologic studies (the Albatross plot). Conclusions: We have developed novel tools for identifying mechanisms and carrying out systematic reviews of mechanistic studies of exposure-disease relationships. In doing so, we have outlined how we have overcome the challenges that we faced and provided researchers with practical guides for conducting mechanistic systematic reviews. Impact: The aforementioned methodology and tools will allow potential mechanisms to be identified and the strength of the evidence underlying a particular mechanism to be assessed. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(11); 1667-75. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

The impact of system of care support in adherence to wraparound principles in Child and Family Teams in child welfare in North Carolina.

PubMed

Snyder, Elizabeth H; Lawrence, C Nicole; Dodge, Kenneth A

2012-04-01

North Carolina is one of a growing number of states to implement family meeting models in child welfare as a way to engage families, while simultaneously addressing complex familial needs and child safety issues. However, much is still unknown regarding how family meetings actually operate in child welfare, underscoring a clear need for further evaluation of this process. Utilizing direct observational data of Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings, collected as part of two separate evaluations of the North Carolina Division of Social Service's Multiple Response System (MRS) and System of Care (SOC) initiatives, the purpose of the current study was to examine whether the support provided by SOC improved fidelity to the CFT model in child welfare. The observations were conducted using the Team Observation Measure consisting of 78 indicators that measure adherence to ten domains associated with high quality family team meetings (e.g., collaborative, individualized, natural supports, outcomes based, strengths-based). Findings indicate that receiving SOC support in child welfare leads to a more collaborative and individualized decision-making process with families. Meeting facilitators in SOC counties were better prepared for CFTs, and had greater ability to lead a more robust and creative brainstorming process to develop a family-driven case plan. The current study also provides a much needed description of the CFT meeting process within child welfare using a direct observational measure.

How mental health nurses improve their critical thinking through problem-based learning.

PubMed

Hung, Tsui-Mei; Tang, Lee-Chun; Ko, Chen-Ju

2015-01-01

Critical thinking has been regarded as one of the most important elements for nurses to improve quality of patient care. The aim of this study was to use problem-based learning (PBL) as a method in a continuing education program to evaluate nurses' critical thinking skills. A quasiexperimental study design was carried out. The "Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory" in Chinese was used for data collection. The results indicated significant improvement after PBL continuous education, notably in the dimensions of systematic analysis and curiosity. Content analysis extracted four themes: (a) changes in linear thinking required, (b) logical and systematic thinking required performance improved, (3) integration of prior knowledge and clinical application, and (4) brainstorming learning strategy. The study supports PBL as a continuing education strategy for mental health nurses, and that systematic analysis and curiosity effectively facilitate the development of critical thinking.

Planning a mentorship initiative for foster parents: Does gender matter?

PubMed

Jay Miller, J; Benner, Kalea; Thrasher, Shawndaya; Pope, Natalie; Dumas, Tamikia; Damron, Larry J; Segress, Melissa; Niu, Chunling

2017-10-01

Despite the use of mentoring programs in fields such as business, career training, and youth development, little is known about how mentoring can be used to train and support new foster parents. This paper describes how Concept Mapping was used with current foster parents to develop a conceptual framework suitable to plan a foster parent mentor program. A secondary aim of this study was to explore priority differences in the conceptualization by self-reported gender (foster mothers vs. foster fathers). Participant data was collected via three qualitative brainstorming sessions, and analyzed using non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Findings indicate that foster parents participating in this study conceptualized effective mentor programs via a seven cluster solution. Study results also showed no significant differences in cluster ratings by gender. Implications for practice and program planning are identified, as well as areas for future research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assuring safety without animal testing: the case for the human testis in vitro.

PubMed

Chapin, Robert E; Boekelheide, Kim; Cortvrindt, Rita; van Duursen, Majorie B M; Gant, Tim; Jegou, Bernard; Marczylo, Emma; van Pelt, Ans M M; Post, Janine N; Roelofs, Maarke J E; Schlatt, Stefan; Teerds, Katja J; Toppari, Jorma; Piersma, Aldert H

2013-08-01

From 15 to 17 June 2011, a dedicated workshop was held on the subject of in vitro models for mammalian spermatogenesis and their applications in toxicological hazard and risk assessment. The workshop was sponsored by the Dutch ASAT initiative (Assuring Safety without Animal Testing), which aims at promoting innovative approaches toward toxicological hazard and risk assessment on the basis of human and in vitro data, and replacement of animal studies. Participants addressed the state of the art regarding human and animal evidence for compound mediated testicular toxicity, reviewed existing alternative assay models, and brainstormed about future approaches, specifically considering tissue engineering. The workshop recognized the specific complexity of testicular function exemplified by dedicated cell types with distinct functionalities, as well as different cell compartments in terms of microenvironment and extracellular matrix components. This complexity hampers quick results in the realm of alternative models. Nevertheless, progress has been achieved in recent years, and innovative approaches in tissue engineering may open new avenues for mimicking testicular function in vitro. Although feasible, significant investment is deemed essential to be able to bring new ideas into practice in the laboratory. For the advancement of in vitro testicular toxicity testing, one of the most sensitive end points in regulatory reproductive toxicity testing, such an investment is highly desirable. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effective radiological contamination control and monitoring techniques in high alpha environments.

PubMed

Funke, Kevin C

2003-02-01

In the decommissioning of a highly contaminated alpha environment, such as the one at Hanford's 233-S Plutonium Concentration Facility, one of the key elements of a successful radiological control program is an integrated safety approach. This approach begins with the job-planning phase where the scope of the work is described. This is followed by a brainstorming session involving engineering and craft to identify how to perform the work in a logical sequence of events. Once the brainstorming session is over, a Job Hazard Analysis is performed to identify any potential problems. Mockups are utilized to enable the craft to get hands on experience and provide feedback and ideas to make the job run smoother. Ideas and experience gained during mockups are incorporated into the task instruction. To assure appropriate data are used in planning and executing the job, our principal evaluation tools included lapel and workplace air sampling, plus continuous air monitors and frequent surveys to effectively monitor job progress. In this highly contaminated alpha environment, with contamination levels ranging from 0.3 Bq cm-2 to approximately 100,000 Bq cm-2 (2,000 dpm per 100 cm2 to approximately 600 million dpm per 100 cm2), with average working levels of 1,600-3,200 Bq cm-2 (10-20 million dpm per 100 cm2) without concomitant ambient radiation levels, control of the spread of contamination is key to keeping airborne levels As Low As Reasonably Achievable.

Effective Radiological Contamination Control and Monitoring Techniques In High Alpha Environments.

PubMed

Funke, Kevin C.

2003-02-01

In the decommissioning of a highly contaminated alpha environment, such as the one at Hanford's 233-S Plutonium Concentration Facility, one of the key elements of a successful radiological control program is an integrated safety approach. This approach begins with the job-planning phase where the scope of the work is described. This is followed by a brainstorming session involving engineering and craft to identify how to perform the work in a logical sequence of events. Once the brainstorming session is over, a Job Hazard Analysis is performed to identify any potential problems. Mockups are utilized to enable the craft to get hands on experience and provide feedback and ideas to make the job run smoother. Ideas and experience gained during mockups are incorporated into the task instruction. To assure appropriate data are used in planning and executing the job, our principal evaluation tools included lapel and workplace air sampling, plus continuous air monitors and frequent surveys to effectively monitor job progress. In this highly contaminated alpha environment, with contamination levels ranging from 0.3 Bq cm to approximately 100,000 Bq cm (2,000 dpm per 100 cm to approximately 600 million dpm per 100 cm ), with average working levels of 1,600-3,200 Bq cm (10-20 million dpm per 100 cm ) without concomitant ambient radiation levels, control of the spread of contamination is key to keeping airborne levels As Low As Reasonably Achievable.

Tackling perinatal loss, a participatory action research approach: research protocol.

PubMed

Pastor-Montero, Sonia María; Romero-Sánchez, José Manuel; Paramio-Cuevas, Juan Carlos; Hueso-Montoro, César; Paloma-Castro, Olga; Lillo-Crespo, Manuel; Castro-Yuste, Cristina; Toledano-Losa, Ana Cristina; Carnicer-Fuentes, Concepción; Ortegón-Gallego, José Alejo; Frandsen, Anna J

2012-11-01

  The aim of this study was to promote changes to improve the care provided to parents who have experienced a perinatal loss through participatory action research.   The birth of a child is a joyful event for most families, however, unfortunately some pregnancies end in loss. Perinatal loss creates a heavy emotional impact not only on parents but also on health professionals, where in most cases there is an evident lack of skills, strategies and resources to cope with these kinds of situations.   Participatory action research is the methodology proposed to achieve the purpose of this study.   Participatory action research consists of five stages: outreach and awareness, induction, interaction, implementation and systematization. The working group will include professionals from the Mother and Child Unit for patients at a tertiary level public hospital in Spain. The duration of the study will be 3 years since the approval of the protocol in January 2011. The qualitative techniques used will include group dynamics such as the SWOT analysis the nominal group technique, focus groups and brainstorming, among others that will be recorded and transcribed, generating reports throughout the evolution of the group sessions and about the consensus reached. Content analysis will be conducted on the field diaries kept by the participants and researchers. This project has been funded by the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health.   Participatory action research is a methodological strategy that allows changes in clinical practice to conduct a comprehensive transformative action in the care process for perinatal loss. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Technology Insertion (TI)/Industrial Process Improvement (IPI) Task Order Number 1. Data Base Documentation Book for WR-ALC/MANPSC (Bonded Honeycomb)

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-14

for a long time In getting those required parts. 6-29-89 VR-ALC Model Validation Heeting Minutes Page Seven MANPSB • This Is a manufacturing RCC. • No...Manpower. 4. Training shop - mechanics get transferred to r-15 Shop. Ninutes of Brainstorming Session June 20. 1969 Horning Session Page Two 5. Two shifts...11. RCC KANPSB completes then ships to storage - delay 10 to 15 days to get the same part back In finlshing the repair. 12. Major repair coordination

Telling our stories: heroin-assisted treatment and SNAP activism in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

PubMed

Boyd, Susan; Murray, Dave; MacPherson, Donald

2017-05-18

This article highlights the experiences of a peer-run group, SALOME/NAOMI Association of Patients (SNAP), that meets weekly in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SNAP is a unique independent peer- run drug user group that formed in 2011 following Canada's first heroin-assisted treatment trial (HAT), North America Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI). SNAP's members are now made up of former research participants who participated in two heroin-assisted trials in Vancouver. This article highlights SNAP members' experiences as research subjects in Canada's second clinical trial conducted in Vancouver, Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness (SALOME), that began recruitment of research participants in 2011. This paper draws on one brainstorming session, three focus groups, and field notes, with the SALOME/NAOMI Association of Patients (SNAP) in late 2013 about their experiences as research subjects in Canada's second clinical trial, SALOME in the DTES of Vancouver, and fieldwork from a 6-year period (March 2011 to February 2017) with SNAP members. SNAP's research draws on research principles developed by drug user groups and critical methodological frameworks on community-based research for social justice. The results illuminate how participating in the SALOME clinical trial impacted the lives of SNAP members. In addition, the findings reveal how SNAP member's advocacy for HAT impacts the group in positive ways. Seven major themes emerged from the analysis of the brainstorming and focus groups: life prior to SALOME, the clinic setting and routine, stability, 6-month transition, support, exiting the trial and ethics, and collective action, including their participation in a constitutional challenge in the Supreme Court of BC to continue receiving HAT once the SALOME trial ended. HAT benefits SNAP members. They argue that permanent HAT programs should be established in Canada because they are an effective harm reduction initiative, one that also reduces opioid overdose deaths.

Dissemination and Implementation Science Training Needs: Insights From Practitioners and Researchers.

PubMed

Tabak, Rachel G; Padek, Margaret M; Kerner, Jon F; Stange, Kurt C; Proctor, Enola K; Dobbins, Maureen J; Colditz, Graham A; Chambers, David A; Brownson, Ross C

2017-03-01

Dissemination and implementation research training has great potential to improve the impact and reach of health-related research; however, research training needs from the end user perspective are unknown. This paper identifies and prioritizes dissemination and implementation research training needs. A diverse sample of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers was invited to participate in Concept Mapping in 2014-2015. Phase 1 (Brainstorming) gathered participants' responses to the prompt: To improve the impact of research evidence in practice and policy settings, a skill in which researchers need more training is… The resulting statement list was edited and included subsequent phases. Phase 2 (Sorting) asked participants to sort each statement into conceptual piles. In Phase 3 (Rating), participants rated the difficulty and importance of incorporating each statement into a training curriculum. A multidisciplinary team synthesized and interpreted the results in 2015-2016. During Brainstorming, 60 researchers and 60 practitioners/policymakers contributed 274 unique statements. Twenty-nine researchers and 16 practitioners completed sorting and rating. Nine concept clusters were identified: Communicating Research Findings, Improve Practice Partnerships, Make Research More Relevant, Strengthen Communication Skills, Develop Research Methods and Measures, Consider and Enhance Fit, Build Capacity for Research, and Understand Multilevel Context. Though researchers and practitioners had high agreement about importance (r =0.93) and difficulty (r =0.80), ratings differed for several clusters (e.g., Build Capacity for Research). Including researcher and practitioner perspectives in competency development for dissemination and implementation research identifies skills and capacities needed to conduct and communicate contextualized, meaningful, and relevant research. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. All rights reserved.

Teaching a Systematic Approach for Transitioning Patients to College: An Interactive Continuing Medical Education Program.

PubMed

Martel, Adele; Derenne, Jennifer; Chan, Vivien

2015-10-01

The purpose of this article is to determine the effectiveness of a hands-on continuing education program for practicing child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) with a focus on best practices in transitioning psychiatric patients to college. The plan was to build on the unique knowledge and skill set of CAPs, use audience and facilitator feedback from prior programs to inform program content, structure, and format, and incorporate findings from the evolving literature. A 3-h interactive workshop was designed with an emphasis on audience participation. The workshop was divided into three main segments: didactics, whole group discussion/brainstorming, and small group discussion of illustrative case vignettes. Improvements and changes in knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to transition planning were identified by program participants. Quantitative feedback in the form of course evaluations, pre- and posttests, and a 6-month follow-up questionnaire indicate that the use of interactive teaching techniques is a productive learning experience for practicing CAPs. Qualitative feedback was that the discussion of the case vignettes was the most helpful. The use of a workshop format is an effective strategy to engage practicing CAPs in learning about and implementing best practices to support the transition of their patients to college and into young adulthood. Comprehensive and proactive transition planning, facilitated by clinicians, should promote the wellness of college-bound patients and help to reduce the potential risks in the setting of an upcoming transition.

A systematic analysis of influenza vaccine shortage policies.

PubMed

Uscher-Pines, Lori; Barnett, Daniel J; Sapsin, Jason W; Bishai, David M; Balicer, Ran D

2008-02-01

The aim of this study was to apply SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to a domestic shortage of influenza vaccine, to identify lessons learned, and to generate effective solutions for future public health rationing emergencies. SWOT and TOWS techniques were employed to characterize the vulnerability of the USA to disruptions in the supply of influenza vaccine. A group of five researchers reviewed relevant literature, engaged in group brainstorming, and categorized elements according to the SWOT framework. Three strengths, five weaknesses, five threats and seven opportunities were identified in the areas of vaccine production, purchasing and distribution, and provision. Four future recommendations emerged with respect to government investment, communications, sanctioning of physicians, and incident command. Application of the SWOT technique is highly relevant to the health policy realm and can assist public health planners in planning for future resource scarcity.

What is needed to implement a computer-assisted health risk assessment tool? An exploratory concept mapping study.

PubMed

Ahmad, Farah; Norman, Cameron; O'Campo, Patricia

2012-12-19

Emerging eHealth tools could facilitate the delivery of comprehensive care in time-constrained clinical settings. One such tool is interactive computer-assisted health-risk assessments (HRA), which may improve provider-patient communication at the point of care, particularly for psychosocial health concerns, which remain under-detected in clinical encounters. The research team explored the perspectives of healthcare providers representing a variety of disciplines (physicians, nurses, social workers, allied staff) regarding the factors required for implementation of an interactive HRA on psychosocial health. The research team employed a semi-qualitative participatory method known as Concept Mapping, which involved three distinct phases. First, in face-to-face and online brainstorming sessions, participants responded to an open-ended central question: "What factors should be in place within your clinical setting to support an effective computer-assisted screening tool for psychosocial risks?" The brainstormed items were consolidated by the research team. Then, in face-to-face and online sorting sessions, participants grouped the items thematically as 'it made sense to them'. Participants also rated each item on a 5-point scale for its 'importance' and 'action feasibility' over the ensuing six month period. The sorted and rated data was analyzed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses which produced visual maps. In the third and final phase, the face-to-face Interpretation sessions, the concept maps were discussed and illuminated by participants collectively. Overall, 54 providers participated (emergency care 48%; primary care 52%). Participants brainstormed 196 items thought to be necessary for the implementation of an interactive HRA emphasizing psychosocial health. These were consolidated by the research team into 85 items. After sorting and rating, cluster analysis revealed a concept map with a seven-cluster solution: 1) the HRA's equitable availability; 2) the HRA's ease of use and appropriateness; 3) the content of the HRA survey; 4) patient confidentiality and choice; 5) patient comfort through humanistic touch; 6) professional development, care and workload; and 7) clinical management protocol. Drawing insight from the theoretical lens of Sociotechnical theory, the seven clusters of factors required for HRA implementation could be read as belonging to three overarching aspects : Technical (cluster 1, 2 and 3), Social-Patient (cluster 4 and 5), and Social-Provider (cluster 6 and 7). Participants rated every one of the clusters as important, with mean scores from 4.0 to 4.5. Their scores for feasibility were somewhat lower, ranging from 3.4 to. 4.3. Comparing the scores for importance and feasibility, a significant difference was found for one cluster from each region (cluster 2, 5, 6). The cluster on professional development, care and workload was perceived as especially challenging in emergency department settings, and possible reasons were discussed in the interpretation sessions. A number of intertwined multilevel factors emerged as important for the implementation of a computer-assisted, interactive HRA with a focus on psychosocial health. Future developments in this area could benefit from systems thinking and insights from theoretical perspectives, such as sociotechnical system theory for joint optimization and responsible autonomy, with emphasis on both the technical and social aspects of HRA implementation.

Space Missions Trade Space Generation and Assessment Using JPL Rapid Mission Architecture (RMA) Team Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moeller, Robert C.; Borden, Chester; Spilker, Thomas; Smythe, William; Lock, Robert

2011-01-01

The JPL Rapid Mission Architecture (RMA) capability is a novel collaborative team-based approach to generate new mission architectures, explore broad trade space options, and conduct architecture-level analyses. RMA studies address feasibility and identify best candidates to proceed to further detailed design studies. Development of RMA first began at JPL in 2007 and has evolved to address the need for rapid, effective early mission architectural development and trade space exploration as a precursor to traditional point design evaluations. The RMA approach integrates a small team of architecture-level experts (typically 6-10 people) to generate and explore a wide-ranging trade space of mission architectures driven by the mission science (or technology) objectives. Group brainstorming and trade space analyses are conducted at a higher level of assessment across multiple mission architectures and systems to enable rapid assessment of a set of diverse, innovative concepts. This paper describes the overall JPL RMA team, process, and high-level approach. Some illustrative results from previous JPL RMA studies are discussed.

Aspects of development of leader creative thinking of medical student at the undergraduate level of medical education.

PubMed

Sydorchuk, Аniuta S; Moskaliuk, Vasyl D; Randiuk, Yuriy O; Sorokhan, Vasyl D; Golyar, Oksana I; Sydorchuk, Leonid І; Humenna, Anna V

Current issue deals with analysis of possible ways to develop leadership in medical students. Taking into consideration the reforming in National Ukrainian educative system and contemporary tendencies of world integration, the development of skillful personality is the prioritize task. The aim of study is to emphasize on the best-used ways for a development of leader creative thinking at the first basic level of medical education. methodology used here is descriptive analytical investigation based upon the own experience have been since 2005-2015 with undergraduate foreign medical students who studied disciplines « Infectious diseases » and «Epidemiology of Infectious diseases»,«Tropical Medicine and Clinical Parasitology» at the Higher state educational establishment of Ukraine « Bukovinian State Medical University » (Chernivtsi, Ukraine). the authors state that creative thinking of a leader is necessary and important part of innovative pedagogy nowadays. From the positive side of it, formation of new generation of medical students learned by competence-based approach with readiness to carry out multitasks. Coupled with, « thinking out of the box » development in individual person helps to discover maximum features of personality. From the negative side of it, there are difficulties to keep activity within certain limits. Most pre-graduate medical students actively express their best creativity in extra-class time within university events like Round Tables dedicated to International days of hepatitis B&C, malaria, HIV etc. to share with others of prevention recommendations. There are many methods to develop creativity and flexibility of cognitive processes, such as brainstorming session, case study, micro-reality, SCAMPER and lateral thinking method etc. Thus, leadership skills and creative thinking both had targeted for excellent qualitative medical education.

Community-based participatory research: development of an emergency department-based youth violence intervention using concept mapping.

PubMed

Snider, Carolyn E; Kirst, Maritt; Abubakar, Shakira; Ahmad, Farah; Nathens, Avery B

2010-08-01

Emergency departments (EDs) see a high number of youths injured by violence. In Ontario, the most common cause of injury for youths visiting EDs is assault. Secondary prevention strategies using the teachable moment (i.e., events that can lead individuals to make positive changes in their lives) are ideal for use by clinicians. An opportunity exists to take advantage of the teachable moment in the ED in an effort to prevent future occurrences of injury in at-risk youths. However, little is known about perceptions of youths, parents, and community organizations about such interventions in EDs. The aims of this study were to engage youths, parents, and frontline community workers in conceptualizing a hospital-based violence prevention intervention and to identify outcomes relevant to the community. Concept mapping is an innovative, mixed-method research approach. It combines structured qualitative processes such as brainstorming and group sorting, with various statistical analyses such as multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering, to develop a conceptual framework, and allows for an objective presentation of qualitative data. Concept mapping involves multiple structured steps: 1) brainstorming, 2) sorting, 3) rating, and 4) interpretation. For this study, the first three steps occurred online, and the fourth step occurred during a community meeting. Over 90 participants were involved, including youths, parents, and community youth workers. A two-dimensional point map was created and clusters formed to create a visual display of participant ideas on an ED-based youth violence prevention intervention. Issues related to youth violence prevention that were rated of highest importance and most realistic for hospital involvement included mentorship, the development of youth support groups in the hospital, training doctors and nurses to ask questions about the violent event, and treating youth with respect. Small-group discussions on the various clusters developed job descriptions, a list of essential services, and suggestions on ways to create a more youth-friendly environment in the hospital. A large-group discussion revealed outcomes that participants felt should be measured to determine the success of an intervention program. This study has been the springboard for the development of an ED-based youth violence intervention that is supported by the community and affected youth. Using information generated by youth that is grounded in their experience through participatory research methods is feasible for the development of successful and meaningful youth violence prevention interventions.

Quality of life research in endometrial cancer: what is needed to advance progress in this disease site? Methodological considerations from the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup Symptom Benefit Working Group brainstorming session, Leiden 2012.

PubMed

McAlpine, Jessica N; Greimel, Elfriede; Brotto, Lori A; Nout, Remy A; Shash, Emad; Avall-Lundqvist, Elisabeth; Friedlander, Michael L; Joly, Florence

2014-11-01

Quality of life (QoL) in endometrial cancer (EC) is understudied. Incorporation of QoL questionnaires and patient-reported outcomes in clinical trials has been inconsistent, and the tools and interpretation of these measures are unfamiliar to most practitioners. In 2012, the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup Symptom Benefit Working Group convened for a brainstorming collaborative session to address deficiencies and work toward improving the quality and quantity of QoL research in women with EC. Through literature review and international expert contributions, we compiled a comprehensive appraisal of current generic and disease site-specific QoL assessment tools, strengths and weaknesses of these measures, assessment of sexual health, statistical considerations, and an exploration of the unique array of histopathologic and clinical factors that may influence QoL outcomes in women with EC. This collaborative composition is the first publication specific to EC that addresses methodology in QoL research and the components necessary to achieve high quality QoL data in clinical trials. Future recommendations regarding (1) the incorporation of patient-reported outcomes in all clinical trials in EC, (2) definition of an a priori hypothesis, (3) utilization of validated tools and consideration of new tools corresponding to new therapies or specific symptoms, (4) publication within the same time frame as clinical outcome data, and (5) attempt to correct for disease site-specific potential confounders are presented. Improved understanding of methodology in QoL research and an increased undertaking of EC-specific QoL research in clinical trials are imperative if we are to improve outcomes in women with EC.

What Do Medical Students Do for Self-Care? A Student-Centered Approach to Well-Being.

PubMed

Ayala, Erin E; Omorodion, Aisha M; Nmecha, Dennis; Winseman, Jeffrey S; Mason, Hyacinth R C

2017-01-01

Phenomenon: Despite the promotion of medical student health and wellness through recent program and curricular changes, research continues to show that medical education is associated with decreased well-being in medical students. Although many institutions have sought to more effectively assess and improve self-care in medical students, no self-care initiatives have been designed using the explicit perspectives of students themselves. Using concept mapping methodology, the research team created a student-generated taxonomy of self-care behaviors taken from a national sample of medical students in response to a brainstorming prompt. The research team examined how students' conceptualizations of self-care may be organized into a framework suitable for use in programming and curricular change in medical education. Ten clusters of self-care activities were identified: nourishment, hygiene, intellectual and creative health, physical activity, spiritual care, balance and relaxation, time for loved ones, big picture goals, pleasure and outside activities, and hobbies. Using results of the two-dimensional scaling analysis, students' individual self-care behaviors were organized within two orthogonal dimensions of self-care activities. Insights: This concept map of student-identified self-care activities provides a starting point for better understanding and ultimately improving medical student self-care. Students' brainstormed responses fit within a framework of varying levels of social engagement and physical-psychological health that included a wide range of solitary, social, physical, and mental health behaviors. As students' preferred self-care practices did not often include programmatic activities, medical educators may benefit from consulting this map as they plan new approaches to student self-care and in counseling individual students searching for more effective ways to ease the burdens of medical school.

Radiant thinking and the use of the mind map in nurse practitioner education.

PubMed

Spencer, Julie R; Anderson, Kelley M; Ellis, Kathryn K

2013-05-01

The concept of radiant thinking, which led to the concept of mind mapping, promotes all aspects of the brain working in synergy, with thought beginning from a central point. The mind map, which is a graphical technique to improve creative thinking and knowledge attainment, utilizes colors, images, codes, and dimensions to amplify and enhance key ideas. This technique augments the visualization of relationships and links between concepts, which aids in information acquisition, data retention, and overall comprehension. Faculty can promote students' use of the technique for brainstorming, organizing ideas, taking notes, learning collaboratively, presenting, and studying. These applications can be used in problem-based learning, developing plans of care, health promotion activities, synthesizing disease processes, and forming differential diagnoses. Mind mapping is a creative way for students to engage in a unique method of learning that can expand memory recall and help create a new environment for processing information. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

A prospective health impact assessment of the international astronomy and space exploration centre

PubMed Central

Winters, L

2001-01-01

STUDY OBJECTIVES—Assess the potential health impacts of the proposed International Astronomy and Space Exploration Centre on the population of New Wallasey. Contribute to the piloting of health impact assessment methods.
DESIGN—Prospective health impact assessment involving brainstorming sessions and individual interviews with key informants and a literature review.
SETTING—New Wallasey Single Regeneration Budget 4 area.
PARTICIPANTS—Key stakeholders including local residents' groups selected through purposeful snowball sampling.
MAIN RESULTS—Recommendations are made that cover issues around: transport and traffic; civic design; security; public safety, employment and training.
CONCLUSIONS—Health impact assessment is a useful pragmatic tool for facilitating wide consultation. In particular engaging the local population in the early planning stages of a proposed development, and assisting in highlighting changes to maximise the positive health influences on affected communities.


Keywords: health impact assessment; health determinants PMID:11351002

Visual thinking in action: visualizations as used on whiteboards.

PubMed

Walny, Jagoda; Carpendale, Sheelagh; Riche, Nathalie Henry; Venolia, Gina; Fawcett, Philip

2011-12-01

While it is still most common for information visualization researchers to develop new visualizations from a data- or taskdriven perspective, there is growing interest in understanding the types of visualizations people create by themselves for personal use. As part of this recent direction, we have studied a large collection of whiteboards in a research institution, where people make active use of combinations of words, diagrams and various types of visuals to help them further their thought processes. Our goal is to arrive at a better understanding of the nature of visuals that are created spontaneously during brainstorming, thinking, communicating, and general problem solving on whiteboards. We use the qualitative approaches of open coding, interviewing, and affinity diagramming to explore the use of recognizable and novel visuals, and the interplay between visualization and diagrammatic elements with words, numbers and labels. We discuss the potential implications of our findings on information visualization design. © 2011 IEEE

Persistence of noncompact normally hyperbolic invariant manifolds in bounded geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Monroe

Traveling wave tubes must operate in a metal and ceramic vacuum for efficient electron amplification. Weak metallize bonds lead to vacuum leaks and a higher cost of poor quality. The management of TWT Manufacturing (pseudonym) has used a team of metallize workers to attack the problem through brainstorming and subsequent design of experiments (DOE). The purpose of the DOE, which is the focus of this project, is to determine if certain parameters can be changed to increase the strength enough to eliminate failures to weak metallize bonds. The experimental results show the strength can be increased enough and have been recorded in the process instructions. The implementation of the DOE results has saved over nine percent in the budgeted cost of weak metallize bond scrap. This study concludes that raising the metallize tensile strength practically eliminates weak metallize bonds and the cost of poor quality due to this weakness.

Perspectives on Wellness Self-Monitoring Tools for Older Adults

PubMed Central

Huh, Jina; Le, Thai; Reeder, Blaine; Thompson, Hilaire J.; Demiris, George

2013-01-01

Purpose Our purpose was to understand different stakeholder perceptions about the use of self-monitoring tools, specifically in the area of older adults’ personal wellness. In conjunction with the advent of personal health records, tracking personal health using self-monitoring technologies shows promising patient support opportunities. While clinicians’ tools for monitoring of older adults have been explored, we know little about how older adults may self-monitor their wellness and health and how their health care providers would perceive such use. Methods We conducted three focus groups with health care providers (n=10) and four focus groups with community-dwelling older adults (n=31). Results Older adult participants’ found the concept of self-monitoring unfamiliar and this influenced a narrowed interest in the use of wellness self-monitoring tools. On the other hand, health care provider participants showed open attitudes towards wellness monitoring tools for older adults and brainstormed about various stakeholders’ use cases. The two participant groups showed diverging perceptions in terms of: perceived uses, stakeholder interests, information ownership and control, and sharing of wellness monitoring tools. Conclusions Our paper provides implications and solutions for how older adults’ wellness self-monitoring tools can enhance patient-health care provider interaction, patient education, and improvement in overall wellness. PMID:24041452

Perspectives on wellness self-monitoring tools for older adults.

PubMed

Huh, Jina; Le, Thai; Reeder, Blaine; Thompson, Hilaire J; Demiris, George

2013-11-01

Our purpose was to understand different stakeholder perceptions about the use of self-monitoring tools, specifically in the area of older adults' personal wellness. In conjunction with the advent of personal health records, tracking personal health using self-monitoring technologies shows promising patient support opportunities. While clinicians' tools for monitoring of older adults have been explored, we know little about how older adults may self-monitor their wellness and health and how their health care providers would perceive such use. We conducted three focus groups with health care providers (n=10) and four focus groups with community-dwelling older adults (n=31). Older adult participants' found the concept of self-monitoring unfamiliar and this influenced a narrowed interest in the use of wellness self-monitoring tools. On the other hand, health care provider participants showed open attitudes toward wellness monitoring tools for older adults and brainstormed about various stakeholders' use cases. The two participant groups showed diverging perceptions in terms of: perceived uses, stakeholder interests, information ownership and control, and sharing of wellness monitoring tools. Our paper provides implications and solutions for how older adults' wellness self-monitoring tools can enhance patient-health care provider interaction, patient education, and improvement in overall wellness. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections through Lean Six Sigma: The case of the medicine areas at the Federico II University Hospital in Naples (Italy).

PubMed

Improta, Giovanni; Cesarelli, Mario; Montuori, Paolo; Santillo, Liberatina Carmela; Triassi, Maria

2018-04-01

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has been recognized as an effective management tool for improving healthcare performance. Here, LSS was adopted to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), a critical quality parameter in the healthcare sector. Lean Six Sigma was applied to the areas of clinical medicine (including general medicine, pulmonology, oncology, nephrology, cardiology, neurology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, and diabetology), and data regarding HAIs were collected for 28,000 patients hospitalized between January 2011 and December 2016. Following the LSS define, measure, analyse, improve, and control cycle, the factors influencing the risk of HAI were identified by using typical LSS tools (statistical analyses, brainstorming sessions, and cause-effect diagrams). Finally, corrective measures to prevent HAIs were implemented and monitored for 1 year after implementation. Lean Six Sigma proved to be a useful tool for identifying variables affecting the risk of HAIs and implementing corrective actions to improve the performance of the care process. A reduction in the number of patients colonized by sentinel bacteria was achieved after the improvement phase. The implementation of an LSS approach could significantly decrease the percentage of patients with HAIs. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reducing the risk of healthcare‐associated infections through Lean Six Sigma: The case of the medicine areas at the Federico II University Hospital in Naples (Italy)

PubMed Central

Cesarelli, Mario; Montuori, Paolo; Santillo, Liberatina Carmela; Triassi, Maria

2017-01-01

Abstract Rationale, aims, and objectives Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has been recognized as an effective management tool for improving healthcare performance. Here, LSS was adopted to reduce the risk of healthcare‐associated infections (HAIs), a critical quality parameter in the healthcare sector. Methods Lean Six Sigma was applied to the areas of clinical medicine (including general medicine, pulmonology, oncology, nephrology, cardiology, neurology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, and diabetology), and data regarding HAIs were collected for 28,000 patients hospitalized between January 2011 and December 2016. Following the LSS define, measure, analyse, improve, and control cycle, the factors influencing the risk of HAI were identified by using typical LSS tools (statistical analyses, brainstorming sessions, and cause‐effect diagrams). Finally, corrective measures to prevent HAIs were implemented and monitored for 1 year after implementation. Results Lean Six Sigma proved to be a useful tool for identifying variables affecting the risk of HAIs and implementing corrective actions to improve the performance of the care process. A reduction in the number of patients colonized by sentinel bacteria was achieved after the improvement phase. Conclusions The implementation of an LSS approach could significantly decrease the percentage of patients with HAIs. PMID:29098756

The 1992 town meetings: Toward a shared vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

With the goal of developing a shared vision for the future of NASA, the U.S. civil aeronautics and space agency conducted a series of town meetings across the country in Nov. and Dec. 1992. Specifically, NASA sought comment on the Agency's new vision statement and mission values, which were developed by the Agency's employees in an effort to redefine NASA's priorities and purpose for the 1990's and beyond. In practice, the meetings constituted a sort of nationwide brainstorming session on how to make aeronautics and space research more relevant to people's daily lives. Primary findings, NASA's action plan, town meeting proceedings, and conclusions are described.

Concept Generation Process for Patient Transferring Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dandavate, A. L.; Sarje, S. H.

2012-07-01

In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop concepts for patient transferring tasks. The concept generation process of patient transferring device (PTD), which includes interviews of the customers, interpretation of the needs, organizing the needs into a hierarchy, establishing relative importance of the needs, establishing target specifications, and conceptualization has been discussed in this paper. The authors conducted the interviews of customers at Mobilink NGO, St. John's Hospital, Bangalore in order to know the needs and wants for the PTD. AHP technique was used for establishing and evaluating relative importance of needs, and based on the importance of the customer needs, concepts were developed through brainstorming.

An examination of how middle school science teachers conduct collaborative inquiry and reflection about students' conceptual understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todd-Gibson, Christine

This qualitative case study examined how middle school science teachers conducted collaborative inquiry and reflection about students' conceptual understanding, and how individual teachers in the middle school science group acted and made reflections in response to their collaborative inquiry. It also examined external influences that affected the teachers' ability to engage in collaborative inquiry. Observational, written, and interview data were collected from observations of teachers' face-to-face meetings and reflections, individual interviews, a focus group interview, and online reflections. The results of this study revealed that collaborative inquiry is a form of professional development that includes answering curricular questions through observation, communication, action, and reflection. This approach was developed and implemented by middle school science teachers. The premise of an inquiry is based on a need with students. Middle school science teachers came to consensus about actions to affect students' conceptual understanding, took action as stated, and shared their reflections of the actions taken with consideration to current and upcoming school activities. Activities involved teachers brainstorming and sharing with one another, talking about how the variables were merged into their curriculum, and how they impacted students' conceptual understanding. Teachers valued talking with one another about science content and pedagogy, but did find the inquiry portion of the approach to require more development. The greatest challenge to conducting collaborative inquiry and reflection was embedding teacher inquiry within a prescribed inquiry that was already being conducted by the Sundown School District. Collaborative inquiry should be structured so that it meets the needs of teachers in order to attend to the needs of students. A conducive atmosphere for collaborative inquiry and reflection is one in which administrators make the process mandatory and facilitate the process by removing an existing inquiry.

Technology Transfer Challenges: A Case Study of User-Centered Design in NASA's Systems Engineering Culture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quick, Jason

2009-01-01

The Upper Stage (US) section of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Ares I rocket will require internal access platforms for maintenance tasks performed by humans inside the vehicle. Tasks will occur during expensive critical path operations at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) including vehicle stacking and launch preparation activities. Platforms must be translated through a small human access hatch, installed in an enclosed worksite environment, support the weight of ground operators and be removed before flight - and their design must minimize additional vehicle mass at attachment points. This paper describes the application of a user-centered conceptual design process and the unique challenges encountered within NASA's systems engineering culture focused on requirements and "heritage hardware". The NASA design team at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) initiated the user-centered design process by studying heritage internal access kits and proposing new design concepts during brainstorming sessions. Simultaneously, they partnered with the Technology Transfer/Innovative Partnerships Program to research inflatable structures and dynamic scaffolding solutions that could enable ground operator access. While this creative, technology-oriented exploration was encouraged by upper management, some design stakeholders consistently opposed ideas utilizing novel, untested equipment. Subsequent collaboration with an engineering consulting firm improved the technical credibility of several options, however, there was continued resistance from team members focused on meeting system requirements with pre-certified hardware. After a six-month idea-generating phase, an intensive six-week effort produced viable design concepts that justified additional vehicle mass while optimizing the human factors of platform installation and use. Although these selected final concepts closely resemble heritage internal access platforms, challenges from the application of the user-centered process provided valuable lessons for improving future collaborative conceptual design efforts.

Improving referral to psychological support unit at Saudi Red Crescent Authority in Riyadh Region.

PubMed

Alzahrani, Ahmad Yousif; Mahmod, Sabri Abd Allah; Bakhamis, Thamer Mohammad; Al-Surimi, Khaled

2017-01-01

The Psychological Support Unit (PSU) performance in Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) showed that only a small number of case referred seeking psychological advice and management from PSU among all SRCA employees. However, research shows that between 28% and 52% of emergency medical services (EMS) providers usually seek psychological help in various EMS cultures, where 86% of them usually suffer from critical stress. Thus, we decided to design a quality improvement project that aims to improve the referral process by increasing cases referred to the PSU at SRCA in Riyadh Region by 75% in 2 months. A multidisciplinary team has been formed to analyse the problem using quality tools including, brainstorming, fishbone diagram and flow chart of the PSU processes. Several possible reasons have been identified, such as lack of awareness among the SRCA's employees about PSU and its services, and the concern about privacy and confidentiality during psychological consultations in the PSU, in addition to the long referring process to PSU. The team decided to test the following change ideas: increasing the awareness of employees about the PSU services, improving the privacy and confidentiality during the consultation using electronic channels, and finally re-engineering the referral process to make it lean and remove all the unnecessary steps. Several improvement interventions have been tested sequentially in three consecutive Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles on a weekly basis. The project findings demonstrated that the first change idea was successful but not reaching the target while the second change had led to huge impact exceeding our target but with short effect. On the other hand, although the third change idea of re-engineering the PSU referral process had led to negative result initially, over the following weeks of measurement the results turned to be positive and meeting our expectations. We concluded that re-engineering referral process is most effective improvement intervention among other change ideas in term of magnitude and sustainability of the effect on increasing the number of referral cases to the PSU. We recommend conducting further testing and measuring of these change ideas in other PSU across the SRCA to understand the diffident context in other regions of SRCA.

Predicting flow at work: investigating the activities and job characteristics that predict flow states at work.

PubMed

Nielsen, Karina; Cleal, Bryan

2010-04-01

Flow (a state of consciousness where people become totally immersed in an activity and enjoy it intensely) has been identified as a desirable state with positive effects for employee well-being and innovation at work. Flow has been studied using both questionnaires and Experience Sampling Method (ESM). In this study, we used a newly developed 9-item flow scale in an ESM study combined with a questionnaire to examine the predictors of flow at two levels: the activities (brainstorming, planning, problem solving and evaluation) associated with transient flow states and the more stable job characteristics (role clarity, influence and cognitive demands). Participants were 58 line managers from two companies in Denmark; a private accountancy firm and a public elder care organization. We found that line managers in elder care experienced flow more often than accountancy line managers, and activities such as planning, problem solving, and evaluation predicted transient flow states. The more stable job characteristics included in this study were not, however, found to predict flow at work. Copyright 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

What is needed to implement a computer-assisted health risk assessment tool? An exploratory concept mapping study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Emerging eHealth tools could facilitate the delivery of comprehensive care in time-constrained clinical settings. One such tool is interactive computer-assisted health-risk assessments (HRA), which may improve provider-patient communication at the point of care, particularly for psychosocial health concerns, which remain under-detected in clinical encounters. The research team explored the perspectives of healthcare providers representing a variety of disciplines (physicians, nurses, social workers, allied staff) regarding the factors required for implementation of an interactive HRA on psychosocial health. Methods The research team employed a semi-qualitative participatory method known as Concept Mapping, which involved three distinct phases. First, in face-to-face and online brainstorming sessions, participants responded to an open-ended central question: “What factors should be in place within your clinical setting to support an effective computer-assisted screening tool for psychosocial risks?” The brainstormed items were consolidated by the research team. Then, in face-to-face and online sorting sessions, participants grouped the items thematically as ‘it made sense to them’. Participants also rated each item on a 5-point scale for its ‘importance’ and ‘action feasibility’ over the ensuing six month period. The sorted and rated data was analyzed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses which produced visual maps. In the third and final phase, the face-to-face Interpretation sessions, the concept maps were discussed and illuminated by participants collectively. Results Overall, 54 providers participated (emergency care 48%; primary care 52%). Participants brainstormed 196 items thought to be necessary for the implementation of an interactive HRA emphasizing psychosocial health. These were consolidated by the research team into 85 items. After sorting and rating, cluster analysis revealed a concept map with a seven-cluster solution: 1) the HRA’s equitable availability; 2) the HRA’s ease of use and appropriateness; 3) the content of the HRA survey; 4) patient confidentiality and choice; 5) patient comfort through humanistic touch; 6) professional development, care and workload; and 7) clinical management protocol. Drawing insight from the theoretical lens of Sociotechnical theory, the seven clusters of factors required for HRA implementation could be read as belonging to three overarching aspects : Technical (cluster 1, 2 and 3), Social-Patient (cluster 4 and 5), and Social-Provider (cluster 6 and 7). Participants rated every one of the clusters as important, with mean scores from 4.0 to 4.5. Their scores for feasibility were somewhat lower, ranging from 3.4 to. 4.3. Comparing the scores for importance and feasibility, a significant difference was found for one cluster from each region (cluster 2, 5, 6). The cluster on professional development, care and workload was perceived as especially challenging in emergency department settings, and possible reasons were discussed in the interpretation sessions. Conclusion A number of intertwined multilevel factors emerged as important for the implementation of a computer-assisted, interactive HRA with a focus on psychosocial health. Future developments in this area could benefit from systems thinking and insights from theoretical perspectives, such as sociotechnical system theory for joint optimization and responsible autonomy, with emphasis on both the technical and social aspects of HRA implementation. PMID:23253913

International Brainstorming Meeting on Etiologic and Risk Factors of Peri-implantitis, Montegrotto (Padua, Italy), August 2014.

PubMed

Canullo, Luigi; Schlee, Markus; Wagner, Wilfried; Covani, Ugo

2015-01-01

The emerging literature has recently reported an alarming increase in peri-implantitis. This disease is typically described as the result of an imbalance between host response and bacterial load, supported by gram-negative anaerobic microflora. The current literature on the prevention and treatment of peri-implantitis does not allow for the extraction of applicable clinical information. In fact, the lack of efficacy of the current treatment methods may be a result of insufficient understanding of the biology. The aim of this position paper was to try to reevaluate the etiopathogenesis of peri-implantitis, highlighting the principal clinically induced triggering factors of the disease. The consensus conference provided strong evidence to suggest that a different microbiologic flora (slightly different from that collected around teeth affected by periodontitis) could support peri-implantitis. However, the evidence to support a consensus statement regarding clinically triggering factors (surgical, prosthetic, and biomechanical) for peri-implantitis is only of moderate strength (cohort studies or consistent results from long-term, well-populated case series). Expert opinion led the consensus group to support the following: rectifying the number of peri-implant inflammatory situations caused by surgical, restorative, or material complications may lower the number of infections to a more realistic figure and may suggest different and more appropriate treatment plans. At the same time, it can be stated that implant material, shape and surface characteristics, procedures and biomaterials used for bone augmentation, and incorrect prosthetic procedures and biomechanical plans could also be risk factors for the occurrence and progression of periimplantitis.

Conceptual Design of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with 24-HR Endurance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fredericks, William J.

2010-01-01

This paper describes a conceptual design study for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is able to carry a 25-lb science payload for 24 hr and is able to land and take off at elevations as high as 15,000 ft without human intervention. In addition to the science payload, this vehicle must be able to carry a satellite communication system, and the vehicle must be able to be transported in a standard full-size pickup truck and assembled by only two operators. This project started with a brainstorming phase to devise possible vehicle configurations that might satisfy the requirements. A down select was performed to select a near-term solution and two advanced vehicle concepts that are better suited to the intent of the mission. Sensitivity analyses were also performed on the requirements and the technology levels to obtain a better understanding of the design space. This study found that within the study assumptions the mission is feasible; the selected concepts are recommended for further development.

2D Presentation Techniques of Mind-maps for Blind Meeting Participants.

PubMed

Pölzer, Stephan; Miesenberger, Klaus

2015-01-01

Mind-maps, used as ideation technique in co-located meetings (e.g. in brainstorming sessions), which meet with increased importance in business and education, show considerably accessibility challenges for blind meeting participants. Besides an overview of general aspects of accessibility issues in co-located meetings, this paper focuses on the design and development of alternative non-visual presentation techniques for mind-maps. The different aspects of serialized presentation techniques (e.g. treeview) for Braille and audio rendering and two dimensional presentation techniques (e.g. tactile two dimensional array matrix and edge-projection method [1]) are discussed based on the user feedback gathered in intermediate tests following a user centered design approach.

Community mobilization for malaria elimination: application of an open space methodology in Ruhuha sector, Rwanda

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Despite the significant reduction of malaria transmission in Rwanda, Ruhuha sector is still a highly endemic area for malaria. The objective of this activity was to explore and brainstorm the potential roles of various community stakeholders in malaria elimination. Methods Horizontal participatory approaches such as ‘open space’ have been deployed to explore local priorities, stimulate community contribution to project planning, and to promote local capacity to manage programmes. Two open space meetings were conducted with 62 and 82 participants in years 1 and 2, respectively. Participants included purposively selected community and local organizations’ representatives. Results Malaria was perceived as a health concern by the respondents despite the reported reduction in prevalence from 60 to 20% for cases at the local health centre. Some misconceptions of the cause of malaria and misuse of preventive strategies were noted. Poverty was deemed to be a contributing factor to malaria transmission, with suggestions that improvement of living conditions for poor families might help malaria reduction. Participants expressed willingness to contribute to malaria elimination and underscored the need for constant education, sensitization and mobilization towards malaria control in general. Active diagnosis, preventative strategies and prompt treatment of malaria cases were all mentioned by participants as ways to reduce malaria. Participants suggested that partnership of stakeholders at various levels could speed up programme activities. A community rewards system was deemed important to motivate engaged participants, i.e., community health workers and households. Establishment of malaria clubs in schools settings was also suggested as crucial to speed up community awareness and increase skills towards further malaria reduction. Conclusions This bottom-up approach was found useful in engaging the local community, enabling them to explore issues related to malaria in the area and suggest solutions for sustainable malaria elimination gains. PMID:24886145

Ami - The chemist's amanuensis.

PubMed

Brooks, Brian J; Thorn, Adam L; Smith, Matthew; Matthews, Peter; Chen, Shaoming; O'Steen, Ben; Adams, Sam E; Townsend, Joe A; Murray-Rust, Peter

2011-10-14

The Ami project was a six month Rapid Innovation project sponsored by JISC to explore the Virtual Research Environment space. The project brainstormed with chemists and decided to investigate ways to facilitate monitoring and collection of experimental data.A frequently encountered use-case was identified of how the chemist reaches the end of an experiment, but finds an unexpected result. The ability to replay events can significantly help make sense of how things progressed. The project therefore concentrated on collecting a variety of dimensions of ancillary data - data that would not normally be collected due to practicality constraints. There were three main areas of investigation: 1) Development of a monitoring tool using infrared and ultrasonic sensors; 2) Time-lapse motion video capture (for example, videoing 5 seconds in every 60); and 3) Activity-driven video monitoring of the fume cupboard environs.The Ami client application was developed to control these separate logging functions. The application builds up a timeline of the events in the experiment and around the fume cupboard. The videos and data logs can then be reviewed after the experiment in order to help the chemist determine the exact timings and conditions used.The project experimented with ways in which a Microsoft Kinect could be used in a laboratory setting. Investigations suggest that it would not be an ideal device for controlling a mouse, but it shows promise for usages such as manipulating virtual molecules.

Ami - The chemist's amanuensis

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The Ami project was a six month Rapid Innovation project sponsored by JISC to explore the Virtual Research Environment space. The project brainstormed with chemists and decided to investigate ways to facilitate monitoring and collection of experimental data. A frequently encountered use-case was identified of how the chemist reaches the end of an experiment, but finds an unexpected result. The ability to replay events can significantly help make sense of how things progressed. The project therefore concentrated on collecting a variety of dimensions of ancillary data - data that would not normally be collected due to practicality constraints. There were three main areas of investigation: 1) Development of a monitoring tool using infrared and ultrasonic sensors; 2) Time-lapse motion video capture (for example, videoing 5 seconds in every 60); and 3) Activity-driven video monitoring of the fume cupboard environs. The Ami client application was developed to control these separate logging functions. The application builds up a timeline of the events in the experiment and around the fume cupboard. The videos and data logs can then be reviewed after the experiment in order to help the chemist determine the exact timings and conditions used. The project experimented with ways in which a Microsoft Kinect could be used in a laboratory setting. Investigations suggest that it would not be an ideal device for controlling a mouse, but it shows promise for usages such as manipulating virtual molecules. PMID:21999587

Performance evaluation of medical records departments by analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach in the selected hospitals in Isfahan : medical records dep. & AHP.

PubMed

Ajami, Sima; Ketabi, Saeedeh

2012-06-01

Medical Records Department (MRD) is an important unit for evaluating and planning of care services. The goal of this study is evaluating the performance of the Medical Records Departments (MRDs) of the selected hospitals in Isfahan, Iran by using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). This was an analytic of cross-sectional study that was done in spring 2008 in Isfahan, Iran. The statistical population consisted of MRDs of Alzahra, Kashani and Khorshid Hospitals in Isfahan. Data were collected by forms and through brainstorm technique. To analyze and perform AHP, Expert Choice software was used by researchers. Results were showed archiving unit has received the largest importance weight with respect to information management. However, on customer aspect admission unit has received the largest weight. Ordering weights of Medical Records Departments' Alzahra, Kashani and Khorshid Hospitals in Isfahan were with 0.394, 0.342 and 0.264 respectively. It is useful for managers to allocate and prioritize resources according to AHP technique for ranking at the Medical Records Departments.

[Dental manpower prediction in Israel for 2017].

PubMed

Vered, Y; Zini, A; Mann, J

2010-07-01

A recent study published by the authors indicated that according to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics in 2008, Israel had 5800 active dentists, a figure well below the publication by the Ministry of Health. Based on this figure, using the manpower to population ratio method, the following results were obtained: The predicted number of dentist in 2017 would be 6090, based on, the estimated number of Israel: graduates, the estimated number of dentists who would arrive in Israel as immigrants or Israelis who studied abroad, based on an attrition rate of 3% and on the assumption that the number of dentists leaving the country is negligible. Table 2, based on manpower to population ratio, indicates that by 2017, Israel would have 1 dentist per 1400 population, a ratio which is still far above what many countries present, but high for Israel. This might reflect a dramatic change, from employment in public clinics, back to private practices. The results clearly indicate that a shortage of dentists is predicted in the near future and a major brainstorming is urgently required to evaluate these results.

Patients' perceptions of their roles in goal setting in a spinal cord injury regional rehabilitation program.

PubMed

Draaistra, Harriett; Singh, Mina D; Ireland, Sandra; Harper, Theresa

2012-01-01

Goal setting is a common practice in rehabilitation, yet there is a paucity of literature exploring patients' perceptions of their roles in this process. This study was conducted using a qualitative descriptive methodology to explore patients' perceptions of their roles in setting goals in a spinal cord injury regional rehabilitation program. Imogene King's theory of goal attainment was used to frame the study. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using a content analysis. The results revealed four themes: Visioning, Redefining, Brainstorming, and Rebuilding Participants (n = 13) envisioned their roles as setting an overarching priority goal, defining detailed rehabilitation goals, sharing knowledge with the team, and rebuilding skills to attain goals. Implications for nursing practice include the need to understand patients' experiences and perceptions, share knowledge, and support effective communication to promote collaborative goal setting. A need to enhance health professionals' education to fully understand factors influencing patients' abilities to set rehabilitation goals, and future research in methods to promote patients' engagement in goal setting was also clearly indicated.

Development of new natural extracts.

PubMed

Lavoine-Hanneguelle, Sophie; Périchet, Christine; Schnaebele, Nicolas; Humbert, Marina

2014-11-01

For over the past 20 years, a remarkable development in the study and search of natural products has been observed. This is linked to a new market trend towards ecology and also due to new regulations. This could be a rupture, but also a real booster for creativity. Usually, in the flavor and fragrance field, creativity was boosted by the arrival of new synthetic molecules. Naturals remained the traditional, century-old products, protected by secrecy and specific know-how from each company. Regulatory restrictions or eco-friendly certification constraints like hexane-free processes triggered an important brainstorming in the industry. As a result, we developed new eco-friendly processes including supercritical CO2 extraction, allowing fresh plants to be used to obtain industrial flower extracts (Jasmine Grandiflorum, Jasmine Sambac, Orange blossom). These extracts are analyzed by GC, GC/MS, GCO, and HPTLC techniques. New or unusual raw materials can also be explored, but the resulting extracts have to be tested for safety reasons. Some examples are described. Copyright © 2014 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.

Fitting modular reconnaissance systems into modern high-performance aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroot, Jacquelyn R.; Pingel, Leslie L.

1990-11-01

The installation of the Advanced Tactical Air Reconnaissance System (ATARS) in the F/A-18D(RC) presented a complex set of design challenges. At the time of the F/A-18D(RC) ATARS option exercise, the design and development of the ATARS subsystems and the parameters of the F/A-18D(RC) were essentially fixed. ATARS is to be installed in the gun bay of the F/A-18D(RC), taking up no additional room, nor adding any more weight than what was removed. The F/A-18D(RC) installation solution required innovations in mounting, cooling, and fit techniques, which made constant trade study essential. The successful installation in the F/A-18D(RC) is the result of coupling fundamental design engineering with brainstorming and nonstandard approaches to every situation. ATARS is sponsored by the Aeronautical Systems Division, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The F/A-18D(RC) installation is being funded to the Air Force by the Naval Air Systems Command, Washington, D.C.

[Hierarchy structuring for mammography technique by interpretive structural modeling method].

PubMed

Kudo, Nozomi; Kurowarabi, Kunio; Terashita, Takayoshi; Nishimoto, Naoki; Ogasawara, Katsuhiko

2009-10-20

Participation in screening mammography is currently desired in Japan because of the increase in breast cancer morbidity. However, the pain and discomfort of mammography is recognized as a significant deterrent for women considering this examination. Thus quick procedures, sufficient experience, and advanced skills are required for radiologic technologists. The aim of this study was to make the point of imaging techniques explicit and to help understand the complicated procedure. We interviewed 3 technologists who were highly skilled in mammography, and 14 factors were retrieved by using brainstorming and the KJ method. We then applied Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to the factors and developed a hierarchical concept structure. The result showed a six-layer hierarchy whose top node was explanation of the entire procedure on mammography. Male technologists were related to as a negative factor. Factors concerned with explanation were at the upper node. We gave attention to X-ray techniques and considerations. The findings will help beginners improve their skills.

The impact of analogies on creative concept generation: lessons from an in vivo study in engineering design.

PubMed

Chan, Joel; Schunn, Christian

2015-01-01

Research on innovation often highlights analogies from sources outside the current problem domain as a major source of novel concepts; however, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not well understood. We analyzed the temporal interplay between far analogy use and creative concept generation in a professional design team's brainstorming conversations, investigating the hypothesis that far analogies lead directly to very novel concepts via large steps in conceptual spaces (jumps). Surprisingly, we found that concepts were more similar to their preceding concepts after far analogy use compared to baseline situations (i.e., without far analogy use). Yet far analogies increased the team's concept generation rate compared to baseline conditions. Overall, these results challenge the view that far analogies primarily lead to novel concepts via jumps in conceptual spaces and suggest alternative pathways from far analogies to novel concepts (e.g., iterative, deep exploration within a functional space). Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

A Map for Clinical Laboratories Management Indicators in the Intelligent Dashboard.

PubMed

Azadmanjir, Zahra; Torabi, Mashallah; Safdari, Reza; Bayat, Maryam; Golmahi, Fatemeh

2015-08-01

management challenges of clinical laboratories are more complicated for educational hospital clinical laboratories. Managers can use tools of business intelligence (BI), such as information dashboards that provide the possibility of intelligent decision-making and problem solving about increasing income, reducing spending, utilization management and even improving quality. Critical phase of dashboard design is setting indicators and modeling causal relations between them. The paper describes the process of creating a map for laboratory dashboard. the study is one part of an action research that begins from 2012 by innovation initiative for implementing laboratory intelligent dashboard. Laboratories management problems were determined in educational hospitals by the brainstorming sessions. Then, with regard to the problems key performance indicators (KPIs) specified. the map of indicators designed in form of three layered. They have a causal relationship so that issues measured in the subsequent layers affect issues measured in the prime layers. the proposed indicator map can be the base of performance monitoring. However, these indicators can be modified to improve during iterations of dashboard designing process.

Association of a Biweekly Research Workgroup With Enhanced Resident Research Productivity.

PubMed

Brackmann, Melissa; Reynolds, R Kevin; Uppal, Shitanshu; McLean, Karen

2016-09-01

Almost all residency programs require a resident research project, yet teaching and mentoring of the required skills are often lacking. We established an every-other-week gynecologic oncology research workgroup at our institution for obstetrics and gynecology faculty, fellows, and residents with the goal of increasing resident research education, involvement, and productivity. An informal, discussion-style format was adopted as a forum for brainstorming research ideas, formulating study protocols, and collaborating on institutional review board submissions. Additional aims included editorial feedback on abstracts and manuscripts as well as oral presentation preparation. The academic productivity of trainees mentored by the gynecologic oncology division was queried for 27 months before and 27 months after workgroup initiation, specifically assessing resident involvement in institutional review board submission, abstract presentation, and manuscript preparation. Institution of our workgroup was associated with a dramatic increase in resident research output, including manuscript preparation and presentations at national meetings. We describe our experience because it may benefit other residency programs wishing to improve both resident research education and productivity.

Utility of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis to Improve Safety in Suctioning by Orotracheal Tube.

PubMed

Vázquez-Valencia, Agustín; Santiago-Sáez, Andrés; Perea-Pérez, Bernardo; Labajo-González, Elena; Albarrán-Juan, Maria Elena

2017-02-01

The objective of the study was to use the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) tool to analyze the technique of secretion suctioning on patients with an endotracheal tube who were admitted into an intensive care unit. Brainstorming was carried out within the service to determine the potential errors most frequent in the process. After this, the FMEA was applied, including its stages, prioritizing risk in accordance with the risk prioritization number (RPN), selecting improvement actions in which they have an RPN of more than 300. We obtained 32 failure modes, of which 13 surpassed an RPN of 300. After our result, 21 improvement actions were proposed for those failure modes with RPN scores above 300. FMEA allows us to ascertain possible failures so as to later propose improvement actions for those which have an RPN of more than 300. Copyright © 2016 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Focusing on customer service.

PubMed

1996-01-01

This booklet is devoted to a consideration of how good customer service in family planning programs can generate demand for products and services, bring customers back, and reduce costs. Customer service is defined as increasing client satisfaction through continuous concern for client preferences, staff accountability to clients, and respect for the rights of clients. Issues discussed include the introduction of a customer service approach and gaining staff commitment. The experience of PROSALUD in Bolivia in recruiting appropriate staff, supervising staff, soliciting client feedback, and marketing services is offered as an example of a successful customer service approach. The key customer service functions are described as 1) establishing a welcoming atmosphere, 2) streamlining client flow, 3) personalizing client services, and 4) organizing and providing clear information to clients. The role of the manager in developing procedures is explored, and the COPE (Client-Oriented Provider-Efficient) process is presented as a good way to begin to make improvements. Techniques in staff training in customer service include brainstorming, role playing, using case studies (examples of which are provided), and engaging in practice sessions. Training also leads to the development of effective customer service attitudes, and the differences between these and organizational/staff-focused attitudes are illustrated in a chart. The use of communication skills (asking open-ended questions, helping clients express their concerns, engaging in active listening, and handling difficult situations) is considered. Good recovery skills are important when things go wrong. Gathering and using client feedback is the next topic considered. This involves identifying, recording, and discussing customer service issues as well as taking action on these issues and evaluating the results. The booklet ends by providing a sample of customer service indicators, considering the maintenance of a customer service focus, and reporting comments from the reviewers of the booklet.

The Optimization of an eHealth Solution (Thought Spot) with Transition-Aged Youth in Postsecondary Settings: Participatory Design Research

PubMed Central

VanHeerwaarden, Nicole; Abi-Jaoude, Alexxa; Johnson, Andrew; Hollenberg, Elisa; Chaim, Gloria; Cleverley, Kristin; Eysenbach, Gunther; Henderson, Joanna; Levinson, Andrea; Robb, Janine; Sharpe, Sarah; Voineskos, Aristotle

2018-01-01

Background Seventy percent of lifetime cases of mental illness emerge before the age of 24 years, but many youth are unable to access the support and services they require in a timely and appropriate way. With most youth using the internet, electronic health (eHealth) interventions are promising tools for reaching this population. Through participatory design research (PDR) engagement methods, Thought Spot, a Web- and mobile-based platform, was redeveloped to facilitate access to mental health services by transition-aged youth (aged 16-29 years) in postsecondary settings. Objective The aim of this study was to describe the process of engaging with postsecondary students through the PDR approaches, with the ultimate goal of optimizing the Thought Spot platform. Methods Consistent with the PDR approaches, five student-led workshops, attended by 41 individuals, were facilitated to obtain feedback regarding the platform’s usability and functionality and its potential value in a postsecondary setting. Various creative engagement activities were delivered to gather experiences and opinions, including semistructured focus groups, questionnaires, personas, journey mapping, and a world café. Innovative technological features and refinements were also brainstormed during the workshops. Results By using PDR methods of engagement, participants knew that their ideas and recommendations would be applied. There was also an overall sense of respect and care integrated into each group, which facilitated an exchange of ideas and suggestions. Conclusions The process of engaging with students to redesign the Thought Spot platform through PDR has been effective. Findings from these workshops will significantly inform new technological features within the app to enable positive help-seeking behaviors among students. These behaviors will be further explored in the second phase that involves a randomized controlled trial. PMID:29510970

An overview of disparities in childhood cancer: Report on the Inaugural Symposium on Childhood Cancer Health Disparities, Houston, Texas, 2016.

PubMed

Scheurer, Michael E; Lupo, Philip J; Schüz, Joachim; Spector, Logan G; Wiemels, Joseph L; Aplenc, Richard; Gramatges, M Monica; Schiffman, Joshua D; Pombo-de-Oliveira, Maria S; Yang, Jun J; Heck, Julia E; Metayer, Catherine; Orjuela-Grimm, Manuela A; Bona, Kira; Aristizabal, Paula; Austin, Mary T; Rabin, Karen R; Russell, Heidi V; Poplack, David G

2018-05-08

The Inaugural Symposium on Childhood Cancer Health Disparities was held in Houston, Texas, on November 2, 2016. The symposium was attended by 109 scientists and clinicians from diverse disciplinary backgrounds with interests in pediatric cancer disparities and focused on reviewing our current knowledge of disparities in cancer risk and outcomes for select childhood cancers. Following a full day of topical sessions, everyone participated in a brainstorming session to develop a working strategy for the continued expansion of research in this area. This meeting was designed to serve as a springboard for examination of childhood cancer disparities from a more unified and systematic approach and to enhance awareness of this area of need.

An impetus to move the field forward: a look at child and adolescent mental health services participants' views of the prospects for change.

PubMed

Haynes, Katherine Taylor

2010-03-01

In September 2009 key stakeholders convened for the invitation-only Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS): Issues and Solutions conference. This paper provides a brief synopsis of the key high points and issues in children's mental health (CMH) and describes the process by which participants collectively brainstormed the priorities and distilled the four key foci for the new action agenda, and summarizes the key outcomes. In addition, this paper offers participants' perspectives on the conference. Based on observation notes and post-conference qualitative interviews, this paper reports conference participants' feedback on the event, their views on the prospects for change generated by the conference and suggestions for follow-up.

Don't Erase that Whiteboard! Archiving Student Work on a Photo-Sharing Website

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, Edward; Tsui, Stephen; Hart, Alicia; Saucedo, Lydia

2011-10-01

Students in physics courses often use whiteboards to brainstorm, solve problems, and present results to the rest of the class, particularly in courses involving collaborative small group work and whole class discussions. The whiteboards contain a valuable record of students' collaborative work. Once a whiteboard is erased, however, its contents are lost and no longer accessible to students, instructors, or researchers and curriculum developers. We solve this problem using wireless-enabled digital cameras to create an archive of students' work on the photo-sharing website Flickr.com. This provides a persistent record of class activities that our students use frequently and find valuable. In this paper, we describe how this works in class and how students use the photos.

Teaching science to 8th graders by engaging them in a design and technology activity: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidawi, Mai M.

This study described how students can apply science concepts to a Design and Technology task. It also examined whether the students could transfer their scientific knowledge to their design of technology. The study was conducted at an urban school in Philadelphia where a sample of 36 eighth grade students were taught a science unit, Energy, Machines, and Motion, and engaged in a technology design task that was chosen based on the scientific content of the unit. Two approaches of relating teaching science to technological design were observed and described. Through the first approach, the students were given technology lessons in addition to their science lessons. This was to provide them with the technological knowledge that they needed in designing technology such as learning about the design process, selection of appropriate materials, and selection of appropriate tools and how to use them. Also, the students were taught the social skills that will enable them to develop an effective collaborative relationship with their peers such as conflict-management and brainstorming. Through the second approach, the students were taught the science unit and then at the end of the unit the students were given the design task as an assessment of their scientific knowledge. The students' experience of designing technology for each approach was described. The study was conducted using multiple tools and instruments such as observation, videotaping, interviews, and testing. The students were also given the survey PATT-USA to measure their attitude toward technology. The study showed that the students' learning of science was impacted by their weak prerequisite knowledge in science, their poor verbal and written communication skills and their style as dependent learners. Also, the study showed the great impact of the school and classroom cultures on the participation of the students in a Design and Technology activity. The students in this study showed great resistant to participating in a Design and Technology activity. The study linked that to the culture of the classroom where the technology period was considered by the students a period of "free time" to be spent mainly on the computer, playing educational games or engaged in short term, non-demanding projects.

Method of App Selection for Healthcare Providers Based on Consumer Needs.

PubMed

Lee, Jisan; Kim, Jeongeun

2018-01-01

Mobile device applications can be used to manage health. However, healthcare providers hesitate to use them because selection methods that consider the needs of health consumers and identify the most appropriate application are rare. This study aimed to create an effective method of identifying applications that address user needs. Women experiencing dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome were the targeted users. First, we searched for related applications from two major sources of mobile applications. Brainstorming, mind mapping, and persona and scenario techniques were used to create a checklist of relevant criteria, which was used to rate the applications. Of the 2784 applications found, 369 were analyzed quantitatively. Of those, five of the top candidates were evaluated by three groups: application experts, clinical experts, and potential users. All three groups ranked one application the highest; however, the remaining rankings differed. The results of this study suggest that the method created is useful because it considers not only the needs of various users but also the knowledge of application and clinical experts. This study proposes a method for finding and using the best among existing applications and highlights the need for nurses who can understand and combine opinions of users and application and clinical experts.

Application of six sigma and AHP in analysis of variable lead time calibration process instrumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimantho, Dino; Rahman, Tomy Abdul; Cahyadi, Bambang; Tina Hernawati, S.

2017-02-01

Calibration of instrumentation equipment in the pharmaceutical industry is an important activity to determine the true value of a measurement. Preliminary studies indicated that occur lead-time calibration resulted in disruption of production and laboratory activities. This study aimed to analyze the causes of lead-time calibration. Several methods used in this study such as, Six Sigma in order to determine the capability process of the calibration instrumentation of equipment. Furthermore, the method of brainstorming, Pareto diagrams, and Fishbone diagrams were used to identify and analyze the problems. Then, the method of Hierarchy Analytical Process (AHP) was used to create a hierarchical structure and prioritize problems. The results showed that the value of DPMO around 40769.23 which was equivalent to the level of sigma in calibration equipment approximately 3,24σ. This indicated the need for improvements in the calibration process. Furthermore, the determination of problem-solving strategies Lead Time Calibration such as, shortens the schedule preventive maintenance, increase the number of instrument Calibrators, and train personnel. Test results on the consistency of the whole matrix of pairwise comparisons and consistency test showed the value of hierarchy the CR below 0.1.

Improving referral to psychological support unit at Saudi Red Crescent Authority in Riyadh Region

PubMed Central

Alzahrani, Ahmad Yousif; Mahmod, Sabri abd Allah; Bakhamis, Thamer Mohammad; Al-Surimi, Khaled

2017-01-01

The Psychological Support Unit (PSU) performance in Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) showed that only a small number of case referred seeking psychological advice and management from PSU among all SRCA employees. However, research shows that between 28% and 52% of emergency medical services (EMS) providers usually seek psychological help in various EMS cultures, where 86% of them usually suffer from critical stress. Thus, we decided to design a quality improvement project that aims to improve the referral process by increasing cases referred to the PSU at SRCA in Riyadh Region by 75% in 2 months. A multidisciplinary team has been formed to analyse the problem using quality tools including, brainstorming, fishbone diagram and flow chart of the PSU processes. Several possible reasons have been identified, such as lack of awareness among the SRCA’s employees about PSU and its services, and the concern about privacy and confidentiality during psychological consultations in the PSU, in addition to the long referring process to PSU. The team decided to test the following change ideas: increasing the awareness of employees about the PSU services, improving the privacy and confidentiality during the consultation using electronic channels, and finally re-engineering the referral process to make it lean and remove all the unnecessary steps. Several improvement interventions have been tested sequentially in three consecutive Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles on a weekly basis. The project findings demonstrated that the first change idea was successful but not reaching the target while the second change had led to huge impact exceeding our target but with short effect. On the other hand, although the third change idea of re-engineering the PSU referral process had led to negative result initially, over the following weeks of measurement the results turned to be positive and meeting our expectations. We concluded that re-engineering referral process is most effective improvement intervention among other change ideas in term of magnitude and sustainability of the effect on increasing the number of referral cases to the PSU. We recommend conducting further testing and measuring of these change ideas in other PSU across the SRCA to understand the diffident context in other regions of SRCA. PMID:29450278

Competing while cooperating with the same others: The consequences of conflicting demands in co-opetition.

PubMed

Landkammer, Florian; Sassenberg, Kai

2016-12-01

Numerous studies comparing the effects of competition and cooperation demonstrated that competition is detrimental on the social level. However, instead of purely competing, many social contexts require competing while cooperating with the same social target. The current work examined the consequences of such "co-opetition" situations between individuals. Because having to compete and to cooperate with the same social target constitutes conflicting demands, co-opetition should lead to more flexibility, such as (a) less rigid transfer effects of competitive behavior and (b) less rigidity/more flexibility in general. Supporting these predictions, Studies 1a and 1b demonstrated that co-opetition did not elicit competitive behavior in a subsequent task (here: enhanced deceiving of uninvolved others). Study 2 showed that adding conflicting demands (independent of social interdependence) to competition likewise elicits less competitive transfer than competition without such conflicting demands. Beyond that, co-opetition reduced rigid response tendencies during a classification task in Studies 3a and 3b and enhanced flexibility during brainstorming in Study 4, compared with other forms of interdependence. Together, these results suggest that co-opetition leads to more flexible behavior when individuals have to reconcile conflicting demands. Implications for research on social priming, interdependence and competition in everyday life are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

MALDI-TOF MS in the Microbiology Laboratory: Current Trends.

PubMed

Schubert, Sören; Kostrzewa, Markus

2017-01-01

Within less than a decade matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has become a gold standard for microbial identification in clinical microbiology laboratories. Besides identification of microorganisms the typing of single strains as well as the antibiotic and antimycotic resistance testing has come into focus in order to speed up the microbiological diagnostic. However, the full potential of MALDI-TOF MS has not been tapped yet and future technological advancements will certainly expedite this method towards novel applications and enhancement of current practice. So, the following chapter shall be rather a brainstorming and forecast of how MALDI-TOF MS will develop to influence clinical diagnostics and microbial research in the future. It shall open up the stage for further discussions and does not claim for overall validity.

There's an Elephant in the Room! How Talking Around Climate Can Be More Effective Than Talking About Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unger, M.; Rockwell, A.

2014-12-01

Conversations about climate change can easily devolve into polarization and political finger-pointing, where there should be a civilized discussion and enthusiastic brainstorming. How can we change the pugilistic back into the personable? We will examine some examples of reinstating dialogue in various settings, drawing on our experiences working with the public, students and educators in our visitor centers and public areas at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), as well as using off-the-clock opportunities to communicate about our work in social and other informal settings. We will share lessons about what works and what doesn't when communicating about climate online and offline, and the differences in discussions that occur in virtual, digital settings and face-to-face.

Using evidence-based leadership initiatives to create a healthy nursing work environment.

PubMed

Nayback-Beebe, Ann M; Forsythe, Tanya; Funari, Tamara; Mayfield, Marie; Thoms, William; Smith, Kimberly K; Bradstreet, Harry; Scott, Pamela

2013-01-01

In an effort to create a healthy nursing work environment in a military hospital Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU), a facility-level Evidence Based Practice working group composed of nursing.Stakeholders brainstormed and piloted several unit-level evidence-based leadership initiatives to improve the IMCU nursing work environment. These initiatives were guided by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments which encompass: (1) skilled communication, (2) true collaboration, (3) effective decision making, (4) appropriate staffing, (5) meaningful recognition, and (6) authentic leadership. Interim findings suggest implementation of these six evidence-based, relationship-centered principals, when combined with IMCU nurses' clinical expertise, management experience, and personal values and preferences, improved staff morale, decreased staff absenteeism, promoted a healthy nursing work environment, and improved patient care.

Asphyxia-activated corticocardiac signaling accelerates onset of cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Li, Duan; Mabrouk, Omar S; Liu, Tiecheng; Tian, Fangyun; Xu, Gang; Rengifo, Santiago; Choi, Sarah J; Mathur, Abhay; Crooks, Charles P; Kennedy, Robert T; Wang, Michael M; Ghanbari, Hamid; Borjigin, Jimo

2015-04-21

The mechanism by which the healthy heart and brain die rapidly in the absence of oxygen is not well understood. We performed continuous electrocardiography and electroencephalography in rats undergoing experimental asphyxia and analyzed cortical release of core neurotransmitters, changes in brain and heart electrical activity, and brain-heart connectivity. Asphyxia stimulates a robust and sustained increase of functional and effective cortical connectivity, an immediate increase in cortical release of a large set of neurotransmitters, and a delayed activation of corticocardiac functional and effective connectivity that persists until the onset of ventricular fibrillation. Blocking the brain's autonomic outflow significantly delayed terminal ventricular fibrillation and lengthened the duration of detectable cortical activities despite the continued absence of oxygen. These results demonstrate that asphyxia activates a brainstorm, which accelerates premature death of the heart and the brain.

Shared decision making: empowering the bedside nurse.

PubMed

Slack, Stephanie M; Boguslawski, Jean M; Eickhoff, Rachel M; Klein, Kristi A; Pepin, Teresa M; Schrandt, Kevin; Wise, Carrie A; Zylstra, Jody A

2005-12-01

Shared decision making is a process that has empowered specialty nurses at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, to solve a practice concern. Staff nurses recognized a lack of concise, collated information available that described what nurses need to know when caring for patients receiving chemotherapy. Many aspects of the administration process were knowledge and experience based and not easily retrievable. The Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Practice Committee identified this as a significant practice issue. Ideas were brainstormed regarding how to make the information available to nursing colleagues. The Chemotherapy Yellow Pages is a resource that was developed to facilitate the rapid retrieval of pertinent information for bedside nurses. The content of this article outlines a'model of shared decision making and the processes used to address and resolve the practice concern.

A Novel Evaluation Model for the Vehicle Navigation Device Market Using Hybrid MCDM Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Chia-Li; Hsieh, Meng-Shu; Tzeng, Gwo-Hshiung

The developing strategy of ND is also presented to initiate the product roadmap. Criteria for evaluation are constructed via reviewing papers, interviewing experts and brain-storming. The ISM (interpretive structural modeling) method was used to construct the relationship between each criterion. The existing NDs were sampled to benchmark the gap between the consumer’s aspired/desired utilities with respect to the utilities of existing/developing NDs. The VIKOR method was applied to rank the sampled NDs. This paper will propose the key driving criteria of purchasing new ND and compare the consumer behavior of various characters. Those conclusions can be served as a reference for ND producers for improving existing functions or planning further utilities in the next e-era ND generation.

A prospective health impact assessment of the international astronomy and space exploration centre.

PubMed

Winters, L Y

2001-06-01

Assess the potential health impacts of the proposed International Astronomy and Space Exploration Centre on the population of New Wallasey. Contribute to the piloting of health impact assessment methods. Prospective health impact assessment involving brainstorming sessions and individual interviews with key informants and a literature review. New Wallasey Single Regeneration Budget 4 area. Key stakeholders including local residents' groups selected through purposeful snowball sampling. Recommendations are made that cover issues around: transport and traffic; civic design; security; public safety, employment and training. Health impact assessment is a useful pragmatic tool for facilitating wide consultation. In particular engaging the local population in the early planning stages of a proposed development, and assisting in highlighting changes to maximise the positive health influences on affected communities.

A Consensus Proposal for Nutritional Indicators to Assess the Sustainability of a Healthy Diet: The Mediterranean Diet as a Case Study.

PubMed

Donini, Lorenzo M; Dernini, Sandro; Lairon, Denis; Serra-Majem, Lluis; Amiot, Marie-Josèphe; Del Balzo, Valeria; Giusti, Anna-Maria; Burlingame, Barbara; Belahsen, Rekia; Maiani, Giuseppe; Polito, Angela; Turrini, Aida; Intorre, Federica; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Berry, Elliot M

2016-01-01

There is increasing evidence of the multiple effects of diets on public health nutrition, society, and environment. Sustainability and food security are closely interrelated. The traditional Mediterranean Diet (MD) is recognized as a healthier dietary pattern with a lower environmental impact. As a case study, the MD may guide innovative inter-sectorial efforts to counteract the degradation of ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, and homogeneity of diets due to globalization through the improvement of sustainable healthy dietary patterns. This consensus position paper defines a suite of the most appropriate nutrition and health indicators for assessing the sustainability of diets based on the MD. In 2011, an informal International Working Group from different national and international institutions was convened. Through online and face-to-face brainstorming meetings over 4 years, a set of nutrition and health indicators for sustainability was identified and refined. Thirteen nutrition indicators of sustainability relating were identified in five areas. Biochemical characteristics of food (A1. Vegetable/animal protein consumption ratios; A2. Average dietary energy adequacy; A3. Dietary Energy Density Score; A4. Nutrient density of diet), Food Quality (A5. Fruit and vegetable consumption/intakes; A6. Dietary Diversity Score), Environment (A7. Food biodiversity composition and consumption; A8. Rate of Local/regional foods and seasonality; A9. Rate of eco-friendly food production and/or consumption), Lifestyle (A10. Physical activity/physical inactivity prevalence; A11. Adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern), Clinical Aspects (A12. Diet-related morbidity/mortality statistics; A13. Nutritional Anthropometry). A standardized set of information was provided for each indicator: definition, methodology, background, data sources, limitations of the indicator, and references. The selection and analysis of these indicators has been performed (where possible) with specific reference to the MD. Sustainability of food systems is an urgent priority for governments and international organizations to address the serious socioeconomic and environmental implications of short-sighted and short-term practices for agricultural land and rural communities. These proposed nutrition indicators will be a useful methodological framework for designing health, education, and agricultural policies in order, not only to conserve the traditional diets of the Mediterranean area as a common cultural heritage and lifestyle but also to enhance the sustainability of diets in general.

Topological properties of flat electroencephalography's state space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ken, Tan Lit; Ahmad, Tahir bin; Mohd, Mohd Sham bin; Ngien, Su Kong; Suwa, Tohru; Meng, Ong Sie

2016-02-01

Neuroinverse problem are often associated with complex neuronal activity. It involves locating problematic cell which is highly challenging. While epileptic foci localization is possible with the aid of EEG signals, it relies greatly on the ability to extract hidden information or pattern within EEG signals. Flat EEG being an enhancement of EEG is a way of viewing electroencephalograph on the real plane. In the perspective of dynamical systems, Flat EEG is equivalent to epileptic seizure hence, making it a great platform to study epileptic seizure. Throughout the years, various mathematical tools have been applied on Flat EEG to extract hidden information that is hardly noticeable by traditional visual inspection. While these tools have given worthy results, the journey towards understanding seizure process completely is yet to be succeeded. Since the underlying structure of Flat EEG is dynamic and is deemed to contain wealthy information regarding brainstorm, it would certainly be appealing to explore in depth its structures. To better understand the complex seizure process, this paper studies the event of epileptic seizure via Flat EEG in a more general framework by means of topology, particularly, on the state space where the event of Flat EEG lies.

Situational analysis of the health insurance market and related educational needs in the era of health care reform in Thailand.

PubMed

Sriratanaban, J; Supapong, S; Kamolratanakul, P; Tatiyakawee, K; Srithamrongsawat, S

2000-12-01

The purposes of this study were to explore the situation of health insurance in Thailand, to compare public and private perspectives and to identify related educational needs. Between March and April of 1998, the study employed in-depth interviews of 12 public and private major stakeholders of the health insurance systems, including policy makers, providers and insurers. Additional inputs were gathered in a brainstorming session with 41 participants from organizations with important roles in regulating, monitoring, paying, or providing health care services, as well as research and education. The findings indicated the health insurance market was expanding. But there was no national policy on health insurance. Insurance-related law was outdated. Public and private schemes overlapped, and were generally characterized by inadequate risk diversification, overutilization of services, lack of effective cost containment, inconsistent service quality, and poor understanding of health insurance principles. There were needs for more education and training in various aspects of health services management and health-insurance related functions. Consequently, continuing education and training related to health insurance services for policy makers, system administrators, managers, providers and insurers are strongly recommended during the health-care reform process.

Problem-solving strategies of women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

PubMed

Lyons, Kathleen D; Erickson, Kelly S; Hegel, Mark T

2012-02-01

Many women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer experience side effects that make it difficult to perform daily occupations. To summarize the types of challenges, goals, and adaptive strategies identified by women with stage 1-3 breast cancer participating in a pilot study of Problem-solving Treatment-Occupational Therapy (PST-OT). Content analysis of 80 PST-OT sessions. Women addressed 11 types of challenging activities, with exercise and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) being the most common. Most women set a goal to adapt a current activity, but also set goals to find a new activity, plan the steps of a current activity, or gather information about a possible activity change in the future. The adaptive strategies generated by the women were grouped into five types. Most often they found ways to add a new step to an activity, but they also brainstormed about when, how, where, and with whom they could do activities. The women were usually trying to adapt familiar activities but also were looking for ways to include new, healthy occupations into their routines.

Need of risk management practice amongst bumiputera contractors in Malaysia construction industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syuhada Fadzil, Nur; Noor, Nurazuwa Md; Rahman, Ismail Abdul

2017-11-01

Malaysia construction industry has been growing continuously with double-digit growth for the past two decades. There are many issues surrounded the industry such as delay in delivery, cost overrun, quality and safety. In bumiputera contractor’s context, the literature review found that 32 issues were encountered in the construction project. These issues can be handled properly with the application of risk management. According to previous researchers, application of risk management in Malaysia construction industry is at the low level where it is implemented in traditional ways that are brainstorming and checklist. These were due to lack of knowledge, the high cost of hiring experts and avoiding extra cost. Besides that, this study also intentions to analyse the risk categories in the construction industry as well as identify risk management process to resolve the construction issues. Hence, this paper presents issues engulfed by Bumiputera contractors which can partly be resolved by applying risk management practice in carrying out the construction activity. This may inspire the contractors to apply the risk management practice in ensuring the success of their construction project.

The fun integration theory: toward sustaining children and adolescents sport participation.

PubMed

Visek, Amanda J; Achrati, Sara M; Mannix, Heather; McDonnell, Karen; Harris, Brandonn S; DiPietro, Loretta

2015-03-01

Children cite "fun" as the primary reason for participation in organized sport and its absence as the number-one reason for youth sport attrition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical framework of fun using a novel mixed-method assessment of participants in sport (FUN MAPS) via concept mapping. Youth soccer players (n = 142), coaches (n = 37), and parents (n = 57) were stratified by age, sex, and competition level and contributed their ideas through (a) qualitative brainstorming, identifying all of the things that make playing sports fun for players; (b) sorting of ideas; and (c) rating each idea on its importance, frequency, and feasibility. The FUN MAPS identify the 4 fundamental tenets of fun in youth sport within 11 fun-dimensions composed of 81 specific fun-determinants, while also establishing the youth sport ethos. The FUN MAPS provide pictorial evidence-based blueprints for the fun integration theory (FIT), which is a multitheoretical, multidimensional, and stakeholder derived framework that can be used to maximize fun for children and adolescents to promote and sustain an active and healthy lifestyle through sport.

SWOT Analysis of Total Sanitation Campaign in Yavatmal District of Maharashtra

PubMed Central

Pardeshi, Geeta; Shirke, Avinash; Jagtap, Minal

2008-01-01

Aims: To study the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. Methodology: Data was collected in December 2006 through interviews with stakeholders, house-to-house surveys, focus group discussions, and transect walks. Information in each category was finalized in a meeting after brainstorming and discussion with the TSC cell members. Results: The strengths of the campaign were innovations in Information Education and Communication, motivation through incentives, competitive spirit, active participation and partnerships, involvement of women, and universal coverage. The main weaknesses of the program were the absence of Rural Sanitary Marts/Production Centers, poor maintenance of Women Sanitary Complexes, lack of facilities for monitoring/ follow-up and a temporary focus of the campaign approach. There is an opportunity to tap additional resources, learn from other experiences, and institute back-up agencies to support and guide the community in the post-TSC phase. A change in administration and local leadership and loss of priority and interest needed to sustain the momentum while scaling up the interventions are possible threats for the program. PMID:19876501

SWOT Analysis of Total Sanitation Campaign in Yavatmal District of Maharashtra.

PubMed

Pardeshi, Geeta; Shirke, Avinash; Jagtap, Minal

2008-10-01

To study the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. Data was collected in December 2006 through interviews with stakeholders, house-to-house surveys, focus group discussions, and transect walks. Information in each category was finalized in a meeting after brainstorming and discussion with the TSC cell members. The strengths of the campaign were innovations in Information Education and Communication, motivation through incentives, competitive spirit, active participation and partnerships, involvement of women, and universal coverage. The main weaknesses of the program were the absence of Rural Sanitary Marts/Production Centers, poor maintenance of Women Sanitary Complexes, lack of facilities for monitoring/ follow-up and a temporary focus of the campaign approach. There is an opportunity to tap additional resources, learn from other experiences, and institute back-up agencies to support and guide the community in the post-TSC phase. A change in administration and local leadership and loss of priority and interest needed to sustain the momentum while scaling up the interventions are possible threats for the program.

A Map for Clinical Laboratories Management Indicators in the Intelligent Dashboard

PubMed Central

Azadmanjir, Zahra; Torabi, Mashallah; Safdari, Reza; Bayat, Maryam; Golmahi, Fatemeh

2015-01-01

Introduction: management challenges of clinical laboratories are more complicated for educational hospital clinical laboratories. Managers can use tools of business intelligence (BI), such as information dashboards that provide the possibility of intelligent decision-making and problem solving about increasing income, reducing spending, utilization management and even improving quality. Critical phase of dashboard design is setting indicators and modeling causal relations between them. The paper describes the process of creating a map for laboratory dashboard. Methods: the study is one part of an action research that begins from 2012 by innovation initiative for implementing laboratory intelligent dashboard. Laboratories management problems were determined in educational hospitals by the brainstorming sessions. Then, with regard to the problems key performance indicators (KPIs) specified. Results: the map of indicators designed in form of three layered. They have a causal relationship so that issues measured in the subsequent layers affect issues measured in the prime layers. Conclusion: the proposed indicator map can be the base of performance monitoring. However, these indicators can be modified to improve during iterations of dashboard designing process. PMID:26483593

Cognitive patterns of neuroanatomy concepts: Knowledge organizations that emerge from problem solving versus information gathering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weidner, Jeanne Margaret O'malley

2000-10-01

This study was motivated by some of the claims that are found in the literature on Problem-Based Learning (PBL). This instructional technique, which uses case studies as its primary instructional tool, has been advanced as an alternative to traditional instruction in order to foster more meaningful, integrative learning of scientific concepts. Several of the advantages attributed to Problem-Based Learning are that it (1) is generally preferred by students because it appears to foster a more nurturing and enjoyable learning experience, (2) fosters greater retention of knowledge and concepts acquired, and (3) results in increased ability to apply this knowledge toward solving new problems. This study examines the differences that result when students learn neuroanatomy concepts under two instructional contexts: problem solving vs. information gathering. The technological resource provided to students to support learning under each of these contexts was the multimedia program BrainStorm: An Interactive Neuroanatomy Atlas (Coppa & Tancred, 1995). The study explores the influence of context with regard to subjects' performance on objective post-tests, organization of knowledge as measured by Pathfinder Networks, differential use of the multimedia software and discourse differences emerging from the transcripts. The findings support previous research in the literature that problem-solving results in less knowledge acquisition in the short term, greater retention of material over time, and a subjects' preference for the method. However, both the degree of retention and preference were influenced by subjects' prior knowledge of the material in the exercises, as there was a significant difference in performance between the two exercises: for the exercise about which subjects appeared to have greater background information, memory decay was less, and subject attitude toward the problem solving instructional format was more favorable, than for the exercise for which subjects had less prior knowledge. Subjects also used the software differently under each format with regard to modules accessed, time spent in modules, and types of information sought. In addition, analyses of the transcripts showed more numerous occurrences of explanations and summarizations in the problem-solving context, compared to the information gathering context. The attempts to show significant differences between the contexts by means of Pathfinder analyses were less than successful.

A rating instrument for fear of hospitalisation.

PubMed

Jankovic, Slobodan M; Antonijevic, Gordana V; Vasic, Ivana R; Zivkovic-Radojevic, Marija N; Mirkovic, Snjezana N; Nikolic, Bosko V; Opancina, Valentina D; Putnik, Srdjan S; Radoicic, Ljiljana R; Raspopovic, Katarina M; Stanojevic, Dragan R; Teofilov, Sladjana D; Tomasevic, Katarina V; Radonjic, Vesela

2018-04-01

To develop and validate a reliable instrument that can measure fear of hospitalisation experienced by outpatients. After having a diagnosis established, some patients experience sense of fear, unpleasantness and embarrassment due to the possibility to be admitted to a hospital. Currently, there is no available instrument for measuring fear of hospitalisation. Cross-sectional study for assessing reliability and validity of a questionnaire. The questionnaire with 17 items and answers according to the Likert scale was developed during two brainstorming sessions of the research team. Its reliability, validity and temporal stability were tested on the sample of 330 outpatients. The study was multicentric, involving patients from seven cities and three countries. Fear of hospitalisation scale showed satisfactory reliability, when rated both by the investigators (Cronbach's alpha .799) and by the patients themselves (Cronbach's alpha .760). It is temporally stable, and both divergent and convergent validity tests had good results. Factorial analysis revealed three domains: fear of being injured, trust to medical staff and fear of losing privacy or autonomy. This study developed new reliable and valid instrument for measuring fear of hospitalisation. Identification of patients with high level of fear of hospitalisation by this instrument should help clinicians to administer measures which may decrease fear and prevent avoidance of healthcare utilisation. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Asphyxia-activated corticocardiac signaling accelerates onset of cardiac arrest

PubMed Central

Li, Duan; Mabrouk, Omar S.; Liu, Tiecheng; Tian, Fangyun; Xu, Gang; Rengifo, Santiago; Choi, Sarah J.; Mathur, Abhay; Crooks, Charles P.; Kennedy, Robert T.; Wang, Michael M.; Ghanbari, Hamid; Borjigin, Jimo

2015-01-01

The mechanism by which the healthy heart and brain die rapidly in the absence of oxygen is not well understood. We performed continuous electrocardiography and electroencephalography in rats undergoing experimental asphyxia and analyzed cortical release of core neurotransmitters, changes in brain and heart electrical activity, and brain–heart connectivity. Asphyxia stimulates a robust and sustained increase of functional and effective cortical connectivity, an immediate increase in cortical release of a large set of neurotransmitters, and a delayed activation of corticocardiac functional and effective connectivity that persists until the onset of ventricular fibrillation. Blocking the brain’s autonomic outflow significantly delayed terminal ventricular fibrillation and lengthened the duration of detectable cortical activities despite the continued absence of oxygen. These results demonstrate that asphyxia activates a brainstorm, which accelerates premature death of the heart and the brain. PMID:25848007

Introduction to a special issue on concept mapping.

PubMed

Trochim, William M; McLinden, Daniel

2017-02-01

Concept mapping was developed in the 1980s as a unique integration of qualitative (group process, brainstorming, unstructured sorting, interpretation) and quantitative (multidimensional scaling, hierarchical cluster analysis) methods designed to enable a group of people to articulate and depict graphically a coherent conceptual framework or model of any topic or issue of interest. This introduction provides the basic definition and description of the methodology for the newcomer and describes the steps typically followed in its most standard canonical form (preparation, generation, structuring, representation, interpretation and utilization). It also introduces this special issue which reviews the history of the methodology, describes its use in a variety of contexts, shows the latest ways it can be integrated with other methodologies, considers methodological advances and developments, and sketches a vision of the future of the method's evolution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Double-shell target fabrication workshop-2016 report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Y. Morris; Oertel, John; Farrell, Michael

On June 30, 2016, over 40 representatives from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), General Atomics (GA), Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), Schafer Corporation, and NNSA headquarter attended a double-shell (DS) target fabrication workshop at Livermore, California. Pushered-single-shell (PSS) and DS metalgas platforms potentially have a large impact on programmatic applications. The goal of this focused workshop is to bring together target fabrication scientists, physicists, and designers to brainstorm future PSS and DS target fabrication needs and strategies. This one-day workshop intends to give an overall view of historical information, recent approaches, and future research activitiesmore » at each participating organization. Five topical areas have been discussed that are vital to the success of future DS target fabrications, including inner metal shells, foam spheres, outer ablators, fill tube assembly, and metrology.« less

A strategic map for high-impact virtual experience design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faste, Haakon; Bergamasco, Massimo

2009-02-01

We have employed methodologies of human centered design to inspire and guide the engineering of a definitive low-cost aesthetic multimodal experience intended to stimulate cultural growth. Using a combination of design research, trend analysis and the programming of immersive virtual 3D worlds, over 250 innovative concepts have been brainstormed, prototyped, evaluated and refined. These concepts have been used to create a strategic map for the development of highimpact virtual art experiences, the most promising of which have been incorporated into a multimodal environment programmed in the online interactive 3D platform XVR. A group of test users have evaluated the experience as it has evolved, using a multimodal interface with stereo vision, 3D audio and haptic feedback. This paper discusses the process, content, results, and impact on our engineering laboratory that this research has produced.

VE at Scope Time (VEST): Three construction examples

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sperling, R.B.

1991-04-01

Value Engineering at Scope Time (VEST)'' was published in Value World, January-February-March 1991. That article describes VEST as a four-phase process utilizing the heart'' of VE methodology, which is designed to be used with members of construction design teams to help them focus on the scope of work by doing cost modeling, function analysis, brainstorming and evaluation of ideas. With minimal training designers, architects and engineers can become energized to find creative design solutions and learn an effective, synergistic team approach to facilities design projects using VEST. If time is available, the team can begin the development of some highermore » ranked ideas into preliminary proposals. This paper is an expansion of that article, adding a brief section on training and presenting three examples of VEST on construction projects at a federally-funded research Laboratory.« less

Dysphagia screening after acute stroke: a quality improvement project using criteria-based clinical audit.

PubMed

Sivertsen, Jorun; Graverholt, Birgitte; Espehaug, Birgitte

2017-01-01

Dysphagia is common after stroke and represents a major risk factor for developing aspiration pneumonia. Early detection can reduce the risk of pulmonary complications and death. Despite the fact that evidence-based guidelines recommend screening for swallowing deficit using a standardized screening tool, national audits has identified a gap between practice and this recommendation. The aim was to determine the level of adherence to an evidence-based recommendation on swallow assessment and to take actions to improve practice if necessary. We carried out a criteria-based clinical audit (CBCA) in a small stroke unit at a Norwegian hospital. Patients with hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack were included. A power calculation informed the number of included patients at baseline ( n  = 80) and at re-audit ( n  = 35). We compared the baseline result with the evidence-based criteria and gave feedback to management and staff. A brainstorming session, a root-cause analysis and implementation science were used to inform the quality improvement actions which consisted of workshops, use of local opinion leaders, manual paper reminders and feedback. We completed a re-audit after implementation. Percentages and median are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Among 88 cases at baseline, documentation of swallow screening was complete for 6% (95% CI 2-11). In the re-audit ( n  = 51) 61% (95% CI 45-74) had a complete screening. A CBCA involving management and staff, and using multiple tailored intervention targeting barriers, led to greater adherence with the recommendation for screening stroke patients for dysphagia.

The Optimization of an eHealth Solution (Thought Spot) with Transition-Aged Youth in Postsecondary Settings: Participatory Design Research.

PubMed

VanHeerwaarden, Nicole; Ferguson, Genevieve; Abi-Jaoude, Alexxa; Johnson, Andrew; Hollenberg, Elisa; Chaim, Gloria; Cleverley, Kristin; Eysenbach, Gunther; Henderson, Joanna; Levinson, Andrea; Robb, Janine; Sharpe, Sarah; Voineskos, Aristotle; Wiljer, David

2018-03-06

Seventy percent of lifetime cases of mental illness emerge before the age of 24 years, but many youth are unable to access the support and services they require in a timely and appropriate way. With most youth using the internet, electronic health (eHealth) interventions are promising tools for reaching this population. Through participatory design research (PDR) engagement methods, Thought Spot, a Web- and mobile-based platform, was redeveloped to facilitate access to mental health services by transition-aged youth (aged 16-29 years) in postsecondary settings. The aim of this study was to describe the process of engaging with postsecondary students through the PDR approaches, with the ultimate goal of optimizing the Thought Spot platform. Consistent with the PDR approaches, five student-led workshops, attended by 41 individuals, were facilitated to obtain feedback regarding the platform's usability and functionality and its potential value in a postsecondary setting. Various creative engagement activities were delivered to gather experiences and opinions, including semistructured focus groups, questionnaires, personas, journey mapping, and a world café. Innovative technological features and refinements were also brainstormed during the workshops. By using PDR methods of engagement, participants knew that their ideas and recommendations would be applied. There was also an overall sense of respect and care integrated into each group, which facilitated an exchange of ideas and suggestions. The process of engaging with students to redesign the Thought Spot platform through PDR has been effective. Findings from these workshops will significantly inform new technological features within the app to enable positive help-seeking behaviors among students. These behaviors will be further explored in the second phase that involves a randomized controlled trial. ©Nicole VanHeerwaarden, Genevieve Ferguson, Alexxa Abi-Jaoude, Andrew Johnson, Elisa Hollenberg, Gloria Chaim, Kristin Cleverley, Gunther Eysenbach, Joanna Henderson, Andrea Levinson, Janine Robb, Sarah Sharpe, Aristotle Voineskos, David Wiljer. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 06.03.2018.

SMSaúde: Design, Development, and Implementation of a Remote/Mobile Patient Management System to Improve Retention in Care for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Patients.

PubMed

Nhavoto, José António; Grönlund, Åke; Chaquilla, Walter Ponce

2015-03-09

The widespread and low cost of mobile phones and the convenience of short message service (SMS) text messaging suggest potential suitability for use with alternative strategies for supporting retention in care and adherence to the treatment of various chronic diseases, such as HIV and tuberculosis (TB). Despite the growing body of literature reporting positive outcomes of SMS text message-based communication with patients, there is yet very little research about the integration of communication technologies and electronic medical records or electronic patient tracking systems. To design, develop, and implement an integrated mobile phone text messaging system used to follow up with patients with HIV and TB in treatment in Mozambique. Following the design science research methodology, we developed a Web-based system that provides support to patients. A case study involving three health care sites in Mozambique was a basis for discussing design issues for this kind of system. We used brainstorming techniques to solicit usability requirements, focus group meetings to discuss and define system architecture, and prototyping to test in real environments and to improve the system. We found six sets of system requirements that need to be addressed for success: data collection, telecommunication costs, privacy and data security, text message content, connectivity, and system scalability. A text messaging system was designed and implemented in three health facilities. These sites feed data into a central data repository, which can be used for analysis of operations and decision support. Based on the treatment schedule, the system automatically sent SMS text message appointment reminders, medication reminders, as well as motivational and educational messages to patients enrolled in antiretroviral therapy and TB treatment programs. We successfully defined the requirements for, designed, and implemented a mobile phone text messaging system to support HIV and TB treatments. Implementation of this system could improve patients' self-management skills and strengthen communication between patients and health care providers.

Brazilian adaptation of the Hotel Task: A tool for the ecological assessment of executive functions.

PubMed

Cardoso, Caroline de Oliveira; Zimmermann, Nicolle; Paraná, Camila Borges; Gindri, Gigiane; de Pereira, Ana Paula Almeida; Fonseca, Rochele Paz

2015-01-01

Over recent years, neuropsychological research has been increasingly concerned with the need to develop more ecologically valid instruments for the assessment of executive functions. The Hotel Task is one of the most widely used ecological measures of executive functioning, and provides an assessment of planning, organization, self-monitoring and cognitive flexibility. The goal of this study was to adapt the Hotel Task for use in the Brazilian population. The sample comprised 27 participants (three translators, six expert judges, seven healthy adults, ten patients with traumatic brain injuries and one hotel manager). The adaptation process consisted of five steps, which were repeated until a satisfactory version of the task was produced. The steps were as follows:(1) Translation;(2) Development of new stimuli and brainstorming among the authors;(3) Analysis by expert judges;(4) Pilot studies;(5) Assessment by an expert in business administration and hotel management. The adapted version proved adequate and valid for the assessment of executive functions. However, further research must be conducted to obtain evidence of the reliability, as well as the construct and criterion validity, sensitivity and specificity, of the Hotel Task. Many neurological and/or psychiatric populations may benefit from the adapted task, since it may make significant contributions to the assessment of dysexecutive syndromes and their impact on patient functioning.

A Concept Mapping Study of Physicians' Perceptions of Factors Influencing Management and Control of Hypertension in Sub-Saharan Africa

PubMed Central

Iwelunmor, Juliet; Blackstone, Sarah; Gyamfi, Joyce; Airhihenbuwa, Collins; Plange-Rhule, Jacob; Tayo, Bamidele; Adanu, Richard; Ogedegbe, Gbenga

2015-01-01

Hypertension, once a rare problem in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), is predicted to be a major cause of death by 2020 with mortality rates as high as 75%. However, comprehensive knowledge of provider-level factors that influence optimal management is limited. The objective of the current study was to discover physicians' perceptions of factors influencing optimal management and control of hypertension in SSA. Twelve physicians attending the Cardiovascular Research Training (CaRT) Institute at the University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, were invited to complete a concept mapping process that included brainstorming the factors influencing optimal management and control of hypertension in patients, sorting and organizing the factors into similar domains, and rating the importance and feasibility of efforts to address these factors. The highest ranked important and feasible factors include helping patients accept their condition and availability of adequate equipment to enable the provision of needed care. The findings suggest that patient self-efficacy and support, physician-related factors, policy factors, and economic factors are important aspects that must be addressed to achieve optimal hypertension management. Given the work demands identified by physicians, future research should investigate cost-effective strategies of shifting physician responsibilities to well-trained no-physician clinicians in order to improve hypertension management. PMID:26550488

[Key informers. When and How?].

PubMed

Martín González, R

2009-03-01

When information obtained through duly designed and developed studies is not available, the solution to certain problems that affect the population or that respond to certain questions may be approached by using the information and experience provided by the so-called key informer. The key informer is defined as a person who is in contact with the community or with the problem to be studied, who is considered to have good knowledge of the situation and therefore who is considered an expert. The search for consensus is the basis to obtain information through the key informers. The techniques used have different characteristics based on whether the experts chosen meet together or not, whether they are guided or not, whether they interact with each other or not. These techniques include the survey, the Delphi technique, the nominal group technique, brainwriting, brainstorming, the Phillips 66 technique, the 6-3-5 technique, the community forum and the community impressions technique. Information provided by key informers through the search for consensus is relevant when this is not available or cannot be obtained by other methods. It has permitted the analysis of the existing neurological care model, elaboration of recommendations on visit times for the out-patient neurological care, and the elaboration of guidelines and recommendations for the management of prevalent neurological problems.

From natural bone grafts to tissue engineering therapeutics: Brainstorming on pharmaceutical formulative requirements and challenges.

PubMed

Baroli, Biancamaria

2009-04-01

Tissue engineering is an emerging multidisciplinary field of investigation focused on the regeneration of diseased or injured tissues through the delivery of appropriate molecular and mechanical signals. Therefore, bone tissue engineering covers all the attempts to reestablish a normal physiology or to speed up healing of bone in all musculoskeletal disorders and injuries that are lashing modern societies. This article attempts to give a pharmaceutical perspective on the production of engineered man-made bone grafts that are described as implantable tissue engineering therapeutics, and to highlight the importance of understanding bone composition and structure, as well as osteogenesis and bone healing processes, to improve the design and development of such implants. In addition, special emphasis is given to pharmaceutical aspects that are frequently minimized, but that, instead, may be useful for formulation developments and in vitro/in vivo correlations.

Acting on Lessons Learned: A NASA Glenn Acoustics Branch Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, L. Danielle

2008-01-01

Lessons learned from the International Space Station have indicated that early attention to acoustics will be key to achieving safer, more productive environments for new long duration missions. Fans are known to be dominant noise sources, and reducing fan noise poses challenges for fan manufacturers and systems engineers. The NASA Glenn Acoustics Branch has considered ways in which expertise and capabilities traditionally used to understand and mitigate aircraft engine noise can be used to address small fan noise issues in Exploration and Information Technology applications. Many could benefit if NASA can capture what is known about small fan aero and acoustic performance in a "Guide for the Design, Selection, and Installation of Fans for Spaceflight Applications." A draft outline for this document will be offered as a useful starting point for brainstorming ideas for the various smaller, near-term research projects that would need to be addressed first.

Does Watching a Play about the Teenage Brain Affect Attitudes toward Young Offenders?

PubMed Central

Blakey, Robert

2017-01-01

Neuroscience is increasingly used to infer the cognitive capacities of offenders from the activity and volume of different brain regions, with the resultant findings receiving great interest in the public eye. This field experiment tested the effects of public engagement in neuroscience on attitudes toward offenders. Brainstorm is a play about teenage brain development. Either before or after watching this play, 728 participants responded to four questions about the age of criminal responsibility, and the moral responsibility and dangerousness of a hypothetical young or adult offender. After watching the play, participants perceived the young offender as less likely to reoffend than the adult offender and the young, but not adult, offender as less morally responsible for his actions, especially on the first offense. Therefore, public engagement in the newest arrival to the criminological scene – neuroscience – may shift support for different youth justice responses. PMID:28649215

Eliminating Health Disparities Among Minority Women: A Report on Conference Workshop Process and Outcomes

PubMed Central

Kritek, Phyllis Beck; Hargraves, Martha; Cuellar, Ernestine H.; Dallo, Florence; Gauthier, Donna M.; Holland, Christi A.; Ilkiw, Connie; Swanson, Jane W.; Swanson, Reid

2002-01-01

A national conference convened in May 2001 explored health disparities among minority women. It included 5 one-hour workshops that randomly assigned each participant to 1 of 4 groups. Groups generated recommendations on conference topics and from these identified priority recommendations. Trained facilitators guided groups through brainstorming and weighted voting processes; individual recommendations were submitted in writing. Participants generated 598 recommendations, 71 of them voted as priorities; these were analyzed to capture participants' “messages.” Central themes focused on access issues and cultural incompetence as deterrents to the elimination of health disparities and on education, funding, and community-based, community-driven research as mechanisms for change. Strategies for change included reinventing or expanding the role of minority communities and changing health care itself and “how” it does its work. The essential element in all recommendations was community leadership and control. PMID:11919057

An Example of Concurrent Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowe, Sidney; Whitten, David; Cloyd, Richard; Coppens, Chris; Rodriguez, Pedro

1998-01-01

The Collaborative Engineering Design and Analysis Room (CEDAR) facility allows on-the- spot design review capability for any project during all phases of development. The required disciplines assemble in this facility to work on any problems (analysis, manufacturing, inspection, etc.) associated with a particular design. A small highly focused team of specialists can meet in this room to better expedite the process of developing a solution to an engineering task within the framework of the constraints that are unique to each discipline. This facility provides the engineering tools and translators to develop a concept within the confines of the room or with remote team members that could access the team's data from other locations. The CEDAR area is envisioned as excellent for failure investigation meetings to be conducted where the computer capabilities can be utilized in conjunction with the Smart Board display to develop failure trees, brainstorm failure modes, and evaluate possible solutions.

Resolving writer's block.

PubMed Central

Huston, P.

1998-01-01

PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED: Writer's block, or a distinctly uncomfortable inability to write, can interfere with professional productivity. OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM: To identify writer's block and to outline suggestions for its early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. MAIN COMPONENTS OF PROGRAM: Once the diagnosis has been established, a stepwise approach to care is recommended. Mild blockage can be resolved by evaluating and revising expectations, conducting a task analysis, and giving oneself positive feedback. Moderate blockage can be addressed by creative exercises, such as brainstorming and role-playing. Recalcitrant blockage can be resolved with therapy. Writer's block can be prevented by taking opportunities to write at the beginning of projects, working with a supportive group of people, and cultivating an ongoing interest in writing. CONCLUSIONS: Writer's block is a highly treatable condition. A systematic approach can help to alleviate anxiety, build confidence, and give people the information they need to work productively. PMID:9481467

Video calls from lay bystanders to dispatch centers - risk assessment of information security.

PubMed

Bolle, Stein R; Hasvold, Per; Henriksen, Eva

2011-09-30

Video calls from mobile phones can improve communication during medical emergencies. Lay bystanders can be instructed and supervised by health professionals at Emergency Medical Communication Centers. Before implementation of video mobile calls in emergencies, issues of information security should be addressed. Information security was assessed for risk, based on the information security standard ISO/IEC 27005:2008. A multi-professional team used structured brainstorming to find threats to the information security aspects confidentiality, quality, integrity, and availability. Twenty security threats of different risk levels were identified and analyzed. Solutions were proposed to reduce the risk level. Given proper implementation, we found no risks to information security that would advocate against the use of video calls between lay bystanders and Emergency Medical Communication Centers. The identified threats should be used as input to formal requirements when planning and implementing video calls from mobile phones for these call centers.

Design of an instrument to measure the quality of care in Physical Therapy.

PubMed

Cavalheiro, Leny Vieira; Eid, Raquel Afonso Caserta; Talerman, Claudia; Prado, Cristiane do; Gobbi, Fátima Cristina Martorano; Andreoli, Paola Bruno de Araujo

2015-01-01

To design an instrument composed of domains that would demonstrate physical therapy activities and generate a consistent index to represent the quality of care in physical therapy. The methodology Lean Six Sigma was used to design the tool. The discussion involved seven different management groups staff. By means of brainstorming and Cause & Effect Matrix, we set up the process map. Five requirements composed the quality of care index in physical therapy, after application of the tool called Cause & Effect Matrix. The following requirements were assessed: physical therapist performance, care outcome indicator, adherence to physical therapy protocols, measure whether the prognosis and treatment outcome was achieved and Infrastructure. The proposed design allowed evaluating several items related to physical therapy service, enabling customization, reproducibility and benchmarking with other organizations. For management, this index provides the opportunity to identify areas for improvement and the strengths of the team and process of physical therapy care.

Video calls from lay bystanders to dispatch centers - risk assessment of information security

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Video calls from mobile phones can improve communication during medical emergencies. Lay bystanders can be instructed and supervised by health professionals at Emergency Medical Communication Centers. Before implementation of video mobile calls in emergencies, issues of information security should be addressed. Methods Information security was assessed for risk, based on the information security standard ISO/IEC 27005:2008. A multi-professional team used structured brainstorming to find threats to the information security aspects confidentiality, quality, integrity, and availability. Results Twenty security threats of different risk levels were identified and analyzed. Solutions were proposed to reduce the risk level. Conclusions Given proper implementation, we found no risks to information security that would advocate against the use of video calls between lay bystanders and Emergency Medical Communication Centers. The identified threats should be used as input to formal requirements when planning and implementing video calls from mobile phones for these call centers. PMID:21958387

Music of the Spheres: Astronomy-Inspired Music as an EPO Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraknoi, A.

2008-06-01

In doing public programs, getting audiences to think about astronomy in the wider culture, or just having some fun with a class or museum group, it's useful to have them brainstorm about all the pieces of music they can identify that have an astronomical connection. We have found over 100 pieces of classical and popular music that draw their inspiration from serious astronomy (and not just the use of a single astronomical term). These include three rock songs about black holes, operas about Einstein and Kepler, an electronic piece in which the players are asked to expand like the universe, and many more. We also highlight several astronomers and physicists who perform science music and discuss how anyone can use music to catch audience interest. The full list of pieces and more information is available at: \\url{http://aer.noao.edu/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=193}.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hueter, J.M.

Creativity involves the associating of hitherto unrelated elements to form a new and useful combination. All have the ability but most seldom use it because of some false beliefs and failure to understand the creative process. Deterrents to creativity include fear of criticism, narrowness of education and training, habit, negative attitudes toward problems, lack of motivation, lack of self-confidence, lack of courage and discouragement by failures. The recognition and development of creative ideas requires mental effort, an open mind, searching seemingly unrelated fields and definition of the problem. Brainstorming is widely used to produce alternate ideas. Modifications of it aremore » the Gordon Technique and Synectics. Morphological analysis and the examination of attributes are other aids to creativity. Recognition of a need, or of a new use of an old idea can be helpful. Management should encourage attempts at creativity. If the will exists, creativity can be developed by conscious effort instead of being left to chance.« less

Professional training in creative writing is associated with enhanced fronto-striatal activity in a literary text continuation task.

PubMed

Erhard, K; Kessler, F; Neumann, N; Ortheil, H-J; Lotze, M

2014-10-15

The aim of the present study was to explore brain activities associated with creativity and expertise in literary writing. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we applied a real-life neuroscientific setting that consisted of different writing phases (brainstorming and creative writing; reading and copying as control conditions) to well-selected expert writers and to an inexperienced control group. During creative writing, experts showed cerebral activation in a predominantly left-hemispheric fronto-parieto-temporal network. When compared to inexperienced writers, experts showed increased left caudate nucleus and left dorsolateral and superior medial prefrontal cortex activation. In contrast, less experienced participants recruited increasingly bilateral visual areas. During creative writing activation in the right cuneus showed positive association with the creativity index in expert writers. High experience in creative writing seems to be associated with a network of prefrontal (mPFC and DLPFC) and basal ganglia (caudate) activation. In addition, our findings suggest that high verbal creativity specific to literary writing increases activation in the right cuneus associated with increased resources obtained for reading processes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The GuideLine Interchange Format

PubMed Central

Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Gennari, John H.; Murphy, Shawn N.; Jain, Nilesh L.; Tu, Samson W.; Oliver, Diane E.; Pattison-Gordon, Edward; Greenes, Robert A.; Shortliffe, Edward H.; Barnett, G. Octo

1998-01-01

Objective: To allow exchange of clinical practice guidelines among institutions and computer-based applications. Design: The GuideLine Interchange Format (GLIF) specification consists of the GLIF model and the GLIF syntax. The GLIF model is an object-oriented representation that consists of a set of classes for guideline entities, attributes for those classes, and data types for the attribute values. The GLIF syntax specifies the format of the test file that contains the encoding. Methods: Researchers from the InterMed Collaboratory at Columbia University, Harvard University (Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital), and Stanford University analyzed four existing guideline systems to derive a set of requirements for guideline representation. The GLIF specification is a consensus representation developed through a brainstorming process. Four clinical guidelines were encoded in GLIF to assess its expressivity and to study the variability that occurs when two people from different sites encode the same guideline. Results: The encoders reported that GLIF was adequately expressive. A comparison of the encodings revealed substantial variability. Conclusion: GLIF was sufficient to model the guidelines for the four conditions that were examined. GLIF needs improvement in standard representation of medical concepts, criterion logic, temporal information, and uncertainty. PMID:9670133

Development of a Simple Image Processing Application that Makes Abdominopelvic Tumor Visible on Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Image.

PubMed

Pandey, Anil Kumar; Saroha, Kartik; Sharma, Param Dev; Patel, Chetan; Bal, Chandrashekhar; Kumar, Rakesh

2017-01-01

In this study, we have developed a simple image processing application in MATLAB that uses suprathreshold stochastic resonance (SSR) and helps the user to visualize abdominopelvic tumor on the exported prediuretic positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) images. A brainstorming session was conducted for requirement analysis for the program. It was decided that program should load the screen captured PET/CT images and then produces output images in a window with a slider control that should enable the user to view the best image that visualizes the tumor, if present. The program was implemented on personal computer using Microsoft Windows and MATLAB R2013b. The program has option for the user to select the input image. For the selected image, it displays output images generated using SSR in a separate window having a slider control. The slider control enables the user to view images and select one which seems to provide the best visualization of the area(s) of interest. The developed application enables the user to select, process, and view output images in the process of utilizing SSR to detect the presence of abdominopelvic tumor on prediuretic PET/CT image.

Propulsion Airframe Aeroacoustics Technology Evaluation and Selection Using a Multi-Attribute Decision Making Process and Non-Deterministic Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burg, Cecile M.; Hill, Geoffrey A.; Brown, Sherilyn A.; Geiselhart, Karl A.

2004-01-01

The Systems Analysis Branch at NASA Langley Research Center has investigated revolutionary Propulsion Airframe Aeroacoustics (PAA) technologies and configurations for a Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) type aircraft as part of its research for NASA s Quiet Aircraft Technology (QAT) Project. Within the context of the long-term NASA goal of reducing the perceived aircraft noise level by a factor of 4 relative to 1997 state of the art, major configuration changes in the propulsion airframe integration system were explored with noise as a primary design consideration. An initial down-select and assessment of candidate PAA technologies for the BWB was performed using a Multi-Attribute Decision Making (MADM) process consisting of organized brainstorming and decision-making tools. The assessments focused on what effect the PAA technologies had on both the overall noise level of the BWB and what effect they had on other major design considerations such as weight, performance and cost. A probabilistic systems analysis of the PAA configurations that presented the best noise reductions with the least negative impact on the system was then performed. Detailed results from the MADM study and the probabilistic systems analysis will be published in the near future.

The Fun Integration Theory: Towards Sustaining Children and Adolescents Sport Participation

PubMed Central

Visek, Amanda J.; Achrati, Sara M.; Manning, Heather; McDonnell, Karen; Harris, Brandonn S.; DiPietro, Loretta

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND Children cite ‘fun’ as the primary reason for participation in organized sport and its absence as the number one reason for youth sport attrition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical framework of fun using a novel mixed-method assessment of participants in sport (FUN MAPS) via concept mapping. METHODS Youth soccer players (n = 142), coaches (n = 37), and parents (n = 57) were stratified by age, sex, and competition level and contributed their “fun” ideas through: (a) qualitative brainstorming, identifying all of the things that make playing sports fun for players; (b) sorting of ideas; and (c) rating each idea on its importance, frequency, and feasibility. RESULTS The FUN MAPS identify the four fundamental tenets of fun in youth sport within 11 fun-dimensions composed of 81 specific fun-determinants, while also establishing the youth sport ethos. CONCLUSION The FUN MAPS provide pictorial evidence-based blueprints for the fun integration theory (FIT), which is a multi-theoretical, multidimensional, and stakeholder derived framework that can be used to maximize fun for children and adolescents in order to promote and sustain an active and healthy lifestyle through sport. PMID:24770788

Improving the medical records department processes by lean management.

PubMed

Ajami, Sima; Ketabi, Saeedeh; Sadeghian, Akram; Saghaeinnejad-Isfahani, Sakine

2015-01-01

Lean management is a process improvement technique to identify waste actions and processes to eliminate them. The benefits of Lean for healthcare organizations are that first, the quality of the outcomes in terms of mistakes and errors improves. The second is that the amount of time taken through the whole process significantly improves. The purpose of this paper is to improve the Medical Records Department (MRD) processes at Ayatolah-Kashani Hospital in Isfahan, Iran by utilizing Lean management. This research was applied and an interventional study. The data have been collected by brainstorming, observation, interview, and workflow review. The study population included MRD staff and other expert staff within the hospital who were stakeholders and users of the MRD. The MRD were initially taught the concepts of Lean management and then formed into the MRD Lean team. The team then identified and reviewed the current processes subsequently; they identified wastes and values, and proposed solutions. The findings showed that the MRD units (Archive, Coding, Statistics, and Admission) had 17 current processes, 28 wastes, and 11 values were identified. In addition, they offered 27 comments for eliminating the wastes. The MRD is the critical department for the hospital information system and, therefore, the continuous improvement of its services and processes, through scientific methods such as Lean management, are essential. The study represents one of the few attempts trying to eliminate wastes in the MRD.

[Advantages and disadvantages of incorporating qualitative methodology in the evaluation of health services. A practical case: evaluation of a high-resolution clinic].

PubMed

Alvarez Del Arco, D; Rodríguez Rieiro, C; Sanchidrián De Blás, C; Alejos, B; Plá Mestre, R

2012-01-01

We examined the usefulness of incorporating a qualitative phase in the evaluation of the quality of care in a high-resolution medical service carried out with quantitative methods. A quantitative research was performed using a structured questionnaire and selecting interviewees by systematic randomized sampling methods (n=320). In addition, a qualitative research was carried on through semi-structured interviews with patients selected by convenience criteria (n=11), observations in the care assistance circuit, and a group interview with health professionals working in the service. A multidisciplinary research team conducted an individual analysis of the information collected in both quantitative and qualitative phases. Subsequently, three meetings based on group brainstorming techniques were held to identify the diverse contributions of each of the methodologies employed to the research, using affinity graphs to analyse the different results obtained in both phases and evaluate possible bias arising from the use of qualitative methods. Qualitative research allowed examining specific aspects of the health care service that had been collected in the quantitative phase, harmonizing the results obtained in the previous phase, giving in-depth data on the reasons for patient dissatisfaction with specific aspects, such as waiting times and available infrastructures, and identifying emerging issues of the service which had not been previously assessed. Overall, the qualitative phase enriched the results of the research. It is appropriate and recommendable to incorporate this methodological approach in research aimed at evaluating the quality of the service in specific health care settings, since it is provided first hand, by the voice of the customer. Copyright © 2011 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Education techniques for lifelong learning: giving a PowerPoint presentation: the art of communicating effectively.

PubMed

Collins, Jannette

2004-01-01

Effectiveness of an oral presentation depends on the ability of the speaker to communicate with the audience. An important part of this communication is focusing on two to five key points and emphasizing those points during the presentation. Every aspect of the presentation should be purposeful and directed at facilitating learners' achievement of the objectives. This necessitates that the speaker has carefully developed the objectives and built the presentation around attainment of the objectives. The best presentations are rehearsed, not so that the speaker memorizes exactly what he or she will say, but to facilitate the speaker's ability to interact with the audience and portray a relaxed, professional, and confident demeanor. Rehearsal also helps alleviate stage fright. The most useful method of controlling nervousness is to visualize success. When showing images, it is important to orient the audience with an adequate description, point out the relevant findings, and allow enough time for the audience to assimilate the information before moving on. This can be facilitated with appropriate use of a laser pointer, cursor, or use of builds and transitioning. A presentation should be designed to include as much audience participation as possible, no matter the size of the audience. Techniques to encourage audience participation include questioning, brainstorming, small-group activities, role-playing, case-based examples, and directed listening. It is first necessary to motivate and gain attention of the learner for learning to take place. This can be accomplished through appropriate use of humor, anecdotes, and quotations. Attention should be given to posture, body movement, eye contact, and voice when speaking, as how one appears to the audience will have an impact on their reaction to what is presented. Copyright RSNA, 2004

Research priorities in medical education: A national study.

PubMed

Tootoonchi, Mina; Yamani, Nikoo; Changiz, Tahereh; Yousefy, Alireza

2012-01-01

One preliminary step to strengthen medical education research would be determining the research priorities. The aim of this study was to determine the research priorities of medical education in Iran in 2007-2008. This descriptive study was carried out in two phases. Phase one was performed in 3 stages and used Delphi technique among academic staffs of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The three stages included a brainstorming workshop for 140 faculty members and educational experts resulting in a list of research priorities, then, in the second and third stages 99 and 76 questionnaires were distributed among faculty members. In the second phase, the final questionnaires were mailed to educational research center managers of universities type I, II and III, and were distributed among 311 academic members and educational experts to rate the items on a numerical scale ranging from 1 to 10. The most important research priorities included faculty members' development methods, faculty members' motives, satisfaction and welfare, criteria and procedures of faculty members' promotion, teaching methods and learning techniques, job descriptions and professional skills of graduates, quality management in education, second language, clinical education, science production in medicine, faculty evaluation and information technology. This study shows the medial education research priorities in national level and in different types of medical universities in Iran. It is recommended that faculty members and research administrators consider the needs and requirements of education and plan the researches in education according to these priorities.

Research priorities in medical education: A national study

PubMed Central

Tootoonchi, Mina; Yamani, Nikoo; Changiz, Tahereh; Yousefy, Alireza

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: One preliminary step to strengthen medical education research would be determining the research priorities. The aim of this study was to determine the research priorities of medical education in Iran in 2007-2008. METHODS: This descriptive study was carried out in two phases. Phase one was performed in 3 stages and used Delphi technique among academic staffs of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The three stages included a brainstorming workshop for 140 faculty members and educational experts resulting in a list of research priorities, then, in the second and third stages 99 and 76 questionnaires were distributed among faculty members. In the second phase, the final questionnaires were mailed to educational research center managers of universities type I, II and III, and were distributed among 311 academic members and educational experts to rate the items on a numerical scale ranging from 1 to 10. RESULTS: The most important research priorities included faculty members’ development methods, faculty members’ motives, satisfaction and welfare, criteria and procedures of faculty members’ promotion, teaching methods and learning techniques, job descriptions and professional skills of graduates, quality management in education, second language, clinical education, science production in medicine, faculty evaluation and information technology. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the medial education research priorities in national level and in different types of medical universities in Iran. It is recommended that faculty members and research administrators consider the needs and requirements of education and plan the researches in education according to these priorities. PMID:23248661

A Computer Adaptive Testing Version of the Addiction Severity Index-Multimedia Version (ASI-MV): The Addiction Severity CAT

PubMed Central

Butler, Stephen F.; Black, Ryan A.; McCaffrey, Stacey A.; Ainscough, Jessica; Doucette, Ann M.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a computer adaptive testing (CAT) version of the Addiction Severity Index-Multimedia Version (ASI-MV®), the Addiction Severity CAT. This goal was accomplished in four steps. First, new candidate items for Addiction Severity CAT domains were evaluated after brainstorming sessions with experts in substance abuse treatment. Next, this new item bank was psychometrically evaluated on a large non-clinical (n =4419) and substance abuse treatment sample (n =845). Based on these results, final items were selected and calibrated for the creation of the Addiction Severity CAT algorithms. Once the algorithms were developed for the entire assessment, a fully functioning prototype of an Addiction Severity CAT was created. CAT simulations were conducted and optimal termination criteria were selected for the Addiction Severity CAT algorithms. Finally, construct validity of the CAT algorithms was evaluated by examining convergent/discriminant validity and sensitivity to change. The Addiction Severity CAT was determined to be valid, sensitive to change, and reliable. Further, the Addiction Severity CAT’s time of administration was found to be significantly less than the average time of administration for the ASI-MV composite scores. This study represents the initial validation of an IRT-based Addiction Severity CAT, and further exploration of the Addiction Severity CAT is needed. PMID:28230387

A computer adaptive testing version of the Addiction Severity Index-Multimedia Version (ASI-MV): The Addiction Severity CAT.

PubMed

Butler, Stephen F; Black, Ryan A; McCaffrey, Stacey A; Ainscough, Jessica; Doucette, Ann M

2017-05-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a computer adaptive testing (CAT) version of the Addiction Severity Index-Multimedia Version (ASI-MV), the Addiction Severity CAT. This goal was accomplished in 4 steps. First, new candidate items for Addiction Severity CAT domains were evaluated after brainstorming sessions with experts in substance abuse treatment. Next, this new item bank was psychometrically evaluated on a large nonclinical (n = 4,419) and substance abuse treatment (n = 845) sample. Based on these results, final items were selected and calibrated for the creation of the Addiction Severity CAT algorithms. Once the algorithms were developed for the entire assessment, a fully functioning prototype of an Addiction Severity CAT was created. CAT simulations were conducted, and optimal termination criteria were selected for the Addiction Severity CAT algorithms. Finally, construct validity of the CAT algorithms was evaluated by examining convergent and discriminant validity and sensitivity to change. The Addiction Severity CAT was determined to be valid, sensitive to change, and reliable. Further, the Addiction Severity CAT's time of completion was found to be significantly less than the average time of completion for the ASI-MV composite scores. This study represents the initial validation of an Addiction Severity CAT based on item response theory, and further exploration of the Addiction Severity CAT is needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring asynchronous brainstorming in large groups: a field comparison of serial and parallel subgroups.

PubMed

de Vreede, Gert-Jan; Briggs, Robert O; Reiter-Palmon, Roni

2010-04-01

The aim of this study was to compare the results of two different modes of using multiple groups (instead of one large group) to identify problems and develop solutions. Many of the complex problems facing organizations today require the use of very large groups or collaborations of groups from multiple organizations. There are many logistical problems associated with the use of such large groups, including the ability to bring everyone together at the same time and location. A field study involved two different organizations and compared productivity and satisfaction of group. The approaches included (a) multiple small groups, each completing the entire process from start to end and combining the results at the end (parallel mode); and (b) multiple subgroups, each building on the work provided by previous subgroups (serial mode). Groups using the serial mode produced more elaborations compared with parallel groups, whereas parallel groups produced more unique ideas compared with serial groups. No significant differences were found related to satisfaction with process and outcomes between the two modes. Preferred mode depends on the type of task facing the group. Parallel groups are more suited for tasks for which a variety of new ideas are needed, whereas serial groups are best suited when elaboration and in-depth thinking on the solution are required. Results of this research can guide the development of facilitated sessions of large groups or "teams of teams."

Brazilian adaptation of the Hotel Task: A tool for the ecological assessment of executive functions

PubMed Central

Cardoso, Caroline de Oliveira; Zimmermann, Nicolle; Paraná, Camila Borges; Gindri, Gigiane; de Pereira, Ana Paula Almeida; Fonseca, Rochele Paz

2015-01-01

Over recent years, neuropsychological research has been increasingly concerned with the need to develop more ecologically valid instruments for the assessment of executive functions. The Hotel Task is one of the most widely used ecological measures of executive functioning, and provides an assessment of planning, organization, self-monitoring and cognitive flexibility. Objective The goal of this study was to adapt the Hotel Task for use in the Brazilian population. Methods The sample comprised 27 participants (three translators, six expert judges, seven healthy adults, ten patients with traumatic brain injuries and one hotel manager). The adaptation process consisted of five steps, which were repeated until a satisfactory version of the task was produced. The steps were as follows: (1) Translation; (2) Development of new stimuli and brainstorming among the authors; (3) Analysis by expert judges; (4) Pilot studies; (5) Assessment by an expert in business administration and hotel management. Results The adapted version proved adequate and valid for the assessment of executive functions. However, further research must be conducted to obtain evidence of the reliability, as well as the construct and criterion validity, sensitivity and specificity, of the Hotel Task. Conclusion Many neurological and/or psychiatric populations may benefit from the adapted task, since it may make significant contributions to the assessment of dysexecutive syndromes and their impact on patient functioning. PMID:29213957

Implementing recommended screening for critical congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Martin, Gerard R; Beekman, Robert H; Mikula, Elizabeth Bradshaw; Fasules, James; Garg, Lorraine F; Kemper, Alex R; Morrow, W Robert; Pearson, Gail D; Mahle, William T

2013-07-01

Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) is endorsed by the US Secretary of Health and Human Services as part of the recommended uniform screening panel for newborns. Although initial recommendations for implementation exist, as states and hospitals have moved forward with implementation of screening, new challenges and areas for additional focus have been identified. The objective of this study was to develop recommendations to address current challenges and areas of focus surrounding CCHD newborn screening. A workgroup of experts and stakeholders was convened in Washington, District of Columbia, for a 1-day meeting in February 2012. At the beginning of the meeting, the stakeholders held a brainstorming session to identify areas of main priority based on their experience. After this, stakeholders broke into small groups to refine recommendations, which were then finalized by consensus. Recommendations to address selection of screening equipment, standards for reporting of screening outcomes to stakeholders, training of health care providers and educating families, future research priorities, payment for screening, follow-up diagnostic testing, and public health oversight, and advocacy to facilitate effective and comprehensive screening were proposed. Suggestions for future work were developed. Screening for CCHD presents novel challenges and opportunities; however, addressing these will strengthen newborn screening and newborn care networks, and ultimately improve health outcomes.

Caregivers' perception of factors associated with a healthy diet among people with intellectual disability living in community residences: A Concept mapping method.

PubMed

Ruud, Marte Pilskog; Raanaas, Ruth Kjærsti; Bjelland, Mona

2016-12-01

Many people with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in community-based residences have been found to have unhealthy diet and weight disturbances. In Norway, a majority of people with ID live in such residences. The aim of the study was to examine factors affecting the caregivers' opportunity to promote a healthy diet among the residents. A concept mapping methodology was adopted, including group-based brainstorming, idea synthesising, sorting, rating and analysis of the results. Informants were caregivers in four different community residences for people with mild to moderate ID in the southeast of Norway. A total of 13 informants were recruited (12 females and 1 male), and 10 informants completed two sessions. Eight clusters were identified as affecting the caregivers' ability to promote a healthy diet: "Availability and accessibility", "Guidance and autonomy", "Competence among staff", "Planning and involvement", "Customization", "External conditions affecting staff", "Legislation, rules and structure" and "Everyday challenges", each including both barriers and facilitators. Multiple factors affect the caregivers' ability to promote a healthy diet. Caregivers' opportunity to promote a healthy diet is complex. Availability and accessibility of healthy food is crucial, but a healthy diet also requires time and competence among the caregivers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying multi-level culturally appropriate smoking cessation strategies for Aboriginal health staff: a concept mapping approach.

PubMed

Dawson, Anna P; Cargo, Margaret; Stewart, Harold; Chong, Alwin; Daniel, Mark

2013-02-01

Aboriginal Australians, including Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs), smoke at rates double the non-Aboriginal population. This study utilized concept mapping methodology to identify and prioritize culturally relevant strategies to promote smoking cessation in AHWs. Stakeholder participants included AHWs, other health service employees and tobacco control personnel. Smoking cessation strategies (n = 74) were brainstormed using 34 interviews, 3 focus groups and a stakeholder workshop. Stakeholders sorted strategies into meaningful groups and rated them on perceived importance and feasibility. A concept map was developed using multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses. Ten unique clusters of smoking cessation strategies were depicted that targeted individuals, family and peers, community, workplace and public policy. Smoking cessation resources and services were represented in addition to broader strategies addressing social and environmental stressors that perpetuate smoking and make quitting difficult. The perceived importance and feasibility of clusters were rated differently by participants working in health services that were government-coordinated compared with community-controlled. For health service workers within vulnerable populations, these findings clearly implicate a need for contextualized strategies that mitigate social and environmental stressors in addition to conventional strategies for tobacco control. The concept map is being applied in knowledge translation to guide development of smoking cessation programs for AHWs.

Evaluation of Cueing Innovation for Pressure Ulcer Prevention Using Staff Focus Groups.

PubMed

Yap, Tracey L; Kennerly, Susan; Corazzini, Kirsten; Porter, Kristie; Toles, Mark; Anderson, Ruth A

2014-07-25

The purpose of the manuscript is to describe long-term care (LTC) staff perceptions of a music cueing intervention designed to improve staff integration of pressure ulcer (PrU) prevention guidelines regarding consistent and regular movement of LTC residents a minimum of every two hours. The Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) model guided staff interviews about their perceptions of the intervention's characteristics, outcomes, and sustainability. This was a qualitative, observational study of staff perceptions of the PrU prevention intervention conducted in Midwestern U.S. LTC facilities (N = 45 staff members). One focus group was held in each of eight intervention facilities using a semi-structured interview protocol. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis, and summaries for each category were compared across groups. The a priori codes (observability, trialability, compatibility, relative advantage and complexity) described the innovation characteristics, and the sixth code, sustainability, was identified in the data. Within each code, two themes emerged as a positive or negative response regarding characteristics of the innovation. Moreover, within the sustainability code, a third theme emerged that was labeled "brainstormed ideas", focusing on strategies for improving the innovation. Cueing LTC staff using music offers a sustainable potential to improve PrU prevention practices, to increase resident movement, which can subsequently lead to a reduction in PrUs.

Pilot study on doctors working in departments of forensic medicine in German-speaking areas.

PubMed

Gauthier, S; Buddeberg-Fischer, B; Bucher, M; Thali, M; Bartsch, Ch

2013-11-01

Several directors of institutes of forensic and legal medicine in German-speaking areas have noticed a lack of young doctors with specialty qualifications (full board certification) in forensic medicine during recent years. The pilot study was intended to brainstorm the possible reasons for this shortage, by carrying out a survey of doctors working in departments of forensic medicine, paying particular attention to job satisfaction and opinions as to why there are fewer forensic specialists. We sent the link to an online questionnaire to all members of the societies of forensic medicine in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Altogether, 129 respondents completed the questionnaire and were included in the study. Slightly more men than women replied; the mean age of all respondents was 41. Most respondents had completed their specialty training and worked full-time. In general, participants were moderately satisfied with their careers. Men reported greater career success than women, as determined by objective criteria. Career support was considered to be suboptimal. For most of the respondents, the level of enjoyment of working in forensic medicine was either higher than or approximately the same as the level recalled from five years earlier. Possible reasons for the lack of qualified doctors in forensic medicine institutes are the non-availability of both senior posts and specialty training posts. Career opportunities in forensic medicine are not considered to be attractive. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Improving the medical records department processes by lean management

PubMed Central

Ajami, Sima; Ketabi, Saeedeh; Sadeghian, Akram; Saghaeinnejad-Isfahani, Sakine

2015-01-01

Background: Lean management is a process improvement technique to identify waste actions and processes to eliminate them. The benefits of Lean for healthcare organizations are that first, the quality of the outcomes in terms of mistakes and errors improves. The second is that the amount of time taken through the whole process significantly improves. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to improve the Medical Records Department (MRD) processes at Ayatolah-Kashani Hospital in Isfahan, Iran by utilizing Lean management. Materials and Methods: This research was applied and an interventional study. The data have been collected by brainstorming, observation, interview, and workflow review. The study population included MRD staff and other expert staff within the hospital who were stakeholders and users of the MRD. Statistical Analysis Used: The MRD were initially taught the concepts of Lean management and then formed into the MRD Lean team. The team then identified and reviewed the current processes subsequently; they identified wastes and values, and proposed solutions. Results: The findings showed that the MRD units (Archive, Coding, Statistics, and Admission) had 17 current processes, 28 wastes, and 11 values were identified. In addition, they offered 27 comments for eliminating the wastes. Conclusion: The MRD is the critical department for the hospital information system and, therefore, the continuous improvement of its services and processes, through scientific methods such as Lean management, are essential. Originality/Value: The study represents one of the few attempts trying to eliminate wastes in the MRD. PMID:26097862

Program to Manage New and Expensive Drugs in Pediatrics: Profile of a New Drug Policy and a 12-Month Descriptive Study.

PubMed

Corny, Jennifer; Cotteret, Camille; Pelletier, Élaine; Ovetchkine, Philippe; Bussières, Jean-François

2017-01-01

With growing financial pressure and the range of new and expensive drugs, hospital administrators, clinicians, and pharmacy directors are facing tough decisions on how to manage drug budgets. At a Canadian mother-child hospital, a policy for new and expensive drugs was developed, with the goal of managing their use and costs. To describe the development and implementation of a policy for new and expensive drugs in a mother-child teaching hospital and to describe the profile of requests for these therapies over a 12-month period. A brainstorming session was conducted with members of the pharmacy and therapeutics committee to define the criteria for new and expensive drugs at the study hospital and a new process to evaluate requests for these drugs. Over the 12-month period following implementation of the policy, all requests for new and expensive drugs were evaluated through collection and analysis of relevant data. The new drug policy was launched on October 1, 2014. Over the following 12-month period, a total of 58 requests for new and expensive drugs were discussed, but only 47 request forms were completed and signed by a physician and a clinical pharmacist. New and expensive drugs represent a challenge for clinicians and hospital stakeholders. This study illustrates the implementation of a new policy for these drugs in a mother-child teaching hospital over a 12-month period.

Using concept mapping to mobilize a Black faith community to address HIV

PubMed Central

Szaflarski, Magdalena; Vaughn, Lisa M; McLinden, Daniel; Wess, Yolanda; Ruffner, Andrew

2017-01-01

Research that partners with community stakeholders increases contextual relevance and community buy-in and maximizes the chance for intervention success. Within a framework of an academic-community partnership, this project assessed a Black faith-community’s needs and opportunities to address HIV. We used concept mapping to identify/prioritize specific HIV-related strategies that would be acceptable to congregations. Ninety stakeholders brainstormed strategies to address HIV; 21 sorted strategies into groups and rated their importance and feasibility. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis were applied to the sorting to produce maps that illustrated the stakeholders’ conceptual thinking about HIV interventions. Of 278 responses, 93 were used in the sorting task. The visual maps represented eight clusters: church acceptance of people living with HIV; education (most feasible); mobilization and communication; church/leaders’ empowerment; church involvement/collaboration; safety/HIV prevention; media outreach; and, stigma (most important). Concept mapping clarified multifaceted issues of HIV in the Black faith community. The results will guide HIV programming in congregations. PMID:28239439

Changing the culture of medical training: An important step toward the implementation of competency-based medical education.

PubMed

Ferguson, Peter C; Caverzagie, Kelly J; Nousiainen, Markku T; Snell, Linda

2017-06-01

The current medical education system is steeped in tradition and has been shaped by many long-held beliefs and convictions about the essential components of training. The objective of this article is to propose initiatives to overcome biases against competency-based medical education (CBME) in the culture of medical education. At a retreat of the International Competency Based Medical Education (ICBME) Collaborators group, an intensive brainstorming session was held to determine potential barriers to adoption of CBME in the culture of medical education. This was supplemented with a review of the literature on the topic. There continues to exist significant key barriers to the widespread adoption of CBME. Change in educational culture must be embraced by all components of the medical education hierarchy. Research is essential to provide convincing evidence of the benefit of CBME. The widespread adoption of CBME will require a change in the professional, institutional, and organizational culture surrounding the training of medical professionals.

Design of an instrument to measure the quality of care in Physical Therapy

PubMed Central

Cavalheiro, Leny Vieira; Eid, Raquel Afonso Caserta; Talerman, Claudia; do Prado, Cristiane; Gobbi, Fátima Cristina Martorano; Andreoli, Paola Bruno de Araujo

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: To design an instrument composed of domains that would demonstrate physical therapy activities and generate a consistent index to represent the quality of care in physical therapy. Methods: The methodology Lean Six Sigma was used to design the tool. The discussion involved seven different management groups staff. By means of brainstorming and Cause & Effect Matrix, we set up the process map. Results: Five requirements composed the quality of care index in physical therapy, after application of the tool called Cause & Effect Matrix. The following requirements were assessed: physical therapist performance, care outcome indicator, adherence to physical therapy protocols, measure whether the prognosis and treatment outcome was achieved and Infrastructure. Conclusion: The proposed design allowed evaluating several items related to physical therapy service, enabling customization, reproducibility and benchmarking with other organizations. For management, this index provides the opportunity to identify areas for improvement and the strengths of the team and process of physical therapy care. PMID:26154548

Report of results of benchmarking survey of central heating operations at NASA centers and various corporations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, Thomas R.

1995-01-01

In recent years, Total Quality Management has swept across the country. Many companies and the Government have started looking at every aspect on how business is done and how money is spent. The idea or goal is to provide a service that is better, faster and cheaper. The first step in this process is to document or measure the process or operation as it stands now. For Lewis Research Center, this report is the first step in the analysis of heating plant operations. This report establishes the original benchmark that can be referred to in the future. The report also provides a comparison to other organization's heating plants to help in the brainstorming of new ideas. The next step is to propose and implement changes that would meet the goals as mentioned above. After the changes have been implemented the measuring process starts over again. This provides for a continuous improvement process.

NASA Research Announcement Phase 1 Report and Phase 2 Proposal for the Development of a Power Assisted Space Suit Glove Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cadogan, Dave; Lingo, Bob

1996-01-01

In July of 1996, ILC Dover was awarded Phase 1 of a contract for NASA to develop a prototype Power Assisted Space Suit glove to enhance the performance of astronauts during Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA). This report summarizes the work performed to date on Phase 1, and details the work to be conducted on Phase 2 of the program. Phase 1 of the program consisted of research and review of related technical sources, concept brainstorming, baseline design development, modeling and analysis, component mock-up testing, and test data analysis. ILC worked in conjunction with the University of Maryland's Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) to develop the power assisted glove. Phase 2 activities will focus on the design maturation and the manufacture of a working prototype system. The prototype will be tested and evaluated in conjunction with existing space suit glove technology to determine the performance enhancement anticipated with the implementation of the power assisted joint technology in space suit gloves.

How to Diagnose Solutions to a Quality of Care Problem

PubMed Central

Silver, Samuel A.; McQuillan, Rory F.; Weizman, Adam V.; Thomas, Alison; Chertow, Glenn M.; Nesrallah, Gihad; Chan, Christopher T.; Bell, Chaim M.

2016-01-01

To change a particular quality of care outcome within a system, quality improvement initiatives must first understand the causes contributing to the outcome. After the causes of a particular outcome are known, changes can be made to address these causes and change the outcome. Using the example of home dialysis (home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis), this article within this Moving Points feature on quality improvement will provide health care professionals with the tools necessary to analyze the steps contributing to certain outcomes in health care quality and develop ideas that will ultimately lead to their resolution. The tools used to identify the main contributors to a quality of care outcome will be described, including cause and effect diagrams, Pareto analysis, and process mapping. We will also review common change concepts and brainstorming activities to identify effective change ideas. These methods will be applied to our home dialysis quality improvement project, providing a practical example that other kidney health care professionals can replicate at their local centers. PMID:27016495

Research, Collaboration, and Open Science Using Web 2.0

PubMed Central

Shee, Kevin; Strong, Michael; Guido, Nicholas J.; Lue, Robert A.; Church, George M.; Viel, Alain

2010-01-01

There is little doubt that the Internet has transformed the world in which we live. Information that was once archived in bricks and mortar libraries is now only a click away, and people across the globe have become connected in a manner inconceivable only 20 years ago. Although many scientists and educators have embraced the Internet as an invaluable tool for research, education and data sharing, some have been somewhat slower to take full advantage of emerging Web 2.0 technologies. Here we discuss the benefits and challenges of integrating Web 2.0 applications into undergraduate research and education programs, based on our experience utilizing these technologies in a summer undergraduate research program in synthetic biology at Harvard University. We discuss the use of applications including wiki-based documentation, digital brainstorming, and open data sharing via the Web, to facilitate the educational aspects and collaborative progress of undergraduate research projects. We hope to inspire others to integrate these technologies into their own coursework or research projects. PMID:23653712

Mars Missions Using Emerging Commercial Space Transportation Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzales, Andrew A.

2016-01-01

New Discoveries regarding the Martian Environment may impact Mars mission planning. Transportation of investigation payloads can be facilitated by Commercial Space Transportation options. The development of Commercial Space Transportation. Capabilities anticipated from various commercial entities are examined objectively. The potential for one of these options, in the form of a Mars Sample Return mission, described in the results of previous work, is presented to demonstrate a high capability potential. The transportation needs of the Mars Environment Team Project at ISU 2016 may fit within the payload capabilities of a Mars Sample Return mission, but the payload elements may or may not differ. Resource Modules will help you develop a component of a strategy to address the Implications of New Discoveries in the Martian Environment using the possibility of efficient, commercial space transportation options. Opportunities for open discussions as appropriate during the team project formulation period at the end of each Resource Module. The objective is to provide information that can be incorporated into your work in the Team Project including brainstorming.

Design and development of automatic sharia compliant wheelchair wheels cleaner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaari, Muhammad Farid; Rasli, Ibrahim Ismail Mohammad; Jamaludin, M. Z. Z. Wan; Isa, W. A. Mohamad; M., H.; Rashid, A. H. Abdul

2017-04-01

Sharia compliant wheelchair wheel cleaner was developed in order to assist the muslim Person with Disabilities (PWD) to pray in the mosque without leaving their wheelchair because of the filthy wheels. Though there are many wheelchair wheel cleaning system in the market, it is very rare to find sharia compliant cleaning system that applies sertu concept which is one of the cleaning and purification technique in Islamic practice. The sertu concept is based on 6:1 ratio that refers to the six times pipe water cleaning and one time soiled water cleaning. The development process consists of design stage, fabrication and system installation stage and followed by testing stage. During the design stage, the proposed prototype underwent design brainstorming, operation programming and structural simulation analysis. Once fabricated, the cleaner prototype underwent was tested. The results showed that the prototype can cater load up to 100kg with 1.31×10-6 mm shaft bending displacement. The water ejection timing varied approximately 3% compared to the program.

Internships in Public Science Education program: a model for informal science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zenner, Greta

2005-03-01

The NSF-funded Internships in Public Science Education (IPSE) program provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students with varied academic background to experience learning and teaching science--specifically nanotechnology--to the general public and middle-school students. The program is in collaboration with Discovery World Museum of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. IPSE interns have created a number of classroom activities ranging from understanding the scale of a nanometer to experimenting with liquid crystal sensors to critically examining the societal implications of nanotechnology. In a new phase of the program, the interns are developing a museum exhibit on nanotechnology to be housed at the Discovery World Museum. Through this experience, intern teams learn about nanotechnology, brainstorm ideas, present and receive feedback on their ideas, and create an exhibit prototype to explain nanotechnology and related science concepts. The program also focuses on professional development, during which interns learn techniques for presenting to non-technical audiences, strategies for assessing their materials, and work on their skills in teamwork, project design, leadership, and science communication.

Building an IYA Legacy for Underserved Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakimoto, Philip J.; Luckey, V.; Landsberg, R. H.; Hawkins, L.; Porro, I.

2008-05-01

The International Year of Astronomy will attract much attention, but what legacy will it leave for populations historically underrepresented in science? In this presentation, we focus on one such population--urban youths--and ask how IYA activities might be designed to have a lasting impact. Our general premise is that a major event might be used to attract attention, but that a long-term follow up is necessary for genuine impact. We will present three after-school and summer urban outreach programs that models such long-term involvement: The KICP Space Explorers Program, the MIT Kavli Youth Astronomy Apprenticeship Program, and the Notre Dame Supernova Club. Each of these programs is deeply embedded within the community that they serve and each shows great success in building interests and capabilities in science among the youths that participate. Audience members will be asked to add their own insights to the information presented and, from that, to brainstorm means by which they might build a lasting IYA impact in their own community.

Advancing the application of systems thinking in health: understanding the dynamics of neonatal mortality in Uganda.

PubMed

Rwashana, Agnes Semwanga; Nakubulwa, Sarah; Nakakeeto-Kijjambu, Margaret; Adam, Taghreed

2014-08-08

Of the three million newborns that die each year, Uganda ranks fifth highest in neonatal mortality rates, with 43,000 neonatal deaths each year. Despite child survival and safe motherhood programmes towards reducing child mortality, insufficient attention has been given to this critical first month of life. There is urgent need to innovatively employ alternative solutions that take into account the intricate complexities of neonatal health and the health systems. In this paper, we set out to empirically contribute to understanding the causes of the stagnating neonatal mortality by applying a systems thinking approach to explore the dynamics arising from the neonatal health complexity and non-linearity and its interplay with health systems factors, using Uganda as a case study. Literature reviews and interviews were conducted in two divisions of Kampala district with high neonatal mortality rates with mothers at antenatal clinics and at home, village health workers, community leaders, healthcare decision and policy makers, and frontline health workers from both public and private health facilities. Data analysis and brainstorming sessions were used to develop causal loop diagrams (CLDs) depicting the causes of neonatal mortality, which were validated by local and international stakeholders. We developed two CLDs for demand and supply side issues, depicting the range of factors associated with neonatal mortality such as maternal health, level of awareness of maternal and newborn health, and availability and quality of health services, among others. Further, the reinforcing and balancing feedback loops that resulted from this complexity were also examined. The potential high leverage points include special gender considerations to ensure that girls receive essential education, thereby increasing maternal literacy rates, improved socioeconomic status enabling mothers to keep healthy and utilise health services, improved supervision, and internal audits at the health facilities as well as addressing the gaps in resources (human, logistics, and drugs). Synthesis of theoretical concepts through CLDs facilitated our understanding and interpretation of the interactions and feedback loops that contributed to the stagnant neonatal mortality rates in Uganda, which is the first step towards discussing and exploring the potential strategies and their likely impact.

Advancing the application of systems thinking in health: understanding the dynamics of neonatal mortality in Uganda

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Of the three million newborns that die each year, Uganda ranks fifth highest in neonatal mortality rates, with 43,000 neonatal deaths each year. Despite child survival and safe motherhood programmes towards reducing child mortality, insufficient attention has been given to this critical first month of life. There is urgent need to innovatively employ alternative solutions that take into account the intricate complexities of neonatal health and the health systems. In this paper, we set out to empirically contribute to understanding the causes of the stagnating neonatal mortality by applying a systems thinking approach to explore the dynamics arising from the neonatal health complexity and non-linearity and its interplay with health systems factors, using Uganda as a case study. Methods Literature reviews and interviews were conducted in two divisions of Kampala district with high neonatal mortality rates with mothers at antenatal clinics and at home, village health workers, community leaders, healthcare decision and policy makers, and frontline health workers from both public and private health facilities. Data analysis and brainstorming sessions were used to develop causal loop diagrams (CLDs) depicting the causes of neonatal mortality, which were validated by local and international stakeholders. Results We developed two CLDs for demand and supply side issues, depicting the range of factors associated with neonatal mortality such as maternal health, level of awareness of maternal and newborn health, and availability and quality of health services, among others. Further, the reinforcing and balancing feedback loops that resulted from this complexity were also examined. The potential high leverage points include special gender considerations to ensure that girls receive essential education, thereby increasing maternal literacy rates, improved socioeconomic status enabling mothers to keep healthy and utilise health services, improved supervision, and internal audits at the health facilities as well as addressing the gaps in resources (human, logistics, and drugs). Conclusions Synthesis of theoretical concepts through CLDs facilitated our understanding and interpretation of the interactions and feedback loops that contributed to the stagnant neonatal mortality rates in Uganda, which is the first step towards discussing and exploring the potential strategies and their likely impact. PMID:25104047

MO-DE-304-01: The Abt Study of Medical Physicist Work Values for Radiation Oncology Physics Services: Round IV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mills, M.

The Abt study of medical physicist work values for radiation oncology physics services, Round IV is completed. It supersedes the Abt III study of 2008. The 2015 Abt study measured qualified medical physicist (QMP) work associated with routine radiation oncology procedures as well as some special procedures. As before, a work model was created to allow the medical physicist to defend QMP work based on both routine and special procedures service mix. The work model can be used to develop a cost justification report for setting charges for radiation oncology physics services. The Abt study Round IV was designed tomore » empower the medical physicist to negotiate a service or employment contract with providers based on measured national QMP workforce and staffing data. For a variety of reasons, the diagnostic imaging contingent of AAPM has had a more difficult time trying estimate workforce requirements than their therapy counterparts. Over the past several years, the Diagnostic Work and Workforce Study Subcommittee (DWWSS) has collected survey data from AAPM members, but the data have been very difficult to interpret. The DWWSS has reached out to include more AAPM volunteers to create a more full and accurate representation of actual clinical practice models on the subcommittee. Though much work remains, through hours of discussion and brainstorming, the DWWSS has somewhat of a clear path forward. This talk will provide attendees with an update on the efforts of the subcommittee. Learning Objectives: Understand the new information documented in the Abt studies. Understand how to use the Abt studies to justify medical physicist staffing. Learn relevant historical information on imaging physicist workforce. Understand the process of the DWWSS in 2014. Understand the intended path forward for the DWWSS.« less

Reducing patients' falls rate in an Academic Medical Center (AMC) using Six Sigma "DMAIC" approach.

PubMed

Kuwaiti, Ahmed Al; Subbarayalu, Arun Vijay

2017-05-08

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of adopting the Six Sigma define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) approach in reducing patients fall rate in an Academic Medical Center, Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach A prospective study design was adopted and this study was conducted at King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU) during the year 2014. Based on the historical data of the patients' falls reported at KFHU during the year 2013, the goal was fixed to reduce the falls rate from 7.18 to<3 (over 60 percent reduction) by the end of December 2014. This study was conducted through the five phases of "DMAIC" approach using various quality tools. Three time periods were identified, namely, pre-intervention phase; intervention phase; and post-intervention phase. Appropriate strategies were identified through the process of brainstorming and were implemented to study the potential causes leading to the occurrence of falls. Findings The pre-intervention falls rate was reported as 6.57 whereas the post-intervention falls rate was measured as 1.91 (demonstrating a 70.93 percent reduction) after the implementation of improvement strategies. The adherence rate toward the practice of carrying falls risk assessment and hourly rounding was observed to be high where 88 percent of nurses are regularly practicing it. A control plan was also executed to sustain the improvements obtained. Originality/value The Six Sigma "DMAIC" approach improves the processes related to the prevention of falls. A greater reduction in patients falls rate (over 70 percent) was observed after the implementation of the improvement strategy.

MO-DE-304-02: Diagnostic Workforce Subcommittee Status and Direction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gress, D.

2015-06-15

The Abt study of medical physicist work values for radiation oncology physics services, Round IV is completed. It supersedes the Abt III study of 2008. The 2015 Abt study measured qualified medical physicist (QMP) work associated with routine radiation oncology procedures as well as some special procedures. As before, a work model was created to allow the medical physicist to defend QMP work based on both routine and special procedures service mix. The work model can be used to develop a cost justification report for setting charges for radiation oncology physics services. The Abt study Round IV was designed tomore » empower the medical physicist to negotiate a service or employment contract with providers based on measured national QMP workforce and staffing data. For a variety of reasons, the diagnostic imaging contingent of AAPM has had a more difficult time trying estimate workforce requirements than their therapy counterparts. Over the past several years, the Diagnostic Work and Workforce Study Subcommittee (DWWSS) has collected survey data from AAPM members, but the data have been very difficult to interpret. The DWWSS has reached out to include more AAPM volunteers to create a more full and accurate representation of actual clinical practice models on the subcommittee. Though much work remains, through hours of discussion and brainstorming, the DWWSS has somewhat of a clear path forward. This talk will provide attendees with an update on the efforts of the subcommittee. Learning Objectives: Understand the new information documented in the Abt studies. Understand how to use the Abt studies to justify medical physicist staffing. Learn relevant historical information on imaging physicist workforce. Understand the process of the DWWSS in 2014. Understand the intended path forward for the DWWSS.« less

MO-DE-304-00: Workforce Assessment Committee Update

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

2015-06-15

The Abt study of medical physicist work values for radiation oncology physics services, Round IV is completed. It supersedes the Abt III study of 2008. The 2015 Abt study measured qualified medical physicist (QMP) work associated with routine radiation oncology procedures as well as some special procedures. As before, a work model was created to allow the medical physicist to defend QMP work based on both routine and special procedures service mix. The work model can be used to develop a cost justification report for setting charges for radiation oncology physics services. The Abt study Round IV was designed tomore » empower the medical physicist to negotiate a service or employment contract with providers based on measured national QMP workforce and staffing data. For a variety of reasons, the diagnostic imaging contingent of AAPM has had a more difficult time trying estimate workforce requirements than their therapy counterparts. Over the past several years, the Diagnostic Work and Workforce Study Subcommittee (DWWSS) has collected survey data from AAPM members, but the data have been very difficult to interpret. The DWWSS has reached out to include more AAPM volunteers to create a more full and accurate representation of actual clinical practice models on the subcommittee. Though much work remains, through hours of discussion and brainstorming, the DWWSS has somewhat of a clear path forward. This talk will provide attendees with an update on the efforts of the subcommittee. Learning Objectives: Understand the new information documented in the Abt studies. Understand how to use the Abt studies to justify medical physicist staffing. Learn relevant historical information on imaging physicist workforce. Understand the process of the DWWSS in 2014. Understand the intended path forward for the DWWSS.« less

Towards quality criteria for regional public health reporting: concept mapping with Dutch experts.

PubMed

van Bon-Martens, Marja J H; Achterberg, Peter W; van de Goor, Ien A M; van Oers, Hans A M

2012-06-01

In the Netherlands, municipal health assessments are carried out by 28 Regional Health Services, serving 418 municipalities. In the absence of guidelines, regional public health reports were developed in two pilot regions on the basis of the model and experience of national health reporting. Though they were well received and positively evaluated, it was not clear which specific characteristics determined 'good public health reporting'. Therefore, this study was set up to develop a theoretical framework for the quality of regional public health reporting in The Netherlands. Using concept mapping as a standardized tool for conceptualization, 35 relevant reporting experts formulated short statements in two different brainstorming sessions, describing specific quality criteria of regional public health reports. After the removal of duplicates, the list was supplemented with international criteria, and the statements were sent to each participant for rating and sorting. The results were processed statistically and represented graphically. The output was discussed and interpreted, leading to the final concept map. The final concept map consisted of 97 criteria, grouped into 13 clusters, and plotted in two dimensions: a 'product' dimension, ranging from 'production' to 'content', and a 'context' dimension, ranging from 'science' to 'policy'. The three most important clusters were: (i) 'solution orientation', (ii) 'policy relevance' and (iii) 'policy impact'. This study provided a theoretical framework for the quality of regional public health reporting, indicating relevant domains and criteria. Further work should translate domains and criteria into operational indicators for evaluating regional public health reports.

[Development of a Conceptual Framework for the Assessment of Chronic Care in the Spanish National Health System].

PubMed

Espallargues, Mireia; Serra-Sutton, Vicky; Solans-Domènech, Maite; Torrente, Elena; Moharra, Montse; Benítez, Dolors; Robles, Noemí; Domíngo, Laia; Escarrabill Sanglas, Joan

2016-07-07

The aim was to develop a conceptual framework for the assessment of new healthcare initiatives on chronic diseases within the Spanish National Health System. A comprehensive literature review between 2002 and 2013, including systematic reviews, meta-analysis, and reports with evaluation frameworks and/or assessment of initiatives was carried out; integrated care initiatives established in Catalonia were studied and described; and semistructured interviews with key stakeholders were performed. The scope and conceptual framework were defined by using the brainstorming approach.Of 910 abstracts identified, a total of 116 studies were included. They referred to several conceptual frameworks and/or assessment indicators at a national and international level. An overall of 24 established chronic care initiatives were identified (9 integrated care initiatives); 10 in-depth interviews were carried out. The proposed conceptual framework envisages: 1)the target population according to complexity levels; 2)an evaluation approach of the structure, processes, and outcomes considering the health status achieved, the recovery process and the maintenance of health; and 3)the dimensions or attributes to be assessed. The proposed conceptual framework will be helpful has been useful to develop indicators and implement them with a community-based and result-oriented approach and a territorial or population-based perspective within the Spanish Health System. This will be essential to know which are the most effective strategies, what are the key elements that determine greater success and what are the groups of patients who can most benefit.

Small group discussion: Students perspectives.

PubMed

Annamalai, Nachal; Manivel, Rajajeyakumar; Palanisamy, Rajendran

2015-08-01

Various alternative methods are being used in many medical colleges to reinforce didactic lectures in physiology. Small group teaching can take on a variety of different tasks such as problem-solving, role play, discussions, brainstorming, and debate. Research has demonstrated that group discussion promotes greater synthesis and retention of materials. The aims of this study were to adopt a problem-solving approach by relating basic sciences with the clinical scenario through self-learning. To develop soft skills, to understand principles of group dynamics, and adopt a new teaching learning methodology. Experimental study design was conducted in Phase I 1(st) year medical students of 2014-2015 batch (n = 120). On the day of the session, the students were grouped into small groups (15 each). The session started with the facilitator starting off the discussion. Feedback forms from five students in each group was taken (n = 40). A five point Likert scale was used ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Our results show that 70% of the students opined that small group discussion were interactive, friendly, innovative, built interaction between teacher and student. Small group discussion increased their thought process and helped them in better communication. The small group discussion was interactive, friendly, and bridged the gap between the teacher and student. The student's communication skills are also improved. In conclusion, small group discussion is more effective than the traditional teaching methods.

Development of the SALdável programme to reduce salt intake among hypertensive Brazilian women: an intervention mapping approach.

PubMed

Cornélio, Marilia Estevam; Godin, Gaston; Rodrigues, Roberta; Agondi, Rúbia; Spana, Thaís; Gallani, Maria-Cecilia

2013-08-01

Despite strong evidence for a relationship between high salt intake and hypertension, plus the widespread recommendations for dietary salt restriction among hypertensive subjects, there are no nursing studies describing effective theory-based interventions. To describe a systematic process for development of a theory-based nursing intervention that is aimed at reducing salt intake among hypertensive women, by applying the 'intervention mapping' protocol. We developed our intervention following the six steps of the 'intervention mapping' protocol: assessing needs, creating a matrix of change objectives, selecting theoretical methods and practical applications, defining the intervention programme, organizing the adoption and implementation plan, and defining the evaluation plan. Addition of salt during cooking is identified as the main source for salt consumption, plus women are identified as the people responsible for cooking meals at home. In our study, the motivational predictors of this behaviour were self-efficacy and habit. Guided practice, verbal persuasion, coping barriers, consciousness-raising and counter-conditioning were the theoretical methods we selected for enhancing self-efficacy and promoting habit change, respectively. Brainstorming, role-playing, cookbook use, measuring spoon use, label reading, hands-on skill-building activities and reinforcement phone calls were the chosen practical applications. We designed our intervention programme, and then organized the adoption and implementation plans. Finally, we generated a plan to evaluate our intervention. 'Intervention mapping' was a feasible methodological framework to guide the development of a theory-based nursing intervention for dietary salt reduction among hypertensive women.

Teaching Undergraduate Students to Visualize and Communicate Public Health Data with Infographics

PubMed Central

Shanks, Justin D.; Izumi, Betty; Sun, Christina; Martin, Allea; Byker Shanks, Carmen

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the degree to which an infographic assignment facilitated student learning around health science issues, as well as the ways in which the assignment was an effective teaching tool. The objectives of the assignment were to (1) understand the purposes of and potential uses for infographics, (2) cultivate creative visual communication skills, and (3) disseminate a complex health topic to diverse audiences. The infographic assignment was developed at Montana State University and piloted at Portland State University. Students were assigned to small groups of three or four to create an infographic focused on a health science issue. The assignment was divided into four steps: brainstorming, developing, designing, and finalizing. Focus groups were conducted to assess how learning occurred throughout the assignment and identify any opportunities for modification of the assignment. This study was conducted with freshman students enrolled at Portland State University, a public university located in downtown Portland, OR, USA. Thirty four students completed the assignment and 31 students participated in one of three focus groups. Four themes emerged from focus groups: (1) Communicating Science-Related Topics to Non-experts, (2) Developing Professional Skills, (3) Understanding Health Issues, and (4) Overall Experience. This article outlines the assignment, discusses focus group results, and presents assignment modifications. It is clear that the infographic assignment facilitated learning about accessing and translating data. This assignment is ideally suited for use with diverse college-age audiences in health education and health promotion fields. PMID:29226120

Improving performances of the knee replacement surgery process by applying DMAIC principles.

PubMed

Improta, Giovanni; Balato, Giovanni; Romano, Maria; Ponsiglione, Alfonso Maria; Raiola, Eliana; Russo, Mario Alessandro; Cuccaro, Patrizia; Santillo, Liberatina Carmela; Cesarelli, Mario

2017-12-01

The work is a part of a project about the application of the Lean Six Sigma to improve health care processes. A previously published work regarding the hip replacement surgery has shown promising results. Here, we propose an application of the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control) cycle to improve quality and reduce costs related to the prosthetic knee replacement surgery by decreasing patients' length of hospital stay (LOS) METHODS: The DMAIC cycle has been adopted to decrease the patients' LOS. The University Hospital "Federico II" of Naples, one of the most important university hospitals in Southern Italy, participated in this study. Data on 148 patients who underwent prosthetic knee replacement between 2010 and 2013 were used. Process mapping, statistical measures, brainstorming activities, and comparative analysis were performed to identify factors influencing LOS and improvement strategies. The study allowed the identification of variables influencing the prolongation of the LOS and the implementation of corrective actions to improve the process of care. The adopted actions reduced the LOS by 42%, from a mean value of 14.2 to 8.3 days (standard deviation also decreased from 5.2 to 2.3 days). The DMAIC approach has proven to be a helpful strategy ensuring a significant decreasing of the LOS. Furthermore, through its implementation, a significant reduction of the average costs of hospital stay can be achieved. Such a versatile approach could be applied to improve a wide range of health care processes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Teaching Undergraduate Students to Visualize and Communicate Public Health Data with Infographics.

PubMed

Shanks, Justin D; Izumi, Betty; Sun, Christina; Martin, Allea; Byker Shanks, Carmen

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the degree to which an infographic assignment facilitated student learning around health science issues, as well as the ways in which the assignment was an effective teaching tool. The objectives of the assignment were to (1) understand the purposes of and potential uses for infographics, (2) cultivate creative visual communication skills, and (3) disseminate a complex health topic to diverse audiences. The infographic assignment was developed at Montana State University and piloted at Portland State University. Students were assigned to small groups of three or four to create an infographic focused on a health science issue. The assignment was divided into four steps: brainstorming, developing, designing, and finalizing. Focus groups were conducted to assess how learning occurred throughout the assignment and identify any opportunities for modification of the assignment. This study was conducted with freshman students enrolled at Portland State University, a public university located in downtown Portland, OR, USA. Thirty four students completed the assignment and 31 students participated in one of three focus groups. Four themes emerged from focus groups: (1) Communicating Science-Related Topics to Non-experts, (2) Developing Professional Skills, (3) Understanding Health Issues, and (4) Overall Experience. This article outlines the assignment, discusses focus group results, and presents assignment modifications. It is clear that the infographic assignment facilitated learning about accessing and translating data. This assignment is ideally suited for use with diverse college-age audiences in health education and health promotion fields.

A comparison of traditional and engaging lecture methods in a large, professional-level course.

PubMed

Miller, Cynthia J; McNear, Jacquee; Metz, Michael J

2013-12-01

In engaging lectures, also referred to as broken or interactive lectures, students are given short periods of lecture followed by "breaks" that can consist of 1-min papers, problem sets, brainstorming sessions, or open discussion. While many studies have shown positive effects when engaging lectures are used in undergraduate settings, the literature surrounding use of the learning technique for professional students is inconclusive. The novelty of this study design allowed a direct comparison of engaging physiology lectures versus didactic lecture formats in the same cohort of 120 first-year School of Dentistry DMD students. All students were taught five physiological systems using traditional lecture methods and six physiological systems using engaging lecture methods. The use of engaging lectures led to a statistically significant higher average on unit exams compared with traditional didactic lectures (8.6% higher, P < 0.05). Furthermore, students demonstrated an improved long-term retention of information via higher scores on the comprehensive final exam (22.9% higher in engaging lecture sections, P < 0.05). Many qualitative improvements were also indicated via student surveys and evaluations, including an increased perceived effectiveness of lectures, decrease in distractions during lecture, and increased confidence with the material. The development of engaging lecture activities requires a significant amount of instructor preparation and limits the time available to provide traditional lectures. However, the positive results of this study suggest the need for a restructuring of the physiology curriculum to incorporate more engaging lectures to improve both the qualitative experiences and performance levels of professional students.

Multisite Parent-Centered Risk Assessment to Reduce Pediatric Oral Chemotherapy Errors

PubMed Central

Walsh, Kathleen E.; Mazor, Kathleen M.; Roblin, Douglas; Biggins, Colleen; Wagner, Joann L.; Houlahan, Kathleen; Li, Justin W.; Keuker, Christopher; Wasilewski-Masker, Karen; Donovan, Jennifer; Kanaan, Abir; Weingart, Saul N.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Observational studies describe high rates of errors in home oral chemotherapy use in children. In hospitals, proactive risk assessment methods help front-line health care workers develop error prevention strategies. Our objective was to engage parents of children with cancer in a multisite study using proactive risk assessment methods to identify how errors occur at home and propose risk reduction strategies. Methods: We recruited parents from three outpatient pediatric oncology clinics in the northeast and southeast United States to participate in failure mode and effects analyses (FMEA). An FMEA is a systematic team-based proactive risk assessment approach in understanding ways a process can fail and develop prevention strategies. Steps included diagram the process, brainstorm and prioritize failure modes (places where things go wrong), and propose risk reduction strategies. We focused on home oral chemotherapy administration after a change in dose because prior studies identified this area as high risk. Results: Parent teams consisted of four parents at two of the sites and 10 at the third. Parents developed a 13-step process map, with two to 19 failure modes per step. The highest priority failure modes included miscommunication when receiving instructions from the clinician (caused by conflicting instructions or parent lapses) and unsafe chemotherapy handling at home. Recommended risk assessment strategies included novel uses of technology to improve parent access to information, clinicians, and other parents while at home. Conclusion: Parents of pediatric oncology patients readily participated in a proactive risk assessment method, identifying processes that pose a risk for medication errors involving home oral chemotherapy. PMID:23633976

The use of foresight methods in strategic raw materials intelligence - an international review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konrat Martins, Marco Antonio; Bodo, Balazs; Falck, Eberhard

2017-04-01

Foresight methods are systematic attempts to look into the longer term future of science, society, economy and technology. There is a range of tools and techniques that can be used individually or combined, most commonly classified into qualitative, quantitative or semi-quantitative methods, that follow an exploratory or normative approach. These tools can help to identify the longer term visions, orienting policy formulation and decisions, triggering actions, among other objectives. There is an identified lack of European strategic foresight knowledge in the raw materials domain. Since the European Raw Materials Initiative was launched in 2008, the EU has been attempting to overcome challenges related to the future access of non-energy and non-agricultural raw materials. In this context, the ongoing H2020 project, MICA (Mineral Intelligence Capacity Analysis, Grant Agreement No. 689648), has been launched to answer to stakeholders needs by consolidating relevant data, determining relevant methods and tools, and investigating Raw Materials Intelligence options for European mineral policy development, all tailored to fit under the umbrella of a European Raw Materials Intelligence Capacity Platform (EU-RMICP). As part of the MICA activities, an assessment of best practices and benchmarks of international raw materials foresight case studies has been carried out in order to review how EU and non-EU countries have employed foresight. A pool of 30 case studies has been collected and reviewed internationally, one third of which were selected for detailed assessment. These were classified according to their background and goals, in function of methods employed, and to the purpose of each method in the study: a total of 12 different methods were identified in these studies. For longer time frames, qualitative predictive methods such as Scenario Development have been repeatedly observed for mineral raw materials foresight studies. Substantial variations were observed in terms of use and deployment of the scenarios. Pre-defined global scenarios can be used to explore futures thinking over a given theme - a step in the process - whereas the development of specific scenarios can be the main element of the study. The former was used to consider future strategies at different levels and how different futures influence the sector, whilst the latter was preferably used as means of assessment of sector capabilities and the current readiness for future challenges. Other methods such as SWOT, STEEP (Social, Technological, Economical, Environmental and Political scanning) and Brainstorming can be observed supporting the Scenarios, helping to provide either input for its development or post-processing its outcomes towards overall objectives. The volatility of the mineral raw materials sector presents a natural inclination towards more explorative and creativity-based methods. Such methods can address the necessity of understanding how different factors may play out in the future, where critical uncertainties can dictate a range of possible futures. Therefore, having a solid backdrop for alternative paths is extremely useful for policy and decision-makers to propose actions and respond in a timely manner to the future challenges of the sector.

Development and validation of a new Prescription Quality Index

PubMed Central

Hassan, Norul Badriah; Ismail, Hasanah Che; Naing, Lin; Conroy, Ronán M; Abdul Rahman, Abdul Rashid

2010-01-01

AIMS The aims were to develop and validate a new Prescription Quality Index (PQI) for the measurement of prescription quality in chronic diseases. METHODS The PQI were developed and validated based on three separate surveys and one pilot study. Criteria were developed based on literature search, discussions and brainstorming sessions. Validity of the criteria was examined using modified Delphi method. Pre-testing was performed on 30 patients suffering from chronic diseases. The modified version was then subjected to reviews by pharmacists and clinicians in two separate surveys. The rater-based PQI with 22 criteria was then piloted in 120 patients with chronic illnesses. Results were analysed using SPSS version 12.0.1 RESULTS Exploratory principal components analysis revealed multiple factors contributing to prescription quality. Cronbach's α for the entire 22 criteria was 0.60. The average intra-rater and inter-rater reliability showed good to moderate stability (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.76 and 0.52, respectively). The PQI was significantly and negatively correlated with age (correlation coefficient −0.34, P < 0.001), number of drugs in prescriptions (correlation coefficient −0.51, P < 0.001) and number of chronic diseases/conditions (correlation coefficient −0.35, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The PQI is a promising new instrument for measuring prescription quality. It has been shown that the PQI is a valid, reliable and responsive tool to measure quality of prescription in chronic diseases. PMID:20840442

Impact of a brief patient and provider intervention to improve the quality of communication about medication adherence among HIV patients.

PubMed

Beach, Mary Catherine; Roter, Debra L; Saha, Somnath; Korthuis, P Todd; Eggly, Susan; Cohn, Jonathan; Sharp, Victoria; Moore, Richard D; Wilson, Ira B

2015-09-01

Medication adherence is essential in HIV care, yet provider communication about adherence is often suboptimal. We designed this study to improve patient-provider communication about HIV medication adherence. We randomized 26 providers at three HIV care sites to receive or not receive a one-hour communication skills training based on motivational interviewing principles applied to medication adherence. Prior to routine office visits, non-adherent patients of providers who received the training were coached to discuss adherence with their providers. Patients of providers who did not receive the training providers were not coached. We audio-recorded and coded patient-provider interactions using the roter interaction analysis system (RIAS). There was more dialogue about therapeutic regimen in visits with intervention patients and providers (167 vs 128, respectively, p=.004), with the majority of statements coming from providers. These visits also included more brainstorming solutions to nonadherence (41% vs. 22%, p=0.026). Intervention compared with control visit providers engaged in more positive talk (44 vs. 38 statements, p=0.039), emotional talk (26 vs. 18 statements, p<0.001), and probing of patient opinion (3 vs. 2 statements, p=0.009). A brief provider training combined with patient coaching sessions, improved provider communication behaviors and increased dialogue regarding medication adherence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medical professionalism: a panoramic view through the kaleidoscope of stakeholder perspectives.

PubMed

Khan, Junaid Sarfraz; Tabasum, Saima

2011-01-01

Recently, over the last couple of decades, great emphasis is being placed on the role of professionalism in medical education. This interest has intensified following the positive relationship identified between unprofessional behaviour in medical schools and subsequent practice. This paper aims to develop an understanding of the perceptions of various stakeholders regarding the subject in the local setting and tries to relate it to the global context. This was a qualitative study conducted in 2011 involving the faculty and students of the University of Health Sciences Lahore. An open-ended questionnaire was fashioned following brainstorming and utilising Delphi technique involving representatives of the students, faculty and the public. Responses from all the respondents were entered into Microsoft Excel data sheet and then imported into Qualitative Data Analysis Software 'NVIVO 9'. Themes were extracted from the responses. Overall 650 questionnaires were distributed amongst the faculty, students and general public. Response rates were 74%, 68% and 59% respectively. Commonalities and differences in the perceptions of the various stakeholders of medical profession including the medical practitioner, public and the medical students were identified. The product of the healthcare professional education system needs to conform to the global standards applied within local settings. It is the identification of the local setting that is critical to devising a cost-effective and efficient curriculum, which amongst others includes teaching/training/learning and practice of professionalism.

Minimization of Defective Products in The Department of Press Bridge & Rib Through Six Sigma DMAIC Phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rochman, YA; Agustin, A.

2017-06-01

This study proposes the DMAIC Six Sigma approach of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve/Implement and Control (DMAIC) to minimizing the number of defective products in the bridge & rib department. There are 5 types of defects were the most dominant are broken rib, broken sound board, strained rib, rib sliding and sound board minori. The imperative objective is to improve the quality through the DMAIC phases. In the define phase, the critical to quality (CTQ) parameters was identified minimization of product defects through the pareto chart and FMEA. In this phase, to identify waste based on the current value stream mapping. In the measure phase, the specified control limits product used to maintain the variations of the product, the calculation of the value of DPMO (Defect Per Million Opportunities) and the calculation of the value of sigma level. In analyze phase, determine the type of defect of the most dominant and identify the causes of defective products. In the improve phase, the existing design was modified through various alternative solutions by conducting brainstorming sessions. In this phase, the solution was identified based on the results of FMEA. Improvements were made to the seven priority causes of disability based on the highest RPN value. In the control phase, focusing on improvements to be made. Proposed improvements include making and define standard operating procedures, improving the quality and eliminate waste defective products.

Dermatology Residency Selection Criteria with an Emphasis on Program Characteristics: A National Program Director Survey

PubMed Central

Gorouhi, Farzam; Alikhan, Ali; Rezaei, Arash; Fazel, Nasim

2014-01-01

Background. Dermatology residency programs are relatively diverse in their resident selection process. The authors investigated the importance of 25 dermatology residency selection criteria focusing on differences in program directors' (PDs') perception based on specific program demographics. Methods. This cross-sectional nationwide observational survey utilized a 41-item questionnaire that was developed by literature search, brainstorming sessions, and online expert reviews. The data were analyzed utilizing the reliability test, two-step clustering, and K-means methods as well as other methods. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in PDs' perception regarding the importance of the selection criteria based on program demographics. Results. Ninety-five out of 114 PDs (83.3%) responded to the survey. The top five criteria for dermatology residency selection were interview, letters of recommendation, United States Medical Licensing Examination Step I scores, medical school transcripts, and clinical rotations. The following criteria were preferentially ranked based on different program characteristics: “advanced degrees,” “interest in academics,” “reputation of undergraduate and medical school,” “prior unsuccessful attempts to match,” and “number of publications.” Conclusions. Our survey provides up-to-date factual data on dermatology PDs' perception in this regard. Dermatology residency programs may find the reported data useful in further optimizing their residency selection process. PMID:24772165

Titan Aeromony and Climate Workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bézard, Bruno; Lavvas, Panayotis; Rannou, Pascal; Sotin, Christophe; Strobel, Darrell; West, Robert A.; Yelle, Roger

2016-06-01

The observations of the Cassini spacecraft since 2004 revealed that Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, has an active climate cycle with a cloud cover related to the large scale atmospheric circulation, lakes of methane and hyrdrocarbons with variable depth, a dried fluvial system witnessing a past wetter climate, dunes, and deep changes in the weather and atmospheric structure as Titan went through the North Spring equinox. Moreover, the upper atmosphere is now considered the cradle of complex chemistry leading to aerosol formation, as well as the manifestation place of atmospheric waves. However, as the Cassini mission comes to its end, many fundamental questions remain unresolved... The objective of the workshop is to bring together international experts from different fields of Titan's research in order to have an overview of the current understanding, and to determine the remaining salient scientific issues and the actions that could be implemented to address them. PhD students and post-doc researchers are welcomed to present their studies. This conference aims to be a brainstorming event leaving abundant time for discussion during oral and poster presentations. Main Topics: - Atmospheric seasonal cycles and coupling with dynamics. - Composition and photochemistry of the atmosphere. - Formation and evolution of aerosols and their role in the atmosphere. - Spectroscopy, optical properties, and radiative transfer modeling of the atmosphere. - Surface composition, liquid reservoirs and interaction with atmosphere. - Evolution of the atmosphere. - Titan after Cassini, open questions and the path forward.

A possible biomedical facility at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

PubMed

Dosanjh, M; Jones, B; Myers, S

2013-05-01

A well-attended meeting, called "Brainstorming discussion for a possible biomedical facility at CERN", was held by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics on 25 June 2012. This was concerned with adapting an existing, but little used, 78-m circumference CERN synchrotron to deliver a wide range of ion species, preferably from protons to at least neon ions, with beam specifications that match existing clinical facilities. The potential extensive research portfolio discussed included beam ballistics in humanoid phantoms, advanced dosimetry, remote imaging techniques and technical developments in beam delivery, including gantry design. In addition, a modern laboratory for biomedical characterisation of these beams would allow important radiobiological studies, such as relative biological effectiveness, in a dedicated facility with standardisation of experimental conditions and biological end points. A control photon and electron beam would be required nearby for relative biological effectiveness comparisons. Research beam time availability would far exceed that at other facilities throughout the world. This would allow more rapid progress in several biomedical areas, such as in charged hadron therapy of cancer, radioisotope production and radioprotection. The ethos of CERN, in terms of open access, peer-reviewed projects and governance has been so successful for High Energy Physics that application of the same to biomedicine would attract high-quality research, with possible contributions from Europe and beyond, along with potential new funding streams.

A possible biomedical facility at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

PubMed Central

Dosanjh, M; Myers, S

2013-01-01

A well-attended meeting, called “Brainstorming discussion for a possible biomedical facility at CERN”, was held by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics on 25 June 2012. This was concerned with adapting an existing, but little used, 78-m circumference CERN synchrotron to deliver a wide range of ion species, preferably from protons to at least neon ions, with beam specifications that match existing clinical facilities. The potential extensive research portfolio discussed included beam ballistics in humanoid phantoms, advanced dosimetry, remote imaging techniques and technical developments in beam delivery, including gantry design. In addition, a modern laboratory for biomedical characterisation of these beams would allow important radiobiological studies, such as relative biological effectiveness, in a dedicated facility with standardisation of experimental conditions and biological end points. A control photon and electron beam would be required nearby for relative biological effectiveness comparisons. Research beam time availability would far exceed that at other facilities throughout the world. This would allow more rapid progress in several biomedical areas, such as in charged hadron therapy of cancer, radioisotope production and radioprotection. The ethos of CERN, in terms of open access, peer-reviewed projects and governance has been so successful for High Energy Physics that application of the same to biomedicine would attract high-quality research, with possible contributions from Europe and beyond, along with potential new funding streams. PMID:23549990

Solving fatigue-related problems with cardiac arrest survivors living in the community.

PubMed

Kim, Young Joo; Rogers, Joan C; Raina, Ketki D; Callaway, Clifton W; Rittenberger, Jon C; Leibold, Mary Lou; Holm, Margo B

2017-09-01

The aim was to describe fatigue-related problems reported by post-cardiac arrest adults with chronic fatigue and energy conservation strategies generated using an Energy Conservation plus Problem Solving Therapy intervention. Following an introduction to the intervention process outlined in a Participant Workbook, participants engaged in the telephone intervention by identifying one to two fatigue-related problems. They then brainstormed with the interventionist to identify potential strategies to reduce fatigue, tested them, and either modified the strategies or moved to the next problem over three to five sessions. Eighteen cardiac arrest survivors with chronic fatigue identified instrumental activities of daily living and leisure activities as fatigue-related activities more frequently than basic activities of daily living. Energy Conservation strategies used most frequently were: plan ahead, pace yourself, delegate to others, and simplify the task. Post-cardiac arrest adults living in the community with chronic fatigue can return to previous daily activities by using energy conservation strategies such as planning ahead, pacing tasks, delegating tasks, and simplifying tasks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enabling All-Access Mobility for Planetary Exploration Vehicles via Transformative Reconfiguration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferguson, Scott; Mazzoleni, Andre

2016-01-01

Effective large-scale exploration of planetary surfaces requires robotic vehicles capable of mobility across chaotic terrain. Characterized by a combination of ridges, cracks and valleys, the demands of this environment can cause spacecraft to experience significant reductions in operating footprint, performance, or even result in total system loss. Significantly increasing the scientific return of an interplanetary mission is facilitated by architectures capable of real-time configuration changes that go beyond that of active suspensions while concurrently meeting system, mass, power, and cost constraints. This Phase 1 report systematically explores how in-service architecture changes can expand system capabilities and mission opportunities. A foundation for concept generation is supplied by four Martian mission profiles spanning chasms, ice fields, craters and rocky terrain. A fifth mission profile centered on Near Earth Object exploration is also introduced. Concept generation is directed using four transformation principles - a taxonomy developed by the engineering design community to explain the cause of an architecture change and existing brainstorming techniques. This allowed early conceptual sketches of architecture changes to be organized by the principle driving the greatest increase in mission performance capability.

Performance of GUNGEN Idea Generation Support Groupware: Lessons from Over A Few Hundred Trial Sessions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuizono, Takaya; Munemori, Jun

GUNGEN-DXII, a new version of the GUNGEN groupware, allows the users to process hundreds of qualitative data segments (phrases and sentences) and compose a coherent piece of text containing a number of emergent ideas. The idea generation process is guided by the KJ method, a leading idea generation technique in Japan. This paper describes functions of GUNGEN supporting three major sub-activities of idea generation, namely, brainstorming, idea clustering, and text composition, and also summarizes the results obtained from a few hundred trial sessions with the old and new GUNGEN systems in terms of some qualitative and quantitative measures. The results show that the sessions with GUNGEN yield intermediate and final products at least as good as those from the original paper-and-pencil KJ method sessions, in addition to the advantages of the online system, such as distance collaboration and digital storage of the products. Moreover, results from the new GUNGEN-DXII raises hope for enabling the users to handle an extremely large number of qualitative data segments in the near future.

Public health laboratory quality management in a developing country.

PubMed

Wangkahat, Khwanjai; Nookhai, Somboon; Pobkeeree, Vallerut

2012-01-01

The article aims to give an overview of the system of public health laboratory quality management in Thailand and to produce a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis that is relevant to public health laboratories in the country. The systems for managing laboratory quality that are currently employed were described in the first component. The second component was a SWOT analysis, which used the opinions of laboratory professionals to identify any areas that could be improved to meet quality management systems. Various quality management systems were identified and the number of laboratories that met both international and national quality management requirements was different. The SWOT analysis found the opportunities and strengths factors offered the best chance to improve laboratory quality management in the country. The results are based on observations and brainstorming with medical laboratory professionals who can assist laboratories in accomplishing quality management. The factors derived from the analysis can help improve laboratory quality management in the country. This paper provides viewpoints and evidence-based approaches for the development of best possible practice of services in public health laboratories.

Chemistry, Poetry, and Artistic Illustration: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching and Promoting Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furlan, Ping Y.; Kitson, Herbert; Andes, Cynthia

2007-10-01

This article describes a successful interdisciplinary collaboration among chemistry, humanities and English faculty members, who utilized poetry and artistic illustration to help students learn, appreciate, and enjoy chemistry. Students taking general chemistry classes were introduced to poetry writing and museum-type poster preparation during one class period. They were then encouraged to use their imagination and creativity to brainstorm and write chemistry poems or humors on the concepts and principles covered in the chemistry classes and artistically illustrate their original work on posters. The project, 2 3 months in length, was perceived by students as effective at helping them learn chemistry and express their understanding in a fun, personal, and creative way. The instructors found students listened to the directives because many posters were witty, clever, and eye-catching. They showed fresh use of language and revealed a good understanding of chemistry. The top posters were created by a mix of A-, B-, and C-level students. The fine art work, coupled with poetry, helped chemistry come alive on campus, providing an aesthetic presentation of materials that engaged the general viewer.

Pharmacist perceptions of new competency standards

PubMed Central

Maitreemit, Pagamas; Pongcharoensuk, Petcharat; Kapol, Nattiya; Armstrong, Edward P.

2008-01-01

Objective To suggest revisions to the Thai pharmacy competency standards and determine the perceptions of Thai pharmacy practitioners and faculty about the proposed pharmacy competency standards. Methods The current competency standards were revised by brainstorming session with nine Thai pharmacy experts according to their perceptions of society’s pharmacy needs. The revised standards were proposed and validated by 574 pharmacy practitioners and faculty members by using a written questionnaire. The respondents were classified based on their practice setting. Results The revision of pharmacy competency standard proposed the integration and addition to current competencies. Of 830 distributed questionnaires, 574 completed questionnaires were received (69.2% response rate). The proposed new competency standards contained 7 domains and 46 competencies. The majority of the respondents were supportive of all 46 proposed competencies. The highest ranked domain was Domain 1 (Practice Pharmacy within Laws, Professional Standards, and Ethics). The second and third highest expectations of pharmacy graduates were Domain 4 (Provide pharmaceutical care) and Domain 3 (Communicate and disseminate knowledge effectively). Conclusion The expectation for pharmacy graduates’ competencies were high and respondents encouraged additional growth in multidisciplinary efforts to improve patient care. PMID:25177401

Children as codesigners of new technologies: valuing the imagination to transform what is possible.

PubMed

Druin, Allison

2010-01-01

The technological complexity and richness of a child's environment today is far beyond what any adults today experienced when they were growing up. For example, no adult today knows what it is like to be a four-year-old using his or her first iPhone app or Webkinz account. Therefore, we seek ways to understand what children need in today's new technologies even without ourselves being children. Since 1999, young people ages seven to eleven have been the author's partners in codesigning new educational technologies at the University of Maryland's Human-Computer Interaction Lab. This work has helped inform who children are--what matters to them, what technologies need to be changed, and what needs to be built for the future. This work uses cooperative inquiry, a set of codesign methods that can enable adults and children to share their ideas while minimizing the differences in age and communication styles. This article describes low-tech methods for brainstorming, offering feedback, and supporting creative change in technology prototype designs. Examples of technologies are discussed and insights from children shared.

2009 Gordon Research Conference, Applied and Environmental Microbiology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dubilier, Nicole

The topic of the 2009 Gordon Conference on Applied and Environmental Microbiology is: From Single Cells to the Environment. The Conference will present and discuss cutting-edge research on applied and environmental microbiology with a focus on understanding interactions between microorganisms and the environment at levels ranging from single cells to complex communities. The Conference will feature a wide range of topics such as single cell techniques (including genomics, imaging, and NanoSIMS), microbial diversity at scales ranging from clonal to global, environmental 'meta-omics', biodegradation and bioremediation, metal - microbe interactions, animal microbiomes and symbioses. The Conference will bring together investigators whomore » are at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. Some poster presenters will be selected for short talks. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with extensive discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an ideal setting for scientists from different disciplines to exchange ideas, brainstorm and discuss cross-disciplinary collaborations.« less

International Conference on Metalorganic Vapor Chase Epitaxy (ICMOVPE) XVIII

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dupuis, Russell D.

The ICMOVPE-XVIII conference created meaningful opportunities for intellectual challenge, networking opportunities, and intellectual stimulation for graduate students, Post-Doctoral Fellows and all attendees. This technical and social program further provided many opportunities for communication, brainstorming, and transfer of information as well as the development of collaborations across many institutions and companies. We had a significant number of members of underrepresented groups in STEM attending this conference. We also are publishing the proceedings of this conference with the Journal of Crystal Growth, a journal which receives wide electronic distribution in many academic institutions world-wide, making the technical information presented at ICMOVPE-XVIII havemore » a much broader impact than would otherwise be possible. ICMOVPE XVIII had a total of 216 presentations and of these; there were 70 Student oral or poster presentations. The funds we obtained for student support from the Department of Energy were distributed among the registered students and Post Docs to supplement the full cost of registration of $1,100 each for regular registration to the reduced rate of at $850 each for graduate students and Post Docs.« less

Lessons from Practice: Designing Tools to Facilitate Individualized Support for Quitting Smoking

PubMed Central

Bhattacharya, Arpita; Vilardaga, Roger; Kientz, Julie A.; Munson, Sean A.

2017-01-01

Many health care providers, with a variety of trainings, counsel clients on quitting smoking on a day-to-day basis. In their clinical practice, they draw from and adapt guidelines and research-based strategies to fit individual client situations and challenges. Designers of technologies to support quitting smoking can learn from these real world practices to create tools that better adapt to individual differences. We present findings from interviews with 28 providers with diverse experiences in smoking cessation counselling. Through analysis of their individualization strategies, challenges, and perceptions of technology, we find that providers: (1) individualize context appropriate coping strategies by involving clients in brainstorming, (2) emphasize the need to support nicotine withdrawal in clients, (3) mitigate social triggers and mediate social support for clients, and (4) need to navigate dependencies with other providers for managing medications and comorbid health conditions of clients. With this empirical understanding, we extend the discussion on the design of technology to support quitting smoking, highlight current barriers to individualization, and suggest future opportunities to address these barriers. PMID:29123362

Translation to success of surgical innovation.

PubMed

Vecht, Joshua A; von Segesser, Ludwig Karl; Ashrafian, Hutan; Rao, Christopher; Skapinakis, Petros; Saso, Srdjan; Darzi, Ara; Athanasiou, Thanos

2010-03-01

Contemporary thoracic and cardiovascular surgery uses extensive equipment and devices to enable its performance. As the specialties develop and new frontiers are crossed, the technology needs to advance in a parallel fashion. Strokes of genius or problem-solving brain-storming may generate great ideas, but the metamorphosis of an idea into a physical functioning tool requires a lot more than just a thinking process. A modern surgical device is the end-point of a sophisticated, complicated and potentially treacherous route, which incorporates new skills and knowledge acquisition. Processes including technology transfer, commercialisation, corporate and product development, intellectual property and regulatory routes all play pivotal roles in this voyage. Many good ideas may fall by the wayside for a multitude of reasons as they may not be marketable or may be badly marketed. In this article, we attempt to illuminate the components required in the process of surgical innovation, which we believe must remain in the remit of the modern-day thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon. Copyright (c) 2009 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the utilization of engineering knowledge in design optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Papalambros, P.

1984-01-01

Some current research work conducted at the University of Michigan is described to illustrate efforts for incorporating knowledge in optimization in a nontraditional way. The incorporation of available knowledge in a logic structure is examined in two circumstances. The first examines the possibility of introducing global design information in a local active set strategy implemented during the iterations of projection-type algorithms for nonlinearly constrained problems. The technique used algorithms for nonlinearly constrained problems. The technique used combines global and local monotinicity analysis of the objective and constraint functions. The second examines a knowledge-based program which aids the user to create condigurations that are most desirable from the manufacturing assembly viewpoint. The data bank used is the classification scheme suggested by Boothroyd. The important aspect of this program is that it is an aid for synthesis intended for use in the design concept phase in a way similar to the so-called idea-triggers in creativity-enhancement techniques like brain-storming. The idea generation, however, is not random but it is driven by the goal of achieving the best acceptable configuration.

The Effect Of Sex Education And Life Skills For Preventive Sexual Risk Behaviours Among University Of Students In Thailand.

PubMed

Seangpraw, Katekaew; Somrongthong, Rattana; Choowanthanapakorn, Monchanok; Kumar, Ramesh

2017-01-01

Currently, the problem of sexual risk behaviour of adolescents has increased worldwide, including Thailand. This study compared the effectiveness of promoting life skills to prevent sexual risk behaviours among university students in the Phayao Province of Thailand. A quasi-experimental design was employed with a pre- and post-test study for a sample of freshmen university students. The students were then split into an intervention group comprised of 300 students, with a second group of 250 students from the same faculty as the control group. The intervention group participated in the integrated life skills model for preventing sexual risk behaviours and participatory learning. The educational activities included; lectures, brainstorming, group discussion, roleplaying, game simulations and naming experiences through six weekly life skills training sessions of 90 minutes each. Data were collected by self-questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-testing. Three different time periods were examined using ANOVA repeated measures analysis of variance. Compared between the intervention and control groups determined that implementation of increased knowledge and improved life skills was statistically significant (p<0.001) in the intervention group. The intervention group also showed significantly improved communication skills and behavioural preventive measures towards sexual risk than the control group (p<0.001). The life skills model also effectively reduced the sexual risk behaviours of students at the university. Therefore, this program was beneficial for the development of strategies to increase self-efficacy and it should be integrated into the universities' curriculum. In the long-term sexual risk behaviour changes must be monitored for programme sustainability.

Facilitating the Timely Discharge of Well Newborns by Using Quality Improvement Methods.

PubMed

Rochester, Nicole T; Banach, Laurie P; Hoffner, Wendy; Zeltser, Deena; Lewis, Phyllis; Seelbach, Elizabeth; Cuzzi, Sandra

2018-05-01

Discharges are a key driver of hospital throughput. Our pediatric hospitalist team sought to improve newborn nursery throughput by increasing the percentage of newborns on our service with a discharge order by 11 am. We hypothesized that implementing a discharge checklist would result in earlier discharge times for newborns who met discharge criteria. We identified barriers to timely discharge through focus groups with key stakeholders, chart reviews, and brainstorming sessions. We subsequently created and implemented a discharge checklist to identify and address barriers before daily rounds. We tracked mean monthly discharge order times. Finally, we performed chart reviews to determine causes for significantly delayed discharge orders and used this information to modify rounding practices during a second plan-do-study-act cycle. During the 2-year period before the intervention, 24% of 3224 newborns had a discharge order entered by 11 am. In the 20 months after the intervention, 39% of 2739 newborns had a discharge order by 11 am, a 63% increase compared with the baseline. Observation for group B Streptococcus exposure was the most frequent reason for a late discharge order. There are many factors that affect the timely discharge of well newborns. The development and implementation of a discharge checklist improved our ability to discharge newborns on our pediatric hospitalist service by 11 am. Future studies to identify nonphysician barriers to timely newborn discharges may lead to further improvements in throughput between the labor and delivery and maternity suites units. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Are residents of downtown Toronto influenced by their urban neighbourhoods? Using concept mapping to examine neighbourhood characteristics and their perceived impact on self-rated mental well-being

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background There is ample evidence that residential neighbourhoods can influence mental well-being (MWB), with most studies relying on census or similar data to characterize communities. Few studies have actively investigated local residents’ perceptions. Methods Concept mapping was conducted with residents from five Toronto neighbourhoods representing low income and non-low income socio-economic groups. These residents participated in small groups and attended two sessions per neighbourhood. The first session (brainstorming) generated neighbourhood characteristics that residents felt influenced their MWB. A few weeks later, participants returned to sort these neighbourhood characteristics and rate their relative importance in affecting residents’ ‘good’ and ‘poor’ MWB. The data from the sorting and rating groups were analyzed to generate conceptual maps of neighbourhood characteristics that influence MWB. Results While agreement existed on factors influencing poor MWB (regardless of neighbourhood, income, gender and age), perceptions related to factors affecting good MWB were more varied. For example, women were more likely to rank physical beauty of their neighbourhood and range of services available as more important to good MWB, while men were more likely to cite free access to computers/internet and neighbourhood reputation as important. Low-income residents emphasized aesthetic attributes and public transportation as important to good MWB, while non-low-income residents rated crime, negative neighbourhood environment and social concerns as more important contributors to good MWB. Conclusion These findings contribute to the emerging literature on neighbourhoods and MWB, and inform urban planning in a Canadian context. PMID:22862839

A comparison of policy and direct practice stakeholder perceptions of factors affecting evidence-based practice implementation using concept mapping

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The goal of this study was to assess potential differences between administrators/policymakers and those involved in direct practice regarding factors believed to be barriers or facilitating factors to evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation in a large public mental health service system in the United States. Methods Participants included mental health system county officials, agency directors, program managers, clinical staff, administrative staff, and consumers. As part of concept mapping procedures, brainstorming groups were conducted with each target group to identify specific factors believed to be barriers or facilitating factors to EBP implementation in a large public mental health system. Statements were sorted by similarity and rated by each participant in regard to their perceived importance and changeability. Multidimensional scaling, cluster analysis, descriptive statistics and t-tests were used to analyze the data. Results A total of 105 statements were distilled into 14 clusters using concept-mapping procedures. Perceptions of importance of factors affecting EBP implementation varied between the two groups, with those involved in direct practice assigning significantly higher ratings to the importance of Clinical Perceptions and the impact of EBP implementation on clinical practice. Consistent with previous studies, financial concerns (costs, funding) were rated among the most important and least likely to change by both groups. Conclusions EBP implementation is a complex process, and different stakeholders may hold different opinions regarding the relative importance of the impact of EBP implementation. Implementation efforts must include input from stakeholders at multiple levels to bring divergent and convergent perspectives to light. PMID:21899754

A comparison of policy and direct practice stakeholder perceptions of factors affecting evidence-based practice implementation using concept mapping.

PubMed

Green, Amy E; Aarons, Gregory A

2011-09-07

The goal of this study was to assess potential differences between administrators/policymakers and those involved in direct practice regarding factors believed to be barriers or facilitating factors to evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation in a large public mental health service system in the United States. Participants included mental health system county officials, agency directors, program managers, clinical staff, administrative staff, and consumers. As part of concept mapping procedures, brainstorming groups were conducted with each target group to identify specific factors believed to be barriers or facilitating factors to EBP implementation in a large public mental health system. Statements were sorted by similarity and rated by each participant in regard to their perceived importance and changeability. Multidimensional scaling, cluster analysis, descriptive statistics and t-tests were used to analyze the data. A total of 105 statements were distilled into 14 clusters using concept-mapping procedures. Perceptions of importance of factors affecting EBP implementation varied between the two groups, with those involved in direct practice assigning significantly higher ratings to the importance of Clinical Perceptions and the impact of EBP implementation on clinical practice. Consistent with previous studies, financial concerns (costs, funding) were rated among the most important and least likely to change by both groups. EBP implementation is a complex process, and different stakeholders may hold different opinions regarding the relative importance of the impact of EBP implementation. Implementation efforts must include input from stakeholders at multiple levels to bring divergent and convergent perspectives to light.

Using Citizen Scientists to Gather, Analyze, and Disseminate Information About Neighborhood Features That Affect Active Living.

PubMed

Winter, Sandra J; Goldman Rosas, Lisa; Padilla Romero, Priscilla; Sheats, Jylana L; Buman, Matthew P; Baker, Cathleen; King, Abby C

2016-10-01

Many Latinos are insufficiently active, partly due to neighborhoods with little environmental support for physical activity. Multi-level approaches are needed to create health-promoting neighborhoods in disadvantaged communities. Participant "citizen scientists" were adolescent (n = 10, mean age = 12.8 ± 0.6 years) and older adult (n = 10, mean age = 71.3 ± 6.5 years), low income Latinos in North Fair Oaks, California. Citizen scientists conducted environmental assessments to document perceived barriers to active living using the Stanford Healthy Neighborhood Discovery Tool, which records GPS-tracked walking routes, photographs, audio narratives, and survey responses. Using a community-engaged approach, citizen scientists subsequently attended a community meeting to engage in advocacy training, review assessment data, prioritize issues to address and brainstorm potential solutions and partners. Citizen scientists each conducted a neighborhood environmental assessment and recorded 366 photographs and audio narratives. Adolescents (n = 4), older adults (n = 7) and community members (n = 4) collectively identified reducing trash and improving personal safety and sidewalk quality as the priority issues to address. Three adolescent and four older adult citizen scientists volunteered to present study findings to key stakeholders. This study demonstrated that with minimal training, low-income, Latino adolescent and older adult citizen scientists can: (1) use innovative technology to gather information about features of their neighborhood environment that influence active living, (2) analyze their information and identify potential solutions, and (3) engage with stakeholders to advocate for the development of healthier neighborhoods.

Innovation Network Development Model in Telemedicine: A Change in Participation.

PubMed

Goodarzi, Maryam; Torabi, Mashallah; Safdari, Reza; Dargahi, Hossein; Naeimi, Sara

2015-10-01

This paper introduces a telemedicine innovation network and reports its implementation in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The required conditions for the development of future projects in the field of telemedicine are also discussed; such projects should be based on the common needs and opportunities in the areas of healthcare, education, and technology. The development of the telemedicine innovation network in Tehran University of Medical Sciences was carried out in two phases: identifying the beneficiaries of telemedicine, and codification of the innovation network memorandum; and brainstorming of three workgroup members, and completion and clustering ideas. The present study employed a qualitative survey by using brain storming method. Thus, the ideas of the innovation network members were gathered, and by using Freeplane software, all of them were clustered and innovation projects were defined. In the services workgroup, 87 and 25 ideas were confirmed in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively. In the education workgroup, 8 new programs in the areas of telemedicine, tele-education and teleconsultation were codified. In the technology workgroup, 101 and 11 ideas were registered in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively. Today, innovation is considered a major infrastructural element of any change or progress. Thus, the successful implementation of a telemedicine project not only needs funding, human resources, and full equipment. It also requires the use of innovation models to cover several different aspects of change and progress. The results of the study can provide a basis for the implementation of future telemedicine projects using new participatory, creative, and innovative models.

Innovation Network Development Model in Telemedicine: A Change in Participation

PubMed Central

Goodarzi, Maryam; Safdari, Reza; Dargahi, Hossein; Naeimi, Sara

2015-01-01

Objectives This paper introduces a telemedicine innovation network and reports its implementation in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The required conditions for the development of future projects in the field of telemedicine are also discussed; such projects should be based on the common needs and opportunities in the areas of healthcare, education, and technology. Methods The development of the telemedicine innovation network in Tehran University of Medical Sciences was carried out in two phases: identifying the beneficiaries of telemedicine, and codification of the innovation network memorandum; and brainstorming of three workgroup members, and completion and clustering ideas. The present study employed a qualitative survey by using brain storming method. Thus, the ideas of the innovation network members were gathered, and by using Freeplane software, all of them were clustered and innovation projects were defined. Results In the services workgroup, 87 and 25 ideas were confirmed in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively. In the education workgroup, 8 new programs in the areas of telemedicine, tele-education and teleconsultation were codified. In the technology workgroup, 101 and 11 ideas were registered in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively. Conclusions Today, innovation is considered a major infrastructural element of any change or progress. Thus, the successful implementation of a telemedicine project not only needs funding, human resources, and full equipment. It also requires the use of innovation models to cover several different aspects of change and progress. The results of the study can provide a basis for the implementation of future telemedicine projects using new participatory, creative, and innovative models. PMID:26618033

Using Citizen Scientists to Gather, Analyze, and Disseminate Information about Neighborhood Features that Affect Active Living

PubMed Central

Winter, Sandra J; Rosas, Lisa Goldman; Romero, Priscilla Padilla; Sheats, Jylana L; Buman, Matthew P; Baker, Cathleen; King, Abby C

2015-01-01

Background Many Latinos are insufficiently active, partly due to neighborhoods with little environmental support for physical activity. Multi-level approaches are needed to create health-promoting neighborhoods in disadvantaged communities. Methods Participant “citizen scientists” were adolescent (n=10, mean age=12.8±0.6 years) and older adult (n=10, mean age=71.3±6.5 years), low income Latinos in North Fair Oaks, California. Citizen scientists conducted environmental assessments to document perceived barriers to active living using the Stanford Healthy Neighborhood Discovery Tool, which records GPS-tracked walking routes, photographs, audio narratives, and survey responses. Using a community-engaged approach, citizen scientists subsequently attended a community meeting to engage in advocacy training, review assessment data, prioritize issues to address and brainstorm potential solutions and partners. Results Citizen scientists each conducted a neighborhood environmental assessment and recorded 366 photographs and audio narratives. Adolescents (n=4), older adults (n=7) and community members (n=4) collectively identified reducing trash and improving personal safety and sidewalk quality as the priority issues to address. Three adolescent and four older adult citizen scientists volunteered to present study findings to key stakeholders. Conclusions This study demonstrated that with minimal training, low-income, Latino adolescent and older adult citizen scientists can: 1) use innovative technology to gather information about features of their neighborhood environment that influence active living, 2) analyze their information and identify potential solutions, and 3) engage with stakeholders to advocate for the development of healthier neighborhoods. PMID:26184398

Are residents of downtown Toronto influenced by their urban neighbourhoods? Using concept mapping to examine neighbourhood characteristics and their perceived impact on self-rated mental well-being.

PubMed

Sheppard, Amanda J; Salmon, Christina; Balasubramaniam, Priya; Parsons, Janet; Singh, Gita; Jabbar, Amina; Zaidi, Qamar; Scott, Allison; Nisenbaum, Rosane; Dunn, Jim; Ramsay, Jason; Haque, Nasim; O'Campo, Patricia

2012-08-03

There is ample evidence that residential neighbourhoods can influence mental well-being (MWB), with most studies relying on census or similar data to characterize communities. Few studies have actively investigated local residents' perceptions. Concept mapping was conducted with residents from five Toronto neighbourhoods representing low income and non-low income socio-economic groups. These residents participated in small groups and attended two sessions per neighbourhood. The first session (brainstorming) generated neighbourhood characteristics that residents felt influenced their MWB. A few weeks later, participants returned to sort these neighbourhood characteristics and rate their relative importance in affecting residents' 'good' and 'poor' MWB. The data from the sorting and rating groups were analyzed to generate conceptual maps of neighbourhood characteristics that influence MWB. While agreement existed on factors influencing poor MWB (regardless of neighbourhood, income, gender and age), perceptions related to factors affecting good MWB were more varied. For example, women were more likely to rank physical beauty of their neighbourhood and range of services available as more important to good MWB, while men were more likely to cite free access to computers/internet and neighbourhood reputation as important. Low-income residents emphasized aesthetic attributes and public transportation as important to good MWB, while non-low-income residents rated crime, negative neighbourhood environment and social concerns as more important contributors to good MWB. These findings contribute to the emerging literature on neighbourhoods and MWB, and inform urban planning in a Canadian context.

Indicators to facilitate the early identification of patients with major depressive disorder in need of highly specialized care: A concept mapping study.

PubMed

van Krugten, F C W; Goorden, M; van Balkom, A J L M; Spijker, J; Brouwer, W B F; Hakkaart-van Roijen, L

2018-04-01

Early identification of the subgroup of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in need of highly specialized care could enhance personalized intervention. This, in turn, may reduce the number of treatment steps needed to achieve and sustain an adequate treatment response. The aim of this study was to identify patient-related indicators that could facilitate the early identification of the subgroup of patients with MDD in need of highly specialized care. Initial patient indicators were derived from a systematic review. Subsequently, a structured conceptualization methodology known as concept mapping was employed to complement the initial list of indicators by clinical expertise and develop a consensus-based conceptual framework. Subject-matter experts were invited to participate in the subsequent steps (brainstorming, sorting, and rating) of the concept mapping process. A final concept map solution was generated using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and agglomerative hierarchical cluster analyses. In total, 67 subject-matter experts participated in the concept mapping process. The final concept map revealed the following 10 major clusters of indicators: 1-depression severity, 2-onset and (treatment) course, 3-comorbid personality disorder, 4-comorbid substance use disorder, 5-other psychiatric comorbidity, 6-somatic comorbidity, 7-maladaptive coping, 8-childhood trauma, 9-social factors, and 10-psychosocial dysfunction. The study findings highlight the need for a comprehensive assessment of patient indicators in determining the need for highly specialized care, and suggest that the treatment allocation of patients with MDD to highly specialized mental healthcare settings should be guided by the assessment of clinical and nonclinical patient factors. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Healthcare waste management: an interpretive structural modeling approach.

PubMed

Thakur, Vikas; Anbanandam, Ramesh

2016-06-13

Purpose - The World Health Organization identified infectious healthcare waste as a threat to the environment and human health. India's current medical waste management system has limitations, which lead to ineffective and inefficient waste handling practices. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to: first, identify the important barriers that hinder India's healthcare waste management (HCWM) systems; second, classify operational, tactical and strategical issues to discuss the managerial implications at different management levels; and third, define all barriers into four quadrants depending upon their driving and dependence power. Design/methodology/approach - India's HCWM system barriers were identified through the literature, field surveys and brainstorming sessions. Interrelationships among all the barriers were analyzed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM). Fuzzy-Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée á un Classement (MICMAC) analysis was used to classify HCWM barriers into four groups. Findings - In total, 25 HCWM system barriers were identified and placed in 12 different ISM model hierarchy levels. Fuzzy-MICMAC analysis placed eight barriers in the second quadrant, five in third and 12 in fourth quadrant to define their relative ISM model importance. Research limitations/implications - The study's main limitation is that all the barriers were identified through a field survey and barnstorming sessions conducted only in Uttarakhand, Northern State, India. The problems in implementing HCWM practices may differ with the region, hence, the current study needs to be replicated in different Indian states to define the waste disposal strategies for hospitals. Practical implications - The model will help hospital managers and Pollution Control Boards, to plan their resources accordingly and make policies, targeting key performance areas. Originality/value - The study is the first attempt to identify India's HCWM system barriers and prioritize them.

Mapping tobacco industry strategies in South East Asia for action planning and surveillance

PubMed Central

Stillman, F; Hoang, M; Linton, R; Ritthiphakdee, B; Trochim, W

2008-01-01

Objective: To develop a comprehensive conceptual framework of tobacco industry tactics in four countries in South East Asia for the purpose of: (1) generating consensus on key areas of importance and feasibility for regional and cross country tobacco industry monitoring and surveillance; (2) developing measures to track and monitor the effects of the tobacco industry and to design counterstrategies; and (3) building capacity to improve tobacco control planning in the participating countries. Design: A structured conceptualisation methodology known as concept mapping was used. The process included brainstorming, sorting and rating of statements describing industry activities. Statistical analyses used multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Interpretation of the maps was participatory, using regional tobacco control researchers, practitioners, and policy makers during a face to face meeting. Participants: 31 participants in this study come from the four countries represented in the project along with six people from the Johns Hopkins Blomberg School of Public Health. Conclusions: The map shows eight clusters of industry activities within the four countries. These were arranged into four general sectors: economics, politics, public relations and deception. For project design purposes, the map indicates areas of importance and feasibility for monitoring tobacco industry activities and serves as a basis for an initial discussion about action planning. Furthermore, the development of the map used a consensus building process across different stakeholders or stakeholder agencies and is critical when developing regional, cross border strategies for tracking and surveillance. PMID:18218787

Model for Developing Educational Research Productivity: The Medical Education Research Group.

PubMed

Perry, Marcia; Hopson, Laura; House, Joseph B; Fischer, Jonathan P; Dooley-Hash, Suzanne; Hauff, Samantha; Wolff, Margaret S; Sozener, Cemal; Nypaver, Michele; Moll, Joel; Losman, Eve D; Carney, Michele; Santen, Sally A

2015-11-01

Education research and scholarship are essential for promotion of faculty as well as dissemination of new educational practices. Educational faculty frequently spend the majority of their time on administrative and educational commitments and as a result educators often fall behind on scholarship and research. The objective of this educational advance is to promote scholarly productivity as a template for others to follow. We formed the Medical Education Research Group (MERG) of education leaders from our emergency medicine residency, fellowship, and clerkship programs, as well as residents with a focus on education. First, we incorporated scholarship into the required activities of our education missions by evaluating the impact of programmatic changes and then submitting the curricula or process as peer-reviewed work. Second, we worked as a team, sharing projects that led to improved motivation, accountability, and work completion. Third, our monthly meetings served as brainstorming sessions for new projects, research skill building, and tracking work completion. Lastly, we incorporated a work-study graduate student to assist with basic but time-consuming tasks of completing manuscripts. The MERG group has been highly productive, achieving the following scholarship over a three-year period: 102 abstract presentations, 46 journal article publications, 13 MedEd Portal publications, 35 national didactic presentations and five faculty promotions to the next academic level. An intentional focus on scholarship has led to a collaborative group of educators successfully improving their scholarship through team productivity, which ultimately leads to faculty promotions and dissemination of innovations in education.

Value of Collaboration With Standardized Patients and Patient Facilitators in Enhancing Reflection During the Process of Building a Simulation.

PubMed

Stanley, Claire; Lindsay, Sally; Parker, Kathryn; Kawamura, Anne; Samad Zubairi, Mohammad

2018-05-09

We previously reported that experienced clinicians find the process of collectively building and participating in simulations provide (1) a unique reflective opportunity; (2) a venue to identify different perspectives through discussion and action in a group; and (3) a safe environment for learning. No studies have assessed the value of collaborating with standardized patients (SPs) and patient facilitators (PFs) in the process. In this work, we describe this collaboration in building a simulation and the key elements that facilitate reflection. Three simulation scenarios surrounding communication were built by teams of clinicians, a PF, and SPs. Six build sessions were audio recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed through an iterative process to (1) describe the steps of building a simulation scenario and (2) identify the key elements involved in the collaboration. The five main steps to build a simulation scenario were (1) storytelling and reflection; (2) defining objectives and brainstorming ideas; (3) building a stem and creating a template; (4) refining the scenario with feedback from SPs; and (5) mock run-throughs with follow-up discussion. During these steps, the PF shared personal insights, challenging participants to reflect deeper to better understand and consider the patient's perspective. The SPs provided unique outside perspective to the group. In addition, the interaction between the SPs and the PF helped refine character roles. A collaborative approach incorporating feedback from PFs and SPs to create a simulation scenario is a valuable method to enhance reflective practice for clinicians.

Prohibiting physicians' dual practice in Iran: Policy options for implementation.

PubMed

Bazyar, Mohammad; Rashidian, Arash; Jahanmehr, Nader; Behzadi, Faranak; Moghri, Javad; Doshmangir, Leila

2018-04-23

In Iran, based on the recent national policy documents, physician dual practice (PDP) has been prohibited. This study aimed to develop policy options (POs) to implement physicians' dual practice prohibition law in Iran. International evidence published in English and local documents published in Persian about PDP analyzed and results (advantages, disadvantages, challenges and requirements to ban PDP, and applied policies to limit the dual practice) were extracted. Results discussed among the research team in 5 rounds of meetings. In each meeting, any possible PO to limit PDP in Iran was proposed based on brainstorming technique and 12 POs were developed. These 12 POs and their advantages and disadvantages were discussed in a focus group discussion attended by 14 informed policy makers, and 3 additional POs were added. Fifteen POs were developed. Each PO has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is worth to highlight that not only are the proposed POs not mutually exclusive but they are also mutually reinforcing; that is, each of these POs can be applied alone or they can be implemented alongside each other simultaneously. No single optimal PO exists for dealing with the dual practice in Iranian health system. Implementing a mix of POs could reduce possible complications of each PO and increase the chance of successful implementation of the law. It is advisable to follow a conservative and incremental approach and start with POs that will cause less resistance and political challenges. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Training in dissemination and implementation research: a field-wide perspective.

PubMed

Proctor, Enola K; Chambers, David A

2017-09-01

We report outcomes of an NIH-convened meeting on training for dissemination and implementation (D&I) research, focused on accelerating translation of research to healthcare practice. Participants included leaders of current trainings, center directors, and those trained in existing programs. Given the large proportion of D&I research focused on cancer control, mental health, and substance abuse, participants overwhelmingly reflected the experiences and challenges of gaining capacity in behavioral health-related D&I research. The 2-day meeting required participants to draw upon their experiences to help build a field-wide perspective for D&I research training, identify resources needed to support this perspective, and brainstorm gaps in training that needed to be filled. Questions were sent to participants in advance, and responses were synthesized and presented to discuss during the meeting. A preliminary "field-wide" perspective emerged, spanning multiple disciplines, training models, and career levels. Current programs face high demand, need for continued evolution to reflect field advances, and sustainability challenges. Current gaps include implementation practice and predoctoral training. Federal funding is key to D&I research training, be it through grants or agency-led training programs, in order to span and address specialized disease and disorder foci and career tracks.

Life after Stroke in an Urban Minority Population: A Photovoice Project.

PubMed

Balakrishnan, Revathi; Kaplan, Benjamin; Negron, Rennie; Fei, Kezhen; Goldfinger, Judith Z; Horowitz, Carol R

2017-03-11

Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the United States and disproportionately affects minority populations. We sought to explore the quality of life in urban, minority stroke survivors through their own photos and narratives. Using the Photovoice method, seventeen stroke survivors were instructed to take pictures reflecting their experience living with and recovering from stroke. Key photographs were discussed in detail; participants brainstormed ways to improve their lives and presented their work in clinical and community sites. Group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and coded transcripts were reviewed with written narratives to identify themes. Participants conveyed recovery from stroke in three stages: learning to navigate the initial physical and emotional impact of the stroke; coping with newfound physical and emotional barriers; and long-term adaptation to physical impairment and/or chronic disease. Participants navigated this stage-based model to varying degrees of success and identified barriers and facilitators to this process. Barriers included limited access for disabled and limited healthy food choices unique to the urban setting; facilitators included presence of social support and community engagement. Using Photovoice, diverse stroke survivors were able to identify common challenges in adapting to life after stroke and important factors for recovery of quality of life.

Space Station Workstation Technology Workshop Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moe, K. L.; Emerson, C. M.; Eike, D. R.; Malone, T. B.

1985-01-01

This report describes the results of a workshop conducted at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to identify current and anticipated trends in human-computer interface technology that may influence the design or operation of a space station workstation. The workshop was attended by approximately 40 persons from government and academia who were selected for their expertise in some aspect of human-machine interaction research. The focus of the workshop was a 1 1/2 brainstorming/forecasting session in which the attendees were assigned to interdisciplinary working groups and instructed to develop predictions for each of the following technology areas: (1) user interface, (2) resource management, (3) control language, (4) data base systems, (5) automatic software development, (6) communications, (7) training, and (8) simulation. This report is significant in that it provides a unique perspective on workstation design for the space station. This perspective, which is characterized by a major emphasis on user requirements, should be most valuable to Phase B contractors involved in design development of the space station workstation. One of the more compelling results of the workshop is the recognition that no major technological breakthroughs are required to implement the current workstation concept. What is required is the creative application of existing knowledge and technology.

IYA 2009 in Second Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauthier, Adrienne J.; Gay, P. L.; New Media Working Group

2008-05-01

The New Media Group is working to create an IYA 2009 presence in the 3-dimensional multi-user virtual world called Second Life (SL). Current installations, development plans, and collaboration initiatives will be discussed. The first wave of development will bring real-life (RL) IYA 2009 events and exhibits to the residents of Second Life. Informational kiosks with IYA 2009 freebie avatar clothing will be placed in a variety of science-related places and other high traffic locations in SL. The IYA 2009 cornerstone project "From Earth to the Universe” is planned to be a portable exhibit in SL that can reside in temporary locations and be unveiled for special events. Interactive exhibits for "Years of Astronomy Timeline", "Galileo's Telescope", and "Dark Sky Awareness” will also be under design. Live events such as public lectures, coffee talks, and a web-streamed opening ceremonies SL party are also in the works. These are our ideas, now we want yours! Our ultimate plan is to bring together all those nationally and internationally interested in brainstorming, creating, and developing content, exhibits, and activities in Second Life for IYA 2009. Sharing resources, sponsorship, and land space will help us all succeed in bringing astronomy to the public in 2009 and beyond.

IYA2009 in Second Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauthier, A.; Gay, P. L.

2008-11-01

The New Media Group is working to create an IYA2009 presence in the 3-dimensional multi-user virtual world called Second Life (SL). Current installations, development plans, and collaboration initiatives will be discussed. The first wave of development will bring real-life (RL) IYA2009 events and exhibits to the residents of Second Life. Informational kiosks with IYA2009 freebie avatar clothing will be placed in a variety of science-related places and other high traffic locations in SL. The IYA 2009 cornerstone project ``From Earth to the Universe'' is planned to be a portable exhibit in SL that can reside in temporary locations and be unveiled for special events. Interactive exhibits for ``400 Years of Astronomy Timeline,'' ``Galileo's Telescope,'' and ``Dark Sky Awareness'' will also be under design. Live events such as public lectures, coffee talks, and a web-streamed opening ceremonies SL party are also in the works. Our ultimate plan is to bring together all those interested in brainstorming, creating, and developing content, exhibits, and activities in Second Life for IYA2009. Sharing resources, sponsorship, and land space will help us all succeed in bringing astronomy to the public in 2009 and beyond.

Country watch: Uganda.

PubMed

Namutebi, S K

1996-01-01

During its work in Rakai district, CONCERN recognized that women lack property/inheritance rights, a situation which increases their vulnerability to HIV infection. Widows are being disinherited of all their properties, including their marital homes. Since many of these women lack both education and skills, their survival often depends upon either marrying again or engaging in sex work. Many women are ignorant of their rights under the national law. Lawyers from the Ugandan Women Lawyers Association help women and children understand their rights, but they do not provide continuously available services. CONCERN therefore initiated a program of community-based legal educators (paralegals) selected by village communities and recommended by local leaders. The paralegals must be over age 28 years, respected by the community, able to maintain confidentiality, and have participated in previous HIV/AIDS sensitization work. Selected candidates are subsequently trained by lawyers from a governmental ministry in the basics of the law pertaining to sexual abuse, marriage, inheritance, divorce, domestic violence, children's rights and responsibilities, and the legal system in Uganda, as well as referrals, gender sensitization, and adult education methods. The paralegals now provide awareness seminars in their communities which include brainstorming, role plays, use of picture codes, group discussions, and lectures.

Biomedical device innovation methodology: applications in biophotonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beswick, Daniel M.; Kaushik, Arjun; Beinart, Dylan; McGarry, Sarah; Yew, Ming Khoon; Kennedy, Brendan F.; Maria, Peter Luke Santa

2018-02-01

The process of medical device innovation involves an iterative method that focuses on designing innovative, device-oriented solutions that address unmet clinical needs. This process has been applied to the field of biophotonics with many notable successes. Device innovation begins with identifying an unmet clinical need and evaluating this need through a variety of lenses, including currently existing solutions for the need, stakeholders who are interested in the need, and the market that will support an innovative solution. Only once the clinical need is understood in detail can the invention process begin. The ideation phase often involves multiple levels of brainstorming and prototyping with the aim of addressing technical and clinical questions early and in a cost-efficient manner. Once potential solutions are found, they are tested against a number of known translational factors, including intellectual property, regulatory, and reimbursement landscapes. Only when the solution matches the clinical need, the next phase of building a "to market" strategy should begin. Most aspects of the innovation process can be conducted relatively quickly and without significant capital expense. This white paper focuses on key points of the medical device innovation method and how the field of biophotonics has been applied within this framework to generate clinical and commercial success.

Service Learning In Physics: The Consultant Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerra, David

2005-04-01

Each year thousands of students across the country and across the academic disciplines participate in service learning. Unfortunately, with no clear model for integrating community service into the physics curriculum, there are very few physics students engaged in service learning. To overcome this shortfall, a consultant based service-learning program has been developed and successfully implemented at Saint Anselm College (SAC). As consultants, students in upper level physics courses apply their problem solving skills in the service of others. Most recently, SAC students provided technical and managerial support to a group from Girl's Inc., a national empowerment program for girls in high-risk, underserved areas, who were participating in the national FIRST Lego League Robotics competition. In their role as consultants the SAC students provided technical information through brainstorming sessions and helped the girls stay on task with project management techniques, like milestone charting. This consultant model of service-learning, provides technical support to groups that may not have a great deal of resources and gives physics students a way to improve their interpersonal skills, test their technical expertise, and better define the marketable skill set they are developing through the physics curriculum.

2010 Gordon Research Conference on Correlated Electron Systems: Final Progress Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Basov, Dmitri N.

The 2010 Gordon Conference on Correlated Electron Systems will present cutting-edge research on emergent properties arising from strong electronic correlations. The Conference will feature a wide range of topics, such as the role of topology in condensed matter systems, quantum Hall interferometry and non-Abelian statistics, quantum criticality, metal-insulator transition, quantum effects in conductivity, Dirac quasiparticles, and superconductivity in cuprates and pnictides. In addition, we are reserving two sessions for new developments in this field that may arise in the coming year. The Conference will bring together a collection of investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and willmore » provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. We intend to have talks by established leaders in the field and also by young researchers who have made seminal contributions to various aspects of correlated electron physics, The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an avenue for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented.« less

Future Visions for Scientific Human Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garvin, James

2002-01-01

Human exploration has always played a vital role within NASA, in spite of current perceptions that today it is adrift as a consequence of the resource challenges associated with construction and operation of the International Space Station (ISS). On the basis of the significance of human spaceflight within NASA's overall mission, periodic evaluation of its strategic position has been conducted by various groups, most recently exemplified by the recent Human Exploration and Development of Space Enterprise Strategic Plan. While such reports paint one potential future pathway, they are necessarily constrained by the ground rules and assumptions under which they are developed. An alternate approach, involving a small team of individuals selected as "brainstormers," has been ongoing within NASA for the past two years in an effort to capture a vision of a long-term future for human spaceflight not limited by nearer-term "point design" solutions. This paper describes the guiding principles and concepts developed by this team. It is not intended to represent an implementation plan, but rather one perspective on what could result as human beings extend their range of experience in spaceflight beyond today's beach-head of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).

User testing and stakeholder feedback contributed to the development of understandable and useful Summary of Findings tables for Cochrane reviews.

PubMed

Rosenbaum, Sarah E; Glenton, Claire; Nylund, Hilde Kari; Oxman, Andrew D

2010-06-01

To develop a Summary of Findings (SoF) table for use in Cochrane reviews that is understandable and useful for health professionals, acceptable to Cochrane Collaboration stakeholders, and feasible to implement. We gathered stakeholder feedback on the format and content of an SoF table from an advisory group of more than 50 participants and their constituencies through e-mail consultations. We conducted user tests using a think-aloud protocol method, collecting feedback from 21 health professionals and researchers in Norway and the UK. We analyzed the feedback, defined problem areas, and generated new solutions in brainstorming workshops. Stakeholders were concerned about precision in the data representation and about production feasibility. User testing revealed unexpected comprehension problems, mainly confusion about what the different numbers referred to (class reference). Resolving the tension between achieving table precision and table simplicity became the main focus of the working group. User testing led to a table more useful and understandable for clinical audiences. We arrived at an SoF table that was acceptable to the stakeholders and in principle feasible to implement technically. Some challenges remain, including presenting continuous outcomes and technical/editorial implementation.

Evaluation of the Hanford 200 West Groundwater Treatment System: Fluidized Bed Bioreactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Looney, Brian B.; Jackson, Dennis G.; Dickson, John O.

A fluidized bed reactor (FBR) in the 200W water treatment facility at Hanford is removing nitrate from groundwater as part of the overall pump-treat-reinject process. Control of the FBR bed solids has proven challenging, impacting equipment, increasing operations and maintenance (O&M), and limiting the throughput of the facility. In response to the operational challenges, the Department of Energy Richland Office (DOE-RL) commissioned a technical assistance team to facilitate a system engineering evaluation and provide focused support recommendations to the Hanford Team. The DOE Environmental Management (EM) technical assistance process is structured to identify and triage technologies and strategies that addressmore » the target problem(s). The process encourages brainstorming and dialog and allows rapid identification and prioritization of possible options. Recognizing that continuous operation of a large-scale FBR is complex, requiring careful attention to system monitoring data and changing conditions, the technical assistance process focused on explicit identification of the available control parameters (“knobs”), how these parameters interact and impact the FBR system, and how these can be adjusted under different scenarios to achieve operational goals. The technical assistance triage process was performed in collaboration with the Hanford team.« less

Improving Efficiency Using Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing Methodology.

PubMed

Tibor, Laura C; Schultz, Stacy R; Menaker, Ronald; Weber, Bradley D; Ness, Jay; Smith, Paula; Young, Phillip M

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to increase efficiency in MR enterography using a time-driven activity-based costing methodology. In February 2015, a multidisciplinary team was formed to identify the personnel, equipment, space, and supply costs of providing outpatient MR enterography. The team mapped the current state, completed observations, performed timings, and calculated costs associated with each element of the process. The team used Pareto charts to understand the highest cost and most time-consuming activities, brainstormed opportunities, and assessed impact. Plan-do-study-act cycles were developed to test the changes, and run charts were used to monitor progress. The process changes consisted of revising the workflow associated with the preparation and administration of glucagon, with completed implementation in November 2015. The time-driven activity-based costing methodology allowed the radiology department to develop a process to more accurately identify the costs of providing MR enterography. The primary process modification was reassigning responsibility for the administration of glucagon from nurses to technologists. After implementation, the improvements demonstrated success by reducing non-value-added steps and cost by 13%, staff time by 16%, and patient process time by 17%. The saved process time was used to augment existing examination time slots to more accurately accommodate the entire enterographic examination. Anecdotal comments were captured to validate improved staff satisfaction within the multidisciplinary team. This process provided a successful outcome to address daily workflow frustrations that could not previously be improved. A multidisciplinary team was necessary to achieve success, in addition to the use of a structured problem-solving approach. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A mixed-methods study identifying key intervention targets to improve participation in daily living activities in primary Sjögren's syndrome patients.

PubMed

Hackett, Katie L; Deane, Katherine H O; Newton, Julia L; Deary, Vincent; Bowman, Simon; Rapley, Tim; Ng, Wan-Fai

2018-02-06

Functional ability and participation in life situations are compromised in many primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) patients. This study aims to identify the key barriers and priorities to participation in daily living activities, in order to develop potential future interventions. Group concept mapping (GCM), a semi-quantitative, mixed-methods, approach was used to identify and structure ideas from UK PSS patients, adults living with a PSS patient (AHMs) and health care professionals (HCPs). Brainstorming generated ideas, which were summarised into a final set of statements. Participants individually arranged these statements into themes and rated each statement for importance. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis were applied to sorted and rated data to produce visual representations of the ideas (concept maps), enabling identification of agreed priority areas for interventions. 121 patients, 43 AHMs and 67 HCPs took part. 463 ideas were distilled down to 94 statements. These statements were grouped into seven clusters; 'Patient empowerment', 'Symptoms', 'Wellbeing', 'Access and coordination of healthcare', 'Knowledge and support', 'Public awareness and support' and 'Family and friends'. Patient empowerment and Symptoms were rated as priority conceptual themes. Important statements within priority clusters indicate patients should be taken seriously and supported to self-manage symptoms of oral and ocular dryness, fatigue, pain and poor sleep. Our data highlighted that in addition to managing PSS symptoms; interventions aiming to improve patient empowerment, general wellbeing, access to healthcare, patient education and social support are important to facilitate improved participation in daily living activities. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Development of an instrument to measure patient perception of the quality of nursing care and related hospital services at the national hospital of sri lanka.

PubMed

Senarat, Upul; Gunawardena, Nalika S

2011-06-01

This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to measure patient perception of quality of nursing care and related hospital services in a tertiary care setting. We compiled an instrument with 72 items that patients may perceive as quality of nursing care and related hospital services, following an extensive literature search, discussions with patients and care pro-I viders and a brainstorming session with an expert panel. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. A sample (n = 120) of patients stayed in general surgical or medical units responded to the interviewer administered instrument upon discharge. Item analysis and principal component factor analysis were performed to assess validity, and internal consistency was calculated to measure reliability. Of the 72 items, 18 had greater than 20% of responses as 'not relevant'. A further 11 items were eliminated since item-total correlations were less than .2. Factor analysis was performed on remaining 43 items which resulted in 36 items classifying into eight factors accounting for 71% of the variation. Factor loadings in the final solution after Varimax rotation were interpersonal aspects (.68-.85), efficiency (.62-.79), competency (.66-.68), comfort (.60-.84), physical environment (.65-.82), cleanliness (.81-.85), personalized information (.76-.83), and general instructions (.61-.78). The instrument had high Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .91). We developed a comprehensive, reliable and valid, 36-item instrument that may be used to measure patient perception of quality of nursing care in tertiary care settings. Copyright © 2011 Korean Society of Nursing Science. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of visual impairment on the lives of young adults in the Netherlands: a concept-mapping approach.

PubMed

Elsman, Ellen Bernadette Maria; van Rens, Gerardus Hermanus Maria Bartholomeus; van Nispen, Ruth Marie Antoinette

2017-12-01

While the impact of visual impairments on specific aspects of young adults' lives is well recognised, a systematic understanding of its impact on all life aspects is lacking. This study aims to provide an overview of life aspects affected by visual impairment in young adults (aged 18-25 years) using a concept-mapping approach. Visually impaired young adults (n = 22) and rehabilitation professionals (n = 16) participated in online concept-mapping workshops (brainstorm procedure), to explore how having a visual impairment influences the lives of young adults. Statements were categorised based on similarity and importance. Using multidimensional scaling, concept maps were produced and interpreted. A total of 59 and 260 statements were generated by young adults and professionals, respectively, resulting in 99 individual statements after checking and deduplication. The combined concept map revealed 11 clusters: work, study, information and regulations, social skills, living independently, computer, social relationships, sport and activities, mobility, leisure time, and hobby. The concept maps provided useful insight into activities influenced by visual impairments in young adults, which can be used by rehabilitation centres to improve their services. This might help in goal setting, rehabilitation referral and successful transition to adult life, ultimately increasing participation and quality of life. Implications for rehabilitation Having a visual impairment affects various life-aspects related to participation, including activities related to work, study, social skills and relationships, activities of daily living, leisure time and mobility. Concept-mapping helped to identify the life aspects affected by low vision, and quantify these aspects in terms of importance according to young adults and low vision rehabilitation professionals. Low vision rehabilitation centres should focus on all life aspects found in this study when identifying the needs of young adults, as this might aid goal setting and rehabilitation referral, ultimately leading to more successful transitions, better participation and quality of life.

Information persistence services designed to support home care.

PubMed

Rocha, Nelson Pacheco; Queirós, Alexandra; Augusto, Filipe; Rodríguez, Yosvany Llerena; Cardoso, Carlos; Grade, José Miguel; Quintas, João

2015-03-10

Due to the challenges faced by health and social care systems, in particular those related to actual demographic trends, home care emerges as a potentially cost-effective solution to answer the needs of citizens, and to allow the reallocation of resources to alternatives to hospitalization or institutionalization. Home care services require cooperation between different actors, including health and social caregivers, care receivers, and their informal caregivers (eg, relatives or friends), across time, space, and organizational boundaries. Therefore, it is foreseeable that eHealth services can contribute to their improvement. The aim of this study is to evaluate information persistence services based on the Reference Information Model (RIM) of the Health Level Seven (HL7) version 3 to support formal caregivers, both health and social care providers, and informal caregivers in the context of home care services. A pilot study was set up involving two Portuguese institutions that provide home care services for the elderly. Defining of information requirements was performed according to a comprehensive process. This included a review of the literature, observations of work activities, interviews with caregivers, care receivers and their relatives, analysis of paper documentation related to care receivers' histories, health conditions and care plans, and brainstorming groups involving specialized professionals. Following this, information objects were implemented and validated. The methodological approach, as well as the information persistence services, proved to be robust and adequate to specify, implement, and validate different types of information objects related to home care services for the elderly. This study also reinforces the application of the RIM of the HL7 version 3 beyond the strict scope of health care, allowing the persistence of not only health care information, but also information related to social assistance activities. This study contributes to the ongoing efforts related to the development of eHealth applications to improve the cooperation among formal health care and social caregivers, as well as care receivers and their informal caregivers.

Information Persistence Services Designed to Support Home Care

PubMed Central

Queirós, Alexandra; Augusto, Filipe; Rodríguez, Yosvany Llerena; Cardoso, Carlos; Grade, José Miguel; Quintas, João

2015-01-01

Background Due to the challenges faced by health and social care systems, in particular those related to actual demographic trends, home care emerges as a potentially cost-effective solution to answer the needs of citizens, and to allow the reallocation of resources to alternatives to hospitalization or institutionalization. Objective Home care services require cooperation between different actors, including health and social caregivers, care receivers, and their informal caregivers (eg, relatives or friends), across time, space, and organizational boundaries. Therefore, it is foreseeable that eHealth services can contribute to their improvement. The aim of this study is to evaluate information persistence services based on the Reference Information Model (RIM) of the Health Level Seven (HL7) version 3 to support formal caregivers, both health and social care providers, and informal caregivers in the context of home care services. Methods A pilot study was set up involving two Portuguese institutions that provide home care services for the elderly. Defining of information requirements was performed according to a comprehensive process. This included a review of the literature, observations of work activities, interviews with caregivers, care receivers and their relatives, analysis of paper documentation related to care receivers’ histories, health conditions and care plans, and brainstorming groups involving specialized professionals. Following this, information objects were implemented and validated. Results The methodological approach, as well as the information persistence services, proved to be robust and adequate to specify, implement, and validate different types of information objects related to home care services for the elderly. This study also reinforces the application of the RIM of the HL7 version 3 beyond the strict scope of health care, allowing the persistence of not only health care information, but also information related to social assistance activities. Conclusions This study contributes to the ongoing efforts related to the development of eHealth applications to improve the cooperation among formal health care and social caregivers, as well as care receivers and their informal caregivers. PMID:25757462

Investigating the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Framework to Capture User Needs in the Concept Stage of Rehabilitation Technology Development.

PubMed

Sivan, Manoj; Gallagher, Justin; Holt, Ray; Weightman, Andy; Levesley, Martin; Bhakta, Bipin

2014-01-01

This study evaluates whether the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework provides a useful basis to ensure that key user needs are identified in the development of a home-based arm rehabilitation system for stroke patients. Using a qualitative approach, nine people with residual arm weakness after stroke and six healthcare professionals with expertise in stroke rehabilitation were enrolled in the user-centered design process. They were asked, through semi-structured interviews, to define the needs and specification for a potential home-based rehabilitation device to facilitate self-managed arm exercise. The topic list for the interviews was derived by brainstorming ideas within the clinical and engineering multidisciplinary research team based on previous experience and existing literature in user-centered design. Meaningful concepts were extracted from questions and responses of these interviews. These concepts obtained were matched to the categories within the ICF comprehensive core set for stroke using ICF linking rules. Most of the concepts extracted from the interviews matched to the existing ICF Core Set categories. Person factors like gender, age, interest, compliance, motivation, choice, and convenience that might determine device usability are yet to be categorized within the ICF comprehensive core set. The results suggest that the categories of the comprehensive ICF Core Set for stroke provide a useful basis for structuring interviews to identify most users needs. However some personal factors (related to end users and healthcare professionals) need to be considered in addition to the ICF categories.

Living well: an intervention to improve self-management of medical illness for individuals with serious mental illness.

PubMed

Goldberg, Richard W; Dickerson, Faith; Lucksted, Alicia; Brown, Clayton H; Weber, Elyssa; Tenhula, Wendy N; Kreyenbuhl, Julie; Dixon, Lisa B

2013-01-01

Individuals with serious mental illness have elevated rates of comorbid chronic general medical conditions and may benefit from interventions designed to support illness self-management. This study examined the effectiveness of a modified version of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program called Living Well for individuals with serious mental illness. A total of 63 mental health consumers with serious mental illness and at least one concurrent chronic general medical condition were randomly assigned to receive the 13-session peer-cofacilitated Living Well intervention or usual care. Participants were evaluated on attitudinal, behavioral, and functional outcomes at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at a two-month follow-up. Living Well participants showed significant postintervention improvements across a range of attitudinal (self-efficacy and patient activation), behavioral (illness self-management techniques), and functional (physical and emotional well-being and general health functioning) outcomes. Although attenuation of effect was observed for most outcomes at two months postintervention, evidence was found of continued improvement in general self-management behaviors (use of action planning, brainstorming, and problem-solving). Continued advantage was found for the Living Well group in other areas, such as health-related locus of control and reports of healthy eating and physical activity. Receipt of Living Well was associated with a notable decrease in use of the emergency room for medical care, although the between-group difference was not statistically significant. Living Well shows promise in helping mental health consumers more effectively manage chronic general medical conditions and experience improved functioning and well-being.

Improving the Quality of Care for Patients Diagnosed With Glioma During the Perioperative Period

PubMed Central

Riblet, Natalie B.V.; Schlosser, Evelyn M.; Homa, Karen; Snide, Jennifer A.; Jarvis, Lesley A.; Simmons, Nathan E.; Sargent, David H.; Mason, Linda P.; Cooney, Tobi J.; Kennedy, Nancy L.; Fadul, Camilo E.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Although there is agreement on the oncologic management of patients with glioma, few guidelines exist to standardize other aspects of care, including supportive care. Methods: A quality improvement (QI) project was chartered to improve the care provided to patients with glioma. A multidisciplinary team was convened and identified 10 best-practice measures. Using a plan-do-study-act framework, the team brainstormed and implemented various improvement interventions between June 2011 and October 2012. Statistical process control charts were used to evaluate progress. A dashboard of quality measures was generated to allow for ongoing measurement and reporting. Results: The retrospective assessment phase consisted of 43 patients with diagnosis of glioma. A manual medical record review for these patients showed that compliance with 10 best-practice measures ranged from 23% to 100%. Several factors contributed to less-than-ideal process performance, including poor communication among disciplines and lack of familiarity with the larger system of care. After implementing improvement interventions, performance was measured in 96 consecutive patients with glioma. The proportion of patients who met criteria for 10 practice measures significantly improved (pre-QI work, 63%; post-QI work, 85%; P = .003). The largest improvement was observed in the measure assessing for preoperative notification of the neuro-oncology program (pre-QI work, 39%; post-QI work, 97%; P < .001). Conclusion: QI principles were used by a multidisciplinary team to improve the quality of care for patients with glioma during the perioperative period. Leadership involvement, ongoing dialogue across departments, and reporting of system performance were important for sustaining process improvements. PMID:25294392

No More Waits and Delays: Streamlining Workflow to Decrease Patient Time of Stay for Image-guided Musculoskeletal Procedures.

PubMed

Cheung, Yvonne Y; Goodman, Eric M; Osunkoya, Tomiwa O

2016-01-01

Long wait times limit our ability to provide the right care at the right time and are commonly products of inefficient workflow. In 2013, the demand for musculoskeletal (MSK) procedures increased beyond our department's ability to provide efficient and timely service. We initiated a quality improvement (QI) project to increase efficiency and decrease patient time of stay. Our project team included three MSK radiologists, one senior resident, one technologist, one administrative assistant/scheduler, and the lead technologist. We adopted and followed the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control) approach. The team used tools such as voice of the customer (VOC), along with affinity and SIPOC (supplier, input, process, output, customer) diagrams, to understand the current process, identify our customers, and develop a project charter in the define stage. During the measure stage, the team collected data, created a detailed process map, and identified wastes with the value stream mapping technique. Within the analyze phase, a fishbone diagram helped the team to identify critical root causes for long wait times. Scatter plots revealed relationships among time variables. Team brainstorming sessions generated improvement ideas, and selected ideas were piloted via plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycles. The control phase continued to enable the team to monitor progress using box plots and scheduled reviews. Our project successfully decreased patient time of stay. The highly structured and logical Lean Six Sigma approach was easy to follow and provided a clear course of action with positive results. (©)RSNA, 2016.

Identifying and Prioritizing Implementation Barriers, Gaps, and Strategies Through the Nigeria Implementation Science Alliance: Getting to Zero in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.

PubMed

Ezeanolue, Echezona E; Powell, Byron J; Patel, Dina; Olutola, Ayodotun; Obiefune, Michael; Dakum, Patrick; Okonkwo, Prosper; Gobir, Bola; Akinmurele, Timothy; Nwandu, Anthea; Torpey, Kwasi; Oyeledum, Bolanle; Aina, Muyiwa; Eyo, Andy; Oleribe, Obinna; Ibanga, Ikoedem; Oko, John; Anyaike, Chukwuma; Idoko, John; Aliyu, Muktar H; Sturke, Rachel; Watts, Heather; Siberry, George

2016-08-01

In 2013, Nigeria accounted for 15% of the 1.3 million pregnant women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and 26% of new infections among children worldwide. Despite this, less than 20% of pregnant women in Nigeria received an HIV test during pregnancy, and only 23% of HIV-infected pregnant women received appropriate intervention following HIV diagnosis. This article reports findings from 2 structured group exercises conducted at the first Nigeria Implementation Science Alliance Conference to identify (1) barriers and research gaps related to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and (2) potential strategies and interventions that could address PMTCT challenges. Two 1-hour structured group exercises were conducted with 10 groups of 14-15 individuals (n = 145), who were asked to brainstorm barriers and strategies and to rank their top 3 in each category. Data analysis eliminated duplicate responses and categorized each of the priorities along the HIV care continuum: HIV diagnosis, linkage to care, or retention in care. Participating stakeholders identified 20 unique barriers and research gaps related to PMTCT across the HIV continuum. Twenty-five unique interventions and implementation strategies were identified. Similar to the barriers and research gaps, these interventions and strategies were distributed across the HIV care continuum. The barriers and strategies identified in this study represent important pathways to progress addressing MTCT. The deliberate involvement of state and federal policy makers, program implementers, and researchers helps ensure that they are relevant and actionable.

Synergizing expectation and execution for stroke communities of practice innovations

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Regional networks have been recognized as an interesting model to support interdisciplinary and inter-organizational interactions that lead to meaningful care improvements. Existing communities of practice within the a regional network, the Montreal Stroke Network (MSN) offers a compelling structure to better manage the exponential growth of knowledge and to support care providers to better manage the complex cases they must deal with in their practices. This research project proposes to examine internal and external factors that influence individual and organisational readiness to adopt national stroke best practices and to assess the impact of an e-collaborative platform in facilitating knowledge translation activities. Methods We will develop an e-collaborative platform that will include various social networking and collaborative tools. We propose to create online brainstorming sessions ('jams') around each best practice recommendation. Jam postings will be analysed to identify emergent themes. Syntheses of these analyses will be provided to members to help them identify priority areas for practice change. Discussions will be moderated by clinical leaders, whose role will be to accelerate crystallizing of ideas around 'how to' implement selected best practices. All clinicians (~200) involved in stroke care among the MSN will be asked to participate. Activities during face-to-face meetings and on the e-collaborative platform will be documented. Content analysis of all activities will be performed using an observation grid that will use as outcome indicators key elements of communities of practice and of the knowledge creation cycle developed by Nonaka. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted among users of the e-collaborative platform to collect information on variables of the knowledge-to-action framework. All participants will be asked to complete three questionnaires: the typology questionnaire, which classifies individuals into one of four mutually exclusive categories of information seeking; the e-health state of readiness, which covers ten domains of the readiness to change; and a community of practice evaluation survey. Summary This project is expected to enhance our understanding of collaborative work across disciplines and organisations in accelerating implementation of best practices along the continuum of care, and how e-technologies influence access, sharing, creation, and application of knowledge. PMID:20529305

Use of the Generating Options for Active Risk Control (GO-ARC) Technique can lead to more robust risk control options.

PubMed

Card, Alan J; Simsekler, Mecit Can Emre; Clark, Michael; Ward, James R; Clarkson, P John

2014-01-01

Risk assessment is widely used to improve patient safety, but healthcare workers are not trained to design robust solutions to the risks they uncover. This leads to an overreliance on the weakest category of risk control recommendations: administrative controls. Increasing the proportion of non-administrative risk control options (NARCOs) generated would enable (though not ensure) the adoption of more robust solutions. Experimentally assess a method for generating stronger risk controls: The Generating Options for Active Risk Control (GO-ARC) Technique. Participants generated risk control options in response to two patient safety scenarios. Scenario 1 (baseline): All participants used current practice (unstructured brainstorming). Scenario 2: Control group used current practice; intervention group used the GO-ARC Technique. To control for individual differences between participants, analysis focused on the change in the proportion of NARCOs for each group. Proportion of NARCOs decreased from 0.18 at baseline to 0.12. Intervention group: Proportion increased from 0.10 at baseline to 0.29 using the GO-ARC Technique. Results were statistically significant. There was no decrease in the number of administrative controls generated by the intervention group. The Generating Options for Active Risk Control (GO-ARC) Technique appears to lead to more robust risk control options.

[Failure mode effect analysis applied to preparation of intravenous cytostatics].

PubMed

Santos-Rubio, M D; Marín-Gil, R; Muñoz-de la Corte, R; Velázquez-López, M D; Gil-Navarro, M V; Bautista-Paloma, F J

2016-01-01

To proactively identify risks in the preparation of intravenous cytostatic drugs, and to prioritise and establish measures to improve safety procedures. Failure Mode Effect Analysis methodology was used. A multidisciplinary team identified potential failure modes of the procedure through a brainstorming session. The impact associated with each failure mode was assessed with the Risk Priority Number (RPN), which involves three variables: occurrence, severity, and detectability. Improvement measures were established for all identified failure modes, with those with RPN>100 considered critical. The final RPN (theoretical) that would result from the proposed measures was also calculated and the process was redesigned. A total of 34 failure modes were identified. The initial accumulated RPN was 3022 (range: 3-252), and after recommended actions the final RPN was 1292 (range: 3-189). RPN scores >100 were obtained in 13 failure modes; only the dispensing sub-process was free of critical points (RPN>100). A final reduction of RPN>50% was achieved in 9 failure modes. This prospective risk analysis methodology allows the weaknesses of the procedure to be prioritised, optimize use of resources, and a substantial improvement in the safety of the preparation of cytostatic drugs through the introduction of double checking and intermediate product labelling. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Development of a model of the tobacco industry's interference with tobacco control programmes

PubMed Central

Trochim, W; Stillman, F; Clark, P; Schmitt, C

2003-01-01

Objective: To construct a conceptual model of tobacco industry tactics to undermine tobacco control programmes for the purposes of: (1) developing measures to evaluate industry tactics, (2) improving tobacco control planning, and (3) supplementing current or future frameworks used to classify and analyse tobacco industry documents. Design: Web based concept mapping was conducted, including expert brainstorming, sorting, and rating of statements describing industry tactics. Statistical analyses used multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Interpretation of the resulting maps was accomplished by an expert panel during a face-to-face meeting. Subjects: 34 experts, selected because of their previous encounters with industry resistance or because of their research into industry tactics, took part in some or all phases of the project. Results: Maps with eight non-overlapping clusters in two dimensional space were developed, with importance ratings of the statements and clusters. Cluster and quadrant labels were agreed upon by the experts. Conclusions: The conceptual maps summarise the tactics used by the industry and their relationships to each other, and suggest a possible hierarchy for measures that can be used in statistical modelling of industry tactics and for review of industry documents. Finally, the maps enable hypothesis of a likely progression of industry reactions as public health programmes become more successful, and therefore more threatening to industry profits. PMID:12773723

The enhancement of adaptation and psychological well-being among victims of flooding and landslide in Thailand.

PubMed

Oba, Nongnut; Suntayakorn, Chanjar; Sangkaewsri, Roongsri; Longchupol, Chaowanee; Lohitpintu, Itsareat; Kumsri, Tongbai

2010-03-01

To explore the needs of potential enhancement for adaptation and to examine the effectiveness of the potential enhancement program for adaptation and psychological well-being among victims of flooding and landslide in Lublae district Uttaradit Province, Thailand. 3 step of research and development; the needs of potential enhancement for adaptation among victims of flooding and landslide were analyzed by focus group discussion, the potential enhancement program (PEP) was designed by brainstorming of three groups of stakeholder; victims, health volunteers and health personnel and the effectiveness of PEP was tested by the difference of adaptation and psychological well-being perception among victims of flooding and landslide between before and after intervention. Thumbun Maepou, Lublae district, Uttaradit Province, Thailand. The needs of potential enhancement among victims of flooding and landslide were set up warning network along the risk canal and mountain, first aid training for health volunteer, and program of psychological health promotion. The PEP composed of community flooding and landslide rehearsal training, health education and dissemination and knowledge management. Total adaptation and psychological wellbeing of samples after intervention were significantly higher than that of before intervention at 0.05 and 0.001, respectively. The restoration of adaptation and psychological well-being among victims of flooding and landslide were essential to maintained holistic health.

Peer Training of Community Health Workers to Improve Heart Health Among African American Women

PubMed Central

Willock, Robina Josiah; Mayberry, Robert M.; Yan, Fengxia; Daniels, Pamela

2015-01-01

Introduction Training community health workers (CHWs) builds a workforce that is essential to addressing the chronic disease crisis. This article describes a highly replicable CHW training program that targets heart disease risk among African American women. Background African American women suffer disproportionately from heart disease mortality and morbidity. Well-trained CHWs are uniquely positioned to close this disparity gap. Method We used a Learning Circle approach to train CHWs in heart health education. The curriculum blended web-based, self-directed learning and in-person peer coaching. CHWs learned through (a) peer-to-peer sharing, (b) problem solving and brainstorming, and (c) leadership and experiential activities. Training evaluation measures were CHWs' (a) self-confidence, (b) heart health knowledge, (c) satisfaction with training, (d) training retention, and (e) replication of training within 90 days after training. Results This training resulted in appreciable effects on four of five outcome measures. Heart health knowledge increased significantly among experienced CHWs (p = .011). CHWs were satisfied with training and retention was 100%. CHWs initiated and subsequently delivered 122 person hours of community heart health education and CHW training in their communities. Discussion/Conclusion CHW heart health training using Learning Circles is a practical and replicable method of training CHWs and holds significant potential for building capacity in resource-poor community organizations. PMID:24891525

Rhinology Future Debates, an EUFOREA Report.

PubMed

Fokkens, W J; Bachert, C; Bernal-Sprekelsen, M; Bousquet, J; Djandji, M; Dorenbaum, A; Hakimi-Mehr, D; Hendry, S; Hopkins, C; Leunig, A; Mannent, L; Mucha, D; Onerci, M; Pugin, B; Toppila-Salmi, S; Rowe, P; Seys, S F; Stimson, S; Strzembosz, A; Hellings, P W

2017-12-01

The first Rhinology Future Debates was held in Brussels in December 2016, organized by EUFOREA (European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airways diseases). The purpose of these debates is to bring novel developments in the field of Rhinology to the attention of the medical, paramedical and patient community, in a highly credible and balanced context. For the first time in Rhinology, a peer to peer scientific exchange with key experts in the field of rhinology and key medical colleagues from leading industries let to a brainstorming and discussion event on a number of hot issues in Rhinology. Novel developments are presented by key experts from industry and/or key thought leaders in Rhinology, and then followed by a lively debate on the potential positioning of new developments in care pathways, the strengths and weaknesses of the novel development(s), and comparisons with existing and/or competing products, devices, and/or molecules. As all debates are recorded and distributed on-line with limited editing (www.rhinology-future.com), EUFOREA aims at maximizing the education of the target groups on novel developments, allowing a critical appraisal of the future and a more rapid implementation of promising novel tools, techniques and/or molecules in clinical practise in Europe. The next Rhinology Future debate will be held in Brussels in December 2017.