Energy reduction using multi-channels optical wireless communication based OFDM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darwesh, Laialy; Arnon, Shlomi

2017-10-01

In recent years, an increasing number of data center networks (DCNs) have been built to provide various cloud applications. Major challenges in the design of next generation DC networks include reduction of the energy consumption, high flexibility and scalability, high data rates, minimum latency and high cyber security. Use of optical wireless communication (OWC) to augment the DC network could help to confront some of these challenges. In this paper we present an OWC multi channels communication method that could lead to significant energy reduction of the communication equipment. The method is to convert a high speed serial data stream to many slower and parallel streams and vies versa at the receiver. We implement this concept of multi channels using optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (O-OFDM) method. In our scheme, we use asymmetrically clipped optical OFDM (ACO-OFDM). Our results show that the realization of multi channels OFDM (ACO-OFDM) methods reduces the total energy consumption exponentially, as the number of channels transmitted through them rises.

Using Information and Communication Technologies for Family Communication and Its Association With Family Well-Being in Hong Kong: FAMILY Project.

PubMed

Wang, Man Ping; Chu, Joanna T W; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Wan, Alice; Lam, Tai Hing; Chan, Sophia S

2015-08-24

Family communication is central to the family and its functioning. It is a mutual process in which family members create, share, and regulate meaning. Advancement and proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) continues to change methods of family communication. However, little is known about the use of different methods for family communication and the influence on family well-being. We investigated the sociodemographic factors associated with different methods of family communication and how they are associated with perceived family harmony, happiness, and health (3Hs) among Chinese adults in Hong Kong. Data came from a territory-wide probability-based telephone survey using the Family and Health Information Trend survey (FHInTs). Frequency of family communication using different methods (ie, face-to-face, phone, instant messaging [IM], social media sites, and email) were recoded and classified as frequent (always/sometimes) and nonfrequent (seldom/never) use. Family well-being was measured using 3 questions of perceived family harmony, happiness, and health with higher scores indicating better family well-being. Adjusted odds ratios for family communication methods by sociodemographic characteristics and adjusted beta coefficients for family well-being by communication methods were calculated. A total of 1502 adults were surveyed. Face-to-face (94.85%, 1408/1484) was the most frequent means of communication followed by phone (78.08%, 796/1484), IM (53.64%, 796/1484), social media sites (17.60%, 261/1484), and email (13.39%, 198/1484). Younger age was associated with the use of phone, IM, and social media sites for family communication. Higher educational attainment was associated with more frequent use of all modes of communication, whereas higher family income was only significantly associated with more frequent use of IM and email (P=.001). Face-to-face (beta 0.65, 95% CI 0.33-0.97) and phone use (beta 0.20, 95% CI 0.02-0.38) for family communication were associated with significantly higher levels of perceived family well-being. Socioeconomic disparities in using these information and communication technologies (ICT) methods for family communication were observed. Although traditional methods remain as the main platform for family communication and were associated with better family well-being, a notable proportion of respondents are using new ICT methods, which were not associated with perceived family well-being. Because ICTs will continue to diversify modes of family communication, more research is needed to understand the impact of ICTs on family communication and well-being.

Correlates of Health Communication Preferences in a Multiethnic Population of Pregnant Women and Mothers of Young Children

PubMed Central

Daoud, Katrina; Gollenberg, Audra; Fendley, Kim

2017-01-01

Background As posited in multiple health communication theories, it is vital to understand modern health communication preferences among communities in order to develop tailored interventions to reduce Infant Mortality (IM). Literature suggests that health communication inequalities play an important role in infant health knowledge gaps, thus contributing to the disparate IM rates. We sought to understand preferred methods of communication among expectant or mothers of young children of varying sociodemographics. We hypothesized that methods of communication would vary by sociodemographics. Methods A bilingual questionnaire, developed using community based participatory research principles was offered at pre-selected women's health agencies in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Participants chose from a researched list of 22 methods of communication and also designated their “top three choices.” Communication methods were compared across sociodemographics using chi-squared statistical tests. Results A total of 292 participants completed the questionnaire at the various sites. Participants were predominantly White (60%) or Hispanic/Latina (30%), and lived in Frederick county/Winchester city (77%). Of the 22 communication methods, the five most prevalent were: talking with a healthcare provider (91%), family or friends (85-87%), using internet (84%), and handouts/booklets (80%). Communication methods most frequently chosen as a “top three choice” were: internet (46%), talking with healthcare providers (33%), and talking with family (32%). A higher preference for talking with a healthcare provider was noted among higher income individuals (100%) compared to lower income (82%; p-value=0.0062), a higher preference for call-in hotlines among Hispanic (49%) vs. non-Hispanic women (15%; p-value<0.0001), and a higher preference for placemats at fast-food restaurants among older women (42%) compared to younger (16%, p-value=0.0361). Conclusion Results suggest the incorporation of multiple methods may be a practical approach to reaching different segments of the population including those identified as most vulnerable for infant mortality. PMID:28191505

Self-esteem, family climate, and communication patterns in relation to deafness.

PubMed

Desselle, D D

1994-07-01

The purpose of the study presented in this article was to determine the effect that family communication patterns have on the self-esteem of deaf children. Deaf students at a southern residential school, ranging in age from 13 to 19, were administered the Modified Self-Esteem Inventory (MSEI) and the Subject Communication Questionnaire. The subjects' parents answered 10 questions about their communication patterns with their deaf child. The parents were not deaf themselves. Analysis of the data revealed that there is a positive relationship between the family's communication method and the deaf child's self-esteem such that parents who use total communication (speech, fingerspelling, and sign) have children whose self-esteem scores are higher than those of children whose parents use an oral-only method of communication (speech). The parents who were best able to communicate by using sign language had children whose self-esteem scores were higher than those of children whose parents were less skilled in sign language. Also, a positive relationship was found between student self-esteem and reading level.

Real-data comparison of data mining methods in prediction of diabetes in iran.

PubMed

Tapak, Lily; Mahjub, Hossein; Hamidi, Omid; Poorolajal, Jalal

2013-09-01

Diabetes is one of the most common non-communicable diseases in developing countries. Early screening and diagnosis play an important role in effective prevention strategies. This study compared two traditional classification methods (logistic regression and Fisher linear discriminant analysis) and four machine-learning classifiers (neural networks, support vector machines, fuzzy c-mean, and random forests) to classify persons with and without diabetes. The data set used in this study included 6,500 subjects from the Iranian national non-communicable diseases risk factors surveillance obtained through a cross-sectional survey. The obtained sample was based on cluster sampling of the Iran population which was conducted in 2005-2009 to assess the prevalence of major non-communicable disease risk factors. Ten risk factors that are commonly associated with diabetes were selected to compare the performance of six classifiers in terms of sensitivity, specificity, total accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve criteria. Support vector machines showed the highest total accuracy (0.986) as well as area under the ROC (0.979). Also, this method showed high specificity (1.000) and sensitivity (0.820). All other methods produced total accuracy of more than 85%, but for all methods, the sensitivity values were very low (less than 0.350). The results of this study indicate that, in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and overall classification accuracy, the support vector machine model ranks first among all the classifiers tested in the prediction of diabetes. Therefore, this approach is a promising classifier for predicting diabetes, and it should be further investigated for the prediction of other diseases.

Limits on quality of life in communication after total laryngectomy

PubMed Central

Chaves, Adriana Di Donato; Pernambuco, Leandro de Araújo; Balata, Patrícia Maria Mendes; Santos, Veridiana da Silva; de Lima, Leilane Maria; de Souza, Síntia Ribeiro; da Silva, Hilton Justino

2012-01-01

Summary Introduction: Among people affected by cancer, the impairment of quality of life of people affected by cancer can cause have devastating effects. The self-image of patients after post-laryngectomyzed patients may be find themselves compromised, affecting the quality of life in this population. Objective: To characterize quality of life in related to communication in people who have undergone went total laryngectomy surgery. Methods: This is an observational study, with a cross-sectional and descriptive series. Design of series study. The sample were comprised 15 patients interviewed the period from January to February of 2011. We used the Quality Protocol for Life Communication in Post-laryngectomy adapted from Bertocello (2004); which this questionnaire contains 55 questions. The protocol was organized from the nature of using responses classified as positive and negative aspects, proposals in with respect to five 5 communication domains: family relationships, social relationships, personal analysis; morphofunctional aspect, and use of writing. To promote and guarantee the autonomy of the respondents, was examiners made use of used assistive technology with the Visual Response Scale. Results: The responses that total laryngectomy compromises the quality of life in communication amounted to 463 occurrences (65.7%), and that who responses suggesting good quality of life were represented with amounted to 242 occurrences (34.3%), from a total of 705 occurrencesresponses. From Among the five 5 Communication domains, four 4 had percentages of above 63% for occurrences of negative content for impact on communication. Appearance Morphofunctional appearance gave the had the highest percentage of negative content, amounting to 77.3% of cases. Conclusions: The results showed important limitations of a personal and social nature due to poor communication with their peers. Thus, there is a need for multidisciplinary interventions that aim to minimize the entrapment of negative impact on these people communication among these patients. PMID:25991977

Correlates of Health Communication Preferences in a Multiethnic Population of Pregnant Women and Mothers of Young Children.

PubMed

Daoud, Katrina; Gollenberg, Audra; Fendley, Kim

2016-03-01

As posited in multiple health communication theories, it is vital to understand modern health communication preferences among communities in order to develop tailored interventions to reduce Infant Mortality (IM). Literature suggests that health communication inequalities play an important role in infant health knowledge gaps, thus contributing to the disparate IM rates. We sought to understand preferred methods of communication among expectant or mothers of young children of varying sociodemographics. We hypothesized that methods of communication would vary by sociodemographics. A bilingual questionnaire, developed using community based participatory research principles was offered at pre-selected women's health agencies in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Participants chose from a researched list of 22 methods of communication and also designated their "top three choices." Communication methods were compared across sociodemographics using chi-squared statistical tests. A total of 292 participants completed the questionnaire at the various sites. Participants were predominantly White (60%) or Hispanic/Latina (30%), and lived in Frederick county/Winchester city (77%). Of the 22 communication methods, the five most prevalent were: talking with a healthcare provider (91%), family or friends (85-87%), using internet (84%), and handouts/booklets (80%). Communication methods most frequently chosen as a "top three choice" were: internet (46%), talking with healthcare providers (33%), and talking with family (32%). A higher preference for talking with a healthcare provider was noted among higher income individuals (100%) compared to lower income (82%; p-value=0.0062), a higher preference for call-in hotlines among Hispanic (49%) vs. non-Hispanic women (15%; p-value<0.0001), and a higher preference for placemats at fast-food restaurants among older women (42%) compared to younger (16%, p-value=0.0361). Results suggest the incorporation of multiple methods may be a practical approach to reaching different segments of the population including those identified as most vulnerable for infant mortality.

Using the effects of maternal nutritional indicators (hemoglobin and total protein) on baby's birth weight outcome to forecast a paradigm shift toward increased levels of non-communicable diseases in children.

PubMed

Ahmadu, Baba Usman; Yakubu, Nyandaiti; Yusuph, Haruna; Alfred, Marshall; Bazza, Buba; Lamurde, Abdullahi Suleiman

2013-01-01

Maternal malnutrition can lead to low birth weight in babies, which puts them at risk of developing non-communicable diseases later in life. Evidence from developed countries has shown that low birth weight is associated with a predisposition to higher rates of non-communicable diseases later in life. However, information on this is lacking in developing countries. Thus, this work studied the effects of maternal nutritional indicators (hemoglobin and total protein) on birth weight outcome of babies to forecast a paradigm shift toward increased levels of non-communicable diseases in children. Mother-baby pairs were enrolled in this study using systematic random sampling. Maternal haemogblobin and total proteins were measured using micro-hematocrit and biuret methods, and birth weights of their babies were estimated using the bassinet weighing scale. Of the 168 (100%) babies that participated in this study, 122 (72.6%) were delivered at term and 142 (84.5%) had normal birth weights. Mean comparison of baby's birth weight and maternal hemoglobin was not significant (P = 0.483), that for maternal total protein was also not significant (P = 0.411). Even though positive correlation coefficients were observed between birth weight of babies, maternal hemoglobin and total proteins, these were however not significant. Maternal nutrition did not contribute significantly to low birth weight in our babies. Therefore, association between maternal nutrition and low birth weight to predict future development of non-communicable diseases in our study group is highly unlikely. However, we recommend further work.

Trends of communication skills education in medical schools.

PubMed

Han, Hong Hee; Kim, Sun

2009-03-01

To investigate the past and current status of teaching communication skills in undergraduate medical education and to review how medical education is progressing. A selective search was conducted of the literature that was published from 1960 to Jun 2008 in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, ERIC, Psychlnfo, and KMbase databases using "communication." All articles in 13 medical journals (including Academic Medicine, Medical Education, Teaching and Learning in Medicine, Medical Teacher, and Korean Journal of Medical Education) were reviewed. Each article was categorized according to 5 subjects (curriculum, methods, assessment, student factors, and research type). A total of 306 studies met the inclusion criteria for this study. Curriculum was the most frequent subject (n=85), followed by assessment (n=71), student factors (n=48), and methods (n=23). According to this research, the current trends of teaching communication skills in medical school are characterized by curriculum development,' 'blended-methods,' 'multisource assessment,' 'student attitudes,' and 'comparative studies' of education. It is time to figure it out optimistic ways to design a formal course. Now, 4 current trends in teaching and learning are emerging in communication skills. Curriculum development is stabilizing a variety of teaching methods are being adopted; a method of multisource assessment is being identified and the need to consider student attitudesis being recognized. In the near future, objective, comprehensive, and sophisticated evaluation is going to be the top priority in teaching communication skills with a variety of research types.

Team interaction during surgery: a systematic review of communication coding schemes.

PubMed

Tiferes, Judith; Bisantz, Ann M; Guru, Khurshid A

2015-05-15

Communication problems have been systematically linked to human errors in surgery and a deep understanding of the underlying processes is essential. Although a number of tools exist to assess nontechnical skills, methods to study communication and other team-related processes are far from being standardized, making comparisons challenging. We conducted a systematic review to analyze methods used to study events in the operating room (OR) and to develop a synthesized coding scheme for OR team communication. Six electronic databases were accessed to search for articles that collected individual events during surgery and included detailed coding schemes. Additional articles were added based on cross-referencing. That collection was then classified based on type of events collected, environment type (real or simulated), number of procedures, type of surgical task, team characteristics, method of data collection, and coding scheme characteristics. All dimensions within each coding scheme were grouped based on emergent content similarity. Categories drawn from articles, which focused on communication events, were further analyzed and synthesized into one common coding scheme. A total of 34 of 949 articles met the inclusion criteria. The methodological characteristics and coding dimensions of the articles were summarized. A priori coding was used in nine studies. The synthesized coding scheme for OR communication included six dimensions as follows: information flow, period, statement type, topic, communication breakdown, and effects of communication breakdown. The coding scheme provides a standardized coding method for OR communication, which can be used to develop a priori codes for future studies especially in comparative effectiveness research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Software-Defined Radio for Space-to-Space Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Ken; Jih, Cindy; Moore, Michael S.; Price, Jeremy C.; Abbott, Ben A.; Fritz, Justin A.

2011-01-01

A paper describes the Space- to-Space Communications System (SSCS) Software- Defined Radio (SDR) research project to determine the most appropriate method for creating flexible and reconfigurable radios to implement wireless communications channels for space vehicles so that fewer radios are required, and commonality in hardware and software architecture can be leveraged for future missions. The ability to reconfigure the SDR through software enables one radio platform to be reconfigured to interoperate with many different waveforms. This means a reduction in the number of physical radio platforms necessary to support a space mission s communication requirements, thus decreasing the total size, weight, and power needed for a mission.

Total Quality Management and Media Services: The Deming Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richie, Mark L.

1992-01-01

W. Edwards Deming built a 40-year record of quality management in Japan known as Total Quality Management (TQM). His 14 points require a change in the belief system of managers and media directors, but their implementation in government agencies and schools will produce increased time for better services, better communications, and new programs.…

DiaTreat: a new method of communication for better diagnosis and treatment of dental problems.

PubMed

Reddy, K Srinivas; Reddy, R Sunil Kumar; Sudheer, A; Reddy, R Vamshidhar; Rao, N Venugopal; Reddy, P Lakshmipathy

2013-01-01

The aim of this article is to present a simple method of communication between two oral health professionals so that the problem can be conveyed easily and treatment options obtained equally easily and quickly, using current electronic communication technologies. Treatment of dental problems involves a thorough understanding of the underlying dental and medical conditions. The arena of dentistry being ever changing, with new specialties arising each year, it has become virtually impossible for an average dentist to keep track of all the treatment modalities available for various problems at a given time. It is the duty of a dentist, however, to treat his patients to the best of his ability. Professional ethics bind the other health professionals to render their opinion to the dentist so that the patient will ultimately get the best possible treatment. Method of communication is the only problem remaining in the path to achieving a total oral health care. DiaTreat is a unique method of clinical charting by which a dentist can incorporate all the ailments affecting his patient, and by withholding the patients name and address, can communicate with any of his colleagues for their opinion on the best treatment option for his patient. It is a new and innovative method of communication between a dentist and specialist. Even though it has some shortcomings of its own, on a wider range, the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks of the system. CLINICAL AND ACADEMIC SIGNIFICANCE: This can also be used by educational institutes for easy communication during interdisciplinary exchanges. Improvements need to be made yet to incorporate all the ailments known in dental discipline and make communication a comprehensive one.

Mortality profiles in a country facing epidemiological transition: An analysis of registered data

PubMed Central

Huicho, Luis; Trelles, Miguel; Gonzales, Fernando; Mendoza, Walter; Miranda, Jaime

2009-01-01

Background Sub-national analyses of causes of death and time-trends help to define public health policy priorities. They are particularly important in countries undergoing epidemiological transition like Peru. There are no studies exploring Peruvian national and regional characteristics of such epidemiological transition. We aimed to describe Peru's national and regional mortality profiles between 1996 and 2000. Methods Registered mortality data for the study period were corrected for under-registration following standardized methods. Main causes of death by age group and by geographical region were determined. Departmental mortality profiles were constructed to evaluate mortality transition, using 1996 data as baseline. Annual cumulative slopes for the period 1996–2000 were estimated for each department and region. Results For the study period non-communicable diseases explained more than half of all causes of death, communicable diseases more than one third, and injuries 10.8% of all deaths. Lima accounted for 32% of total population and 20% of total deaths. The Andean region, with 38% of Peru's population, accounted for half of all country deaths. Departmental mortality predominance shifted from communicable diseases in 1996 towards non-communicable diseases and injuries in 2000. Maternal and perinatal conditions, and nutritional deficiencies and nutritional anaemia declined markedly in all departments and regions. Infectious diseases decreased in all regions except Lima. In all regions acute respiratory infections are a leading cause of death, but their proportion ranged from 9.3% in Lima and Callao to 15.3% in the Andean region. Tuberculosis and injuries ranked high in Lima and the Andean region. Conclusion Peruvian mortality shows a double burden of communicable and non-communicable, with increasing importance of non-communicable diseases and injuries. This challenges national and sub-national health system performance and policy making. PMID:19187553

Video-mediated communication to support distant family connectedness.

PubMed

Furukawa, Ryoko; Driessnack, Martha

2013-02-01

It can be difficult to maintain family connections with geographically distant members. However, advances in computer-human interaction (CHI) systems, including video-mediated communication (VMC) are emerging. While VMC does not completely substitute for physical face-to-face communication, it appears to provide a sense of virtual copresence through the addition of visual and contextual cues to verbal communication between family members. The purpose of this study was to explore current patterns of VMC use, experiences, and family functioning among self-identified VMC users separated geographically from their families. A total of 341 participants (ages 18 to above 70) completed an online survey and Family APGAR. Ninty-six percent of the participants reported that VMC was the most common communication method used and 60% used VMC at least once/week. The most common reason cited for using VMC over other methods of communication was the addition of visual cues. A significant difference between the Family APGAR scores and the number of positive comments about VMC experience was also found. This exploratory study provides insight into the acceptance of VMC and its usefulness in maintaining connections with distant family members.

Communications strategies for on-ship CDPC systems.

PubMed

Jerome, Carlos

2012-01-01

Individual countries and international organisations have worked on standardising methods for on-ship prevention and control of communicable disease (CDPC). A number of voices have called for integrating the various aspects of maritime CDPC. The purpose of this article is to further conceptualise the totality of on-ship CDPC activity as an integrated system and to suggest a few strategies for communications in such systems. The methods used to summarise standardisation and integration of ship-board CDPC procedures included a scientific literature review and a web search. The fields of the review were maritime, health, and technology sources. Special attention was paid to material dealing with communications methods and issues related to ship-board systems and methods to manage communicable diseases. Effective communications strategies are vital for the success of CDPC systems. I suggest some specific viewpoints and strategies to improve communications: (i) It is sometimes helpful to view the Constituent Relations Management (CRM) team as a system component. This view highlights the fact that an on-ship CDPC system will be well designed and maintained only if constituent relations are well designed and maintained. (ii) For rapid communications with appropriate groups of constituents, it is important to structure groups of constituents, with the ability to rapidly apply set-theoretic operations to those groups. (iii) Optimistic concurrency control is generally the appropriate general strategy for synchronisation of on-ship CDPC data locations and data storage types. This may be modified in special situations, in particular with a latest-update-wins policy for disease contraction data in an epidemic. (iv) To encourage traveller cooperation with CDPC efforts, cultural activities may be helpful.

Communication networks, soap films and vectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, R. C.

1981-01-01

The problem of constructing the least-cost network of connections between arbitrarily placed points is one that is common and which can be very important financially. The network may consist of motorways between towns, a grid of electric power lines, buried gas or oil pipe lines or telephone cables. Soap films trapped between parallel planes with vertical pins between them provide a 'shortest path' network and Isenberg (1975) has suggested that soap films of this sort be used to model communication networks. However soap films are unable to simulate the different costs of laying, say, a three-lane motorway instead of a two-lane one or of using a larger pipeline to take the flow from two smaller ones. Soap films, however, have considerable intrinsic interest. In the article the emphasis is on the use of soap films and communication networks as a practical means of illustrating the importance of vector and matrix methods in geometry. The power of vector methods is illustrated by the fact that given any soap film network the total length of the film can be written down by inspection if the vector positions of the pins are known. It is also possible to predict the boundaries at which 'catastrophes' occur and to decide which network has the least total length. In the field of communication networks a method is given of designing the minimum cost network linking, say, a number of oilwells, which produce at different rates to an outlet terminal.

Energy efficient lighting and communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Z.; Kavehrad, M.; Deng, P.

2012-01-01

As Light-Emitting Diode (LED)'s increasingly displace incandescent lighting over the next few years, general applications of Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology are expected to include wireless internet access, vehicle-to-vehicle communications, broadcast from LED signage, and machine-to-machine communications. An objective in this paper is to reveal the influence of system parameters on the power distribution and communication quality, in a general plural sources VLC system. It is demonstrated that sources' Half-Power Angles (HPA), receivers' Field-Of Views (FOV), sources layout and the power distribution among sources are significant impact factors. Based on our findings, we developed a method to adaptively change working status of each LED respectively according to users' locations. The program minimizes total power emitted while simultaneously ensuring sufficient light intensity and communication quality for each user. The paper also compares Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and On-Off Keying (OOK) signals performance in indoor optical wireless communications. The simulation is carried out for different locations where different impulse response distortions are experienced. OFDM seems a better choice than prevalent OOK for indoor VLC due to its high resistance to multi-path effect and delay spread. However, the peak-to-average power limitations of the method must be investigated for lighting LEDs.

Effect of the patient-to-patient communication model on dysphagia caused by total laryngectomy.

PubMed

Tian, L; An, R; Zhang, J; Sun, Y; Zhao, R; Liu, M

2017-03-01

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of a patient-to-patient communication model on dysphagia in laryngeal cancer patients after total laryngectomy. Sixty-five patients who had undergone total laryngectomy were randomly divided into three groups: a routine communication group, a patient communication group (that received the patient-to-patient communication model) and a physician communication group. Questionnaires were used to compare quality of life and swallowing problems among all patient groups. The main factors causing dysphagia in total laryngectomy patients were related to fear and mental health. The patient communication group had improved visual analogue scale scores at one week after starting to eat. Quality of life in swallowing disorders questionnaire scores were significantly higher in the patient communication and physician communication groups than in the routine communication group. In addition, swallowing problems were much more severe in patients educated to high school level and above than in others. The patient-to-patient communication model can be used to resolve swallowing problems caused by psychological factors in total laryngectomy patients.

Human communication dynamics in digital footsteps: a study of the agreement between self-reported ties and email networks.

PubMed

Wuchty, Stefan; Uzzi, Brian

2011-01-01

Digital communication data has created opportunities to advance the knowledge of human dynamics in many areas, including national security, behavioral health, and consumerism. While digital data uniquely captures the totality of a person's communication, past research consistently shows that a subset of contacts makes up a person's "social network" of unique resource providers. To address this gap, we analyzed the correspondence between self-reported social network data and email communication data with the objective of identifying the dynamics in e-communication that correlate with a person's perception of a significant network tie. First, we examined the predictive utility of three popular methods to derive social network data from email data based on volume and reciprocity of bilateral email exchanges. Second, we observed differences in the response dynamics along self-reported ties, allowing us to introduce and test a new method that incorporates time-resolved exchange data. Using a range of robustness checks for measurement and misreporting errors in self-report and email data, we find that the methods have similar predictive utility. Although e-communication has lowered communication costs with large numbers of persons, and potentially extended our number of, and reach to contacts, our case results suggest that underlying behavioral patterns indicative of friendship or professional contacts continue to operate in a classical fashion in email interactions.

Human Communication Dynamics in Digital Footsteps: A Study of the Agreement between Self-Reported Ties and Email Networks

PubMed Central

Wuchty, Stefan; Uzzi, Brian

2011-01-01

Digital communication data has created opportunities to advance the knowledge of human dynamics in many areas, including national security, behavioral health, and consumerism. While digital data uniquely captures the totality of a person's communication, past research consistently shows that a subset of contacts makes up a person's “social network” of unique resource providers. To address this gap, we analyzed the correspondence between self-reported social network data and email communication data with the objective of identifying the dynamics in e-communication that correlate with a person's perception of a significant network tie. First, we examined the predictive utility of three popular methods to derive social network data from email data based on volume and reciprocity of bilateral email exchanges. Second, we observed differences in the response dynamics along self-reported ties, allowing us to introduce and test a new method that incorporates time-resolved exchange data. Using a range of robustness checks for measurement and misreporting errors in self-report and email data, we find that the methods have similar predictive utility. Although e-communication has lowered communication costs with large numbers of persons, and potentially extended our number of, and reach to contacts, our case results suggest that underlying behavioral patterns indicative of friendship or professional contacts continue to operate in a classical fashion in email interactions. PMID:22114665

A Differential Item Functioning (DIF) Analysis of the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB): Comparing Individuals with Parkinson's Disease from the United States and New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baylor, Carolyn; McAuliffe, Megan J.; Hughes, Louise E.; Yorkston, Kathryn; Anderson, Tim; Jiseon, Kim; Amtmann, Dagmar

2014-01-01

Purpose: To examine the cross-cultural applicability of the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) through a comparison of respondents with Parkinson's disease (PD) from the United States and New Zealand. Method: A total of 428 respondents--218 from the United States and 210 from New Zealand-completed the self-report CPIB and a series of…

An adaptive threshold detector and channel parameter estimator for deep space optical communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arabshahi, P.; Mukai, R.; Yan, T. -Y.

2001-01-01

This paper presents a method for optimal adaptive setting of ulse-position-modulation pulse detection thresholds, which minimizes the total probability of error for the dynamically fading optical fee space channel.

Digitizing the Facebow: A Clinician/Technician Communication Tool.

PubMed

Kalman, Les; Chrapka, Julia; Joseph, Yasmin

2016-01-01

Communication between the clinician and the technician has been an ongoing problem in dentistry. To improve the issue, a dental software application has been developed--the Virtual Facebow App. It is an alternative to the traditional analog facebow, used to orient the maxillary cast in mounting. Comparison data of the two methods indicated that the digitized virtual facebow provided increased efficiency in mounting, increased accuracy in occlusion, and lower cost. Occlusal accuracy, lab time, and total time were statistically significant (P<.05). The virtual facebow provides a novel alternative for cast mounting and another tool for clinician-technician communication.

A Comparison of Assessment Tools: Is Direct Observation an Improvement Over Objective Structured Clinical Examinations for Communications Skills Evaluation?

PubMed

Goch, Abraham M; Karia, Raj; Taormina, David; Kalet, Adina; Zuckerman, Joseph; Egol, Kenneth A; Phillips, Donna

2018-04-01

Evaluation of resident physicians' communications skills is a challenging task and is increasingly accomplished with standardized examinations. There exists a need to identify the effective, efficient methods for assessment of communications skills. We compared objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and direct observation as approaches for assessing resident communications skills. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of orthopaedic surgery resident physicians at a single tertiary care academic institution, using the Institute for Healthcare Communication "4 Es" model for effective communication. Data were collected between 2011 and 2015. A total of 28 residents, each with OSCE and complete direct observation assessment checklists, were included in the analysis. Residents were included if they had 1 OSCE assessment and 2 or more complete direct observation assessments. There were 28 of a possible 59 residents (47%) included. A total of 89% (25 of 28) of residents passed the communications skills OSCE; only 54% (15 of 28) of residents passed the direct observation communications assessment. There was a positive, moderate correlation between OSCE and direct observation scores overall ( r  = 0.415, P  = .028). There was no agreement between OSCE and direct observation in categorizing residents into passing and failing scores (κ = 0.205, P  = .16), after adjusting for chance agreement. Our results suggest that OSCE and direct observation tools provide different insights into resident communications skills (simulation of rare and challenging situations versus real-life daily encounters), and may provide useful perspectives on resident communications skills in different contexts.

Assessment of medical communication skills by computer: assessment method and student experiences.

PubMed

Hulsman, R L; Mollema, E D; Hoos, A M; de Haes, J C J M; Donnison-Speijer, J D

2004-08-01

A computer-assisted assessment (CAA) program for communication skills designated ACT was developed using the objective structured video examination (OSVE) format. This method features assessment of cognitive scripts underlying communication behaviour, a broad range of communication problems covered in 1 assessment, highly standardised assessment and rating procedures, and large group assessments without complex organisation. The Academic Medical Centre (AMC) at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Aims To describe the development of the AMC Communication Test (ACT); to describe our experiences with the examination and rating procedures; to present test score descriptives, and to present the students' opinions of ACT. The ACT presents films on history taking, breaking bad news and shared decision making. Each film is accompanied by 3 types of short essay questions derived from our assessment model: "knows", "knows why/when" and "knows how". Evaluation questions about ACT were integrated into the assessment. Participants A total of 210 third year medical undergraduates were assessed. This study reports on the 110 (53%) students who completed all evaluation questions. Marking 210 examinations took about 17 days. The test score matched a normal distribution and showed a good level of discrimination of the students. About 75% passed the examination. Some support for the validity of our assessment model was found in the students' differential performance on the 3 types of questions. The ACT was well received. Student evaluations confirmed our efforts to develop realistic films that related well to the communication training programme. The ACT is a useful assessment method which complements interpersonal assessment methods for the evaluation of the medical communication skills of undergraduates.

Sharing Craft Knowledge: The Soul of Principal Peer Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, James E.

1996-01-01

Describes the implementation of a peer assessment process for school principals using a New Skills Profile of essential craft skills: teaching methods, budgetary competence, networking, technological literacy, communication, leadership, conflict resolution, diversity, systems thinking, and Total Quality Management principles. Participating…

Assessing Patient-Centered Communication in Cancer Care: Stakeholder Perspectives

PubMed Central

Mazor, Kathleen M.; Gaglio, Bridget; Nekhlyudov, Larissa; Alexander, Gwen L.; Stark, Azadeh; Hornbrook, Mark C.; Walsh, Kathleen; Boggs, Jennifer; Lemay, Celeste A.; Firneno, Cassandra; Biggins, Colleen; Blosky, Mary Ann; Arora, Neeraj K.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Patient-centered communication is critical to quality cancer care. Effective communication can help patients and family members cope with cancer, make informed decisions, and effectively manage their care; suboptimal communication can contribute to care breakdowns and undermine clinician-patient relationships. The study purpose was to explore stakeholders' views on the feasibility and acceptability of collecting self-reported patient and family perceptions of communication experiences while receiving cancer care. The results were intended to inform the design, development, and implementation of a structured and generalizable patient-level reporting system. Methods: This was a formative, qualitative study that used semistructured interviews with cancer patients, family members, clinicians, and leaders of health care organizations. The constant comparative method was used to identify major themes in the interview transcripts. Results: A total of 106 stakeholders were interviewed. Thematic saturation was achieved. All stakeholders recognized the importance of communication and endorsed efforts to improve communication during cancer care. Patients, clinicians, and leaders expressed concerns about the potential consequences of reports of suboptimal communication experiences, such as damage to the clinician-patient relationship, and the need for effective improvement strategies. Patients and family members would report good communication experiences in order to encourage such practices. Practical and logistic issues were identified. Conclusion: Patient reports of their communication experiences during cancer care could increase understanding of the communication process, stimulate improvements, inform interventions, and provide a basis for evaluating changes in communication practices. This qualitative study provides a foundation for the design and pilot testing of such a patient reporting system. PMID:23943884

Analysis of risk factors to predict communicating hydrocephalus following gamma knife radiosurgery for intracranial schwannoma.

PubMed

Lee, Seunghoon; Seo, Seong-Wook; Hwang, Juyoung; Seol, Ho Jun; Nam, Do-Hyun; Lee, Jung-Il; Kong, Doo-Sik

2016-12-01

Communicating hydrocephalus (HCP) in vestibular schwannomas (VS) after gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) has been reported in the literature. However, little information about its incidence and risk factors after GKRS for intracranial schwannomas is yet available. The objective of this study was to identify the incidence and risk factors for developing communicating HCP after GKRS for intracranial schwannomas. We retrospectively reviewed a total of 702 patients with intracranial schwannomas who were treated with GKRS between January 2002 and December 2015. We investigated patients' age, gender, tumor origin, previous surgery history, tumor volume, marginal radiation dose, and presence of tumor control to identify associations with communicating HCP following GKRS. To make predictive models of communicating HCP, we performed Cox regression analyses and constructed a decision tree for risk factors. In total, 29 of the 702 patients (4.1%) developed communicating HCP following GKRS, which required ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt surgery. Multivariate analyses indicated that age (P = 0.0011), tumor origin (P = 0.0438), and tumor volume (P < 0.0001) were significant predictors of communicating HCP in patients with intracranial schwannoma after GKRS. Using machine-learning methods, we fit an optimal predictive model. We found that developing communicating HCP following GKRS was most likely if the tumor was vestibular origin and had a volume ≥13.65 cm 3 . Communicating HCP is not a rare complication of GKRS for intracranial schwannomas. Under specific conditions, communicating HCP following GKRS is warranted for this patient group, and this patient group should be closely followed up. © 2016 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

General practice and the Internet revolution. Use of an Internet social network to communicate information on prevention in France.

PubMed

Veuillotte, Isabelle; Morel, Gilles; Pitois, Stephane; Haler, Renaud; Mercier, Patricia; Aubry, Catherine; Cannet, Didier

2015-03-01

The popularity of social networks and the huge number of exchanges have made them immensely important for the communication of information. This French study explored prevention in hereditary breast cancer using a social Internet network to communicate information. The principal objective was to inform French women aged from 20 to 50 years, using the social network Facebook, about the warning signs of breast cancer in cases of a predisposition to the disease due to a genetic mutation. The secondary objectives were to inform people about screening. An information page entitled "hereditary breast cancer: and if I was concerned?" was distributed in 3 different ways: from friend to friend, via groups of persons, and by targeted advertising. Four articles and 11 messages were distributed over 27 days. The total number of visits for this period amounted to 1019. A total of 81 percent of the Internauts were women and 55 percent of the visitors were aged between 25 and 44 years. Other information campaigns concerning public health issues could be conducted using this tool. A legal framework is necessary to preserve the quality of the medical information provided. This new means of communication, used for prevention purposes, will add to other frequently used methods of communication. © The Author(s) 2013.

An Alternating Treatment Comparison of Oral and Total Communication Training Programs with Echolalic Autistic Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrera, Richardo D.; Sulzer-Azaroff, Beth

1983-01-01

Comparison of the relative effectiveness of oral and total communication training models for teaching expressive labeling skills to three echolalic autistic children (six-nine years old) demonstrated that total communication was the most successful approach with each of the Ss. (Author/CL)

The Relationship between Motor, Imitation, and Early Social Communication Skills in Children with Autism.

PubMed

Dadgar, Hooshang; Alaghband Rad, Javad; Soleymani, Zahra; Khorammi, Anahita; McCleery, Joe; Maroufizadeh, Saman

2017-10-01

Objective: Development of early social skills in children is a complex process. To understand this process, it is important to assess how strengths or weaknesses in other developmental domains may be affected by these skills. The present study aimed at investigating the association of motor skills and imitation ability with early social communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method: In this study, 20 children with ASD aged 3 to 5 years (M = 4.05, SD = 0.55) participated. All children were diagnosed as ASD based on the DSM-V criteria by an independent child psychiatrist. Additionally, Autism Diagnostic interview-Revised was used for subsequent diagnostic confirmation. Children were tested with Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2), the Motor Imitation Scale (MIS), and the Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS). All examinations were videotaped for subsequent scoring. The relationship between these skills was estimated by Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: A significant and strong correlation was obtained between TGMD total score and imitation total score (r =.776; p <0.001). However, the relationship between MIS subscales and TGMD-2 locomotor subtest scores was not significant (P>0.05). A significant correlation was found between MIS and TGMD total scores with Initiating Joint Attention and Responding to Joint Attention (p≤0/025) as ESCS subscales. But MIS and TGMD total scores were not correlated with social interaction and responding to behavioral requests subscales. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that indicated both imitation ability and motor function have an association with each other and with early social communication skills.

The Relationship between Motor, Imitation, and Early Social Communication Skills in Children with Autism

PubMed Central

Dadgar, Hooshang; Alaghband Rad, Javad; Soleymani, Zahra; Khorammi, Anahita; McCleery, Joe; Maroufizadeh, Saman

2017-01-01

Objective: Development of early social skills in children is a complex process. To understand this process, it is important to assess how strengths or weaknesses in other developmental domains may be affected by these skills. The present study aimed at investigating the association of motor skills and imitation ability with early social communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method: In this study, 20 children with ASD aged 3 to 5 years (M = 4.05, SD = 0.55) participated. All children were diagnosed as ASD based on the DSM-V criteria by an independent child psychiatrist. Additionally, Autism Diagnostic interview-Revised was used for subsequent diagnostic confirmation. Children were tested with Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2), the Motor Imitation Scale (MIS), and the Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS). All examinations were videotaped for subsequent scoring. The relationship between these skills was estimated by Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: A significant and strong correlation was obtained between TGMD total score and imitation total score (r =.776; p <0.001). However, the relationship between MIS subscales and TGMD-2 locomotor subtest scores was not significant (P>0.05). A significant correlation was found between MIS and TGMD total scores with Initiating Joint Attention and Responding to Joint Attention (p≤0/025) as ESCS subscales. But MIS and TGMD total scores were not correlated with social interaction and responding to behavioral requests subscales. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that indicated both imitation ability and motor function have an association with each other and with early social communication skills. PMID:29472949

Assessing Patients’ Experiences with Communication Across the Cancer Care Continuum

PubMed Central

Mazor, Kathleen M.; Street, Richard L.; Sue, Valerie M.; Williams, Andrew E.; Rabin, Borsika A.; Arora, Neeraj K.

2016-01-01

Objective To evaluate the relevance, performance and potential usefulness of the Patient Assessment of cancer Communication Experiences (PACE) items. Methods Items focusing on specific communication goals related to exchanging information, fostering healing relationships, responding to emotions, making decisions, enabling self-management, and managing uncertainty were tested via a retrospective, cross-sectional survey of adults who had been diagnosed with cancer. Analyses examined response frequencies, inter-item correlations, and coefficient alpha. Results A total of 366 adults were included in the analyses. Relatively few selected “Does Not Apply”, suggesting that items tap relevant communication experiences. Ratings of whether specific communication goals were achieved were strongly correlated with overall ratings of communication, suggesting item content reflects important aspects of communication. Coefficient alpha was ≥.90 for each item set, indicating excellent reliability. Variations in the percentage of respondents selecting the most positive response across items suggest results can identify strengths and weaknesses. Conclusion The PACE items tap relevant, important aspects of communication during cancer care, and may be useful to cancer care teams desiring detailed feedback. PMID:26979476

Design, dissemination, and evaluation of an advanced communication elective at seven U.S. medical schools.

PubMed

Mauksch, Larry; Farber, Stuart; Greer, H Thomas

2013-06-01

To test educational methods that continue communication training into the fourth year of medical school. The authors disseminated and evaluated an advanced communication elective in seven U.S. medical schools between 2007 and 2009; a total of 9 faculty and 22 fourth-year students participated. The elective emphasized peer learning, practice with real patients, direct observation, and applications of video technology. The authors used qualitative and quantitative survey methods and video review to evaluate the experience of students and faculty. Students reported that the elective was better than most medical school clerkships they had experienced. Their self-confidence in time management and in the use of nine communication skills improved significantly. The most valued course components were video review, repeated practice with real patients, and peer observation. Analysis of student videos with real patients and in role-plays showed that some skills (e.g., agenda setting, understanding the patient perspective) were more frequently demonstrated than others (e.g., exploring family and cultural values, communication while using the electronic health record). Faculty highly valued this learner-centered model and reported that their self-awareness and communication skills grew as teachers and as clinicians. Learner-centered methods such as peer observation and video review and editing may strengthen communication training and reinforce skills introduced earlier in medical education. The course design may counteract a "hidden curriculum" that devalues respectful interactions with trainees and patients. Future research should assess the impact of course elements on skill retention, attitudes for lifelong learning, and patients' health outcomes.

Social communication deficits: Specific associations with Social Anxiety Disorder

PubMed Central

Halls, Georgia; Cooper, Peter J.; Creswell, Cathy

2015-01-01

Background Social communication deficits are prevalent amongst children with anxiety disorders; however whether they are over-represented specifically among children with Social Anxiety Disorder has not been examined. This study set out to examine social communication deficits among children with Social Anxiety Disorder in comparison to children with other forms of anxiety disorder. Methods Parents of 404 children with a diagnosed anxiety disorder completed the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ; Rutter, M., Bailey, A., Lord, C., 2003. The Social Communication Questionnaire – Manual. Western Psychological Services, Los Angeles, CA). Children with a diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder (n=262) and anxious children without Social Anxiety Disorder (n=142) were compared on SCQ total and subscale scores and the frequency of participants scoring above clinical cut-offs. Results Children with Social Anxiety Disorder scored significantly higher than anxious children without Social Anxiety Disorder on the SCQ total (t(352)=4.85, p<.001, d=.55, r=.27), Reciprocal Social Interaction (t(351)=4.73, p<.001, d=.55, r=.27), communication (t(344)=3.62, p<.001, d=.43, r=.21) and repetitive, restrictive and stereotyped behaviors subscales (t(353)=3.15, p=.002, d=.37, r=.18). Furthermore, children with Social Anxiety Disorder were three times more likely to score above clinical cut-offs. Limitations The participants were a relatively affluent group of predominantly non-minority status. The social communication difficulties measure relied on parental report which could be influenced by extraneous factors. Conclusions Treatments for Social Anxiety Disorder may benefit from a specific focus on developing social communication skills. Future research using objective assessments of underlying social communication skills is required. PMID:25451393

How to assess communication, professionalism, collaboration and the other intrinsic CanMEDS roles in orthopedic residents: use of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)

PubMed Central

Dwyer, Tim; Takahashi, Susan Glover; Hynes, Melissa Kennedy; Herold, Jodi; Wasserstein, David; Nousiainen, Markku; Ferguson, Peter; Wadey, Veronica; Murnaghan, M. Lucas; Leroux, Tim; Semple, John; Hodges, Brian; Ogilvie-Harris, Darrell

2014-01-01

Background Assessing residents’ understanding and application of the 6 intrinsic CanMEDS roles (communicator, professional, manager, collaborator, health advocate, scholar) is challenging for postgraduate medical educators. We hypothesized that an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) designed to assess multiple intrinsic CanMEDS roles would be sufficiently reliable and valid. Methods The OSCE comprised 6 10-minute stations, each testing 2 intrinsic roles using case-based scenarios (with or without the use of standardized patients). Residents were evaluated using 5-point scales and an overall performance rating at each station. Concurrent validity was sought by correlation with in-training evaluation reports (ITERs) from the last 12 months and an ordinal ranking created by program directors (PDs). Results Twenty-five residents from postgraduate years (PGY) 0, 3 and 5 participated. The interstation reliability for total test scores (percent) was 0.87, while reliability for each of the communicator, collaborator, manager and professional roles was greater than 0.8. Total test scores, individual station scores and individual CanMEDS role scores all showed a significant effect by PGY level. Analysis of the PD rankings of intrinsic roles demonstrated a high correlation with the OSCE role scores. A correlation was seen between ITER and OSCE for the communicator role, while the ITER medical expert and total scores highly correlated with the communicator, manager and professional OSCE scores. Conclusion An OSCE designed to assess the intrinsic CanMEDS roles was sufficiently valid and reliable for regular use in an orthopedic residency program. PMID:25078926

Health care using high-bandwidth communication to overcome distance and time barriers for the Department of Defense

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mun, Seong K.; Freedman, Matthew T.; Gelish, Anthony; de Treville, Robert E.; Sheehy, Monet R.; Hansen, Mark; Hill, Mac; Zacharia, Elisabeth; Sullivan, Michael J.; Sebera, C. Wayne

1993-01-01

Image management and communications (IMAC) network, also known as picture archiving and communication system (PACS) consists of (1) digital image acquisition, (2) image review station (3) image storage device(s), image reading workstation, and (4) communication capability. When these subsystems are integrated over a high speed communication technology, possibilities are numerous in improving the timeliness and quality of diagnostic services within a hospital or at remote clinical sites. Teleradiology system uses basically the same hardware configuration together with a long distance communication capability. Functional characteristics of components are highlighted. Many medical imaging systems are already in digital form. These digital images constitute approximately 30% of the total volume of images produced in a radiology department. The remaining 70% of images include conventional x-ray films of the chest, skeleton, abdomen, and GI tract. Unless one develops a method of handling these conventional film images, global improvement in productivity in image management and radiology service throughout a hospital cannot be achieved. Currently, there are two method of producing digital information representing these conventional analog images for IMAC: film digitizers that scan the conventional films, and computed radiography (CR) that captures x-ray images using storage phosphor plate that is subsequently scanned by a laser beam.

The State of Communication Education in Family Medicine Residencies.

PubMed

Jansen, Kate L; Rosenbaum, Marcy E

2016-06-01

Communication skills are essential to medical training and have lasting effects on patient satisfaction and adherence rates. However, relatively little is reported in the literature identifying how communication is taught in the context of residency education. Our goal was to determine current practices in communication curricula across family medicine residency programs. Behavioral scientists and program directors in US family medicine residencies were surveyed via email and professional organization listservs. Questions included whether programs use a standardized communication model, methods used for teaching communication, hours devoted to teaching communication, as well as strengths and areas for improvement in their program. Analysis identified response frequencies and ranges complemented by analysis of narrative comments. A total of 204 programs out of 458 family medicine residency training sites responded (45%), with 48 out of 50 US states represented. The majority of respondents were behavioral scientists. Seventy-five percent of programs identified using a standard communication model; Mauksch's patient-centered observation model (34%) was most often used. Training programs generally dedicated more time to experiential teaching methods (video review, work with simulated patients, role plays, small groups, and direct observation of patient encounters) than to lectures (62% of time and 24% of time, respectively). The amount of time dedicated to communication education varied across programs (average of 25 hours per year). Respondent comments suggest that time dedicated to communication education and having a formal curriculum in place are most valued by educators. This study provides a picture of how communication skills teaching is conducted in US family medicine residency programs. These findings can provide a comparative reference and rationale for residency programs seeking to evaluate their current approaches to communication skills teaching and develop new or enhanced curricula.

Perceptions of effective and ineffective nurse-physician communication in hospitals.

PubMed

Robinson, F Patrick; Gorman, Geraldine; Slimmer, Lynda W; Yudkowsky, Rachel

2010-01-01

Nurse-physician communication affects patient safety. Such communication has been well studied using a variety of survey and observational methods; however, missing from the literature is an investigation of what constitutes effective and ineffective interprofessional communication from the perspective of the professionals involved. The purpose of this study was to explore nurse and physician perceptions of effective and ineffective communication between the two professions. Using focus group methodology, we asked nurses and physicians with at least 5 years' acute care hospital experience to reflect on effective and ineffective interprofessional communication and to provide examples. Three focus groups were held with 6 participants each (total sample 18). Sessions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded into categories of effective and ineffective communication. The following themes were found. For effective communication: clarity and precision of message that relies on verification, collaborative problem solving, calm and supportive demeanor under stress, maintenance of mutual respect, and authentic understanding of the unique role. For ineffective communication: making someone less than, dependence on electronic systems, and linguistic and cultural barriers. These themes may be useful in designing learning activities to promote effective interprofessional communication.

Using Total Communication with Young Children with Down Syndrome: A Literature Review and Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbs, Elizabeth D.; Carswell, Lynn E.

1991-01-01

Total communication is the simultaneous use of speech and manual signs. This article presents a literature review regarding language disabilities of children with Down's syndrome and a case study concerning the effectiveness of the use of total communication with an infant with Down's syndrome. (Author/BB)

Improving Hypertension Control in Diabetes Mellitus The Effects of Collaborative and Proactive Health Communication

PubMed Central

Naik, Aanand D.; Kallen, Michael A.; Walder, Annette; Street, Richard L.

2013-01-01

Background Communication between patients and clinicians using collaborative goals and treatment plans may overcome barriers to achieving hypertension control in routine diabetes mellitus care. We assessed the interrelation of patient–clinician communication factors to determine their independent associations with hypertension control in diabetes care. Methods and Results We identified 566 older adults with diabetes mellitus and hypertension at the DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Tex. Clinical and pharmacy data were collected, and a patient questionnaire was sent to all participants. A total of 212 individuals returned surveys. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the effect of patient characteristics, self-management behaviors, and communication factors on hypertension control. Three communication factors had significant associations with hypertension control. Two factors, patients' endorsement of a shared decision-making style (odds ratio 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 2.57) and proactive communication with one's clinician about abnormal results of blood pressure self-monitoring (odds ratio 1.89, 95% confidence interval 1.10 to 3.26), had direct, independent associations in multivariate regression. Path analysis was used to investigate the direct and indirect effects of communication factors and hypertension control. Decision-making style (β=0.20, P<0.01) and proactive communication (β=0.50, P<0.0001) again demonstrated direct effects on hypertension control. A third factor, clinicians' use of collaborative communication when setting treatment goals, had a total effect on hypertension control of 0.16 (P<0.05) through its direct effects on decision-making style (β=0.28, P<0.001) and proactive communication (β=0.22, P<0.01). Conclusions Three communication factors were found to have significant associations with hypertension control. Patient–clinician communication that facilitates collaborative blood pressure goals and patients' input related to the progress of treatment may improve rates of hypertension control in diabetes care independent of medication adherence. PMID:18316489

Peer role-play and standardised patients in communication training: a comparative study on the student perspective on acceptability, realism, and perceived effect

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background To assess the student perspective on acceptability, realism, and perceived effect of communication training with peer role play (RP) and standardised patients (SP). Methods 69 prefinal year students from a large German medical faculty were randomly assigned to one of two groups receiving communication training with RP (N = 34) or SP (N = 35) in the course of their paediatric rotation. In both groups, training addressed major medical and communication problems encountered in the exploration and counselling of parents of sick children. Acceptability and realism of the training as well as perceived effects and applicability for future parent-physician encounters were assessed using six-point Likert scales. Results Both forms of training were highly accepted (RP 5.32 ± .41, SP 5.51 ± .44, n.s.; 6 = very good, 1 = very poor) and perceived to be highly realistic (RP 5.60 ± .38, SP 5.53 ± .36, n.s.; 6 = highly realistic, 1 = unrealistic). Regarding perceived effects, participation was seen to be significantly more worthwhile in the SP group (RP 5.17 ± .37, SP 5.50 ± .43; p < .003; 6 = totally agree, 1 = don't agree at all). Both training methods were perceived as useful for training communication skills (RP 5.01 ± .68, SP 5.34 ± .47; 6 = totally agree; 1 = don't agree at all) and were considered to be moderately applicable for future parent-physician encounters (RP 4.29 ± 1.08, SP 5.00 ± .89; 6 = well prepared, 1 = unprepared), with usefulness and applicability both being rated higher in the SP group (p < .032 and p < .009). Conclusions RP and SP represent comparably valuable tools for the training of specific communication skills from the student perspective. Both provide highly realistic training scenarios and warrant inclusion in medical curricula. Given the expense of SP, deciding which method to employ should be carefully weighed up. From the perspective of the students in our study, SP were seen as a more useful and more applicable tool than RP. We discuss the potential of RP to foster a greater empathic appreciation of the patient perspective. PMID:20353612

Nurse Practitioners' Use of Communication Techniques: Results of a Maryland Oral Health Literacy Survey

PubMed Central

Koo, Laura W.; Horowitz, Alice M.; Radice, Sarah D.; Wang, Min Q.; Kleinman, Dushanka V.

2016-01-01

Objectives We examined nurse practitioners’ use and opinions of recommended communication techniques for the promotion of oral health as part of a Maryland state-wide oral health literacy assessment. Use of recommended health-literate and patient-centered communication techniques have demonstrated improved health outcomes. Methods A 27-item self-report survey, containing 17 communication technique items, across 5 domains, was mailed to 1,410 licensed nurse practitioners (NPs) in Maryland in 2010. Use of communication techniques and opinions about their effectiveness were analyzed using descriptive statistics. General linear models explored provider and practice characteristics to predict differences in the total number and the mean number of communication techniques routinely used in a week. Results More than 80% of NPs (N = 194) routinely used 3 of the 7 basic communication techniques: simple language, limiting teaching to 2–3 concepts, and speaking slowly. More than 75% of respondents believed that 6 of the 7 basic communication techniques are effective. Sociodemographic provider characteristics and practice characteristics were not significant predictors of the mean number or the total number of communication techniques routinely used by NPs in a week. Potential predictors for using more of the 7 basic communication techniques, demonstrating significance in one general linear model each, were: assessing the office for user-friendliness and ever taking a communication course in addition to nursing school. Conclusions NPs in Maryland self-reported routinely using some recommended health-literate communication techniques, with belief in their effectiveness. Our findings suggest that NPs who had assessed the office for patient-friendliness or who had taken a communication course beyond their initial education may be predictors for using more of the 7 basic communication techniques. These self-reported findings should be validated with observational studies. Graduate and continuing education for NPs should increase emphasis on health-literate and patient-centered communication techniques to increase patient understanding of dental caries prevention. Non-dental healthcare providers, such as NPs, are uniquely positioned to contribute to preventing early childhood dental caries through health-literate and patient-centered communication. PMID:26766557

Can We Help Care Providers Communicate More Effectively With Persons Having Dementia Living in Long-Term Care Homes?

PubMed Central

Rochon, Elizabeth; Sidani, Souraya; Shaw, Alexander; Ben-David, Boaz M.; Saragosa, Marianne; Boscart, Veronique M.; Wilson, Rozanne; Galimidi-Epstein, Karmit K.

2016-01-01

Background: Effective communication between residents with dementia and care providers in long-term care homes (LTCHs) is essential to resident-centered care. Purpose: To determine the effects of a communication intervention on residents’ quality of life (QOL) and care, as well as care providers’ perceived knowledge, mood, and burden. Method: The intervention included (1) individualized communication plans, (2) a dementia care workshop, and (3) a care provider support system. Pre- and postintervention scores were compared to evaluate the effects of the intervention. A total of 12 residents and 20 care providers in an LTCH participated in the feasibility study. Results: The rate of care providers’ adherence to the communication plans was 91%. Postintervention, residents experienced a significant increase in overall QOL. Care providers had significant improvement in mood and perceived reduced burden. Conclusion: The results suggest that the communication intervention demonstrates preliminary evidence of positive effects on residents’ QOL and care providers’ mood and burden. PMID:27899433

Using TPR Communicatively.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomscha, Terry

The Total Physical Response (TPR) method of teaching languages, while found to be effective and theoretically interesting, appears to have limitations in some circumstances. In a British program of English as a second language, TPR was found to be useful only for teaching vocabulary and only at low levels; the language it produced (imperatives and…

The Use of WhatsApp Smartphone Messaging Improves Communication Efficiency within an Orthopaedic Surgery Team

PubMed Central

Moriarty, Andrew; Coughlan, Fionn; McCarthy, Thomas

2017-01-01

Introduction: Effective and timely communication is important for any surgical specialty to function. The use of smartphones is prevalent amongst doctors. Numerous smartphone applications offer the potential for fast and cost-effective communication. WhatsApp is a commonly used application that is free, easy to use, and capable of text and multimedia messaging. We report on the use of WhatsApp over a six month period in our unit. Materials and Methods: WhatsApp communication between non-consultant members of an orthopaedic team over a six-month period was analysed. Both the phones and the WhatsApp application were password-protected, and patient details were anonymised. A series of 20 communications using the hospital pager system and the telephone system were also analysed. Results: A total of 5,492 messages were sent during the six-month period and were part of 1,916 separate communication events. The vast majority of messages, 5,090, were related to patient care. A total of 195 multimedia messages were sent and these included images of radiographs and wounds. When using the hospital telephones, the length of time spent on a communication averaged 5.78 minutes and using the hospital pager system averaged 7.45 minutes. Using the WhatsApp messaging system has potentially saved up to 7,664 minutes over the study period. All participants found WhatsApp easy to use and found it to be more efficient than the traditional pager system Conclusion: Compared to the traditional pager systems, the use of WhatsApp is easy, inexpensive, and reliable and can help improve the efficiency of communication within a surgical team.  PMID:28357172

An alternating treatment comparison of oral and total communications training programs with echolalic autistic children.

PubMed Central

Barrera, R D; Sulzer-Azaroff, B

1983-01-01

An alternating treatment comparison was conducted of the relative effectiveness of oral and total communication training models for teaching expressive labeling skills to three echolalic autistic children. The results of this comparison demonstrated that total communication proved to be the most successful approach with each of the subjects. In addition, the replication of these findings both within and across subjects suggest that total communication may be, in general, the most effective of these two training models for teaching basic vocal language skills to echolalic children. A number of hypotheses are presented that may provide a basis for the demonstrated effect. PMID:6654770

Japanese Adaptation of the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39): Comparative Study among Different Types of Aphasia.

PubMed

Kamiya, Akane; Kamiya, Kentaro; Tatsumi, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Makihiko; Horiguchi, Satoshi

2015-11-01

We have developed a Japanese version of the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39), designated as SAQOL-39-J, and used psychometric methods to examine its acceptability and reliability. The acceptability and reliability of SAQOL-39-J, which was developed from the English version using a standard translation and back-translation method, were examined in 54 aphasia patients using standard psychometric methods. The acceptability and reliability of SAQOL-39-J were then compared among patients with different types of aphasia. SAQOL-39-J showed good acceptability, internal consistency (Cronbach's α score = .90), and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .97). Broca's aphasia patients showed the lowest total scores and communication scores on SAQOL-39-J. The Japanese version of SAQOL-39, SAQOL-39-J, provides acceptable and reliable data in Japanese stroke patients with aphasia. Among different types of aphasia, Broca's aphasia patients had the lowest total and communication SAQOL-39-J scores. Further studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of health care interventions on health-related quality of life in this population. Copyright © 2015 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diffusion-Based Model for Synaptic Molecular Communication Channel.

PubMed

Khan, Tooba; Bilgin, Bilgesu A; Akan, Ozgur B

2017-06-01

Computational methods have been extensively used to understand the underlying dynamics of molecular communication methods employed by nature. One very effective and popular approach is to utilize a Monte Carlo simulation. Although it is very reliable, this method can have a very high computational cost, which in some cases renders the simulation impractical. Therefore, in this paper, for the special case of an excitatory synaptic molecular communication channel, we present a novel mathematical model for the diffusion and binding of neurotransmitters that takes into account the effects of synaptic geometry in 3-D space and re-absorption of neurotransmitters by the transmitting neuron. Based on this model we develop a fast deterministic algorithm, which calculates expected value of the output of this channel, namely, the amplitude of excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP), for given synaptic parameters. We validate our algorithm by a Monte Carlo simulation, which shows total agreement between the results of the two methods. Finally, we utilize our model to quantify the effects of variation in synaptic parameters, such as position of release site, receptor density, size of postsynaptic density, diffusion coefficient, uptake probability, and number of neurotransmitters in a vesicle, on maximum number of bound receptors that directly affect the peak amplitude of EPSP.

The effect of completing a surrogacy information and decision-making tool upon admission to an intensive care unit on length of stay and charges.

PubMed

Hatler, Carol W; Grove, Charlene; Strickland, Stephanie; Barron, Starr; White, Bruce D

2012-01-01

Many critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are unable to communicate their wishes about goals of care, particularly about the use of life-sustaining treatments. Surrogates and clinicians struggle with medical decisions because of a lack of clarity regarding patients' preferences, leading to prolonged hospitalizations and increased costs. This project focused on the development and implementation of a tool to facilitate a better communication process by (1) assuring the early identification of a surrogate if indicated on admission and (2) clarifying the decision-making standards that the surrogate was to use when participating in decision making. Before introducing the tool into the admissions routine, the staff were educated about its use and value to the decision-making process. PROJECT AND METHODS: The study was to determine if early use of a simple method of identifying a patient's surrogate and treatment preferences might impact length of stay (LOS) and total hospital charges. A pre- and post-intervention study design was used. Nurses completed the surrogacy information tool for all patients upon admission to the neuroscience ICU. Subjects (total N = 203) were critically ill patients who had been on a mechanical ventilator for 96 hours or longer, or in the ICU for seven days or longer.The project included staff education on biomedical ethics, critical communication skills, early identification of families and staff in crisis, and use of a simple tool to document patients' surrogates and previously expressed care wishes. Data on hospital LOS and hospital charges were collected through a retrospective review of medical records for similar four-month time frames pre- and post-implementation of the assessment tool. Significant differences were found between pre- and post-groups in terms of hospital LOS (F = 6.39, p = .01) and total hospital charges (F = 7.03, p = .009). Project findings indicate that the use of a simple admission assessment tool, supported by staff education about its completion, use, and available resources, can decrease LOS and lower total hospital charges. The reasons for the difference between the pre- and post-intervention groups remain unclear. Further research is needed to evaluate if the quality of communications between patients, their legally authorized representatives, and clinicians--as suggested in the literature--may have played a role in decreasing LOS and total hospital charges.

Energy-Efficient Data Collection Method for Sensor Networks by Integrating Asymmetric Communication and Wake-Up Radio

PubMed Central

Iwata, Masanari; Tang, Suhua; Obana, Sadao

2018-01-01

In large-scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs), nodes close to sink nodes consume energy more quickly than other nodes due to packet forwarding. A mobile sink is a good solution to this issue, although it causes two new problems to nodes: (i) overhead of updating routing information; and (ii) increased operating time due to aperiodic query. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an energy-efficient data collection method, Sink-based Centralized transmission Scheduling (SC-Sched), by integrating asymmetric communication and wake-up radio. Specifically, each node is equipped with a low-power wake-up receiver. The sink node determines transmission scheduling, and transmits a wake-up message using a large transmission power, directly activating a pair of nodes simultaneously which will communicate with a normal transmission power. This paper further investigates how to deal with frame loss caused by fading and how to mitigate the impact of the wake-up latency of communication modules. Simulation evaluations confirm that using multiple channels effectively reduces data collection time and SC-Sched works well with a mobile sink. Compared with the conventional duty-cycling method, SC-Sched greatly reduces total energy consumption and improves the network lifetime by 7.47 times in a WSN with 4 data collection points and 300 sensor nodes. PMID:29642397

Integral sliding mode-based attitude coordinated tracking for spacecraft formation with communication delays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jian; Hu, Qinglei; Xie, Wenbo

2017-11-01

This paper investigates the attitude coordinated tracking control for a group of rigid spacecraft under directed communication topology, in which inertia uncertainties, external disturbances, input saturation and constant time-delays between the formation members are handled. Initially, the nominal system with communication delays is studied. A delay-dependent controller is proposed by using Lyapunov-Krasovskii function and sufficient condition for system stability is derived. Then, an integral sliding manifold is designed and adaptive control approach is employed to deal with the total perturbation. Meanwhile, the boundary layer method is introduced to alleviate the unexpected chattering as system trajectories cross the switching surface. Finally, numerical simulation results are presented to validate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control strategy.

Evaluating patient care communication in integrated care settings: application of a mixed method approach in cerebral palsy programs.

PubMed

Gulmans, J; Vollenbroek-Hutten, M M R; Van Gemert-Pijnen, J E W C; Van Harten, W H

2009-02-01

In this study, we evaluated patient care communication in the integrated care setting of children with cerebral palsy in three Dutch regions in order to identify relevant communication gaps experienced by both parents and involved professionals. A three-step mixed method approach was used starting with a questionnaire to identify communication links in which parents experienced gaps. In subsequent in-depth interviews with parents and focus group meetings with professionals underlying factors were evaluated. In total, 197 parents completed the questionnaire (response 67%); 6% scored negative on parent-professional communication, whereas 17% scored negative on inter-professional communication, especially between the rehabilitation physician and primary care physiotherapy (16%) and (special) education/day care (15%). In-depth interviews among a subset of 20 parents revealed various sources of dissatisfaction such as lack of cooperation and patient centeredness, inappropriate amount of information exchange and professional use of parents as messenger of information. Focus group meetings revealed that professionals recognized these gaps. They attributed them to capacity problems, lack of interdisciplinary guidelines and clear definition of roles, but also a certain hesitance for contact due to unfamiliarity with involved professionals in the care network. Parents particularly identified gaps in inter-professional communication between (rehabilitation) hospitals and primary care settings. Involved professionals recognized these gaps and primarily attributed them to organizational factors. Improvement initiatives should focus on these factors as well as facilitation of low-threshold contact across the patient's care network.

Quality Australian Journals in the Humanities and Social Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haddow, Gaby

2008-01-01

A pilot study was undertaken to test the journal diffusion factor (JDF) as an alternative to journal impact factors (JIFs) for ranking journals. Bibliometric research methods were applied to rank Australian architecture, communications and education journals by the JDF; this was with the total number of citations they attract in ISI indexed…

Survey of Different Types of Communication in Swimming Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biro, Melinda

2007-01-01

Study aim: To evaluate verbal and non-verbal behaviour of teachers and pupils in elementary swimming education and their impact on pupils' achievements. Material and methods: A total of 77 swimming lessons were videorecorded and coded with the modified Cheffers' Adaptation of Flanders Interaction Analysis System (CAFIAS); 46 PE teachers, swimming…

Making the PACS workstation a browser of image processing software: a feasibility study using inter-process communication techniques.

PubMed

Wang, Chunliang; Ritter, Felix; Smedby, Orjan

2010-07-01

To enhance the functional expandability of a picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) workstation and to facilitate the integration of third-part image-processing modules, we propose a browser-server style method. In the proposed solution, the PACS workstation shows the front-end user interface defined in an XML file while the image processing software is running in the background as a server. Inter-process communication (IPC) techniques allow an efficient exchange of image data, parameters, and user input between the PACS workstation and stand-alone image-processing software. Using a predefined communication protocol, the PACS workstation developer or image processing software developer does not need detailed information about the other system, but will still be able to achieve seamless integration between the two systems and the IPC procedure is totally transparent to the final user. A browser-server style solution was built between OsiriX (PACS workstation software) and MeVisLab (Image-Processing Software). Ten example image-processing modules were easily added to OsiriX by converting existing MeVisLab image processing networks. Image data transfer using shared memory added <10ms of processing time while the other IPC methods cost 1-5 s in our experiments. The browser-server style communication based on IPC techniques is an appealing method that allows PACS workstation developers and image processing software developers to cooperate while focusing on different interests.

Missed opportunities: a descriptive assessment of teaching and attitudes regarding communication skills in a surgical residency.

PubMed

Hutul, Olivia A; Carpenter, Robert O; Tarpley, John L; Lomis, Kimberly D

2006-01-01

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that "residents must be able to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange and teaming with patients, their patients' families, and professional associates." The authors sought to assess current methods of teaching and attitudes regarding communication skills in their surgical residency. After obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) exemption, voluntary anonymous surveys were completed by a sample of convenience at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center: surgical residents at Grand Rounds and attending surgeons in a faculty meeting. Data were evaluated from 49 respondents (33 of 75 total surgical residents, 16 representative attending surgeons). One hundred percent of respondents rated the importance of communication to the successful care of patients as "4" or "5" of 5. Direct attending observation of residents communicating with patients/families was confirmed by residents and faculty. Residents reported varying levels of comfort with different types of conversations. Residents were "comfortable" or "very comfortable" as follows: obtaining informed consent, 91%; reporting operative findings, 64%; delivering bad news, 61%; conducting a family conference, 40%; discussing do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, 36%; and discussing transition to comfort care, 24%. Resident receptiveness to communication skills education varied with proposed venues: 84% favored teaching in the course of routine clinical care, 52% via online resources, and 46% in workshops. Residents were asked how frequently they received feedback specific to their communication skills during the past 6 months: Most residents reported 0 (39%) or 1 (21%) feedback episode. Only 30% of resident respondents reported receiving feedback that they perceived helpful. Attending surgeons reported that they did provide residents feedback specific to their communication skills. When asked to estimate the number of feedback episodes in the last 6 months, 16 faculty members reported a total of 67 feedback episodes, whereas 33 residents reported a total of only 24 episodes. Most faculty members rated their comfort with providing feedback specific to communication skills as "very comfortable" (56%) or "comfortable" (19%). "Time constraints" was the most frequently cited barrier to teaching communication skills. Communication skills are valued as integral to patient care by both residents and faculty in this study. Residents are most receptive to teaching of communication skills in the clinical setting. Faculty members report they are providing feedback to residents. Although residents report direct observation by faculty, currently only a minority (30%) are receiving feedback regarding communication that they consider helpful. A need exists to facilitate the feedback process to resolve this discrepancy. The authors propose that an evaluation instrument regarding communication skills may strengthen the feedback process.

Consumer Satisfaction with Antipsychotic Medication Monitoring Appointments: The Role of Consumer-Prescriber Communication Patterns

PubMed Central

Reich, Catherine M.; Hack, Samantha M.; Klingaman, Elizabeth A.; Brown, Clayton H.; Fang, Li Juan; Dixon, Lisa B.; Jahn, Danielle R.; Kreyenbuhl, Julie A.

2017-01-01

Objective The study was designed to explore patterns of prescriber communication behaviors as they relate to consumer satisfaction among a serious mental illness sample. Methods Recordings from 175 antipsychotic medication-monitoring appointments between veterans with psychiatric disorders and their prescribers were coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) for communication behavioral patterns. Results The frequency of prescriber communication behaviors (i.e., facilitation, rapport, procedural, psychosocial, biomedical, and total utterances) did not reliably predict consumer satisfaction. The ratio of prescriber to consumer utterances did predict consumer satisfaction. Conclusion Consistent with client-centered care theory, antipsychotic medication consumers were more satisfied with their encounters when their prescriber did not dominate the conversation. Practice Implications Therefore, one potential recommendation from these findings could be for medication prescribers to spend more of their time listening to, rather than speaking with, their SMI consumers. PMID:28920491

Communication technologies to improve HPV vaccination initiation and completion: A systematic review.

PubMed

Francis, Diane B; Cates, Joan R; Wagner, Kyla P Garrett; Zola, Tracey; Fitter, Jenny E; Coyne-Beasley, Tamera

2017-07-01

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of communication technology interventions on HPV vaccination initiation and completion. A comprehensive search strategy was used to identify existing randomized controlled trials testing the impact of computer-, mobile- or internet-based interventions on receipt of any dose of the HPV vaccine. Twelve relevant studies were identified with a total of 38,945 participants. The interventions were delivered using several different methods, including electronic health record (i.e. recall/reminder) prompts, text messaging, automated phone calls, interactive computer videos, and email. Vaccine initiation and completion was greater for technology-based studies relative to their control conditions. There is evidence that interventions utilizing communication technologies as their sole or primary mode for HPV vaccination intervention delivery may increase vaccination coverage. Communication technologies hold much promise for the future of HPV vaccination efforts, especially initiatives in practice-based settings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

To what extent does the Health Professions Admission Test-Ireland predict performance in early undergraduate tests of communication and clinical skills? – An observational cohort study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Internationally, tests of general mental ability are used in the selection of medical students. Examples include the Medical College Admission Test, Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test and the UK Clinical Aptitude Test. The most widely used measure of their efficacy is predictive validity. A new tool, the Health Professions Admission Test- Ireland (HPAT-Ireland), was introduced in 2009. Traditionally, selection to Irish undergraduate medical schools relied on academic achievement. Since 2009, Irish and EU applicants are selected on a combination of their secondary school academic record (measured predominately by the Leaving Certificate Examination) and HPAT-Ireland score. This is the first study to report on the predictive validity of the HPAT-Ireland for early undergraduate assessments of communication and clinical skills. Method Students enrolled at two Irish medical schools in 2009 were followed up for two years. Data collected were gender, HPAT-Ireland total and subsection scores; Leaving Certificate Examination plus HPAT-Ireland combined score, Year 1 Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores (Total score, communication and clinical subtest scores), Year 1 Multiple Choice Questions and Year 2 OSCE and subset scores. We report descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and Multiple linear regression models. Results Data were available for 312 students. In Year 1 none of the selection criteria were significantly related to student OSCE performance. The Leaving Certificate Examination and Leaving Certificate plus HPAT-Ireland combined scores correlated with MCQ marks. In Year 2 a series of significant correlations emerged between the HPAT-Ireland and subsections thereof with OSCE Communication Z-scores; OSCE Clinical Z-scores; and Total OSCE Z-scores. However on multiple regression only the relationship between Total OSCE Score and the Total HPAT-Ireland score remained significant; albeit the predictive power was modest. Conclusion We found that none of our selection criteria strongly predict clinical and communication skills. The HPAT- Ireland appears to measures ability in domains different to those assessed by the Leaving Certificate Examination. While some significant associations did emerge in Year 2 between HPAT Ireland and total OSCE scores further evaluation is required to establish if this pattern continues during the senior years of the medical course. PMID:23663266

Communicating with employers: experiences of occupational therapists treating people with musculoskeletal conditions.

PubMed

Coole, Carol; Birks, Emily; Watson, Paul J; Drummond, Avril

2014-09-01

Many employed people with musculoskeletal conditions rely on healthcare practitioners, including occupational therapists, for work-related advice and support. Good communication between healthcare practitioners and employers is considered vital in facilitating work retention and return to work. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of occupational therapists in communicating with patients' employers. Qualitative data were collected from the responses of occupational therapists to ten statements/open questions in a questionnaire survey of UK occupational therapists. Data were copied verbatim into word documents and analysed thematically. A total of 649 comments were made by 143 respondents. Five themes were identified that were associated with communicating with employers: patient-dependent; employer-dependent; therapist-dependent; extrinsic factors; methods of communication. This study has identified that communication between occupational therapists and employers is influenced by a number of factors, including those which are outside the therapists' control. These need to be acknowledged and addressed by therapists, their professional organisation, employers, commissioners, therapy service managers, educators and employees in order to support return-to-work and work retention of people with musculoskeletal conditions.

Centralized vs. Decentralized Nursing Stations: An Evaluation of the Implications of Communication Technologies in Healthcare.

PubMed

Bayramzadeh, Sara; Alkazemi, Mariam F

2014-01-01

This study aims to explore the relationship between the nursing station design and use of communication technologies by comparing centralized and decentralized nursing stations. The rapid changes in communication technologies in healthcare are inevitable. Communication methods can change the way occupants use a space. In the meantime, decentralized nursing stations are emerging as a replacement for the traditional centralized nursing stations; however, not much research has been done on how the design of nursing stations can impact the use of communication technologies. A cross sectional study was conducted using an Internet-based survey among registered nurses in a Southeastern hospital in the United States. Two units with centralized nursing stations and two units with decentralized nursing stations were compared in terms of the application of communication technologies. A total of 70 registered nurses completed the survey in a 2-week period. The results revealed no significant differences between centralized and decentralized nursing stations in terms of frequency of communication technologies used. However, a difference was found between perception of nurses toward communication technologies and perceptions of the use of communication technologies in decentralized nursing stations. Although the study was limited to one hospital, the results indicate that nurses hold positive attitudes toward communication technologies. The results also reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each nursing station design with regard to communication technologies. Hospital, interdisciplinary, nursing, technology, work environment.

Body expression skills training in a communication course for dental students.

PubMed

Riga, Vassiliki; Kossioni, Anastassia

2014-01-01

In the health professions, competency in communication skills is necessary for the development of a satisfactory physician-patient interaction. Body expression is an important domain of the communication process, often not adequately addressed. The aim of this study was to describe the methodology and content of a pilot introductory training session in body expression for dental students before the beginning of their clinical training. The educational methods were based on experiential learning and embodied training, where the session's content focused on five themes representing different phases of the dental treatment session. A questionnaire was distributed before and after the session to assess any changes in students' self-perceptions in communication skills. There were statistically significant improvements in the total values of the students self-perceptions of their communication skills obtained before and after the training and in specific elements such as small group situations, performing an interview, understanding the feelings of others and expressing one's own feelings. The dental students in the present study felt that this preclinical experiential learning session improved their communication skills. The feedback from this training experience will enable further development of an effective communication course for clinical dentistry.

19. Randomized Controlled Trial of a Neurosteroid Intervention in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Marx, Chris; Naylor, Jennifer; Kilts, Jason; Allan, Trina; Smith, Karen; Szabo, Steven; Wagner, Ryan; Buchanan, Robert; Keefe, Richard; Shampine, Lawrence

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Neurosteroids are endogenous molecules synthesized de novo in brain, adrenals, and other tissues. They demonstrate pleiotropic actions that are highly relevant to the neurobiology of schizophrenia. Clozapine markedly elevates neurosteroids in rodent hippocampus, potentially contributing to its superior therapeutic efficacy. Clinical evidence from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Singapore suggests that pregnenolone significantly enhances functional capacity (as demonstrated by improvements in the UPSA Total Score and UPSA Communication Subscale Score) and that neurosteroid changes posttreatment predict therapeutic response (Marx et al 2014; Psychopharmacology). We thus conducted an RCT investigating adjunctive pregnenolone in schizophrenia. Methods: After a 2-week placebo lead-in, 88 participants with schizophrenia were randomized to pregnenolone (n = 42) or placebo (n = 46) for 8 weeks. Neurosteroids were quantified at baseline and posttreatment by mass spectrometry. Functional end points included the UPSA Total Score and UPSA Communication Subscale. Cognitive end points included the MCCB Composite Score and MCCB Subscales. Modified intent-to-treat analyses were conducted. Results: Participants randomized to the pregnenolone group did not outperform placebo on the UPSA Total Score or MCCB Composite Score. However, the pregnenolone group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in the UPSA Communication Subscale compared to participants randomized to placebo (P = .034), replicating prior RCT findings from Singapore. Elevations in pregnenolone post-treatment also predicted improvements in UPSA Total Score (r = .373; P = .039), again replicating prior efforts. In addition, the pregnenolone group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in the MCCB Verbal Learning Subscale compared to placebo (P = .023). Pregnenolone did not outperform placebo in the BACS Composite Score, SANS Total Score, or PANSS Total Score. Pregnenolone was well tolerated. Conclusion: Treatment with pregnenolone appears to improve functional capacity in a US population with schizophrenia, as assessed by the UPSA Communication Subscale and also supported by a significant positive correlation between pregnenolone changes and UPSA Total Score improvements—thus replicating findings from a prior RCT conducted in Singapore. Pregnenolone may also improve verbal memory. Given the positive correlation between pregnenolone increases posttreatment and UPSA Total Score improvements, it is possible that higher doses of pregnenolone may be clinically efficacious, and that neurosteroid quantification has biomarker potential for the predication of therapeutic response. Additional dose-finding investigations will be required to test these hypotheses. A pregnenolone decanoate formulation is currently in preclinical development.

Impact of Family History Assessment on Communication with Family Members and Health Care Providers: A report from the Family Healthware™ Impact Trial (FHITr)

PubMed Central

Wang, Catharine; Sen, Ananda; Plegue, Melissa; Ruffin, Mack T.; O'Neill, Suzanne M.; Rubinstein, Wendy S.; Acheson, Louise S.

2015-01-01

Objective This study examines the impact of Family Healthware™ on communication behaviors; specifically, communication with family members and health care providers about family health history. Methods A total of 3786 participants were enrolled in the Family Healthware™ Impact Trial (FHITr) in the United States from 2005-7. The trial employed a two-arm cluster-randomized design, with primary care practices serving as the unit of randomization. Using generalized estimating equations (GEE), analyses focused on communication behaviors at 6 month follow-up, adjusting for age, site and practice clustering. Results A significant interaction was observed between study arm and baseline communication status for the family communication outcomes (ps<.01), indicating that intervention had effects of different magnitude between those already communicating at baseline and those who were not. Among participants who were not communicating at baseline, intervention participants had higher odds of communicating with family members about family history risk (OR=1.24, p=0.042) and actively collecting family history information at follow-up (OR=2.67, p=0.026). Family Healthware™ did not have a significant effect on family communication among those already communicating at baseline, or on provider communication, regardless of baseline communication status. Greater communication was observed among those at increased familial risk for a greater number of diseases. Conclusion Family Healthware™ prompted more communication about family history with family members, among those who were not previously communicating. Efforts are needed to identify approaches to encourage greater sharing of family history information, particularly with health care providers. PMID:25901453

The loneliness experiences of young adults with cerebral palsy who use alternative and augmentative communication.

PubMed

Cooper, Lauren; Balandin, Susan; Trembath, David

2009-01-01

Young adults with cerebral palsy who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems may be at increased risk of loneliness due to the additional challenges they experience with communication. Six young adults, aged 24-30 years, who used AAC and had cerebral palsy, participated in in-depth interviews to explore their experiences of loneliness as they made the transition into adulthood. A total of five major themes in the data were identified using the constant comparative method of analysis. Three of these themes were discussed by all participants: (a) Support Networks, (b) AAC System Use, and (c) Technology. The authors concluded that these three themes were most important in understanding the experiences of loneliness of the young adults with cerebral palsy who participated in this study.

Chemical Communications

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-27

TOTAL: Patents Submitted Submitted: "Systems and Methods for Amplification and Phage Display", Derda, R., Tang, S.K.Y., Whitesides, G.M. PCT/US11...College 60 Oxford Street Cambridge MA 02138 5a: 5f-1a: 5f-c: Systems and Methods for Amplification and Phage Display Patent Filed in US? (5d-1) Y NPatent...the bacteriophage- T7 promoter (See S.I. for details). This series of FP encoding vectors contain the ampicillin-resistant gene as a selective marker

The Chinese Family Assessment Instrument (C-FAI): Hierarchical Confirmatory Factor Analyses and Factorial Invariance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shek, Daniel T. L.; Ma, Cecilia M. S.

2010-01-01

Objective: This paper examines the dimensionality and factorial invariance of the Chinese Family Assessment Instrument (C-FAI) using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MCFAs). Method: A total of 3,649 students responded to the C-FAI in a community survey. Results: Results showed that there are five dimensions of the C-FAI (communication,…

Grammaire au service de l'apprenant (Grammar at the Service of the Learner)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kafala, Michele; And Others

1977-01-01

A study of the evolution of audiovisual methods with particular emphasis on verb usage and indirect discourse. Early texts were totally language-centered; newer texts are student-centered and, in spite of grammatical difficulties introduced, make authentic oral communication possible and attractive earlier in the course. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Preferences of referring physicians regarding the role of radiologists as direct communicators of test results

PubMed Central

Erdoğan, Nuri; İmamoğlu, Hakan; Görkem, Süreyya Burcu; Doğan, Serap; Şenol, Serkan; Öztürk, Ahmet

2017-01-01

PURPOSE Currently, there is a growing need for patient-centered radiology in which radiologists communicate with patients directly. The aim of this study is to investigate the preferences of referring physicians (RPs) regarding direct communication between radiologists and patients. METHODS This study was conducted in a single academic hospital using a survey form. The survey items investigated the preferences of RPs regarding: 1. who should be the communicator of test results when a patient with abnormal findings requests information (the options were the radiologist; another health professional with communication skills training (CST); and the RP with CST); and 2. how the communication activity should be conducted if the radiologist is obliged (or chooses) to communicate with the patient directly (the options were that the disclosure should be limited to the findings in the radiology report; the radiologist should emphasize that the RP is the primary physician; and the communication activity should be conducted in accordance with guidelines established by consensus). The respondents were 101 RPs from various fields of specialty; they were asked to rate the items using a 5-point Likert scale. The effects of age, sex, field of specialty (surgical vs. nonsurgical), and total years of experience as a medical specialist on the ratings were statistically compared. RESULTS Most RPs preferred that the radiologist transmit the information to the RP without communicating directly with the patient (89.1%). Although 69.3% of the RPs declared that health professionals with CST have priority in communication, 86.1% declared that the RP should be the person who received CST. If the radiologist communicates with patients directly, the RPs favored that 1. the disclosure should be limited to the findings in the radiology report (95%); 2. the communication activity should include an emphasis on the RP as the patient’s primary agent (84.1%); and 3. communication should be conducted in accordance with guidelines established by consensus (73.2%). The percentage of strong opinions did not change significantly with regard to age, sex, field of specialty, or total years of experience, except that surgeons expressed strong disagreement with delegating the communication activity to another health professional who received CST (χ2 = 9.9; P = 0.042). CONCLUSION These findings may serve as a basis to implement institutional and national policies for patient-centered radiology. PMID:27876683

Examining emergency department communication through a staff-based participatory research method: identifying barriers and solutions to meaningful change.

PubMed

Cameron, Kenzie A; Engel, Kirsten G; McCarthy, Danielle M; Buckley, Barbara A; Mercer Kollar, Laura Min; Donlan, Sarah M; Pang, Peter S; Makoul, Gregory; Tanabe, Paula; Gisondi, Michael A; Adams, James G

2010-12-01

We test an initiative with the staff-based participatory research (SBPR) method to elicit communication barriers and engage staff in identifying strategies to improve communication within our emergency department (ED). ED staff at an urban hospital with 85,000 ED visits per year participated in a 3.5-hour multidisciplinary workshop. The workshop was offered 6 times and involved: (1) large group discussion to review the importance of communication within the ED and discuss findings from a recent survey of patient perceptions of ED-team communication; (2) small group discussions eliciting staff perceptions of communication barriers and best practices/strategies to address these challenges; and (3) large group discussions sharing and refining emergent themes and suggested strategies. Three coders analyzed summaries from group discussions by using latent content and constant comparative analysis to identify focal themes. A total of 127 staff members, including attending physicians, residents, nurses, ED assistants, and secretaries, participated in the workshop (overall participation rate 59.6%; range 46.7% to 73.3% by staff type). Coders identified a framework of 4 themes describing barriers and proposed interventions: (1) greeting and initial interaction, (2) setting realistic expectations, (3) team communication and respect, and (4) information provision and delivery. The majority of participants (81.4%) reported that their participation would cause them to make changes in their clinical practice. Involving staff in discussing barriers and facilitators to communication within the ED can result in a meaningful process of empowerment, as well as the identification of feasible strategies and solutions at both the individual and system levels. Copyright © 2010 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Iranian parent-staff communication and parental stress in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit

PubMed Central

Hasanpour, Marzieh; Alavi, Mousa; Azizi, Fatemeh; Als, Heidelise; Armanian, Amir Mohmmad

2017-01-01

INTRODUCTION: The birth of an infant requiring hospitalization in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) uniformly is reported to be stressful for parents and family members. This study aimed to determine parent–staff communication in the NICU and its relationship to parent stress. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and three Iranian parents with preterm infants hospitalized in the NICU participated in this descriptive-correlational study. The participants were selected by the quota sampling method. Data collected included a three-part: questionnaire, the first part covered demographic parent and infant information, the second was the Parent–Staff Communication Scale (the score of which ranged from 0 to 180), and the third was the Parental Stress Scale (the score of which ranged from 0 to 102). Descriptive and inferential statistics including the Pearson's correlation coefficient test were applied to the data, using SPSS software Version 16. RESULTS: This study revealed that fathers and mothers’ stress and communication scores were almost comparable and both higher than expected. The total mean score of the two main variables, i.e., parent–staff communication and parental stress were, respectively, 100.72 ± 18.89 and 75.26 ± 17.6. A significant inverse correlation was found between parental stress and parent–staff communication scores (r = −0.144, P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Based on this study finding showed that better parent–staff communication is related to lower parent stress scores, it is recommended that nurses and physicians receive specific skill training for the establishment of effective parent–staff communication. It is anticipated that such improved staff skills will help decrease parent stress and therewith likely promote parent and infant health in the NICU. PMID:28616416

Integrated Communications at America's Leading Total Quality Management Corporations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gronstedt, Anders

1996-01-01

Examines how to create organizational processes that allow communication professionals with a variety of expertise to support each other through coordination and integration. Studies eight of America's leading total quality management corporations, including AT&T, Federal Express, Saturn, and Xerox. Explores how various total quality…

Systems effects on family planning innovativeness.

PubMed

Lee, S B

1983-12-01

Data from Korea were used to explore the importance of community level variables in explaining family planning adoption at the individual level. An open system concept was applied, assuming that individual family planning behavior is influenced by both environmental and individual factors. The environmental factors were measured at the village level and designated as community characteristics. The dimension of communication network variables was introduced. Each individual was characterized in terms of the degree of her involvement in family planning communication with others in her village. It was assumed that the nature of the communication network linking individuals with each other effects family planning adoption at the individual level. Specific objectives were to determine 1) the relative importance of the specific independent variables in explaining family planning adoption and 2) the relative importance of the community level variables in comparison with the individual level variables in explaining family planning adoption at the individual level. The data were originally gathered in a 1973 research project on Korea's mothers' clubs. 1047 respondents were interviewed, comprising all married women in 25 sample villages having mothers' clubs. The dependent variable was family planning adoption behavior, defined as current use of any of the modern methods of family planning. The independent variables were defined at 3 levels: individual, community, and at a level intermediate between them involving communication links between individuals. More of the individual level independent variables were significantly correlated with the dependent variables than the community level variables. Among those variables with statistically significant correlations, the correlation coefficients were consistently higher for the individual level than for the community level variables. More of the variance in the dependent variable was explained by individual level than by community level variables. Community level variables accounted for only about 2.5% of the total variance in the dependent variable, in marked contrast to the result showing individual level variables accounting for as much as 19% of the total variance. When both individual and community level variables were entered into a multiple correlation analysis, a multiple correlation coefficient of .4714 was obtained together they explained about 20% of the total variance. The 2 communication network variables--connectedness and integrativeness--were correlated with the dependent variable at much higher levels than most of the individual or community level variables. Connectedness accounted for the greatest amount of the total variance. The communication network variables as a group explained as much of the total variance in the dependent variable as the individual level variables and greatly more that the community level variables.

Total Communication for Children with Down Syndrome? Patterns across Six Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbs, Elizabeth D.; And Others

The project evaluated the effectiveness of using Total Communication (simultaneous use of sign language and speech) with six infants with Down syndrome as a means of fostering communication while verbal skills and articulatory proficiency develop. Each child was seen within the home environment every second week through 24 months of age and once a…

Wireless autonomous device data transmission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sammel, Jr., David W. (Inventor); Mickle, Marlin H. (Inventor); Cain, James T. (Inventor); Mi, Minhong (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A method of communicating information from a wireless autonomous device (WAD) to a base station. The WAD has a data element having a predetermined profile having a total number of sequenced possible data element combinations. The method includes receiving at the WAD an RF profile transmitted by the base station that includes a triggering portion having a number of pulses, wherein the number is at least equal to the total number of possible data element combinations. The method further includes keeping a count of received pulses and wirelessly transmitting a piece of data, preferably one bit, to the base station when the count reaches a value equal to the stored data element's particular number in the sequence. Finally, the method includes receiving the piece of data at the base station and using the receipt thereof to determine which of the possible data element combinations the stored data element is.

Hybrid feedforward-feedback active noise reduction for hearing protection and communication.

PubMed

Ray, Laura R; Solbeck, Jason A; Streeter, Alexander D; Collier, Robert D

2006-10-01

A hybrid active noise reduction (ANR) architecture is presented and validated for a circumaural earcup and a communication earplug. The hybrid system combines source-independent feedback ANR with a Lyapunov-tuned leaky LMS filter (LyLMS) improving gain stability margins over feedforward ANR alone. In flat plate testing, the earcup demonstrates an overall C-weighted total noise reduction of 40 dB and 30-32 dB, respectively, for 50-800 Hz sum-of-tones noise and for aircraft or helicopter cockpit noise, improving low frequency (<100 Hz) performance by up to 15 dB over either control component acting individually. For the earplug, a filtered-X implementation of the LyLMS accommodates its nonconstant cancellation path gain. A fast time-domain identification method provides a high-fidelity, computationally efficient, infinite impulse response cancellation path model, which is used for both the filtered-X implementation and communication feedthrough. Insertion loss measurements made with a manikin show overall C-weighted total noise reduction provided by the ANR earplug of 46-48 dB for sum-of-tones 80-2000 Hz and 40-41 dB from 63 to 3000 Hz for UH-60 helicopter noise, with negligible degradation in attenuation during speech communication. For both hearing protectors, a stability metric improves by a factor of 2 to several orders of magnitude through hybrid ANR.

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Threadgold Communication Tool for Persons with Dementia

PubMed Central

Strøm, Benedicte Sørensen; Engedal, Knut; Grov, Ellen-Karine

2016-01-01

Background The objective of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Threadgold Communication Tool (TCT). Method Internal consistency reliability was measured using Cronbach's α coefficient and inter-item correlation. Test-retest was performed to examine the instrument's stability. Exploratory principal component analysis (PCA) with oblimin rotation was carried out to evaluate construct validity. Finally, the score on each item of the TCT was correlated with the person's Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Barthel Index of activities of daily living scores. Results A total of 51 persons participated, with a mean age of 86.7 (SD 6.6) years, of whom 46 were women with moderate-to-severe dementia [mean MMSE score 7.5 (SD 6.7)]. There were two measurement points 2 weeks apart. The results showed a satisfactory level for internal consistency and a high test-retest reliability (r = 0.76). The corrected item-total correlation ranged between 0.50 and 0.87, and a two-factor structure was revealed at the PCA. ‘Vocalizing’ seemed to measure another aspect of communication and was the only item which was negatively loaded. Conclusion Despite the low sample size in this study, the results revealed the TCT as a reliable and valid instrument, suitable for measuring communication among people with dementia. We suggest clarifying the understanding of ‘vocalizing’ before considering removing it from the scale. PMID:27239188

Adolescent Sexual Health Communication and Condom Use: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Widman, Laura; Noar, Seth M.; Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Francis, Diane

2014-01-01

Objective Condom use is critical for the health of sexually active adolescents, and yet many adolescents fail to use condoms consistently. One interpersonal factor that may be key to condom use is sexual communication between sexual partners; however, the association between communication and condom use has varied considerably in prior studies of youth. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the growing body of research linking adolescents’ sexual communication to condom use, and to examine several moderators of this association. Methods A total of 41 independent effect sizes from 34 studies with 15,046 adolescent participants (Mage=16.8, age range=12–23) were meta-analyzed. Results Results revealed a weighted mean effect size of the sexual communication-condom use relationship of r = .24, which was statistically heterogeneous (Q=618.86, p<.001, I2 =93.54). Effect sizes did not differ significantly by gender, age, recruitment setting, country of study, or condom measurement timeframe; however, communication topic and communication format were statistically significant moderators (p<.001). Larger effect sizes were found for communication about condom use (r = .34) than communication about sexual history (r = .15) or general safer sex topics (r = .14). Effect sizes were also larger for communication behavior formats (r = .27) and self-efficacy formats (r = .28), than for fear/concern (r = .18), future intention (r = .15), or communication comfort (r = −.15) formats. Conclusions Results highlight the urgency of emphasizing communication skills, particularly about condom use, in HIV/STI prevention work for youth. Implications for the future study of sexual communication are discussed. PMID:25133828

ICF-Based Analysis of Communication Disorders in Dementia of Alzheimer's Type

PubMed Central

Badarunisa, Mohamad Basheer; Sebastian, Daly; Rangasayee, Raghunath Rao; Kala, Baby

2015-01-01

Purpose Dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT) is a major cognitive communication disorder. The present study attempted to analyse communication disorders in DAT in the International Classification of Functions (ICF) framework. The study investigated the impact of the severity of communication disorders in persons with DAT on activity participation and environment components of the ICF. Method Thirty bilingual individuals with DAT in the age range of 65-88 years were classified into three groups of mild, moderate and severe degree of dementia. Forty-three items of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for Adults (ASHA FACS) were linked to the ICF framework. A few additional items were also added for a complete profiling of DAT. A total of 50 (ASHA FACS + ICF) items were rated and administered for the purpose of the study. Results The study revealed a disproportionate impact of the severity of DAT on activity participation and environment components of the ICF. Conclusion The present study investigated the utility of the ICF framework for profiling the functionality of persons with DAT. This profiling highlighted the need for ensuring effective communication and quality of life in the DAT population. PMID:26955380

Communication skills of anesthesiologists: An Indian perspective.

PubMed

Kumar, Mritunjay; Dash, Hari Har; Chawla, Rajiv

2013-07-01

Communication failure is a risk factor for mishaps and complaints, which can be reduced by effective communication between operating room team members and patients. To conduct a survey among anesthesiologists regarding communications skills and related issues like stress in case of communication failure, need for training, music in operation theater, and language barrier at their work place. We conducted a survey among anesthesiologists coming for a neuroanesthesia conference in India (n = 110) in February 2011 by questionnaire sent by e-mail to them. The response rate was 61.8% (68/110). Majority (95.5%) of the respondents agreed that good verbal communication leads to better patient outcome, better handling of crisis and is important between surgeons and anesthesiologists (98.5%). A total of 86% of the anesthesiologists felt that failure of communication caused stress to them. The idea of communication by e-mail or phone text messages instead of verbal communications was discouraged by 65.2%. A total of 82% of respondents felt that training of communication skills should be mandatory for all medical personnel and 77.6% were interested in participating in such course. Language barrier at work place was seen as hurdle by 62.7% of the respondents. A total of 80% of respondents felt that playing music in operating theater is appropriate. Results of the survey highlight the need for effective communication in the operating room between team members and need for formal training to improve it.

A Comparative Study on the Attitudes and Uses of Music by Adults with Visual Impairments and Those Who Are Sighted

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Hye Young; Chong, Hyun Ju; Kim, Soo Ji

2015-01-01

Introduction: This study investigated attitudes (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and communal) toward, and uses of, music among people with visual impairments compared with those who are sighted to investigate the potential of music as a means of communication and social expression. Method: A total of 137 participants (63 visually impaired, 74…

Evaluation of Programs for Hearing Impaired Children: Report of 1973-74. Research Report No. 81.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moores, Donald F.; And Others

Presented is the fourth year report of a 4-year longitudinal study comparing effectiveness of seven preschool programs for deaf children. Schools are seen to emphasize either an oral-aural, Rochester (Oral-aural plus finger spelling), or total communication method of instruction. Included in the report are a brief review of literature on…

Communications device identification methods, communications methods, wireless communications readers, wireless communications systems, and articles of manufacture

DOEpatents

Steele, Kerry D [Kennewick, WA; Anderson, Gordon A [Benton City, WA; Gilbert, Ronald W [Morgan Hill, CA

2011-02-01

Communications device identification methods, communications methods, wireless communications readers, wireless communications systems, and articles of manufacture are described. In one aspect, a communications device identification method includes providing identification information regarding a group of wireless identification devices within a wireless communications range of a reader, using the provided identification information, selecting one of a plurality of different search procedures for identifying unidentified ones of the wireless identification devices within the wireless communications range, and identifying at least some of the unidentified ones of the wireless identification devices using the selected one of the search procedures.

Innovative Networking Concepts Tested on the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Daniel; Gupta, Sonjai; Zhang, Chuanguo; Ephremides, Anthony

1996-01-01

This paper describes a program of experiments conducted over the advanced communications technology satellite (ACTS) and the associated TI-VSAT (very small aperture terminal). The experiments were motivated by the commercial potential of low-cost receive only satellite terminals that can operate in a hybrid network environment, and by the desire to demonstrate frame relay technology over satellite networks. The first experiment tested highly adaptive methods of satellite bandwidth allocation in an integrated voice-data service environment. The second involved comparison of forward error correction (FEC) and automatic repeat request (ARQ) methods of error control for satellite communication with emphasis on the advantage that a hybrid architecture provides, especially in the case of multicasts. Finally, the third experiment demonstrated hybrid access to databases and compared the performance of internetworking protocols for interconnecting local area networks (LANs) via satellite. A custom unit termed frame relay access switch (FRACS) was developed by COMSAT Laboratories for these experiments; the preparation and conduct of these experiments involved a total of 20 people from the University of Maryland, the University of Colorado and COMSAT Laboratories, from late 1992 until 1995.

Quality of internal communication in health care and the professional-patient relationship.

PubMed

March Cerdá, Joan Carles; Prieto Rodríguez, María Angeles; Pérez Corral, Olivia; Lorenzo, Sergio Minué; Danet, Alina

2010-01-01

A study was undertaken for the purpose of describing internal communication and the professional-patient relationship and to establish a descriptive model of the interaction between these 2 variables. A nationwide survey was carried out in primary care and specialist care centers in Spain. A simple random sampling method was used with 1183 health care professionals. The data collection instrument was a Likert questionnaire that recorded information on the perceived quality of internal communication (0-100 scale), professional-patient relationships (0-100 scale), and sociodemographic variables. The results were analyzed using SPSS 15.0, performing mean comparisons and a suitable linear regression model.The total average of the quality of internal communication was 53.79 points, and that of the professional-patient relationships was 74.17 points. Sex made no statistically significant difference. Age shows that the older the participant, the better his/her opinion of internal communication and professional-patient relationships. Nursing staff had the highest opinion of internal communication and professional-patient relationships. The association between internal communication and professional-patient relationship was positive (R = 0.45).It was concluded that continuous exchange of information among health care professionals, together with learning and shared decision making or a positive emotional climate, is an element that will consolidate good professional-patient relationships and ensure patient satisfaction.

The Relationship of Communication Apprehension to Communication Behavior: A Meta-Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Mike; Bourhis, John

Communication apprehension (CA) refers to a family of related terms: (a) reticence, (b) shyness, (c) unwillingness to communicate; and (d) stage fright. One pervasive but not totally substantiated assumption in current literature is the relationship between the level of communication apprehension and the level of communication skill demonstrated…

E-mail in patient–provider communication: A systematic review

PubMed Central

Ye, Jiali; Rust, George; Fry-Johnson, Yvonne; Strothers, Harry

2014-01-01

Objective To review systematically the role of e-mails in patient–provider communication in terms of e-mail content, and perspectives of providers and patients on e-mail communication in health care. Methods A systematic review of studies on e-mail communication between patients and health providers in regular health care published from 2000 to 2008. Results A total of 24 studies were included in the review. Among these studies, 21 studies examined e-mail communication between patients and providers, and three studies examined the e-mail communication between parents of patients in pediatric primary care and pediatricians. In the content analyses of e-mail messages, topics well represented were medical information exchange, medical condition or update, medication information, and subspecialty evaluation. A number of personal and institutional features were associated with the likelihood of e-mail use between patients and providers. While benefits of e-mails in enhancing communication were recognized by both patients and providers, concerns about confidentiality and security were also expressed. Conclusion The e-mail is transforming the relationship between patients and providers. The rigorous exploration of pros and cons of electronic interaction in health care settings will help make e-mail communication a more powerful, mutually beneficial health care provision tool. Practice implications It is important to develop an electronic communication system for the clinical practice that can address a range of concerns. More efforts need to be made to educate patients and providers to appropriately and effectively use e-mail for communication. PMID:19914022

Routine failures in the process for blood testing and the communication of results to patients in primary care in the UK: a qualitative exploration of patient and provider perspectives

PubMed Central

Litchfield, Ian; Bentham, Louise; Hill, Ann; McManus, Richard J; Lilford, Richard; Greenfield, Sheila

2015-01-01

Background The testing and result communication process in primary care is complex. Its successful completion relies on the coordinated efforts of a range of staff in primary care and external settings working together with patients. Despite the importance of diagnostic testing in provision of care, this complexity renders the process vulnerable in the face of increasing demand, stretched resources and a lack of supporting guidance. Methods We conducted a series of focus groups with patients and staff across four primary care practices using process-improvement strategies to identify and understand areas where either unnecessary delay is introduced, or the process may fail entirely. We then worked with both patients and staff to arrive at practical strategies to improve the current system. Results A total of six areas across the process were identified where improvements could be introduced. These were: (1) delay in phlebotomy, (2) lack of a fail-safe to ensure blood tests are returned to practices and patients, (3) difficulties in accessing results by telephone, (4) role of non-clinical staff in communicating results, (5) routine communication of normal results and (6) lack of a protocol for result communication. Conclusions A number of potential failures in testing and communicating results to patients were identified, and some specific ideas for improving existing systems emerged. These included same-day phlebotomy sessions, use of modern technology methods to proactively communicate routine results and targeted training for receptionists handling sensitive data. There remains an urgent need for further work to test these and other potential solutions. PMID:26251507

Professional communication competences of physiotherapists -- practice and educational perspectives.

PubMed

Włoszczak-Szubzda, Anna; Jarosz, Mirosław J

2013-01-01

Dissonance between the high 'technical' competences of medical professionals, including physiotherapists, and the relatively low level of patient satisfaction with care received is a phenomenon observed in many countries. Many studies show that it occurs in the case of an inadequate interpersonal communication between medical professionals and patients. The primary goal of the presented research was evaluation of the level (study of the state) of communication competences of physiotherapists, and determination of the factors on which this level depends. An additional goal was analysis of the needs and educational possibilities within the existing models of education in the area of interpersonal communication provided by higher medical education institutions. The self-designed questionnaire and adjective check list were subject to standardization from the aspect of reliability and validity. Information available on the websites of 20 educational facilities in Poland were compared. The study group covered a total number of 115 respondents in the following subgroups: 1) occupationally-active physiotherapists who, as a rule, were not trained in interpersonal communication (35 respondents); students of physiotherapy covered by a standard educational programme (60 respondents); 3) students of physiotherapy who, in addition to a standard educational programme, attended extra courses in professional interpersonal communications (20 respondents). The results of studies indicate poor efficacy of shaping communication competences of physiotherapists based on education in the area of general psychology and general interpersonal communication. Communication competences acquired during undergraduate physiotherapy education are subject to regression during occupational activity. Methods of evaluating communication competences are useful in constructing group and individual programmes focused on specific communication competences, rather than on general communication skills.

Transition from congress abstract to full paper: the case of a national Argentinean congress in clinical laboratory.

PubMed

Martínez, Ana M; Fink, Nilda E

2008-01-01

Transition from communications (abstracts) of an Argentinean congress and their publication as full papers was analyzed. No similar report was found for clinical laboratory in Latin America. A total of 388 communications from five congresses were identified, and searches were performed on the internet to find the publications. Pairs were established (1 communication, 1 publication), and characteristics were analyzed. In total, 10.8% of the communications were published. Mean time elapsed was 2+/-1.0 years (x +/- SD). A total of 62% of the publications appeared in Argentinean journals and 38% in foreign journals (5 in Spanish, 11 in English). Mean author number was 4.8+/-2.4 for communications and 5.1+/-2.3 for publications. In total, 59.5% of the publications changed the number and order of authors. Clinical Chemistry was the main topic (45.4% for communications, 38.1% for publications), followed by Microbiology (21.1%, 23.8%). Universities participated in 217 communications (55.9%) and 32 publications (76.2%), while other institutions participated in 171 communications (44.1%) and 10 publications (23.8%). Publication index was lower than for other congresses. Time elapsed was consistent with others. Preference for Argentinean journals may indicate a focus on local readers but also limitations in language skills. Variations in authorship arise from modifications of individual participation in the final work. More publications from all institutions are desirable. Differences of content were below those reported by others.

Cultura, communicacion e interaccion: hacia el contexto total del lenguaje y el hombre hispanicos (Culture, Communication and Interaction: Toward the Total Context of Hispanic Man and his Language)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poyatos, Fernando

1975-01-01

This fourth and final of a series of papers on communication in the Spanish-speaking world deals with body language and other nonverbal communication. The use of nonverbal sounds, the visual and olfactory senses, and behavior patterns are noted. (Text is in Spanish.) (CK)

Timeliness “at a glance”: assessing the turnaround time through the six sigma metrics.

PubMed

Ialongo, Cristiano; Bernardini, Sergio

2016-01-01

Almost thirty years of systematic analysis have proven the turnaround time to be a fundamental dimension for the clinical laboratory. Several indicators are to date available to assess and report quality with respect to timeliness, but they sometimes lack the communicative immediacy and accuracy. The six sigma is a paradigm developed within the industrial domain for assessing quality and addressing goal and issues. The sigma level computed through the Z-score method is a simple and straightforward tool which delivers quality by a universal dimensionless scale and allows to handle non-normal data. Herein we report our preliminary experience in using the sigma level to assess the change in urgent (STAT) test turnaround time due to the implementation of total automation. We found that the Z-score method is a valuable and easy to use method for assessing and communicating the quality level of laboratory timeliness, providing a good correspondence with the actual change in efficiency which was retrospectively observed.

Quality of life and deglutition after total laryngectomy

PubMed Central

Pernambuco, Leandro de Araújo; Oliveira, Jabson Herber Profiro de; Régis, Renata Milena Freitas Lima; Lima, Leilane Maria de; Araújo, Ana Maria Bezerra de; Balata, Patrícia Maria Mendes; Cunha, Daniele Andrade da; Silva, Hilton Justino da

2012-01-01

Summary Introduction: Total laryngectomy creates deglutition disorders and causes a decrease in quality of life Aim: To describe the impact of swallowing and quality of life of patients after total laryngectomy. Method: A case series study. Patients completed a Swallowing and Quality of Life questionnaire composed of 44 questions assessing 11 domains related to quality of life (burden, eating duration, eating desire, frequency of symptoms, food selection, communication, fear, mental health, social functioning, sleep, and fatigue). The analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency and variability. Results: The sample comprised 15 patients who underwent total laryngectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy. Of these, 66.7% classified their health as good and 73% reported no restrictions on food consistency. The domains “communication” and “fear” represented severe impact and “eating duration” represented moderate impact on quality of life. The items with lower scores were: longer time to eat than others (domain “eating duration”), cough and cough to remove the liquid or food of the mouth when they are stopped (domain “symptom frequency”), difficulties in understanding (domain “communication”) and fear of choking and having pneumonia (domain “fear”). Conclusion: After total laryngectomy, patients report that swallowing issues have moderate to severe impact in “communication,” “fear,” and “eating duration” domains. PMID:25991974

Developing Subdomain Allocation Algorithms Based on Spatial and Communicational Constraints to Accelerate Dust Storm Simulation

PubMed Central

Gui, Zhipeng; Yu, Manzhu; Yang, Chaowei; Jiang, Yunfeng; Chen, Songqing; Xia, Jizhe; Huang, Qunying; Liu, Kai; Li, Zhenlong; Hassan, Mohammed Anowarul; Jin, Baoxuan

2016-01-01

Dust storm has serious disastrous impacts on environment, human health, and assets. The developments and applications of dust storm models have contributed significantly to better understand and predict the distribution, intensity and structure of dust storms. However, dust storm simulation is a data and computing intensive process. To improve the computing performance, high performance computing has been widely adopted by dividing the entire study area into multiple subdomains and allocating each subdomain on different computing nodes in a parallel fashion. Inappropriate allocation may introduce imbalanced task loads and unnecessary communications among computing nodes. Therefore, allocation is a key factor that may impact the efficiency of parallel process. An allocation algorithm is expected to consider the computing cost and communication cost for each computing node to minimize total execution time and reduce overall communication cost for the entire simulation. This research introduces three algorithms to optimize the allocation by considering the spatial and communicational constraints: 1) an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) based algorithm from combinational optimization perspective; 2) a K-Means and Kernighan-Lin combined heuristic algorithm (K&K) integrating geometric and coordinate-free methods by merging local and global partitioning; 3) an automatic seeded region growing based geometric and local partitioning algorithm (ASRG). The performance and effectiveness of the three algorithms are compared based on different factors. Further, we adopt the K&K algorithm as the demonstrated algorithm for the experiment of dust model simulation with the non-hydrostatic mesoscale model (NMM-dust) and compared the performance with the MPI default sequential allocation. The results demonstrate that K&K method significantly improves the simulation performance with better subdomain allocation. This method can also be adopted for other relevant atmospheric and numerical modeling. PMID:27044039

Our findings, my method: Framing science in televised interviews.

PubMed

Armon, Rony; Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet

2017-11-01

The public communication of science and technology largely depends on their framing in the news media, but scientists' role in this process has only been explored indirectly. This study focuses on storied accounts told by scientists when asked to present their research or provide expert advice in the course of a news interview. A total of 150 items from a current affairs talk show broadcast in the Israeli media were explored through a methodology combining narrative and conversation analysis. Using the concept of framing as originally proposed by Erving Goffman, we show that researchers use personal accounts as a way of reframing news stories introduced by the program hosts. Elements of method and rationale, which are usually considered technical and are shunned in journalistic reports, emerged as a crucial element in the accounts that experts themselves provided. The implications for framing research and science communication training are discussed.

Teaching End-of-Life Communication in Intensive Care Medicine: Review of the Existing Literature and Implications for Future Curricula.

PubMed

Zante, Bjoern; Schefold, Joerg C

2017-01-01

End-of-life (EOL) situations are common in the intensive care unit (ICU). Poor communication in respective situations may result in conflict and/or post-traumatic stress disorder in patients' next of kin. Thus, training for EOL communication seems pivotal. Primary objective of the current report was to identify approaches for educational programs in the ICU with regard to EOL communication as well as to conclude on implications for future curricula. A literature review in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsychINFO was performed. A total of 3484 articles published between 2000 until 2016 were assessed for eligibility. Nine articles reporting on education in EOL communication in the ICU were identified and analyzed further. The duration of EOL workshops ranged from 3 hours to 3 days, with several different educational methods being applied. Mounting data suggest improved comfort, preparedness, and communication performance in EOL providers following specific EOL training. Due to missing data, the effect of EOL training programs on respective patients' next of kin remains unclear. Few scientific investigations focus on EOL communication in intensive care medicine. The available evidence points to increased comfort and EOL communication performance following specific individual EOL training. Given the general importance of EOL communication, we suggest implementation of educational EOL programs. When developing future educational programs, educators should consider previous experience of participants, clearly defined objectives based on institutional needs, and critical care society recommendations to ensure best benefit of all involved parties.

Communicating uncertainty to agricultural scientists and professionals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milne, Alice; Glendining, Margaret; Perryman, Sarah; Gordon, Taylor; Whitmore, Andrew

2016-04-01

Models of agricultural systems often aim to predict the impacts of weather and soil nutrients on crop yields and the environment. These models are used to inform scientists, policy makers and farmers on the likely effects of management. For example, a farmer might be interested in the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on his yield, whilst policy makers might be concerned with the possible polluting effects of fertilizer. There are of course uncertainties related to any model predictions and these must be communicated effectively if the end user is to draw proper conclusions and so make sound decisions. We searched the literature and found several methods for expressing the uncertainty in the predictions produced by models. We tested six of these in a formal trial. The methods we considered were: calibrated phrases, such as 'very uncertain' and 'likely', similar to those used by the IPCC; probabilities that the true value of the uncertain quantity lay within a defined range of values; confidence intervals for the expected value; histograms; box plots; and shaded arrays that depict the probability density of the uncertain quantity. We held a series of three workshops at which the participants were invited to assess the six different methods of communicating the uncertainty. In total 64 individuals took part in our study. These individuals were either scientists, policy makers or those who worked in the agricultural industry. The test material comprised four sets of results from models. These results were displayed using each of the six methods described above. The participants were asked to evaluate the methods by filling in a questionnaire. The questions were intended to test how straightforward the content was to interpret and whether each method displayed sufficient information. Our results showed differences in the efficacy of the methods of communication, and interactions with the nature of the target audience. We found that, although the verbal scale was thought to be a good method of communication it did not convey enough information and was open to misinterpretation. Shaded arrays were similarly open to misinterpretation, but proved to give the best impression of uncertainty when individuals were asked to interpret results from the models. Box plots were most favoured by those who had a stronger mathematical background. We propose a combination of methods should be used to convey uncertainty in emissions and that this combination should be tailored to the professional group.

Communicating uncertainty to agricultural scientists and professionals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milne, Alice; Glendining, Margaret; Perryman, Sarah; Whitmore, Andy

2015-04-01

Models of agricultural systems often aim to predict the impacts of weather and soil nutrients on crop yields and the environment. These models are used to inform scientists, policy makers and farmers on the likely effects of management. For example, a farmer might be interested in the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on his yield, whilst policy makers might be concerned with the possible polluting effects of fertilizer. There are of course uncertainties related to any model predictions and these must be communicated effectively if the end user is to draw proper conclusions and so make sound decisions. We searched the literature and found several methods for expressing the uncertainty in the predictions produced by models. We tested six of these in a formal trial. The methods we considered were: calibrated phrases, such as 'very uncertain' and 'likely', similar to those used by the IPCC; probabilities that the true value of the uncertain quantity lay within a defined range of values; confidence intervals for the expected value; histograms; box plots; and shaded arrays that depict the probability density of the uncertain quantity. We held a series of three workshops at which the participants were invited to assess the six different methods of communicating the uncertainty. In total 64 individuals took part in our study. These individuals were either scientists, policy makers or those who worked in the agricultural industry. The test material comprised four sets of results from models. These results were displayed using each of the six methods described above. The participants were asked to evaluate the methods by filling in a questionnaire. The questions were intended to test how straightforward the content was to interpret and whether each method displayed sufficient information. Our results showed differences in the efficacy of the methods of communication, and interactions with the nature of the target audience. We found that, although the verbal scale was thought to be a good method of communication it did not convey enough information and was open to misinterpretation. Shaded arrays were similarly open to misinterpretation, but proved to give the best impression of uncertainty when individuals were asked to interpret results from the models. Box plots were most favoured by those who had a stronger mathematical background. We propose a combination of methods should be used to convey uncertainty in emissions and that this combination should be tailored to the professional group.

Text messaging as a strategy to address the limits of audio-based communication during mass-gathering events with high ambient noise.

PubMed

Lund, Adam; Wong, Daniel; Lewis, Kerrie; Turris, Sheila A; Vaisler, Sean; Gutman, Samuel

2013-02-01

The provision of medical care in environments with high levels of ambient noise (HLAN), such as concerts or sporting events, presents unique communication challenges. Audio transmissions can be incomprehensible to the receivers. Text-based communications may be a valuable primary and/or secondary means of communication in this type of setting. To evaluate the usability of text-based communications in parallel with standard two-way radio communications during mass-gathering (MG) events in the context of HLAN. This Canadian study used outcome survey methods to evaluate the performance of communication devices during MG events. Ten standard commercially available handheld smart phones loaded with basic voice and data plans were assigned to health care providers (HCPs) for use as an adjunct to the medical team's typical radio-based communication. Common text messaging and chat platforms were trialed. Both efficacy and provider satisfaction were evaluated. During a 23-month period, the smart phones were deployed at 17 events with HLAN for a total of 40 event days or approximately 460 hours of active use. Survey responses from health care providers (177) and dispatchers (26) were analyzed. The response rate was unknown due to the method of recruitment. Of the 155 HCP responses to the question measuring difficulty of communication in environments with HLAN, 68.4% agreed that they "occasionally" or "frequently" found it difficult to clearly understand voice communications via two-way radio. Similarly, of the 23 dispatcher responses to the same item, 65.2% of the responses indicated that "occasionally" or "frequently" HLAN negatively affected the ability to communicate clearly with team members. Of the 168 HCP responses to the item assessing whether text-based communication improved the ability to understand and respond to calls when compared to radio alone, 86.3% "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that this was the case. The dispatcher responses (n = 21) to the same item also "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that this was the case 95.5% of the time. CONCLUSION The use of smart phone technology for text-based communications is a practical and feasible tool for MG events and should be explored further. Multiple, reliable, discrete forms of communication technology are pivotal to executing effective on-site medical and disaster responses.

Preservation of palatal mucoperiosteum for oronasal separation after total maxillectomy.

PubMed

Molumi, Charles Paki; Dubey, Siba Prasad; Apaio, Matupi Lorenzz

2012-01-01

Oronasal communication occurs after total maxillectomy for advanced sinonasal cancers. This results in feeding, breathing and cosmetic impairment. Various methods have been described to close off the palatal defect from the oral cavity to improve the function of speech and deglutition. The object of this article is to describe our experience of preservation of palatal mucoperiosteum for oronasal separation. Retrospective review of clinical and operative records of 31 total maxillectomy patients where oronasal separation was achieved by the conventional technique of applying a maxillary obturator. The postoperative complications arising from the use of maxillary obturator for oronasal communication after total maxillectomy in these 31 patients were analysed. To avoid the complications encountered in these 31 patients we preserved and used the ipsilateral palatal mucoperiosteum for oronasal separation. This new technique was applied in 12 patients. The results are presented and compared. A total of 43 patients underwent total maxillectomy for advanced sinonasal tumors. In 31 patients the conventional maxillary obturator was used for oronasal separation. Among these patients, 30 had crustation of the maxillary cavity, nasal regurgitation and cheek skin retraction in 15 each, trismus in eight, infection of skin graft donor site in seven, cheek movement during respiration in five and ill-fitting prosthesis in three. In 12 patients palatal mucoperiosteum was preserved and used for oronasal separation. The complications encountered in oronasal separation by palatal prosthesis were avoided in the modified procedure. We found that oronasal separation by preservation of palatal mucoperiosteum following total maxillectomy allowed excellent palatal function, prompt rehabilitation and minimal complications without compromising the prognosis.

Dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Falconier, Mariana K; Jackson, Jeffrey B; Hilpert, Peter; Bodenmann, Guy

2015-12-01

Meta-analytic methods were used to empirically determine the association between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction. Dyadic coping is a systemic conceptualization of the processes partners use to cope with stressors, such as stress communication, individual strategies to assist the other partner cope with stress, and partners' strategies to cope together. A total of 72 independent samples from 57 reports with a combined sum of 17,856 participants were included. The aggregated standardized zero-order correlation (r) for total dyadic coping with relationship satisfaction was .45 (p=.000). Total dyadic coping strongly predicted relationship satisfaction regardless of gender, age, relationship length, education level, and nationality. Perceptions of overall dyadic coping by partner and by both partners together were stronger predictors of relationship satisfaction than perceptions of overall dyadic coping by self. Aggregated positive forms of dyadic coping were a stronger predictor of relationship satisfaction than aggregated negative forms of dyadic coping. Comparisons among dyadic coping dimensions indicated that collaborative common coping, supportive coping, and hostile/ambivalent coping were stronger predictors of relationship satisfaction than stress communication, delegated coping, protective buffering coping, and overprotection coping. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are provided. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Laugh Model: Reframing and Rebranding Public Health Through Social Media

PubMed Central

Royne, Marla; Payne, Hannah E.; Cannon, Ben; Hanson, Carl; Barnes, Michael

2015-01-01

Objectives. We examined the use of low-cost social media platforms in communicating public health messages and outline the laugh model, a framework through which public health organizations can reach and engage communities. Methods. In August 2014, we developed an online campaign (Web site and social media) to help promote healthy family meals in Utah in conjunction with the state and local health departments. Results. By the end of September 2014, a total of 3641 individuals had visited the Utahfamilymeals.org Web site. Facebook ads reached a total of 29 078 people, and 56 900 people were reached through Twitter ads. The per-person price of the campaign was 0.2 cents, and the total estimated target population reach was between 10% and 12%. Conclusions. There are 3 key takeaways from our campaign: use of empowering and engaging techniques may be more effective than use of educational techniques; use of social media Web sites and online marketing tactics can enhance collaboration, interdisciplinary strategies, and campaign effectiveness; and use of social media as a communication platform is often preferable to use of mass media in terms of cost-effectiveness, more precise evaluations of campaign success, and increased sustainability. PMID:26378824

An objective structured clinical exam to measure intrinsic CanMEDS roles.

PubMed

Kassam, Aliya; Cowan, Michèle; Donnon, Tyrone

2016-01-01

Background The CanMEDS roles provide a comprehensive framework to organize competency-based curricula; however, there is a challenge in finding feasible, valid, and reliable assessment methods to measure intrinsic roles such as Communicator and Collaborator. The objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) is more commonly used in postgraduate medical education for the assessment of clinical skills beyond medical expertise. Method We developed the CanMEDS In-Training Exam (CITE), a six-station OSCE designed to assess two different CanMEDS roles (one primary and one secondary) and general communication skills at each station. Correlation coefficients were computed for CanMEDS roles within and between stations, and for general communication, global rating, and total scores. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate differences between year of residency, sex, and the type of residency program. Results In total, 63 residents participated in the CITE; 40 residents (63%) were from internal medicine programs, whereas the remaining 23 (37%) were pursuing other specialties. There was satisfactory internal consistency for all stations, and the total scores of the stations were strongly correlated with the global scores r=0.86, p<0.05. Noninternal medicine residents scored higher in terms of the Professional competency overall, whereas internal medicine residents scored significantly higher in the Collaborator competency overall. Discussion The OSCE checklists developed for the assessment of intrinsic CanMEDS roles were functional, but the specific items within stations required more uniformity to be used between stations. More generic types of checklists may also improve correlations across stations. Conclusion An OSCE measuring intrinsic competence is feasible; however, further development of our cases and checklists is needed. We provide a model of how to develop an OSCE to measure intrinsic CanMEDS roles that educators may adopt as residency programs move into competency-based medical education.

Using different methods to communicate: how adults with severe acquired communication difficulties make decisions about the communication methods they use and how they experience them.

PubMed

Paterson, Helen; Carpenter, Christine

2015-01-01

This study aimed to explore how adults with severe acquired communication difficulties experience and make decisions about the communication methods they use. The primary objectives were to explore their perceptions of different communication methods, how they choose communication methods to use in different situations and with different communication partners, and what facilitates their decision-making. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. Data collection methods were face-to-face video-recorded interviews using each participant's choice of communication method and e-mail interviews. The methodological challenges of involving participants with severe acquired communication disorders in research were addressed in the study design. Seven participants, all men, were recruited from a long-term care setting in a rehabilitation hospital. The data analysis process was guided by Colaizzi's (1978) analytic framework. Four main themes were identified: communicating in the digital age – e-mail and social media, encountering frustrations in using communication technologies, role and identity changes and the influences of communication technology and seeking a functional interaction using communication technologies. Adults with acquired communication difficulties find digital communication, such as e-mail and social media, and mainstream technologies, such as iPads, beneficial in communicating with others. Current communication technologies present a number of challenges for adults with disabilities and are limited in their communicative functions to support desired interactions. The implications for AAC technology development and speech and language therapy service delivery are addressed.

The Use of Recommended Communication Techniques by Maryland Family Physicians and Pediatricians

PubMed Central

Weatherspoon, Darien J.; Horowitz, Alice M.; Kleinman, Dushanka V.; Wang, Min Qi

2015-01-01

Background Health literacy experts and the American Medical Association have developed recommended communication techniques for healthcare providers given that effective communication has been shown to greatly improve health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the number and types of communication techniques routinely used by Maryland physicians. Methods In 2010, a 30-item survey was mailed to a random sample of 1,472 Maryland family physicians and pediatricians, with 294 surveys being returned and usable. The survey contained questions about provider and practice characteristics, and 17 items related to communication techniques, including seven basic communication techniques. Physicians’ use of recommended communication techniques was analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and ordinary least squares regression. Results Family physicians routinely used an average of 6.6 of the 17 total techniques and 3.3 of the seven basic techniques, whereas pediatricians routinely used 6.4 and 3.2 techniques, respectively. The use of simple language was the only technique that nearly all physicians routinely utilized (Family physicians, 91%; Pediatricians, 93%). Physicians who had taken a communications course used significantly more techniques than those who had not. Physicians with a low percentage of patients on Medicaid were significantly less likely to use the recommended communication techniques compared to those providers who had high proportion of their patient population on Medicaid. Conclusions Overall, the use of recommended communication techniques was low. Additionally, many physicians were unsure of the effectiveness of several of the recommended techniques, which could suggest that physicians are unaware of valuable skills that could enhance their communication. The findings of this study suggest that communications training should be given a higher priority in the medical training process in the United States. PMID:25856371

Perception of Medical Students about Communication Skills Laboratory (CSL) in a Rural Medical College of Central India

PubMed Central

Jagzape, Arunita Tushar; Vagha, Jayant Dattatray; Chalak, Anita; Meshram, Revatdhamma Jagdish

2015-01-01

Introduction “The art of medicine is intricately tied to the art of communication.” In traditional medical curriculum, communication is not taught formally and this leads to a gap in reliability and consistency of the teaching. Few studies have shown that much litigation against doctors is due to lack of communication and not because of lack of clinical expertise. Considering the importance of training in communication skills, it was included in the curriculum of students of DMIMS (DU), which has got probably the first communication skills lab in a medical college in India. Aim To study the perception of medical students about usefulness of communication skills lab. Materials and Methods This observational study was carried out at Communication Skills Lab (CSL) of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Sawangi (M), Wardha, Maharasthra. Feedback was obtained with the help of a prevalidated questionnaire from 65 final MBBS students about their perception about utility of the module taught in the CSL including factors which helped and which hindered in learning. Descriptive statistics was used for the quantitative data and categorization for qualitative data. Results A total of 78.46% students were of the idea that CSL posting is must for all medical undergraduates. A 93.83% perceive that the module taught was very relevant and useful and were satisfied with the duration of posting (81.47%). A 78.46% students experienced improvement in their communication skills. They opined that more emphasis should be given on communication between doctor and patient (61.53%). Conclusion The students found communication skills lab very useful. They desired more emphasis on communication between doctor and patient and sought more interactivity, video demonstrations to be part of the module. PMID:26816918

The impact of an intervention in intercultural communication on doctor-patient interaction in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Schouten, Barbara C; Meeuwesen, Ludwien; Harmsen, Hans A M

2005-09-01

Findings of scarcely available studies indicate that there are substantial gaps in intercultural doctor-patient communication. In order to improve intercultural communication in medical practice in The Netherlands, an educational intervention was developed. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of this intervention on doctor-patient communication. Participants (general practitioners: n=38; patients: n=124) were assigned at random to an intervention or a control group. GPs in the intervention group received 2.5 days training on intercultural communication. Patients in the intervention group were exposed to a videotaped instruction in the waiting room, right before the consultation. Data were collected through videotapes of visits of ethnic minority patients to their GP and home interviews with the patients after their medical visit. Communication behaviour was assessed using the Roter interaction analysis system (RIAS). Interview length was assessed as well. The length of the medical encounter increased significantly after having received the intervention. Total number of GP utterances increased significantly too. When comparing relative frequencies on affective and instrumental verbal behaviour of both patients and doctors, no significant changes could be detected. It is concluded that there seems to be some change in doctor-patient interaction, but RIAS may not be suitable to detect subtle changes in the medical communication process. It is recommended to use other analysis methods to assess cultural differences in medical communication. Knowledge about possible antecedents of gaps in intercultural medical communication should be increased in order to be able to design effective interventions for intercultural doctor-patient communication.

Implementation of innovative attitudes and behaviour in primary health care by means of strategic communication: a 7-year follow-up.

PubMed

Morténius, Helena; Marklund, Bertil; Palm, Lars; Björkelund, Cecilia; Baigi, Amir

2012-06-01

To bridge the gap between theory and practice, methods are needed that promote a positive attitude to change among health care professionals and facilitate the incorporation of new research findings. In this context, communication plays a significant role. The aim of this study was to analyse primary care staff members' readiness to adopt new ways of thinking and willingness to change their work practices by means of strategic communication. An evaluative design was used to study a primary care staff cohort for 7 years. The study population comprised all primary care staff in a region of Sweden (n = 1206). The strategic communication encompassed managerial impact, planning and implementation of reflexive communication processes, in addition to activities in three established communication channels (oral, written and digital). A questionnaire was used, and bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed. A total of 846 individuals participated in the evaluation (70%). Strategic communication had a significant effect on staff members' new way of thinking (61%) and willingness to change daily work practices (33%). The communication channels had a significant synergy effect on the adoption of new ideas and willingness to change attitudes. Oral and digital communication had a significant impact on staff members' readiness to change. Strategic communication plays an important role in the process of creating innovative attitudes and behaviour among primary care professionals. The willingness to change attitudes enhances primary care staff's readiness to change everyday practices, thus facilitating the implementation of evidence-based care. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Communication, Coping, and Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors and Family/Friend Dyads: A Pilot Study of Chinese- and Korean-Americans

PubMed Central

Lim, Jung-won

2014-01-01

Objective This study aimed to understand the dyadic relationships between family communication and quality of life (QOL) and between coping and QOL in Chinese- and Korean-American breast cancer survivor (BCS)-family member dyads. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used. A total of 32 Chinese- and Korean-American BCS-family member dyads were recruited from the California Cancer Surveillance Program and area hospitals in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The dyadic data were analyzed using a pooled regression actor-partner interdependence model. Results The study findings demonstrated that the survivors’ general communication and use of reframing coping positively predicted their own QOL. The survivors’ and family members’ general communication was also a strong predictor of the family members’ physical-related QOL score specifically. Meanwhile, each person’s use of mobilizing coping negatively predicted his or her partner’s QOL. Conclusions The study findings add important information to the scarce literature on the QOL of Asian-American survivors of breast cancer. The findings suggest that Chinese- and Korean-American BCS and their family members may benefit from interventions that enhance communication and coping within the family unit. PMID:24700695

Verbal Communication among Alzheimer’s Disease Patients, their Caregivers, and Primary Care Physicians during Primary Care Office Visits

PubMed Central

Schmidt, Karen L.; Lingler, Jennifer H.; Schulz, Richard

2009-01-01

Objective Primary care visits of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) often involve communication among patients, family caregivers, and primary care physicians (PCPs). The objective of this study was to understand the nature of each individual’s verbal participation in these triadic interactions. Methods To define the verbal communication dynamics of AD care triads, we compared verbal participation (percent of total visit speech) by each participant in patient/caregiver/PCP triads. Twenty three triads were audio taped during a routine primary care visit. Rates of verbal participation were described and effects of patient cognitive status (MMSE score, verbal fluency) on verbal participation were assessed. Results PCP verbal participation was highest at 53% of total visit speech, followed by caregivers (31%) and patients (16%). Patient cognitive measures were related to patient and caregiver verbal participation, but not to PCP participation. Caregiver satisfaction with interpersonal treatment by PCP was positively related to caregiver’s own verbal participation. Conclusion Caregivers of AD patients and PCPs maintain active, coordinated verbal participation in primary care visits while patients participate less. Practice Implications Encouraging verbal participation by AD patients and their caregivers may increase the AD patient’s active role and caregiver satisfaction with primary care visits. PMID:19395224

'We don't even have Wi-Fi': a descriptive study exploring current use and availability of communication technologies in residential aged care.

PubMed

Moyle, Wendy; Jones, Cindy; Murfield, Jenny; Dwan, Toni; Ownsworth, Tamara

2018-02-01

There has been significant growth in communication technologies. However, it is unknown to what extent RACFs accommodate such technologies. To explore the use and availability of communication technologies for use by residents within RACFs in Queensland, Australia. A descriptive, structured telephone survey. Every 10th alphabetically listed facility from a total sample of n = 462 were telephoned and staff were invited to complete the survey. Forty-one out of a total of 93 RACFs completed the survey. The telephone was by far the primary form of communication used by residents to communicate with family and friends (n = 40; 97.6%). Conversely, the use of web-connection communication software (Skype or similar) was uncommon. The use and availability of communication technologies is limited within RACFs, highlighting a significant lag in the uptake within the sector.

Does student performance on preclinical OSCEs relate to clerkship grades?

PubMed Central

Chima, Margot; Dallaghan, Gary Beck

2016-01-01

Background Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) have been used to assess the clinical competence and interpersonal skills of healthcare professional students for decades. However, the relationship between preclinical (second year or M2) OSCE grades and clerkship performance had never been evaluated, until it was explored to provide information to educators at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). In addition, the relationship between M2 OSCE communication scores (which is a portion of the total score) and third-year (M3) Internal Medicine (IM) clerkship OSCE scores was also explored. Lastly, conflicting evidence exists about the relationship between the amount of previous clinical experience and OSCE performance. Therefore, the relationship between M3 IM clerkship OSCE scores and the timing of the clerkship in the academic year was explored. Methods Data from UNMC M2 OSCEs and M3 IM clerkship OSCEs were obtained for graduates of the 2013 and 2014 classes. Specifically, the following data points were collected: M2 fall OSCE total, M2 fall OSCE communication; M2 spring OSCE total, M2 spring OSCE communication; and M3 IM clerkship OSCE total percentages. Data were organized by class, M3 IM clerkship OSCE performance, and timing of the clerkship. Microsoft Excel and SPSS were used for data organization and analysis. Results Of the 245 records, 229 (93.5%) had data points for all metrics of interest. Significant differences between the classes of 2013 and 2014 existed for average M2 spring total, M2 spring communication, and M3 IM clerkship OSCEs. Retrospectively, there were no differences in M2 OSCE performances based on how students scored on the M3 IM clerkship OSCE. M3 IM clerkship OSCE performance improved for those students who completed the clerkship last in the academic year. Conclusions There were inconsistencies in OSCE performances between the classes of 2013 and 2014, but more information is needed to determine if this is because of testing variability or heterogeneity from class to class. Although there were no differences in preclinical scores based on M3 IM clerkship OSCE scores, students would benefit from a longitudinal review of their OSCE performance over their medical training. Additionally, students may benefit from more reliable and valid forms of assessing communication. In general, students who take the IM clerkship last in the academic year performed better on the required OSCE. More information is needed to determine why this is seen only at the end of the year. PMID:27340087

77 FR 3500 - VTECH Communications, Inc., Human Factors Department, Beaverton, OR; Amended Certification...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-24

... firm should read VTech Communications, Inc., Human Factors Department, Beaverton, Oregon. New... Communications, Inc., Human Factors Department, Beaverton, Oregon. The intent of the Department's certification... workers from VTech Communications, Inc., Human Factors Department, Beaverton, Oregon, who became totally...

Is family functioning and communication associated with health-related quality of life for Chinese- and Korean-American breast cancer survivors?

PubMed Central

Lim, Jung-won; Ashing-Giwa, Kimlin T.

2012-01-01

Purpose This study aims to investigate direct and indirect pathways of family flexibility, social support, and family communication on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for Chinese- and Korean-American breast cancer survivors (BCS). Methods A total of 157 Chinese (n = 86)- and Korean-American (n = 71) BCS were recruited from the California Cancer Surveillance Program and area hospitals in Los Angeles County. The present study was guided by the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, and Adaptation. Results Structural equation modeling demonstrated that (1) family communication was directly associated with HRQOL for both groups; (2) family flexibility was indirectly associated with HRQOL through family communication for Korean-Americans only; (3) social support mediated the relationship between family flexibility and family communication for Chinese-Americans only; and (4) acculturation was directly related to social support for both groups. Multigroup analysis demonstrated that the structural paths were equivalent between Chinese- and Korean-American BCS, although statistical differences in baseline parameters were noted. Conclusions Our findings suggest that family communication impacts HRQOL among Asian-American BCS. Our results show that while there are commonalities in family characteristics among Asian-Americans, specific ethnic variations also exist. Therefore, specific cultural and familial contexts should be assessed to better inform interventions to enhance family communication strategies and improve HRQOL. PMID:22875219

Creation of the TXP parenting questionnaire and study of its psychometric properties.

PubMed

Benito, Ana; Calvo, Gema; Real-López, Matías; Gallego, María José; Francés, Sonia; Turbi, Ángel; Haro, Gonzalo

2018-01-15

Parenting is linked to conduct disorders (CD) and substance related disorders (SRD) in adolescents, but with differences according to cultural context. A questionnaire with two versions (parenting questionnaire TXP-A for adolescents and TXP-C  for primary caregivers) was designed using the Delphi method to evaluate parenting practices related to CD and SRD in a Spanish population. It was validated in a community sample of 631 adolescents aged between 14 and 16 and their caregivers. Results suggest a 29-item TXP-A questionnaire with bifactorial structure: affection-communication and control-structure, with high internal (Cronbach’s alpha=0.89) and test-retest (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.94) reliabilities. Both factors are related to SRD (r=0.273, p<0.001) and with most of the psychopathological dimensions studied. The total score and affection-communication are related to dissocial disorder (t=3.259, p=0.001) and its severity (r=-0,119; p=0.003). Inter-observer reliability between adolescents and caregivers is low, in part because the 16-item TXP-C has a different bifactorial structure: affection-communication and prosocial values. TXP-C’s internal (Cronbach’s alpha=0.87) and test-retest (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.94) reliabilities are high. The total score and affection-communication were related to dissocial disorder (t=2.586; p=0.010) but TXP-C did not discriminate according to SRD. In conclusion, the TXP-A questionnaire for adolescents seems to be a reliable, valid and unbiased instrument that evaluates the perception of parenting practices, relating higher affection-communication and control-structure to less psychopathology and alcohol and drug use. TXP-C also seems to be reliable and unbiased, but shows less evidence of validity regarding substance use and psychopathology. .

WhatsApp messenger as a tool to supplement medical education for medical students on clinical attachment.

PubMed

Raiman, Lewis; Antbring, Richard; Mahmood, Asad

2017-01-06

Instant messaging applications have the potential to improve and facilitate communication between hospital doctors and students, hence generating and improving learning opportunities. This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of instant messaging communication to supplement medical education for medical students whilst on clinical attachment. A total of 6 WhatsApp Messenger (WhatsApp Inc.) groups were created for medical students on clinical attachment. These were used to provide communication within Problem Based Learning (PBL) groups for a duration of 8 weeks. The frequency and type of communication were recorded. Students' opinions were evaluated through a structured interview process at the end of the study period. A thematic analysis was performed on the content of the instant messaging groups and on the results of the structured interviews. All of the participants were active in their respective messaging groups (19 students and 6 tutors). A total of 582 messages, 22 images and 19 webpage links were sent. Thematic analysis on content of the instant messaging groups identified the following themes: organisational, educational and social. Thematic analysis on the content of interviews identified themes such as the ease of use of instant messaging, benefit of instant messaging to foster understanding and learning, and the ability to access recorded discussions. The findings of this study illustrate a method by which communication within PBL groups can be facilitated by the use of instant messaging. The results indicate the feasibility and acceptability of WhatsApp Messenger in supplementing PBL teaching for medical students, and provides a framework for studies to investigate use amongst larger cohorts of students.

Indonesian Sign Language Number Recognition using SIFT Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahfudi, Isa; Sarosa, Moechammad; Andrie Asmara, Rosa; Azrino Gustalika, M.

2018-04-01

Indonesian sign language (ISL) is generally used for deaf individuals and poor people communication in communicating. They use sign language as their primary language which consists of 2 types of action: sign and finger spelling. However, not all people understand their sign language so that this becomes a problem for them to communicate with normal people. this problem also becomes a factor they are isolated feel from the social life. It needs a solution that can help them to be able to interacting with normal people. Many research that offers a variety of methods in solving the problem of sign language recognition based on image processing. SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature Transform) algorithm is one of the methods that can be used to identify an object. SIFT is claimed very resistant to scaling, rotation, illumination and noise. Using SIFT algorithm for Indonesian sign language recognition number result rate recognition to 82% with the use of a total of 100 samples image dataset consisting 50 sample for training data and 50 sample images for testing data. Change threshold value get affect the result of the recognition. The best value threshold is 0.45 with rate recognition of 94%.

How to Analyze Verbal and Nonverbal Classroom Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heger, Herbert K.

Based upon the communications process model of teaching and learning, the Miniaturized Total Interaction Analysis System (Mini-TIA) establishes a conceptual framework for observing symptomatic classroom behaviors. It provides a means for the evaluation of classroom communication. Interpersonal communication is defined as either verbal (using…

Hybrid-optimization strategy for the communication of large-scale Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Baodong; Li, Shigang; Zhang, Yunquan; Nie, Ningming

2017-02-01

The parallel Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) algorithm based on domain decomposition has been widely used in large-scale physical simulations. However, the communication overhead of the parallel KMC algorithm is critical, and severely degrades the overall performance and scalability. In this paper, we present a hybrid optimization strategy to reduce the communication overhead for the parallel KMC simulations. We first propose a communication aggregation algorithm to reduce the total number of messages and eliminate the communication redundancy. Then, we utilize the shared memory to reduce the memory copy overhead of the intra-node communication. Finally, we optimize the communication scheduling using the neighborhood collective operations. We demonstrate the scalability and high performance of our hybrid optimization strategy by both theoretical and experimental analysis. Results show that the optimized KMC algorithm exhibits better performance and scalability than the well-known open-source library-SPPARKS. On 32-node Xeon E5-2680 cluster (total 640 cores), the optimized algorithm reduces the communication time by 24.8% compared with SPPARKS.

Using human extra-cortical local field potentials to control a switch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, Philip; Andreasen, Dinal; Ehirim, Princewill; King, Brandon; Kirby, Todd; Mao, Hui; Moore, Melody

2004-06-01

Individuals with profound paralysis and mutism require a communication channel. Traditional assistive technology devices eventually fail, especially in the case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) subjects who gradually become totally locked-in. A direct brain-to-computer interface that provides switch functions can provide a direct communication channel to the external world. Electroencephalographic (EEG) signals recorded from scalp electrodes are significantly degraded due to skull and scalp attenuation and ambient noise. The present system using conductive skull screws allows more reliable access to cortical local field potentials (LFPs) without entering the brain itself. We describe an almost locked-in human subject with ALS who activated a switch using online time domain detection techniques. Frequency domain analysis of his LFP activity demonstrates this to be an alternative method of detecting switch activation intentions. With this brain communicator system it is reasonable to expect that locked-in, but cognitively intact, humans will always be able to communicate. Financial disclosure. Authors PK and DA may derive some financial gain from the sale of this device. A patent has been applied under US and international law: 10/675,703.

Communication of mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units

PubMed Central

Martinho, Carina Isabel Ferreira; Rodrigues, Inês Tello Rato Milheiras

2016-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to translate and culturally and linguistically adapt the Ease of Communication Scale and to assess the level of communication difficulties for patients undergoing mechanical ventilation with orotracheal intubation, relating these difficulties to clinical and sociodemographic variables. Methods This study had three stages: (1) cultural and linguistic adaptation of the Ease of Communication Scale; (2) preliminary assessment of its psychometric properties; and (3) observational, descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional study, conducted from March to August 2015, based on the Ease of Communication Scale - after extubation answers and clinical and sociodemographic variables of 31 adult patients who were extubated, clinically stable and admitted to five Portuguese intensive care units. Results Expert analysis showed high agreement on content (100%) and relevance (75%). The pretest scores showed a high acceptability regarding the completion of the instrument and its usefulness. The Ease of Communication Scale showed excellent internal consistency (0.951 Cronbach's alpha). The factor analysis explained approximately 81% of the total variance with two scale components. On average, the patients considered the communication experiences during intubation to be "quite hard" (2.99). No significant correlation was observed between the communication difficulties reported and the studied sociodemographic and clinical variables, except for the clinical variable "number of hours after extubation" (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study translated and adapted the first assessment instrument of communication difficulties for mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units into European Portuguese. The preliminary scale validation suggested high reliability. Patients undergoing mechanical ventilation reported that communication during intubation was "quite hard", and these communication difficulties apparently existed regardless of the presence of other clinical and/or sociodemographic variables. PMID:27410408

Marrying Form and Function: A Place for Grammar and Total Target Language in the Secondary Modern Foreign Languages Classroom. Occasional Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogg, Ivy

This paper examines the possible role of grammar throughout Key Stages 3 and 4 in the modern language curriculum where communication is the central tenet. It also discusses how total or virtually total use of target language (German) in the classroom can help deal with the dichotomy of grammar versus communication and bring about an integrated…

Mapping hospice patients' perception and verbal communication of end-of-life needs: an exploratory mixed methods inquiry

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Comprehensive "Total Pain" assessments of patients' end-of-life needs are critical for providing improved patient-clinician communication, assessing needs, and offering high quality palliative care. However, patients' needs-based research methodologies and findings remain highly diverse with their lack of consensus preventing optimum needs assessments and care planning. Mixed-methods is an underused yet robust "patient-based" approach for reported lived experiences to map both the incidence and prevalence of what patients perceive as important end of life needs. Methods Findings often include methodological artifacts and their own selection bias. Moving beyond diverse findings therefore requires revisiting methodological choices. A mixed methods research cross-sectional design is therefore used to reduce limitations inherent in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Audio-taped phenomenological "thinking aloud" interviews of a purposive sample of 30 hospice patients are used to identify their vocabulary for communicating perceptions of end-of-life needs. Grounded theory procedures assisted by QSR-NVivo software is then used for discovering domains of needs embedded in the interview narratives. Summary findings are translated into quantified format for presentation and analytical purposes. Results Findings from this mixed-methods feasibility study indicate patients' narratives represent 7 core domains of end-of-life needs. These are (1) time, (2) social, (3) physiological, (4) death and dying, (5) safety, (6) spirituality, (7) change & adaptation. The prevalence, rather than just the occurrence, of patients' reported needs provides further insight into their relative importance. Conclusion Patients' perceptions of end-of-life needs are multidimensional, often ambiguous and uncertain. Mixed methodology appears to hold considerable promise for unpacking both the occurrence and prevalence of cognitive structures represented by verbal encoding that constitute patients' narratives. Communication is a key currency for delivering optimal palliative care. Therefore understanding the domains of needs that emerge from patient-based vocabularies indicate potential for: (1) developing more comprehensive clinical-patient needs assessment tools; (2) improved patient-clinician communication; and (3) moving toward a theoretical model of human needs that can emerge at the end of life. PMID:21272318

Tumultuous Atmosphere (Physical, Mental), the Main Barrier to Emergency Department Inter-Professional Communication

PubMed Central

Varjoshani, Nasrin Jafari; Hosseini, Mohammad Ali; Khankeh, Hamid Reza; Ahmadi, Fazlollah

2015-01-01

Background: A highly important factor in enhancing quality of patient care and job satisfaction of health care staff is inter-professional communication. Due to the critical nature of the work environment, the large number of staff and units, and complexity of professional tasks and interventions, inter-professional communication in an emergency department is particularly and exceptionally important. Despite its importance, inter-professional communication in emergency department seems unfavorable. Thus, this study was designed to explain barriers to inter-professional communication in an emergency department. Methodology & Methods: This was a qualitative study with content analysis approach, based on interviews conducted with 26 participants selected purposively, with diversity of occupation, position, age, gender, history, and place of work. Interviews were in-depth and semi-structured, and data were analyzed using the inductive content analysis approach. Results: In total, 251 initial codes were extracted from 30 interviews (some of the participants re-interviewed) and in the reducing trend of final results, 5 categories were extracted including overcrowded emergency, stressful emergency environment, not discerning emergency conditions, ineffective management, and inefficient communication channels. Tumultuous atmosphere (physical, mental) was the common theme between categories, and was decided to be the main barrier to effective inter-professional communication. Conclusion: Tumultuous atmosphere (physical-mental) was found to be the most important barrier to inter-professional communication. This study provided a better understanding of these barriers in emergency department, often neglected in most studies. It is held that by reducing environmental turmoil (physical-mental), inter-professional communication can be improved, thereby improving patient care outcomes and personnel job satisfaction. PMID:25560351

Power management system

DOEpatents

Algrain, Marcelo C.; Johnson, Kris W.; Akasam, Sivaprasad; Hoff, Brian D.

2007-10-02

A method of managing power resources for an electrical system of a vehicle may include identifying enabled power sources from among a plurality of power sources in electrical communication with the electrical system and calculating a threshold power value for the enabled power sources. A total power load placed on the electrical system by one or more power consumers may be measured. If the total power load exceeds the threshold power value, then a determination may be made as to whether one or more additional power sources is available from among the plurality of power sources. At least one of the one or more additional power sources may be enabled, if available.

Comparison of neuronal spike exchange methods on a Blue Gene/P supercomputer.

PubMed

Hines, Michael; Kumar, Sameer; Schürmann, Felix

2011-01-01

For neural network simulations on parallel machines, interprocessor spike communication can be a significant portion of the total simulation time. The performance of several spike exchange methods using a Blue Gene/P (BG/P) supercomputer has been tested with 8-128 K cores using randomly connected networks of up to 32 M cells with 1 k connections per cell and 4 M cells with 10 k connections per cell, i.e., on the order of 4·10(10) connections (K is 1024, M is 1024(2), and k is 1000). The spike exchange methods used are the standard Message Passing Interface (MPI) collective, MPI_Allgather, and several variants of the non-blocking Multisend method either implemented via non-blocking MPI_Isend, or exploiting the possibility of very low overhead direct memory access (DMA) communication available on the BG/P. In all cases, the worst performing method was that using MPI_Isend due to the high overhead of initiating a spike communication. The two best performing methods-the persistent Multisend method using the Record-Replay feature of the Deep Computing Messaging Framework DCMF_Multicast; and a two-phase multisend in which a DCMF_Multicast is used to first send to a subset of phase one destination cores, which then pass it on to their subset of phase two destination cores-had similar performance with very low overhead for the initiation of spike communication. Departure from ideal scaling for the Multisend methods is almost completely due to load imbalance caused by the large variation in number of cells that fire on each processor in the interval between synchronization. Spike exchange time itself is negligible since transmission overlaps with computation and is handled by a DMA controller. We conclude that ideal performance scaling will be ultimately limited by imbalance between incoming processor spikes between synchronization intervals. Thus, counterintuitively, maximization of load balance requires that the distribution of cells on processors should not reflect neural net architecture but be randomly distributed so that sets of cells which are burst firing together should be on different processors with their targets on as large a set of processors as possible.

International Communication; Media, Channels, Functions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Heinz-Dietrich, Ed.; Merrill, John Calhoun, Ed.

A total of 41 essays explore several major issues in international communication. The essays are grouped according to their topic, beginning with the broader topics of communication systems and concepts and the flow of world news and proceeding to considerations of national concerns such as freedom and restriction of communication, national…

A Structural Reconceptualization of the Organizational Communication Audit, with Application to a State Department of Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grunig, James E.

The standard organizational communication audit measures employees' perceptions of and satisfaction with communication in an organization. It does not, however, examine the structural characteristics of an organization, such as centralization or stratification--characteristics that can disclose whether a total communication system is appropriate…

Doctor-pharmacist communication in hospitals: strategies, perceptions, limitations and opportunities.

PubMed

Coomber, Peter; Clavarino, Alexandra; Ballard, Emma; Luetsch, Karen

2018-04-01

Background Effective communication between health professionals contributes to safe and efficient patient care, whereas communication breakdown can lead to adverse patient outcomes and increased healthcare expenditure. Information on how pharmacists and doctors communicate with each other in hospitals is limited. Objective To explore usage and perceptions of communication methods by doctors and pharmacists in hospital settings. Setting Four public hospitals in Australia. Method A mixed method study utilising a pilot questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and electronic survey was designed. Frequentist statistics and logistic regression were used to analyse survey data. Thematic analysis was conducted to evaluate semi-structured interview data and free-text survey comments. Frequency of use of communication methods, perceptions of the convenience, time taken to use, accuracy and effectiveness of each method. Results More than 95% of doctors and pharmacists combined used face-to-face and phone calls to communicate with each other, 70% used a medication management plan, and 62% used progress notes. A preference for oral communication was confirmed with the expressed need for building professional rapport and receiving responses. Perceptions regarding effectiveness of oral communication methods were related to perceptions of their convenience and accuracy. Professional groups described differences in perceived ownership of various modes of communication. Conclusions Preferences for oral communication create potential issues with recall and comprehension. Integrating oral communication features into written communication methods, e.g. creating responses, conversations, building rapport, may change doctors' and pharmacists' perceptions of effectiveness. Communication receipt and response functionality in electronic medication and record management systems may improve communication.

Implementation of an anonymisation tool for clinical trials using a clinical trial processor integrated with an existing trial patient data information system.

PubMed

Aryanto, Kadek Y E; Broekema, André; Oudkerk, Matthijs; van Ooijen, Peter M A

2012-01-01

To present an adapted Clinical Trial Processor (CTP) test set-up for receiving, anonymising and saving Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) data using external input from the original database of an existing clinical study information system to guide the anonymisation process. Two methods are presented for an adapted CTP test set-up. In the first method, images are pushed from the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) using the DICOM protocol through a local network. In the second method, images are transferred through the internet using the HTTPS protocol. In total 25,000 images from 50 patients were moved from the PACS, anonymised and stored within roughly 2 h using the first method. In the second method, an average of 10 images per minute were transferred and processed over a residential connection. In both methods, no duplicated images were stored when previous images were retransferred. The anonymised images are stored in appropriate directories. The CTP can transfer and process DICOM images correctly in a very easy set-up providing a fast, secure and stable environment. The adapted CTP allows easy integration into an environment in which patient data are already included in an existing information system.

Non-verbal Communication in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Video Audit Using Non-verbal Immediacy Scale (NIS-O).

PubMed

Nimbalkar, Somashekhar Marutirao; Raval, Himalaya; Bansal, Satvik Chaitanya; Pandya, Utkarsh; Pathak, Ajay

2018-05-03

Effective communication with parents is a very important skill for pediatricians especially in a neonatal setup. The authors analyzed non-verbal communication of medical caregivers during counseling sessions. Recorded videos of counseling sessions from the months of March-April 2016 were audited. Counseling episodes were scored using Non-verbal Immediacy Scale Observer Report (NIS-O). A total of 150 videos of counseling sessions were audited. The mean (SD) total score on (NIS-O) was 78.96(7.07). Female counseled sessions had significantly higher proportion of low scores (p < 0.001). No video revealed high score. Overall 67(44.67%) sessions revealed low total score. This reflects an urgent need to develop strategies to improve communication skills in a neonatal unit. This study lays down a template on which other Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) can carry out gap defining audits.

Limits on quality of life in communication after total laryngectomy.

PubMed

Chaves, Adriana Di Donato; Pernambuco, Leandro de Araújo; Balata, Patrícia Maria Mendes; Santos, Veridiana da Silva; de Lima, Leilane Maria; de Souza, Síntia Ribeiro; da Silva, Hilton Justino

2012-10-01

 Among people affected by cancer, the impairment of quality of life of people affected by cancer can cause have devastating effects. The self-image of patients after post-laryngectomyzed patients may be find themselves compromised, affecting the quality of life in this population.  To characterize quality of life in related to communication in people who have undergone went total laryngectomy surgery.  This is an observational study, with a cross-sectional and descriptive series. Design of series study. The sample were comprised 15 patients interviewed the period from January to February of 2011. We used the Quality Protocol for Life Communication in Post-laryngectomy adapted from Bertocello (2004); which this questionnaire contains 55 questions. The protocol was organized from the nature of using responses classified as positive and negative aspects, proposals in with respect to five 5 communication domains: family relationships, social relationships, personal analysis; morphofunctional aspect, and use of writing. To promote and guarantee the autonomy of the respondents, was examiners made use of used assistive technology with the Visual Response Scale.  The responses that total laryngectomy compromises the quality of life in communication amounted to 463 occurrences (65.7%), and that who responses suggesting good quality of life were represented with amounted to 242 occurrences (34.3%), from a total of 705 occurrencesresponses. From Among the five 5 Communication domains, four 4 had percentages of above 63% for occurrences of negative content for impact on communication. Appearance Morphofunctional appearance gave the had the highest percentage of negative content, amounting to 77.3% of cases.  The results showed important limitations of a personal and social nature due to poor communication with their peers. Thus, there is a need for multidisciplinary interventions that aim to minimize the entrapment of negative impact on these people communication among these patients.

Assessing written communication during interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients

PubMed Central

Harl, Felicity N.R.; Saucke, Megan C.; Greenberg, Caprice C.; Ingraham, Angela M.

2017-01-01

Background Poor communication causes fragmented care. Studies of transitions of care within a hospital and on discharge suggest significant communication deficits. Communication during transfers between hospitals has not been well studied. We assessed the written communication provided during interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients. We hypothesized that patients are transferred with incomplete documentation from referring facilities. Methods We performed a retrospective review of written communication provided during interhospital transfers to our emergency department (ED) from referring EDs for emergency general surgical evaluation between January 1, 2014 and January 1, 2016. Elements of written communication were abstracted from referring facility documents scanned into the medical record using a standardized abstraction protocol. Descriptive statistics summarized the information communicated. Results A total of 129 patients met inclusion criteria. 87.6% (n = 113) of charts contained referring hospital documents. 42.5% (n = 48) were missing history and physicals. Diagnoses were missing in 9.7% (n = 11). Ninety-one computed tomography scans were performed; a mong 70 with reads, final reads were absent for 70.0% (n = 49). 45 ultrasounds and x-rays were performed; among 27 with reads, final reads were missing for 80.0% (n = 36). Reasons for transfer were missing in 18.6% (n = 21). Referring hospital physicians outside the ED were consulted in 32.7% (n = 37); consultants’ notes were absent in 89.2% (n = 33). In 12.4% (n = 14), referring documents arrived after the patient’s ED arrival and were not part of the original documentation provided. Conclusions This study documents that information important to patient care is often missing in the written communication provided during interhospital transfers. This gap affords a foundation for standardizing provider communication during interhospital transfers. PMID:28624064

A systematic review of interactive multimedia interventions to promote children’s communication with health professionals: implications for communicating with overweight children

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Interactive multimedia is an emerging technology that is being used to facilitate interactions between patients and health professionals. The purpose of this review was to identify and evaluate the impact of multimedia interventions (MIs), delivered in the context of paediatric healthcare, in order to inform the development of a MI to promote the communication of dietetic messages with overweight preadolescent children. Of particular interest were the effects of these MIs on child engagement and participation in treatment, and the subsequent effect on health-related treatment outcomes. Methods An extensive search of 12 bibliographic databases was conducted in April 2012. Studies were included if: one or more child-participant was 7 to 11-years-of-age; a MI was used to improve health-related behaviour; child-participants were diagnosed with a health condition and were receiving treatment for that condition at the time of the study. Data describing study characteristics and intervention effects on communication, satisfaction, knowledge acquisition, changes in self-efficacy, healthcare utilisation, and health outcomes were extracted and summarised using qualitative and quantitative methods. Results A total of 14 controlled trials, published between 1997 and 2006 met the selection criteria. Several MIs had the capacity to facilitate engagement between the child and a clinician, but only one sought to utilise the MI to improve communication between the child and health professional. In spite of concerns over the quality of some studies and small study populations, MIs were found useful in educating children about their health, and they demonstrated potential to improve children’s health-related self-efficacy, which could make them more able partners in face-to-face communications with health professionals. Conclusions The findings of this review suggest that MIs have the capacity to support preadolescent child-clinician communication, but further research in this field is needed. Particular attention should be given to designing appropriate MIs that are clinically relevant. PMID:24447844

Communication patterns in a UK emergency department.

PubMed

Woloshynowych, Maria; Davis, Rachel; Brown, Ruth; Vincent, Charles

2007-10-01

Good communication is important in patient care and plays an essential part of teamwork and patient safety. Communication in the emergency department (ED) can be chaotic, with the potential for error resulting from communication overload and problems of communication. The nurse in charge of the ED plays a crucial role in maintaining communication flow. The aims of this study are to identify the features of the communication load on the nurse in charge of the ED. This was an observational, nonexperimental study, building on the methods of observation and analysis developed by Coiera. It was carried out in an inner-city hospital ED in London. The nurse in charge of the ED was observed. The following factors were studied: the level of communication, interruptions, and simultaneous events; the channel and purpose of communication; interaction types; unresolved communications and annoying aspects of the observed periods; and the effect of weekday, staffing, and patient levels on the level of communication. Eleven nurses were observed during 18 observation periods during a total of 20 hours. Analysis revealed that there were 2,019 communication events in 20 hours and that 1,183 (59%) were initiated by the nurse in charge. Two hundred eighty-six (14%) simultaneous events/tasks were identified by the observer. One thousand five hundred twenty-eight (76%) communications involving the nurse in charge were face to face, 144 (7%) were by telephone, 107 (5%) concerned the use of the computer, and 104 (5%) concerned the use of the whiteboard. The largest purpose of communication events was related to patient management (48%). There was a slight relationship between junior medical staff and the level of communication and a moderate relationship between communication load and the number of patients in the ED. In addition, a greater number of nurses on duty were associated with fewer communication events with the nurse in charge. These findings are an important measure of communication load, which can disrupt memory and lead to mistakes. Improving communication between health care staff by reducing the levels of interruptions and minimizing the volume of irrelevant or unnecessary information exchange could therefore have important implications for patient safety.

[Analysis of an incident notification system and register in a critical care unit].

PubMed

Murillo-Pérez, M A; García-Iglesias, M; Palomino-Sánchez, I; Cano Ruiz, G; Cuenca Solanas, M; Alted López, E

2016-01-01

To analyse the incident communicated through a notification system and register in a critical care unit. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by performing an analysis of the records of incidents communicated anonymously and voluntarily from January 2007 to December 2013 in a critical care unit of adult patients with severe trauma. incident type and class, professional reports, and suggestions for improvement measures. A descriptive analysis was performed on the variables. Out of a total of 275 incidents reported, 58.5% of them were adverse events. Incident distributed by classes: medication, 33.7%; vascular access-drainage-catheter-sensor, 19.6%; devices-equipment, 13.3%, procedures, 11.5%; airway tract and mechanical ventilation, 10%; nursing care, 4.1%; inter-professional communication, 3%; diagnostic test, 3%; patient identification, 1.1%, and transfusion 0.7%. In the medication group, administrative errors accounted for a total of 62%; in vascular access-drainage-catheter-sensor group, central venous lines, a total of 27%; in devices and equipment group, respirators, a total of 46.9%; in airway self-extubations, a total of 32.1%. As regards to medication errors, 62% were incidents without damage. Incident notification by profession: doctors, 43%, residents, 5.6%, nurses, 51%, and technical assistants, 0.4%. Adverse events are the most communicated incidents. The events related to medication administration are the most frequent, although most of them were without damage. Nurses and doctors communicate the incidents with the same frequency. In order to highlight the low incident notification despite it being an anonymous and volunteer system, therefore, it is suggested to study measurements to increase the level of communication. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

[26th Conference of the Spanish Society of Quality in Healthcare: a good balance between quality, innovation, science and participation].

PubMed

Astier-Peña, M P; Barrasa-Villar, I; García-Mata, J R; Aranaz-Andrés, J; Enriquez-Martín, N; Vela-Marquina, M L

2010-01-01

The experience and learning process of preparing a scientific conference programme, organising and conducting a conference ccompletes the quality circle with the quantitative and qualitative assessment of the process and results. The transmission of this experience and learning process through this paper will improve the performance of committees of future conference venues, partners and participants and collaborators. The method for performing this evaluation is the assessment of the activities of both the scientific and organising committees of the XXVI Conference of the Spanish Society of Quality Healthcare in October 2008 in Zaragoza. The methodology evaluated the observance of the timetable and tasks assigned to the committees in the Congress Manual of the society along with the presentation of final results of the congress concerning scientific participation and overall satisfaction. There were a total of 1211 communications with a rejection rate of 9.1%. Of the total, 577 communications were presented in oral format and 544 in poster format. Aragon was the community of origin of 24% of communications. By subject areas, those of most interest were patient safety, organisational and management processes, and patient perspectives. A total of 83 participants attended 7 of the 11 workshops offered. The average attendance for each workshop was 12 people. The response rate to the assessment of workshops questionnaire was 54.2% with an average score of 4 (scale of 1 to 5). A total of 1131 people attended the conference of which 17% (193) were SECA associates. Out of a total of 1075 overall satisfaction conference questionnaires distributed there was a response rate of 9.30% (100). The scientific content was assessed with an average score of 3.6 and the organization with 3.87, both on a total score of 5 points. According to the number of abstracts received, number of conferences, level of satisfaction with the scientific program and organisation, we can conclude that the XXVI Conference of the Society has been a success, although we are still in our continuous quality improvement circle that will make conferences even better. Copyright © 2010 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

A cross-domain communication resource scheduling method for grid-enabled communication networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Xiangquan; Wen, Xiang; Zhang, Yongding

2011-10-01

To support a wide range of different grid applications in environments where various heterogeneous communication networks coexist, it is important to enable advanced capabilities in on-demand and dynamical integration and efficient co-share with cross-domain heterogeneous communication resource, thus providing communication services which are impossible for single communication resource to afford. Based on plug-and-play co-share and soft integration with communication resource, Grid-enabled communication network is flexibly built up to provide on-demand communication services for gird applications with various requirements on quality of service. Based on the analysis of joint job and communication resource scheduling in grid-enabled communication networks (GECN), this paper presents a cross multi-domain communication resource cooperatively scheduling method and describes the main processes such as traffic requirement resolution for communication services, cross multi-domain negotiation on communication resource, on-demand communication resource scheduling, and so on. The presented method is to afford communication service capability to cross-domain traffic delivery in GECNs. Further research work towards validation and implement of the presented method is pointed out at last.

Brief Report: Adapting an In-Person Patient-Caregiver Communication Intervention to a Tailored Web-Based Format

PubMed Central

Zulman, Donna M.; Schafenacker, Ann; Barr, Kathryn L.C.; Moore, Ian T.; Fisher, Jake; McCurdy, Kathryn; Derry, Holly A.; Saunders, Edward W.; An, Lawrence C.; Northouse, Laurel

2011-01-01

Background Interventions that target cancer patients and their caregivers have been shown to improve communication, support, and emotional well-being. Objective To adapt an in-person communication intervention for cancer patients and caregivers to a web-based format, and to examine the usability and acceptability of the web-based program among representative users. Methods A tailored, interactive web-based communication program for cancer patients and their family caregivers was developed based on an existing in-person, nurse-delivered intervention. The development process involved: 1) building a multidisciplinary team of content and web design experts, 2) combining key components of the in-person intervention with the unique tailoring and interactive features of a web-based platform, and 3) conducting focus groups and usability testing to obtain feedback from representative program users at multiple time points. Results Four focus groups with 2 to 3 patient-caregiver pairs per group (n = 22 total participants) and two iterations of usability testing with 4 patient-caregiver pairs per session (n = 16 total participants) were conducted. Response to the program's structure, design, and content was favorable, even among users who were older or had limited computer and internet experience. The program received high ratings for ease of use and overall usability (mean System Usability Score of 89.5 out of 100). Conclusions Many elements of a nurse-delivered patient-caregiver intervention can be successfully adapted to a web-based format. A multidisciplinary design team and an iterative evaluation process with representative users were instrumental in the development of a usable and well-received web-based program. PMID:21830255

Opioids Consumed in the Immediate Post-Operative Period Do Not Influence How Patients Rate Their Experience of Care After Total Hip Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Etcheson, Jennifer I; Gwam, Chukwuweike U; George, Nicole E; Virani, Sana; Mont, Michael A; Delanois, Ronald E

2018-04-01

Patient perception of care, commonly measured with Press Ganey (PG) surveys, is an important metric used to determine hospital and provider reimbursement. However, post-operative pain following total hip arthroplasty (THA) may negatively affect patient satisfaction. As a result, over-administration of opioids may occur, even without marked evidence of pain. Therefore, this study evaluated whether opioid consumption in the immediate postoperative period bears any influence on satisfaction scores after THA. Specifically, this study assessed the correlation between post-operative opioid consumption and 7 PG domains: (1) Overall hospital rating; (2) Communication with nurses; (3) Responsiveness of hospital staff; (4) Communication with doctors; (5) Hospital environment; (6) Pain Management; and (7) Communication about medicines. Our institutional PG database was reviewed for patients who received THA from 2011 to 2014. A total of 322 patients (mean age = 65 years; 61% female) were analyzed. Patient's opioid consumption was measured using a morphine milli-equivalent conversion algorithm. Bivariate correlation analysis assessed the association between opioid consumption and Press-Ganey survey elements. Pearson's r assessed the strength of the association. No correlation was found between total opioid consumption and Overall hospital rating (r = 0.004; P = .710), Communication with nurses (r = 0.093; P = .425), Responsiveness of hospital staff (r = 0.104; P = .381), Communication with doctors (r = 0.009; P = .940), Hospital environment (r = 0.081; P = .485), and Pain management (r = 0.075; P = .536). However, there was a positive correlation between total opioid consumption and "Communication about medicines" (r = 0.262; P = .043). Our report demonstrates that PG patient satisfaction scores are not influenced by post-operative opioid use, with the exception of PG domain, "Communication about medications." These results suggest that opioid medications should be administered based solely on patient requirements without concern about patient satisfaction survey results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimal investments in digital communication systems in primary exchange area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, R.; Hornung, R.

1980-11-01

Integer linear optimization theory, following Gomory's method, was applied to the model planning of telecommunication networks in which all future investments are made in digital systems only. The integer decision variables are the number of digital systems set up on cable or radiorelay links that can be installed. The objective function is the total cost of the extension of the existing line capacity to meet the demand between primary and local exchanges. Traffic volume constraints and flow conservation in transit nodes complete the model. Results indicating computing time and method efficiency are illustrated by an example.

Some Aspects of Culturally Competent Communication in Health Care in the Republic of Macedonia

PubMed Central

Pollozhani, Aziz; Kosevska, Elena; Petkovski, Kostadin; Memeti, Shaban; Limani, Blerim; Kasapinov, Blasko

2013-01-01

Aim: To examine the existing situation, barriers and consequences of the intercultural communication in health institutions and to offer training models for strengthening and improving communication skills of health professionals in the Republic of Macedonia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the relationship between patients and health professionals. A total of 813 health professionals (302 physicians and 511 other medical staff) from different healthcare institutions, and 1016 patients participated in cross-sectional survey performed in autumn 2010. Results: The research has showed that each third examined patient thought that his/her physician or the other medical personnel had no understanding for his/her emotions and gave no answer to all of his/her questions. From the other side, 60% of the physicians declare that they have a good communication with patients speaking other language than their mother tongue. Only 60% of physicians said that they know good the culture of their patient and 52% of the other medical staff said that they adjusted the treatment to the patient culture (religion, attitudes, language, life style). Conclusion: There are some gaps in current provision of health care practice in an aspect of effective interactions and communication skills of health professionals to meet patient needs in a multicultural and multilingual setting. A training model is proposed for strengthening communication skills of health professionals. PMID:24511268

How College Students Spend Their Time Communicating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emanuel, Richard; Adams, Jim; Baker, Kim; Daufin, E. K.; Ellington, Coke; Fitts, Elizabeth; Himsel, Jonathan; Holladay, Linda; Okeowo, David

2008-01-01

This study sought to assess how college students spend their time communicating and what impact, if any, communications devices may be having on how that time is spent. Undergraduates (N = 696) at four southeastern colleges were surveyed. Results revealed that listening comprises 55.4% of the total average communication day followed by reading…

On the People's Wavelength: Communications for Social Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Maggie, Ed.

1982-01-01

Articles collected in this issue of UNICEF News deal with different aspects of the theme of communication in development programs. Specifically, topics covered include (1) communication as a total process and the role of communication in overcoming obstacles to social change; (2) a village education and resource center, in Bangladesh, committed to…

Assessment of communication skills among Pharmacy students of the University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

PubMed Central

Aina, BA; Ogunbiyi, OO

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND: Communication skill is the bridge between the pharmacists and the patient. Communication in health can contribute to all aspects of disease prevention and health promotion. In order to become successful pharmacists, one needs to possess excellent communication skills to serve clients. This study was conducted at the University of Lagos to assess communication skills of Pharmacy students. METHOD: The study was descriptive and cross sectional. It was carried out between May and July 2009. Questionnaires were used for data collection. The questionnaire had two sections - the bio data section and pre-formulated questions on communication skills which has three options and one of these is the best option. RESULTS: A total number of 125 respondents were involved in the study which included 25 students from 200level, 50 from 300level and 50 from 500 level. Majority of them were between 18-25 years old (89.6%). There were more females (71.2%) than males (28.8%). Also most of them were Christians (71.2%). Among the respondents, about 62% picked the best options as their answer while the rest picked other options. There was no statistical difference in the choice of best options between the different levels of study. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded from the results of this study that majority of Pharmacy Students at the University of Lagos had good communication skills and they will be able to discharge their duties as pharmacists when they eventually graduate. PMID:24826026

Ubiquinol Improves Symptoms in Children with Autism

PubMed Central

Kucharská, Jarmila; Ostatníková, Daniela; Babinská, Katarína; Nakládal, Dalibor; Crane, Fred L.

2014-01-01

Background. Autism is a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders with manifestation within 3 years after birth. Manifestations of autism include behavior problems (hyperactivity, toys destruction, self-harm, and agression) and sleep and eating disorders. Etiology of autism is poorly understood. Oxidative stress and antioxidants can participate in pathobiochemical mechanisms of autism. Methods. Twenty-four children, aged 3–6 years, with autism according to the DSM IV criteria and using CARS were included in the study. Concentrations of CoQ10−TOTAL, γ- and α-tocopherol, β-carotene, and lipid peroxidation were determined in plasma before and after three months of supportive therapy with ubiquinol at a daily dose 2 × 50 mg. Data on behavior of the children were collected from parents at the same time. Results. Ubiquinol supportive therapy improved symptoms in children with autism, as communication with parents (in 12%), verbal communication (in 21%), playing games of children (in 42%), sleeping (in 34%), and food rejection (in 17%), with CoQ10−TOTAL plasma level above 2.5 μmol/L. Conclusions. Beneficial effect of ubiquinol in children with autism has been demonstrated for the first time. We assume that plasma concentration of CoQ10−TOTAL and lipid peroxidation could be used as relevant biomarkers of ubiquinol supportive therapy. PMID:24707344

#Frailty: A snapshot Twitter report on frailty knowledge translation.

PubMed

Jha, Sunita R; McDonagh, Julee; Prichard, Ros; Newton, Phillip J; Hickman, Louise D; Fung, Erik; Macdonald, Peter S; Ferguson, Caleb

2018-05-07

The objectives of this short report are to: (i) explore #Frailty Twitter activity over a six-month period; and (ii) provide a snapshot Twitter content analysis of #Frailty usage. A mixed-method study was conducted to explore Twitter data related to frailty. The primary search term was #Frailty. Objective 1: data were collected using Symplur analytics, including variables for total number of tweets, unique tweeters (users) and total number of impressions. Objective 2: a retrospectively conducted snapshot content analysis of 1500 #Frailty tweets was performed using TweetReach ™ . Over a six-month period (1 January 2017-31 June 2017), there was a total of 6545 #Frailty tweets, generating 14.8 million impressions across 3986 participants. Of the 1500 tweets (814 retweets; 202 replies; 484 original tweets), 56% were relevant to clinical frailty. The main contributors ('who') were as follows: the public (29%), researchers (25%), doctors (21%), organisations (18%) and other allied health professionals (7%). Tweet main message intention ('what') was public health/advocacy (41%), social communication (28%), research-based evidence/professional education (24%), professional opinion/case studies (15%) and general news/events (7%). Twitter is increasingly being used to communicate about frailty. It is important that thought leaders contribute to the conversation. There is potential to leverage Twitter to promote and disseminate frailty-related knowledge and research. © 2018 AJA Inc.

Rehabilitation of discourse impairments after acquired brain injury

PubMed Central

Gindri, Gigiane; Pagliarin, Karina Carlesso; Casarin, Fabíola Schwengber; Branco, Laura Damiani; Ferré, Perrine; Joanette, Yves; Fonseca, Rochele Paz

2014-01-01

Language impairments in patients with acquired brain injury can have a negative impact on social life as well as on other cognitive domains. Discourse impairments are among the most commonly reported communication deficits among patients with acquired brain damage. Despite advances in the development of diagnostic tools for detecting such impairments, few studies have investigated interventions to rehabilitate patients presenting with these conditions. Objective The aim of this study was to present a systematic review of the methods used in the rehabilitation of discourse following acquired brain injury. Methods The PubMed database was searched for articles using the following keywords: "rehabilitation", "neurological injury", "communication" and "discursive abilities". Results A total of 162 abstracts were found, but only seven of these met criteria for inclusion in the review. Four studies involved samples of individuals with aphasia whereas three studies recruited samples of individuals with traumatic brain injury. Conclusion All but one article found that patient performance improved following participation in a discourse rehabilitation program. PMID:29213880

Men's behavior surrounding use of contraceptives in Guinea.

PubMed

Baldé, Mamadou Diouldé; Diallo, Boubacar Alpha; Compaoré, Rachidatou; Bah, Abdoul Karim; Ali, Moazzam; Kabra, Rita; Kouanda, Seni

2016-11-01

To analyze the sociocultural determinants that influence the attitude and practices of men toward contraceptive use in Guinea. A sequential, mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative study was carried out in two regions of Guinea with a low rate of contraceptive prevalence, and in the capital city of Conakry. A total of 1170 people (men and women) were interviewed. Findings showed a positive perception of family planning overall, but reluctance to use modern contraception. The reasons for non-use of contraceptive methods were primarily the hope of having many children and religious prohibition associated with customs. Making decisions on contraceptive use within a couple represents a major cause of misunderstanding between spouses. Communication within a couple on the use of contraception is quickly declined by men. The findings demonstrate the need to develop communication strategies within a couple to improve the use of contraceptives. Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sexual cognitive predictors of sexual communication in junior college adolescents: medical student perspectives.

PubMed

Lou, Jiunn-Horng; Chen, Sheng-Hwang; Yu, Hsing-Yi; Lin, Yen-Chin; Li, Ren-Hau

2010-12-01

Further understanding the relationship between sexual cognition and sexual communication in adolescents may facilitate sexual health promotion in this population. This study was designed to investigate associations between sexual cognitive variables and sexual communication in adolescents. This study used a cross-sectional research design with conventional sampling. Data were collected from one medical college in central Taiwan. A total of 900 questionnaires were dispatched, with 748 copies returned, giving a response rate of 83.1%. Structural questionnaires were designed to collect demographic data, sexual self-concept inventory, sexual risk cognition, sexual self-efficacy, and sexual communication scale. This study applied statistical methods, including descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Major findings revealed that (a) adolescents talked about sexual activity and sexual issues with their parents at a moderate level (mean = 2.52, SD = 1.24), (b) all sexual cognitive variables (sexual self-concept, sexual risk cognitions, and sexual self-efficacy) correlated positively with sexual communication, and (c) predictors of sexual communication were supported by demographic data (having heterosexual friends, satisfaction with heterosexual friends, and duration of relationships with heterosexual friends) and sexual cognitive variables, which accounted for 62.0% of variance. Study results can contribute to the development of safe sexual health programs and improve healthcare provider knowledge of sexual communication among adolescents. More sexual communication between adolescents and their parents is encouraged. Moreover, sexual health programs must give increased focus on the issue of adolescent sexual cognition to help encourage increased discussion between adolescents and their parents regarding sexual activity and issues.

Effectiveness of the Lunch is in the Bag program on communication between the parent, child and child-care provider around fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods: a group-randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Rashid, Tasnuva; Ranjit, Nalini; Byrd-Williams, Courtney; Chuang, Ru-Jye; Roberts-Gray, Cindy; Briley, Margaret; Sweitzer, Sara; Hoelscher, Deanna M.

2015-01-01

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the parent- and early care education (ECE) center-based Lunch is in the Bag program on communication between parent, child, and their ECE center providers around fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods (FVWG). Method A total of n=30 ECE center; 577 parent-child dyads participated in this group-randomized controlled trial conducted from 2011–2013 in Texas (n=15 ECE center, 327 dyads intervention group; n=15 ECE center, 250 dyads comparison group). Parent-child and parent-ECE center provider communication was measured using a parent-reported survey administered at baseline and end of the five-week intervention period. Multilevel linear regression analysis was used to compare the pre-to-post intervention changes in the parent-child and parent-ECE center provider communication scales. Significance was set at p<0.05. Results At baseline, parent-child and parent-ECE center provider communication scores were low. There was a significant increase post-intervention in the parent-ECE center provider communication around vegetables (Adjusted β = 0.78, 95%CI: 0.13, 1.43, p=0.002), and around fruit (Adjusted β = 0.62, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.20, p=0.04) among the parents in the intervention group as compared to those in the comparison group. There were no significant intervention effects on parent-child communication. Conclusion Lunch is in the Bag had significant positive effects on improving communication between the parents and ECE center providers around FVWG. PMID:26190371

Critical Communication Pedagogy and Service Learning in a Mixed-Method Communication Research Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudick, C. Kyle; Golsan, Kathryn B.; Freitag, Jennifer

2018-01-01

Course: Mixed-Method Communication Research Methods. Objective: The purpose of this semester-long activity is to provide students with opportunities to cultivate mixed-method communication research skills through a social justice-informed service-learning format. Completing this course, students will be able to: recognize the unique strengths of…

Diffusion Weighted Callosal Integrity Reflects Interhemispheric Communication Efficiency in Multiple Sclerosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warlop, Nele P.; Achten, Eric; Debruyne, Jan; Vingerhoets, Guy

2008-01-01

We aimed to investigate the relation between damage in the corpus callosum and the performance on an interhemispheric communication task in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Relative callosal lesion load defined as the ratio between callosal area and the total lesion load in the total corpus callosum, and the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)…

Antioxidant activity, total phenolics and flavonoids contents: Should we ban in vitro screening methods?

PubMed

Granato, Daniel; Shahidi, Fereidoon; Wrolstad, Ronald; Kilmartin, Paul; Melton, Laurence D; Hidalgo, Francisco J; Miyashita, Kazuo; Camp, John van; Alasalvar, Cesarettin; Ismail, Amin B; Elmore, Stephen; Birch, Gordon G; Charalampopoulos, Dimitris; Astley, Sian B; Pegg, Ronald; Zhou, Peng; Finglas, Paul

2018-10-30

As many studies are exploring the association between ingestion of bioactive compounds and decreased risk of non-communicable diseases, the scientific community continues to show considerable interest in these compounds. In addition, as many non-nutrients with putative health benefits are reducing agents, hydrogen donors, singlet oxygen quenchers or metal chelators, measurement of antioxidant activity using in vitro assays has become very popular over recent decades. Measuring concentrations of total phenolics, flavonoids, and other compound (sub)classes using UV/Vis spectrophotometry offers a rapid chemical index, but chromatographic techniques are necessary to establish structure-activity. For bioactive purposes, in vivo models are required or, at the very least, methods that employ distinct mechanisms of action (i.e., single electron transfer, transition metal chelating ability, and hydrogen atom transfer). In this regard, better understanding and application of in vitro screening methods should help design of future research studies on 'bioactive compounds'. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Midwifery and nursing students' communication skills and life orientation: correlation with stress coping approaches.

PubMed

Ozdemir, Gülsün; Kaya, Hatice

2013-06-01

Methods learnt by nursing and midwifery students' such as communication skills, optimisim and coping with stress would be used in their profeesional life. It is very important to promote their positive thinking and communication skills to raise coping with stress. This cross sectional study was performed to examine the nursing and midwifery students' communication skills and optimistic life orientation and its correlation with coping strategies with stress. The study population included 2572 students who were studying in departments of nursing and midwifery in Istanbul. The sample was included 1419 students. Three questionnaires including Communication Skills Test, Life Orientation Test and Ways of Coping Inventory were used for data collection. The data were evaluated by calculating frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation coefficient. Students' total mean score from the Communication Skills Scale was 165.27 ± 15.39 and for the Life Orientation Test was 18.51 ± 4.54. There was a positive correlation between their Life Orientation scores and the scores for self confidence (r = 0.34, P < 0.001), optimistic approach (r = 0.42, P < 0.001), and seeking social help (r = 0.17, P < 0.001). Also there was a significant positive correlation between Communication skill scores and self confidence (r = 0.46, P < 0.001), optimistic (r = 0.37, P < 0.001) and seeking social help approaches (r = 0.29, P < 0.001), but there was a significant negative correlation between communication skill scores and scores for helpless (r = -0.29, P < 0.001) and submissive approaches (r = -0.36, P < 0.001). As scores of students in optimistic life orientation and communication skills increased self confidence approach, optimistic, and social support seeking scores increased, whereas helpless, and submissive scores decreased.

A Comparison of the Turkish and Romanian Students' Willingness to Communicate and Its Affecting Factors in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asmali, Mehmet; Bilki, Ufuk; Duban, Carina Adriana

2015-01-01

The present study attempts to offer a small-scale investigation of the willingness to communicate and its key antecedents, namely the self-perceived communication competence and the communication apprehension in Turkish and Romanian contexts. A total of 130 participants took part in this quantitative approach based study. The data suggested…

Optimizing Patient Surgical Management Using WhatsApp Application in the Italian Healthcare System.

PubMed

Nardo, Bruno; Cannistrà, Marco; Diaco, Vincenzo; Naso, Agostino; Novello, Matteo; Zullo, Alessandra; Ruggiero, Michele; Grande, Raffaele; Sacco, Rosario

2016-09-01

Smartphones changed the method by which doctors communicate with each other, offer modern functionalities sensitive to the context of use, and can represent a valuable ally in the healthcare system. Studies have shown that WhatsApp™ application can facilitate communication within the healthcare team and provide the attending physician a constant oversight of activities performed by junior team members. The aim of the study was to use WhatsApp between two distant surgical teams involved in a program of elective surgery to verify if it facilitates communication, enhances learning, and improves patient care preserving their privacy. We conducted a focused group of surgeons over a 28-month period (from March 2013 to July 2015), and from September 2014 to July 2015, a group of selected specialists communicated healthcare matters through the newly founded "WhatsApp Surgery Group." Each patient enrolled in the study signed a consent form to let the team communicate his/her clinical data using WhatsApp. Communication between team members, response times, and types of messages were evaluated. Forty six (n = 46) patients were enrolled in the study. A total of 1,053 images were used with an average of 78 images for each patient (range 41-143). 125 h of communication were recorded, generating 354 communication events. The expert surgeon had received the highest number of questions (P, 0.001), while the residents asked clinical questions (P, 0.001) and were the fastest responders to communications (P, 0.001). Our study investigated how two distant clinical teams may exploit such a communication system and quantifies both the direction and type of communication between surgeons. WhatsApp is a low cost, secure, and fast technology and it offers the opportunity to facilitate clinical and nonclinical communications, enhance learning, and improve patient care preserving their privacy.

Airborne wireless communication systems, airborne communication methods, and communication methods

DOEpatents

Deaton, Juan D [Menan, ID; Schmitt, Michael J [Idaho Falls, ID; Jones, Warren F [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-12-13

An airborne wireless communication system includes circuitry configured to access information describing a configuration of a terrestrial wireless communication base station that has become disabled. The terrestrial base station is configured to implement wireless communication between wireless devices located within a geographical area and a network when the terrestrial base station is not disabled. The circuitry is further configured, based on the information, to configure the airborne station to have the configuration of the terrestrial base station. An airborne communication method includes answering a 911 call from a terrestrial cellular wireless phone using an airborne wireless communication system.

A Kinesin-Related Protein Required for the Mitotic Spindle Assembly

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-05-01

8217 at 23 °C. The residual 20 ul can be frozen in liquid nitrogen and used to estimate total recovery if desired. 3. Remove supernatant as thoroughly...communicated to the XKCM1 protein, and what can these results tell us about how chromosomes are segregated? These are questions that are currently...METHODS 3.1 Preparation of Microtubule Substrates The effects of kinesins on MT dynamics can be assayed by using three different types of MT

Printing--Graphic Arts--Graphic Communications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hauenstein, A. Dean

1975-01-01

Recently, "graphic arts" has shifted from printing skills to a conceptual approach of production processes. "Graphic communications" must embrace the total system of communication through graphic media, to serve broad career education purposes; students taught concepts and principles can be flexible and adaptive. The author…

"Audio-visuel Integre" et Communication(s) ("Integrated Audiovisual" and Communication)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moirand, Sophie

1974-01-01

This article examines the usefullness of the audiovisual method in teaching communication competence, and calls for research in audiovisual methods as well as in communication theory for improvement in these areas. (Text is in French.) (AM)

Perceptions on the risk communication strategy during the 2013 avian influenza A/H7N9 outbreak in humans in China: a focus group study

PubMed Central

Li, Richun; Xie, Ruiqian; Yang, Chong

2016-01-01

Objective To identify the general public’s perceptions of the overall risk communication strategy carried out by Chinese public health agencies during the first wave of avian influenza A(H7N9) outbreak in humans in 2013. Methods Participants were recruited from communities in Beijing, Lanzhou and Hangzhou, China in May and June 2013 by convenience sampling. Demographics and other relevant information were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Focus group interviews were conducted using a set of nine pre-developed questions and a tested moderator guide. The interviews were audio recorded and were transcribed verbatim. The constant comparative method was used to identify trends and themes. Results A total of nine focus group interviews, with 94 participants recruited from nine communities, were conducted. Most participants received H7N9 information via television and the Internet. Most the participants appreciated the transparency and timeliness of the information released by the government. They expressed a sense of trust in the recommended public health advice and followed most of them. The participants suggested that the government release more information about clinical treatment outcomes, have more specific health recommendations that are practical to their settings and expand the use of new media channels for risk communication. Conclusion The public perceived the overall risk communication strategy by the Chinese public health agencies as effective, though the moderator had a governmental agency title that might have biased the results. There is a need to expand the use of social media for risk communication in the future. PMID:27757257

Improving safety climate through a communication and recognition program for construction: a mixed-methods study

PubMed Central

Sparer, Emily H; Catalano, Paul J; Herrick, Robert F; Dennerlein, Jack T

2016-01-01

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a safety communication and recognition program (B-SAFE), designed to encourage improvement of physical working conditions and hazard reduction in construction. Methods A matched pair cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted on eight worksites (four received the B-SAFE intervention, four served as control sites) for approximately five months per site. Pre- and post-exposure worker surveys were collected at all sites (N=615, pre-exposure response rate of 74%, post-exposure response rate of 88%). Multi-level mixed-effect regression models evaluated the effect of B-SAFE on safety climate as assessed from surveys. Focus groups (N=6–8 workers/site) were conducted following data collection. Transcripts were coded and analyzed for thematic content using Atlas.ti (version 6). Results The mean safety climate score at intervention sites, as measured on a 0–50 point scale, increased 0.5 points (1%) between pre- and post-B-SAFE exposure, compared to control sites that decreased 0.8 points (1.6%). The intervention effect size was 1.64 (3.28%) (P-value=0.01) when adjusted for month the worker started on-site, total length of time on-site, as well as individual characteristics (trade, title, age, and race/ethnicity). At intervention sites, workers noted increased levels of safety awareness, communication, and teamwork compared to control sites. Conclusions B-SAFE led to many positive changes, including an improvement in safety climate, awareness, teambuilding, and communication. B-SAFE was a simple intervention that engaged workers through effective communication infrastructures and had a significant, positive effect on worksite safety. PMID:27158914

Electronic Communication in Plastic Surgery: Guiding Principles from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Health Policy Committee.

PubMed

Eberlin, Kyle R; Perdikis, Galen; Damitz, Lynn; Krochmal, Dan J; Kalliainen, Loree K; Bonawitz, Steven C

2018-02-01

With the advancement of technology, electronic communication has become an important mode of communication within plastic and reconstructive surgery. This can take the form of e-mail, text messaging, video conferencing, and social media, among others. There are currently no defined American Society of Plastic Surgeons guidelines for appropriate professional use of these technologies. A search was performed on PubMed and the Cochrane database; terms included "telemedicine," "text messaging," "HIPAA," "metadata," "video conferencing," "photo sharing," "social media," "Facebook," "Twitter," and "Instagram." Initial screening of all identified articles was performed; the level of evidence, limitations, and recommendations were evaluated and articles were reviewed. A total of 654 articles were identified in the level I screening process; after more comprehensive review, 41 articles fit inclusion criteria: social networking, 12; telemedicine, 11; text messaging, 10; metadata, four; video conferencing, three; and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, one. General themes were identified from these articles and guidelines proposed. Electronic communication can provide an efficient method of information exchange for professional purposes within plastic surgery but should be used thoughtfully and with all professional, legal, and ethical considerations.

An Investigation on Ground Electrodes of Capacitive Coupling Human Body Communication.

PubMed

Mao, Jingna; Yang, Huazhong; Zhao, Bo

2017-08-01

Utilizing the body surface as the signal transmission medium, capacitive coupling human body communication (CC-HBC) can achieve a much higher energy efficiency than conventional wireless communications in future wireless body area network (WBAN) applications. Under the CC-HBC scheme, the body surface serves as the forward signal path, whereas the backward path is formed by the capacitive coupling between the ground electrodes (GEs) of transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX). So the type of communication benefits from a low forward loss, while the backward loss depending on the GE coupling strength dominates the total transmission loss. However, none of the previous works have shown a complete research on the effects of GEs. In this paper, all kinds of GE effects on CC-HBC are investigated by both finite element method (FEM) analysis and human body measurement. We set the TX GE and RX GE at different heights, separation distances, and dimensions to study the corresponding influence on the overall signal transmission path loss. In addition, we also investigate the effects of GEs with different shapes and different TX-to-RX relative angles. Based on all the investigations, an analytical model is derived to evaluate the GE related variations of channel loss in CC-HBC.

Communicating With the Public About Emerging Health Threats: Lessons From the Pre-Event Message Development Project

PubMed Central

Becker, Steven M.; Henderson, Neil; Glik, Deborah; Jupka, Keri; Middleton, Sarah; Henderson, Carson; Drury, Allison; Mitchell, Elizabeth W.

2008-01-01

Objectives. We sought to better understand the challenges of communicating with the public about emerging health threats, particularly threats involving toxic chemicals, biological agents, and radioactive materials. Methods. At the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we formed an interdisciplinary consortium of investigative teams from 4 schools of public health. Over 2 years, the investigative teams conducted 79 focus group interviews with 884 participants and individual cognitive response interviews with 129 respondents, for a total sample of 1013 individuals. The investigative teams systematically compared their results with other published research in public health, risk communication, and emergency preparedness. Results. We found limited public understanding of emerging biological, chemical, and radioactive materials threats and of the differences between them; demand for concrete, accurate, and consistent information about actions needed for protection of self and family; active information seeking from media, local authorities, and selected national sources; and areas in which current emergency messaging can be improved. Conclusions. The public will respond to a threat situation by seeking protective information and taking self-protective action, underlining the critical role of effective communication in public health emergencies. PMID:18382011

Inter-Vehicle Communication System Utilizing Autonomous Distributed Transmit Power Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamada, Yuji; Sawa, Yoshitsugu; Goto, Yukio; Kumazawa, Hiroyuki

In ad-hoc network such as inter-vehicle communication (IVC) system, safety applications that vehicles broadcast the information such as car velocity, position and so on periodically are considered. In these applications, if there are many vehicles broadcast data in a communication area, congestion incurs a problem decreasing communication reliability. We propose autonomous distributed transmit power control method to keep high communication reliability. In this method, each vehicle controls its transmit power using feed back control. Furthermore, we design a communication protocol to realize the proposed method, and we evaluate the effectiveness of proposed method using computer simulation.

Mass Communication Course Evaluations: An Exploratory Study on the Effect of Gender.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lueck, Therese L.; And Others

An exploratory study examined the effect of gender on student evaluation ratings of journalism and mass communication instructors. Subjects were 8 professors (4 male and 4 female) who represented a wide range of teaching experience and taught a total of 243 students (108 women and 135 men) in 10 different types of classrooms. A total of 241…

The Development of Language Behavior in an Autistic Child Using a Total Communication Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Morris

Following a review of the literature, the paper describes a total communication approach to the language development of a 4-year-old autistic child. It is explained that the child was videotaped while being trained to simultaneously use elements of American sign language together with the correct spoken word or words. Training procedures are…

Communication devices for network-hopping communications and methods of network-hopping communications

DOEpatents

Buttles, John W [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-12-20

Wireless communication devices include a software-defined radio coupled to processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to execute computer programming code. Storage media is coupled to the processing circuitry and includes computer programming code configured to cause the processing circuitry to configure and reconfigure the software-defined radio to operate on each of a plurality of communication networks according to a selected sequence. Methods for communicating with a wireless device and methods of wireless network-hopping are also disclosed.

Communication devices for network-hopping communications and methods of network-hopping communications

DOEpatents

Buttles, John W

2013-04-23

Wireless communication devices include a software-defined radio coupled to processing circuitry. The system controller is configured to execute computer programming code. Storage media is coupled to the system controller and includes computer programming code configured to cause the system controller to configure and reconfigure the software-defined radio to operate on each of a plurality of communication networks according to a selected sequence. Methods for communicating with a wireless device and methods of wireless network-hopping are also disclosed.

Using design science and artificial intelligence to improve health communication: ChronologyMD case example.

PubMed

Neuhauser, Linda; Kreps, Gary L; Morrison, Kathleen; Athanasoulis, Marcos; Kirienko, Nikolai; Van Brunt, Deryk

2013-08-01

This paper describes how design science theory and methods and use of artificial intelligence (AI) components can improve the effectiveness of health communication. We identified key weaknesses of traditional health communication and features of more successful eHealth/AI communication. We examined characteristics of the design science paradigm and the value of its user-centered methods to develop eHealth/AI communication. We analyzed a case example of the participatory design of AI components in the ChronologyMD project intended to improve management of Crohn's disease. eHealth/AI communication created with user-centered design shows improved relevance to users' needs for personalized, timely and interactive communication and is associated with better health outcomes than traditional approaches. Participatory design was essential to develop ChronologyMD system architecture and software applications that benefitted patients. AI components can greatly improve eHealth/AI communication, if designed with the intended audiences. Design science theory and its iterative, participatory methods linked with traditional health communication theory and methods can create effective AI health communication. eHealth/AI communication researchers, developers and practitioners can benefit from a holistic approach that draws from theory and methods in both design sciences and also human and social sciences to create successful AI health communication. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Executive summary. [application of laser oriented and radio frequency techniques for space communication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The scope of Technology Forecasting for Space Communications is very wide, covering virtually every technology that can directly or indirectly affect space communications. The assigned effort, however, was directed toward a series of studies which individually examined important aspects of space communications and which collectively was interrelated. The contributions of the individual tasks and their interrelationship are indicated. The total effort of the tasks was fairly evenly divided between laser oriented and radio frequency tasks. The investigations show that laser communications have a current state of the art which would allow operational systems to be implemented in the 1975 to 1980 time frame. Further, these systems, when operated over ranges in the order of synchronous ranges (42,000 km)and transmitting data rates of 10 to the 8th power 10 to the 9th power bits per second will have a smaller total weight impact on a spacecraft than do radio systems.

Patient-Physician Communication in the Era of Mobile Phones and Social Media Apps: Cross-Sectional Observational Study on Lebanese Physicians’ Perceptions and Attitudes

PubMed Central

Jabak, Suha; Sasso, Roula; Chamoun, Yara; Tamim, Hani

2018-01-01

Background The increased prevalence of virtual communication technology, particularly social media, has shifted the physician-patient relationship away from the well-established face-to-face interaction. The views and habits of physicians in Lebanon toward the use of online apps and social media as forms of patient communication have not been previously described. Objective The aim of this study is to describe the views of Lebanese physicians toward the use of social media and other online apps as means of patient communication. Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study using an online survey that addressed physicians’ perceptions on the use of virtual communication in their clinical practice. The study took place between April and June 2016, and was directed toward physicians at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. Results A total of 834 doctors received the online survey, with 238 physicians completing the survey. Most of the participants were from medical specialties. Most responders were attending physicians. Less than half of the respondents believed that Web-based apps and social media could be a useful tool for communicating with patients. Email was the most common form of professional online app, followed by WhatsApp (an instant messaging service). The majority of participants felt that this mode of communication can result in medicolegal issues and that it was a breach of privacy. Participants strictly against the use of virtual forms of communication made up 47.5% (113/238) of the study sample. Conclusions The majority of physicians at the American University of Beirut Medical Center are reluctant to use virtual communication technology as a form of patient communication. Appropriate policy making and strategies can allow both physicians and patients to communicate virtually in a more secure setting without fear of breaching privacy and confidentiality. PMID:29625955

Context factors in general practitioner-patient encounters and their impact on assessing communication skills--an exploratory study.

PubMed

Essers, Geurt; Kramer, Anneke; Andriesse, Boukje; van Weel, Chris; van der Vleuten, Cees; van Dulmen, Sandra

2013-05-22

Assessment of medical communication performance usually focuses on rating generically applicable, well-defined communication skills. However, in daily practice, communication is determined by (specific) context factors, such as acquaintance with the patient, or the presented problem. Merely valuing the presence of generic skills may not do justice to the doctor's proficiency.Our aim was to perform an exploratory study on how assessment of general practitioner (GP) communication performance changes if context factors are explicitly taken into account. We used a mixed method design to explore how ratings would change. A random sample of 40 everyday GP consultations was used to see if previously identified context factors could be observed again. The sample was rated twice using a widely used assessment instrument (the MAAS-Global), first in the standard way and secondly after context factors were explicitly taken into account, by using a context-specific rating protocol to assess communication performance in the workplace. In between first and second rating, the presence of context factors was established. Item score differences were calculated using paired sample t-tests. In 38 out of 40 consultations, context factors prompted application of the context-specific rating protocol. Mean overall score on the 7-point MAAS-Global scale increased from 2.98 in standard to 3.66 in the context-specific rating (p<0.00); the effect size for the total mean score was 0.84. In earlier research the minimum standard score for adequate communication was set at 3.17. Applying the protocol, the mean overall score rose above the level set in an earlier study for the MAAS-Global scores to represent 'adequate GP communication behaviour'. Our findings indicate that incorporating context factors in communication assessment thus makes a meaningful difference and shows that context factors should be considered as 'signal' instead of 'noise' in GP communication assessment. Explicating context factors leads to a more deliberate and transparent rating of GP communication performance.

The Right to Be Heard.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nix, Gary W.

1981-01-01

The author cites research that casts doubt upon the use of total communication as a means of facilitating speech, communication between parent and child, academic achievement, and vocabulary development in hearing-impaired children. He states that the Alexander Graham Bell Association is not antimanual communication, but rather prospeech. (CL)

The impact of visual communication on the intersubjective development of early parent-child interaction with 18- to 24-month-old deaf toddlers.

PubMed

Loots, Gerrit; Devisé, Isabel; Jacquet, Wolfgang

2005-01-01

This article presents a study that examined the impact of visual communication on the quality of the early interaction between deaf and hearing mothers and fathers and their deaf children aged between 18 and 24 months. Three communication mode groups of parent-deaf child dyads that differed by the use of signing and visual-tactile communication strategies were involved: (a) hearing parents communicating with their deaf child in an auditory/oral way, (b) hearing parents using total communication, and (c) deaf parents using sign language. Based on Loots and colleagues' intersubjective developmental theory, parent-deaf child interaction was analyzed according to the occurrence of intersubjectivity during free play with a standard set of toys. The data analyses indicated that the use of sign language in a sequential visual way of communication enabled the deaf parents to involve their 18- to 24-month-old deaf infants in symbolic intersubjectivity, whereas hearing parents who hold on to oral-only communication were excluded from involvement in symbolic intersubjectivity with their deaf infants. Hearing parents using total communication were more similar to deaf parents, but they still differed from deaf parents in exchanging and sharing symbolic and linguistic meaning with their deaf child.

Dietetics students' ability to choose appropriate communication and counseling methods is improved by teaching behavior-change strategies in computer-assisted instruction.

PubMed

Puri, Ruchi; Bell, Carol; Evers, William D

2010-06-01

Several models and theories have been proposed to help registered dietitians (RD) counsel and communicate nutrition information to patients. However, there is little time for students or interns to observe and/or participate in counseling sessions. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) can be used to give students more opportunity to observe the various methods and theories of counseling. This study used CAI simulations of RD-client communications to examine whether students who worked through the CAI modules would choose more appropriate counseling methods. Modules were created based on information from experienced RD. They contained videos of RD-patient interactions and demonstrated helpful and less helpful methods of communication. Students in didactic programs in dietetics accessed the modules via the Internet. The intervention group of students received a pretest module, two tutorial modules, and a posttest module. The control group only received the pretest and posttest modules. Data were collected during three semesters in 2006 and 2007. Two sample t tests were used to compare pretest and posttest scores. The influence of other factors was measured using factorial analysis of variance. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Eleven didactic programs participated. A total of 350 students were in the intervention group and 102 students were in the control group. Pretest scores were not different (6.30+/-0.26 vs 6.21+/-0.15, control and intervention, respectively). The intervention group's posttest score was higher than its pretest score (6.21+/-0.15 vs 6.65+/-0.16, pretest and posttest, respectively). Change in score from pretest to posttest was higher for the intervention group (-0.02+/-0.20 vs 0.44+/-0.11, control and intervention, respectively). For the 21 questions in the tutorials, those who answered 19 to 21 correctly had a greater increase from pretest to posttest than those who answered <13 correctly (-0.44+/-0.37 vs 0.84+/-0.17, <13 and 19 to 21 correct, respectively). There was no effect of instructor, grade point average, school year, or prior counseling on the results. The study provides evidence that the use of CAI can improve communication and counseling methods for dietetics students. 2010 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patient–Clinician Mobile Communication: Analyzing Text Messaging Between Adolescents with Asthma and Nurse Case Managers

PubMed Central

Kim, Soo Yun; Hong, Yangsun; Chih, Ming-Yuan; Shah, Dhavan V.; Gustafson, David H.

2015-01-01

Abstract Background: With the increasing penetration of digital mobile devices among adolescents, mobile texting messaging is emerging as a new channel for patient–clinician communication for this population. In particular, it can promote active communication between healthcare clinicians and adolescents with asthma. However, little is known about the content of the messages exchanged in medical encounters via mobile text messaging. Therefore, this study explored the content of text messaging between clinicians and adolescents with asthma. Materials and Methods: We collected a total of 2,953 text messages exchanged between 5 nurse case managers and 131 adolescents with asthma through a personal digital assistant. The text messages were coded using a scheme developed by adapting categories from the Roter Interaction Analysis System. Results: Nurse case managers sent more text messages (n=2,639) than adolescents with asthma. Most messages sent by nurse case managers were targeted messages (n=2,475) directed at all adolescents with asthma, whereas there were relatively few tailored messages (n=164) that were created personally for an individual adolescent. In addition, both targeted and tailored messages emphasized task-focused behaviors over socioemotional behaviors. Likewise, text messages (n=314) sent by adolescents also emphasized task-focused over socioemotional behaviors. Conclusions: Mobile texting messaging has the potential to play an important role in patient–clinician communication. It promotes not only active interaction, but also patient-centered communication with clinicians. In order to achieve this potential, healthcare clinicians may need to focus on socioemotional communication as well as task-oriented communication. PMID:25401324

Asynchronous communication in spectral-element and discontinuous Galerkin methods for atmospheric dynamics - a case study using the High-Order Methods Modeling Environment (HOMME-homme_dg_branch)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamroz, Benjamin F.; Klöfkorn, Robert

2016-08-01

The scalability of computational applications on current and next-generation supercomputers is increasingly limited by the cost of inter-process communication. We implement non-blocking asynchronous communication in the High-Order Methods Modeling Environment for the time integration of the hydrostatic fluid equations using both the spectral-element and discontinuous Galerkin methods. This allows the overlap of computation with communication, effectively hiding some of the costs of communication. A novel detail about our approach is that it provides some data movement to be performed during the asynchronous communication even in the absence of other computations. This method produces significant performance and scalability gains in large-scale simulations.

Tags, wireless communication systems, tag communication methods, and wireless communications methods

DOEpatents

Scott,; Jeff W. , Pratt; Richard, M [Richland, WA

2006-09-12

Tags, wireless communication systems, tag communication methods, and wireless communications methods are described. In one aspect, a tag includes a plurality of antennas configured to receive a plurality of first wireless communication signals comprising data from a reader, a plurality of rectifying circuits coupled with. respective individual ones of the antennas and configured to provide rectified signals corresponding to the first wireless communication signals, wherein the rectified signals are combined to produce a composite signal, an adaptive reference circuit configured to vary a reference signal responsive to the composite signal, a comparator coupled with the adaptive reference circuit and the rectifying circuits and configured to compare the composite signal with respect to the reference signal and to output the data responsive to the comparison, and processing circuitry configured to receive the data from the comparator and to process the data.

Position of the American Dietetic Association: total diet approach to communicating food and nutrition information.

PubMed

Freeland-Graves, Jeanne; Nitzke, Susan

2002-01-01

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that all foods can fit into a healthful eating style. The ADA strives to communicate healthful eating messages to the public that emphasize the total diet, or overall pattern of food eaten, rather than any one food or meal. If consumed in moderation with appropriate portion size and combined with regular physical activity, all foods can fit into a healthful diet. Public policies that support the total diet approach include Reference Dietary Intakes, Food Guide Pyramid, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Nutrition Labeling and Healthy People 2010. The value of a food should be determined within the context of the total diet because classifying foods as "good" or "bad" may foster unhealthy eating behaviors. Eating practices are influenced by taste and food preferences, concerns about nutrition and weight control, physiology, lifestyle, environment, and food product safety. To increase the effectiveness of nutrition education in promoting sensible food choices, dietetics professionals plan communications and educational programs that utilize theories and models related to human behavior. Communication campaigns/programs should implement an active, behaviorally focused approach within the larger context of food choices. Nutrition confusion can be reduced by emphasizing moderation, appropriate portion size, balance and adequacy of the total diet over time, the importance of obtaining nutrients from foods, and physical activity.

Association between worldwide dietary and lifestyle patterns with total cholesterol concentrations and DALYs for infectious and cardiovascular diseases: an ecological analysis.

PubMed

Oggioni, C; Cena, H; Wells, J C K; Lara, J; Celis-Morales, C; Siervo, M

2015-12-01

Global dietary and lifestyle trends are primary risk factors for communicable and non-communicable diseases. An ecological analysis was conducted to examine the association of global dietary and lifestyle patterns with total cholesterol concentrations. This study also investigated whether total cholesterol modified the association between dietary and lifestyle habits with disability-adjusted-life-years-lost (DALYs) for infectious and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Country-specific mean total cholesterol concentrations and DALYs for infectious and CVDs were obtained. Data were then matched to country-specific food and energy availability for consumption and information on obesity, physical inactivity, urbanization, gross domestic product (GDP), life expectancy and smoking. Stepwise multiple regression models were developed to identify significant predictors of total cholesterol concentrations and DALYs for infectious and CVDs. Life expectancy and egg and meat consumption were significantly associated with cholesterol concentrations. DALYs for infectious diseases were associated with smoking, life expectancy and per capita GDP. Smoking was the only predictor of DALYs for CVDs. The improvement of socio-demographic conditions and economic growth is likely to reduce the burden of communicable diseases in developing countries. A concurring increase in non-communicable diseases is expected, and these results have, yet again, identified smoking as a primary risk factor for CVDs. Copyright © 2015 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimal Power Allocation Strategy in a Joint Bistatic Radar and Communication System Based on Low Probability of Intercept

PubMed Central

Wang, Fei; Salous, Sana; Zhou, Jianjiang

2017-01-01

In this paper, we investigate a low probability of intercept (LPI)-based optimal power allocation strategy for a joint bistatic radar and communication system, which is composed of a dedicated transmitter, a radar receiver, and a communication receiver. The joint system is capable of fulfilling the requirements of both radar and communications simultaneously. First, assuming that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) corresponding to the target surveillance path is much weaker than that corresponding to the line of sight path at radar receiver, the analytically closed-form expression for the probability of false alarm is calculated, whereas the closed-form expression for the probability of detection is not analytically tractable and is approximated due to the fact that the received signals are not zero-mean Gaussian under target presence hypothesis. Then, an LPI-based optimal power allocation strategy is presented to minimize the total transmission power for information signal and radar waveform, which is constrained by a specified information rate for the communication receiver and the desired probabilities of detection and false alarm for the radar receiver. The well-known bisection search method is employed to solve the resulting constrained optimization problem. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to reveal the effects of several system parameters on the power allocation results. It is also demonstrated that the LPI performance of the joint bistatic radar and communication system can be markedly improved by utilizing the proposed scheme. PMID:29186850

Optimal Power Allocation Strategy in a Joint Bistatic Radar and Communication System Based on Low Probability of Intercept.

PubMed

Shi, Chenguang; Wang, Fei; Salous, Sana; Zhou, Jianjiang

2017-11-25

In this paper, we investigate a low probability of intercept (LPI)-based optimal power allocation strategy for a joint bistatic radar and communication system, which is composed of a dedicated transmitter, a radar receiver, and a communication receiver. The joint system is capable of fulfilling the requirements of both radar and communications simultaneously. First, assuming that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) corresponding to the target surveillance path is much weaker than that corresponding to the line of sight path at radar receiver, the analytically closed-form expression for the probability of false alarm is calculated, whereas the closed-form expression for the probability of detection is not analytically tractable and is approximated due to the fact that the received signals are not zero-mean Gaussian under target presence hypothesis. Then, an LPI-based optimal power allocation strategy is presented to minimize the total transmission power for information signal and radar waveform, which is constrained by a specified information rate for the communication receiver and the desired probabilities of detection and false alarm for the radar receiver. The well-known bisection search method is employed to solve the resulting constrained optimization problem. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to reveal the effects of several system parameters on the power allocation results. It is also demonstrated that the LPI performance of the joint bistatic radar and communication system can be markedly improved by utilizing the proposed scheme.

Utility of optical facial feature and arm movement tracking systems to enable text communication in critically ill patients who cannot otherwise communicate.

PubMed

Muthuswamy, M B; Thomas, B N; Williams, D; Dingley, J

2014-09-01

Patients recovering from critical illness especially those with critical illness related neuropathy, myopathy, or burns to face, arms and hands are often unable to communicate by writing, speech (due to tracheostomy) or lip reading. This may frustrate both patient and staff. Two low cost movement tracking systems based around a laptop webcam and a laser/optical gaming system sensor were utilised as control inputs for on-screen text creation software and both were evaluated as communication tools in volunteers. Two methods were used to control an on-screen cursor to create short sentences via an on-screen keyboard: (i) webcam-based facial feature tracking, (ii) arm movement tracking by laser/camera gaming sensor and modified software. 16 volunteers with simulated tracheostomy and bandaged arms to simulate communication via gross movements of a burned limb, communicated 3 standard messages using each system (total 48 per system) in random sequence. Ten and 13 minor typographical errors occurred with each system respectively, however all messages were comprehensible. Speed of sentence formation ranged from 58 to 120s with the facial feature tracking system, and 60-160s with the arm movement tracking system. The average speed of sentence formation was 81s (range 58-120) and 104s (range 60-160) for facial feature and arm tracking systems respectively, (P<0.001, 2-tailed independent sample t-test). Both devices may be potentially useful communication aids in patients in general and burns critical care units who cannot communicate by conventional means, due to the nature of their injuries. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Impact of student ethnicity and primary childhood language on communication skill assessment in a clinical performance examination.

PubMed

Fernandez, Alicia; Wang, Frances; Braveman, Melissa; Finkas, Lindsay K; Hauer, Karen E

2007-08-01

Clinical performance examinations (CPX) with standardized patients (SPs) have become a preferred method to assess communication skills in US medical schools. Little is known about how trainees' backgrounds impact CPX performance. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of student ethnicity, primary childhood language, and experience of diversity on the communication scores of a high-stakes CPX using SPs. This research was designed as an observational study. The participants of this study were third-year medical students at one US medical school. The measurements used in this study were CPX scores from mandatory exam, student demographics and experience with diversity measured by self-report on a survey, and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores. A total of 135 students participated. Asian and black students scored lower than white students on the communication portion of the CPX by approximately half a standard deviation (Asian, 67.4%; black, 64.4%; white, 69.4%, p < .05). There were no differences by ethnicity on history/physical exam scores. Multivariate analysis controlling for MCAT verbal scores reduced ethnic differences in communication scores (Asian-white mean differences = 1.95, p = 0.02), but Asian-white differences were eliminated only after sequential models included primary childhood language (difference = 0.57, p = 0.6). Even after controlling for English language knowledge as measured in MCAT verbal scores, speaking a primary childhood language other than English is associated with lower CPX communication scores for Asian students. While poorer communication skills cannot be ruled out, SP exams may contain measurement bias associated with differences in childhood language or culture. Caution is indicated when interpreting CPX communication scores among diverse examinees.

Iranian parent-staff communication and parental stress in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Hasanpour, Marzieh; Alavi, Mousa; Azizi, Fatemeh; Als, Heidelise; Armanian, Amir Mohmmad

2017-01-01

The birth of an infant requiring hospitalization in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) uniformly is reported to be stressful for parents and family members. This study aimed to determine parent-staff communication in the NICU and its relationship to parent stress. Two hundred and three Iranian parents with preterm infants hospitalized in the NICU participated in this descriptive-correlational study. The participants were selected by the quota sampling method. Data collected included a three-part: questionnaire, the first part covered demographic parent and infant information, the second was the Parent-Staff Communication Scale (the score of which ranged from 0 to 180), and the third was the Parental Stress Scale (the score of which ranged from 0 to 102). Descriptive and inferential statistics including the Pearson's correlation coefficient test were applied to the data, using SPSS software Version 16. This study revealed that fathers and mothers' stress and communication scores were almost comparable and both higher than expected. The total mean score of the two main variables, i.e., parent-staff communication and parental stress were, respectively, 100.72 ± 18.89 and 75.26 ± 17.6. A significant inverse correlation was found between parental stress and parent-staff communication scores ( r = -0.144, P = 0.041). Based on this study finding showed that better parent-staff communication is related to lower parent stress scores, it is recommended that nurses and physicians receive specific skill training for the establishment of effective parent-staff communication. It is anticipated that such improved staff skills will help decrease parent stress and therewith likely promote parent and infant health in the NICU.

Cryoradiolytic reduction of heme proteins: Maximizing dose-dependent yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denisov, Ilia G.; Victoria, Doreen C.; Sligar, Stephen G.

2007-04-01

Radiolytic reduction in frozen solutions and crystals is a useful method for generation of trapped intermediates in protein-based radical reactions. In this communication we define the conditions which provide the maximum yield of one electron-reduced myoglobin at 77 K using 60Co γ-irradiation in aqueous glycerol glass. The yield reached 50% after 20 kGy, was almost complete at ˜160 kGy total dose, and does not depend on the protein concentration in the range 0.01-5 mM.

Application of total distributed control system in car-body inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xueyou; Ren, Dahai; Wang, Zhong; Ye, Shenghua; Lu, Hongbo; Duan, Jilin

1996-08-01

An application of distributed control system in Autocar-body Visual Inspection Station is presented in the paper, a distributed control system using PC as the host processor and single-chip microcomputer as the slave controller is proposed. In this paper, the physical interface of the control network and the relevant hardware are introduced. Meanwhile, a minute research on data communication is performed, relevant protocols on data framing, instruction codes and channel access methods have been laid down and part of related software is presented.

Verbal and Nonverbal Classroom Communication: The Development of an Observational Instrument.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heger, Herbert K.

This paper reports the development of a classroom observation instrument designed to broaden and extend the power of existing tools to provide a balanced, reciprocal perspective of both verbal and nonverbal communication. An introductory section discusses developments in communication analysis. The Miniaturized Total Interaction Analysis System…

Managerial Solutions: An Exercise in Developing Successful Communication Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hufman, Melody

Noting that every business person needs good communication skills, whether managers and employees, superordinates and subordinates, this paper outlines an exercise to teach students to set objectives, develop criteria, analyze perspectives, and implement successful communication strategies. The total time for the exercise is 2 hours and the number…

78 FR 70499 - Private Land Mobile Radio Stations Below 800 MHz

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-26

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 90 [WP Docket No. 07-100; FCC 13-52] Private Land..., 2013. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scot Stone, Federal Communications Commission, Wireless.... 154(i), 309(j) and 332 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. Total Annual Burden: 8,231 hours...

Assessing physiotherapists' communication skills for promoting patient autonomy for self-management: reliability and validity of the communication evaluation in rehabilitation tool.

PubMed

Murray, Aileen; Hall, Amanda; Williams, Geoffrey C; McDonough, Suzanne M; Ntoumanis, Nikos; Taylor, Ian; Jackson, Ben; Copsey, Bethan; Hurley, Deirdre A; Matthews, James

2018-02-27

To assess the inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity of the Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool, which aims to externally assess physiotherapists competency in using Self-Determination Theory-based communication strategies in practice. Audio recordings of initial consultations between 24 physiotherapists and 24 patients with chronic low back pain in four hospitals in Ireland were obtained as part of a larger randomised controlled trial. Three raters, all of whom had Ph.Ds in psychology and expertise in motivation and physical activity, independently listened to the 24 audio recordings and completed the 18-item Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool. Inter-rater reliability between all three raters was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. Concurrent validity was assessed using Pearson's r correlations with a reference standard, the Health Care Climate Questionnaire. The total score for the Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool is an average of all 18 items. Total scores demonstrated good inter-rater reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) = 0.8) and concurrent validity with the Health Care Climate Questionnaire total score (range: r = 0.7-0.88). Item-level scores of the Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool identified five items that need improvement. Results provide preliminary evidence to support future use and testing of the Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool. Implications for Rehabilitation Promoting patient autonomy is a learned skill and while interventions exist to train clinicians in these skills there are no tools to assess how well clinicians use these skills when interacting with a patient. The lack of robust assessment has severe implications regarding both the fidelity of clinician training packages and resulting outcomes for promoting patient autonomy. This study has developed a novel measurement tool Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool and a comprehensive user manual to assess how well health care providers use autonomy-supportive communication strategies in real world-clinical settings. This tool has demonstrated good inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity in its initial testing phase. The Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool can be used in future studies to assess autonomy-supportive communication and undergo further measurement property testing as per our recommendations.

Theory, Method and Games in Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacLean, Malcolm S., Jr.

The thesis that the methods in mass communication research for collecting, analyzing and interpreting data should relate directly to the theoretical models of communication is argued in this speech. Communication models indicate that a source can usually communicate more effectively in the presence of feedback from relevant receivers on their…

System-Level Process Change Improves Communication and Follow-Up for Emergency Department Patients With Incidental Radiology Findings.

PubMed

Baccei, Steven J; Chinai, Sneha A; Reznek, Martin; Henderson, Scott; Reynolds, Kevin; Brush, D Eric

2018-04-01

The appropriate communication and management of incidental findings on emergency department (ED) radiology studies is an important component of patient safety. Guidelines have been issued by the ACR and other medical associations that best define incidental findings across various modalities and imaging studies. However, there are few examples of health care facilities designing ways to manage incidental findings. Our institution aimed to improve communication and follow-up of incidental radiology findings in ED patients through the collaborative development and implementation of system-level process changes including a standardized loop-closure method. We assembled a multidisciplinary team to address the nature of these incidental findings and designed new workflows and operational pathways for both radiology and ED staff to properly communicate incidental findings. Our results are based on all incidental findings received and acknowledged between November 1, 2016, and May 30, 2017. The total number of incidental findings discovered was 1,409. Our systematic compliance fluctuated between 45% and 95% initially after implementation. However, after overcoming various challenges through optimization, our system reached a compliance rate of 93% to 95%. Through the implementation of our new, standardized communication system, a high degree of compliance with loop closure for ED incidental radiology findings was achieved at our institution. Copyright © 2017 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Values and options in cancer care (VOICE): study design and rationale for a patient-centered communication and decision-making intervention for physicians, patients with advanced cancer, and their caregivers

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Communication about prognosis and treatment choices is essential for informed decision making in advanced cancer. This article describes an investigation designed to facilitate communication and decision making among oncologists, patients with advanced cancer, and their caregivers. Methods/design The Values and Options in Cancer Care (VOICE) Study is a National Cancer Institute sponsored randomized controlled trial conducted in the Rochester/Buffalo, NY and Sacramento, CA regions. A total of 40 oncologists, approximately 400 patients with advanced cancer, and their family/friend caregivers (one per patient, when available) are expected to enroll in the study. Drawing upon ecological theory, the intervention uses a two-pronged approach: oncologists complete a multifaceted tailored educational intervention involving standardized patient instructors (SPIs), and patients and caregivers complete a coaching intervention to facilitate prioritizing and discussing questions and concerns. Follow-up data will be collected approximately quarterly for up to three years. Discussion The intervention is hypothesized to enhance patient-centered communication, quality of care, and patient outcomes. Analyses will examine the effects of the intervention on key elements of physician-patient-caregiver communication (primary outcomes), the physician-patient relationship, shared understanding of prognosis, patient well-being, and health service utilization (secondary outcomes). Trial registration Clinical Trials Identifier: NCT01485627 PMID:23570278

Processing module operating methods, processing modules, and communications systems

DOEpatents

McCown, Steven Harvey; Derr, Kurt W.; Moore, Troy

2014-09-09

A processing module operating method includes using a processing module physically connected to a wireless communications device, requesting that the wireless communications device retrieve encrypted code from a web site and receiving the encrypted code from the wireless communications device. The wireless communications device is unable to decrypt the encrypted code. The method further includes using the processing module, decrypting the encrypted code, executing the decrypted code, and preventing the wireless communications device from accessing the decrypted code. Another processing module operating method includes using a processing module physically connected to a host device, executing an application within the processing module, allowing the application to exchange user interaction data communicated using a user interface of the host device with the host device, and allowing the application to use the host device as a communications device for exchanging information with a remote device distinct from the host device.

Asynchronous communication in spectral-element and discontinuous Galerkin methods for atmospheric dynamics – a case study using the High-Order Methods Modeling Environment (HOMME-homme_dg_branch)

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

Jamroz, Benjamin F.; Klofkorn, Robert

The scalability of computational applications on current and next-generation supercomputers is increasingly limited by the cost of inter-process communication. We implement non-blocking asynchronous communication in the High-Order Methods Modeling Environment for the time integration of the hydrostatic fluid equations using both the spectral-element and discontinuous Galerkin methods. This allows the overlap of computation with communication, effectively hiding some of the costs of communication. A novel detail about our approach is that it provides some data movement to be performed during the asynchronous communication even in the absence of other computations. This method produces significant performance and scalability gains in large-scalemore » simulations.« less

Asynchronous communication in spectral-element and discontinuous Galerkin methods for atmospheric dynamics – a case study using the High-Order Methods Modeling Environment (HOMME-homme_dg_branch)

DOE PAGES

Jamroz, Benjamin F.; Klofkorn, Robert

2016-08-26

The scalability of computational applications on current and next-generation supercomputers is increasingly limited by the cost of inter-process communication. We implement non-blocking asynchronous communication in the High-Order Methods Modeling Environment for the time integration of the hydrostatic fluid equations using both the spectral-element and discontinuous Galerkin methods. This allows the overlap of computation with communication, effectively hiding some of the costs of communication. A novel detail about our approach is that it provides some data movement to be performed during the asynchronous communication even in the absence of other computations. This method produces significant performance and scalability gains in large-scalemore » simulations.« less

A Novel Deployment Method for Communication-Intensive Applications in Service Clouds

PubMed Central

Liu, Chuanchang; Yang, Jingqi

2014-01-01

The service platforms are migrating to clouds for reasonably solving long construction periods, low resource utilizations, and isolated constructions of service platforms. However, when the migration is conducted in service clouds, there is a little focus of deploying communication-intensive applications in previous deployment methods. To address this problem, this paper proposed the combination of the online deployment and the offline deployment for deploying communication-intensive applications in service clouds. Firstly, the system architecture was designed for implementing the communication-aware deployment method for communication-intensive applications in service clouds. Secondly, in the online-deployment algorithm and the offline-deployment algorithm, service instances were deployed in an optimal cloud node based on the communication overhead which is determined by the communication traffic between services, as well as the communication performance between cloud nodes. Finally, the experimental results demonstrated that the proposed methods deployed communication-intensive applications effectively with lower latency and lower load compared with existing algorithms. PMID:25140331

A novel deployment method for communication-intensive applications in service clouds.

PubMed

Liu, Chuanchang; Yang, Jingqi

2014-01-01

The service platforms are migrating to clouds for reasonably solving long construction periods, low resource utilizations, and isolated constructions of service platforms. However, when the migration is conducted in service clouds, there is a little focus of deploying communication-intensive applications in previous deployment methods. To address this problem, this paper proposed the combination of the online deployment and the offline deployment for deploying communication-intensive applications in service clouds. Firstly, the system architecture was designed for implementing the communication-aware deployment method for communication-intensive applications in service clouds. Secondly, in the online-deployment algorithm and the offline-deployment algorithm, service instances were deployed in an optimal cloud node based on the communication overhead which is determined by the communication traffic between services, as well as the communication performance between cloud nodes. Finally, the experimental results demonstrated that the proposed methods deployed communication-intensive applications effectively with lower latency and lower load compared with existing algorithms.

Implementation and implication of total quality management on client- contractor relationship in residential projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murali, Swetha; Ponmalar, V.

2017-07-01

To make innovation and continuous improvement as a norm, some traditional practices must become unlearnt. Change for growth and competitiveness are required for sustainability for any profitable business such as the construction industry. The leading companies are willing to implement Total Quality Management (TQM) principles, to realise potential advantages and improve growth and efficiency. Ironically, researches recollected quality as the most significant provider for competitive advantage in industrial leadership. The two objectives of this paper are 1) Identify TQM effectiveness in residential projects and 2) Identify the client satisfaction/dissatisfaction areas using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and suggest effective mitigate measures. Using statistical survey techniques like set of questionnaire survey, it is observed that total quality management was applied in some leading successful organization to an extent. The main attributes for quality achievement can be defined as teamwork and better communication with single agreed goal between client and contractor. Onsite safety is a paramount attribute in the identifying quality within the residential projects. It was noticed that the process based quality methods such as onsite safe working condition; safe management system and modern engineering process safety controls etc. as interlinked functions. Training and effective communication with all stakeholders on quality management principles is essential for effective quality work. Late Only through effective TQM principles companies can avoid some contract litigations with an increased client satisfaction Index.

Physician communication coaching effects on patient experience

PubMed Central

Seiler, Adrianne; Knee, Alexander; Shaaban, Reham; Bryson, Christine; Paadam, Jasmine; Harvey, Rohini; Igarashi, Satoko; LaChance, Christopher; Benjamin, Evan; Lagu, Tara

2017-01-01

Background Excellent communication is a necessary component of high-quality health care. We aimed to determine whether a training module could improve patients’ perceptions of physician communication behaviors, as measured by change over time in domains of patient experience scores related to physician communication. Study design We designed a comprehensive physician-training module focused on improving specific “etiquette-based” physician communication skills through standardized simulations and physician coaching with structured feedback. We employed a quasi-experimental pre-post design, with an intervention group consisting of internal medicine hospitalists and residents and a control group consisting of surgeons. The outcome was percent “always” scores for questions related to patients’ perceptions of physician communication using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey and a Non-HCAHPS Physician-Specific Patient Experience Survey (NHPPES) administered to patients cared for by hospitalists. Results A total of 128 physicians participated in the simulation. Responses from 5020 patients were analyzed using HCAHPS survey data and 1990 patients using NHPPES survey data. The intercept shift, or the degree of change from pre-intervention percent “always” responses, for the HCAHPS questions of doctors “treating patients with courtesy” “explaining things in a way patients could understand,” and “overall teamwork” showed no significant differences between surgical control and hospitalist intervention patients. Adjusted NHPPES percent excellent survey results increased significantly post-intervention for the questions of specified individual doctors “keeping patient informed” (adjusted intercept shift 9.9% P = 0.019), “overall teamwork” (adjusted intercept shift 11%, P = 0.037), and “using words the patient could understand” (adjusted intercept shift 14.8%, p = 0.001). Conclusion A simulation based physician communication coaching method focused on specific “etiquette-based” communication behaviors through a deliberate practice framework was not associated with significantly improved HCAHPS physician communication patient experience scores. Further research could reveal ways that this model affects patients’ perceptions of physician communication relating to specific physicians or behaviors. PMID:28678872

Physician communication coaching effects on patient experience.

PubMed

Seiler, Adrianne; Knee, Alexander; Shaaban, Reham; Bryson, Christine; Paadam, Jasmine; Harvey, Rohini; Igarashi, Satoko; LaChance, Christopher; Benjamin, Evan; Lagu, Tara

2017-01-01

Excellent communication is a necessary component of high-quality health care. We aimed to determine whether a training module could improve patients' perceptions of physician communication behaviors, as measured by change over time in domains of patient experience scores related to physician communication. We designed a comprehensive physician-training module focused on improving specific "etiquette-based" physician communication skills through standardized simulations and physician coaching with structured feedback. We employed a quasi-experimental pre-post design, with an intervention group consisting of internal medicine hospitalists and residents and a control group consisting of surgeons. The outcome was percent "always" scores for questions related to patients' perceptions of physician communication using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey and a Non-HCAHPS Physician-Specific Patient Experience Survey (NHPPES) administered to patients cared for by hospitalists. A total of 128 physicians participated in the simulation. Responses from 5020 patients were analyzed using HCAHPS survey data and 1990 patients using NHPPES survey data. The intercept shift, or the degree of change from pre-intervention percent "always" responses, for the HCAHPS questions of doctors "treating patients with courtesy" "explaining things in a way patients could understand," and "overall teamwork" showed no significant differences between surgical control and hospitalist intervention patients. Adjusted NHPPES percent excellent survey results increased significantly post-intervention for the questions of specified individual doctors "keeping patient informed" (adjusted intercept shift 9.9% P = 0.019), "overall teamwork" (adjusted intercept shift 11%, P = 0.037), and "using words the patient could understand" (adjusted intercept shift 14.8%, p = 0.001). A simulation based physician communication coaching method focused on specific "etiquette-based" communication behaviors through a deliberate practice framework was not associated with significantly improved HCAHPS physician communication patient experience scores. Further research could reveal ways that this model affects patients' perceptions of physician communication relating to specific physicians or behaviors.

Web 2.0 for Health Promotion: Reviewing the Current Evidence

PubMed Central

Prestin, Abby; Lyons, Claire

2013-01-01

As Web 2.0 and social media make the communication landscape increasingly participatory, empirical evidence is needed regarding their impact on and utility for health promotion. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we searched 4 medical and social science databases for literature (2004–present) on the intersection of Web 2.0 and health. A total of 514 unique publications matched our criteria. We classified references as commentaries and reviews (n = 267), descriptive studies (n = 213), and pilot intervention studies (n = 34). The scarcity of empirical evidence points to the need for more interventions with participatory and user-generated features. Innovative study designs and measurement methods are needed to understand the communication landscape and to critically assess intervention effectiveness. To address health disparities, interventions must consider accessibility for vulnerable populations. PMID:23153164

Improved parallel data partitioning by nested dissection with applications to information retrieval.

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

Wolf, Michael M.; Chevalier, Cedric; Boman, Erik Gunnar

The computational work in many information retrieval and analysis algorithms is based on sparse linear algebra. Sparse matrix-vector multiplication is a common kernel in many of these computations. Thus, an important related combinatorial problem in parallel computing is how to distribute the matrix and the vectors among processors so as to minimize the communication cost. We focus on minimizing the total communication volume while keeping the computation balanced across processes. In [1], the first two authors presented a new 2D partitioning method, the nested dissection partitioning algorithm. In this paper, we improve on that algorithm and show that it ismore » a good option for data partitioning in information retrieval. We also show partitioning time can be substantially reduced by using the SCOTCH software, and quality improves in some cases, too.« less

Secure satellite communication using multi-photon tolerant quantum communication protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darunkar, Bhagyashri; Punekar, Nikhil; Verma, Pramode K.

2015-09-01

This paper proposes and analyzes the potential of a multi-photon tolerant quantum communication protocol to secure satellite communication. For securing satellite communication, quantum cryptography is the only known unconditionally secure method. A number of recent experiments have shown feasibility of satellite-aided global quantum key distribution (QKD) using different methods such as: Use of entangled photon pairs, decoy state methods, and entanglement swapping. The use of single photon in these methods restricts the distance and speed over which quantum cryptography can be applied. Contemporary quantum cryptography protocols like the BB84 and its variants suffer from the limitation of reaching the distances of only Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at the data rates of few kilobits per second. This makes it impossible to develop a general satellite-based secure global communication network using the existing protocols. The method proposed in this paper allows secure communication at the heights of the Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites. The benefits of the proposed method are two-fold: First it enables the realization of a secure global communication network based on satellites and second it provides unconditional security for satellite networks at GEO heights. The multi-photon approach discussed in this paper ameliorates the distance and speed issues associated with quantum cryptography through the use of contemporary laser communication (lasercom) devices. This approach can be seen as a step ahead towards global quantum communication.

Efficacy of communication amongst staff members at plastic and reconstructive surgery section using smartphone and mobile WhatsApp.

PubMed

Wani, Shabeer Ahmad; Rabah, Sari M; Alfadil, Sara; Dewanjee, Nancy; Najmi, Yahya

2013-09-01

The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of smartphone and its WhatsApp application as a communication method amongst the staff of plastic and reconstructive surgery section at tertiary care health facility. From January 2012 onwards, the authors used smartphones and its WhatsApp application as a communication method amongst their team for various aspects of patient management and as a tool for academic endorsements. During the period of this study, there were 116 episodes regarding patient management, which were handled, in a timely fashion by using this application. In addition opinion of rotating residents in the section was sought regarding the efficacy of this method of communication. Overall majority of residents were satisfied with this mode of communication. This new method of communication is an effective method for clinical and academic endorsements. The method is cheap and quick and easy to operate.

Using case studies to teach an engineering technology technical writing class

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, M. M.

1981-01-01

The use of the case method in teaching various technical communication skills is described. Features of the method considered include: solving communication problems, identifying an audience, planning written communications, presenting written communications, and using visual aids.

Transition of Care from the Emergency Department to the Outpatient Setting: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

PubMed Central

Kessler, Chad S.; Schwarz, Whitney W.; Schmitz, Gillian R.; Oh, Laura; Smith, Michael D.; Gross, Eric A.; House, Hans; Wadman, Michael C.; Lo, Bruce M.

2018-01-01

Introduction The goal of this study was to characterize current practices in the transition of care between the emergency department and primary care setting, with an emphasis on the use of the electronic medical record (EMR). Methods Using literature review and modified Delphi technique, we created and tested a pilot survey to evaluate for face and content validity. The final survey was then administered face-to-face at eight different clinical sites across the country. A total of 52 emergency physicians (EP) and 49 primary care physicians (PCP) were surveyed and analyzed. We performed quantitative analysis using chi-square test. Two independent coders performed a qualitative analysis, classifying answers by pre-defined themes (inter-rater reliability > 80%). Participants’ answers could cross several pre-defined themes within a given question. Results EPs were more likely to prefer telephone communication compared with PCPs (30/52 [57.7%] vs. 3/49 [6.1%] P < 0.0001), whereas PCPs were more likely to prefer using the EMR for discharge communication compared with EPs (33/49 [67.4%] vs. 13/52 [25%] p < 0.0001). EPs were more likely to report not needing to communicate with a PCP when a patient had a benign condition (23/52 [44.2%] vs. 2/49 [4.1%] p < 0.0001), but were more likely to communicate if the patient required urgent follow-up prior to discharge from the ED (33/52 [63.5%] vs. 20/49 [40.8%] p = 0.029). When discussing barriers to effective communication, 51/98 (52%) stated communication logistics, followed by 49/98 (50%) who reported setting/environmental constraints and 32/98 (32%) who stated EMR access was a significant barrier. Conclusion Significant differences exist between EPs and PCPs in the transition of care process. EPs preferred telephone contact synchronous to the encounter whereas PCPs preferred using the EMR asynchronous to the encounter. Providers believe EP-to-PCP contact is important for improving patient care, but report varied expectations and multiple barriers to effective communication. This study highlights the need to optimize technology for an effective transition of care from the ED to the outpatient setting. PMID:29560050

Leveraging public health nurses for disaster risk communication in Fukushima City: a qualitative analysis of nurses' written records of parenting counseling and peer discussions

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Local public health nurses (PHNs) have been recognized as the main health service providers in communities in Japan. The Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 has, however, created a major challenge for them in responding to mothers’ concerns. This was in part due to difficulties in assessing, understanding and communicating health risks on low-dose radiation exposure. In order to guide the development of risk communication plans, this study sought to investigate mothers’ primary concerns and possible solutions perceived by a core healthcare profession like the PHNs. Methods A total of 150 records from parenting counseling sessions conducted between PHNs and mothers who have attended mandatory 18-month health checkups for their children at the Fukushima City Health and Welfare Center in 2010, 2011 (year of disaster) and 2012 were examined. Discussion notes of three peer discussions among PHNs organized in response to the nuclear disaster in 2012 and 2013 were also analyzed. All transcribed data were first subjected to text mining to list the words according to their frequencies and inter-relationships. The Steps Coding and Theorization method was then undertaken as a framework for qualitative analysis. Results PHNs noted mothers to have considerable needs for information on radiation risks as they impact on decisions related to relocations, concerns for child safety, and experiences with interpersonal conflicts within the family owing to differing risk perceptions. PHNs identified themselves as the information channels in the community, recommended the building of their risk communication capacities to support residents in making well-informed decisions, and advocated for self-measurement of radiation levels to increase residents’ sense of control. PHNs also suggested a more standardized form of information dissemination and an expansion of community-based counseling services. Conclusions Inadequate risk communication on radiation in the Fukushima nuclear incident has resulted in multiple repercussions for mothers in the community. Empowerment of local residents to assume more active roles in the understanding of their environment, increasing PHNs’ capacity in communication, and an expansion of health services such as counseling will together better address risk communication challenges in post-disaster recovery efforts. PMID:24642079

Validation of the Family Inpatient Communication Survey.

PubMed

Torke, Alexia M; Monahan, Patrick; Callahan, Christopher M; Helft, Paul R; Sachs, Greg A; Wocial, Lucia D; Slaven, James E; Montz, Kianna; Inger, Lev; Burke, Emily S

2017-01-01

Although many family members who make surrogate decisions report problems with communication, there is no validated instrument to accurately measure surrogate/clinician communication for older adults in the acute hospital setting. The objective of this study was to validate a survey of surrogate-rated communication quality in the hospital that would be useful to clinicians, researchers, and health systems. After expert review and cognitive interviewing (n = 10 surrogates), we enrolled 350 surrogates (250 development sample and 100 validation sample) of hospitalized adults aged 65 years and older from three hospitals in one metropolitan area. The communication survey and a measure of decision quality were administered within hospital days 3 and 10. Mental health and satisfaction measures were administered six to eight weeks later. Factor analysis showed support for both one-factor (Total Communication) and two-factor models (Information and Emotional Support). Item reduction led to a final 30-item scale. For the validation sample, internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.96 (total), 0.94 (Information), and 0.90 (Emotional Support). Confirmatory factor analysis fit statistics were adequate (one-factor model, comparative fit index = 0.981, root mean square error of approximation = 0.62, weighted root mean square residual = 1.011; two-factor model comparative fit index = 0.984, root mean square error of approximation = 0.055, weighted root mean square residual = 0.930). Total score and subscales showed significant associations with the Decision Conflict Scale (Pearson correlation -0.43, P < 0.001 for total score). Emotional Support was associated with improved mental health outcomes at six to eight weeks, such as anxiety (-0.19 P < 0.001), and Information was associated with satisfaction with the hospital stay (0.49, P < 0.001). The survey shows high reliability and validity in measuring communication experiences for hospital surrogates. The scale has promise for measurement of communication quality and is predictive of important outcomes, such as surrogate satisfaction and well-being. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Penultimate C4ISR Challenge: Reducing Military Manpower and Total Operating Costs

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

Understanding Human Communication The...Warfighter, p. 18. 53 Wilber Shramm and William Porter, Men, Women, Messages and Media: Understanding Human Communication (New York, Harper and...Einstein is reported to have answered, ‘Figuring out how to think about the problem.’” Men, Women, Messages and Media: Understanding Human Communication

Communication between United States-Based Firms and Mexican Production Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldman, Lila

A study examined the types of communication technologies being used by United States-based corporations with operations in Mexico to determine the challenges these companies face when communicating across the border. A total of 703 U.S. corporations doing business with Mexico (culled from lists in two professional directories) were chosen for the…

Work Group Communication Modes and the Assessment of Contingency and Situational Models of Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stech, Ernest L.

A study of coordination modes in work group communication was conducted to evaluate and expand leadership contingency models. A total of 106 people in classes and workshops on organizational communication completed seven questionnaires resulting in nine measures of six independent variables representing the following contingency factors from…

Communication Skills and Learning in Impaired Individuals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eliöz, Murat

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare the communication skills of individuals with different disabilities with athletes and sedentary people and to examine their learning abilities which influence the development of communication. A total of 159 male subjects 31 sedentary, 30 visually impaired, 27 hearing impaired, 40 physically impaired and 31…

An Instrument to Measure Dental Students' Communication Skills With Patients in Six Specific Circumstances: An Exploratory Factor Analysis.

PubMed

Aalboe, Joanna A; Schumacher, Mitzi M

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore the internal structure of an instrument assessing dental students' confidence in their ability to communicate with patients in six specific circumstances (anxious, in pain, etc.) using exploratory factor analysis. In a Communication in the Dental Health Care Setting course at a U.S. dental school, second-year dental students in two years (2013 and 2014) responded to the six items on a survey instrument. Of the total 123 students, 122 fully completed the instrument, for a response rate of 99%. Analysis of the results identified a unidimensional scale with regards to patient-specific communication self-efficacy and explained 74% of the total variance. The scale had good internal consistency reflected by high Cronbach's alpha (α=0.929, 95% CI [0.907, 0.947]). These findings suggest the instrument may be a useful tool in assessing the development of patient communication skills in second-year dental students following a course in communication. Further exploration utilizing confirmatory analysis, determining predictive validity, and assessing convergent and discriminant evidence is warranted.

Efficacy of communication amongst staff members at plastic and reconstructive surgery section using smartphone and mobile WhatsApp

PubMed Central

Wani, Shabeer Ahmad; Rabah, Sari M.; AlFadil, Sara; Dewanjee, Nancy; Najmi, Yahya

2013-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of smartphone and its WhatsApp application as a communication method amongst the staff of plastic and reconstructive surgery section at tertiary care health facility. Materials and Methods: From January 2012 onwards, the authors used smartphones and its WhatsApp application as a communication method amongst their team for various aspects of patient management and as a tool for academic endorsements. Results: During the period of this study, there were 116 episodes regarding patient management, which were handled, in a timely fashion by using this application. In addition opinion of rotating residents in the section was sought regarding the efficacy of this method of communication. Overall majority of residents were satisfied with this mode of communication. Conclusions: This new method of communication is an effective method for clinical and academic endorsements. The method is cheap and quick and easy to operate. PMID:24459338

Highly Scalable Asynchronous Computing Method for Partial Differential Equations: A Path Towards Exascale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konduri, Aditya

Many natural and engineering systems are governed by nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) which result in a multiscale phenomena, e.g. turbulent flows. Numerical simulations of these problems are computationally very expensive and demand for extreme levels of parallelism. At realistic conditions, simulations are being carried out on massively parallel computers with hundreds of thousands of processing elements (PEs). It has been observed that communication between PEs as well as their synchronization at these extreme scales take up a significant portion of the total simulation time and result in poor scalability of codes. This issue is likely to pose a bottleneck in scalability of codes on future Exascale systems. In this work, we propose an asynchronous computing algorithm based on widely used finite difference methods to solve PDEs in which synchronization between PEs due to communication is relaxed at a mathematical level. We show that while stability is conserved when schemes are used asynchronously, accuracy is greatly degraded. Since message arrivals at PEs are random processes, so is the behavior of the error. We propose a new statistical framework in which we show that average errors drop always to first-order regardless of the original scheme. We propose new asynchrony-tolerant schemes that maintain accuracy when synchronization is relaxed. The quality of the solution is shown to depend, not only on the physical phenomena and numerical schemes, but also on the characteristics of the computing machine. A novel algorithm using remote memory access communications has been developed to demonstrate excellent scalability of the method for large-scale computing. Finally, we present a path to extend this method in solving complex multi-scale problems on Exascale machines.

Motivators and deterrents to blood donation among Black South Africans: a qualitative analysis of focus group data

PubMed Central

Muthivhi, T. N.; Olmsted, M. G.; Park, H.; Sha, M.; Raju, V.; Mokoena, T.; Bloch, E. M.; Murphy, E. L.; Reddy, R.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Background and Objectives South Africa has a markedly skewed representation where the majority of blood (62%) is presently collected from an ethnically White minority. This study seeks to identify culturally specific factors affecting motivation of donors in South Africa. Materials and Methods We performed a qualitative study to evaluate motivators and deterrents to blood donation among Black South Africans. A total of 13 focus groups, comprising a total of 97 Black South Africans, stratified by age and geographic location were conducted. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using a coding framework by Bednall & Bove. Results Participants made 463 unique comments about motivators focusing primarily on promotional communications (28%), incentives (20%) and prosocial motivation (16%). Participants made 376 comments about deterrents which focused primarily on fear (41%), negative attitudes (14%) and lack of knowledge (10%). Conclusion Although prosocial motivation (altruism) was the most frequently mentioned individual motivator, promotional communication elicited more overall comments by participants. As reported by many authors, fear and lack of awareness were strong deterrents, but scepticism engendered by perceived racial discrimination in blood collection were unique to the South African environment. PMID:26104809

A video processing method for convenient mobile reading of printed barcodes with camera phones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bäckström, Christer; Södergård, Caj; Udd, Sture

2006-01-01

Efficient communication requires an appropriate choice and combination of media. The print media has succeeded to attract audiences also in our electronic age because of its high usability. However, the limitations of print are self evident. By finding ways of combining printed and electronic information into so called hybrid media, the strengths of both media can be obtained. In hybrid media, paper functions as an interface to the web, integrating printed products into the connected digital world. This is a "reinvention" of printed matter making it into a more communicative technology. Hybrid media means that printed products can be updated in real time. Multimedia clips, personalization and e-shopping can be added as a part of the interactive medium. The concept of enhancing print with interactive features has been around for years. However, the technology has been so far too restricting - people don't want to be tied in front of their PC's reading newspapers. Our solution is communicative and totally mobile. A code on paper or electronic media constitutes the link to mobility.

How to develop and write a case for technical writing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Couture, B.; Goldstein, J.

1981-01-01

Case of different sizes and shapes for teaching technical writing to engineers at Wayne State University have been developed. The case approach was adopted for some assignments because sophomores and juniors lacked technical expertise and professional knowledge of the engineering world. Cases were found to be good exercises, providing realistic practice in specific writing tasks or isolating particular skills in the composing process. A special kind of case which narrates the experiences of one technical person engaged in the problem-solving process in a professional rhetorical situation was developed. This type of long, realistic fiction is called a an "holistic" case. Rather than asking students to role-play a character, an holistic case realistically encompasses the whole of the technical writing process. It allows students to experience the total communication act in which the technical task and data are fully integrated into the rhetorical situation and gives an opportunity to perform in a realistic context, using skills and knowledge required in communication on the job. It is believed that the holistic case most fully exploits the advantages of the case method for students of professional communication.

Speech, communication and use of augmentative communication in young people with cerebral palsy: the SH&PE population study.

PubMed

Cockerill, H; Elbourne, D; Allen, E; Scrutton, D; Will, E; McNee, A; Fairhurst, C; Baird, G

2014-03-01

Communication is frequently impaired in young people (YP) with bilateral cerebral palsy (CP). Important factors include motoric speech problems (dysarthria) and intellectual disability. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) techniques are often employed. The aim was to describe the speech problems in bilateral CP, factors associated with speech problems, current AAC provision and use, and to explore the views of both the parent/carer and young person about communication. A total population of children with bilateral CP (n = 346) from four consecutive years of births (1989-1992 inclusive) with onset of CP before 15 months were reassessed at age 16-18 years. Motor skills and speech were directly assessed and both parent/carer and the young person asked about communication and satisfaction with it. Sixty had died, eight had other conditions, 243 consented and speech was assessed in 224 of whom 141 (63%) had impaired speech. Fifty-two (23% of total YP) were mainly intelligible to unfamiliar people, 22 (10%) were mostly unintelligible to unfamiliar people, 67 (30%) were mostly or wholly unintelligible even to familiar adults. However, 89% of parent/carers said that they could communicate 1:1 with their young person. Of the 128 YP who could independently complete the questions, 107 (83.6%) were happy with their communication, nine (7%) neither happy nor unhappy and 12 (9.4%) unhappy. A total of 72 of 224 (32%) were provided with one or more types of AAC but in a significant number (75% of 52 recorded) AAC was not used at home, only in school. Factors associated with speech impairment were severity of physical impairment, as measured by Gross Motor Function Scale level and manipulation in the best hand, intellectual disability and current epilepsy. In a population representative group of YP, aged 16-18 years, with bilateral CP, 63% had impaired speech of varying severity, most had been provided with AAC but few used it at home for communication. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Collateral Circulation in Chronic Total Occlusions - an interventional perspective.

PubMed

Choo, Gim-Hooi

2015-09-09

Human coronary collaterals are inter-coronary communications that are believed to be present from birth. In the presence of chronic total occlusions, recruitment of flow via these collateral anastomoses to the arterial segment distal to occlusion provide an alternative source of blood flow to the myocardial segment at risk. This mitigates the ischemic injury. Clinical outcome of coronary occlusion ie. severity of myocardial infarction/ischemia, impairment of cardiac function and possibly survival depends not only on the acuity of the occlusion, extent of jeopardized myocardium, duration of ischemia but also to the adequacy of collateral circulation. Adequacy of collateral circulation can be assessed by various methods. These coronary collateral channels have been used successfully as a retrograde access route for percutaneous recanalization of chronic total occlusions. Factors that promote angiogenesis and further collateral remodeling ie. arteriogenesis have been identified. Promotion of collateral growth as a therapeutic target in patients with no suitable revascularization option is an exciting proposal.

Analysis of an all optical de-multiplexer architecture utilizing bevel design for spatially multiplexed optical fiber communication systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murshid, Syed H.; Finch, Michael F.; Lovell, Gregory L.

2014-09-01

Spatial domain multiplexing (SDM) is a system that allows multiple channels of light to traverse a single fiber, utilizing separate spatial regions inside the carrier fiber, thereby applying a new degree of photon freedom for optical fiber communications. These channels follow a helical pattern, the screen projection of which is viewable as concentric rings at the output end of the system. The MIMO nature of the SDM system implies that a typical pin-diode or APD will be unable to distinguish between these channels, as the diode will interpret the combination of the SDM signals from all channels as a single signal. As such, spatial de-multiplexing methods must be introduced to properly detect the SDM based MIMO signals. One such method utilizes a fiber consisting of multiple, concentric, hollow core fibers to route each channel independently and thereby de-mux the signals into separate fibers or detectors. These de-mux fibers consist of hollow core cylindrical structures with beveled edges on one side that gradually taper to route the circular, ring type, output energy patterns into a spot with the highest possible efficiency. This paper analyzes the beveled edge by varying its length and analyzing the total output power for each predetermined length allowing us to simulate ideal bevel length to minimize both system losses as well as total de-mux footprint. OptiBPM simulation engine is employed for these analyses.

Communication Unbound: How Facilitated Communication Is Challenging Traditional Views of Autism and Ability/Disability. Special Education Series #13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biklen, Douglas

This book introduces "facilitated communication," a method of assisting people with autism to communicate by means of physical assistance in typewriting. The book is organized as a kind of a story around the author's own experience using the facilitated communication method, with examples of fieldwork using qualitative research to…

Innovative Method in Improving Communication Issues by Applying Interdisciplinary Approach. Psycholinguistic Perspective to Mitigate Communication Troubles During Cislunar Travel.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anikushina, V.; Taratukhin, V.; Stutterheim, C. v.; Gushin, V.

2018-02-01

A new psycholinguistic view on the crew communication, combined with biochemical and psychological data, contributes to noninvasive methods for stress appraisal and proposes alternative approaches to improve in-group communication and cohesion.

Decision making about pre-medication to children.

PubMed

Proczkowska-Björklund, M; Runeson, I; Gustafsson, P A; Svedin, C G

2008-11-01

Inviting the child to participate in medical decisions regarding common medical procedures might influence the child's behaviour during the procedures. We wanted to study nurse decision-making communication regarding pre-medication before ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery. In total, 102 children (3-6 years) signed for ENT surgery were video-filmed during the pre-medication process. The nurse decision-making communication was identified, transcribed and grouped in six main categories dependent on the level of participation (self-determination, compromise, negotiation, questioning, information, lack of communication). Associations between child factors (age, gender, verbal communication and non-verbal communication) and different nurse decision-making communication were studied. Associations between the decision-making communication and verbal hesitation and/or the child's compliance in taking pre-medication were also studied. Totally, information was the most frequently used category of decision making communication followed by negotiation and questioning. To the children showing signs of shyness, the nurse used more negotiation, questions and self-determination communication and less information. The nurse used more compromise, negotiation and gave less information to children with less compliance. No specific type of nurse decision-making communication was associated with verbal hesitation. The most important predictors for verbal hesitation were none or hesitant eye contact with nurse (OR = 4.5) and placement nearby or in parent's lap (OR = 4.7). Predictors for less compliance in taking pre-medication were verbal hesitation from the child (OR = 22.7) and children who did not give any verbal answer to nurse initial questions (OR = 5.5). Decision-making communication could not predict the child's compliance during pre-medication. Although negotiation, questioning and self-determination communication were associated with more unwillingness to take pre-medication. More knowledge is needed about communication to children in medical settings and how it influences the child's behaviours.

Type, Graphics for Effective Communication, Not Mere Ornamentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Carla

1978-01-01

Examines the use of typography to aid in the total communicative message of student publications; discusses the design possibilities of type, the use of headlines as a design element, and type classification. (GW)

The family needs of parents of preschool children with cerebral palsy: the impact of child's gross motor and communications functions.

PubMed

Bertule, Dace; Vetra, Anita

2014-01-01

An understanding of the needs of families of preschool children with cerebral palsy (CP) is of essential importance if efficient and cost-effective services are to be provided to them. The aims of this study were to identify the most frequently expressed needs of families with preschool children with CP; differences in the amount and types of family needs based on the child's gross motor function and communication function level; and the impact of the child's gross motor function and communication function level on the type and amount of family needs. A total of 227 parents of preschool children with CP completed a modified version of the Family Needs Survey and a demographic questionnaire. Children's gross motor function level and communication function level was classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS), respectively. The total number of family needs differed based on GMFCS and CFCS levels. Children's GMFCS and CFCS level were not significant predictors of overall family needs (adjusted R(2)=0.163). In this model the GMFCS level of children did not account for the total number of family needs, while the CFCS level did. Child's limitations in terms of communication and gross motor functions must be taken into consideration when planning services for families with preschool children with CP. Copyright © 2014 Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Analysis of verbal communication during teaching in the operating room and the potentials for surgical training.

PubMed

Blom, E M; Verdaasdonk, E G G; Stassen, L P S; Stassen, H G; Wieringa, P A; Dankelman, J

2007-09-01

Verbal communication in the operating room during surgical procedures affects team performance, reflects individual skills, and is related to the complexity of the operation process. During the procedural training of surgeons (residents), feedback and guidance is given through verbal communication. A classification method based on structural analysis of the contents was developed to analyze verbal communication. This study aimed to evaluate whether a classification method for the contents of verbal communication in the operating room could provide insight into the teaching processes. Eight laparoscopic cholecystectomies were videotaped. Two entire cholecystectomies and the dissection phase of six additional procedures were analyzed by categorization of the communication in terms of type (4 categories: commanding, explaining, questioning, and miscellaneous) and content (9 categories: operation method, location, direction, instrument handling, visualization, anatomy and pathology, general, private, undefinable). The operation was divided into six phases: start, dissection, clipping, separating, control, closing. Classification of the communication during two entire procedures showed that each phase of the operation was dominated by different kinds of communication. A high percentage of explaining anatomy and pathology was found throughout the whole procedure except for the control and closing phases. In the dissection phases, 60% of verbal communication concerned explaining. These explaining communication events were divided as follows: 27% operation method, 19% anatomy and pathology, 25% location (positioning of the instrument-tissue interaction), 15% direction (direction of tissue manipulation), 11% instrument handling, and 3% other nonclassified instructions. The proposed classification method is feasible for analyzing verbal communication during surgical procedures. Communication content objectively reflects the interaction between surgeon and resident. This information can potentially be used to specify training needs, and may contribute to the evaluation of different training methods.

The Effect of Communication Skills Training by Video Feedback Method on Clinical Skills of Interns of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Compared to Didactic Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Managheb, S. E.; Zamani, A.; Shams, B.; Farajzadegan, Z.

2012-01-01

Background: Effective communication is essential to the practice of high-quality medicine. There are methodological challenges in communication skills training. This study was performed in order to assess the educational benefits of communication skills training by video feedback method versus traditional formats such as lectures on clinical…

The relationship between ego-state and communication skills in medical students.

PubMed

Hur, Yera; Cho, A-Ra

2014-03-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ego-states and communication skills in medical students. A total of 109 medical school students participated in this study, which used the communication skills self-test papers and the Egogram checklist. The data were analyzed by frequency analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis. Ego-state was related to communication skills. In particular, adapted child ego-state was negatively associated with each sphere of communication skills. Our results suggested that ego-state types should be considered in developing a communication skills education program for medical students.

What have we learned about communication inequalities during the H1N1 pandemic: a systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background During public health emergencies, public officials are busy in developing communication strategies to protect the population from existing or potential threats. However, a population’s social and individual determinants (i.e. education, income, race/ethnicity) may lead to inequalities in individual or group-specific exposure to public health communication messages, and in the capacity to access, process, and act upon the information received by specific sub-groups- a concept defined as communication inequalities. The aims of this literature review are to: 1) characterize the scientific literature that examined issues related to communication to the public during the H1N1 pandemic, and 2) summarize the knowledge gained in our understanding of social determinants and their association with communication inequalities in the preparedness and response to an influenza pandemic. Methods Articles were searched in eight major communication, social sciences, and health and medical databases of scientific literature and reviewed by two independent reviewers by following the PRISMA guidelines. The selected articles were classified and analyzed in accordance with the Structural Influence Model of Public Health Emergency Preparedness Communications. Results A total of 118 empirical studies were included for final review. Among them, 78% were population-based studies and 22% were articles that employed information environment analyses techniques. Consistent results were reported on the association between social determinants of communication inequalities and emergency preparedness outcomes. Trust in public officials and source of information, worry and levels of knowledge about the disease, and routine media exposure as well as information-seeking behaviors, were related to greater likelihood of adoption of recommended infection prevention practices. When addressed in communication interventions, these factors can increase the effectiveness of the response to pandemics. Conclusions Consistently across studies, a number of potential predictors of behavioral compliance to preventive recommendations during a pandemic were identified. Our findings show the need to include such evidence found in the development of future communication campaigns to ensure the highest rates of compliance with recommended protection measures and reduce communication inequalities during future emergencies. PMID:24884634

Situational therapy for Wernicke's aphasia.

PubMed

Altschuler, Eric Lewin; Multari, Alicia; Hirstein, William; Ramachandran, V S

2006-01-01

Patients with Wernicke's or expressive aphasia are able to produce fluent speech, however, this speech may be complete gibberish sounds and totally incomprehensible, or even when comprehensible to a degree is often laced with severe errors and abnormalities such as verbal and phonemic paraphasias and neologisms. Furthermore, patient's with Wernicke's aphasia have poor to no understanding of speech or language. There is no proven method for rehabilitation of Wernicke's aphasia, or even much guidance for physicians or speech therapists to treat Wernicke's aphasia patients. In contrast to their poor to non-existent communication skills using speech or other forms of language, it has long been appreciated informally and formally that Wernicke's aphasia patients are able to communicate well, even normally, using non-verbal means such as actions, movements, props, gestures, facials expressions, and affect. Furthermore, in non-language domains Wernicke's aphasia patients can show normal memory and learning abilities. Thus, we here suggest that the non-language communication channels of Wernicke's aphasia patients be channeled and utilized in their functional rehabilitation: Specifically, we suggest that therapy for Wernicke's aphasia patients should consist of placing patients in real or simulated important functional situations--e.g., buying food, taking transport--and let the patients train and learn to use and hone their non-language communication means and skills for improved practical functioning.

Knowledge Preservation Techniques That Can Facilitate Intergroup Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moreman, Douglas; Dyer, John; Coffee, John; Noga, Donald F. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

We have developed tools, social methods and software, for (1) acquiring technical knowledge from engineers and scientists, (2) preserving that knowledge, (3) making the totality of our stored knowledge rapidly searchable. Our motivation has been, mainly, to preserve rare knowledge of senior engineers who are near retirement. Historical value of such knowledge, and also of our tools, has been pointed out to us by historians. We now propose the application these tools to enhancing communication among groups that are working jointly on a project. Of most value will be projects having groups among whom communication is rare and incomplete. We propose that discussions among members of a group be recorded in audio and that both the actual audio and transcriptions of that audio, and optional other pieces be combined into electronic, webpage-like "books". These books can then be searched rapidly by interested people in other groups. At points of particular interest, a searcher can zoom in on the text and even on the original recordings to pick up nuances (e.g. to distinguish a utterance said in seriousness from one in sarcasm). In this matter, not only can potentially valuable technical details be preserved for the future, but communication be enhanced during the life of a joint undertaking.

Mixed messages

PubMed Central

Chen, Christopher B.; Hall, Kevin; Tsuyuki, Ross T.

2014-01-01

Background: More than 5 years ago, the Blueprint for Pharmacy developed a plan for transitioning pharmacy practice toward more patient-centred care. Much of the strategy for change involves communicating the new vision. Objective: To evaluate the communication of the Vision for Pharmacy by the organizations and corporations that signed the Blueprint for Pharmacy’s Commitment to Act. Methods: The list of 88 signatories of the Commitment to Act was obtained from the Blueprint for Pharmacy document. The website of each of these signatories was searched for all references to the Blueprint for Pharmacy or Vision for Pharmacy. Each of the identified references was then analyzed using summative content analysis. Results: A total of 934 references were identified from the webpages of the 88 signatories. Of these references, 549 were merely links to the Blueprint for Pharmacy’s website, 350 of the references provided some detailed information about the Blueprint for Pharmacy and only 35 references provided any specific plans to transition pharmacy practice. Conclusion: Widespread proliferation of the Vision for Pharmacy has not been achieved. One possible explanation for this is that communication of the vision by the signatories has been incomplete. To ensure the success of future communications, change leaders must develop strategies that consider how individual pharmacists and pharmacies understand the message. PMID:24660012

Routine failures in the process for blood testing and the communication of results to patients in primary care in the UK: a qualitative exploration of patient and provider perspectives.

PubMed

Litchfield, Ian; Bentham, Louise; Hill, Ann; McManus, Richard J; Lilford, Richard; Greenfield, Sheila

2015-11-01

The testing and result communication process in primary care is complex. Its successful completion relies on the coordinated efforts of a range of staff in primary care and external settings working together with patients. Despite the importance of diagnostic testing in provision of care, this complexity renders the process vulnerable in the face of increasing demand, stretched resources and a lack of supporting guidance. We conducted a series of focus groups with patients and staff across four primary care practices using process-improvement strategies to identify and understand areas where either unnecessary delay is introduced, or the process may fail entirely. We then worked with both patients and staff to arrive at practical strategies to improve the current system. A total of six areas across the process were identified where improvements could be introduced. These were: (1) delay in phlebotomy, (2) lack of a fail-safe to ensure blood tests are returned to practices and patients, (3) difficulties in accessing results by telephone, (4) role of non-clinical staff in communicating results, (5) routine communication of normal results and (6) lack of a protocol for result communication. A number of potential failures in testing and communicating results to patients were identified, and some specific ideas for improving existing systems emerged. These included same-day phlebotomy sessions, use of modern technology methods to proactively communicate routine results and targeted training for receptionists handling sensitive data. There remains an urgent need for further work to test these and other potential solutions. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

'I wish someone watched me interview:' medical student insight into observation and feedback as a method for teaching communication skills during the clinical years.

PubMed

Schopper, Heather; Rosenbaum, Marcy; Axelson, Rick

2016-11-09

Experts suggest observation and feedback is a useful tool for teaching and evaluating medical student communication skills during the clinical years. Failing to do this effectively risks contributing to deterioration of students' communication skills during the very educational period in which they are most important. While educators have been queried about their thoughts on this issue, little is known about what this process is like for learners and if they feel they get educational value from being observed. This study explored student perspectives regarding their experiences with clinical observation and feedback on communication skills. A total of 125 senior medical students at a U.S. medical school were interviewed about their experiences with observation and feedback. Thematic analysis of interview data identified common themes among student responses. The majority of students reported rarely being observed interviewing, and they reported receiving feedback even less frequently. Students valued having communication skills observed and became more comfortable with observation the more it occurred. Student-identified challenges included supervisor time constraints and grading based on observation. Most feedback focused on information gathering and was commonly delayed until well after the observed encounter. Eliciting students' perspectives on the effect of observation and feedback on the development of their communication skills is a unique way to look at this topic, and brings to light many student-identified obstacles and opportunities to maximize the educational value of observation and feedback for teaching communication, including increasing the number of observations, disassociating observation from numerically scored evaluation, training faculty to give meaningful feedback, and timing the observation/feedback earlier in clerkships.

Patient-centered Radiology: Where Are We, Where Do We Want to Be, and How Do We Get There?

PubMed

Kemp, Jennifer L; Mahoney, Mary C; Mathews, Vincent P; Wintermark, Max; Yee, Judy; Brown, Stephen D

2017-11-01

Purpose The objectives of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Patient-Centered Radiology Steering Committee survey were to (a) assess RSNA members' general attitudes and experiences concerning patient-centered radiology, with specific attention paid to radiologist-to-patient communication; (b) examine the members' barriers to communicating more directly with patients; and (c) explore their perceptions of how such barriers can be overcome. Materials and Methods A total of 5999 radiologists were invited by e-mail to complete an anonymous electronic survey developed by the Steering Committee and the RSNA Department of Research. Participants were asked to identify aspects of patient-centered care important to their practice, report on their interactions with patients, and share their opinions on radiologist-patient communication. Statistical analyses were performed by using the χ 2 test and analysis of variance. Results The response rate was 12% (n = 694, 109 invitations were undeliverable). Most respondents (89%, 611 of 684) agreed that promoting awareness of the role of radiology in patients' overall health care is important to how they practice. The majority (73%, 421 of 575) reported that time or workload frequently prevented them from communicating directly with patients. The majority (74%, 423 of 572) reported that a personal sense of satisfaction was likely to motivate them to communicate more directly with patients, but many commented that changes to reimbursement and compensation would help them communicate with patients more directly. Conclusion Many radiologists support the concept of communicating more directly with patients but report they are constrained by time or workload. Changes to reimbursement schemes may help mitigate these barriers to one crucial aspect of patient-centered care. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Crew Communication as a Factor in Aviation Accidents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goguen, J. A.; Linde, C.; Murphy, M.

1984-01-01

The incidence of air transport accidents caused by problems in crew communication and coordination was investigated. Communication patterns which are most effective in specific situations were determined. Methods to assess the effectiveness of crew communication patterns were developed. The results lead to the development of new methods training crews in effective communication and provide guidelines for the design of aviation procedures and equipment.

Information and Communication Technology Literacy among Student-Teachers in Universities in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daramola, Florence Olutunu; Yusuf, Mudasiru Olalere; Oyelekan, Oloyede Solomon

2015-01-01

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the school system is becoming increasingly prominent. This study was conducted to find out the information and communication technology literacy levels among student-teachers in the universities in North-Central Nigeria. The study involved a total of 638 student-teachers out of which 360…

Teaching Interpersonal Communication through an Analysis of Students' Initial Interaction: A Q-Methodological Study of Styles in Meeting People.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aitken, Joan E.

A study categorized self-perceptions of subjects regarding their feelings about initial communication interaction. Using Q-Technique, a total of 138 subjects, mostly students at a midsized, midwestern, urban university enrolled in interpersonal communication courses, were studied through the use of two structured Q-sorts containing statements…

The effect of educational intervention on intercultural communication: results of a randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Harmsen, Hans; Bernsen, Roos; Meeuwesen, Ludwien; Thomas, Siep; Dorrenboom, Govert; Pinto, David; Bruijnzeels, Marc

2005-01-01

Background Due to worldwide migration to Western countries, physicians are increasingly encountering patients with different ethnic backgrounds. Communication problems can arise as a result of differences in cultural backgrounds and poor language proficiency. Aims To assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention on intercultural communication aimed to decrease inequalities in care provided between Western and non-Western patients. Design of study A randomised controlled trial with randomisation at the GP level and outcome measurements at the patient level. Setting General practice in Rotterdam. Method Thirty-eight Dutch GPs in the Rotterdam region, with at least 25% of inhabitants of non-Western origin, and 2407 visiting patients were invited to participate in the study. A total of 986 consultations were finally included. The GPs were educated about cultural differences and trained in intercultural communication. Patients received a videotaped instruction focusing on how to communicate with their GP in a direct way. The primary outcome measure was mutual understanding and the secondary outcomes were patient's satisfaction and perceived quality of care. The intervention effect was assessed for all patients together, for the ‘Western’ and ‘non-Western’ patients, and for patients with different cultural backgrounds separately. Results An intervention effect was seen 6 months after the intervention, as improvement in mutual understanding (and some improvement in perceived quality of care) in consultations with ‘non-Western’ patients. Conclusions A double intervention on intercultural communication given to both physician and patient decreases the gap in quality of care between ‘Western’ and ‘non-Western’ patients. PMID:15904552

Effect of repetitive feedback on residents' communication skills improvement.

PubMed

Labaf, Ali; Jamali, Kazem; Jalili, Mohammad; Baradaran, Hamid R; Eizadi, Parisa

2014-01-01

To evaluate the effect of frequent feedback on residents' communication skills as measured by a standardized checklist. Five medical students were recruited in order to assess twelve emergency medicine residents' communication skills during a one-year period. Students employed a modified checklist based on Calgary-Cambridge observation guide. The checklist was designed by faculty members of Tehran University of Medical Science, used for assessment of students' communication skills. 24 items from 71 items of observational guide were selected, considering study setting and objects. Every two months an expert faculty, based on descriptive results of observation, gave structured feedback to each resident during a 15-minute private session. Total mean score for baseline observation standing at 20.58 was increased significantly to 28.75 after feedbacks. Results markedly improved on "gathering information" (T1=5.5, T6=8.33, P=0.001), "building relationship" (T1=1.5, T6=4.25, P<0.001) and "closing the session" (T1=0.75, T6=2.5, P=0.001) and it mildly dropped on "understanding patients view" (T1=3, T6=2.33, P=0.007) and "providing structure" (T1=4.17, T6=4.00, P=0.034). Changes in result of "initiating the session" and "explanation and planning" dimensions are not statically significant (P=0.159, P=0.415 respectively). Frequent feedback provided by faculty member can improve residents' communication skills. Feedback can affect communication skills educational programs, and it can be more effective if it is combined with other educational methods.

Evaluation of the impact of a CPOE system on nurse-physician communication--a mixed method study.

PubMed

Pirnejad, H; Niazkhani, Z; van der Sijs, H; Berg, M; Bal, R

2009-01-01

To assess the impact of a CPOE system on medication-related communication of nurses and physicians. In six internal medicine wards of an academic medical center, two questionnaires were used to evaluate nurses' attitudes toward the impact of a paper-based medication system and then a CPOE system on their communication in medication-related-activities (medication work). The questionnaires were analyzed using t-tests, followed by Bonferroni correction. Nine nurses and six physicians in the same wards were interviewed after the implementation to determine how their communication and their work have been impacted by the system. The total response rates were 54% and 52% for pre- and post-implementation questionnaires. It was shown that after implementation, the legibility and completeness of prescriptions were significantly improved (P <.001) and the administration system had a more intelligible layout (P <.001), with a more reliable overview (P <.001). The analysis of the interviews supported and confirmed the findings of the surveys. Moreover, they showed communication problems that caused difficulties in integrating medication work of nurses into physicians'. To compensate for these, nurses and physicians devised informal interactions and practices (workarounds), which often represented risks for medication errors. The introduction of CPOE system with paper-based medication administration system improved prescription legibility and completeness but introduced many workflow impediments and as a result error-inducing conditions. In order to prevent such an effect, CPOE systems have to support the level of communication which is necessary to integrate the work of nurses and physicians.

HIV/AIDS communication in four Nigerian mainstream newspapers

PubMed Central

Okidu, Onjefu

2014-01-01

Introduction One consensus in discussions on HIV/AIDS communication in low and middle income countries (LMICs) is the need for communication models to focus on activity rather than cognitive indicators in order to achieve desired improvements in health behaviors and outcomes. Past failures of HIV/AIDS communication efforts in LMICs have been attributed to emphasis on cognitive indicators. This study analyses HIV/AIDS communication models in Nigerian newspapers. Methods Data were obtained through analysis of manifest content of four Nigerian papers issued between 2002 and 2004. Frequency, prominence and space dedicated to HIV/AIDS-related topics were measured. Descriptive statistics were used to highlight the frequency and percentage of cognitive- and activity-oriented informationon HIV/AIDS. Results A total of 464 HIV/AIDS-related articles were identified. Fifty-nine percent (274) of articles were activity-oriented. Over half of articles were news stories. No news story made front and back pages lead. There were only nine editorials on HIV/AIDS. Conclusion This study shows that the activity model of HIV/AIDS communication dominates the four Nigerian mainstream newspapers studied. However, it is worth noting the limited number of editorials and feature articles, which have the capacity to stimulate debate and foster a social environment in which AIDS is addressed in a spirit of openness. For a country that has thethird largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS globally, one would expect the mass media to deliberately play an instrumental and a more active role in the battle against the disease by engaging in in-depth contextual discourse on HIV/AIDS. PMID:24643036

Finding Minimum-Power Broadcast Trees for Wireless Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arabshahi, Payman; Gray, Andrew; Das, Arindam; El-Sharkawi, Mohamed; Marks, Robert, II

2004-01-01

Some algorithms have been devised for use in a method of constructing tree graphs that represent connections among the nodes of a wireless communication network. These algorithms provide for determining the viability of any given candidate connection tree and for generating an initial set of viable trees that can be used in any of a variety of search algorithms (e.g., a genetic algorithm) to find a tree that enables the network to broadcast from a source node to all other nodes while consuming the minimum amount of total power. The method yields solutions better than those of a prior algorithm known as the broadcast incremental power algorithm, albeit at a slightly greater computational cost.

Differences Between Dual-Method and Non–Dual-Method Protection Use in a Sample of Young African American Women Residing in the Southeastern United States

PubMed Central

Sales, Jessica M.; Latham, Teaniese P.; DiClemente, Ralph J.; Rose, Eve

2013-01-01

Objectives To characterize dual-method protection users and report the prevalence of dual-method use among young adult African American women residing in the Southeastern United States. Design Analysis of baseline data from a randomized controlled trial. Setting A clinic-based sample of young women enrolled in a randomized trial of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–prevention program in Atlanta, Georgia, from June 2005 to June 2007. Participants African American women aged 14 to 20 years who reported unprotected sexual activity in the past 6months. Of the eligible adolescents, 94% (N=701) were enrolled in the study and completed baseline assessments. Outcome Measures Dual-method protection use as well as sociodemographic, individual-level, interpersonal-level, and community-level factors and interpersonal communication skills. Only data from the baseline assessment, before randomization, were used for the analysis. Results A total of 102 participants (14.6%) were classified as dual-method protection users. After controlling for age and clinic, significant differences between dual-method users and non–dual-method users were found for impulsivity, self-esteem, social support, relationship style, partner communication self-efficacy, and fear of condom negotiation. Conclusions Dual-method protection use is low. Identification of factors that differentiate dual-method users from non–dual-method users at the individual, interpersonal, and community levels in this young African American sample suggests that HIV, sexually transmitted disease, and unintended pregnancy risk–reduction programs should address factors at each level, not simply the individual level, and that this may involve structural and/or clinical counseling practice changes in clinics that serve young women, to optimally facilitate dual-method protection use among young African American women in the Southeastern United States. PMID:21135341

Student participation and interactivity using asynchronous computer-mediated communication for resolution of an undergraduate capstone management case study.

PubMed

Miller, Paulette J

2012-01-01

Online discussion activities are designed for computer-mediated learning activities in face-to-face, hybrid, and totally online courses. The use of asynchronous computer-mediated communication (A-CMC) coupled with authentic workplace case studies provides students in the protected learning environment with opportunities to practice workplace decision making and communication. In this study, communication behaviors of transmitter and receiver were analyzed to determine participation and interactivity in communication among small-group participants in a health information management capstone management course.

Evaluation of a communication skills training course for medical students using peer role-play.

PubMed

Ayuob, Nasra Naeim; Qadi, Mahdi Ali; El Deek, Basem Salama; Boker, Abdulaziz Mohamed

2017-05-01

To evaluate the effect of using peer role-playing in learning the communication skills as a step in the development of the communication skills training course delivered to pre-clinical medical students. This study was conducted at the King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between September 2014 and February 2015 and comprised medical students. Mixed methods design was used to evaluate the developed communication skills training course. Tests were conducted before and after the communication skills training course to assess the students' self-reported communication. After the course, the students completed a satisfaction survey. Focus groups were conducted to assess the behavioural and organisational changes induced by the course. SPSS 16 was used for data analysis.. Of the293 respondents, 246(84%) were satisfied with the course. Overall, 169(58%) subjects chose the lectures as the most helpful methods for learning the communication skills while 124(42%) considered practical sessions as the most helpful method. Besides, 237(81%) respondents reported that the role-play was beneficial for their learning, while 219(75%) perceived the video-taped role-play as an appropriate method for assessing the communication skills. Peer role-play was found to be a feasible and well-perceived alternative method in facilitating the acquisition of communication skills..

Exclusion of Residents From Surgery-Intensive Care Team Communication: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Gotlib Conn, Lesley; Haas, Barbara; Rubenfeld, Gordon D; Scales, Damon C; Amaral, Andre C; Ferguson, Niall D; Nathens, Avery B

2016-01-01

Communication competency is an important aspect of postgraduate training and patient care delivery in all specialties and clinical domains. This study explored staff surgeon and intensivist perceptions of and experiences with residents' communication with a view toward fostering high quality interspecialty team communication in the surgical intensive care unit. A qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed iteratively and inductively as per standard qualitative thematic approach. University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. A total of 15 staff surgeons and intensivists who collaborate in patient care in the surgical intensive care unit. The phenomenon of "resident bypass" emerged, resulting from staff surgeon and intensivist perceptions that residents threaten the quality of interspecialty team communication. Clear patterns and preferences for resident exclusion from this communication were present. A total of 5 interrelated drivers of resident bypass were discovered: lack of trust, lack of specialized knowledge, poor system design, need for timely communication, and residents' inadequate contribution to decision-making. Surgical and intensive care staff were dissatisfied with the structure of residents' roles in interspecialty team communication. Concerns about communication gaps, patient care continuity, and patient safety were expressed. Surgical and intensive care staff exclude residents from interspecialty team communication for the benefit of patient safety and care continuity, but this limits opportunities for residents to develop communication skill and competence. Efforts are needed to effectively integrate surgery and intensive care residents in interspecialty attending-resident communication in ways that are meaningful for both patient care and postgraduate training. The implications for medical education are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ISAAC: Inflatable Satellite of an Antenna Array for Communications, volume 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lodgard, Deborah; Ashton, Patrick; Cho, Margaret; Codiana, Tom; Geith, Richard; Mayeda, Sharon; Nagel, Kirsten; Sze, Steven

1988-01-01

The results of a study to design an antenna array satellite using rigid inflatable structure (RIS) technology are presented. An inflatable satellite allows for a very large structure to be compacted for transportation in the Space Shuttle to the Space Station where it is assembled. The proposed structure resulting from this study is a communications satellite for two-way communications with many low-power stations on the ground. Total weight is 15,438 kilograms which is within the capabilities of the Space Shuttle. The satellite will have an equivalent aperture greater than 100 meters in diameter and will be operable in K and C band frequencies, with a total power requirement of 10,720 watts.

Method and system for downhole clock synchronization

DOEpatents

Hall, David R.; Bartholomew, David B.; Johnson, Monte; Moon, Justin; Koehler, Roger O.

2006-11-28

A method and system for use in synchronizing at least two clocks in a downhole network are disclosed. The method comprises determining a total signal latency between a controlling processing element and at least one downhole processing element in a downhole network and sending a synchronizing time over the downhole network to the at least one downhole processing element adjusted for the signal latency. Electronic time stamps may be used to measure latency between processing elements. A system for electrically synchronizing at least two clocks connected to a downhole network comprises a controlling processing element connected to a synchronizing clock in communication over a downhole network with at least one downhole processing element comprising at least one downhole clock. Preferably, the downhole network is integrated into a downhole tool string.

Performance Bounds on Two Concatenated, Interleaved Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moision, Bruce; Dolinar, Samuel

2010-01-01

A method has been developed of computing bounds on the performance of a code comprised of two linear binary codes generated by two encoders serially concatenated through an interleaver. Originally intended for use in evaluating the performances of some codes proposed for deep-space communication links, the method can also be used in evaluating the performances of short-block-length codes in other applications. The method applies, more specifically, to a communication system in which following processes take place: At the transmitter, the original binary information that one seeks to transmit is first processed by an encoder into an outer code (Co) characterized by, among other things, a pair of numbers (n,k), where n (n > k)is the total number of code bits associated with k information bits and n k bits are used for correcting or at least detecting errors. Next, the outer code is processed through either a block or a convolutional interleaver. In the block interleaver, the words of the outer code are processed in blocks of I words. In the convolutional interleaver, the interleaving operation is performed bit-wise in N rows with delays that are multiples of B bits. The output of the interleaver is processed through a second encoder to obtain an inner code (Ci) characterized by (ni,ki). The output of the inner code is transmitted over an additive-white-Gaussian- noise channel characterized by a symbol signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) Es/No and a bit SNR Eb/No. At the receiver, an inner decoder generates estimates of bits. Depending on whether a block or a convolutional interleaver is used at the transmitter, the sequence of estimated bits is processed through a block or a convolutional de-interleaver, respectively, to obtain estimates of code words. Then the estimates of the code words are processed through an outer decoder, which generates estimates of the original information along with flags indicating which estimates are presumed to be correct and which are found to be erroneous. From the perspective of the present method, the topic of major interest is the performance of the communication system as quantified in the word-error rate and the undetected-error rate as functions of the SNRs and the total latency of the interleaver and inner code. The method is embodied in equations that describe bounds on these functions. Throughout the derivation of the equations that embody the method, it is assumed that the decoder for the outer code corrects any error pattern of t or fewer errors, detects any error pattern of s or fewer errors, may detect some error patterns of more than s errors, and does not correct any patterns of more than t errors. Because a mathematically complete description of the equations that embody the method and of the derivation of the equations would greatly exceed the space available for this article, it must suffice to summarize by reporting that the derivation includes consideration of several complex issues, including relationships between latency and memory requirements for block and convolutional codes, burst error statistics, enumeration of error-event intersections, and effects of different interleaving depths. In a demonstration, the method was used to calculate bounds on the performances of several communication systems, each based on serial concatenation of a (63,56) expurgated Hamming code with a convolutional inner code through a convolutional interleaver. The bounds calculated by use of the method were compared with results of numerical simulations of performances of the systems to show the regions where the bounds are tight (see figure).

Therapeutic communication training in long-term care institutions: recommendations for future research.

PubMed

Levy-Storms, Lené

2008-10-01

The purpose of this review is to critique contemporary experimental research and to recommend future directions for research interventions on nursing aides' therapeutic communication with older adults who have cognitive impairment and/or dementia in institutional long-term care settings. This literature review covers 13 journal articles (1999-2006) and focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of experimental research interventions to improve nursing aides' therapeutic communication with older adults who have cognitive impairment and/or dementia in long-term care settings. Based on this review, recommendations for improved experimental designs include a minimum of two groups with one being a control and randomization of subjects at the care unit level, an average 3-5h of total training, a minimum of a 6-month total evaluation period, and objective outcomes relevant to both nursing aides and residents. Findings from studies in this review indicate that the following therapeutic communication techniques can be taught and can benefit staffs and older adults' quality of life: verbal and non-verbal communication behaviors including open-ended questions, positive statements, eye contact, affective touch, and smiling. Some evidence exists to support that nursing aides can improve their therapeutic communication during care. Nursing aides need not only more training in therapeutic communication but also ongoing, dedicated supervision in psychosocial aspects of care.

Online social networking amongst teens: friend or foe?

PubMed

O'Dea, Bridianne; Campbell, Andrew

2011-01-01

The impact of Internet communication on adolescent social development is of considerable importance to health professionals, parents and teachers. Online social networking and instant messaging programs are popular utilities amongst a generation of techno-savvy youth. Although these utilities provide varied methods of communication, their social benefits are still in question. This study examined the relationship between online social interaction, perceived social support, self-esteem and psychological distress amongst teens. A total of 400 participants (M(age) = 14.31 years) completed an online survey consisting of parametric and non-parametric measures. No significant relationship was found between online interaction and social support. Time spent interacting online was negatively correlated with self-esteem and psychological distress. While previous research has focused on young adults, this study examines the impact of online social networking on emerging teens. It highlights the need for continued caution in the acceptance of these utilities.

Language-learning disabilities: Paradigms for the nineties.

PubMed

Wiig, E H

1991-01-01

We are beginning a decade, during which many traditional paradigms in education, special education, and speech-language pathology will undergo change. Among paradigms considered promising for speech-language pathology in the schools are collaborative language intervention and strategy training for language and communication. This presentation introduces management models for developing a collaborative language intervention process, among them the Deming Management Method for Total Quality (TQ) (Deming 1986). Implementation models for language assessment and IEP planning and multicultural issues are also introduced (Damico and Nye 1990; Secord and Wiig in press). While attention to processes involved in developing and implementing collaborative language intervention is paramount, content should not be neglected. To this end, strategy training for language and communication is introduced as a viable paradigm. Macro- and micro-level process models for strategy training are featured and general issues are discussed (Ellis, Deshler, and Schumaker 1989; Swanson 1989; Wiig 1989).

Adaptive data rate control TDMA systems as a rain attenuation compensation technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sato, Masaki; Wakana, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Takashi; Takeuchi, Makoto; Yamamoto, Minoru

1993-01-01

Rainfall attenuation has a severe effect on signal strength and impairs communication links for future mobile and personal satellite communications using Ka-band and millimeter wave frequencies. As rain attenuation compensation techniques, several methods such as uplink power control, site diversity, and adaptive control of data rate or forward error correction have been proposed. In this paper, we propose a TDMA system that can compensate rain attenuation by adaptive control of transmission rates. To evaluate the performance of this TDMA terminal, we carried out three types of experiments: experiments using a Japanese CS-3 satellite with Ka-band transponders, in house IF loop-back experiments, and computer simulations. Experimental results show that this TDMA system has advantages over the conventional constant-rate TDMA systems, as resource sharing technique, in both bit error rate and total TDMA burst lengths required for transmitting given information.

The experiences of Korean immigrant caregivers of non-English-speaking older relatives with dementia in American nursing homes.

PubMed

Kong, Eun-Hi; Deatrick, Janet A; Evans, Lois K

2010-03-01

The purpose of this article is to describe Korean immigrant caregivers' experiences regarding American nursing home placement of their non-English-speaking older relatives with dementia. Qualitative descriptive methods and qualitative content analysis were used. A total of 17 semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 Korean immigrant family caregivers. The "Korean way of thinking" emerged as a fundamental cultural belief about caregiving. Six major themes were identified: (a) I never thought about a nursing home; (b) If I think in a Korean way, I feel . . . ; (c) Nursing home staff cannot communicate with . . . ; (d) My care recipient maintains Korean culture; (e) Nursing home services are better than expected but . . . ; and (f) My care recipient is more vulnerable because of dementia. This study provides valuable insights for health care providers about communication and cultural issues of immigrant caregivers for non-English-speaking older relatives with dementia.

Interactive computation of coverage regions for indoor wireless communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbott, A. Lynn; Bhat, Nitin; Rappaport, Theodore S.

1995-12-01

This paper describes a system which assists in the strategic placement of rf base stations within buildings. Known as the site modeling tool (SMT), this system allows the user to display graphical floor plans and to select base station transceiver parameters, including location and orientation, interactively. The system then computes and highlights estimated coverage regions for each transceiver, enabling the user to assess the total coverage within the building. For single-floor operation, the user can choose between distance-dependent and partition- dependent path-loss models. Similar path-loss models are also available for the case of multiple floors. This paper describes the method used by the system to estimate coverage for both directional and omnidirectional antennas. The site modeling tool is intended to be simple to use by individuals who are not experts at wireless communication system design, and is expected to be very useful in the specification of indoor wireless systems.

Children's Literature in the Undergraduate Course on Communication Research Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Daniel S.

2010-01-01

Objective: Students will develop positive attitudes toward communication research by linking new values and principles with the familiar values and principles contained in children's literature. Course: Communication Research Methods.

The simulation method in learning interpersonal communication competence--experiences of masters' degree students of health sciences.

PubMed

Saaranen, Terhi; Vaajoki, Anne; Kellomäki, Marjaana; Hyvärinen, Marja-Leena

2015-02-01

This article describes the experiences of master students of nursing science in learning interpersonal communication competence through the simulation method. The exercises reflected challenging interactive situations in the field of health care. Few studies have been published on using the simulation method in the communication education of teachers, managers, and experts in this field. The aim of this study is to produce information which can be utilised in developing the simulation method to promote the interpersonal communication competence of master-level students of health sciences. This study used the qualitative, descriptive research method. At the Department of Nursing Science, the University of Eastern Finland, students major in nursing science specialise in nursing leadership and management, preventive nursing science, or nurse teacher education. Students from all three specialties taking the Challenging Situations in Speech Communication course participated (n=47). Essays on meaningful learning experiences collected using the critical incident technique, underwent content analysis. Planning of teaching, carrying out different stages of the simulation exercise, participant roles, and students' personal factors were central to learning interpersonal communication competence. Simulation is a valuable method in developing the interpersonal communication competence of students of health sciences at the masters' level. The methods used in the simulation teaching of emergency care are not necessarily applicable as such to communication education. The role of teacher is essential to supervising students' learning in simulation exercises. In the future, it is important to construct questions that help students to reflect specifically on communication. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Making the decoy-state measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution practically useful

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yi-Heng; Yu, Zong-Wen; Wang, Xiang-Bin

2016-04-01

The relatively low key rate seems to be the major barrier to its practical use for the decoy-state measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD). We present a four-intensity protocol for the decoy-state MDI-QKD that hugely raises the key rate, especially in the case in which the total data size is not large. Also, calculations show that our method makes it possible for secure private communication with fresh keys generated from MDI-QKD with a delay time of only a few seconds.

Measuring verbal and non-verbal communication in aphasia: reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change of the Scenario Test.

PubMed

van der Meulen, Ineke; van de Sandt-Koenderman, W Mieke E; Duivenvoorden, Hugo J; Ribbers, Gerard M

2010-01-01

This study explores the psychometric qualities of the Scenario Test, a new test to assess daily-life communication in severe aphasia. The test is innovative in that it: (1) examines the effectiveness of verbal and non-verbal communication; and (2) assesses patients' communication in an interactive setting, with a supportive communication partner. To determine the reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change of the Scenario Test and discuss its clinical value. The Scenario Test was administered to 122 persons with aphasia after stroke and to 25 non-aphasic controls. Analyses were performed for the entire group of persons with aphasia, as well as for a subgroup of persons unable to communicate verbally (n = 43). Reliability (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, inter-judge, and intra-judge reliability) and validity (internal validity, convergent validity, known-groups validity) and sensitivity to change were examined using standard psychometric methods. The Scenario Test showed high levels of reliability. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.96; item-rest correlations = 0.58-0.82) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.98) were high. Agreement between judges in total scores was good, as indicated by the high inter- and intra-judge reliability (ICC = 0.86-1.00). Agreement in scores on the individual items was also good (square-weighted kappa values 0.61-0.92). The test demonstrated good levels of validity. A principal component analysis for categorical data identified two dimensions, interpreted as general communication and communicative creativity. Correlations with three other instruments measuring communication in aphasia, that is, Spontaneous Speech interview from the Aachen Aphasia Test (AAT), Amsterdam-Nijmegen Everyday Language Test (ANELT), and Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI), were moderate to strong (0.50-0.85) suggesting good convergent validity. Group differences were observed between persons with aphasia and non-aphasic controls, as well as between persons with aphasia unable to use speech to convey information and those able to communicate verbally; this indicates good known-groups validity. The test was sensitive to changes in performance, measured over a period of 6 months. The data support the reliability and validity of the Scenario Test as an instrument for examining daily-life communication in aphasia. The test focuses on multimodal communication; its psychometric qualities enable future studies on the effect of Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) training in aphasia.

Communication and information-giving in high-risk breast cancer consultations: influence on patient outcomes.

PubMed

Lobb, E A; Butow, P N; Barratt, A; Meiser, B; Gaff, C; Young, M A; Haan, E; Suthers, G; Gattas, M; Tucker, K

2004-01-26

This longitudinal study aimed to document (i) the information-giving and patient-communication styles of clinical geneticists and genetic counsellors (consultants) in familial breast cancer clinics and (ii) assess the effect of these styles on women's knowledge, whether their expectations were met, satisfaction, risk perception and psychological status. A total of 158 women from high-risk breast cancer families completed self-report questionnaires at 2 weeks preconsultation and 4 weeks postconsultation. The consultations were audiotaped, transcribed and coded. Multivariate logistic regressions showed that discussing prophylactic mastectomy (P=0.00) and oophorectomy (P=0.01) led to women having significantly more expectations met; discussing genetic testing significantly decreased anxiety (P=0.03) and facilitating understanding significantly decreased depression (P=0.05). Receiving a summary letter of the consultation significantly lowered anxiety (P=0.01) and significantly increased the accuracy of perceived risk (P=0.02). Women whose consultant used more supportive communications experienced significantly more anxiety about breast cancer at the 4 weeks follow-up (P=0.00). These women were not significantly more anxious before genetic counselling. In conclusion, this study found that consultants vary in the amount of information they give and the way they communicate; and this variation can result in better or worse psychosocial outcomes. Greater use of supportive and counselling communications appeared to increase anxiety about breast cancer. Identifying methods to assist consultants to address emotional issues effectively may be helpful.

ASL, Total Communication and Oralism: Identifying Shared Characteristics of School-Based Writing Intervention Programs for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students, K-6

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Carolyn Mascia

2009-01-01

To be effective in providing a writing literacy program, regardless of communication approaches, educators should establish program-wide conditions that promote English writing literacy over time. The researcher's purpose for this study was to identify shared characteristics of writing intervention programs in three different communication school…

A Model for Communications Satellite System Architecture Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

This is shown in Equation 4. The total system cost includes all development, acquisition, fielding, operations, maintenance and upgrades, and system...protection. A mathematical model was implemented to enable the analysis of communications satellite system architectures based on multiple system... implemented to enable the analysis of communications satellite system architectures based on multiple system attributes. Utilization of the model in

77 FR 12303 - Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission Under Delegated...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-29

... contained in 47 U.S.C. Section 253 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. Total Annual Burden: 1,698... by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501--3520), the Federal Communications...; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; (d) ways to...

Promoting patient participation in healthcare interactions through communication skills training: A systematic review.

PubMed

D'Agostino, Thomas A; Atkinson, Thomas M; Latella, Lauren E; Rogers, Madeline; Morrissey, Dana; DeRosa, Antonio P; Parker, Patricia A

2017-07-01

To present literature on training patients in the use of effective communication skills. Systematic searches were conducted in six databases. References were screened for inclusion through several phases. Extracted data included intervention study design, sample characteristics, content and structure of training programs, outcomes assessed, and findings reported. A total of 32 unique intervention studies were included. Most targeted primary care or cancer patients and used a randomized controlled study design. Interventions used a variety of training formats and modes of delivering educational material. Reported findings suggest that communication training is an effective approach to increase patients' total level of active participation in healthcare interactions and that some communication behaviors may be more amenable to training (e.g., expressing concerns). Trained patients do not have longer visits and tend to receive more information from their providers. Most studies have found no relationship between communication training and improved health, psychosocial wellbeing, or treatment-related outcomes. Findings reinforce the importance and potential benefits of patient communication training. Additional research is warranted to determine the most efficacious training programs with the strongest potential for dissemination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computer networking at SLR stations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Novotny, Antonin

1993-01-01

There are several existing communication methods to deliver data from the satellite laser ranging (SLR) station to the SLR data center and back: telephonmodem, telex, and computer networks. The SLR scientific community has been exploiting mainly INTERNET, BITNET/EARN, and SPAN. The total of 56 countries are connected to INTERNET and the number of nodes is exponentially growing. The computer networks mentioned above and others are connected through E-mail protocol. The scientific progress of SLR requires the increase of communication speed and the amount of the transmitted data. The TOPEX/POSEIDON test campaign required to deliver Quick Look data (1.7 kB/pass) from a SLR site to SLR data center within 8 hours and full rate data (up to 500 kB/pass) within 24 hours. We developed networking for the remote SLR station in Helwan, Egypt. The reliable scheme for data delivery consists of: compression of MERIT2 format (up to 89 percent), encoding to ASCII Me (files); and e-mail sending from SLR station--e-mail receiving, decoding, and decompression at the center. We do propose to use the ZIP method for compression/decompression and the UUCODE method for ASCII encoding/decoding. This method will be useful for stations connected via telephonemodems or commercial networks. The electronics delivery could solve the problem of the too late receiving of the FR data by SLR data center.

Computer networking at SLR stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novotny, Antonin

1993-06-01

There are several existing communication methods to deliver data from the satellite laser ranging (SLR) station to the SLR data center and back: telephonmodem, telex, and computer networks. The SLR scientific community has been exploiting mainly INTERNET, BITNET/EARN, and SPAN. The total of 56 countries are connected to INTERNET and the number of nodes is exponentially growing. The computer networks mentioned above and others are connected through E-mail protocol. The scientific progress of SLR requires the increase of communication speed and the amount of the transmitted data. The TOPEX/POSEIDON test campaign required to deliver Quick Look data (1.7 kB/pass) from a SLR site to SLR data center within 8 hours and full rate data (up to 500 kB/pass) within 24 hours. We developed networking for the remote SLR station in Helwan, Egypt. The reliable scheme for data delivery consists of: compression of MERIT2 format (up to 89 percent), encoding to ASCII Me (files); and e-mail sending from SLR station--e-mail receiving, decoding, and decompression at the center. We do propose to use the ZIP method for compression/decompression and the UUCODE method for ASCII encoding/decoding. This method will be useful for stations connected via telephonemodems or commercial networks. The electronics delivery could solve the problem of the too late receiving of the FR data by SLR data center.

Developing a bone mineral density test result letter to send to patients: a mixed-methods study

PubMed Central

Edmonds, Stephanie W; Solimeo, Samantha L; Lu, Xin; Roblin, Douglas W; Saag, Kenneth G; Cram, Peter

2014-01-01

Purpose To use a mixed-methods approach to develop a letter that can be used to notify patients of their bone mineral density (BMD) results by mail that may activate patients in their bone-related health care. Patients and methods A multidisciplinary team developed three versions of a letter for reporting BMD results to patients. Trained interviewers presented these letters in a random order to a convenience sample of adults, aged 50 years and older, at two different health care systems. We conducted structured interviews to examine the respondents’ preferences and comprehension among the various letters. Results A total of 142 participants completed the interview. A majority of the participants were female (64.1%) and white (76.1%). A plurality of the participants identified a specific version of the three letters as both their preferred version (45.2%; P<0.001) and as the easiest to understand (44.6%; P<0.01). A majority of participants preferred that the letters include specific next steps for improving their bone health. Conclusion Using a mixed-methods approach, we were able to develop and optimize a printed letter for communicating a complex test result (BMD) to patients. Our results may offer guidance to clinicians, administrators, and researchers who are looking for guidance on how to communicate complex health information to patients in writing. PMID:24940049

Evaluation of communication and acceptance of the patients by medical personnel

PubMed

Włoszczak-Szubzda, Anna; Jarosz, Mirosław J; Goniewicz, Mariusz; Goniewicz, Krzysztof

The low level of patient satisfaction recorded in many studies and, at the same time, the level of frustration and burnout, disclosed by medics in the perception of the patient as a ‘problem’, incline to look for the causes of inadequate relationship between physician and patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of acceptance of the patient by the medical personnel. The research problem was the acceptance level which was within the range of the communication skills of the nurses and doctors. Another aim was to discover the factors determining this level of acceptance. Two methods were used in the research process: 1) a diagnostic survey regarding the medical, professional communication skills; 2) testing of professional self-esteem from the medical aspect. The study population consisted of a total of 1,244 respondents divided into the following groups: registered nurses and doctors (729), students of nursing and medical faculties (515). The results of the research showed that in most cases the acceptance of the patient by the medical staff was ‘conditional’, which translated into the level of frustration or lack of satisfaction with their profession, and ultimately into the level of burnout. The level of patient acceptance by medical staff (unconditional acceptance), depended primarily on age, followed by their profession. However, the relationship between this acceptance and gender and work experience was statistically insignificant. As the method to improve this situation, the expansion of education in the field of interpersonal communication is proposed, adding issues related with both the conditional and unconditional acceptance of the patient, as well as issues regarding how to deal with the patient from the aspect of disease and the psycho-socio-spiritual area.

Communicating Value in Health Care Using Radar Charts: A Case Study of Prostate Cancer

PubMed Central

Thaker, Nikhil G.; Ali, Tariq N.; Porter, Michael E.; Feeley, Thomas W.; Kaplan, Robert S.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The transformation from volume to value will require communication of outcomes and costs of therapies; however, outcomes are usually nonstandardized, and cost of therapy differs among stakeholders. We developed a standardized value framework by using radar charts to visualize and communicate a wide range of patient outcomes and cost for three forms of prostate cancer treatment. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from men with low-risk prostate cancer who were treated with low-dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT), proton beam therapy, or robotic-assisted prostatectomy. Patient-reported outcomes comprised the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite-50 domains for sexual function, urinary incontinence and/or bother, bowel bother, and vitality 12 months after treatment. Costs were measured by time-driven activity-based costing for the first 12 months of the care cycle. Outcome and cost data were plotted on a single radar chart for each treatment modality. Results: Outcome and cost data from patients who were treated with robotic-assisted prostatectomy (n = 381), proton beam therapy (n = 165), and LDR-BT (n = 238) were incorporated into the radar chart. LDR-BT seemed to deliver the highest overall value of the three treatment modalities; however, incorporation of patient preferences regarding outcomes may allow other modalities to be considered high-value treatment options. Conclusion: Standardization and visualization of outcome and cost metrics may allow more comprehensive and collaborative discussions about the value of health care services. Communicating the value framework by using radar charts may be an effective method to present total value and the value of all outcomes and costs in a manner that is accessible to all stakeholders. Variations in plotting of costs and outcomes will require future focus group initiatives. PMID:27577622

Impact of Prominent Themes in Clinician-Patient Conversations on Caregiver's Perceived Quality of Communication with Paediatric Dental Visits.

PubMed

Wong, Hai Ming; Bridges, Susan Margaret; McGrath, Colman Patrick; Yiu, Cynthia Kar Yung; Zayts, Olga A; Au, Terry Kit Fong

2017-01-01

Patients' perceived satisfaction is a key performance index of the quality health care service. Good communication has been found to increase patient's perceived satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the prominent themes arising from clinician-patient conversations on the caregiver's perceived quality of communication during paediatric dental visits. 162 video recordings of clinical dental consultations for 62 cases attending the Paediatric Dentistry Clinic of The Prince Philip Dental Hospital in Hong Kong were captured and transcribed. The patients' demographic information and the caregiver's perceived quality of communication with the clinicians were recorded using the 16-item Dental Patient Feedback on Consultation skills questionnaires. Visual text analytics (Leximancer™) indicated five prominent themes 'disease / treatment', 'treatment procedure related instructions', 'preparation for examination', 'positive reinforcement / reassurance', and 'family / social history' from the clinician-patient conversation of the recorded videos, with 60.2% of the total variance in concept words in this study explained through principal components analysis. Significant variation in perceived quality of communication was noted in five variables regarding the prominent theme 'Positive reinforcement / reassurance': 'number of related words' (p = 0.002), 'number of related utterances' (p = 0.001), 'percentage of the related words in total number of words' (p = 0.005), 'percentage of the related utterances in total number of utterances' (p = 0.035) and 'percentage of time spent in total time duration' (p = 0.023). Clinicians were perceived to be more patient-centered and empathetic if a larger proportion of their conversation showed positive reinforcement and reassurance via using related key words. Care-giver's involvement, such as clinicians' mention of the parent, was also seen as critical to perceptions of quality clinical experience. The study reveals the potential of the application of visual text analytics software in clinical consultations with implications for professional development regarding clinicians' communication skills for improving patients' clinical experiences and treatment satisfaction.

Communication among neurons.

PubMed

Marner, Lisbeth

2012-04-01

The communication among neurons is the prerequisite for the working brain. To understand the cellular, neurochemical, and structural basis of this communication, and the impacts of aging and disease on brain function, quantitative measures are necessary. This thesis evaluates several quantitative neurobiological methods with respect to possible bias and methodological issues. Stereological methods are suited for the unbiased estimation of number, length, and volumes of components of the nervous system. Stereological estimates of the total length of myelinated nerve fibers were made in white matter of post mortem brains, and the impact of aging and diseases as Schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease were evaluated. Although stereological methods are in principle unbiased, shrinkage artifacts are difficult to account for. Positron emission tomography (PET) recordings, in conjunction with kinetic modeling, permit the quantitation of radioligand binding in brain. The novel serotonin 5-HT4 antagonist [11C]SB207145 was used as an example of the validation process for quantitative PET receptor imaging. Methods based on reference tissue as well as methods based on an arterial plasma input function were evaluated with respect to precision and accuracy. It was shown that [11C]SB207145 binding had high sensitivity to occupancy by unlabeled ligand, necessitating high specific activity in the radiosynthesis to avoid bias. The established serotonin 5-HT2A ligand [18F]altanersin was evaluated in a two-year follow-up study in elderly subjects. Application of partial volume correction of the PET data diminished the reliability of the measures, but allowed for the correct distinction between changes due to brain atrophy and receptor availability. Furthermore, a PET study of patients with Alzheimer's disease with the serotonin transporter ligand [11C]DASB showed relatively preserved serotonergic projections, despite a marked decrease in 5-HT2A receptor binding. Possible confounders are considered and the relation to the prevailing beta-amyloid hypothesis is discussed.

Identifying community perspectives for a lung cancer screening awareness campaign in Appalachia Kentucky: The Terminate Lung Cancer (TLC) Study

PubMed Central

Cardarelli, Roberto; Roper, Karen L.; Cardarelli, Kathryn; Feltner, Frances J.; Prater, Shirley; Ledford, Karen Michelle; Justice, Barbara; Reese, David R.; Wagner, Patsy; Cantrell, Christine

2017-01-01

Introduction Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan is now covered by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services following an evidence-based recommendation, but a shared decision making process should inform patients of risks and limitations. An awareness campaign promoting LDCT screenings is an opportunity to elicit patient engagement with health providers about the risks and benefits. Focus groups representing three regions of Appalachian Kentucky known for high lung cancer rates discussed development of a lung cancer screening campaign. Recommendations included messaging content, appeals or design, campaign implementation, and trusted information or communication sources. Methods Community health workers (CHWs) from three Eastern Kentucky regions recruited individuals from their local communities using established client files. CHWs hosted six total focus groups (7–11 participants each) using questions guided by the Communication-Persuasion Matrix framework. All sessions were recorded and transcribed for independent content analysis. Results A total of fifty-four individuals (61.1% female; >55 pack year history) participated. Prior to discussion, most participants had not heard of lung cancer screening. Cited needs for content of a campaign included benefits of early detection and payment information. Messages considered most persuasive were those that include: personal testimony, messages of hope, prolonged life, and an emphasis on family and the ambition to survive. Having information come from one’s family doctor or specialty provider was considered important to message communication. Conclusions Messages about survivorship, family, and prolonged life should be considered in lung cancer screening awareness campaigns. Our results provide community input about messages regarding screening options. PMID:26411308

Performance analysis of distributed applications using automatic classification of communication inefficiencies

DOEpatents

Vetter, Jeffrey S.

2005-02-01

The method and system described herein presents a technique for performance analysis that helps users understand the communication behavior of their message passing applications. The method and system described herein may automatically classifies individual communication operations and reveal the cause of communication inefficiencies in the application. This classification allows the developer to quickly focus on the culprits of truly inefficient behavior, rather than manually foraging through massive amounts of performance data. Specifically, the method and system described herein trace the message operations of Message Passing Interface (MPI) applications and then classify each individual communication event using a supervised learning technique: decision tree classification. The decision tree may be trained using microbenchmarks that demonstrate both efficient and inefficient communication. Since the method and system described herein adapt to the target system's configuration through these microbenchmarks, they simultaneously automate the performance analysis process and improve classification accuracy. The method and system described herein may improve the accuracy of performance analysis and dramatically reduce the amount of data that users must encounter.

[Analysis of death causes among infants in Guangzhou from 2010 to 2013].

PubMed

Shen, Jichuan; Wang, Ming; Dong, Hang; Zhou, Qin

2014-06-01

To analyze the main death causes among infants in Guangzhou in 2010-2013 and to provide an objective and scientific basis for risk communication of public health emergencies in the future. Descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze the death causes among infants reported in Guangzhou from the National Death Registration Reporting Information System. The death causes among infants were classified by the 10th international classification of diseases (ICD-10). The constitution and rank order of death causes among infants were analyzed according to the underlying causes of deaths. A total of 4 880 cases of infant deaths were reported in Guangzhou from 2010 to 2013 and infant deaths in floating population were 1.8 (3 135/1 745) times of registered population. The deaths of male infants were 1.73 (3 094/1 786) times of female infants. The neonatal group accounted for 52.32% (2 553/4 880) of total infant deaths and early neonatal group accounted for 64.86% (1 656/2 553) of total neonatal deaths. The top five causes of infant deaths followed by perinatal diseases, congenital malformations, respiratory diseases (mainly pneumonia), accidental deaths and communicable diseases. The mortality ratios were respectively 44.12% (2 153 cases) , 24.73% (1 207 cases), 6.86% (335 cases), 3.48% (170 cases), 3.01% (147 cases) , and no vaccine-related death case was reported. The primary cause of infant deaths in Guangzhou 2010-2013 was perinatal diseases.

Development of a demand assignment/TDMA system for international business satellite communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nohara, Mitsuo; Takeuchi, Yoshio; Takahata, Fumio; Hirata, Yasuo; Yamazaki, Yoshiharu

An experimental IBS (international business satellite) communications system based on a demand assignment and TDMA (time-division multiple-access) operation has been developed. The system utilizes a limited satellite resource efficiently and provides various kinds of ISDN services totally. A discussion is presented of the IBS network configurations suitable to international communications and describes the developed communications system from the viewpoint of the hardware and software implementation. The performance in terms of the transmission quality and call processing is also demonstrated.

Stroke patients communicating their healthcare needs in hospital: a study within the ICF framework.

PubMed

O'Halloran, Robyn; Worrall, Linda; Hickson, Louise

2012-01-01

Previous research has identified that many patients admitted into acute hospital stroke units have communication-related impairments such as hearing, vision, speech, language and/or cognitive communicative impairment. However, no research has identified how many patients in acute hospital stroke units have difficulty actually communicating their healthcare needs. The World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) conceptualizes difficulty communicating about healthcare needs as a type of activity limitation, within the Activity and Participation component. The ICF proposes that activity limitation can be measured in four different ways. The first aim of this research was to measure a patient's difficulty communicating his or her healthcare needs, that is, activity limitation, in two of the four ways suggested by the ICF when interacting with healthcare providers. The second aim was to investigate whether communication-related impairments in hearing, vision, speech, language and/or cognitive communicative impairment predict difficulty communicating healthcare needs, measured in these ways. A total of 65 patients consecutively admitted into two acute hospital stroke units in Melbourne, Australia, who consented to this research participated in this study. Early in their admission participants were screened for hearing, vision, speech, language and cognitive communicative impairment. Participants were also assessed for difficulty communicating about healthcare needs in two ways proposed by the ICF: 'capacity with assistance' and 'performance'. Relationships between communication-related impairment and both capacity with assistance and performance were explored through Spearman's correlations and binary logistic regression. A total of 87% of patients had one or more communication-related impairments. Half of the patients (51%) had difficulty communicating their healthcare needs when assessed in terms of capacity with assistance. Slightly more patients (55%) were observed to have difficulty communicating their healthcare needs when assessed in terms of performance. More severe vision, speech, language and cognitive communicative impairment were significantly associated with more severe difficulty communicating healthcare needs. About half of the stroke patients admitted into acute hospital stroke units had difficulty communicating their healthcare needs. Patients with more severe communication-related impairments had more severe difficulty communicating their healthcare needs. Future research is needed to understand the other factors that influence communication between people with communication disabilities and their healthcare providers in acute hospital settings. © 2012 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Economic Feasibility of Staffing the Intensive Care Unit with a Communication Facilitator.

PubMed

Khandelwal, Nita; Benkeser, David; Coe, Norma B; Engelberg, Ruth A; Curtis, J Randall

2016-12-01

In the intensive care unit (ICU), complex decision making by clinicians and families requires good communication to ensure that care is consistent with the patients' values and goals. To assess the economic feasibility of staffing ICUs with a communication facilitator. Data were from a randomized trial of an "ICU communication facilitator" linked to hospital financial records; eligible patients (n = 135) were admitted to the ICU at a single hospital with predicted mortality ≥30% and a surrogate decision maker. Adjusted regression analyses assessed differences in ICU total and direct variable costs between intervention and control patients. A bootstrap-based simulation assessed the cost efficiency of a facilitator while varying the full-time equivalent of the facilitator and the ICU mortality risk. Total ICU costs (mean 22.8k; 95% CI, -42.0k to -3.6k; P = 0.02) and average daily ICU costs (mean, -0.38k; 95% CI, -0.65k to -0.11k; P = 0.006)] were reduced significantly with the intervention. Despite more contacts, families of survivors spent less time per encounter with facilitators than did families of decedents (mean, 25 [SD, 11] min vs. 36 [SD, 14] min). Simulation demonstrated maximal weekly savings with a 1.0 full-time equivalent facilitator and a predicted ICU mortality of 15% (total weekly ICU cost savings, $58.4k [95% CI, $57.7k-59.2k]; weekly direct variable savings, $5.7k [95% CI, $5.5k-5.8k]) after incorporating facilitator costs. Adding a full-time trained communication facilitator in the ICU may improve the quality of care while simultaneously reducing short-term (direct variable) and long-term (total) health care costs. This intervention is likely to be more cost effective in a lower-mortality population.

VibeComm: radio-free wireless communication for smart devices using vibration.

PubMed

Hwang, Inhwan; Cho, Jungchan; Oh, Songhwai

2014-11-10

This paper proposes VibeComm, a novel communication method for smart devices using a built-in vibrator and accelerometer. The proposed approach is ideal for low-rate off-line communication, and its communication medium is an object on which smart devices are placed, such as tables and desks. When more than two smart devices are placed on an object and one device wants to transmit a message to the other devices, the transmitting device generates a sequence of vibrations. The vibrations are propagated through the object on which the devices are placed. The receiving devices analyze their accelerometer readings to decode incoming messages. The proposed method can be the alternative communication method when general types of radio communication methods are not available. VibeComm is implemented on Android smartphones, and a comprehensive set of experiments is conducted to show its feasibility.

Investigating the Acquisition, Generalization, and Emergence of Untrained Verbal Operants for Mands Acquired Using the Picture Exchange Communication System in Adults With Severe Developmental Disabilities

PubMed Central

Ziomek, Megan M; Rehfeldt, Ruth Anne

2008-01-01

This study compared the total amount of training time and total number of trial blocks for individuals with severe developmental disabilities to acquire mands under control of unconditioned establishing operations and mands under control of transitive conditioned establishing operations for manual sign and for the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). Also examined was the generalization of mands across settings and communicative partners, as well as the emergence of untrained tacts and intraverbals for mands acquired using PECS. Mands for preferred items and for items needed to complete a chained task were acquired more rapidly and in fewer training blocks for PECS than for manual sign. Moreover, mands established using PECS generalized across settings and communicative partners. Finally, untrained tacts and intraverbals using PECS were shown to emerge for some of the participants following PECS training. These results suggest that PECS may be a viable alternative communication system for adults with severe developmental disabilities who have little or no history of systematic instruction and limited imitative repertoires. PMID:22477401

Investigating the acquisition, generalization, and emergence of untrained verbal operants for mands acquired using the picture exchange communication system in adults with severe developmental disabilities.

PubMed

Ziomek, Megan M; Rehfeldt, Ruth Anne

2008-01-01

This study compared the total amount of training time and total number of trial blocks for individuals with severe developmental disabilities to acquire mands under control of unconditioned establishing operations and mands under control of transitive conditioned establishing operations for manual sign and for the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). Also examined was the generalization of mands across settings and communicative partners, as well as the emergence of untrained tacts and intraverbals for mands acquired using PECS. Mands for preferred items and for items needed to complete a chained task were acquired more rapidly and in fewer training blocks for PECS than for manual sign. Moreover, mands established using PECS generalized across settings and communicative partners. Finally, untrained tacts and intraverbals using PECS were shown to emerge for some of the participants following PECS training. These results suggest that PECS may be a viable alternative communication system for adults with severe developmental disabilities who have little or no history of systematic instruction and limited imitative repertoires.

Fingerbraille: An Investigation of Japanese Methods for Communicating with Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamichhane, Kamal

2011-01-01

There are many techniques for communicating with individuals who are deaf-blind. In Japan, another technique, known as fingerbraille, is also used. Fingerbraille is a tactile method of communication that is based on Japanese braille script. This article introduces the reader to the history of the development of this communication technique and to…

How Effective Is Communication Training For Aircraft Crews

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Linde, Charlotte; Goguen, Joseph; Devenish, Linda

1992-01-01

Report surveys communication training for aircraft crews. Intended to alleviate problems caused or worsened by poor communication and coordination among crewmembers. Focuses on two training methods: assertiveness training and grid-management training. Examines theoretical background of methods and attempts made to validate their effectiveness. Presents criteria for evaluating applicability to aviation environment. Concludes communication training appropriate for aircraft crews.

Reliability of Videoconferencing Administration of a Communication Questionnaire to People With Traumatic Brain Injury and Their Close Others.

PubMed

Rietdijk, Rachael; Power, Emma; Brunner, Melissa; Togher, Leanne

To compare in-person with videoconferencing administration of a communication questionnaire for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their close others. Repeated-measures design with randomized order of administration. Twenty adults with severe TBI and their close others. Both participants with TBI and their close others completed the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ) via interview with a clinician, once via Skype and once during a home visit. Total LCQ score and time taken for completion. There were no significant differences between videoconferencing and in-person conditions in the total scores or time taken to complete the questionnaire. Videoconferencing-based administration of the LCQ is as reliable and efficient as in-person administration.

The Malvinas War from the Argentinian Viewpoint

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-01

commercial concern is The Falkland Islands Company. This company owns 80 per cent of the total economic product. Communications are a considerable problem...krill also exists. Additionally, the islands’ strategic position is critical to control of the South Atlantic, with many commercial lines of communication ...the traditional 18 rivalry between services, and the poor communications network to receive orders from the decision centers located on the conti

Together Achieving More: Primary Care Team Communication and Alcohol-Related Health Care Utilization and Costs

PubMed Central

Mundt, Marlon P.; Zakletskaia, Larissa I.; Shoham, David A.; Tuan, Wen-Jan; Carayon, Pascale

2015-01-01

Background Identifying and engaging excessive alcohol users in primary care may be an effective way to improve patient health outcomes, reduce alcohol-related acute care events, and lower costs. Little is known about what structures of primary care team communication are associated with alcohol-related patient outcomes. Methods Using a sociometric survey of primary care clinic communication, this study evaluated the relation between team communication networks and alcohol-related utilization of care and costs. Between May 2013 and December 2013, a total of 155 healthcare employees at 6 primary care clinics participated in a survey on team communication. Three-level hierarchical modeling evaluated the link between connectedness within the care team and the number of alcohol-related emergency department visits, hospital days, and associated medical care costs in the past 12 months for each team’s primary care patient panel. Results Teams (n=31) whose RNs displayed more strong (at least daily) face-to-face ties and strong (at least daily) electronic communication ties had 10% fewer alcohol-related hospital days (RR=0.90; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.97). Furthermore, in an average team size of 19, each additional team member with strong interaction ties across the whole team was associated with $1030 (95% CI: −$1819, −$241) lower alcohol-related patient health care costs per 1000 team patients in the past 12 months. Conversely, teams whose primary care practitioner had more strong face-to-face communication ties and more weak (weekly or several times a week) electronic communication ties had 12% more alcohol-related hospital days (RR=1.12; 95: CI: 1.03, 1.23) and $1428 (95% CI: $378, $2478) higher alcohol-related healthcare costs per 1000 patients in the past 12 months. The analyses controlled for patient age, gender, insurance, and co-morbidity diagnoses. Conclusions Excessive alcohol-using patients may fair better if cared for by teams whose face-to-face and electronic communication networks include more team members and whose communication to the PCP has been streamlined to fewer team members. PMID:26350957

Nurse-Patient Communication Interactions in the Intensive Care Unit

PubMed Central

Happ, Mary Beth; Garrett, Kathryn; Thomas, Dana DiVirgilio; Tate, Judith; George, Elisabeth; Houze, Martin; Radtke, Jill; Sereika, Susan

2011-01-01

Background The inability to speak during critical illness is a source of distress for patients, yet nurse-patient communication in the intensive care unit has not been systematically studied or measured. Objectives To describe communication interactions, methods, and assistive techniques between nurses and nonspeaking critically ill patients in the intensive care unit. Methods Descriptive observational study of the nonintervention/usual care cohort from a larger clinical trial of nurse-patient communication in a medical and a cardiothoracic surgical intensive care unit. Videorecorded interactions between 10 randomly selected nurses (5 per unit) and a convenience sample of 30 critically ill adults (15 per unit) who were awake, responsive, and unable to speak because of respiratory tract intubation were rated for frequency, success, quality, communication methods, and assistive communication techniques. Patients self-rated ease of communication. Results Nurses initiated most (86.2%) of the communication exchanges. Mean rate of completed communication exchange was 2.62 exchanges per minute. The most common positive nurse act was making eye contact with the patient. Although communication exchanges were generally (>70%) successful, more than one-third (37.7%) of communications about pain were unsuccessful. Patients rated 40% of the communication sessions with nurses as somewhat difficult to extremely difficult. Assistive communication strategies were uncommon, with little to no use of assistive communication materials (eg, writing supplies, alphabet or word boards). Conclusions Study results highlight specific areas for improvement in communication between nurses and nonspeaking patients in the intensive care unit, particularly in communication about pain and in the use of assistive communication strategies and communication materials. PMID:21362711

Nurse Practitioners' Use of Communication Techniques: Results of a Maryland Oral Health Literacy Survey.

PubMed

Koo, Laura W; Horowitz, Alice M; Radice, Sarah D; Wang, Min Q; Kleinman, Dushanka V

2016-01-01

We examined nurse practitioners' use and opinions of recommended communication techniques for the promotion of oral health as part of a Maryland state-wide oral health literacy assessment. Use of recommended health-literate and patient-centered communication techniques have demonstrated improved health outcomes. A 27-item self-report survey, containing 17 communication technique items, across 5 domains, was mailed to 1,410 licensed nurse practitioners (NPs) in Maryland in 2010. Use of communication techniques and opinions about their effectiveness were analyzed using descriptive statistics. General linear models explored provider and practice characteristics to predict differences in the total number and the mean number of communication techniques routinely used in a week. More than 80% of NPs (N = 194) routinely used 3 of the 7 basic communication techniques: simple language, limiting teaching to 2-3 concepts, and speaking slowly. More than 75% of respondents believed that 6 of the 7 basic communication techniques are effective. Sociodemographic provider characteristics and practice characteristics were not significant predictors of the mean number or the total number of communication techniques routinely used by NPs in a week. Potential predictors for using more of the 7 basic communication techniques, demonstrating significance in one general linear model each, were: assessing the office for user-friendliness and ever taking a communication course in addition to nursing school. NPs in Maryland self-reported routinely using some recommended health-literate communication techniques, with belief in their effectiveness. Our findings suggest that NPs who had assessed the office for patient-friendliness or who had taken a communication course beyond their initial education may be predictors for using more of the 7 basic communication techniques. These self-reported findings should be validated with observational studies. Graduate and continuing education for NPs should increase emphasis on health-literate and patient-centered communication techniques to increase patient understanding of dental caries prevention. Non-dental healthcare providers, such as NPs, are uniquely positioned to contribute to preventing early childhood dental caries through health-literate and patient-centered communication.

The quick acquisition technique for laser communication between LEO and GEO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Li-zhong; Zhang, Rui-qin; Li, Yong-hao; Meng, Li-xin; Li, Xiao-ming

2013-08-01

The sight-axis alignment can be accomplished by the quick acquisition operation between two laser communication terminals, which is the premise of establishing a free-space optical communication link. Especially for the laser communication links of LEO (Low Earth Orbit)-Ground and LEO-GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit), since the earth would break the transmission of laser and break the communication as well, so the effective time for each communication is very shot (several minutes~ dozens of minutes), as a result the communication terminals have to capture each other to rebuild the laser communication link. In the paper, on the basis of the analysis of the traditional methods, it presents a new idea that using the long beacon light instead of the circular beacon light; thereby the original of two-dimensional raster spiral scanning is replaced by one-dimensional scanning. This method will reduce the setup time and decrease the failure probability of acquisition for the LEO-GEO laser communication link. Firstly, the analysis of the external constraint conditions in the acquisition phase has been presented in this paper. Furthermore, the acquisition algorithm models have been established. The optimization analysis for the parameters of the acquisition unit has been carried out, and the ground validation experiments of the acquisition strategy have also been performed. The experiments and analysis show that compared with traditional capturing methods, the method presented in this article can make the capturing time be shortened by about 40%, and the failure probability of capturing be reduced by about 30%. So, the method is significant for the LEO-GEO laser communication link.

What Do Patients Prefer? Understanding Patient Perspectives on Receiving a New Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

PubMed

Attai, Deanna J; Hampton, Regina; Staley, Alicia C; Borgert, Andrew; Landercasper, Jeffrey

2016-10-01

There is variability in physician practice regarding delivery method and timeliness of test results to cancer patients. Our aim was to survey patients to determine if there was a difference between actual and preferred care for disclosure of test results. A de-identified survey was distributed to online cancer support groups to query patients about their experience regarding communication of cancer testing and timeliness. Analyses of the differences between actual and preferred communication and wait times were performed. Overall, 1000 patients completed the survey. The analysis herein was restricted to 784 breast cancer survivors. Survey responders were predominately White (non-Hispanic; 89 %), college educated (78 %), and media 'savvy' (online medical media usage; 97 %). Differences between actual and preferred care were identified for the domains of mode of communication and wait times for initial breast cancer diagnostic biopsies and other tests. A total of 309 (39 %) of 784 patients received face-to-face communication for a new cancer diagnosis, with 394 (50 %) patients preferring this option (p < 0.0001). In addition, 315 (40 %) of 784 patients received their cancer biopsy result within 2 days, with 646 (82 %) patients preferring this option (p < 0.0001). Differences were also identified between actual and preferred care for multiple other test types. Actual care for timeliness and modes of communication did not reflect patient-desired care. National and local initiatives to improve performance are needed. As a first step, we recommend that each patient be queried about their preference for mode of communication and timeliness, and efforts made to comply.

Verbal Play as an Interactional Discourse Resource in Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Shune, Samantha; Duff, Melissa C.

2012-01-01

Background Verbal play, the creative and playful use of language to make puns, rhyme words, and tease, is a pervasive and enjoyable component of social communication and serves important interpersonal functions. The current study examines the use of verbal play in the communicative interactions of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease as part of a broader program of research on language-and-memory-in-use. Aims To document the frequency of verbal play in the communicative interactions of individuals with very mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and their familiar communication partners. To characterize the interactional forms, resources, and functions of playful episodes. Methods Using quantitative group comparisons and detailed discourse analysis, we analyzed verbal play in the interactional discourse of five participants with very mild AD and five healthy (demographically matched) comparison participants. Each participant interacted with a familiar partner while completing a collaborative referencing task, and with a researcher between task trials. Results A total of 1,098 verbal play episodes were coded. Despite being in the early stages of AD, all the AD participants used verbal play. There were no significant group differences in the frequency of verbal play episodes or in the interactional forms, resources, or functions of those playful episodes between AD and healthy comparison pair sessions. Conclusions The successful use of verbal play in the interactions of individuals with very mild AD and their partners highlights an area of preserved social communication. These findings represent an important step, both clinically and for research, in documenting the rich ways that individuals with early stage AD orchestrate interactionally meaningful communication with their partners through the use of interactional discourse resources like verbal play. This work also offers a promising clinical tool for tracking and targeting verbal play across disease progression. PMID:23129879

Effectiveness of an online SUpport PRogramme (SUPR) for older hearing aid users: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Meijerink, Janine FJ; Pronk, Marieke; Paulissen, Bernadette; Witte, Birgit I; van der Wouden, Bregje; Jansen, Vera; Kramer, Sophia E

2017-01-01

Background An educational SUpport PRogramme called SUPR has been developed for hearing aid users (HAUs) and their communication partners (CPs) offering care beyond hearing aid fitting. SUPR teaches its users communication strategies, hearing aid handling skills and personal adjustment to hearing impairment. Methods/design Using a cluster randomised controlled trial design, 70 Dutch hearing aid dispenser practices were randomised into hearing aid fitting (care as usual, 34 practices) and hearing aid fitting including SUPR (36 practices). The aim was to recruit a total of 569 older (aged 50+ years) first-time (n=258) and experienced (n=311) HAUs and their CPs. SUPR consists of a Practical Support Booklet and online material offered via email over a period of 6–7 months. The booklet provides practical information on hearing aids, advice on communication strategies and home exercises. The online material consists of educational videos on hearing aid functionality and usage, communication strategies and peer testimonials. Finally, noncommittal email contact with the dispenser is offered. Every HAU is asked to assign a CP who is advised to be involved intensively. Effect measurements for HAUs and their CPs will occur at baseline and at 6, 12 and 18 months follow-up via online questionnaires. The primary outcomes for HAUs will be the use of communication strategies as measured by the subscales of the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired. A process evaluation will be performed. Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by the Dutch Institutional Review Board of the VU Medical University Center Amsterdam. This intervention could contribute to lowering the hearing impairment burden in our ageing society. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and scientific conferences. Trial registration number ISRCTN77340339; Pre-results. PMID:28634259

A web-based personalized risk communication and decision-making tool for women with dense breasts: Design and methods of a randomized controlled trial within an integrated health care system.

PubMed

Knerr, Sarah; Wernli, Karen J; Leppig, Kathleen; Ehrlich, Kelly; Graham, Amanda L; Farrell, David; Evans, Chalanda; Luta, George; Schwartz, Marc D; O'Neill, Suzanne C

2017-05-01

Mammographic breast density is one of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer after age and family history. Mandatory breast density disclosure policies are increasing nationally without clear guidance on how to communicate density status to women. Coupling density disclosure with personalized risk counseling and decision support through a web-based tool may be an effective way to allow women to make informed, values-consistent risk management decisions without increasing distress. This paper describes the design and methods of Engaged, a prospective, randomized controlled trial examining the effect of online personalized risk counseling and decision support on risk management decisions in women with dense breasts and increased breast cancer risk. The trial is embedded in a large integrated health care system in the Pacific Northwest. A total of 1250 female health plan members aged 40-69 with a recent negative screening mammogram who are at increased risk for interval cancer based on their 5-year breast cancer risk and BI-RADS® breast density will be randomly assigned to access either a personalized web-based counseling and decision support tool or standard educational content. Primary outcomes will be assessed using electronic health record data (i.e., chemoprevention and breast MRI utilization) and telephone surveys (i.e., distress) at baseline, six weeks, and twelve months. Engaged will provide evidence about whether a web-based personalized risk counseling and decision support tool is an effective method for communicating with women about breast density and risk management. An effective intervention could be disseminated with minimal clinical burden to align with density disclosure mandates. Clinical Trials Registration Number:NCT03029286. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of hospital staff’s perceived quality of librarian-mediated literature searching services*,†

PubMed Central

McKeown, Sandra; Konrad, Shauna-Lee; McTavish, Jill; Boyce, Erin

2017-01-01

Objective The research evaluated the perceived quality of librarian-mediated literature searching services at one of Canada’s largest acute care teaching hospitals for the purpose of continuous quality improvement and investigation of relationships between variables that can impact user satisfaction. Methods An online survey was constructed using evidence-based methodologies. A systematic sample of staff and physicians requesting literature searches at London Health Sciences Centre were invited to participate in the study over a one-year period. Data analyses included descriptive statistics of closed-ended questions and coding of open-ended questions. Results A range of staff including clinicians, researchers, educators, leaders, and analysts submitted a total of 137 surveys, representing a response rate of 71%. Staff requested literature searches for the following “primary” purposes: research or publication (34%), teaching or training (20%), informing a policy or standard practice (16%), patient care (15%), and “other” purposes (15%). While the majority of staff (76%) submitted search requests using methods of written communication, including email and search request forms, staff using methods of verbal communication, including face-to-face and telephone conversations, were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian’s interpretation of the search request (p=0.004) and to rate the perceived quality of the search results as excellent (p=0.005). In most cases, librarians followed up with staff to clarify the details of their search requests (72%), and these staff were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian’s interpretation of the search request (p=0.002). Conclusions Our results demonstrate the limitations of written communication in the context of librarian-mediated literature searching and suggest a multifaceted approach to quality improvement efforts. PMID:28377674

Conceptualizing and measuring pharmacist-patient communication: a review of published studies.

PubMed

Shah, Bupendra; Chewning, Betty

2006-06-01

Pharmacist-patient communication in community pharmacies has been studied for over 25 years with little effort to evaluate this research comprehensively. The main objective of this review is to examine and summarize how researchers have conceptualized, defined, and measured pharmacist-patient communication across studies and identify gaps in the literature. Articles were compiled from a search of (1) Medline, IPA, CINAHL, and PubMed databases using the keywords, "counseling", "patient communication", "patient counseling", "patient education", "patient consult( *)", and/or "pharmacists", (2) bibliographies of selected articles. The search generated 56 studies on community pharmacy, of which 39 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies (72%) have used the term patient counseling, although pharmacist-patient communication and patient education were also used. The definition of patient counseling varies across studies. Almost half of the studies (49%) conceptualized pharmacist-patient communication solely as a pharmacist information provision activity. A total of 16 studies (41%) also focused on pharmacists' interpersonal behavior in addition to the information provision activity of the pharmacist. In contrast, patient communication behavior and the exchange process between both parties has been understudied. A total of 16 studies (41%) used a retrospective design. All studies used a cross-sectional design, with varying modes of data collection such as mail surveys, telephone interviews, nonparticipant observation, and shopper studies. Taped encounters are rare. SUMMARY/IMPLICATIONS: This review revealed that most studies have focused on a one way communication of pharmacists to patients. A need for examining the patient-pharmacist dyad is apparent. Future research could explore a greater use of taped encounters to analyze the interactive communication process, affective components of communication such as collaborative problem solving, interpersonal relationship development, and the expertise that patients bring into the encounter.

Total and Conceptual Vocabulary in Spanish–English Bilinguals From 22 to 30 Months: Implications for Assessment

PubMed Central

Core, Cynthia; Hoff, Erika; Rumiche, Rosario; Señor, Melissa

2015-01-01

Purpose Vocabulary assessment holds promise as a way to identify young bilingual children at risk for language delay. This study compares 2 measures of vocabulary in a group of young Spanish–English bilingual children to a single-language measure used with monolingual children. Method Total vocabulary and conceptual vocabulary were used to measure mean vocabulary size and growth in 47 Spanish–English bilingually developing children from 22 to 30 months of age based on results from the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI; Fenson et al., 1993) and the Inventario del Desarrollo de Habilidades Comunicativas (Jackson-Maldonado et al., 2003). Bilingual children’s scores of total vocabulary and conceptual vocabulary were compared with CDI scores for a control group of 56 monolingual children. Results The total vocabulary measure resulted in mean vocabulary scores and average rate of growth similar to monolingual growth, whereas conceptual vocabulary scores were significantly smaller and grew at a slower rate than total vocabulary scores. Total vocabulary identified the same proportion of bilingual children below the 25th percentile on monolingual norms as the CDI did for monolingual children. Conclusion These results support the use of total vocabulary as a means of assessing early language development in young bilingual Spanish–English speaking children. PMID:24023382

Balancing for an Effective Communication in Organizations.

PubMed

Touhidul, Islam A S M; Sorooshian, Shahryar

2018-05-01

Communication is an essential part of all activities of organizations. However, it is affected by technology. Today, email and social media are popular methods of communication in organizations. Each of the listed methods has advantages and disadvantages which will be discussed in this letter which tries to drive the attention of organizations to the need for a standard and balanced approach toward communication.

The improvement of autism spectrum disorders on children communication ability with PECS method Multimedia Augmented Reality-Based

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taryadi; Kurniawan, I.

2018-01-01

This research was done to examine the usage of PECS method (Picture Exchange Communication System) multimedia augmented reality based as a learning alternative in training the communication of autism childen. The aim of this research were developing an approach to improve the communication ability before and after an intervension with PECS multimedia augmented reality method. The subject of this research were 12 autism children in Inclusion school in Pekalongan region. The experiment method was used with the single subject research approach. The research resulted that the average ability level in communication before and after the treatment has shown 47% while during the treatment the average level is 65%. Whereas there is an improvement after intervension stage with the average of 76%..

On Searching Available Channels with Asynchronous MAC-Layer Spectrum Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Chunxiao; Ma, Xin; Chen, Canfeng; Ma, Jian; Ren, Yong

Dynamic spectrum access has become a focal issue recently, in which identifying the available spectrum plays a rather important role. Lots of work has been done concerning secondary user (SU) synchronously accessing primary user's (PU's) network. However, on one hand, SU may have no idea about PU's communication protocols; on the other, it is possible that communications among PU are not based on synchronous scheme at all. In order to address such problems, this paper advances a strategy for SU to search available spectrums with asynchronous MAC-layer sensing. With this method, SUs need not know the communication mechanisms in PU's network when dynamically accessing. We will focus on four aspects: 1) strategy for searching available channels; 2) vacating strategy when PUs come back; 3) estimation of channel parameters; 4) impact of SUs' interference on PU's data rate. The simulations show that our search strategy not only can achieve nearly 50% less interference probability than equal allocation of total search time, but also well adapts to time-varying channels. Moreover, access by our strategies can attain 150% more access time than random access. The moment matching estimator shows good performance in estimating and tracing time-varying channels.

A Proposal of a Communication Medium between Patients with Facial Disorder and the Doctors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Kyoko; Kurose, Hiroyuki; Takami, Ai; Shirai, Masayuki; Shimizu, Ryosuke; Nishida, Shogo

There are diseases with the disorder in the face although human's face is an important body site with the social role. In this study, it is focused on “patient's facial expression” as a medium supporting communications between the patient with facial disorder and the doctor toward the satisfaction improvement to the patient's treatment on the medical treatment site. And, “expression to be expressed” and “difference between the expression actually expressed aiming at the expression to be expressed and the expression to be expressed” were selected as information transmitted through patient's expression. The design and development of an interface with the functions of an expression setting and an expression confirmation were carried out as an environmental setting for the patient to express selected information. Fourteen dentists in total who had the treatment experience of the facial disorder evaluated the possibility of the proposed interface as utility and a communication tool in the medical treatment site. The possibility of leading to the expression of the expectation for the patient's treatment was suggested as the results of the experiment, and concrete challenge points and the method for use in the medical treatment field were proposed.

THE NURSES' FORM OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GOSSIP?

PubMed

Altuntaş, Serap; Altun, Ozlem Şahin; Akyil, Rahşan Çevik

2014-07-19

Abstract Background: Gossip is important for managers to control it and to use it to create positive effects that help organizations to attain their goals. Objectives/Aim: The study utilised a descriptive model to determine how nurses use gossip as an informal communication channel in organizational communication. Method: Nurses working in 4 hospitals within a city in the eastern part of Turkey form the population of the study whereas nurses who agreed to participate in the study form the sample. Among these hospitals, two of them serve under the Ministry of Health while two serve under a university; diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation services in any field are provided in each of these hospitals. The researchers developed a questionnaire for data collection after examining the literature. The approval of the ethical committees and written official permissions were obtained for the study. Data were acquired from 264 out of 420 nurses in total. Data were collected between June and September 2011. The response rate to the data collection tool was 62.8%. Subsequently, data were analyzed by frequency and percentage distribution tests with SPSS for Windows 17.0. Results: This study determined that nurses uses gossip most frequently about working conditions to share information face-to-face when they feel angry. Conclusion: The study concluded that nurses use gossip as an informal communication style in their institutions.

Quantum stopwatch: how to store time in a quantum memory.

PubMed

Yang, Yuxiang; Chiribella, Giulio; Hayashi, Masahito

2018-05-01

Quantum mechanics imposes a fundamental trade-off between the accuracy of time measurements and the size of the systems used as clocks. When the measurements of different time intervals are combined, the errors due to the finite clock size accumulate, resulting in an overall inaccuracy that grows with the complexity of the set-up. Here, we introduce a method that, in principle, eludes the accumulation of errors by coherently transferring information from a quantum clock to a quantum memory of the smallest possible size. Our method could be used to measure the total duration of a sequence of events with enhanced accuracy, and to reduce the amount of quantum communication needed to stabilize clocks in a quantum network.

Do Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (PHO) Fellows Receive Communication Training?

PubMed Central

File, Wilson; Bylund, Carma L.; Kesselheim, Jennifer; Leonard, David; Leavey, Patrick

2017-01-01

Purpose The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has established communication as a core competency for physicians in training. However, data suggest that most pediatric residents perceive inadequate training in the delivery of bad news and the majority of former trainees in pediatric oncology received no formal training in the delivery of bad news during fellowship. The study examines communication training in ACGME accredited US pediatric hematology-oncology (PHO) fellowship programs. Methods An online survey was distributed to 315 PHO fellows in training via the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) fellow email registry. Each fellow received an initial request to participate and 2 reminders, while participation was encouraged through a random incentive drawing. Results One hundred and ten fellows (35%) responded. Eighty percent of respondents perceived communication training to be important to fellow education, however only 32% reported receiving communication training (other than direct observation). The most common reported teaching method of fellowship communication training was formal lecture (42%). Twenty-three percent of respondents reported neither communication training nor frequent feedback on their communication skills from faculty observation. This same group was the least satisfied with their programs’ approach to teaching communication (P < 0.001). Conclusions There is limited communication training in PHO fellowships despite ACGME requirements and fellows’ interest in this training. Didactic learning remains the most frequently described training method, yet educational theory identifies the limitation of didactic lectures alone. Communication training employing novel teaching methods and emphasizing communication challenges identified by fellows should be developed and evaluated. PMID:24039096

Distributed Adaptive Neural Control for Stochastic Nonlinear Multiagent Systems.

PubMed

Wang, Fang; Chen, Bing; Lin, Chong; Li, Xuehua

2016-11-14

In this paper, a consensus tracking problem of nonlinear multiagent systems is investigated under a directed communication topology. All the followers are modeled by stochastic nonlinear systems in nonstrict feedback form, where nonlinearities and stochastic disturbance terms are totally unknown. Based on the structural characteristic of neural networks (in Lemma 4), a novel distributed adaptive neural control scheme is put forward. The raised control method not only effectively handles unknown nonlinearities in nonstrict feedback systems, but also copes with the interactions among agents and coupling terms. Based on the stochastic Lyapunov functional method, it is indicated that all the signals of the closed-loop system are bounded in probability and all followers' outputs are convergent to a neighborhood of the output of leader. At last, the efficiency of the control method is testified by a numerical example.

MILCOM '85 - Military Communications Conference, Boston, MA, October 20-23, 1985, Conference Record. Volumes 1, 2, & 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The present conference on the development status of communications systems in the context of electronic warfare gives attention to topics in spread spectrum code acquisition, digital speech technology, fiber-optics communications, free space optical communications, the networking of HF systems, and applications and evaluation methods for digital speech. Also treated are issues in local area network system design, coding techniques and applications, technology applications for HF systems, receiver technologies, software development status, channel simultion/prediction methods, C3 networking spread spectrum networks, the improvement of communication efficiency and reliability through technical control methods, mobile radio systems, and adaptive antenna arrays. Finally, communications system cost analyses, spread spectrum performance, voice and image coding, switched networks, and microwave GaAs ICs, are considered.

Empirical studies on usability of mHealth apps: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Zapata, Belén Cruz; Fernández-Alemán, José Luis; Idri, Ali; Toval, Ambrosio

2015-02-01

The release of smartphones and tablets, which offer more advanced communication and computing capabilities, has led to the strong emergence of mHealth on the market. mHealth systems are being used to improve patients' lives and their health, in addition to facilitating communication between doctors and patients. Researchers are now proposing mHealth applications for many health conditions such as dementia, autism, dysarthria, Parkinson's disease, and so on. Usability becomes a key factor in the adoption of these applications, which are often used by people who have problems when using mobile devices and who have a limited experience of technology. The aim of this paper is to investigate the empirical usability evaluation processes described in a total of 22 selected studies related to mHealth applications by means of a Systematic Literature Review. Our results show that the empirical evaluation methods employed as regards usability could be improved by the adoption of automated mechanisms. The evaluation processes should also be revised to combine more than one method. This paper will help researchers and developers to create more usable applications. Our study demonstrates the importance of adapting health applications to users' need.

High Throughput via Cross-Layer Interference Alignment for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-26

MIMO zero-forcing receiver in the presence of channel estimation error,” IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications , vol. 6 , no. 3, pp. 805–810, Mar...Robert W. Heath, Nachiappan Valliappan. Antenna Subset Modulation for Secure Millimeter-Wave Wireless Communication , IEEE Transactions on...in MIMO Interference Alignment Networks, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications , (02 2012): 0. doi: 10.1109/TWC.2011.120511.111088 TOTAL: 2

Monitoring devices and systems for monitoring frequency hopping wireless communications, and related methods

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

Derr, Kurt W.; Richardson, John G.

Monitoring devices and systems comprise a plurality of data channel modules coupled to processing circuitry. Each data channel module of the plurality of data channel modules is configured to capture wireless communications for a selected frequency channel. The processing circuitry is configured to receive captured wireless communications from the plurality of data channel modules and to organize received wireless communications according to at least one parameter. Related methods of monitoring wireless communications are also disclosed.

The Effects of Structured Physical Activity Program on Social Interaction and Communication for Children with Autism.

PubMed

Zhao, Mengxian; Chen, Shihui

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of structured physical activity program on social interaction and communication of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Fifty children with ASD from a special school were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. 25 children with ASD were placed in the experimental group, and the other 25 children as the control group participated in regular physical activity. A total of forty-one participants completed the study. A 12-week structured physical activity program was implemented with a total of 24 exercise sessions targeting social interaction and communication of children with ASD, and a quasi-experimental design was used for this study. Data were collected using quantitative and qualitative instruments. SSIS and ABLLS-R results showed that an overall improvement in social skills and social interaction for the experimental group across interim and posttests, F = 8.425, p = 0.001 ( p < 0.005), and significant improvements appeared in communication, cooperation, social interaction, and self-control subdomains ( p < 0.005). Conversely, no statistically significant differences were found in the control group ( p > 0.005). The study concluded that the special structured physical activity program positively influenced social interaction and communication skills of children with ASD, especially in social skills, communication, prompt response, and frequency of expression.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation: systematic analysis of communication from the biopsychosocial perspective.

PubMed

Hartley, Naomi A

2015-07-02

Communication is powerful predictor of health-related quality of life and overall well-being, yet its role in promoting rehabilitation outcomes in spinal cord injury (SCI) is rarely mentioned. This article systematically analyzes and synthesizes literature from multiple disciplines according to a biopsychosocial perspective, providing an evidence base for clinical practice and clear direction for future research. Systematic literature review and analysis, incorporating mapping to International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) codes. In total 4338 entries were retrieved from CINAHL, PsychInfo, Medline, PubMed and SpeechBite databases for the period 1990-2014. A total of 115 treatment and observational studies (quantitative and qualitative) detailed aspects of communication according to structure, function, activity, participation and environmental factors; evident of the complex interactions between communicative function with daily living after SCI. Communication is a relative strength in SCI, key to empowerment, independence, social interaction, and well-being, yet its potential to enhance SCI rehabilitation outcomes remains largely underexplored and untapped. Through elucidating interactions between communication and functioning, the adapted ICF framework affords clinicians and researchers insight into areas of intervention most likely to result in widespread gains. Conscious consideration should be given to the role of communication, within an integrative, strengths-based, multidisciplinary approach to clinical practice and future research. Implications for Rehabilitation Communication fosters empowerment, independence and greater participation in life roles; recognized as a powerful predictor of health-related quality of life and overall well-being. The ICF framework elucidates influences to communicative function, and components which are influenced by communication, providing valuable insight for clinicians and researchers. Therapeutic and research endeavors guided by existing ICF core sets are at risk of failing to consider communication, thereby limiting rehabilitation outcomes. Tapping the potential of communication as a relative strength within SCI rehabilitation holds considerable promise, within integrative, strengths-based, multidisciplinary approaches to clinical practice and future research.

Pulse transmission transceiver architecture for low power communications

DOEpatents

Dress, Jr., William B.; Smith, Stephen F.

2003-08-05

Systems and methods for pulse-transmission low-power communication modes are disclosed. A method of pulse transmission communications includes: generating a modulated pulse signal waveform; transforming said modulated pulse signal waveform into at least one higher-order derivative waveform; and transmitting said at least one higher-order derivative waveform as an emitted pulse. The systems and methods significantly reduce lower-frequency emissions from pulse transmission spread-spectrum communication modes, which reduces potentially harmful interference to existing radio frequency services and users and also simultaneously permit transmission of multiple data bits by utilizing specific pulse shapes.

The analysis of verbal interaction sequences in dyadic clinical communication: a review of methods.

PubMed

Connor, Martin; Fletcher, Ian; Salmon, Peter

2009-05-01

To identify methods available for sequential analysis of dyadic verbal clinical communication and to review their methodological and conceptual differences. Critical review, based on literature describing sequential analyses of clinical and other relevant social interaction. Dominant approaches are based on analysis of communication according to its precise position in the series of utterances that constitute event-coded dialogue. For practical reasons, methods focus on very short-term processes, typically the influence of one party's speech on what the other says next. Studies of longer-term influences are rare. Some analyses have statistical limitations, particularly in disregarding heterogeneity between consultations, patients or practitioners. Additional techniques, including ones that can use information about timing and duration of speech from interval-coding are becoming available. There is a danger that constraints of commonly used methods shape research questions and divert researchers from potentially important communication processes including ones that operate over a longer-term than one or two speech turns. Given that no one method can model the complexity of clinical communication, multiple methods, both quantitative and qualitative, are necessary. Broadening the range of methods will allow the current emphasis on exploratory studies to be balanced by tests of hypotheses about clinically important communication processes.

How Do Zoos "Talk" to Their General Visitors? Do Visitors "Listen"? A Mixed Method Investigation of the Communication between Modern Zoos and Their General Visitors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roe, Katie; McConney, Andrew; Mansfield, Caroline F.

2014-01-01

Modern zoos utilise a variety of education tools for communicating with visitors. Previous research has discussed the benefits of providing multiple education communications, yet little research provides an indication of what communications are being employed within zoos today. This research is a two-phased, mixed-methods investigation into the…

High Speed Inter-Satellite Communication System by Incorporating Hybrid Polarization-Wavelength Division Multiplexing Scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaudhary, Sushank; Chaudhary, Neha; Sharma, Saurabh; Choudhary, BC

2017-12-01

Inter-Satellite communication is one of remarkable technologies that can be used to communicate between satellites. This work is focused to carry out the investigations of polarization scheme by incorporating dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) scheme in inter-satellite communication system. A 20×6 Gbps data are transported over inter-satellite optical link having span of 5,000 km to realize the total data transmission of 120 Gbps. Moreover, results are also reported with the effect of RZ and NRZ modulation schemes. The performance of proposed inter-satellite communication link is measured in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, received power and eye diagrams.

Study of optimum methods of optical communication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harger, R. O.

1972-01-01

Optimum methods of optical communication accounting for the effects of the turbulent atmosphere and quantum mechanics, both by the semi-classical method and the full-fledged quantum theoretical model are described. A concerted effort to apply the techniques of communication theory to the novel problems of optical communication by a careful study of realistic models and their statistical descriptions, the finding of appropriate optimum structures and the calculation of their performance and, insofar as possible, comparing them to conventional and other suboptimal systems are discussed. In this unified way the bounds on performance and the structure of optimum communication systems for transmission of information, imaging, tracking, and estimation can be determined for optical channels.

Behavior guidance techniques in Pediatric Dentistry: attitudes of parents of children with disabilities and without disabilities.

PubMed

de Castro, Alessandra Maia; de Oliveira, Fabiana Sodré; de Paiva Novaes, Myrian Stella; Araújo Ferreira, Danielly Cunha

2013-01-01

This study compared the parental acceptance of pediatric behavior guidance techniques (BGT). Forty parents of children without disabilities (Group A) and another 40 parents of children with disabilities (Group B) were selected. Each BGT was explained by a single examiner and it was presented together with a photograph album. After that parents evaluated the acceptance in: totally unacceptable, somewhat acceptable, acceptable, and totally acceptable. Results indicated that in Group A, the BGT based on communicative guidance was accepted by most participants. In Group B, just one mother considered totally unacceptable the voice control method and other two, tell-show-do. For both groups, the general anesthesia was the less accepted BGT. There was statistically significant difference in acceptance for protective stabilization with a restrictive device in Group B. Children's parents with and without disabilities accepted behavioral guidance techniques, but basic techniques showed higher rates of acceptance than advanced techniques. ©2013 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Communication Disorders: An Individualized Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vodola, Thomas M.

As one of the components of the Project ACTIVE (All Children Totally Involved Exercising) Teacher Training Model Kit, the manual is designed to enable the educator to organize, conduct, and evaluate individualized-personalized programs for children (kindergarten through high school) with communication disorders. An introductory chapter covers…

Has the inclusion of a longitudinally integrated communication skills program improved consultation skills in medical students? A pilot study.

PubMed

Shah, Sameena; Andrades, Marie; Basir, Fasia; Jaleel, Anila; Azam, Iqbal; Islam, Muhammad; Ahmed, Rashida

2016-01-01

Evidence highlights a lack of communication skills in doctors leading to dysfunctional consultations. To address this deficit, a private medical college instituted curricular reforms with inclusion of a longitudinal communication skills program. A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of this program by comparing the consultation skills of medical students of this college with a medical college without a communication skills program. A 4-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was conducted in the third and final year. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the difference in the distribution between OSCE stations total and construct scores. At the end of the third year, 21 (31.34%), students of the study site (medical college 1 [college with integrated longitudinal communication skills program]) and 31 (46.26%) students from the comparison site (medical college 2 [comparable college without communication skills program]) consented. Medical college 1 achieved a significantly higher overall mean total station score of 68.0% (standard deviation [SD] =13.5) versus 57.2% (SD = 15.4) (P < 0.001). Significantly higher mean scores were achieved on three stations. At the end of the final year, 19 students (29.3%) from medical college 1 and 22 (34%) students from medical college 2 consented. The difference in overall mean total station score reduced from 9.2% to 7.1% (70.2) (SD = 13.7) versus 63.1 (SD = 15.2) (P = 0.004). The mean scores of both colleges decreased in "Patient presenting with Hepatitis C Report" station (P values 0.004 and 0.775) and in "Patient Request for Faith Healing Therapy in Diabetes Mellitus" station (P values 0.0046 and 0.036), respectively. Longitudinal communication skills in an undergraduate curriculum positively impacted consultation skills. Community-based training and faculty development are required to develop effective patient-centered consultation skills.

Theoretical and experimental research on diversity reception technology in NLOS UV communication system.

PubMed

Han, Dahai; Liu, Yile; Zhang, Kai; Luo, Pengfei; Zhang, Min

2012-07-02

Diversity reception technology is introduced into ultraviolet communication area in this article with theory analysis and practical experiment. The idea of diversity reception was known as a critical effective method in wireless communication area that improves the Gain significantly especially for the multi-scattering channel. A theoretical modeling and simulation method are proposed to depict the principle and feasibility of diversity reception adopted in UV communication. Besides, an experimental test-bed using ultraviolet LED and dual receiver of photomultiplier tube is setup to characterize the effects of diversity receiving in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) ultraviolet communication system. The experiment results are compared with the theoretical ones to verify the accuracy of theoretical modeling and the effect of diversity reception. Equal gain combining (EGC) method was adopted as the diversity mechanism in this paper. The research results of theory and experiment provide insight into the channel characteristics and achievable capabilities of ultraviolet communication system with diversity receiving method.

Quick acquisition and recognition method for the beacon in deep space optical communications.

PubMed

Wang, Qiang; Liu, Yuefei; Ma, Jing; Tan, Liying; Yu, Siyuan; Li, Changjiang

2016-12-01

In deep space optical communications, it is very difficult to acquire the beacon given the long communication distance. Acquisition efficiency is essential for establishing and holding the optical communication link. Here we proposed a quick acquisition and recognition method for the beacon in deep optical communications based on the characteristics of the deep optical link. To identify the beacon from the background light efficiently, we utilized the maximum similarity between the collecting image and the reference image for accurate recognition and acquisition of the beacon in the area of uncertainty. First, the collecting image and the reference image were processed by Fourier-Mellin. Second, image sampling and image matching were applied for the accurate positioning of the beacon. Finally, the field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based system was used to verify and realize this method. The experimental results showed that the acquisition time for the beacon was as fast as 8.1s. Future application of this method in the system design of deep optical communication will be beneficial.

Perceptions on the risk communication strategy during the 2013 avian influenza A/H7N9 outbreak in humans in China: a focus group study.

PubMed

Li, Richun; Xie, Ruiqian; Yang, Chong; Frost, Melinda

2016-01-01

To identify the general public's perceptions of the overall risk communication strategy carried out by Chinese public health agencies during the first wave of avian influenza A(H7N9) outbreak in humans in 2013. Participants were recruited from communities in Beijing, Lanzhou and Hangzhou, China in May and June 2013 by convenience sampling. Demographics and other relevant information were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Focus group interviews were conducted using a set of nine pre-developed questions and a tested moderator guide. The interviews were audio recorded and were transcribed verbatim. The constant comparative method was used to identify trends and themes. A total of nine focus group interviews, with 94 participants recruited from nine communities, were conducted. Most participants received H7N9 information via television and the Internet. Most the participants appreciated the transparency and timeliness of the information released by the government. They expressed a sense of trust in the recommended public health advice and followed most of them. The participants suggested that the government release more information about clinical treatment outcomes, have more specific health recommendations that are practical to their settings and expand the use of new media channels for risk communication. The public perceived the overall risk communication strategy by the Chinese public health agencies as effective, though the moderator had a governmental agency title that might have biased the results. There is a need to expand the use of social media for risk communication in the future.

Piloting a Structured Practice Audit to Assess ACGME Milestones in Written Handoff Communication in Internal Medicine

PubMed Central

Martin, Shannon K.; Farnan, Jeanne M.; McConville, John F.; Arora, Vineet M.

2015-01-01

Background Written communication skills are integral to patient care handoffs. Residency programs require feasible assessment tools that provide timely formative and summative feedback, ideally linked to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestones. Objective We describe the use of 1 such tool—UPDATED—to assess written handoff communication skills in internal medicine interns. Methods During 2012–2013, the authors piloted a structured practice audit at 1 academic institution to audit written sign-outs completed by 45 interns, using the UPDATED tool, which scores 7 aspects of sign-out communication linked to milestones. Intern sign-outs were audited by trained faculty members throughout the year. Results were incorporated into intern performance reviews and Clinical Competency Committees. Results A total of 136 sign-outs were audited (averaging 3.1 audits per intern). In the first trimester, 14 interns (31%) had satisfactory audit results. Five interns (11%) had critical deficiencies and received immediate feedback, and the remaining 26 (58%) were assigned future audits due to missing audits or unsatisfactory scores. In the second trimester, 21 interns (68%) had satisfactory results, 1 had critical deficiencies, and 9 (29%) required future audits. Nine of the 10 remaining interns in the final trimester had satisfactory audits. Faculty time was estimated at 10 to 15 minutes per sign-out audited. Conclusions The UPDATED audit is a milestone-based tool that can be used to assess written sign-out communication skills in internal medicine residency programs. Future work is planned to adapt the tool for use by senior supervisory residents to appraise sign-outs in real time. PMID:26221442

Comparing three experiential learning methods and their effect on medical students' attitudes to learning communication skills.

PubMed

Koponen, Jonna; Pyörälä, Eeva; Isotalus, Pekka

2012-01-01

Despite numerous studies exploring medical students' attitudes to communication skills learning (CSL), there are apparently no studies comparing different experiential learning methods and their influence on students' attitudes. We compared medical students' attitudes to learning communication skills before and after a communication course in the data as a whole, by gender and when divided into three groups using different methods. Second-year medical students (n = 129) were randomly assigned to three groups. In group A (n = 42) the theatre in education method, in group B (n = 44) simulated patients and in group C (n = 43) role-play were used. The data were gathered before and after the course using Communication Skills Attitude Scale. Students' positive attitudes to learning communication skills (PAS; positive attitude scale) increased significantly and their negative attitudes (NAS; negative attitude scale) decreased significantly between the beginning and end of the course. Female students had more positive attitudes than the male students. There were no significant differences in the three groups in the mean scores for PAS or NAS measured before or after the course. The use of experiential methods and integrating communication skills training with visits to health centres may help medical students to appreciate the importance of CSL.

2 CFR 2520.437 - What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false What method do I use to communicate to a... and Agreements Federal Agency Regulations for Grants and Agreements NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION... § 2520.437 What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

2 CFR 2520.437 - What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false What method do I use to communicate to a... and Agreements Federal Agency Regulations for Grants and Agreements NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION... § 2520.437 What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

2 CFR 2520.437 - What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false What method do I use to communicate to a... and Agreements Federal Agency Regulations for Grants and Agreements NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION... § 2520.437 What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

2 CFR 2520.437 - What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false What method do I use to communicate to a... and Agreements Federal Agency Regulations for Grants and Agreements NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION... § 2520.437 What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

2 CFR 2520.437 - What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false What method do I use to communicate to a... and Agreements Federal Agency Regulations for Grants and Agreements NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION... § 2520.437 What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

Communication methods, systems, apparatus, and devices involving RF tag registration

DOEpatents

Burghard, Brion J [W. Richland, WA; Skorpik, James R [Kennewick, WA

2008-04-22

One technique of the present invention includes a number of Radio Frequency (RF) tags that each have a different identifier. Information is broadcast to the tags from an RF tag interrogator. This information corresponds to a maximum quantity of tag response time slots that are available. This maximum quantity may be less than the total number of tags. The tags each select one of the time slots as a function of the information and a random number provided by each respective tag. The different identifiers are transmitted to the interrogator from at least a subset of the RF tags.

Accelerating Dust Storm Simulation by Balancing Task Allocation in Parallel Computing Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gui, Z.; Yang, C.; XIA, J.; Huang, Q.; YU, M.

2013-12-01

Dust storm has serious negative impacts on environment, human health, and assets. The continuing global climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of dust storm in the past decades. To better understand and predict the distribution, intensity and structure of dust storm, a series of dust storm models have been developed, such as Dust Regional Atmospheric Model (DREAM), the NMM meteorological module (NMM-dust) and Chinese Unified Atmospheric Chemistry Environment for Dust (CUACE/Dust). The developments and applications of these models have contributed significantly to both scientific research and our daily life. However, dust storm simulation is a data and computing intensive process. Normally, a simulation for a single dust storm event may take several days or hours to run. It seriously impacts the timeliness of prediction and potential applications. To speed up the process, high performance computing is widely adopted. By partitioning a large study area into small subdomains according to their geographic location and executing them on different computing nodes in a parallel fashion, the computing performance can be significantly improved. Since spatiotemporal correlations exist in the geophysical process of dust storm simulation, each subdomain allocated to a node need to communicate with other geographically adjacent subdomains to exchange data. Inappropriate allocations may introduce imbalance task loads and unnecessary communications among computing nodes. Therefore, task allocation method is the key factor, which may impact the feasibility of the paralleling. The allocation algorithm needs to carefully leverage the computing cost and communication cost for each computing node to minimize total execution time and reduce overall communication cost for the entire system. This presentation introduces two algorithms for such allocation and compares them with evenly distributed allocation method. Specifically, 1) In order to get optimized solutions, a quadratic programming based modeling method is proposed. This algorithm performs well with small amount of computing tasks. However, its efficiency decreases significantly as the subdomain number and computing node number increase. 2) To compensate performance decreasing for large scale tasks, a K-Means clustering based algorithm is introduced. Instead of dedicating to get optimized solutions, this method can get relatively good feasible solutions within acceptable time. However, it may introduce imbalance communication for nodes or node-isolated subdomains. This research shows both two algorithms have their own strength and weakness for task allocation. A combination of the two algorithms is under study to obtain a better performance. Keywords: Scheduling; Parallel Computing; Load Balance; Optimization; Cost Model

Partial Ordering and Stochastic Resonance in Discrete Memoryless Channels

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

Methods for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks”, which is to analyze and develop noncoherent communication methods at the physical layer for target...Capacity Behavior for Simple Models of Optical Fiber Communication,” 8 th International conf. on Communications, COMM 2010, Bucharest, pp.1-6, July 2010

Using behavior change communication to lead a comprehensive family planning program: the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative

PubMed Central

Krenn, Susan; Cobb, Lisa; Babalola, Stella; Odeku, Mojisola; Kusemiju, Bola

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: The Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), a 6-year comprehensive family planning program (2009–2015) in 4 cities, intentionally applies communication theories to all program elements, not just the demand generation ones, relying mainly on a theory called ideation—the concept that contraceptive use is influenced by people's beliefs, ideas, and feelings and that changing these ideational factors can change people's behavior. Program Description: The project used multiple communication channels to foster dialogue about family planning, increase social approval for it, and improve accurate knowledge about contraceptives. Mobile service delivery was started in the third year to improve access to clinical methods in slums. Methods: Data from representative baseline (2010–11) and midterm (2012) surveys of women of reproductive age in the project cities were analyzed. We also used propensity score matching to create a statistically equivalent control group of women not exposed to project activities, and we examined service delivery data from NURHI-supported clinics (January 2011–May 2013) to determine the contribution of mobile services to total family planning services. Results: Three years into the initiative, analysis of longitudinal data shows that use of modern contraceptives has increased in each city, varying from 2.3 to 15.5 percentage points, and that the observed increases were predicted by exposure to NURHI activities. Of note is that modern method use increased substantially among the poorest wealth quintiles in project cities, on average, by 8.4 percentage points. The more project activities women were exposed to, the greater their contraceptive use. For example, among women not using a modern method at baseline, contraceptive prevalence among those with no exposure by midterm was 19.1% vs. 43.4% among those with high exposure. Project exposure had a positive dose-response relationship with ideation, as did ideation and contraceptive use. By the end of the observation period, mobile services were contributing nearly 50% of total family planning services provided through NURHI-supported clinics. Propensity score matching found that the increase in contraceptive use in the 4 cities attributable to project exposure was 9.9 percentage points. Intention to use family planning in the next 12 months also increased by 7.5 to 10.2 percentage points across the 4 cities. Conclusion: Demand-led family planning programs, in which demand generation is the driving force behind the design rather than the conventional, service delivery-oriented approach, may be more suitable in places where expressed demand for contraceptives is low. PMID:25611477

Implementation Cryptography Data Encryption Standard (DES) and Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) Method in Communication System Based Near Field Communication (NFC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratnadewi; Pramono Adhie, Roy; Hutama, Yonatan; Saleh Ahmar, A.; Setiawan, M. I.

2018-01-01

Cryptography is a method used to create secure communication by manipulating sent messages during the communication occurred so only intended party that can know the content of that messages. Some of the most commonly used cryptography methods to protect sent messages, especially in the form of text, are DES and 3DES cryptography method. This research will explain the DES and 3DES cryptography method and its use for stored data security in smart cards that working in the NFC-based communication system. Several things that will be explained in this research is the ways of working of DES and 3DES cryptography method in doing the protection process of a data and software engineering through the creation of application using C++ programming language to realize and test the performance of DES and 3DES cryptography method in encrypted data writing process to smart cards and decrypted data reading process from smart cards. The execution time of the entering and the reading process data using a smart card DES cryptography method is faster than using 3DES cryptography.

Using Corporate-Based Methods To Assess Technical Communication Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faber, Brenton; Bekins, Linn; Karis, Bill

2002-01-01

Investigates methods of program assessment used by corporate learning sites and profiles value added methods as a way to both construct and evaluate academic programs in technical communication. Examines and critiques assessment methods from corporate training environments including methods employed by corporate universities and value added…

The intended and unintended consequences of communication systems on general internal medicine inpatient care delivery: a prospective observational case study of five teaching hospitals

PubMed Central

Wu, Robert C; Lo, Vivian; Morra, Dante; Wong, Brian M; Sargeant, Robert; Locke, Ken; Cavalcanti, Rodrigo; Quan, Sherman D; Rossos, Peter; Tran, Kim; Cheung, Mark

2013-01-01

Background Effective clinical communication is critical to providing high-quality patient care. Hospitals have used different types of interventions to improve communication between care teams, but there have been few studies of their effectiveness. Objectives To describe the effects of different communication interventions and their problems. Design Prospective observational case study using a mixed methods approach of quantitative and qualitative methods. Setting General internal medicine (GIM) inpatient wards at five tertiary care academic teaching hospitals. Participants Clinicians consisting of residents, attending physicians, nurses, and allied health (AH) staff working on the GIM wards. Methods Ethnographic methods and interviews with clinical staff (doctors, nurses, medical students, and AH professionals) were conducted over a 16-month period from 2009 to 2010. Results We identified four categories that described the intended and unintended consequences of communication interventions: impacts on senders, receivers, interprofessional collaboration, and the use of informal communication processes. The use of alphanumeric pagers, smartphones, and web-based communication systems had positive effects for senders and receivers, but unintended consequences were seen with all interventions in all four categories. Conclusions Interventions that aimed to improve clinical communications solved some but not all problems, and unintended effects were seen with all systems. PMID:23355461

Communication methods and production techniques in fixed prosthesis fabrication: a UK based survey. Part 2: Production techniques

PubMed Central

Berry, J.; Nesbit, M.; Saberi, S.; Petridis, H.

2014-01-01

Aim The aim of this study was to identify the communication methods and production techniques used by dentists and dental technicians for the fabrication of fixed prostheses within the UK from the dental technicians' perspective. This second paper reports on the production techniques utilised. Materials and methods Seven hundred and eighty-two online questionnaires were distributed to the Dental Laboratories Association membership and included a broad range of topics, such as demographics, impression disinfection and suitability, and various production techniques. Settings were managed in order to ensure anonymity of respondents. Statistical analysis was undertaken to test the influence of various demographic variables such as the source of information, the location, and the size of the dental laboratory. Results The number of completed responses totalled 248 (32% response rate). Ninety percent of the respondents were based in England and the majority of dental laboratories were categorised as small sized (working with up to 25 dentists). Concerns were raised regarding inadequate disinfection protocols between dentists and dental laboratories and the poor quality of master impressions. Full arch plastic trays were the most popular impression tray used by dentists in the fabrication of crowns (61%) and bridgework (68%). The majority (89%) of jaw registration records were considered inaccurate. Forty-four percent of dental laboratories preferred using semi-adjustable articulators. Axial and occlusal under-preparation of abutment teeth was reported as an issue in about 25% of cases. Base metal alloy was the most (52%) commonly used alloy material. Metal-ceramic crowns were the most popular choice for anterior (69%) and posterior (70%) cases. The various factors considered did not have any statistically significant effect on the answers provided. The only notable exception was the fact that more methods of communicating the size and shape of crowns were utilised for large laboratories. Conclusion This study suggests that there are continuing issues in the production techniques utilised between dentists and dental laboratories. PMID:25257017

Social communication deficits: Specific associations with Social Anxiety Disorder.

PubMed

Halls, Georgia; Cooper, Peter J; Creswell, Cathy

2015-02-01

Social communication deficits are prevalent amongst children with anxiety disorders; however whether they are over-represented specifically among children with Social Anxiety Disorder has not been examined. This study set out to examine social communication deficits among children with Social Anxiety Disorder in comparison to children with other forms of anxiety disorder. Parents of 404 children with a diagnosed anxiety disorder completed the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ; Rutter, M., Bailey, A., Lord, C., 2003. The Social Communication Questionnaire - Manual. Western Psychological Services, Los Angeles, CA). Children with a diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder (n=262) and anxious children without Social Anxiety Disorder (n=142) were compared on SCQ total and subscale scores and the frequency of participants scoring above clinical cut-offs. Children with Social Anxiety Disorder scored significantly higher than anxious children without Social Anxiety Disorder on the SCQ total (t(352)=4.85, p<.001, d=.55, r=.27), Reciprocal Social Interaction (t(351)=4.73, p<.001, d=.55, r=.27), communication (t(344)=3.62, p<.001, d=.43, r=.21) and repetitive, restrictive and stereotyped behaviors subscales (t(353)=3.15, p=.002, d=.37, r=.18). Furthermore, children with Social Anxiety Disorder were three times more likely to score above clinical cut-offs. The participants were a relatively affluent group of predominantly non-minority status. The social communication difficulties measure relied on parental report which could be influenced by extraneous factors. Treatments for Social Anxiety Disorder may benefit from a specific focus on developing social communication skills. Future research using objective assessments of underlying social communication skills is required. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ape gestures and language evolution

PubMed Central

Pollick, Amy S.; de Waal, Frans B. M.

2007-01-01

The natural communication of apes may hold clues about language origins, especially because apes frequently gesture with limbs and hands, a mode of communication thought to have been the starting point of human language evolution. The present study aimed to contrast brachiomanual gestures with orofacial movements and vocalizations in the natural communication of our closest primate relatives, bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). We tested whether gesture is the more flexible form of communication by measuring the strength of association between signals and specific behavioral contexts, comparing groups of both the same and different ape species. Subjects were two captive bonobo groups, a total of 13 individuals, and two captive chimpanzee groups, a total of 34 individuals. The study distinguished 31 manual gestures and 18 facial/vocal signals. It was found that homologous facial/vocal displays were used very similarly by both ape species, yet the same did not apply to gestures. Both within and between species gesture usage varied enormously. Moreover, bonobos showed greater flexibility in this regard than chimpanzees and were also the only species in which multimodal communication (i.e., combinations of gestures and facial/vocal signals) added to behavioral impact on the recipient. PMID:17470779

Communication variations related to leader personality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kanki, Barbara G.; Palmer, Mark T.; Veinott, Elizabeth S.

1991-01-01

While communication and captain personality type have been separately shown to relate to overall crew performance, this study attempts to establish a link between communication and personality among 12 crews whose captains represent three pre-selected personality profiles (IE+, I-, Ec-). Results from analyzing transcribed speech from one leg of a full-mission simulation study, so far indicate several discriminating patterns involving ratios of total initiating speech (captain to crew members); in particular commands, questions and observations.

Impact of case-relevant and case-irrelevant communication within the surgical team on surgical-site infection.

PubMed

Tschan, F; Seelandt, J C; Keller, S; Semmer, N K; Kurmann, A; Candinas, D; Beldi, G

2015-12-01

Surgical-site infections (SSIs) are the most common complications after surgery. An influence from talking and distractions during surgery on patient outcomes has been suggested, but there is limited evidence. The aim of this prospective observational study was to assess the relationship between intraoperative communication within the surgical team and SSI, and between intraoperative distractions and SSI. This prospective observational study included patients undergoing elective, open abdominal procedures. For each procedure, intraoperative case-relevant and case-irrelevant communication, and intraoperative distractions were observed continuously on site. The influence of communication and distractions on SSI after surgery was assessed using logistic regressions, adjusting for risk factors. A total of 167 observed procedures were analysed; their mean(s.d.) duration was 4·6(2·1) h. A total of 24 SSIs (14·4 per cent) were diagnosed. Case-relevant communication during the procedure was independently associated with a reduced incidence of organ/space SSI (propensity score-adjusted odds ratio 0·86, 95 per cent c.i. 0·77 to 0·97; P = 0·014). Case-irrelevant communication during the closing phase of the procedure was independently associated with increased incidence of incisional SSI (propensity score-adjusted odds ratio 1·29, 1·08 to 1·55; P = 0·006). Distractions had no association with SSI. More case-relevant communication was associated with fewer organ/space SSIs, and more case-irrelevant communication during wound closure was associated with incisional SSI. © 2015 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Inconsistencies among European Union Pharmaceutical Regulator Safety Communications: A Cross-Country Comparison

PubMed Central

Zeitoun, Jean-David; Lefèvre, Jérémie H.; Downing, Nicholas; Bergeron, Henri; Ross, Joseph S.

2014-01-01

Background The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and national regulators share the responsibility to communicate to healthcare providers postmarketing safety events but little is known about the consistency of this process. We aimed to compare public availability of safety-related communications and drug withdrawals from the EMA and European Union member countries for novel medicines. Methods and Findings We performed a cross-sectional analysis using public Dear Healthcare Professional Communications (DHPCs) for all novel medicines authorized between 2001 and 2010 by the EMA and available for use in France, Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Between 2001 and 2010, the EMA approved 185 novel medicines. DHPCs could not be ascertained for the EMA. Among the 4 national regulators, as of April 30, 2013, at least one safety DHPC or withdrawal occurred for 53 (28.6%) medicines, totaling 90 DHPCs and 5 withdrawals. Among these 53 medicines, all 4 national agencies issued at least one communication for 17 (32.1%), three of the four for 25 (47.2%), two of the four for 6 (11.3%), and one of the four for 5 (9.4%). Five drugs were reported to be withdrawn, three by all four countries, one by three and one by two. Among the 95 DHPCs and withdrawals, 20 (21.1%) were issued by all 4 national regulators, 37 (38.9%) by 3 of the 4, 22 (23.2%) by 2 of the 4, and 16 (16.8%) by one. Consistency of making publicly available all identified safety DHPC or withdrawal across regulator pairs varied from 33% to 73% agreement. Conclusions Safety communications were not made publicly available by the EMA. Among the 4 European member countries with national regulators that make DHPCs publicly available since at least 2001, there were substantial inconsistencies in safety communications for novel medicines. The impact of those inconsistencies in terms of public health remains to be determined. PMID:25333986

The Use of Communication Apps by Medical Staff in the Australian Health Care System: Survey Study on Prevalence and Use

PubMed Central

Wickramasinghe, Nilmini; Claydon-Platt, Damian; Balakrishnan, Vikram; Smart, Philip

2018-01-01

Background The use of communication apps on mobile phones offers an efficient, unobtrusive, and portable mode of communication for medical staff. The potential enhancements in patient care and education appear significant, with clinical details able to be shared quickly within multidisciplinary teams, supporting rapid integration of disparate information, and more efficient patient care. However, sharing patient data in this way also raises legal and ethical issues. No data is currently available demonstrating how widespread the use of these apps are, doctor’s attitudes towards them, or what guides clinician choice of app. Objective The objective of this study was to quantify and qualify the use of communication apps among medical staff in clinical situations, their role in patient care, and knowledge and attitudes towards safety, key benefits, potential disadvantages, and policy implications. Methods Medical staff in hospitals across Victoria (Australia) were invited to participate in an anonymous 33-question survey. The survey collected data on respondent’s demographics, their use of communication apps in clinical settings, attitudes towards communication apps, perceptions of data “safety,” and why one communication app was chosen over others. Results Communication apps in Victorian hospitals are in widespread use from students to consultants, with WhatsApp being the primary app used. The median number of messages shared per day was 12, encompassing a range of patient information. All respondents viewed these apps positively in quickly communicating patient information in a clinical setting; however, all had concerns about the privacy implications arising from sharing patient information in this way. In total, 67% (60/90) considered patient data “moderately safe” on these apps, and 50% (46/90) were concerned the use of these apps was inconsistent with current legislation and policy. Apps were more likely to be used if they were fast, easy to use, had an easy login process, and were already in widespread use. Conclusions Communication app use by medical personnel in Victorian hospitals is pervasive. These apps contribute to enhanced communication between medical staff, but their use raises compliance issues, most notably with Australian privacy legislation. Development of privacy-compliant apps such as MedX needs to prioritize a user-friendly interface and market the product as a privacy-compliant comparator to apps previously adapted to health care settings. PMID:29426813

Development and psychometric testing of a scale assessing the sharing of medical information and interprofessional communication: the CSI scale

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Interprofessional collaboration is essential in creating a safer patient environment. It includes the need to develop communication and coordination between professionals, implying a better sharing of medical information. Several questionnaires exist in the literature, but none of them have been developed in the French context. The objective was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the communication and sharing information (CSI) scale which assesses specifically interprofessional communication, especially the sharing of medical information and the effectiveness of communication between members of the team. Methods The questionnaire construction process used a literature review and involved a panel of voluntary professionals. A list of 32 items explored the quality of shared information delivered to patients and the effectiveness of interprofessional communication. The study was conducted in 16 voluntary units in a University Hospital (France), which included medical, surgical, obstetrics, intensive care, pediatrics, oncology and rehabilitation care. The scale-development process comprised an exploratory principal component analysis, Cronbach’s α-coefficients and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results From these 16 units, a total of 503 health professionals took part in the study. Among them, 23.9% were physicians (n = 120), 43.9% nurses (n = 221) and 32.2% nurse assistants (n = 162). The validated questionnaire comprised 13 items and 3 dimensions relative to “the sharing of medical information” (5 items), “communication between physicians” (4 items) and “communication between nurses and nurse assistants” (4 items). The 3 dimensions accounted for 63.7% of the variance of the final questionnaire. Their respective Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.80, 0.87 and 0.81. SEM confirmed the existence of the 3 latent dimensions but the best characteristics were obtained with a hierarchical model including the three latent factors and a global “communication between healthcare professionals” latent factor, bringing the 8 items linked to communication together. All the structural coefficients were highly significant (P < 0.001). Conclusions This self-perception CSI scale assessing several facets of interprofessional communication is the first one developed in the French context. The development study exhibited excellent psychometric properties. Further psychometric analysis is needed to establish test-retest reliability, sensibility to change and concurrent validity. PMID:24625318

A Systematic Review of Healthcare Applications for Smartphones

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Advanced mobile communications and portable computation are now combined in handheld devices called “smartphones”, which are also capable of running third-party software. The number of smartphone users is growing rapidly, including among healthcare professionals. The purpose of this study was to classify smartphone-based healthcare technologies as discussed in academic literature according to their functionalities, and summarize articles in each category. Methods In April 2011, MEDLINE was searched to identify articles that discussed the design, development, evaluation, or use of smartphone-based software for healthcare professionals, medical or nursing students, or patients. A total of 55 articles discussing 83 applications were selected for this study from 2,894 articles initially obtained from the MEDLINE searches. Results A total of 83 applications were documented: 57 applications for healthcare professionals focusing on disease diagnosis (21), drug reference (6), medical calculators (8), literature search (6), clinical communication (3), Hospital Information System (HIS) client applications (4), medical training (2) and general healthcare applications (7); 11 applications for medical or nursing students focusing on medical education; and 15 applications for patients focusing on disease management with chronic illness (6), ENT-related (4), fall-related (3), and two other conditions (2). The disease diagnosis, drug reference, and medical calculator applications were reported as most useful by healthcare professionals and medical or nursing students. Conclusions Many medical applications for smartphones have been developed and widely used by health professionals and patients. The use of smartphones is getting more attention in healthcare day by day. Medical applications make smartphones useful tools in the practice of evidence-based medicine at the point of care, in addition to their use in mobile clinical communication. Also, smartphones can play a very important role in patient education, disease self-management, and remote monitoring of patients. PMID:22781312

Indications of Free Grafts in Mandibular Reconstruction, after Removing Benign Tumors: Treatment Algorithm

PubMed Central

Alister, Juan Pablo; Uribe, Francisca; Olate, Sergio; Arriagada, Alvaro

2016-01-01

Background: Mandibular reconstruction has been the subject of much debate and research in the fields of maxillofacial surgery and head and neck surgery. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study was undertaken with 14 patients diagnosed with benign tumorous pathologies and who underwent immediate mandibular resection and reconstruction at the Hospital del Salvador Maxillofacial Surgery Unit and Dr. Rodrigo Fariña’s private clinic between the years 2002 and 2012. We propose a treatment algorithm, which is previous teeth extractions in area that will be removed. Results: Fourteen patients underwent surgery, and a total of 40 dental implants were installed in 6 men and 8 women, the mean age of 33.5 (age range, 14–58 y). Reconstruction with iliac crest bone graft, and rehabilitation following this protocol (average of reconstruction was 8.7 cm), was successful with no complications at all in 12 patients. One patient had a minor complication, and the graft was partially reabsorbed because of communication of the graft with the oral cavity. This complication did not impede rehabilitation with dental implants. Another patient suffered the total loss of the graft due to infection because of dehiscence of oral mucosa and great communication with the mouth. Another iliac crest free graft reconstruction was undertaken 6 months later. Conclusions: The scientific evidence suggests that mandibular reconstruction using free grafts following the removal of benign tumors is a biologically sustainable alternative. The critical factor to improve the prognosis of free grafts reconstruction in benign tumors is to have good quality soft tissue and avoid communication with the oral cavity. For this, it is vital to do dental extractions before removing the tumor. PMID:27622113

Impact of Prominent Themes in Clinician-Patient Conversations on Caregiver’s Perceived Quality of Communication with Paediatric Dental Visits

PubMed Central

Bridges, Susan Margaret; McGrath, Colman Patrick; Yiu, Cynthia Kar Yung; Zayts, Olga A.; Au, Terry Kit Fong

2017-01-01

Patients’ perceived satisfaction is a key performance index of the quality health care service. Good communication has been found to increase patient’s perceived satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the prominent themes arising from clinician-patient conversations on the caregiver’s perceived quality of communication during paediatric dental visits. 162 video recordings of clinical dental consultations for 62 cases attending the Paediatric Dentistry Clinic of The Prince Philip Dental Hospital in Hong Kong were captured and transcribed. The patients’ demographic information and the caregiver’s perceived quality of communication with the clinicians were recorded using the 16-item Dental Patient Feedback on Consultation skills questionnaires. Visual text analytics (Leximancer™) indicated five prominent themes ‘disease / treatment’, ‘treatment procedure related instructions’, ‘preparation for examination’, ‘positive reinforcement / reassurance’, and ‘family / social history’ from the clinician-patient conversation of the recorded videos, with 60.2% of the total variance in concept words in this study explained through principal components analysis. Significant variation in perceived quality of communication was noted in five variables regarding the prominent theme ‘Positive reinforcement / reassurance’: ‘number of related words’ (p = 0.002), ‘number of related utterances’ (p = 0.001), ‘percentage of the related words in total number of words’ (p = 0.005), ‘percentage of the related utterances in total number of utterances’ (p = 0.035) and ‘percentage of time spent in total time duration’ (p = 0.023). Clinicians were perceived to be more patient-centered and empathetic if a larger proportion of their conversation showed positive reinforcement and reassurance via using related key words. Care-giver’s involvement, such as clinicians’ mention of the parent, was also seen as critical to perceptions of quality clinical experience. The study reveals the potential of the application of visual text analytics software in clinical consultations with implications for professional development regarding clinicians’ communication skills for improving patients’ clinical experiences and treatment satisfaction. PMID:28046044

Investigating skin-to-skin care patterns with extremely preterm infants in the NICU and their effect on early cognitive and communication performance: a retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Gonya, Jenn; Ray, William C; Rumpf, R Wolfgang; Brock, Guy

2017-03-20

The primary objective of the study was to investigate how patterns of skin-to-skin care might impact infant early cognitive and communication performance. This was a retrospective cohort study. This study took place in a level-IV all-referral neonatal intensive care unit in the Midwest USA specialising in the care of extremely preterm infants. Data were collected from the electronic medical records of all extremely preterm infants (gestational age <27 weeks) admitted to the unit during 2010-2011 and who completed 6-month and 12-month developmental assessments in the follow-up clinic (n=97). Outcome measures included the cognitive and communication subscales of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III); and skin-to-skin patterns including: total hours of maternal and paternal participation throughout hospitalisation, total duration in weeks and frequency (hours per week). Extracted data were analysed through a multistep process of logistic regressions, t-tests, χ 2 tests and Fisher's exact tests followed with exploratory network analysis using novel visual analytic software. Infants who received above the sample median in total hours, weekly frequency and total hours from mothers and fathers of skin-to-skin care were more likely to score ≥80 on the cognitive and communication scales of the Bayley-III. However, the results were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Mothers provided the majority of skin-to-skin care with a sharp decline at 30 weeks corrected age, regardless of when extremely preterm infants were admitted. Additional exploratory network analysis suggests that medical and skin-to-skin factors play a parallel, non-synergistic role in contributing to early cognitive and communication performance as assessed through the Bayley-III. This study suggests an association between early and frequent skin-to-skin care with extremely preterm infants and early cognitive and communication performance. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Communicating the Uncertainty in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milne, Alice; Glendining, Margaret; Perryman, Sarah; Whitmore, Andy

2014-05-01

Effective communication of the uncertainty in estimates of greenhouse gas emissions is important. It allows an individual, whether they are a scientist, policy maker or member of the public, to draw proper conclusions and so make sound decisions. Communicating uncertainty is challenging, however. There is no single best method for communicating uncertainty and the success of a particular method will depend on the subject matter and the target audience. Our interest is in communicating the uncertainty in estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture to those who might directly use the results from a national inventory. We tested six methods of communication. These were: calibrated phrases such as 'very uncertain' and 'likely'; probabilities, whereby the probability of being within a defined range of values is given; confidence intervals for the expected value; histograms; box plots and shaded arrays. We asked 64 individuals who use results from the greenhouse gas inventory for their opinions on how successfully these methods communicated uncertainty. We analysed the results to see which methods were preferred and to see whether this preference was affected either by the professional group to which individuals belonged or the level of mathematics to which they were educated. The professional groups represented in our study were categorised as (i) those who influence policy (ii) research scientists (iii) those representing the environment and (iv) those representing the agricultural industry. The responses to our questionnaire were varied but some clear messages came through. Our analysis showed that although calibrated phrases were thought to be a good method of communication they did not convey enough information and were open to misinterpretation. Shaded arrays were similarly criticized for being open to misinterpretation, but proved to give the best indication of uncertainty when individuals were asked to interpret results from the greenhouse gas inventory. Box plots were favoured by a majority of our participants but this result was driven by those with a better understanding of maths. We concluded that the methods chosen to communicate uncertainty in greenhouse gas emissions should be influenced by professional and mathematical background of the end-user. We propose that boxplots annotated with summary statistics such as mean, median, 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles provide a sound method for communicating uncertainty to research scientists as these individuals tend to be familiar with these methods. End-users from other groups may not be so familiar with these methods and so a combination of intuitive methods such as calibrated phrases and shaded arrays with numerate methods would be better suited. Ideally these individuals should be presented with the intuitive qualitative methods with the option to consider a more quantitative description, perhaps presented in an appendix.

Algorithm for Cosmic Noise Suppression in Free Space Optical Communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuvaraj, George; Himani Sharma, Goyal, Dr.

2017-08-01

This article describes an algorithm to reduce cosmic noise in free space optical communication system. This method is intended to increase communication system’s performance and to increase the sustainability of the communication system by means of image processing technique. Apart from these, methods employed in testing the model are also presented for the communication system that uses either terrestrial or extraterrestrial medium to propagate message using optics or visible light without considering environmental impact that is turbulence, atmospheric absorption, beam dispersion and light intensity on its performance.

Augmentative Communication with Computer Assist.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinzer, Gay

To provide a communication method for children who are non-verbal due to hearing impairments, brain damage, or malformed oral structures, sign language and language boards have been utilized. However, these methods have limitations, and alternate means of communication have been explored. An Apple 2E computer with an echo speech synthesizer was…

The communicative construction of safety in wildland firefighting

Treesearch

Jody Jahn; Linda L. Putnam; Anne E. Black

2012-01-01

This document is a summary of a mixed methods dissertation that examined the communicative construction of safety in wildland firefighting. For the dissertation, I used a two-study mixed methods approach, examining the communicative accomplishment of safety from two perspectives: high reliability organizing (Weick, Sutcliffe, & Obstfeld, 1999), and safety climate (...

What Do Undergraduate Students Know about Scholarly Communication? A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riehle, Catherine Fraser; Hensley, Merinda Kaye

2017-01-01

Amid movements that recognize undergraduate students as knowledge creators, transformative work is being done at the intersection of information literacy and scholarly communication. Absent from the literature so far is research related to students' perception and understanding of scholarly communication. This paper reports a mixed methods study…

Undergraduate Instruction in Empirical Research Methods in Communication: Assessment and Recommendations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parks, Malcolm R.; Faw, Meara; Goldsmith, Daena

2011-01-01

This study assesses the current state of undergraduate instruction in empirical research methods in communication and offers recommendations for enhancing such instruction. Responses to an online questionnaire were received from 149 communication-related programs at four-year colleges and universities. Just over 85% of responding programs offered…

47 CFR 11.47 - Optional use of other communications methods and systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) Analog and digital broadcast stations may additionally transmit EAS messages through other communications... providers, such as low earth orbiting satellites, that wish to participate in the EAS may contact the FCC's... 47 Telecommunication 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Optional use of other communications methods...

47 CFR 11.47 - Optional use of other communications methods and systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) Analog and digital broadcast stations may additionally transmit EAS messages through other communications... providers, such as low earth orbiting satellites, that wish to participate in the EAS may contact the FCC's... 47 Telecommunication 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Optional use of other communications methods...

47 CFR 11.47 - Optional use of other communications methods and systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) Analog and digital broadcast stations may additionally transmit EAS messages through other communications... providers, such as low earth orbiting satellites, that wish to participate in the EAS may contact the FCC's... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Optional use of other communications methods...

47 CFR 11.47 - Optional use of other communications methods and systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) Analog and digital broadcast stations may additionally transmit EAS messages through other communications... providers, such as low earth orbiting satellites, that wish to participate in the EAS may contact the FCC's... 47 Telecommunication 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Optional use of other communications methods...

47 CFR 11.47 - Optional use of other communications methods and systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) Analog and digital broadcast stations may additionally transmit EAS messages through other communications... providers, such as low earth orbiting satellites, that wish to participate in the EAS may contact the FCC's... 47 Telecommunication 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Optional use of other communications methods...

Teacher Assessment and Nonverbal Communication: The State of the Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willett, Tom H.

Assuming that teacher effectiveness and nonverbal communication are interrelated, an analysis of nonverbal communication and teacher assessment of nonverbal action is appropriate. A review of the literature indicates that nonverbal behaviors may be examined by the impressionistic and the quantitative methods. Each of these methods generates…

Mixing Methods in Instructional Research. Forum: The Future of Instructional Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meluch, Andrea L.

2017-01-01

"Communication Education's" commitment to publishing rigorous instructional communication research with a diversity of methods is clear in its publication of quantitative, qualitative, and critical articles (Witt, 2012). Here, Andrea Meluch argues that the trends in the most recent research published within this journal indicate a lack…

Integrating design science theory and methods to improve the development and evaluation of health communication programs.

PubMed

Neuhauser, Linda; Kreps, Gary L

2014-12-01

Traditional communication theory and research methods provide valuable guidance about designing and evaluating health communication programs. However, efforts to use health communication programs to educate, motivate, and support people to adopt healthy behaviors often fail to meet the desired goals. One reason for this failure is that health promotion issues are complex, changeable, and highly related to the specific needs and contexts of the intended audiences. It is a daunting challenge to effectively influence health behaviors, particularly culturally learned and reinforced behaviors concerning lifestyle factors related to diet, exercise, and substance (such as alcohol and tobacco) use. Too often, program development and evaluation are not adequately linked to provide rapid feedback to health communication program developers so that important revisions can be made to design the most relevant and personally motivating health communication programs for specific audiences. Design science theory and methods commonly used in engineering, computer science, and other fields can address such program and evaluation weaknesses. Design science researchers study human-created programs using tightly connected build-and-evaluate loops in which they use intensive participatory methods to understand problems and develop solutions concurrently and throughout the duration of the program. Such thinking and strategies are especially relevant to address complex health communication issues. In this article, the authors explore the history, scientific foundation, methods, and applications of design science and its potential to enhance health communication programs and their evaluation.

Evaluation of the communication quality of free-space laser communication based on the power-in-the-bucket method.

PubMed

Yin, Xianghui; Wang, Rui; Wang, Shaoxin; Wang, Yukun; Jin, Chengbin; Cao, Zhaoliang; Xuan, Li

2018-02-01

Atmospheric turbulence seriously affects the quality of free-space laser communication. The Strehl ratio (SR) is used to evaluate the effect of atmospheric turbulence on the receiving energy of free-space laser communication systems. However, the SR method does not consider the area of the laser-receiving end face. In this study, the power-in-the-bucket (PIB) method is demonstrated to accurately evaluate the effect of turbulence on the receiving energy. A theoretical equation is first obtained to calculate PIB. Simulated and experimental validations are then performed to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical equation. This work may provide effective guidance for the design and evaluation of free-space laser communication systems.

Research on social communication network evolution based on topology potential distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Dongjie; Jiang, Jian; Li, Deyi; Zhang, Haisu; Chen, Guisheng

2011-12-01

Aiming at the problem of social communication network evolution, first, topology potential is introduced to measure the local influence among nodes in networks. Second, from the perspective of topology potential distribution the method of network evolution description based on topology potential distribution is presented, which takes the artificial intelligence with uncertainty as basic theory and local influence among nodes as essentiality. Then, a social communication network is constructed by enron email dataset, the method presented is used to analyze the characteristic of the social communication network evolution and some useful conclusions are got, implying that the method is effective, which shows that topology potential distribution can effectively describe the characteristic of sociology and detect the local changes in social communication network.

To what extent does the Health Professions Admission Test-Ireland predict performance in early undergraduate tests of communication and clinical skills? An observational cohort study.

PubMed

Kelly, Maureen E; Regan, Daniel; Dunne, Fidelma; Henn, Patrick; Newell, John; O'Flynn, Siun

2013-05-10

Internationally, tests of general mental ability are used in the selection of medical students. Examples include the Medical College Admission Test, Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test and the UK Clinical Aptitude Test. The most widely used measure of their efficacy is predictive validity.A new tool, the Health Professions Admission Test- Ireland (HPAT-Ireland), was introduced in 2009. Traditionally, selection to Irish undergraduate medical schools relied on academic achievement. Since 2009, Irish and EU applicants are selected on a combination of their secondary school academic record (measured predominately by the Leaving Certificate Examination) and HPAT-Ireland score. This is the first study to report on the predictive validity of the HPAT-Ireland for early undergraduate assessments of communication and clinical skills. Students enrolled at two Irish medical schools in 2009 were followed up for two years. Data collected were gender, HPAT-Ireland total and subsection scores; Leaving Certificate Examination plus HPAT-Ireland combined score, Year 1 Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores (Total score, communication and clinical subtest scores), Year 1 Multiple Choice Questions and Year 2 OSCE and subset scores. We report descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and Multiple linear regression models. Data were available for 312 students. In Year 1 none of the selection criteria were significantly related to student OSCE performance. The Leaving Certificate Examination and Leaving Certificate plus HPAT-Ireland combined scores correlated with MCQ marks.In Year 2 a series of significant correlations emerged between the HPAT-Ireland and subsections thereof with OSCE Communication Z-scores; OSCE Clinical Z-scores; and Total OSCE Z-scores. However on multiple regression only the relationship between Total OSCE Score and the Total HPAT-Ireland score remained significant; albeit the predictive power was modest. We found that none of our selection criteria strongly predict clinical and communication skills. The HPAT- Ireland appears to measures ability in domains different to those assessed by the Leaving Certificate Examination. While some significant associations did emerge in Year 2 between HPAT Ireland and total OSCE scores further evaluation is required to establish if this pattern continues during the senior years of the medical course.

2 CFR 1125.437 - What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false What method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB guidance at 2 CFR 180.435? 1125.437 Section 1125.437 Grants... method do I use to communicate to a participant the requirements described in the OMB guidance at 2 CFR...

A comparison of the cooperative learning and traditional learning methods in theory classes on nursing students' communication skill with patients at clinical settings.

PubMed

Baghcheghi, Nayereh; Koohestani, Hamid Reza; Rezaei, Koresh

2011-11-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of traditional learning and cooperative learning methods on nursing students' communication skill with patients. This was an experimental study in which 34 nursing students in their 2nd semester of program participated. They were divided randomly into two groups, a control group who were taught their medical/surgical nursing course by traditional learning method and an experimental group, who were taught the same material using cooperative learning method. Before and after the teaching intervention, the students' communication skills with patients at clinical settings were examined. The results showed that no significant difference between the two groups in students' communication skills scores before the teaching intervention, but did show a significant difference between the two groups in the interaction skills and problem follow up sub-scales scores after the teaching intervention. This study provides evidence that cooperative learning is an effective method for improving and increasing communication skills of nursing students especially in interactive skills and follow up the problems sub-scale, thereby it is recommended to increase nursing students' participation in arguments by applying active teaching methods which can provide the opportunity for increased communication skills. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of FDA drug recalls: A 30-month analysis.

PubMed

Hall, Kelsey; Stewart, Tyler; Chang, Jongwha; Freeman, Maisha Kelly

2016-02-15

The characteristics of drug recalls issued over 30 months by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were analyzed. All FDA-issued recalls for drugs (prescription and nonprescription, including dietary supplements) and biological products issued from June 20, 2012, to December 31, 2014, were included in this retrospective analysis. Data for all drug recalls were downloaded and sorted by the inclusion criteria from weekly FDA enforcement reports. The following data were analyzed: product type, recall firm, type of recall firm (compounding or noncompounding), country, voluntary or involuntary recall, method of communication of recall, recall number, FDA recall classification (class I, II, or III), product availability (prescription or nonprescription), reason for recall, recall initiation date, and recall report date. A total of 21,120 products were recalled during the 30-month study period. Of these, 3,045 drug products (14.4%) met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. A total of 348 total manufacturers were associated with recalled drug products. The 5 firms most frequently involved in recalls accounted for 299, 273, 212, 118, and 112 recalls. The most common reasons for recalls were contamination, mislabeling, adverse reaction, defective product, and incorrect potency. There was a significant association between FDA recall classification and the following outcomes: reasons for recall, product availability, type of recall firm, and form of communication. An investigation of FDA drug recalls revealed that the five most common recall reasons were contamination, mislabeling, adverse reaction, defective product, and incorrect potency. Compounding firms were associated more frequently with contamination than were noncompounding firms. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

New Method for Knowledge Management Focused on Communication Pattern in Product Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noguchi, Takashi; Shiba, Hajime

In the field of manufacturing, the importance of utilizing knowledge and know-how has been growing. To meet this background, there is a need for new methods to efficiently accumulate and extract effective knowledge and know-how. To facilitate the extraction of knowledge and know-how needed by engineers, we first defined business process information which includes schedule/progress information, document data, information about communication among parties concerned, and information which corresponds to these three types of information. Based on our definitions, we proposed an IT system (FlexPIM: Flexible and collaborative Process Information Management) to register and accumulate business process information with the least effort. In order to efficiently extract effective information from huge volumes of accumulated business process information, focusing attention on “actions” and communication patterns, we propose a new extraction method using communication patterns. And the validity of this method has been verified for some communication patterns.

A Content Analysis of Health and Safety Communications Among Internet-Based Sex Work Advertisements: Important Information for Public Health

PubMed Central

Atchison, Chris

2017-01-01

Background The capacity to advertise via the Internet continues to contribute to the shifting dynamics in adult commercial sex work. eHealth interventions have shown promise to promote Internet-based sex workers’ health and safety internationally, yet minimal attention has been paid in Canada to developing such interventions. Understanding the information communicated in Internet-based sex work advertisements is a critical step in knowledge development to inform such interventions. Objective The purpose of this content analysis was to increase our understanding of the health and safety information within the Internet advertisements among women, men, and transgender sex workers and to describe how this information may be utilized to inform eHealth service development for this population. Methods A total of 75 Internet-based sex worker advertisements (45 women, 24 men, and 6 transgender persons) were purposefully selected from 226 advertisements collected as part of a larger study in Western Canada. Content analysis was employed to guide data extraction about demographic characteristics, sexual services provided, service restrictions, health practices and concerns, safety and security, and business practices. Frequencies for each variable were calculated and further classified by gender. Thematic analysis was then undertaken to situate the communications within the social and commercialized contexts of the sex industry. Results Four communications themes were identified: (1) demographic characteristics; (2) sexual services; (3) health; and (4) safety and security. White was the most common ethnicity (46/75, 61%) of advertisements. It was found that 20-29 years of age accounted for 32 of the 51 advertisements that provided age. Escort, the only legal business title, was the most common role title used (48/75, 64%). In total, 85% (64/75) of advertisements detailed lists of sexual services provided and 41% (31/75) of advertisements noted never offering uncovered services (ie, no condom). Gender and the type of Web-based platform mattered for information communicated. It was found that 35 of the 45 women’s advertisements were situated in personal websites and hosted details about nonsexual aspects of an appointment. Men and transworkers used Internet classified advertisement platforms with predetermined categories. Communications about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) occurred in only 16% (12/75) of advertisements with men accounting for 7. Women’s advertisements accounted for 26 of the 37 advertisements noting safety restrictions. Zero men or transpersons restricted alcohol or drug use. In total, 75% (56/75) of advertisements offered out-call services and the average minimal hourly rate ranged from Can $140/h to Can $200/h. Conclusions The study findings contribute to understandings about the diverse platforms used in commercial sex advertisements, and how sex workers frame information for potential clients. This information affords health care providers and policy makers insights to how they might assist with promoting the health of Internet-based sex workers and their clients. PMID:28408364

A Formal Approach to the Selection by Minimum Error and Pattern Method for Sensor Data Loss Reduction in Unstable Wireless Sensor Network Communications

PubMed Central

Kim, Changhwa; Shin, DongHyun

2017-01-01

There are wireless networks in which typically communications are unsafe. Most terrestrial wireless sensor networks belong to this category of networks. Another example of an unsafe communication network is an underwater acoustic sensor network (UWASN). In UWASNs in particular, communication failures occur frequently and the failure durations can range from seconds up to a few hours, days, or even weeks. These communication failures can cause data losses significant enough to seriously damage human life or property, depending on their application areas. In this paper, we propose a framework to reduce sensor data loss during communication failures and we present a formal approach to the Selection by Minimum Error and Pattern (SMEP) method that plays the most important role for the reduction in sensor data loss under the proposed framework. The SMEP method is compared with other methods to validate its effectiveness through experiments using real-field sensor data sets. Moreover, based on our experimental results and performance comparisons, the SMEP method has been validated to be better than others in terms of the average sensor data value error rate caused by sensor data loss. PMID:28498312

A Formal Approach to the Selection by Minimum Error and Pattern Method for Sensor Data Loss Reduction in Unstable Wireless Sensor Network Communications.

PubMed

Kim, Changhwa; Shin, DongHyun

2017-05-12

There are wireless networks in which typically communications are unsafe. Most terrestrial wireless sensor networks belong to this category of networks. Another example of an unsafe communication network is an underwater acoustic sensor network (UWASN). In UWASNs in particular, communication failures occur frequently and the failure durations can range from seconds up to a few hours, days, or even weeks. These communication failures can cause data losses significant enough to seriously damage human life or property, depending on their application areas. In this paper, we propose a framework to reduce sensor data loss during communication failures and we present a formal approach to the Selection by Minimum Error and Pattern (SMEP) method that plays the most important role for the reduction in sensor data loss under the proposed framework. The SMEP method is compared with other methods to validate its effectiveness through experiments using real-field sensor data sets. Moreover, based on our experimental results and performance comparisons, the SMEP method has been validated to be better than others in terms of the average sensor data value error rate caused by sensor data loss.

Leader communication styles and organizational health.

PubMed

Hicks, Joel M

2011-01-01

Communication is perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing managers and leaders today. Clearly articulating ideas and expectations to employees is vital to the productivity and the longevity of an organization. Furthermore, the style in which the communication is delivered has an influence on the satisfaction levels of employees. Research has discovered that there are many different styles in which a leader may communicate with employees. Research has provided several methods that aid in determining which style is the most appropriate for any given circumstance. Research has demonstrated how appropriate and effective communication is used to promote organizational health. Furthermore, research has demonstrated how inappropriate communication may decrease employee satisfaction. Finally, research has provided methods to aid in improving communication styles and delivery.

Speech Intelligibility of Profoundly Deaf Pediatric Hearing Aid Users.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Svirsky, Mario A.; Chin, Steven B.; Miyamoto, Richard T.; Sloan, Robert B.; Caldwell, Matthew D.

2000-01-01

A study examined the speech intelligibility of children (ages 1-15) with deafness who use hearing aids. Data revealed a strong significant trend toward higher intelligibility for children with more residual hearing, and a significant trend toward higher intelligibility for users of oral communication than those using total communication. (Contains…

The Use of Microcomputers in the Treatment of Cognitive-Communicative Impairments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Story, Tamara B.; Sbordone, Robert J.

1988-01-01

The use of microcomputer-assisted therapy as part of the total rehabilitation plan for brain-injured individuals with cognitive-communicative impairments is addressed. Design of effective computer-assisted remediation requires a careful decision-making process. Specific types of software are suggested for dealing with deficits in organization,…

An Empirical Assessment of the Communication Components Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keaton, Shaughan A.; Bodie, Graham D.

2012-01-01

This article attempts to demonstrate the psychometric properties and evidence of validity for a measure recently proposed in this journal, the Communication Components Inventory (CCI). Across two studies, a total of 903 undergraduate students completed one of the two response formats--dichotomous and scaled--of the CCI and the Multiple…

The Role of the Limbic System in Human Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamendella, John T.

Linguistics has chosen as its niche the language component of human communication and, naturally enough, the neurolinguist has concentrated on lateralized language systems of the cerebral hemispheres. However, decoding a speaker's total message requires attention to gestures, facial expressions, and prosodic features, as well as other somatic and…

Symbolization Levels in Communicative Behaviors of Children Showing Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atlas, Jeffrey A.; Lapidus, Leah Blumberg

1988-01-01

A total of 48 children (aged 4-14) with severe pervasive developmental disturbance, exhibiting mutism, echolalia, or nonecholalic speech, were observed in their communicative behaviors across modalities. Levels of symbolization in gesture, play, and drawing were significantly intercorrelated and were most strongly correlated with the criterion…

Communication Privacy Disclosure Management: An Empirical Study of Socialization Support in a Pseudo-Online Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heo, Misook

2011-01-01

This study investigated the boundaries of online learners' information disclosure, relationship building, interpersonal integration, and motivation by drawing upon the theoretical frameworks of the social information processing and communication privacy management theories and the hyperpersonal model. A total of 103 students from a higher…

Guidelines for Communication Arts: K-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1971

These guidelines are part of a total curricular program K-12 developed for use in the elementary and secondary schools of the Diocese of Cleveland. Objectives for the study of the communication arts in these grades are listed as follows: (1) Listening with attention, discrimination, and empathy, (2) Viewing with perception, discrimination, and…

Wireless device monitoring systems and monitoring devices, and associated methods

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

McCown, Steven H; Derr, Kurt W; Rohde, Kenneth W

Wireless device monitoring systems and monitoring devices include a communications module for receiving wireless communications of a wireless device. Processing circuitry is coupled with the communications module and configured to process the wireless communications to determine whether the wireless device is authorized or unauthorized to be present at the monitored area based on identification information of the wireless device. Methods of monitoring for the presence and identity of wireless devices are also provided.

A mixed-methods examination of communication between oncologists and primary care providers among primary care physicians in underserved communities.

PubMed

Shen, Megan Johnson; Binz-Scharf, Maria; D'Agostino, Tom; Blakeney, Natasha; Weiss, Elisa; Michaels, Margo; Patel, Shilpa; McKee, M Diane; Bylund, Carma L

2015-03-15

Research has demonstrated that communication and care coordination improve cancer patient outcomes. To improve communication and care coordination, it is important to understand primary care providers' (PCPs') perceptions of communication with oncologists as well as PCPs' communication needs. A mixed-methods approach was used in the present study. In the qualitative phase of the study, 18 PCPs practicing in underserved, minority communities were interviewed about their experiences communicating with oncologists. In the quantitative phase of the study, 128 PCPs completed an online survey about their preferences, experiences, and satisfaction with communication with oncologists. Results indicated a PCP-oncologist gap in communication occurred between diagnosis and treatment. PCPs wanted more communication with oncologists, updates on their patients' prognosis throughout treatment, and to be contacted via telephone or email and saw their role as crucial in providing supportive care for their patients. Although PCPs recognize that they play a critical, proactive role in supporting patients throughout the continuum of their cancer care experience, existing norms regarding postreferral engagement and oncologist-PCP communication often hinder activation of this role among PCPs. Expected standards regarding the method, frequency, and quality of postreferral communication should be jointly articulated and made accountable between PCPs and oncologists to help improve cancer patients' quality of care, particularly in minority communities. © 2014 American Cancer Society.

Audits Can Add Panache to Your Communication Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banach, William J.

1982-01-01

Suggests that school systems "audit" their communication system to assess their communication needs. Provides two tests that audit a school system's environment and its community. The test results indicate whether the system's communication program should emphasize formal or informal communication methods. (RW)

The effects of method of presenting health plan information on HMO enrollment by Medicaid beneficiaries.

PubMed Central

Andrews, R M; Curbow, B A; Owen, E; Burke, A

1989-01-01

Marketing strategies are critical for enhancing HMO enrollments among Medicaid beneficiaries when they are provided a choice of health plans. This study examined one component of marketing HMOs--the method of communicating the HMO's attributes. The purpose of the analysis was to determine if characteristics of Medicaid beneficiaries who enroll in HMOs vary by method of communicating information about health plan options. Data were analyzed from the marketing component of California's Prepaid Health Research, Evaluation, and Demonstration (PHRED) project. Five communication methods are examined in the article: brochure, film, county eligibility worker presentation, state representative presentation, and HMO representative presentation. The analysis reveals that each communication method is most effective with a different type of beneficiary. No single consumer characteristic is related to HMO enrollment across all five methods, although lack of a private physician and dissatisfaction with a current provider are associated with choice in four methods. Film is the best method for attracting persons who have an ongoing relationship with a provider. PMID:2668236

Distributed Optimal Dispatch of Distributed Energy Resources Over Lossy Communication Networks

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

Wu, Junfeng; Yang, Tao; Wu, Di

In this paper, we consider the economic dispatch problem (EDP), where a cost function that is assumed to be strictly convex is assigned to each of distributed energy resources (DERs), over packet dropping networks. The goal of a standard EDP is to minimize the total generation cost while meeting total demand and satisfying individual generator output limit. We propose a distributed algorithm for solving the EDP over networks. The proposed algorithm is resilient against packet drops over communication links. Under the assumption that the underlying communication network is strongly connected with a positive probability and the packet drops are independentmore » and identically distributed (i.i.d.), we show that the proposed algorithm is able to solve the EDP. Numerical simulation results are used to validate and illustrate the main results of the paper.« less

Understanding and Visualizing Multitasking and Task Switching Activities: A Time Motion Study to Capture Nursing Workflow

PubMed Central

Yen, Po-Yin; Kelley, Marjorie; Lopetegui, Marcelo; Rosado, Amber L.; Migliore, Elaina M.; Chipps, Esther M.; Buck, Jacalyn

2016-01-01

A fundamental understanding of multitasking within nursing workflow is important in today’s dynamic and complex healthcare environment. We conducted a time motion study to understand nursing workflow, specifically multitasking and task switching activities. We used TimeCaT, a comprehensive electronic time capture tool, to capture observational data. We established inter-observer reliability prior to data collection. We completed 56 hours of observation of 10 registered nurses. We found, on average, nurses had 124 communications and 208 hands-on tasks per 4-hour block of time. They multitasked (having communication and hands-on tasks simultaneously) 131 times, representing 39.48% of all times; the total multitasking duration ranges from 14.6 minutes to 109 minutes, 44.98 minutes (18.63%) on average. We also reviewed workflow visualization to uncover the multitasking events. Our study design and methods provide a practical and reliable approach to conducting and analyzing time motion studies from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. PMID:28269924

Understanding and Visualizing Multitasking and Task Switching Activities: A Time Motion Study to Capture Nursing Workflow.

PubMed

Yen, Po-Yin; Kelley, Marjorie; Lopetegui, Marcelo; Rosado, Amber L; Migliore, Elaina M; Chipps, Esther M; Buck, Jacalyn

2016-01-01

A fundamental understanding of multitasking within nursing workflow is important in today's dynamic and complex healthcare environment. We conducted a time motion study to understand nursing workflow, specifically multitasking and task switching activities. We used TimeCaT, a comprehensive electronic time capture tool, to capture observational data. We established inter-observer reliability prior to data collection. We completed 56 hours of observation of 10 registered nurses. We found, on average, nurses had 124 communications and 208 hands-on tasks per 4-hour block of time. They multitasked (having communication and hands-on tasks simultaneously) 131 times, representing 39.48% of all times; the total multitasking duration ranges from 14.6 minutes to 109 minutes, 44.98 minutes (18.63%) on average. We also reviewed workflow visualization to uncover the multitasking events. Our study design and methods provide a practical and reliable approach to conducting and analyzing time motion studies from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives.

PLUM: Parallel Load Balancing for Unstructured Adaptive Meshes. Degree awarded by Colorado Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliker, Leonid

1998-01-01

Dynamic mesh adaption on unstructured grids is a powerful tool for computing large-scale problems that require grid modifications to efficiently resolve solution features. By locally refining and coarsening the mesh to capture physical phenomena of interest, such procedures make standard computational methods more cost effective. Unfortunately, an efficient parallel implementation of these adaptive methods is rather difficult to achieve, primarily due to the load imbalance created by the dynamically-changing nonuniform grid. This requires significant communication at runtime, leading to idle processors and adversely affecting the total execution time. Nonetheless, it is generally thought that unstructured adaptive- grid techniques will constitute a significant fraction of future high-performance supercomputing. Various dynamic load balancing methods have been reported to date; however, most of them either lack a global view of loads across processors or do not apply their techniques to realistic large-scale applications.

Contraceptive practice of the tribal women in tea garden area of North Bengal.

PubMed

Saha, Sudip Kumar; Bag, Tarasankar; De Aloke, Kumar; Basak, Sonela; Chhetri, Alpana; Banerjee, Jasoman

2007-08-01

A total of 860 tribal tea garden women in the Jalpaiguri district were surveyed by means of detailed questionnaires to obtain information of their contraceptive knowledge and practices and also to see the literacy rate among themselves. Analysis was done of their literacy level, family planning awareness, access to information and communication, methods of contraception adopted and utilisation of healthcare facilities. Majority (85%) of the tea garden women including all the age groups were illiterate. The overall contraceptive prevalence was 40.2% but most of the current users (22.6%) subjected to tubal sterilisation for family planning, couples were not enthusiastic about using the reversible methods; 59.7% women had lack of adequate information regarding various contraceptives. Contraceptive practice, as birth spacing method, needs to be given tremendous emphasis in order to improve the reproductive health of the tribal women. Education, information, choices and rights for decision-making only can achieve this.

Communication: Calculation of interatomic forces and optimization of molecular geometry with auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motta, Mario; Zhang, Shiwei

2018-05-01

We propose an algorithm for accurate, systematic, and scalable computation of interatomic forces within the auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) method. The algorithm relies on the Hellmann-Feynman theorem and incorporates Pulay corrections in the presence of atomic orbital basis sets. We benchmark the method for small molecules by comparing the computed forces with the derivatives of the AFQMC potential energy surface and by direct comparison with other quantum chemistry methods. We then perform geometry optimizations using the steepest descent algorithm in larger molecules. With realistic basis sets, we obtain equilibrium geometries in agreement, within statistical error bars, with experimental values. The increase in computational cost for computing forces in this approach is only a small prefactor over that of calculating the total energy. This paves the way for a general and efficient approach for geometry optimization and molecular dynamics within AFQMC.

An Optimizing Space Data-Communications Scheduling Method and Algorithm with Interference Mitigation, Generalized for a Broad Class of Optimization Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rash, James

2014-01-01

NASA's space data-communications infrastructure-the Space Network and the Ground Network-provide scheduled (as well as some limited types of unscheduled) data-communications services to user spacecraft. The Space Network operates several orbiting geostationary platforms (the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)), each with its own servicedelivery antennas onboard. The Ground Network operates service-delivery antennas at ground stations located around the world. Together, these networks enable data transfer between user spacecraft and their mission control centers on Earth. Scheduling data-communications events for spacecraft that use the NASA communications infrastructure-the relay satellites and the ground stations-can be accomplished today with software having an operational heritage dating from the 1980s or earlier. An implementation of the scheduling methods and algorithms disclosed and formally specified herein will produce globally optimized schedules with not only optimized service delivery by the space data-communications infrastructure but also optimized satisfaction of all user requirements and prescribed constraints, including radio frequency interference (RFI) constraints. Evolutionary algorithms, a class of probabilistic strategies for searching large solution spaces, is the essential technology invoked and exploited in this disclosure. Also disclosed are secondary methods and algorithms for optimizing the execution efficiency of the schedule-generation algorithms themselves. The scheduling methods and algorithms as presented are adaptable to accommodate the complexity of scheduling the civilian and/or military data-communications infrastructure within the expected range of future users and space- or ground-based service-delivery assets. Finally, the problem itself, and the methods and algorithms, are generalized and specified formally. The generalized methods and algorithms are applicable to a very broad class of combinatorial-optimization problems that encompasses, among many others, the problem of generating optimal space-data communications schedules.

Dentist-patient communication in the multilingual dental setting.

PubMed

Goldsmith, C; Slack-Smith, L; Davies, G

2005-12-01

Communication between dentists and patients can be exceptionally challenging when the patient and the dentist do not speak the same language, as is frequently the case in multicultural Australia. The aim of this study was to describe the issues involved in dealing with limited-English speaking patients in order to formulate recommendations on how to improve dental communication. A cross sectional study was performed using a postal survey to Australian Dental Association member dental practitioners in Western Australia. Responses were collated and data analysis was performed using SPSS 11.5 for Windows. Most respondents encounter language-related communication barriers weekly or monthly, and the most satisfactory method of communication is informal interpreters. Despite reporting satisfaction working with professional chairside interpreters or dental staff interpreters, most respondents did not use them. The most common alternative communication methods were diagrams and models. Endodontics and periodontics provided the greatest challenge in communication. Informed consent was reportedly compromised due to language barriers by 29 per cent of respondents. Recommendations to improve communication included access to interpretation services, dentist technique/attitude to communication and patient preparedness for English-speaking encounters. Many respondents do not utilize the preferential communication methods, creating a potential compromise to both informed consent and the patients' best interests. The use of professional interpreters is recommended, and discussion should be supplemented with means of non-verbal communication. Dentists require access to lists of multilingual dentists and greater awareness of interpretation services to improve multilingual dentist-patient communication.

Test result communication in primary care: clinical and office staff perspectives.

PubMed

Litchfield, Ian J; Bentham, Louise M; Lilford, Richard J; Greenfield, Sheila M

2014-10-01

To understand how the results of laboratory tests are communicated to patients in primary care and perceptions on how the process may be improved. Qualitative study employing staff focus groups. Four UK primary care practices. Staff involved in the communication of test results. Five main themes emerged from the data: (i) the default method for communicating results differed between practices; (ii) clinical impact of results and patient characteristics such as anxiety level or health literacy influenced methods by which patients received their test result; (iii) which staff member had responsibility for the task was frequently unclear; (iv) barriers to communicating results existed, including there being no system or failsafe in place to determine whether results were returned to a practice or patient; (v) staff envisaged problems with a variety of test result communication methods discussed, including use of modern technologies, such as SMS messaging or online access. Communication of test results is a complex yet core primary care activity necessitating flexibility by both patients and staff. Dealing with the results from increasing numbers of tests is resource intensive and pressure on practice staff can be eased by greater utilization of electronic communication. Current systems appear vulnerable with no routine method of tracing delayed or missing results. Instead, practices only become aware of missing results following queries from patients. The creation of a test communication protocol for dissemination among patients and staff would help ensure both groups are aware of their roles and responsibilities. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press.

The Effects of Structured Physical Activity Program on Social Interaction and Communication for Children with Autism

PubMed Central

Zhao, Mengxian

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of structured physical activity program on social interaction and communication of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Fifty children with ASD from a special school were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. 25 children with ASD were placed in the experimental group, and the other 25 children as the control group participated in regular physical activity. A total of forty-one participants completed the study. A 12-week structured physical activity program was implemented with a total of 24 exercise sessions targeting social interaction and communication of children with ASD, and a quasi-experimental design was used for this study. Data were collected using quantitative and qualitative instruments. SSIS and ABLLS-R results showed that an overall improvement in social skills and social interaction for the experimental group across interim and posttests, F = 8.425, p = 0.001 (p < 0.005), and significant improvements appeared in communication, cooperation, social interaction, and self-control subdomains (p < 0.005). Conversely, no statistically significant differences were found in the control group (p > 0.005). The study concluded that the special structured physical activity program positively influenced social interaction and communication skills of children with ASD, especially in social skills, communication, prompt response, and frequency of expression. PMID:29568743

Differences in social functioning among patients with major psychiatric disorders: Interpersonal communication is impaired in patients with schizophrenia and correlates with an increase in schizotypal traits.

PubMed

Yasuyama, Toshiki; Ohi, Kazutaka; Shimada, Takamitsu; Uehara, Takashi; Kawasaki, Yasuhiro

2017-03-01

Impaired social functioning is a hallmark of major psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this study was to detect a disorder-specific factor of social dysfunction among patients with major psychiatric disorders (PSY), including schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BIP) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Social functioning was assessed in patients with SCZ (n=80), BIP (n=27) or MDD (n=29) and healthy controls (HC, n=68) using the Social Functioning Scale (SFS). Compared to HC, the SCZ, BIP and MDD patient groups showed lower total SFS scores. No differences in the total scores for social functioning were observed between patient groups. We next investigated seven subscales of the SFS among PSY and observed significant diagnostic effects on all subscales of the SFS. Notably, patients with SCZ have poorer interpersonal communication than patients with MDD. Furthermore, the poorer interpersonal communication score was significantly correlated with an increase in schizotypal personality traits, as assessed by the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) in HC. Although there were no differences in overall social functioning among PSY, disorder-specific factors, such as interpersonal communication, were evident in SCZ. The correlation between poor interpersonal communication and the increase in schizotypal traits suggests that poor interpersonal communication may be an intermediate phenotype of SCZ. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A method for modelling peak signal statistics on a mobile satellite transponder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bilodeau, Andre; Lecours, Michel; Pelletier, Marcel; Delisle, Gilles Y.

1990-01-01

A simulation method is proposed. The simulation was developed to model the peak duration and energy content of signal peaks in a mobile communication satellite operating in a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) mode and presents an estimate of those power peaks for a system where the channels are modeled as band limited Gaussian noise, which is taken as a reasonable representation for Amplitude Commanded Single Sideband (ACSSB), Minimum Shift Keying (MSK), or Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulated signals. The simulation results show that, under this hypothesis, the level of the signal power peaks for 10 percent, 1 percent, and 0.1 percent of the time are well described by a Rayleigh law and that their duration is extremely short and inversely proportional to the total FDM system bandwidth.

Teaching Ethics in Communication Courses: An Investigation of Instructional Methods, Course Foci, and Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canary, Heather E.

2007-01-01

This study investigates the impact of ethics instruction in communication courses on students' moral reasoning competence. Using a quasi-experiment, participants in interpersonal conflict courses and communication ethics courses were exposed to different levels of ethics instruction through a variety of instructional methods. Results indicate that…

Measuring Changes in Social Communication Behaviors: Preliminary Development of the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC).

PubMed

Grzadzinski, Rebecca; Carr, Themba; Colombi, Costanza; McGuire, Kelly; Dufek, Sarah; Pickles, Andrew; Lord, Catherine

2016-07-01

Psychometric properties and initial validity of the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC), a measure of treatment-response for social-communication behaviors, are described. The BOSCC coding scheme is applied to 177 video observations of 56 young children with ASD and minimal language abilities. The BOSCC has high to excellent inter-rater and test-retest reliability and shows convergent validity with measures of language and communication skills. The BOSCC Core total demonstrates statistically significant amounts of change over time compared to a no change alternative while the ADOS CSS over the same period of time did not. This work is a first step in the development of a novel outcome measure for social-communication behaviors with applications to clinical trials and longitudinal studies.

Broadband and scalable mobile satellite communication system for future access networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohata, Kohei; Kobayashi, Kiyoshi; Nakahira, Katsuya; Ueba, Masazumi

2005-07-01

Due to the recent market trends, NTT has begun research into next generation satellite communication systems, such as broadband and scalable mobile communication systems. One service application objective is to provide broadband Internet access for transportation systems, temporal broadband access networks and telemetries to remote areas. While these are niche markets the total amount of capacity should be significant. We set a 1-Gb/s total transmission capacity as our goal. Our key concern is the system cost, which means that the system should be unified system with diversified services and not tailored for each application. As satellites account for a large portion of the total system cost, we set the target satellite size as a small, one-ton class dry mass with a 2-kW class payload power. In addition to the payload power and weight, the mobile satellite's frequency band is extremely limited. Therefore, we need to develop innovative technologies that will reduce the weight and maximize spectrum and power efficiency. Another challenge is the need for the system to handle up to 50 dB and a wide data rate range of other applications. This paper describes the key communication system technologies; the frequency reuse strategy, multiplexing scheme, resource allocation scheme, and QoS management algorithm to ensure excellent spectrum efficiency and support a variety of services and quality requirements in the mobile environment.

Research on the method of precise alignment technology of atmospheric laser communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wen-jian; Gao, Wei; Duan, Yuan-yuan; Ma, Shi-wei; Chen, Jian

2016-10-01

Atmosphere laser communication takes advantage of laser as the carrier transmitting the voice, data, and image information in the atmosphere. Because of its high reliability, strong anti-interference ability, the advantages of easy installation, it has great potential and development space in the communications field. In the process of establish communication, the capture, targeting and tracking of the communication signal is the key technology. This paper introduce a method of targeting the signal spot in the process of atmosphere laser communication, which through the way of making analog signal addition and subtraction directly and normalized to obtain the target azimuth information to drive the servo system to achieve precise alignment of tracking.

A method for communication analysis in prosthodontics.

PubMed

Sondell, K; Söderfeldt, B; Palmqvist, S

1998-02-01

Particularly in prosthodontics, in which the issues of esthetic preferences and possibilities are abundant, improved knowledge about dentist patient communication during clinical encounters is important. Because previous studies on communication used different methods and patient materials, the results are difficult to evaluate. There is, therefore, a need for methodologic development. One method that makes it possible to quantitatively describe different interaction behaviors during clinical encounters is the Roter Method of Interaction Process Analysis (RIAS). Since the method was developed in the USA for use in the medical context, a translation of the method into Swedish and a modification of the categories for use in prosthodontics were necessary. The revised manual was used to code 10 audio recordings of dentist patient encounters at a specialist clinic for prosthodontics. No major alterations of the RIAS manual were made during the translation and modification. The study shows that it is possible to distinguish patterns of communication in audio-recorded dentist patient encounters. The method also made the identification of different interaction profiles possible. These profiles distinguished well among the audio-recorded encounters. The coding procedures were tested for intra-rater reliability and found to be 97% for utterance classification and lambda = 0.76 for categorization definition. It was concluded that the revised RIAS method is applicable in communication studies in prosthodontics.

The impact of the learning contract on self-directed learning and satisfaction in nursing students in a clinical setting.

PubMed

Sajadi, Mahboobeh; Fayazi, Neda; Fournier, Andrew; Abedi, Ahmad Reza

2017-01-01

Background: The most important responsibilities of an education system are to create self-directed learning opportunities and develop the required skills for taking the responsibility for change. The present study aimed at determining the impact of a learning contract on self-directed learning and satisfaction of nursing students. Methods: A total of 59 nursing students participated in this experimental study. They were divided into six 10-member groups. To control the communications among the groups, the first 3 groups were trained using conventional learning methods and the second 3 groups using learning contract method. In the first session, a pretest was performed based on educational objectives. At the end of the training, the students in each group completed the questionnaires of self-directed learning and satisfaction. The results of descriptive and inferential statistical methods (dependent and independent t tests) were presented using SPSS. Results: There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in gender, grade point average of previous years, and interest toward nursing. However, the results revealed a significant difference between the 2 groups in the total score of self-directed learning (p= 0.019). Although the mean satisfaction score was higher in the intervention group, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study suggested that the use of learning contract method in clinical settings enhances self-directed learning among nursing students. Because this model focuses on individual differences, the researcher highly recommends the application of this new method to educators.

Communication of the monitoring and evaluation process through the use of storyboards and story notebooks.

PubMed

Lewis, L C; Honea, S H; Kanter, D F; Haney, P E

1993-10-01

In preparation for the 1993 Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) survey, Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital Nursing Service was faced with determining the best approach to presenting their Total Quality Improvement/Total Quality Management (TQI/TQM) process. Nursing Service management and staff, Quality Improvement Clinicians, and medical staff used the Storyboard concept and the accompanying Story Notebooks to organize and to communicate their TQI/TQM process and findings. This concept was extremely beneficial, enabling staff to successfully present the multidisciplinary TQI/TQM data to the JCAHO surveyors.

Introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Laat, Cees; Develder, Chris; Jukan, Admela; Mambretti, Joe

This topic is devoted to communication issues in scalable compute and storage systems, such as parallel computers, networks of workstations, and clusters. All aspects of communication in modern systems were solicited, including advances in the design, implementation, and evaluation of interconnection networks, network interfaces, system and storage area networks, on-chip interconnects, communication protocols, routing and communication algorithms, and communication aspects of parallel and distributed algorithms. In total 15 papers were submitted to this topic of which we selected the 7 strongest papers. We grouped the papers in two sessions of 3 papers each and one paper was selected for the best paper session. We noted a number of papers dealing with changing topologies, stability and forwarding convergence in source routing based cluster interconnect network architectures. We grouped these for the first session. The authors of the paper titled: “Implementing a Change Assimilation Mechanism for Source Routing Interconnects” propose a mechanism that can obtain the new topology, and compute and distribute a new set of fabric paths to the source routed network end points to minimize the impact on the forwarding service. The article entitled “Dependability Analysis of a Fault-tolerant Network Reconfiguration Strateg” reports on a case study analyzing the effects of network size, mean time to node failure, mean time to node repair, mean time to network repair and coverage of the failure when using a 2D mesh network with a fault-tolerant mechanism (similar to the one used in the BlueGene/L system), that is able to remove rows and/or columns in the presence of failures. The last paper in this session: “RecTOR: A New and Efficient Method for Dynamic Network Reconfiguration” presents a new dynamic reconfiguration method, that ensures deadlock-freedom during the reconfiguration without causing performance degradation such as increased latency or decreased throughput. The second session groups 3 papers presenting methods, protocols and architectures that enhance capacities in the Networks. The paper titled: “NIC-assisted Cache-Efficient Receive Stack for Message Passing over Ethernet” presents the addition of multiqueue support in the Open-MX receive stack so that all incoming packets for the same process are treated on the same core. It then introduces the idea of binding the target end process near its dedicated receive queue. In general this multiqueue receive stack performs better than the original single queue stack, especially on large communication patterns where multiple processes are involved and manual binding is difficult. The authors of: “A Multipath Fault-Tolerant Routing Method for High-Speed Interconnection Networks” focus on the problem of fault tolerance for high-speed interconnection networks by designing a fault tolerant routing method. The goal was to solve a certain number of link and node failures, considering its impact, and occurrence probability. Their experiments show that their method allows applications to successfully finalize their execution in the presence of several faults, with an average performance value of 97% with respect to the fault-free scenarios. The paper: “Hardware implementation study of the Self-Clocked Fair Queuing Credit Aware (SCFQ-CA) and Deficit Round Robin Credit Aware (DRR-CA) scheduling algorithms” proposes specific implementations of the two schedulers taking into account the characteristics of current high-performance networks. A comparison is presented on the complexity of these two algorithms in terms of silicon area and computation delay. Finally we selected one paper for the special paper session: “A Case Study of Communication Optimizations on 3D Mesh Interconnects”. In this paper the authors present topology aware mapping as a technique to optimize communication on 3-dimensional mesh interconnects and hence improve performance. Results are presented for OpenAtom on up to 16,384 processors of Blue Gene/L, 8,192 processors of Blue Gene/P and 2,048 processors of Cray XT3.

Utilization of Portable Radios to Improve Ophthalmology Clinic Efficiency in an Academic Setting.

PubMed

Davis, Alexander S; Elkeeb, Ahmed M; Vizzeri, Gianmarco; Godley, Bernard F

2016-03-01

Improvement in clinic efficiency in the ambulatory setting is often looked at as an area for development of lean management strategies to deliver a higher quality of healthcare while reducing errors, costs, and delays. To examine the benefits of improving team communication and its impact on clinic flow and efficiency, we describe a time-motion study performed in an academic outpatient Ophthalmology clinic and its objective and subjective results. Compared to clinic encounters without the use of the portable radios, objective data demonstrated an overall significant decreases in mean workup time (15.18 vs. 13.10), room wait (13.10 vs. 10.47), and decreased the total time needed with an MD per encounter (9.45 vs. 6.63). Subjectively, significant improvements were seen in careprovider scores for patient flow (60.78 vs. 84.29), getting assistance (61.89 vs. 88.57), moving patient charts (54.44 vs. 85.71), teamwork (69.56 vs. 91.0), communications (62.33 vs. 90.43), providing quality patient care (76.22 vs. 89.57), and receiving input on the ability to see walk-in patients (80.11 vs. 90.43). For academic purposes, an improvement in engagement in patient care and learning opportunities was noted by the clinic resident-in-training during the pilot study. Portable radios in our pilot study were preferred over the previous method of communication and demonstrates significant improvements in certain areas of clinical efficiency, subjective perception of teamwork and communications, and academic learning.

Environmental care in agricultural catchments: Toward the communicative catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Peter

1991-11-01

Substantial land degradation of agricultural catchments in Australia has resulted from the importation of European farming methods and the large-scale clearing of land. Rural communities are now being encouraged by government to take responsibility for environmental care. The importance of community involvement is supported by the view that environmental problems are a function of interactions between people and their environment. It is suggested that the commonly held view that community groups cannot care for their resources is due to inappropriate social institutions rather that any inherent disability in people. The communicative catchment is developed as a vision for environmental care into the future. This concept emerges from a critique of resource management through the catchment metaphors of the reduced, mechanical, and the complex, evolving catchment, which reflect the development of systemic and people-centered approaches to environmental care. The communicative catchment is one where both community and resource managers participate collaboratively in environmental care. A methodology based on action research and systemic thinking (systemic action research) is proposed as a way of moving towards the communicative catchment of the future. Action research is a way of taking action in organizations and communities that is participative and informed by theory, while systemic thinking takes into account the interconnections and relationships between social and natural worlds. The proposed vision, methodology, and practical operating principles stem from involvement in an action research project looking at extension strategies for the implementation of total catchment management in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales.

Improving medication information transfer between hospitals, skilled-nursing facilities, and long-term-care pharmacies for hospital discharge transitions of care: A targeted needs assessment using the Intervention Mapping framework.

PubMed

Kerstenetzky, Luiza; Birschbach, Matthew J; Beach, Katherine F; Hager, David R; Kennelty, Korey A

2018-02-01

Patients transitioning from the hospital to a skilled nursing home (SNF) are susceptible to medication-related errors resulting from fragmented communication between facilities. Through continuous process improvement efforts at the hospital, a targeted needs assessment was performed to understand the extent of medication-related issues when patients transition from the hospital into a SNF, and the gaps between the hospital's discharge process, and the needs of the SNF and long-term care (LTC) pharmacy. We report on the development of a logic model that will be used to explore methods for minimizing patient care medication delays and errors while further improving handoff communication to SNF and LTC pharmacy staff. Applying the Intervention Mapping (IM) framework, a targeted needs assessment was performed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Using the hospital discharge medication list as reference, medication discrepancies in the SNF and LTC pharmacy lists were identified. SNF and LTC pharmacy staffs were also interviewed regarding the continuity of medication information post-discharge from the hospital. At least one medication discrepancy was discovered in 77.6% (n = 45/58) of SNF and 76.0% (n = 19/25) of LTC pharmacy medication lists. A total of 191 medication discrepancies were identified across all SNF and LTC pharmacy records. Of the 69 SNF staff interviewed, 20.3% (n = 14) reported patient care delays due to omitted documents during the hospital-to-SNF transition. During interviews, communication between the SNF/LTC pharmacy and the discharging hospital was described by facility staff as unidirectional with little opportunity for feedback on patient care concerns. The targeted needs assessment guided by the IM framework has lent to several planned process improvements initiatives to help reduce medication discrepancies during the hospital-to-SNF transition as well as improve communication between healthcare entities. Opening lines of communication along with aligning healthcare entity goals may help prevent medication-related errors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychometric properties of the communication skills attitude scale (CSAS) measure in a sample of Iranian medical students

PubMed Central

YAKHFOROSHHA, AFSANEH; SHIRAZI, MANDANA; YOUSEFZADEH, NASER; GHANBARNEJAD, AMIN; CHERAGHI, MOHAMMADALI; MOJTAHEDZADEH, RITA; MAHMOODI-BAKHTIARI, BEHROOZ; EMAMI, SEYED AMIR HOSSEIN

2018-01-01

Introduction: Communication skill (CS) has been regarded as one of the fundamental competencies for medical and other health care professionals. Student's attitude toward learning CS is a key factor in designing educational interventions. The original CSAS, as positive and negative subscales, was developed in the UK; however, there is no scale to measure these attitudes in Iran. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristic of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS), in an Iranian context and to understand if it is a valid tool to assess attitude toward learning communication skills among health care professionals. Methods: Psychometric characteristics of the CSAS were assessed by using a cross-sectional design. In the current study, 410 medical students were selected using stratified sampling framework. The face validity of the scale was estimated through students and experts’ opinion. Content validity of CSAS was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively. Reliability was examined through two methods including Chronbach’s alpha coefficient and Intraclass Correlation of Coefficient (ICC). Construct validity of CSAS was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and explanatory factor analysis (PCA) followed by varimax rotation. Convergent and discriminant validity of the scale was measured through Spearman correlation. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 19 and EQS, 6.1. Results: The internal consistency and reproducibility of the total CSAS score were 0.84 (Cronbach’s alpha) and 0.81, which demonstrates an acceptable reliability of the questionnaire. The item-level content validity index (I-CVI) and the scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) demonstrated appropriate results: 0.97 and 0.94, respectively. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on the 25 items of the CSAS revealed 4-factor structure that all together explained %55 of the variance. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable goodness-of-fit between the model and the observed data. [χ2/df = 2.36, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.95, the GFI=0.96, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.05]. Conclusion: The Persian version of CSAS is a multidimensional, valid and reliable tool for assessing attitudes towards communication skill among medical students. PMID:29344525

Short communication: Comparison of pH, volatile fatty acids, and microbiome of rumen samples from preweaned calves obtained via cannula or stomach tube.

PubMed

Terré, M; Castells, L; Fàbregas, F; Bach, A

2013-08-01

The objective of this study was to compare rumen samples from young dairy calves obtained via a stomach tube (ST) or a ruminal cannula (RC). Five male Holstein calves (46±4.0 kg of body weight and 11±4.9 d of age) were ruminally cannulated at 15 d of age. Calves received 4 L/d of a commercial milk replacer (25% crude protein and 19.2% fat) at 12.5% dry matter, and were provided concentrate and chopped oats hay ad libitum throughout the study (56 d). In total, 29 paired rumen samples were obtained weekly throughout the study in most of the calves by each extraction method. These samples were used to determine pH and volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration, and to quantify Prevotella ruminicola and Streptococcus bovis by quantitative PCR. Furthermore, a denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was performed on rumen samples harvested during wk 8 of the study to determine the degree of similarity between rumen bacteria communities. Rumen pH was 0.30 units greater in ST compared with RC samples. Furthermore, total VFA concentrations were greater in RC than in ST samples. However, when analyzing the proportion of each VFA by ANOVA, no differences were found between the sampling methods. The quantification of S. bovis and P. ruminicola was similar in both extraction methods, and values obtained using different methods were highly correlated (R(2)=0.89 and 0.98 for S. bovis and P. ruminicola, respectively). Fingerprinting analysis showed similar bacteria band profiles between samples obtained from the same calves using different extraction methods. In conclusion, when comparing rumen parameters obtained using different sampling techniques, it is recommended that VFA profiles be used rather than total VFA concentrations, as total VFA concentrations are more affected by the method of collection. Furthermore, although comparisons of pH across studies should be avoided when samples are not obtained using the same sampling method, the comparison of fingerprinting of a bacteria community or a specific rumen bacterium is valid. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Enhancing communication skills for telehealth: development and implementation of a Teach-Back intervention for a national maternal and child health helpline in Australia.

PubMed

Morony, Suzanne; Weir, Kristie; Duncan, Gregory; Biggs, Janice; Nutbeam, Don; Mccaffery, Kirsten J

2018-03-07

Telehealth professionals require advanced communication skills, in part to compensate for lack of visual cues. Teach-Back is a best practice communication technique that has been recommended but not previously evaluated for consumer telehealth. We aimed to implement Teach-Back at a national maternal and child health telephone helpline. We describe the intervention and report telenurse experiences learning to use Teach-Back. We identified barriers (time, knowledge, skills, beliefs) and enablers (self-reflection) to using Teach-Back, and developed a novel training program to address these, guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework. We engaged maternal and child health telenurses to participate in a "communication skills" study. The intervention had two key components: guided self-reflection and a Teach-Back skills workshop. For the duration of the 7-week study nurses completed brief online surveys following each call, reflecting on both the effectiveness of their communication and perceived caller understanding. At the end of each shift they reflected on what worked well. Teach-Back knowledge, skills, and beliefs were addressed in a 2-h workshop using videos, discussion, and role play. We explored nurses' experiences of the intervention in focus groups and interviews; and analysed transcripts and comments from the self-reflection surveys using the Framework method. This study forms part of a larger evaluation conducted in 2016. In total 16 nurses participated: 15 were trained in Teach-Back, and 13 participated in focus groups or interviews. All engaged with both self-reflection and Teach-Back, although to differing extents. Those who reported acquiring Teach-Back skills easily limited themselves to one or two Teach-Back phrases. Nurses reported that actively self-reflecting (including on what they did well) was useful both for developing Teach-Back skills and analysing effectiveness of the techniques. Most wanted more opportunity to learn how their colleagues manage Teach-Back in different situations, and more visual reminders to use Teach-Back. Our theory-informed intervention successfully enabled nurses to use Teach-Back. Guided self-reflection is a low-resource method aligned with nurse professional identity that can facilitate Teach-Back skills learning, and could also be applied to other advanced communication skills for telehealth. Listening to multiple workplace-specific examples of Teach-Back is recommended for future training. ACTRN12616000623493 Registered 15 May 2016. Retrospectively registered.

Hygiene inspections on passenger ships in Europe - an overview

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Hygiene inspections on passenger ships are important for the prevention of communicable diseases. The European Union (EU) countries conduct hygiene inspections on passenger ships in order to ensure that appropriate measures have been taken to eliminate potential sources of contamination which could lead to the spread of communicable diseases. This study was implemented within the framework of the EU SHIPSAN project and it investigates the legislation applied and practices of hygiene inspections of passenger ships in the EU Member States (MS) and European Free Trade Association countries. Methods Two questionnaires were composed and disseminated to 28 countries. A total of 92 questionnaires were completed by competent authorities responsible for hygiene inspections (n = 48) and the creation of legislation (n = 44); response rates were 96%, and 75.9%, respectively. Results Out of the 48 responding authorities responsible for hygiene inspections, a routine programme was used by 19 (39.6%) of these to conduct inspections of ships on national voyages and by 26 (54.2%) for ships on international voyages. Standardised inspection forms are used by 59.1% of the authorities. A scoring inspection system is applied by five (11.6%) of the 43 responding authorities. Environmental sampling is conducted by 84.1% of the authorities (37 out of 44). The inspection results are collected and analysed by 54.5% (24 out of 44) of the authorities, while 9 authorities (20.5%) declared that they publish the results. Inspections are conducted during outbreak investigations by 75% and 70.8% of the authorities, on ships on national and international voyages, respectively. A total of 31 (64.6%) and 39 (81.3%) authorities conducted inspections during complaint investigations on ships on international and on national voyages, respectively. Port-to-port communication between the national port authorities was reported by 35.4% (17 out of 48) of the responding authorities and 20.8% (10 out of 48) of the port authorities of other countries. Conclusion This study revealed a diversity of approaches and practices in the conduct of inspections, differences in the qualifications/knowledge/experience of inspectors, the legislation applied during inspections, and the lack of communication and training among many EU countries. An integrated European inspection programme involving competent expert inspectors in each EU Member States and special training for ship hygiene delivered to crew members and inspectors would help to minimize the risk of communicable diseases. Common inspection tools at a European level for hygiene inspection practices and port-to-port communication are needed. PMID:20219097

Assessing distractors and teamwork during surgery: developing an event-based method for direct observation.

PubMed

Seelandt, Julia C; Tschan, Franziska; Keller, Sandra; Beldi, Guido; Jenni, Nadja; Kurmann, Anita; Candinas, Daniel; Semmer, Norbert K

2014-11-01

To develop a behavioural observation method to simultaneously assess distractors and communication/teamwork during surgical procedures through direct, on-site observations; to establish the reliability of the method for long (>3 h) procedures. Observational categories for an event-based coding system were developed based on expert interviews, observations and a literature review. Using Cohen's κ and the intraclass correlation coefficient, interobserver agreement was assessed for 29 procedures. Agreement was calculated for the entire surgery, and for the 1st hour. In addition, interobserver agreement was assessed between two tired observers and between a tired and a non-tired observer after 3 h of surgery. The observational system has five codes for distractors (door openings, noise distractors, technical distractors, side conversations and interruptions), eight codes for communication/teamwork (case-relevant communication, teaching, leadership, problem solving, case-irrelevant communication, laughter, tension and communication with external visitors) and five contextual codes (incision, last stitch, personnel changes in the sterile team, location changes around the table and incidents). Based on 5-min intervals, Cohen's κ was good to excellent for distractors (0.74-0.98) and for communication/teamwork (0.70-1). Based on frequency counts, intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent for distractors (0.86-0.99) and good to excellent for communication/teamwork (0.45-0.99). After 3 h of surgery, Cohen's κ was 0.78-0.93 for distractors, and 0.79-1 for communication/teamwork. The observational method developed allows a single observer to simultaneously assess distractors and communication/teamwork. Even for long procedures, high interobserver agreement can be achieved. Data collected with this method allow for investigating separate or combined effects of distractions and communication/teamwork on surgical performance and patient outcomes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

The Use of WhatsApp Smartphone Messaging Improves Communication Efficiency within an Orthopaedic Surgery Team.

PubMed

Ellanti, Prasad; Moriarty, Andrew; Coughlan, Fionn; McCarthy, Thomas

2017-02-18

Effective and timely communication is important for any surgical specialty to function. The use of smartphones is prevalent amongst doctors. Numerous smartphone applications offer the potential for fast and cost-effective communication. WhatsApp is a commonly used application that is free, easy to use, and capable of text and multimedia messaging. We report on the use of WhatsApp over a six month period in our unit. WhatsApp communication between non-consultant members of an orthopaedic team over a six-month period was analysed. Both the phones and the WhatsApp application were password-protected, and patient details were anonymised. A series of 20 communications using the hospital pager system and the telephone system were also analysed. A total of 5,492 messages were sent during the six-month period and were part of 1,916 separate communication events. The vast majority of messages, 5,090, were related to patient care. A total of 195 multimedia messages were sent and these included images of radiographs and wounds. When using the hospital telephones, the length of time spent on a communication averaged 5.78 minutes and using the hospital pager system averaged 7.45 minutes. Using the WhatsApp messaging system has potentially saved up to 7,664 minutes over the study period. All participants found WhatsApp easy to use and found it to be more efficient than the traditional pager system Conclusion: Compared to the traditional pager systems, the use of WhatsApp is easy, inexpensive, and reliable and can help improve the efficiency of communication within a surgical team.

The intended and unintended consequences of communication systems on general internal medicine inpatient care delivery: a prospective observational case study of five teaching hospitals.

PubMed

Wu, Robert C; Lo, Vivian; Morra, Dante; Wong, Brian M; Sargeant, Robert; Locke, Ken; Cavalcanti, Rodrigo; Quan, Sherman D; Rossos, Peter; Tran, Kim; Cheung, Mark

2013-01-01

Effective clinical communication is critical to providing high-quality patient care. Hospitals have used different types of interventions to improve communication between care teams, but there have been few studies of their effectiveness. To describe the effects of different communication interventions and their problems. Prospective observational case study using a mixed methods approach of quantitative and qualitative methods. General internal medicine (GIM) inpatient wards at five tertiary care academic teaching hospitals. Clinicians consisting of residents, attending physicians, nurses, and allied health (AH) staff working on the GIM wards. Ethnographic methods and interviews with clinical staff (doctors, nurses, medical students, and AH professionals) were conducted over a 16-month period from 2009 to 2010. We identified four categories that described the intended and unintended consequences of communication interventions: impacts on senders, receivers, interprofessional collaboration, and the use of informal communication processes. The use of alphanumeric pagers, smartphones, and web-based communication systems had positive effects for senders and receivers, but unintended consequences were seen with all interventions in all four categories. Interventions that aimed to improve clinical communications solved some but not all problems, and unintended effects were seen with all systems.

Teaching Qualitative Research Methods Using "Undercover Boss"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, LaKresha; Schuwerk, Tara J.

2017-01-01

Course(s): Research Methods, Qualitative Research Methods, Organizational Communication, Business Communication. Objectives: After completing this class exercise, students should be able to identify the major components of a qualitative research study, along with the ethical dilemmas that come with doing qualitative research.

An Ultra Low Cost Wireless Communications Laboratory for Education and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linn, Y.

2012-01-01

This paper presents an ultra-low-cost wireless communications laboratory that is based on a commercial off-the-shelf field programmable gate array (FPGA) development board that is both inexpensive and available worldwide. The total cost of the laboratory is under USD $200, but it includes complete transmission, channel emulation, reception…

Effect of Using Facebook to Assist English for Business Communication Course Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shih, Ru-Chu

2013-01-01

This paper aimed to explore the effect of incorporating blended learning with Facebook and peer assessment for English for Business Communication course for college students. A total of 111 students from a public technological university participated in this study. The participants were divided into three Facebook site groups. A mixed method…

Teaching Objectives for the Itinerant Resource Teacher of Visually Limited Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riordan, Mary

The manual, to be used by the itinerant resource teacher, presents teaching objectives and proficiency levels for the development of communication, living, and social skills of visually handicapped students in kindergarten through grade 12. Communication skills are enumerated (number is indicated in parentheses) for totally blind students in areas…

Single chip camera active pixel sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, Timothy (Inventor); Pain, Bedabrata (Inventor); Olson, Brita (Inventor); Nixon, Robert H. (Inventor); Fossum, Eric R. (Inventor); Panicacci, Roger A. (Inventor); Mansoorian, Barmak (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A totally digital single chip camera includes communications to operate most of its structure in serial communication mode. The digital single chip camera include a D/A converter for converting an input digital word into an analog reference signal. The chip includes all of the necessary circuitry for operating the chip using a single pin.

An Investigation of Perceptional Differences between Eastern and Western Adolescents in Online Social Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Robert

2013-01-01

The current study focused on an important issue pertaining to online social communication by investigating perceptional differences between eastern and western adolescents. A total of 309 participants were recruited from three countries: China, Singapore, and the United States. Significant differences were found between eastern and western…

Attitudes toward Online Communications in Open and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdem Aydin, Irem

2012-01-01

This article intended to reveal the results of a survey study in which the students' attitudes toward online communication in open and distance learning were investigated. In the study, affects of the students' gender and computer experience on their attitudes were also examined. A total of 626 subjects participated in the study and "Online…

Enhancing HIV Communication between Parents and Children: Efficacy of the Parents Matter! Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Kim S.; Lin, Carol Y.; Poulsen, Melissa N.; Fasula, Amy; Wyckoff, Sarah C.; Forehand, Rex; Long, Nicholas; Armistead, Lisa

2011-01-01

We examine efficacy of the Parents Matter! Program (PMP), a program to teach African-American parents of preadolescents sexual communication and HIV-prevention skills, through a multicenter, randomized control trial. A total of 1115 parent-child participants were randomized to one of three intervention arms (enhanced, brief, control). Percentages…

Educational Use of Information and Communications Technology: Teachers' Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sipilä, Keijo

2014-01-01

This study investigated teachers' perceptions about how information and communications technology (ICT) is being incorporated into teaching and learning, the level of teachers' digital competence and what factors, in their opinions, might be hindering the use of ICT in schools. A total of 292 Finnish teachers took part in the survey. Activity…

The 18/30 GHz fixed communications system service demand assessment. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gabriszeski, T.; Reiner, P.; Rogers, J.; Terbo, W.

1979-01-01

The total demand for voice, video, and data communications services, and satellite transmission services at the 4/6 GHz, 12/14 GHz, and 18/30 GHz frequencies is discussed. Major study objectives, overall methodology, results, and general observations about a satellite systems market characteristics and trends are summarized.

Food color and appearance measurement, specification and communication, can we do better?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchings, John; Singleton, Mark; Plater, Keith; Dias, Benjamin

2002-06-01

Conventional methods of color specification demand a sample that is flat, uniformly colored, diffusely reflecting and opaque. Very many natural, processed and manufactured foods, on the other hand, are three-dimensional, irregularly shaped unevenly colored and translucent. Hence, spectrophotometers and tristimulus colorimeters can only be used for reliable and accurate color measurement in certain cases and under controlled conditions. These techniques are certainly unsuitable for specification of color patterning and other factors of total appearance in which, for example, surface texture and gloss interfere with the surface color. Hence, conventional techniques are more appropriate to food materials than to foods themselves. This paper reports investigations on the application of digital camera and screen technologies to these problems. Results indicated that accuracy sufficient for wide scale use in the food industry is obtainable. Measurement applications include the specification and automatic measurement and classification of total appearance properties of three-dimensional products. This will be applicable to specification and monitoring of fruit and vegetables within the growing, storage and marketing supply chain and to on-line monitoring. Applications to sensory panels include monitoring of color and appearance changes occurring during paneling and the development of physical reference scales based pigment chemistry changes. Digital technology will be extendable to the on-screen judging of real and virtual products as well as to the improvement of appearance archiving and communication.

Near field communications technology and the potential to reduce medication errors through multidisciplinary application

PubMed Central

Pegler, Joe; Lehane, Elaine; Livingstone, Vicki; McCarthy, Nora; Sahm, Laura J.; Tabirca, Sabin; O’Driscoll, Aoife; Corrigan, Mark

2016-01-01

Background Patient safety requires optimal management of medications. Electronic systems are encouraged to reduce medication errors. Near field communications (NFC) is an emerging technology that may be used to develop novel medication management systems. Methods An NFC-based system was designed to facilitate prescribing, administration and review of medications commonly used on surgical wards. Final year medical, nursing, and pharmacy students were recruited to test the electronic system in a cross-over observational setting on a simulated ward. Medication errors were compared against errors recorded using a paper-based system. Results A significant difference in the commission of medication errors was seen when NFC and paper-based medication systems were compared. Paper use resulted in a mean of 4.09 errors per prescribing round while NFC prescribing resulted in a mean of 0.22 errors per simulated prescribing round (P=0.000). Likewise, medication administration errors were reduced from a mean of 2.30 per drug round with a Paper system to a mean of 0.80 errors per round using NFC (P<0.015). A mean satisfaction score of 2.30 was reported by users, (rated on seven-point scale with 1 denoting total satisfaction with system use and 7 denoting total dissatisfaction). Conclusions An NFC based medication system may be used to effectively reduce medication errors in a simulated ward environment. PMID:28293602

Improving Pharmacy Student Communication Outcomes Using Standardized Patients.

PubMed

Gillette, Chris; Rudolph, Michael; Rockich-Winston, Nicole; Stanton, Robert; Anderson, H Glenn

2017-08-01

Objective. To examine whether standardized patient encounters led to an improvement in a student pharmacist-patient communication assessment compared to traditional active-learning activities within a classroom setting. Methods. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with second-year pharmacy students in a drug information and communication skills course. Student patient communication skills were assessed using high-stakes communication assessment. Results. Two hundred and twenty students' data were included. Students were significantly more likely to have higher scores on the communication assessment when they had higher undergraduate GPAs, were female, and taught using standardized patients. Similarly, students were significantly more likely to pass the assessment on the first attempt when they were female and when they were taught using standardized patients. Conclusion. Incorporating standardized patients within a communication course resulted in improved scores as well as first-time pass rates on a communication assessment than when using different methods of active learning.

Interprofessional Emergency Training Leads to Changes in the Workplace

PubMed Central

Eisenmann, Dorothea; Stroben, Fabian; Gerken, Jan D.; Exadaktylos, Aristomenis K.; Machner, Mareen; Hautz, Wolf E.

2018-01-01

Introduction Preventable mistakes occur frequently and can lead to patient harm and death. The emergency department (ED) is notoriously prone to such errors, and evidence suggests that improving teamwork is a key aspect to reduce the rate of error in acute care settings. Only a few strategies are in place to train team skills and communication in interprofessional situations. Our goal was to conceptualize, implement, and evaluate a training module for students of three professions involved in emergency care. The objective was to sensitize participants to barriers for their team skills and communication across professional borders. Methods We developed a longitudinal simulation-enhanced training format for interprofessional teams, consisting of final-year medical students, advanced trainees of emergency nursing and student paramedics. The training format consisted of several one-day training modules, which took place twice in 2016 and 2017. Each training module started with an introduction to share one’s roles, professional self-concepts, common misconceptions, and communication barriers. Next, we conducted different simulated cases. Each case consisted of a prehospital section (for paramedics and medical students), a handover (everyone), and an ED section (medical students and emergency nurses). After each training module, we assessed participants’ “Commitment to Change.” In this questionnaire, students were anonymously asked to state up to three changes that they wished to implement as a result of the course, as well as the strength of their commitment to these changes. Results In total, 64 of 80 participants (80.0%) made at least one commitment to change after participating in the training modules. The total of 123 commitments was evenly distributed over four emerging categories: communication, behavior, knowledge and attitude. Roughly one third of behavior- and attitude-related commitments were directly related to interprofessional topics (e.g., “acknowledge other professions’ work”), and these were equally distributed among professions. At the two-month follow-up, 32 participants (50%) provided written feedback on their original commitments: 57 of 62 (91.9%) commitments were at least partly realized at the follow-up, and only five (8.1%) commitments lacked realization entirely. Conclusion A structured simulation-enhanced intervention was successful in promoting change to the practice of emergency care, while training teamwork and communication skills jointly. PMID:29383079

Using Mixed Methods from a Communicative Orientation: Researching with Grassroots Roma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flecha, Ramon

2014-01-01

Over a decade ago, researchers in Roma studies shifted their approach, from an exclusionary stance to a more communicative one. Despite major positive changes since then, researchers still do not adequately reflect the voices of the majority of the world's Roma. In this article, we draw on a communicative mixed methods case study, conducted within…

Communications systems technology assessment study. Volume 2: Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelley, R. L.; Khatri, R. K.; Kiesling, J. D.; Weiss, J. A.

1977-01-01

The cost and technology characteristics are examined for providing special satellite services at UHF, 2.5 GHz, and 14/12 GHz. Considered are primarily health, educational, informational and emergency disaster type services. The total cost of each configuration including space segment, earth station, installation operation and maintenance was optimized to reduce the user's total annual cost and establish preferred equipment performance parameters. Technology expected to be available between now and 1985 is identified and comparisons made between selected alternatives. A key element of the study is a survey of earth station equipment updating past work in the field, providing new insight into technology, and evaluating production and test methods that can reduce costs in large production runs. Various satellite configurations were examined. The cost impact of rain attenuation at Ku-band was evaluated. The factors affecting the ultimate capacity achievable with the available orbital arc and available bandwidth were analyzed.

Comparison of information about the quality of apparel in three retail formats.

PubMed

Bye, Elizabeth K; Reiley, Kathryn

2003-06-01

Multiple options are available for selection and purchase of apparel including in-store, catalogue, and Internet. The present purpose was to compare information about quality available to consumers in three retail formats. Students studying quality of apparel selected a product which could be purchased in each of the three formats, completed an evaluation from both a consumer's and preprofessional perspective, and made recommendations for improving information on quality. A total of 413 recommendations were categorized and tested for independence. Students had similar expectations for cues of quality across Internet, catalogue, and in-store formats including fiber content, country of origin, 3-dimensional information about fit, color accuracy, size charts, and strong customer service. Students expected a uniform array of information on quality regardless of the shopping format. Merchandisers must be aware of the total image across formats and be prepared to explore methods for improving communication of information on quality in each.

Application of the index WQI-CCME with data aggregation per monitoring campaign and per section of the river: case study-Joanes River, Brazil.

PubMed

de Almeida, Geane Silva; de Oliveira, Iara Brandão

2018-03-07

This work applied the Water Quality Index developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (WQI-CCME), to communicate the water quality per section of the Joanes River basin, State of Bahia, Brazil. WQI-CCME is a statistical procedure that originally requires the execution of at least four monitoring campaigns per monitoring location and the measurement of at least four parameters. This paper presents a new aggregation method to calculate the WQI-CCME because, to apply the original method in Joanes River, a huge loss of information would occur, by the fact that, the number of analyzed parameters varied between the monitoring campaigns developed by the Government Monitoring Program. This work modified the original aggregation method replacing it by a data aggregation for a single monitoring campaign, in a minimum of four monitoring locations per section of the river and a minimum of four parameters per monitoring location. Comparison between the calculation of WQI-CCME for river sections, with the index, WQI-CETESB, developed by the Brazilian Environmental Sanitation and Technology Company-CETESB, proved the applicability of the new aggregation method. The WQI-CETESB has it bases on the WQI from the National Sanitation Foundation and uses nine fixed parameters. As WQI-CCME uses the totality of the analyzed parameters without restrictions, it is more flexible, and the results seem more adequate to indicate the real river water quality. However, the WQI-CCME has a more stringent water quality scale in comparison with the WQI-CETESB, resulting in inferior water quality information. In conclusion, the WQI-CCME with a new aggregation method is adequate for communicating the water quality at a given time, per section of a river, respecting the minimum number of four analyses and four monitoring points. As a result, without a need to wait for other campaigns, it reduces the cost of a monitoring program and the period to communicate the water quality. The adequacy of the WQI-CCME was similar to the finding of others.

An Optimizing Space Data-Communications Scheduling Method and Algorithm with Interference Mitigation, Generalized for a Broad Class of Optimization Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rash, James L.

2010-01-01

NASA's space data-communications infrastructure, the Space Network and the Ground Network, provide scheduled (as well as some limited types of unscheduled) data-communications services to user spacecraft via orbiting relay satellites and ground stations. An implementation of the methods and algorithms disclosed herein will be a system that produces globally optimized schedules with not only optimized service delivery by the space data-communications infrastructure but also optimized satisfaction of all user requirements and prescribed constraints, including radio frequency interference (RFI) constraints. Evolutionary search, a class of probabilistic strategies for searching large solution spaces, constitutes the essential technology in this disclosure. Also disclosed are methods and algorithms for optimizing the execution efficiency of the schedule-generation algorithm itself. The scheduling methods and algorithms as presented are adaptable to accommodate the complexity of scheduling the civilian and/or military data-communications infrastructure. Finally, the problem itself, and the methods and algorithms, are generalized and specified formally, with applicability to a very broad class of combinatorial optimization problems.

Establishing a Comprehensive English Teaching Pattern Combining the Communicative Teaching Method and the Grammar-Translation Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kong, Na

2011-01-01

Based on the current contradiction between the grammar-translation method and the communicative teaching method in English teaching, this paper, starting with clarifying the task of comprehensive English as well as the definition of the two teaching methods, objectively analyzes their advantages and disadvantages and proposes establishing a new…

Mass Communication in Sri Lanka: An Annotated Bibliography. Asian Mass Communication Bibliography Series 9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goonetileke, H. A. I., Comp.; And Others

Published and unpublished materials dealing with the multidisciplinary field of mass communication in Sri Lanka are listed in this bibliography. The 362 entries are grouped into 20 sections: bibliography and reference material; communication theory and research methods; general communication; media development and characteristics; newspapers;…

Mass Communication in India: An Annotated Bibliography. Asian Mass Communication Bibliography Series 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Centre, Singapore.

This bibliography lists and describes published and unpublished material written in English that relates to mass communications in India, from 1945 to 1973. The items are grouped into 21 sections: bibliography and reference material; communication theory and research methods; communication (general); media development and characteristics;…

Measuring patterns in team interaction sequences using a discrete recurrence approach.

PubMed

Gorman, Jamie C; Cooke, Nancy J; Amazeen, Polemnia G; Fouse, Shannon

2012-08-01

Recurrence-based measures of communication determinism and pattern information are described and validated using previously collected team interaction data. Team coordination dynamics has revealed that"mixing" team membership can lead to flexible interaction processes, but keeping a team "intact" can lead to rigid interaction processes. We hypothesized that communication of intact teams would have greater determinism and higher pattern information compared to that of mixed teams. Determinism and pattern information were measured from three-person Uninhabited Air Vehicle team communication sequences over a series of 40-minute missions. Because team members communicated using push-to-talk buttons, communication sequences were automatically generated during each mission. The Composition x Mission determinism effect was significant. Intact teams' determinism increased over missions, whereas mixed teams' determinism did not change. Intact teams had significantly higher maximum pattern information than mixed teams. Results from these new communication analysis methods converge with content-based methods and support our hypotheses. Because they are not content based, and because they are automatic and fast, these new methods may be amenable to real-time communication pattern analysis.

Prediction and selection of vocabulary for two leisure activities.

PubMed

Dark, Leigha; Balandin, Susan

2007-01-01

People who use augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) need access to a relevant, socially valid vocabulary if they are to communicate successfully in a variety of contexts. Many people with complex communication needs who utilize some form of high technology or low technology AAC rely on others to predict and select vocabulary for them. In this study the ability of one speech pathologist, nine leisure support workers, and six people with cerebral palsy to accurately predict context-specific vocabulary was explored. Participants predicted vocabulary for two leisure activities - sailing session and Internet café - using the blank page method of vocabulary selection to identify the vocabulary items they considered important for each activity. This predicted vocabulary was then compared with the actual vocabulary used in each of the activities. A total of 187 (68%) of the words predicted for the sailing session were used during recorded conversations, with 88 words (32%) not appearing in the recorded samples. During the visit to the Internet café only 104 (47%) of the words predicted occurred in the recorded samples, with 117 words (53%) not occurring at all. These results support the need to socially validate any vocabulary in order to ensure that it is relevant and useful for the person using the AAC system.

Fuzzy Traffic Control with Vehicle-to-Everything Communication.

PubMed

Salman, Muntaser A; Ozdemir, Suat; Celebi, Fatih V

2018-01-27

Traffic signal control (TSC) with vehicle-to everything (V2X) communication can be a very efficient solution to traffic congestion problem. Ratio of vehicles equipped with V2X communication capability in the traffic to the total number of vehicles (called penetration rate PR) is still low, thus V2X based TSC systems need to be supported by some other mechanisms. PR is the major factor that affects the quality of TSC process along with the evaluation interval. Quality of the TSC in each direction is a function of overall TSC quality of an intersection. Hence, quality evaluation of each direction should follow the evaluation of the overall intersection. Computational intelligence, more specifically swarm algorithm, has been recently used in this field in a European Framework Program FP7 supported project called COLOMBO. In this paper, using COLOMBO framework, further investigations have been done and two new methodologies using simple and fuzzy logic have been proposed. To evaluate the performance of our proposed methods, a comparison with COLOMBOs approach has been realized. The results reveal that TSC problem can be solved as a logical problem rather than an optimization problem. Performance of the proposed approaches is good enough to be suggested for future work under realistic scenarios even under low PR.

Fuzzy Traffic Control with Vehicle-to-Everything Communication

PubMed Central

Ozdemir, Suat; Celebi, Fatih V.

2018-01-01

Traffic signal control (TSC) with vehicle-to everything (V2X) communication can be a very efficient solution to traffic congestion problem. Ratio of vehicles equipped with V2X communication capability in the traffic to the total number of vehicles (called penetration rate PR) is still low, thus V2X based TSC systems need to be supported by some other mechanisms. PR is the major factor that affects the quality of TSC process along with the evaluation interval. Quality of the TSC in each direction is a function of overall TSC quality of an intersection. Hence, quality evaluation of each direction should follow the evaluation of the overall intersection. Computational intelligence, more specifically swarm algorithm, has been recently used in this field in a European Framework Program FP7 supported project called COLOMBO. In this paper, using COLOMBO framework, further investigations have been done and two new methodologies using simple and fuzzy logic have been proposed. To evaluate the performance of our proposed methods, a comparison with COLOMBOs approach has been realized. The results reveal that TSC problem can be solved as a logical problem rather than an optimization problem. Performance of the proposed approaches is good enough to be suggested for future work under realistic scenarios even under low PR. PMID:29382053

Interaction between professionals and cancer survivors in the context of Brazilian and Canadian care 1

PubMed Central

de Oliveira, Rafaela Azevedo Abrantes; Zago, Márcia Maria Fontão; Thorne, Sally Elizabeth

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: analyze cancer survivors’ reports about their communication with health professional team members and describe the similarities and differences in interactional patterns between Brazilian and Canadian health care contexts. Method: This study adopted a qualitative health research approach to secondary analysis, using interpretive description as the methodology, allowing us to elaborate a new research question and look at the primary data from a different perspective. There were in total eighteen participants; all of them were adults and elderly diagnosed with urologic cancer. After being organized and read, the data sets were classified into categories, and an analytic process was performed through inductive thematic analysis. Results: This resulted in three categories of findings which we have framed as: Communication between professional and survivor; The symptoms, the doubts, the questions; and Actions and reaction. Conclusion: This comparative study allowed us to bring to the attention of health professionals, especially nurses, findings regarding effective communication, humanization and empathy, supporting both inside and outside support groups, giving pieces of advice, and advocating for the survivor as is necessary. The study also showed the importance of self-development of these professionals as they fight for better quality in the health system for their patients. PMID:29267543

Teachers' perceptions of implementation of aided AAC to support expressive communication in South African special schools: a pilot investigation.

PubMed

Tönsing, Kerstin M; Dada, Shakila

2016-12-01

Although the provision of assistive technology for students with disabilities has been mandated in South African education policy documents, limited data are available on the implementation of aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in classrooms. This pilot investigation used a concurrent mixed-methods survey design to determine the extent to which aided AAC was implemented to foster students' expressive communication in preschool to Grade 3 classrooms in special schools from six urban school districts in the Gauteng (the smallest, most affluent and most densely populated of the nine South African provinces), and also obtained teachers' perceptions of this process. A total of 26 teachers who taught students who used aided AAC for expression participated. Although there is evidence of provision and also implementation of aided AAC in classrooms, various limitations still exist. Teachers identified an array of factors that influenced the implementation of aided AAC, including those related to themselves, the classroom context, the characteristics of aided AAC, students using AAC, and other stakeholders. These factors are discussed in the light of international literature as well as the local context, and are used as a basis to suggest a research agenda for AAC in the South African education system.

Quantifying the nonlocality of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger quantum correlations by a bounded communication simulation protocol.

PubMed

Branciard, Cyril; Gisin, Nicolas

2011-07-08

The simulation of quantum correlations with finite nonlocal resources, such as classical communication, gives a natural way to quantify their nonlocality. While multipartite nonlocal correlations appear to be useful resources, very little is known on how to simulate multipartite quantum correlations. We present a protocol that reproduces tripartite Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger correlations with bounded communication: 3 bits in total turn out to be sufficient to simulate all equatorial Von Neumann measurements on the tripartite Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state.

Interventions to Improve Communication

PubMed Central

Paul, Rhea

2008-01-01

SYNOPSIS It is clear that children with autism benefit from intensive, early intervention that focuses on increasing the frequency, form, and function of communicative acts. Intervention methods that draw from a range of philosophies and make use of varying degrees of adult direction have been shown to be effective in increasing language and communicative behaviors, although direct comparisons among methods, controlled studies with random assignment to treatments, and long-term outcome studies are, as yet, lacking. Available evidence shows that highly structured behavioral methods have important positive consequences for these children, particularly in eliciting first words. However, the limitation of these methods in maintenance and generalization of skills suggests that many children with autism will need to have these methods supplemented with less adult-directed activities to increase communicative initiation and to carry over learned skills to new settings and communication partners. A review of programs aimed at language development in high functioning children with ASD points out the importance of thinking beyond words and sentences to the social functions of communication and language use when developing interventions. Although a range of adult-mediated programs are reviewed here, providing opportunities for mediated peer interactions with trained peers in natural settings appears to be especially important in maximizing the effects of this intervention. PMID:18775373

Mother-Son Communication about Sex and Routine HIV Testing among Younger Men of Color Who Have Sex with Men

PubMed Central

Bouris, Alida; Hill, Brandon J.; Fisher, Kimberly; Erickson, Greg; Schneider, John A.

2015-01-01

Purpose To document the HIV testing behaviors and serostatus of younger men of color who have sex with men (YMSM), and to explore sociodemographic, behavioral, and maternal correlates of HIV testing in the past six months. Methods 135 YMSM aged 16–19 completed a close-ended survey on HIV testing and risk behaviors, mother-son communication, and sociodemographic characteristics. Youth were offered point-of-care HIV testing, with results provided at survey end. Multivariate logistic regression analyzed the sociodemographic, behavioral, and maternal factors associated with routine HIV testing. Results 90.3% of YMSM had previously tested for HIV and 70.9 % had tested in the past six months. In total, 11.7% of youth reported being HIV-positive and 3.3% reported unknown serostatus. When offered an HIV test, 97.8% accepted. Of these, 14.7% had a positive oral test result and 31.58% of HIV-positive YMSM (n=6) were seropositive unaware. Logistic regression results indicated that maternal communication about sex with males was positively associated with routine testing (OR=2.36; 95% CI=1.13–4.94). Conversely, communication about puberty and general human sexuality was negatively associated (OR=0.45; 95% CI=0.24–0.86). Condomless anal intercourse and positive STI history were negatively associated with routine testing; however, frequency of alcohol use was positively associated. Conclusions Despite high rates of testing, we found high rates of HIV infection, with 31.58% of HIV-positive YMSM being seropositive unaware. Mother-son communication about sex needs to address same-sex behavior, as this appears to be more important than other topics. YMSM with known risk factors for HIV are not testing at the recommended time intervals. PMID:26321527

Multi-disciplinary communication networks for skin risk assessment in nursing homes with high IT sophistication.

PubMed

Alexander, Gregory L; Pasupathy, Kalyan S; Steege, Linsey M; Strecker, E Bradley; Carley, Kathleen M

2014-08-01

The role of nursing home (NH) information technology (IT) in quality improvement has not been clearly established, and its impacts on communication between care givers and patient outcomes in these settings deserve further attention. In this research, we describe a mixed method approach to explore communication strategies used by healthcare providers for resident skin risk in NH with high IT sophistication (ITS). Sample included NH participating in the statewide survey of ITS. We incorporated rigorous observation of 8- and 12-h shifts, and focus groups to identify how NH IT and a range of synchronous and asynchronous tools are used. Social network analysis tools and qualitative analysis were used to analyze data and identify relationships between ITS dimensions and communication interactions between care providers. Two of the nine ITS dimensions (resident care-technological and administrative activities-technological) and total ITS were significantly negatively correlated with number of unique interactions. As more processes in resident care and administrative activities are supported by technology, the lower the number of observed unique interactions. Additionally, four thematic areas emerged from staff focus groups that demonstrate how important IT is to resident care in these facilities including providing resident-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, maintaining safety and quality, and using standardized information resources. Our findings in this study confirm prior research that as technology support (resident care and administrative activities) and overall ITS increases, observed interactions between staff members decrease. Conversations during staff interviews focused on how technology facilitated resident centered care through enhanced information sharing, greater virtual collaboration between team members, and improved care delivery. These results provide evidence for improving the design and implementation of IT in long term care systems to support communication and associated resident outcomes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Projection of Burden of Disease in Islamic Republic of Iran to 2025

PubMed Central

Khajehkazemi, Razieh; Sadeghirad, Behnam; Karamouzian, Mohammad; Fallah, Mohammad-Sadegh; Mehrolhassani, Mohammad-Hossien; Dehnavieh, Reza; Haghdoost, AliAkbar

2013-01-01

Objective Iran as a developing country is in the transition phase, which might have a big impact on the Burden of Disease and Injury (BOD). This study aims to estimate Burden of Disease and Injury (BOD) in Iran up to 2025 due to four broad cause groups using Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY). Methods The impacts of demographic and epidemiological changes on BOD (DemBOD and EpiBOD) were assessed separately. We estimated DemBOD in nine scenarios, using different projections for life expectancy and total fertility rate. EpiBOD was modeled in two scenarios as a proportion of DemBOD, based on the extracted parameters from an international study. Findings The BOD is projected to increase from 14.3 million in 2003 to 19.4 million in 2025 (95% uncertainty interval: 16.8, 21.9), which shows an overall increase of 35.3%. Non-communicable diseases (12.7 million DALY, 66.0%), injuries (4.6 million DALY, 24.0%), and communicable diseases, except HIV/AIDS (1.8 million DALY, 9%) will be the leading causes of losing healthy life. Under the most likely scenario, the maximum increase in disease burden due to DemBOD is projected to be observed in HIV/AIDS and Non-communicable diseases (63.9 and 62.4%, respectively) and due to EpiBOD in HIV/AIDS (319.5%). Conclusion It seems that in the following decades, BOD will have a sharp increase in Iran, mainly due to DemBOD. It seems that communicable diseases (except HIV/AIDS) will have less contribution, and especially non-communicable diseases will play a more significant role. PMID:24146941

Utilisation of strategic communication to create willingness to change work practices among primary care staff: a long-term follow-up study.

PubMed

Morténius, Helena; Fridlund, Bengt; Marklund, Bertil; Palm, Lars; Baigi, Amir

2012-04-01

To evaluate the long-term utilisation of strategic communication as a factor of importance when changing work practices among primary care staff. In many health care organisations, there is a gap between theory and practice. This gap hinders the provision of optimal evidence-based practice and, in the long term, is unfavourable for patient care. One way of overcoming this barrier is systematically structured communication between the scientific theoretical platform and clinical practice. This longitudinal evaluative study was conducted among a primary care staff cohort. Strategic communication was considered to be the intervention platform and included a network of ambassadors who acted as a component of the implementation. Measurements occurred 7 and 12 years after formation of the cohort. A questionnaire was used to obtain information from participants. In total, 846 employees (70%) agreed to take part in the study. After 12 years, the 352 individuals (60%) who had remained in the organisation were identified and followed up. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were used to analyse the data. Continuous information contributed to significant improvements over time with respect to new ideas and the intention to change work practices. There was a statistically significant synergistic effect on the new way of thinking, that is, willingness to change work practices. During the final two years, the network of ambassadors had created a distinctive image for itself in the sense that primary care staff members were aware of it and its activities. This awareness was associated with a positive change with regard to new ways of thinking. More years of practice was inversely associated with willingness to change work practices. Strategic communication may lead to a scientific platform that promotes high-quality patient care by means of new methods and research findings.

Multisource feedback analysis of pediatric outpatient teaching

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background This study aims to evaluate the outpatient communication skills of medical students via multisource feedback, which may be useful to map future directions in improving physician-patient communication. Methods Family respondents of patients, a nurse, a clinical teacher, and a research assistant evaluated video-recorded medical students’ interactions with outpatients by using multisource feedback questionnaires; students also assessed their own skills. The questionnaire was answered based on the video-recorded interactions between outpatients and the medical students. Results A total of 60 family respondents of the 60 patients completed the questionnaires, 58 (96.7%) of them agreed with the video recording. Two reasons for reluctance were “personal privacy” issues and “simply disagree” with the video recording. The average satisfaction score of the 58 students was 85.1 points, indicating students’ performance was in the category between satisfied and very satisfied. The family respondents were most satisfied with the “teacher”s attitude,“ followed by ”teaching quality”. In contrast, the family respondents were least satisfied with “being open to questions”. Among the 6 assessment domains of communication skills, the students scored highest on “explaining” and lowest on “giving recommendations”. In the detailed assessment by family respondents, the students scored lowest on “asking about life/school burden”. In the multisource analysis, the nurses’ mean score was much higher and the students’ mean self-assessment score was lower than the average scores on all domains. Conclusion The willingness and satisfaction of family respondents were high in this study. Students scored the lowest on giving recommendations to patients. Multisource feedback with video recording is useful in providing more accurate evaluation of students’ communication competence and in identifying the areas of communication that require enhancement. PMID:24180615

Coordination of cancer care between family physicians and cancer specialists

PubMed Central

Easley, Julie; Miedema, Baukje; Carroll, June C.; Manca, Donna P.; O’Brien, Mary Ann; Webster, Fiona; Grunfeld, Eva

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective To explore health care provider (HCP) perspectives on the coordination of cancer care between FPs and cancer specialists. Design Qualitative study using semistructured telephone interviews. Setting Canada. Participants A total of 58 HCPs, comprising 21 FPs, 15 surgeons, 12 medical oncologists, 6 radiation oncologists, and 4 GPs in oncology. Methods This qualitative study is nested within a larger mixed-methods program of research, CanIMPACT (Canadian Team to Improve Community-Based Cancer Care along the Continuum), focused on improving the coordination of cancer care between FPs and cancer specialists. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, telephone interviews were conducted with HCPs involved in cancer care. Invitations to participate were sent to a purposive sample of HCPs based on medical specialty, sex, province or territory, and geographic location (urban or rural). A coding schema was developed by 4 team members; subsequently, 1 team member coded the remaining transcripts. The resulting themes were reviewed by the entire team and a summary of results was mailed to participants for review. Main findings Communication challenges emerged as the most prominent theme. Five key related subthemes were identified around this core concept that occurred at both system and individual levels. System-level issues included delays in medical transcription, difficulties accessing patient information, and physicians not being copied on all reports. Individual-level issues included the lack of rapport between FPs and cancer specialists, and the lack of clearly defined and broadly communicated roles. Conclusion Effective and timely communication of medical information, as well as clearly defined roles for each provider, are essential to good coordination of care along the cancer care trajectory, particularly during transitions of care between cancer specialist and FP care. Despite advances in technology, substantial communication challenges still exist. This can lead to serious consequences that affect clinical decision making. PMID:27737996

We need to talk: an observational study of the impact of electronic medical record implementation on hospital communication.

PubMed

Taylor, Stephanie Parks; Ledford, Robert; Palmer, Victoria; Abel, Erika

2014-07-01

Increasing attention is being given to the importance of communication in the delivery of high-quality healthcare. We sought to determine whether communication improved in a hospital setting following the introduction of an electronic medical record (EMR). This pre-post cohort design enrolled 75 patient-nurse-physician triads prior to the introduction of EMR, and 123 triads after the introduction of EMR. Nurses and patients reported whether they communicated with the physician that day. Patients, nurses and physicians answered several questions about the plan of care for the day. Responses were scored for degree of agreement and compared between pre-EMR and post-EMR cohorts. The primary outcome was Total Agreement Score, calculated as the sum of the agreement responses. Chart review was performed to determine patients' actual length of stay. Although there was no difference between the frequency of nurses reporting communication with physicians before and after EMR, face-to-face communication was significantly reduced (67% vs 51%, p=0.03). Total Agreement Score was significantly lower after the implementation of EMR (p=0.03). Additionally, fewer patients accurately predicted their expected length of stay after EMR (34% vs 26%, p=0.001). The implementation of EMR was associated with a decrease in face-to-face communication between physicians and nurses, and worsened overall agreement about the plan of care. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Elements of effective communication--rediscoveries from homeopathy.

PubMed

Hartog, Christiane S

2009-11-01

Patients are increasingly attracted to homeopathy despite the unproven effectiveness of homeopathic remedies. Clinical benefit of homeopathy may be due to communication. This review aims to identify and assess effective communication patterns in homeopathy. Narrative review and synthesis of published communication patterns, patient narratives and the author's professional experience as a homeopathic practitioner. In the biomedical model, where the focus is on disease, communication is physician-centered with early redirection of patients' concerns, and associated with reduced compliance, increasing risk of malpractice claims and low professional fulfillment. The biopsychosocial and the developing integrative medicine models are based on biomedicine but aim to include the whole person. Patient-centeredness is a behavior that elicits, respects and incorporates patients' wishes, allows active patient participation and is related to improved outcomes. The homeopathic model is based on holism and comprehension of the totality of the patient and uses patient-centered communication with a high degree of physician co-operation, empathy, hopefulness, enablement and narrative competence, all of which can improve outcomes. Both biopsychosocial and homeopathic models rely on patient-centered communication. Regardless of conceptual differences, they overlap in their common respect for the totality and individuality of the patient. The study of the homeopathic model shows that respect for the whole person is a basic requirement to entrench patient-centeredness more firmly in medicine. Medical education should include values such as individual coping strategies, the benefits of a sound and healthy life-style and the necessity of hope and enablement. Health care should be redesigned to honor physicians who practice these values.

Report of Communication Method Usage by Teachers of Deaf-Blind Children--Part III.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensema, Corinne Klein

1981-01-01

Conclusions from a national survey of communication methods used by 195 deaf-blind students included that children with moderate and moderate-severe vision losses prefer visually presented gestures and IQ had little effect on choice of methods. (Author)

The "Total Immersion" Meeting Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finkel, Coleman

1980-01-01

The designing of intelligently planned meeting facilities can aid management communication and learning. The author examines the psychology of meeting attendance; architectural considerations (lighting, windows, color, etc.); design elements and learning modes (furniture, walls, audiovisuals, materials); and the idea of "total immersion meeting…

Total Quality Management for Campus Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Gary L.

1992-01-01

This article examines the total quality management (TQM) concept as it is applied to higher education campus facilities. Each of the fundamental principles of TQM are examined as follows: customer-centered orientation; leadership; improved communication; continuous improvement; accountability; and quality of life. (GLR)

75 FR 60121 - Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-29

... [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control Number: 3060-1060. Title: Wireless E911....C. sections 1, and 4(i). Total Annual Burden: 38 hours. Total Annual Cost: N/A. Privacy Act Impact...

Using Communication Technology to Enhance Interprofessional Education Simulations.

PubMed

Shrader, Sarah; Kostoff, Matthew; Shin, Tiffany; Heble, Annie; Kempin, Brian; Miller, Astyn; Patykiewicz, Nick

2016-02-25

To determine the impact of simulations using an alternative method of communication on students' satisfaction, attitudes, confidence, and performance related to interprofessional communication. One hundred sixty-three pharmacy students participated in a required applications-based capstone course. Students were randomly assigned to one of three interprofessional education (IPE) simulations with other health professions students using communication methods such as telephone, e-mail, and video conferencing. Pharmacy students completed a validated survey instrument, Attitude Toward Healthcare Teams Scale (ATHCTS) prior to and after course participation. Significant positive changes occurred for 5 out of 20 items. Written reflection papers and student satisfaction surveys completed after participation showed positive themes and satisfaction. Course instructors evaluated student performance using rubrics for formative feedback. Implementation of IPE simulations using various methods of communication technology is an effective way for pharmacy schools to incorporate IPE into their curriculum.

Anomalous Bilateral Communication between the Inferior Alveolar Nerve and the Auriculotemporal Nerve: A Rare Variation

PubMed Central

BHARDWAJ, Nikha; SAHNI, Priya; SINGHVI, Abhishek; NAYAK, Meghanand; TIWARI, Vineeta

2014-01-01

Branches of the posterior division of the mandibular nerve show various anomalous communications in the infratemporal region. Understanding such communication has relevance in the management of neuropathies and surgical procedures in this region. This study was conducted to explore such communicating branches, anticipating that they might provide information of clinical significance. A total of 15 human cadavers (30 infratemporal regions) were studied to explore such communicating branches in infratemporal region. The branches of the posterior division of the mandibular nerve were carefully dissected, and these branches were studied and analysed for any abnormal course. In one case, a rare type of bilateral communication between the auriculotemporal nerve and the inferior alveolar nerve, forming a loop with no association with any structure, was observed. It is possible that such communicating branches may be associated with delayed regression of the first arch vessels. The clinical implications of these anomalous communications require further detailed study for improved management of neuropathies and surgical procedures. PMID:25977637

African American grandfamilies' attitudes and feelings about sexual communication: focus group results.

PubMed

Cornelius, Judith B; LeGrand, Sara; Jemmott, Loretta Sweet

2009-01-01

Little attention has been given to the responsibilities that African American grandparent caregivers face when they assume the role of raising their grandchildren. One particularly challenging task of grandparent caregivers is communicating with their grandchildren about sexuality issues. This study therefore examined the sexual communications and attitudes and feelings toward these communications between African American grandparent caregivers and their adolescent grandchildren (11-13 years of age). Focus group methodology was used to generate data about the grandparent/grandchild sexuality communication process and attitudes and feelings toward that process. The sample included 40 dyads of African American grandparents/grandchildren, for a total of 80 participants. Grandparents as well as their adolescent grandchildren desired open communication about sexuality issues, said that societal pressure makes sexual encounters hard to resist, and felt that they needed assistance with the sexuality communication process. Nurses can build upon the study's results to assist African American grandparents and their adolescent grandchildren with sexual communication.

Communication interventions for minimally verbal children with autism: a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial.

PubMed

Kasari, Connie; Kaiser, Ann; Goods, Kelly; Nietfeld, Jennifer; Mathy, Pamela; Landa, Rebecca; Murphy, Susan; Almirall, Daniel

2014-06-01

This study tested the effect of beginning treatment with a speech-generating device (SGD) in the context of a blended, adaptive treatment design for improving spontaneous, communicative utterances in school-aged, minimally verbal children with autism. A total of 61 minimally verbal children with autism, aged 5 to 8 years, were randomized to a blended developmental/behavioral intervention (JASP+EMT) with or without the augmentation of a SGD for 6 months with a 3-month follow-up. The intervention consisted of 2 stages. In stage 1, all children received 2 sessions per week for 3 months. Stage 2 intervention was adapted (by increased sessions or adding the SGD) based on the child's early response. The primary outcome was the total number of spontaneous communicative utterances; secondary measures were the total number of novel words and total comments from a natural language sample. Primary aim results found improvements in spontaneous communicative utterances, novel words, and comments that all favored the blended behavioral intervention that began by including an SGD (JASP+EMT+SGD) as opposed to spoken words alone (JASP+EMT). Secondary aim results suggest that the adaptive intervention beginning with JASP+EMT+SGD and intensifying JASP+EMT+SGD for children who were slow responders led to better posttreatment outcomes. Minimally verbal school-aged children can make significant and rapid gains in spoken spontaneous language with a novel, blended intervention that focuses on joint engagement and play skills and incorporates an SGD. Future studies should further explore the tailoring design used in this study to better understand children's response to treatment. Clinical trial registration information-Developmental and Augmented Intervention for Facilitating Expressive Language (CCNIA); http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT01013545. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Operation and Management of Thermostatically Controlled Loads for Providing Regulation Services to Power Grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanouni, Maziar

The notion of demand-side participation in power systems operation and control is on the verge of realization because of the advancement in the required technologies an tools like communications, smart meters, sensor networks, large data management techniques, large scale optimization method, etc. Therefore, demand-response (DR) programs can be one of the prosperous solutions to accommodate part of the increasing demand for load balancing services which is brought about by the high penetration of intermittent renewable energies in power systems. This dissertation studies different aspects of the DR programs that utilized the thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) to provide load balancing services. The importance of TCLs among the other loads lie on their flexibility in power consumption pattern while the customer/end-user comfort is not (or minimally) impacted. Chapter 2 discussed a previously presented direct load control (DLC) to control the power consumption of aggregated TCLs. The DLC method performs a power tracking control and based on central approach where a central controller broadcasts the control command to the dispersed TCLs to toggle them on/off. The central controller receives measurement feedback from the TCLs once per couple of minutes to run a successful forecast process. The performance evaluation criteria to evaluate the load balancing service provided by the TCLs are presented. The results are discussed under different scenarios and situation. The numerical results show the proper performance of the DLC method. This DLC method is used as the control method in all the studies in this dissertation. Chapter 3 presents performance improvements for the original method in Chapter 2 by communicating two more pieces of information called forecast parameters (FPs). Communicating improves the forecast process in the DLC and hence, both performance accuracy and the amount of tear-and-wear imposed on the TCLs. Chapter 4 formulates a stochastic optimization model for a load aggregator (LA) to participate in the performance-based regulation markets (PBRM). PBRMs are the recently developed and practiced regulation market structure recommended by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2011. In PBRMs, regulation resources are paid based on both regulation capacity bids and the regulation performance including the provided mileage and the performance accuracy. In order to develop the income from the PBRM, the convention of California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is used. In the presented optimization model, the amount of tear-and-wear imposed on the TCLs are confined to prevent abrupt switching of TCLs. In Chapter 5, a two-stage reward allocation mechanism is developed for a LA recruiting TCLs for regulation service provision. The mechanism helps the LA to distribute the total reward (earned from regulation service provision) among the TCLs according to their contribution in the whole provided service. In the first stage, TCLs are prioritized based on their service provision capability. In order to do so, an index called SPCI is presented to quantify TCLs capability/flexibility and therefore, prioritize them. After prioritization TCLs a priority list is constructed in the first stage. In the second stage, a reward curve is constructed representing the functionality of the possible total reward with respect to the number top TCLs in the priority list. Then, the allocated reward to individual TCLs is calculated by applying the incremental method on the constructed reward curve. This presented reward allocation mechanism is based on the definition of maximum service capacity (MSC) for a control group including TCLs. MSC is defined and its calculation method is presented before discussing the two stages of the reward allocation mechanism. The numerical results proves the suitability of the proposed prioritization method as it is observed the TCLs with higher rankings can contribute more to the total reward in comparison to the TCLs with lower rankings in the priority list.

Teachers' perceptions and actions in carrying out communication policies in a public school for the deaf.

PubMed

Hsing, M H; Lowenbraun, S

1997-03-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' opinions on school communication policies in a public school for the Deaf in Taipei, Taiwan. Specifically, the authors examined how teachers carried out communication policies, and examined possible discrepancies between teachers' perceptions of their communication methods and the methods they actually used in the classroom. Questionnaires were distributed to all 120 teachers at Taipei Municipal School for the Deaf. Thirteen of the 85 respondents were selected as subjects for personal interviews followed by direct classroom observation and videotaping. Sixteen deaf high school seniors at the school were interviewed concerning their opinions about the teachers' communication modes and abilities, and about the communication modes the students experienced.

Food and beverage price discounts to improve health in remote Aboriginal communities: mixed method evaluation of a natural experiment.

PubMed

Ferguson, Megan; O'Dea, Kerin; Holden, Stacey; Miles, Eddie; Brimblecombe, Julie

2017-02-01

Retrospectively evaluate food price discounts in remote Aboriginal community stores. Four price discount strategies of 10% were designed in 2010, aiming to influence grocery, fruit, vegetables and diet soft-drink sales. This natural experiment across a group of stores was evaluated using an explanatory, sequential mixed method design through analysis of store point-of-sale, document, observation and interview data. The outcome was measured by change in: 1) percentage of grocery sales to total food and beverage; 2) fruit and vegetable sales; and 3) diet soft-drink sales. Qualitative data enabled the interpretation of outcomes through understanding perceived success and benefits, and enablers and barriers to implementation. Eighteen community stores and 54 informants participated. While targeted price discounts were considered important to improving health, no discernible effect was evident, due to inadequate design and communication of discount promotion, and probably inadequate magnitude of discount. Strategy impact on food and beverage sales was limited by promotion and magnitude of discount. Implication for Public Health: This study demonstrates key factors and commitment required to design, communicate, implement and monitor strategies to improve health in this challenging remote retail context. Evaluation of natural experiments can contribute evidence to policy-making. © 2016 The Authors.

An Energy Efficient Technique Using Electric Active Shielding for Capacitive Coupling Intra-Body Communication

PubMed Central

Ma, Chao; Huang, Zhonghua; Wang, Zhiqi; Zhou, Linxuan; Li, Yinlin

2017-01-01

Capacitive coupling intra-body communication (CC-IBC) has become one of the candidates for healthcare sensor networks due to its positive prevailing features of energy efficiency, transmission rate and security. Under the CC-IBC scheme, some of the electric field emitted from signal (SIG) electrode of the transmitter will couple directly to the ground (GND) electrode, acting equivalently as an internal impedance of the signal source and inducing considerable energy losses. However, none of the previous works have fully studied the problem. In this paper, the underlying theory of such energy loss is investigated and quantitatively evaluated using conventional parameters. Accordingly, a method of electric active shielding is proposed to reduce the displacement current across the SIG-GND electrodes, leading to less power loss. In addition, the variation of such loss in regard to frequency range and positions on human body was also considered. The theory was validated by finite element method simulation and experimental measurement. The prototype result shows that the receiving power has been improved by approximate 5.5 dBm while the total power consumption is maximally 9 mW less using the proposed technique, providing an energy efficient option in physical layer for wearable and implantable healthcare sensor networks. PMID:28885546

How does feedback from patients impact upon healthcare student clinical skill development and learning? A systematic review.

PubMed

Finch, Emma; Lethlean, Jennifer; Rose, Tanya; Fleming, Jennifer; Theodoros, Deborah; Cameron, Ashley; Coleman, Adele; Copland, David; McPhail, Steven M

2018-03-01

A key feature of health professionals' training, irrespective of discipline, is the acquisition and application of clinical and communication skills. Despite this, little is known about the potential role of patient feedback on this process. This systematic review aimed to answer the question: How does feedback from patients impact upon healthcare student clinical skill development and learning? Systematic review of published literature. Electronic databases were searched for studies that explored the effects of patient feedback on student learning and were published before March 2016. Eligible articles underwent methodological evaluation using the McMaster University Critical Evaluation Forms and data extraction. A total of 237 articles were retrieved following searches of electronic databases and hand searches of reference lists. Twelve (7 quantitative, 2 qualitative, 3 mixed methods) studies met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies reported that patient feedback improved students' clinical skills. Minimal research has explored the impact of patient feedback on student learning. The research to date suggests that direct feedback from patients may be beneficial for the development of students' communication and clinical skills; however, the wide variety of evaluation methods and the lack of validated tools for patients to provide feedback suggest that further exploration is warranted.

Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases and Metabolic Syndrome

PubMed Central

Esmailnasab, N; Moradi, G; Delaveri, A

2012-01-01

Background Metabolic syndrome is a common nmetabolic ndisorder, which leads to early Cardio Vascular Disease and diabetes type II. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its risk factors in Kurdistan, Iran. Method: The data was extracted from provincial section of Iranian national non-communicable surveillance survey conducted in 2005. The study was a population-based survey with multi-stage cluster sampling method. Adult Treatment Panel-III measures were used for assessing the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among residents of Kurdistan Province aged 25 to 64 yr. EPI-Info 6 was used to enter the data and the data was analyzed using SPSS 11.5. Results: Totally, 1194 participants were recruited in our survey. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 29.1%. The prevalence was 41.3% among women and 17.1% among men (P= 0.001). As we go higher among age groups, the prevalence increases. Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the metabolic syndrome in Kurdistan and Kurd ethnicity. The high level of metabolic syndromes prevalence especially among women shows the need and importance of suitable and effective preventive programs. These preventive programs must promote changes in lifestyle, especially with respect to nutrition, physical activities, and control of blood pressure. PMID:23113214

Developing a model for the adequate description of electronic communication in hospitals.

PubMed

Saboor, Samrend; Ammenwerth, Elske

2011-01-01

Adequate information and communication systems (ICT) can help to improve the communication in hospitals. Changes to the ICT-infrastructure of hospitals must be planed carefully. In order to support a comprehensive planning, we presented a classification of 81 common errors of the electronic communication on the MIE 2008 congress. Our objective now was to develop a data model that defines specific requirements for an adequate description of electronic communication processes We first applied the method of explicating qualitative content analysis on the error categorization in order to determine the essential process details. After this, we applied the method of subsuming qualitative content analysis on the results of the first step. A data model for the adequate description of electronic communication. This model comprises 61 entities and 91 relationships. The data model comprises and organizes all details that are necessary for the detection of the respective errors. It can be for either used to extend the capabilities of existing modeling methods or as a basis for the development of a new approach.

Value Narratives: A Novel Method for Understanding High-Cost Pediatric Hospital Patients.

PubMed

Smith, Andrew; Andrews, Seth; Wilkins, Victoria; De Beritto, Theodore; Jenkins, Stephen; Maloney, Christopher G

2016-10-01

To delineate the drivers of cost associated with the most-costly inpatients in a tertiary pediatric hospital. We identified the 10% most-costly inpatients treated at a large regional children's hospital in 2010. From this group we randomly selected, within representative specialties, 2 groups of 50 inpatients for detailed chart review. By using daily cost data and clinical records, 2 independent reviewers examined the clinical course of each patient to identify events that drove cost beyond that expected for standard of care. By using an iterative process, these events were grouped into themes or "cost drivers." Linear regression was used to measure the association of number of cost drivers and total 2010 inpatient cost. We identified 7 cost drivers: medical complications (49%), futile treatment (6%), failure to identify family care preferences (9%), system errors (65%), preventable admissions (21%), complex family dynamics (11%), and expensive diagnosis with no other cost driver (15%). Cost drivers were associated with increased total costs. We developed a novel method for understanding high-cost inpatients. This method allowed a more detailed understanding of cost drivers than could be achieved with administrative data alone. Many of these cost drivers were related to problems with communication. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Self-organization leads to supraoptimal performance in public transportation systems.

PubMed

Gershenson, Carlos

2011-01-01

The performance of public transportation systems affects a large part of the population. Current theory assumes that passengers are served optimally when vehicles arrive at stations with regular intervals. In this paper, it is shown that self-organization can improve the performance of public transportation systems beyond the theoretical optimum by responding adaptively to local conditions. This is possible because of a "slower-is-faster" effect, where passengers wait more time at stations but total travel times are reduced. The proposed self-organizing method uses "antipheromones" to regulate headways, which are inspired by the stigmergy (communication via environment) of some ant colonies.

The iLappSurgery taTME app: a modern adjunct to the teaching of surgical techniques.

PubMed

Atallah, S; Brady, R R W

2016-09-01

Application-based technology has emerged as a method of modern information communication, and this has been applied towards surgical training and education. It allows surgeons the ability to obtain portable and instant access to information that is otherwise difficult to deliver. The iLappSurgery Foundation has recently launched the transanal total mesorectal excision educational application (taTME app) which provides a useful adjunct, especially for surgeons interested in mastery of the taTME technique and its principles. The article provides a detailed review of the application, which has achieved a large user-base since its debut in June, 2016.

Wireless communication devices and movement monitoring methods

DOEpatents

Skorpik, James R.

2006-10-31

Wireless communication devices and movement monitoring methods are described. In one aspect, a wireless communication device includes a housing, wireless communication circuitry coupled with the housing and configured to communicate wireless signals, movement circuitry coupled with the housing and configured to provide movement data regarding movement sensed by the movement circuitry, and event processing circuitry coupled with the housing and the movement circuitry, wherein the event processing circuitry is configured to process the movement data, and wherein at least a portion of the event processing circuitry is configured to operate in a first operational state having a different power consumption rate compared with a second operational state.

Healthcare professionals experience with motivational interviewing in their encounter with obese pregnant women.

PubMed

Lindhardt, Christina Louise; Rubak, Sune; Mogensen, Ole; Hansen, Helle Ploug; Goldstein, Henri; Lamont, Ronald F; Joergensen, Jan Stener

2015-07-01

to explore and describe how healthcare professionals in the Southern Region of Denmark experienced motivational interviewing as a communication method when working with pregnant women with obesity. a qualitative, descriptive study based on face-to-face interviews with 11 obstetric healthcare professionals working in a perinatal setting. a thematic descriptive method was applied to semi-structured interviews. The healthcare professional's experiences were recorded verbatim during individual semi-structured qualitative interviews, transcribed, and analysed using a descriptive analysis methodology. motivational interviewing was found to be a useful method when communicating with obese pregnant women. The method made the healthcare professionals more aware of their own communication style both when encountering pregnant women and in their interaction with colleagues. However, most of the healthcare professionals emphasised that time was crucial and they had to be dedicated to the motivational interviewing method. The healthcare professionals further stated that it enabled them to become more professional in their daily work and made some of them feel less 'burned out', 'powerless' and 'stressed' as they felt they had a communication method in handling difficult workloads. healthcare professionals experienced motivational interviewing to be a useful method when working perinatally. The motivational interviewing method permitted heightened awareness of the healthcare professionals communication method with the patients and increased their ability to handle a difficult workload. Overall, lack of time restricted the use of the motivational interviewing method on a daily basis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved productivity through interactive communication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marino, P. P.

1985-01-01

New methods and approaches are being tried and evaluated with the goal of increasing productivity and quality. The underlying concept in all of these approaches, methods or processes is that people require interactive communication to maximize the organization's strengths and minimize impediments to productivity improvement. This paper examines Bendix Field Engineering Corporation's organizational structure and experiences with employee involvement programs. The paper focuses on methods Bendix developed and implemented to open lines of communication throughout the organization. The Bendix approach to productivity and quality enhancement shows that interactive communication is critical to the successful implementation of any productivity improvement program. The paper concludes with an examination of the Bendix methodologies which can be adopted by any corporation in any industry.