Sample records for provide quality information
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Content and Quality of Information Provided on Canadian Dementia Websites
Dillon, Whitney A.; Prorok, Jeanette C.; Seitz, Dallas P.
2013-01-01
Purpose Information about dementia is important for persons with dementia (PWD) and their caregivers and the Internet has become the key source of health information. We reviewed the content and quality of information provided on Canadian websites for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods We used the terms “dementia” and “Alzheimer” in Google to identify Canadian dementia websites. The contents of websites were compared to 16 guideline recommendations provided in Canadian Consensus Conference on Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia. The quality of information provided on websites was evaluated using the DISCERN instrument. The content and quality of information provided on selected websites were then described. Results Seven websites were identified, three of which provided relatively comprehensive and high-quality information on dementia. Websites frequently provided information about diagnosis of dementia, its natural course, and types of dementia, while other topics were less commonly addressed. The quality of information provided on the websites varied, and many websites had several areas where the quality of information provided was relatively low according to the DISCERN instrument. Conclusions There is variation in the content and quality of dementia websites, although some websites provide high-quality and relatively comprehensive information which would serve as a useful resource for PWD, caregivers, and healthcare providers. Improvements in the content and quality of information provided on AD websites would provide PWD and their caregivers with access to better information. PMID:23440180
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Searching the Internet for information on prostate cancer screening: an assessment of quality.
Ilic, Dragan; Risbridger, Gail; Green, Sally
2004-07-01
To identify how on-line information relating to prostate cancer screening (PCS) is best sourced, whether through general, medical, or meta-search engines, and to assess the quality of that information. Websites providing information about PCS were searched across 15 search engines representing three distinct types: general, medical, and meta-search engines. The quality of on-line information was assessed using the DISCERN quality assessment tool. Quality performance characteristics were analyzed by performing Mann-Whitney U tests. Search engine efficiency was measured by each search query as a percentage of the relevant websites included for analysis from the total returned and analyzed by performing Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance. Of 6690 websites reviewed, 84 unique websites were identified as providing information relevant to PCS. General and meta-search engines were significantly more efficient at retrieving relevant information on PCS compared with medical search engines. The quality of information was variable, with most of a poor standard. Websites that provided referral links to other resources and a citation of evidence provided a significantly better quality of information. In contrast, websites offering a direct service were more likely to provide a significantly poorer quality of information. The current lack of a clear consensus on guidelines and recommendation in published data is also reflected by the variable quality of information found on-line. Specialized medical search engines were no more likely to retrieve relevant, high-quality information than general or meta-search engines.
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Providing Outcomes Information to Nursing Homes: Can It Improve Quality of Care?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Castle, Nicholas G.
2003-01-01
Purpose: This study examined whether providing outcomes information to 120 nursing homes facilitated improvements in quality over a 12-month period, as compared with 1,171 facilities not receiving this information. The outcomes information provided consisted of a report mailed to administrators that examined six measures of care quality. These…
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Rare Diseases on the Internet: An Assessment of the Quality of Online Information.
Pauer, Frédéric; Litzkendorf, Svenja; Göbel, Jens; Storf, Holger; Zeidler, Jan; Graf von der Schulenburg, Johann-Matthias
2017-01-18
The importance of the Internet as a medium for publishing and sharing health and medical information has increased considerably during the last decade. Nonetheless, comprehensive knowledge and information are scarce and difficult to find, especially for rare diseases. Additionally, the quality of health or medical information about rare diseases is frequently difficult to assess for the patients and their family members. The aim of this study is to assess the quality of information on the Internet about rare diseases. Additionally, the study aims to evaluate if the quality of information on rare diseases varies between different information supplier categories. A total of 13 quality criteria for websites providing medical information about rare diseases were transferred to a self-disclosure questionnaire. Identified providers of information on the Internet about rare diseases were invited to fill out the questionnaire. The questionnaire contained questions about the information provider in general (eg, supplier category, information category, language, use of quality certificates, and target group) and about quality aspects that reflect the 13 quality criteria. Differences in subgroup analyses were performed using t tests. We identified 693 websites containing information about rare diseases. A total of 123 questionnaires (17.7%) were completely filled out by the information suppliers. For the remaining identified suppliers (570/693, 82.3%), the questionnaires were filled out by the authors based on the information available on their website. In many cases, the quality of websites was proportionally low. Furthermore, subgroup analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the quality of information provided by support group/patient organization compared to medical institution (P=.19). The quality of information by individuals (patient/relative) was significantly lower compared to information provided by support group/patient organization (P=.001), medical institution (P=.009), and other associations and sponsoring bodies (P=.001) as well. Overall, the quality of information on the Internet about rare diseases is low. Quality certificates are rarely used and important quality criteria are often not fulfilled completely. Additionally, some information categories are underrepresented (eg, information about psychosocial counseling, social-legal advice, and family planning). Nevertheless, due to the high amount of information provided by support groups, this study shows that these are extremely valuable sources of information for patients suffering from a rare disease and their relatives. ©Frédéric Pauer, Svenja Litzkendorf, Jens Göbel, Holger Storf, Jan Zeidler, Johann-Matthias Graf von der Schulenburg. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 18.01.2017.
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Understanding Employee Awareness of Health Care Quality Information: How Can Employers Benefit?
Abraham, Jean; Feldman, Roger; Carlin, Caroline
2004-01-01
Objective To analyze the factors associated with employee awareness of employer-disseminated quality information on providers. Data Sources Primary data were collected in 2002 on a stratified, random sample of 1,365 employees in 16 firms that are members of the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) located in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region. An employer survey was also conducted to assess how employers communicated the quality information to employees. Study Design In 2001, BHCAG sponsored two programs for reporting provider quality. We specify employee awareness of the quality information to depend on factors that influence the benefits and costs of search. Factors influencing the benefits include age, sex, provider satisfaction, health status, job tenure, and Twin Cities tenure. Factors influencing search costs include employee income, education, and employer communication strategies. We estimate the model using bivariate probit analysis. Data Collection Employee data were collected by phone survey. Principal Findings Overall, the level of quality information awareness is low. However, employer communication strategies such as distributing booklets to all employees or making them available on request have a large effect on the probability of quality information awareness. Employee education and utilization of providers' services are also positively related to awareness. Conclusions This study is one of the first to investigate employee awareness of provider quality information. Given the direct implications for medical outcomes, one might anticipate higher rates of awareness regarding provider quality, relative to plan quality. However, we do not find empirical evidence to support this assertion. PMID:15533188
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Sakundarno, Mateus; Nurjazuli, Nurjazuli; Jati, Sutopo Patria; Sariningdyah, Retna; Purwadi, Sumarsono; Alisjahbana, Bachti; van der Werf, Marieke J
2009-01-01
Background Sputum smear microscopy is the standard diagnostic method for detection of smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Insufficient quality of sputum might result in missing cases. In this study we aimed at assessing the quality of sputum in a district in Central Java and determining patient and health worker factors associated with submission of three good quality sputum samples. Methods In 16 health centers information was collected on the quality of sputum submitted by TB suspects, i.e. volume, color, and viscosity. TB suspects were interviewed to assess their knowledge of TB, motivation to provide sputum and whether they were informed why and how to produce a sputum sample. Health workers were interviewed to assess what information they provided to TB suspects about the reason for sputum examination, methods to produce sputum and characteristics of a good quality sputum sample. All health worker and patient factors were evaluated for association with sputum quality. Results Of 387 TB suspects, 294 (76.0%) could be traced and interviewed, and of 272 (70.3%) information about sputum quality was available. Of those 203 (74.6%) submitted three samples, 90 (33.1%) provided at least one good sample, and 37 (13.6%) provided three good quality sputum samples. Of the 272 TB suspects, 168 (61.8%) mentioned that information on the reason for sputum examination was provided, 66 (24.3%) remembered that they were informed about how to produce sputum and 40 (14.7%) recalled being informed about the characteristics of good quality sputum. Paramedics reported to provide often/always information on the importance of sputum examination, and when to produce sputum. Information on how to produce sputum and characteristics of a good sputum sample was less often provided. None of the studied patient characteristics or health worker factors was associated with providing good quality sputum. Conclusion A considerable number of TB suspects did not provide three sputum samples and a large number of sputum samples were of insufficient quality. Training of health workers in providing health education to the TB suspect about the reason for sputum examination and how to produce a good quality sputum sample should be a priority of the TB program. PMID:19426477
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Effect of pooled comparative information on judgments of quality
Baumgart, Leigh A.; Bass, Ellen J.; Voss, John D.; Lyman, Jason A.
2015-01-01
Quality assessment is the focus of many health care initiatives. Yet it is not well understood how the type of information used in decision support tools to enable judgments of quality based on data impacts the accuracy, consistency and reliability of judgments made by physicians. Comparative pooled information could allow physicians to judge the quality of their practice by making comparisons to other practices or other specific populations of patients. In this study, resident physicians were provided with varying types of information derived from pooled patient data sets: quality component measures at the individual and group level, a qualitative interpretation of the quality measures using percentile rank, and an aggregate composite quality score. 32 participants viewed thirty quality profiles consisting of information applicable to the practice of thirty de-identified resident physicians. Those provided with quality component measures and a qualitative interpretation of the quality measures (rankings) judged quality of care more similarly to experts and were more internally consistent compared to participants who were provided with quality component measures alone. Reliability between participants was significantly less for those who were provided with a composite quality score compared to those who were not. PMID:26949581
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Bes, Romy Evelien; van den Berg, Bernard
2013-01-01
Healthcare quality information is crucial for the system of managed competition. Within a system of managed competition, health insurers can selectively contract care providers and are allowed to channel patients towards contracted providers. The idea is that insurers have a stronger bargaining position compared to care providers when they are able to channel patients. In the Dutch system of managed competition that was implemented in 2006, channelling patients to preferred providers has not yet been very successful. Empirical knowledge of which sources of hospital quality information they find important may help us to understand how to channel patients to preferred providers. The objective of this survey was to measure how patients rank various sources of information when they compare hospital quality in a system of managed competition. A written survey was conducted among clients of a large Dutch health insurance company. These clients underwent orthopedic surgery on the hip or knee no longer than 12 months ago. Two major players within a system of managed competition-health insurers and the government-were not seen as important sources of hospital quality information. In contrast, own experience and general practitioners (GPs) were seen as the most important sources of hospital quality information within the Dutch system of managed competition. Health insurers should take the main finding-that GPs are the most important source of hospital quality information-into account when they contract care providers and develop strategies for channeling patients towards preferred providers. A well-functioning system of managed competition will benefit patients, as it involves incentives for care providers to increase healthcare quality and to produce at the lowest cost per unit of quality.
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Quality and use of consumer information provided with home test kits: room for improvement.
Grispen, Janaica E J; Ickenroth, Martine H P; de Vries, Nanne K; van der Weijden, Trudy; Ronda, Gaby
2014-10-01
Diagnostic self-tests (tests on body materials that are initiated by consumers with the aim of diagnosing a disorder or risk factor) are becoming increasingly available. Although the pros and cons of self-testing are currently not clear, it is an existing phenomenon that is likely to gain further popularity. To examine consumers' use of and needs for information about self-testing, and to assess the quality of consumer information provided with home test kits, as perceived by consumers and as assessed using a checklist of quality criteria. A cross-sectional Internet survey among 305 self-testers assessed their use of and needs for information and their perception of the quality of consumer information provided with self-test kits. A meta-search engine was used to identify Dutch and English consumer information for home diagnostic tests available online at the time of the study. The quality of this consumer information was evaluated using a checklist of quality criteria. The consumers' information needs were in line with the most frequently used information, and the information was perceived as being of moderate to good quality. The information was mostly in agreement with clinical practice guidelines, although information on reliability and follow-up behaviour was limited. Approximately half of the instruction leaflets did not include information on the target group of the test. Although generally of moderate to good quality, some aspects of the information provided were in many cases insufficient. European legislation concerning self-tests and accompanying information needs to be adapted and adhered to more closely. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Quality and consumer decision making in the market for health insurance and health care services.
Kolstad, Jonathan T; Chernew, Michael E
2009-02-01
This article reviews the literature relating quality to consumer choice of health plan or health care provider. Evidence suggests that consumers tend to choose better performing health plans and providers and are responsive to initiatives that provide quality information. The response to quality and quality information differs significantly among consumers and across population subgroups. As such the effect of quality information on choice is apparent in only a relatively small, though perhaps consequential, number of consumers. Despite the wealth of findings on the topic to date, the authors suggest directions for future work, including better assessment of the dynamic issues related to information release, as well as a better understanding of how the response to information varies across different groups of patients.
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An analysis of cluster headache information provided on internet websites.
Peterlin, B Lee; Gambini-Suarez, Eduardo; Lidicker, Jeffrey; Levin, Morris
2008-03-01
To evaluate the quality of websites providing cluster headache information for patients and healthcare providers. The Internet has become an increasingly important source of healthcare information. However, limited data exist regarding the quality of websites providing headache information. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in February 2007. Websites providing cluster headache information were determined on the search engine MetaCrawler and classified as either patient oriented or healthcare provider oriented. The overall quality of each site was evaluated using a score system. Readability was evaluated using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Readability Score (FKRS). Website quality was analyzed based on ownership, purpose, authorship, author qualifications, attribution, interactivity, and currency. The technical quality of the cluster headache information was analyzed based on content specific to cluster headache. The final ranking, based on the sum of the ranks of all 3 categories, was determined and then contrasted between the patient-oriented and healthcare professional-oriented websites using 2-sample t-tests. Of the first 40 websites found on MetaCrawler, 72.5% were advertisements, unrelated to headache, or repeated websites. Although the standard US writing averages are at a seventh to eighth grade level, the mean FKRS of all sites was at a 12th grade level of difficulty, with no significant difference between the patient-oriented or healthcare provider-oriented websites (P = .54). Of a total possible 14 points, the overall mean quality component score was 9.9 for all sites; and of a total possible 23 points, the overall mean technical component score was 13.9. There was no significant difference for either the quality or technical component scores between patient-oriented or healthcare provider-oriented websites (P = .45 and P = .80, respectively). There are numerous cluster headache websites that can be found on the Internet. The quality of most of the websites dedicated to cluster headache is mediocre, and although there are some excellent cluster headache websites, these sites may be challenging for many users to locate. There was no significant difference in the overall quality of websites oriented for patients or healthcare providers providing cluster headache information evaluated in this study. In addition, websites providing high-quality cluster headache information are written at an educational level too high for a significant portion of the general population to fully utilize. Physicians should strongly consider providing lists of quality websites on cluster headache for their patients.
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Children's Use of Information Quality to Establish Speaker Preferences
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gillis, Randall L.; Nilsen, Elizabeth S.
2013-01-01
Knowledge transfer is most effective when speakers provide good quality (in addition to accurate) information. Two studies investigated whether preschool- (4-5 years old) and school-age (6-7 years old) children prefer speakers who provide sufficient information over those who provide insufficient (yet accurate) information. Children were provided…
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High-quality Health Information Provision for Stroke Patients.
Du, Hong-Sheng; Ma, Jing-Jian; Li, Mu
2016-09-05
High-quality information provision can allow stroke patients to effectively participate in healthcare decision-making, better manage the stroke, and make a good recovery. In this study, we reviewed information needs of stroke patients, methods for providing information to patients, and considerations needed by the information providers. The literature concerning or including information provision for patients with stroke in English was collected from PubMed published from 1990 to 2015. We included all the relevant articles on information provision for stroke patients in English, with no limitation of study design. Stroke is a major public health concern worldwide. High-quality and effective health information provision plays an essential role in helping patients to actively take part in decision-making and healthcare, and empowering them to effectively self-manage their long-standing chronic conditions. Different methods for providing information to patients have their relative merits and suitability, and as a result, the effective strategies taken by health professionals may include providing high-quality information, meeting patients' individual needs, using suitable methods in providing information, and maintaining active involvement of patients. It is suggested that to enable stroke patients to access high-quality health information, greater efforts need to be made to ensure patients to receive accurate and current evidence-based information which meets their individual needs. Health professionals should use suitable information delivery methods, and actively involve stroke patients in information provision.
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ESIP Information Quality Cluster (IQC)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ramapriyan, H. K.; Peng, Ge; Moroni, David F.
2016-01-01
The Information Quality Cluster (IQC) within the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) was initially formed in 2011 and has evolved significantly over time. The current objectives of the IQC are to: 1. Actively evaluate community data quality best practices and standards; 2. Improve capture, description, discovery, and usability of information about data quality in Earth science data products; 3. Ensure producers of data products are aware of standards and best practices for conveying data quality, and data providers distributors intermediaries establish, improve and evolve mechanisms to assist users in discovering and understanding data quality information; and 4. Consistently provide guidance to data managers and stewards on how best to implement data quality standards and best practices to ensure and improve maturity of their data products. The activities of the IQC include: 1. Identification of additional needs for consistently capturing, describing, and conveying quality information through use case studies with broad and diverse applications; 2. Establishing and providing community-wide guidance on roles and responsibilities of key players and stakeholders including users and management; 3. Prototyping of conveying quality information to users in a more consistent, transparent, and digestible manner; 4. Establishing a baseline of standards and best practices for data quality; 5. Evaluating recommendations from NASA's DQWG in a broader context and proposing possible implementations; and 6. Engaging data providers, data managers, and data user communities as resources to improve our standards and best practices. Following the principles of openness of the ESIP Federation, IQC invites all individuals interested in improving capture, description, discovery, and usability of information about data quality in Earth science data products to participate in its activities.
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Evaluation of the Quality of Online Information for Patients with Rare Cancers: Thyroid Cancer.
Kuenzel, Ulrike; Monga Sindeu, Tabea; Schroth, Sarah; Huebner, Jutta; Herth, Natalie
2017-01-24
The Internet offers an easy and quick access to a vast amount of patient information. However, several studies point to the poor quality of many websites and the resulting hazards of false information. The aim of this study was to assess quality of information on thyroid cancer. A patients' search for information about thyroid cancer on German websites was simulated using the search engine Google and the patient portal "Patienten-Information.de". The websites were assessed using a standardized instrument with formal and content aspects from the German Cancer Society. Supporting the results of prior studies that analysed patient information on the Internet, the data showed that the quality of patient information on thyroid cancer is highly heterogeneous depending on the website providers. The majority of website providers are represented by media and health providers other than health insurances, practices and professionals offering patient information of relatively poor quality. Moreover, most websites offer patient information of low-quality content. Only a few trustworthy, high-quality websites exist. Especially Google, a common search engine, focuses more on the dissemination of information than on quality aspects. In order to improve the patient information from the Internet, the visibility of high-quality websites must be improved. For that, education programs to improve patients' eHealth literacy are needed. A quick and easy evaluation tool for online information suited for patients should be implemented, and patients should be taught to integrate such a tool into their research process.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Witarsyah Jacob, Deden; Fudzee, Mohd Farhan Md; Aizi Salamat, Mohamad; Kasim, Shahreen; Mahdin, Hairulnizam; Azhar Ramli, Azizul
2017-08-01
Many governments around the world increasingly use internet technologies such as electronic government to provide public services. These services range from providing the most basic informational website to deploying sophisticated tools for managing interactions between government agencies and beyond government. Electronic government (e-government) aims to provide a more accurate, easily accessible, cost-effective and time saving for the community. In this study, we develop a new model of e-government adoption service by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) through the incorporation of some variables such as System Quality, Information Quality and Trust. The model is then tested using a large-scale, multi-site survey research of 237 Indonesian citizens. This model will be validated by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The result indicates that System Quality, Information Quality and Trust variables proven to effect user behavior. This study extends the current understanding on the influence of System Quality, Information Quality and Trust factors to researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.
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Svarstad, Bonnie L; Bultman, Dara C; Mount, Jeanine K; Tabak, Ellen R
2003-01-01
To develop three tools for assessing the quality of written information provided with new prescriptions in community pharmacies and to identify pharmacy, pharmacist, and patient characteristics associated with the dissemination and quality of that information. Observational study. Regression techniques were used to analyze the influence of pharmacy, pharmacist, and shopper (acting as patient) characteristics on outcome measures. Trained shoppers (acting as patients) visited 306 randomly selected pharmacies in 8 states. Each shopper presented three prescriptions, answered questions according to a standard scenario, accepted the information offered, and paid for the prescriptions. Percentage of shoppers receiving any written information; quality of written information as judged by an expert panel using explicit criteria. Shoppers received an information leaflet with 87% of the 918 prescriptions dispensed. Although most leaflets provided unbiased information, leaflet length and quality of information varied greatly. A majority of leaflets did not include adequate information about contraindications, precautions, and how to avoid harm. Shoppers were more likely to receive leaflets in chain pharmacies and pharmacies with more staff. Information quality also was higher in chain pharmacies. Shopper and pharmacist demographic characteristics were unrelated to the level or quality of written information after controlling for other factors. The provision of patient leaflets is becoming a routine practice in the states studied. However, most leaflets do not meet quality criteria. It is important for pharmacists to become familiar with criteria for evaluating these leaflets and to take necessary action to improve their quality.
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Xie, Bo; Su, Zhaohui; Zhang, Wenhui
2017-01-01
Background China has a large population with cardiovascular disease (CVD) that requires extensive self-management. Mobile health (mHealth) apps may be a useful tool for CVD self-management. Little is currently known about the types and quality of health information provided in Chinese CVD mobile apps and whether app functions are conducive to promoting CVD self-management. Objective We undertook a systematic review to evaluate the types and quality of health information provided in Chinese CVD mobile apps and interactive app functions for promoting CVD self-management. Methods Mobile apps targeting end users in China with CVD conditions were selected in February 2017 through a multi-stage process. Three frameworks were used to evaluate the selected apps: (1) types of health information offered were assessed using our Health Information Wants framework, which encompasses 7 types of information; (2) quality of information provided in the apps was assessed using the 11 guidelines recommended by the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health; and (3) types of interactive app functions for CVD self-management were assessed using a 15-item framework adapted from the literature, including our own prior work. Results Of 578 apps identified, 82 were eligible for final review. Among these, information about self-care (67/82, 82%) and information specifically regarding CVD (63/82, 77%) were the most common types of information provided, while information about health care providers (22/82, 27%) and laboratory tests (5/82, 6%) were least common. The most common indicators of information quality were the revealing of apps’ providers (82/82, 100%) and purpose (82/82, 100%), while the least common quality indicators were the revealing of how apps’ information was selected (1/82, 1%) and app sponsorship (0/82, 0%). The most common interactive functions for CVD self-management were those that enabled user interaction with the app provider (57/82, 70%) and with health care providers (36/82, 44%), while the least common interactive functions were those that enabled lifestyle management (13/82, 16%) and psychological health management (6/82, 7%). None of the apps covered all 7 types of health information, all 11 indicators of information quality, or all 15 interactive functions for CVD self-management. Conclusions Chinese CVD apps are insufficient in providing comprehensive health information, high-quality information, and interactive functions to facilitate CVD self-management. End users should exercise caution when using existing apps. Health care professionals and app developers should collaborate to better understand end users’ preferences and follow evidence-based guidelines to develop mHealth apps conducive to CVD self-management. PMID:29242176
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Xie, Bo; Su, Zhaohui; Zhang, Wenhui; Cai, Run
2017-12-14
China has a large population with cardiovascular disease (CVD) that requires extensive self-management. Mobile health (mHealth) apps may be a useful tool for CVD self-management. Little is currently known about the types and quality of health information provided in Chinese CVD mobile apps and whether app functions are conducive to promoting CVD self-management. We undertook a systematic review to evaluate the types and quality of health information provided in Chinese CVD mobile apps and interactive app functions for promoting CVD self-management. Mobile apps targeting end users in China with CVD conditions were selected in February 2017 through a multi-stage process. Three frameworks were used to evaluate the selected apps: (1) types of health information offered were assessed using our Health Information Wants framework, which encompasses 7 types of information; (2) quality of information provided in the apps was assessed using the 11 guidelines recommended by the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health; and (3) types of interactive app functions for CVD self-management were assessed using a 15-item framework adapted from the literature, including our own prior work. Of 578 apps identified, 82 were eligible for final review. Among these, information about self-care (67/82, 82%) and information specifically regarding CVD (63/82, 77%) were the most common types of information provided, while information about health care providers (22/82, 27%) and laboratory tests (5/82, 6%) were least common. The most common indicators of information quality were the revealing of apps' providers (82/82, 100%) and purpose (82/82, 100%), while the least common quality indicators were the revealing of how apps' information was selected (1/82, 1%) and app sponsorship (0/82, 0%). The most common interactive functions for CVD self-management were those that enabled user interaction with the app provider (57/82, 70%) and with health care providers (36/82, 44%), while the least common interactive functions were those that enabled lifestyle management (13/82, 16%) and psychological health management (6/82, 7%). None of the apps covered all 7 types of health information, all 11 indicators of information quality, or all 15 interactive functions for CVD self-management. Chinese CVD apps are insufficient in providing comprehensive health information, high-quality information, and interactive functions to facilitate CVD self-management. End users should exercise caution when using existing apps. Health care professionals and app developers should collaborate to better understand end users' preferences and follow evidence-based guidelines to develop mHealth apps conducive to CVD self-management. ©Bo Xie, Zhaohui Su, Wenhui Zhang, Run Cai. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 14.12.2017.
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MacDermid, Joy C; Wilkins, Seanne; Gibson, Jane; Shaw, Lynn
2011-01-01
Background Patients living with fibromyalgia strongly prefer to access health information on the web. However, the majority of subjects in previous studies strongly expressed their concerns about the quality of online information resources. Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate existing online fibromyalgia information resources for content, quality and readability by using standardised quality and readability tools. Methods The first 25 websites were identified using Google and the search keyword ‘fibromyalgia’. Pairs of raters independently evaluated website quality using two structured tools (DISCERN and a quality checklist). Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease score maps. Results Ranking of the websites' quality varied by the tool used, although there was general agreement about the top three websites (Fibromyalgia Information, Fibromyalgia Information Foundation and National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases). Content analysis indicated that 72% of websites provided information on treatment options, 68% on symptoms, 60% on diagnosis and 40% on coping and resources. DISCERN ratings classified 32% websites as ‘very good’, 32% as ‘good and 36% as ‘marginal’. The mean overall DISCERN score was 36.88 (good). Only 16% of websites met the recommended literacy level grade of 6–8 (range 7–15). Conclusion Higher quality websites tended to be less readable. Online fibromyalgia information resources do not provide comprehensive information about fibromyalgia, and have low quality and poor readability. While information is very important for those living with fibromyalgia, current resources are unlikely to provide necessary or accurate information, and may not be usable for most people. PMID:22021777
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Daraz, Lubna; Macdermid, Joy C; Wilkins, Seanne; Gibson, Jane; Shaw, Lynn
2011-07-31
Background Patients living with fibromyalgia strongly prefer to access health information on the web. However, the majority of subjects in previous studies strongly expressed their concerns about the quality of online information resources. Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate existing online fibromyalgia information resources for content, quality and readability by using standardised quality and readability tools. Methods The first 25 websites were identified using Google and the search keyword 'fibromyalgia'. Pairs of raters independently evaluated website quality using two structured tools (DISCERN and a quality checklist). Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease score maps. Results Ranking of the websites' quality varied by the tool used, although there was general agreement about the top three websites (Fibromyalgia Information, Fibromyalgia Information Foundation and National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases). Content analysis indicated that 72% of websites provided information on treatment options, 68% on symptoms, 60% on diagnosis and 40% on coping and resources. DISCERN ratings classified 32% websites as 'very good', 32% as 'good and 36% as 'marginal'. The mean overall DISCERN score was 36.88 (good). Only 16% of websites met the recommended literacy level grade of 6-8 (range 7-15). Conclusion Higher quality websites tended to be less readable. Online fibromyalgia information resources do not provide comprehensive information about fibromyalgia, and have low quality and poor readability. While information is very important for those living with fibromyalgia, current resources are unlikely to provide necessary or accurate information, and may not be usable for most people.
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The impact of the Internet on quality measurement.
Bates, D W; Gawande, A A
2000-01-01
Consumers are eager for information about health. However, their use of such data has been limited to date. When consumers do consider data in making health care choices, they rely more on word-of-mouth reputation than on traditional quality measures, although this information has not necessarily been readily accessible. The Internet changes the exercise of quality measurement in several ways. First, quality information--including reputation--will be more readily available. Second, consumers will increasingly use it. Third, the Internet provides a low-cost, standard platform that will make it vastly easier for providers to collect quality information and pass it on to others. However, major barriers still stand in the way of public access to quality information on the Internet as well as of having that access actually improve patients' care.
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Publicly disclosed information about the quality of health care: response of the US public
Schneider, E; Lieberman, T
2001-01-01
Public disclosure of information about the quality of health plans, hospitals, and doctors continues to be controversial. The US experience of the past decade suggests that sophisticated quality measures and reporting systems that disclose information on quality have improved the process and outcomes of care in limited ways in some settings, but these efforts have not led to the "consumer choice" market envisaged. Important reasons for this failure include limited salience of objective measures to consumers, the complexity of the task of interpretation, and insufficient use of quality results by organised purchasers and insurers to inform contracting and pricing decisions. Nevertheless, public disclosure may motivate quality managers and providers to undertake changes that improve the delivery of care. Efforts to measure and report information about quality should remain public, but may be most effective if they are targeted to the needs of institutional and individual providers of care. Key Words: public disclosure; quality of health care; quality improvement PMID:11389318
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A pilot qualitative study to explore stakeholder opinions regarding prescribing quality indicators
2012-01-01
Background Information on prescribing quality of diabetes care is required by health care providers, insurance companies, policy makers, and the public. Knowledge regarding the opinions and preferences of all involved parties regarding prescribing quality information is important for effective use of prescribing quality indicators. Methods Between June and December 2009 we conducted semi structured interviews with 16 key-informants representing eight different organizations in the Netherlands involved in healthcare quality measurement and improvement. The interview guide included topics on participants’ opinions and preferences regarding existing types of prescribing quality indicators in relation to their aim of using quality information. Content analysis methods were used to process the resulting transcripts following the framework of predetermined themes. Results Findings from this qualitative study of stakeholder preferences showed that indicators focusing on undertreatment are found important by all participants. Furthermore, health care providers and policy makers valued prescribing safety indicators, insurance companies prioritized indicators focusing on prescribing costs, and patients’ organization representatives valued indicators focusing on interpersonal side of prescribing. Representatives of all stakeholders preferred positive formulation of the indicators to motivate health care providers to participate in health improvement programs. A composite score was found to be most useful by all participants as a starting point of prescribing quality assessment. Lack of information on reasons for deviating from guidelines recommendations appeared to be the most important barrier for using prescribing quality indicators. According to the health care providers, there are many legitimate reasons for not prescribing the recommended treatment and these reasons are not always taken into account by external evaluators. The latter may cause mistrust of health care providers towards external stakeholders and limit the use of PQI in external quality improvement programs. Conclusion Prescribing quality indicators are considered to be an important tool for assessing quality of provided diabetes care by all participants, although the preferences for specific types of indicators may differ by stakeholder depending on their user aim. Introduction of information systems to register the reasons for deviating from the recommended drug treatment may contribute to a more widespread use of PQI for assessment of provided health care quality to diabetic patents. This study identified the potential preferences regarding quality indicators for diabetes care, and this could be used for development of questionnaires to conduct a survey among a larger group of participants. PMID:22769967
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Real-time water quality monitoring and providing water quality ...
EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have initiated the “Village Blue” research project to provide real-time water quality monitoring data to the Baltimore community and increase public awareness about local water quality in Baltimore Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay. The Village Blue demonstration project complements work that a number of state and local organizations are doing to make Baltimore Harbor “swimmable and fishable” 2 by 2020. Village Blue is designed to build upon EPA’s “Village Green” project which provides real-time air quality information to communities in six locations across the country. The presentation, “Real-time water quality monitoring and providing water quality information to the Baltimore Community”, summarizes the Village Blue real-time water quality monitoring project being developed for the Baltimore Harbor.
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Galbusera, Fabio; Brayda-Bruno, Marco; Freutel, Maren; Seitz, Andreas; Steiner, Malte; Wehrle, Esther; Wilke, Hans-Joachim
2012-01-01
Previous surveys showed a poor quality of the web sites providing health information about low back pain. However, the rapid and continuous evolution of the Internet content may question the current validity of those investigations. The present study is aimed to quantitatively assess the quality of the Internet information about low back pain retrieved with the most commonly employed search engines. An Internet search with the keywords "low back pain" has been performed with Google, Yahoo!® and Bing™ in the English language. The top 30 hits obtained with each search engine were evaluated by five independent raters and averaged following criteria derived from previous works. All search results were categorized as declaring compliant to a quality standard for health information (e.g. HONCode) or not and based on the web site type (Institutional, Free informative, Commercial, News, Social Network, Unknown). The quality of the hits retrieved by the three search engines was extremely similar. The web sites had a clear purpose, were easy to navigate, and mostly lacked in validity and quality of the provided links. The conformity to a quality standard was correlated with a marked greater quality of the web sites in all respects. Institutional web sites had the best validity and ease of use. Free informative web sites had good quality but a markedly lower validity compared to Institutional websites. Commercial web sites provided more biased information. News web sites were well designed and easy to use, but lacked in validity. The average quality of the hits retrieved by the most commonly employed search engines could be defined as satisfactory and favorably comparable with previous investigations. Awareness of the user about checking the quality of the information remains of concern.
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Air Sensor Toolbox for Citizen Scientists
EPA’s Air Sensor Toolbox provides information and guidance on new low-cost compact technologies for measuring air quality. It provides information to help citizens more effectively and accurately collect air quality data in their community.
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Air Sensor Toolbox: Resources and Funding
EPA’s Air Sensor Toolbox provides information and guidance on new low-cost compact technologies for measuring air quality. It provides information to help citizens more effectively and accurately collect air quality data in their community.
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76 FR 68373 - Proposed Revision to Vintage Date Requirements
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-11-04
... foreign, while still ensuring that consumers are provided with adequate information as to the identity and... labels provide the consumer with adequate information as to the identity and quality of the product. The... mandate to ensure that consumers have adequate information about the quality and identity of the product...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Noble Burak, Deborah
2010-01-01
Educational institutions, especially community colleges, are facing challenges to provide accessible, affordable, and quality learning opportunities to a growing number of both traditional and nontraditional students. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems facilitate institutional operations and provide an integrated platform for information…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-08-06
... roost sites, nesting grounds, seasonal wetlands, water quality, tide, soil type) that are essential to... Federal Register on July 1, 1994 (59 FR 34271)), the Information Quality Act (section 515 of the Treasury... associated Information Quality Guidelines, provide criteria, establish procedures, and provide guidance to...
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Quality of Breast Cancer Information on the Internet by African Organizations: An Appraisal
2017-01-01
Objective. The aim of this study was to appraise the quality of information on BC available at websites run by organizations in Africa. Methods. Three searches were conducted using Google search engine to generate a list of websites. The identified websites were assessed using European Commission (EC) quality criteria for health-related websites, which comprises different assessment areas including, completeness, transparency and honesty, authority, privacy and data protection, updating of information, accountability, and accessibility. Results. Thirteen (13) websites were included in the evaluation. Majority of the websites evaluated had low scores on the completeness and transparency of their websites. Scores on accessibility were however moderate and high for most of the websites. Breast cancer-specific organizations provided the highest quality information, particularly in terms of completeness. The overall lowest and highest quality scores were 9 and 43 out of 63, respectively, and 77% of the included websites scored less than 50% of the total quality score. Conclusion. This review has provided evidence of inadequate and inaccurate BC information provided by some cancer organizations in Africa. Considerable effort is required to make BC information on the Internet a valuable and up-to-date source for both professionals and patients. PMID:28168059
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Harris, Katherine M
2002-06-01
To investigate the impact of quality information on the willingness of consumers to enroll in health plans that restrict provider access. A survey administered to respondents between the ages of 25 and 64 in the West Los Angeles area with private health insurance. An experimental approach is used to measure the effect of variation in provider network features and information about the quality of network physicians on hypothetical plan choices. Conditional logit models are used to analyze the experimental choice data. Next, choice model parameter estimates are used to simulate the impact of changes in plan features on the market shares of competing health plans and to calculate the quality level required to make consumers indifferent to changes in provider access. The presence of quality information reduced the importance of provider network features in plan choices as hypothesized. However, there were not statistically meaningful differences by type of quality measure (i.e., consumer assessed versus expert assessed). The results imply that large quality differences are required to make consumers indifferent to changes in provider access. The impact of quality on plan choices depended more on the particular measure and less on the type of measure. Quality ratings based on the proportion of survey respondents "extremely satisfied with results of care" had the greatest impact on plan choice while the proportion of network doctors "affiliated with university medical centers" had the least. Other consumer and expert assessed measures had more comparable effects. Overall the results provide empirical evidence that consumers are willing to trade high quality for restrictions on provider access. This willingness to trade implies that relatively small plans that place restrictions on provider access can successfully compete against less restrictive plans when they can demonstrate high quality. However, the results of this study suggest that in many cases, the level of quality required for consumers to accept access restrictions may be so high as to be unattainable. The results provide empirical support for the current focus of decision support efforts on consumer assessed quality measures. At the same time, however, the results suggest that consumers would also value quality measures based on expert assessments. This finding is relevant given the lack of comparative quality information based on expert judgment and research suggesting that consumers have apprehensions about their ability to meaningfully interpret performance-based quality measures.
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Eysenbach, Gunther; Yihune, Gabriel; Lampe, Kristian; Cross, Phil; Brickley, Dan
2000-01-01
MedCERTAIN (MedPICS Certification and Rating of Trustworthy Health Information on the Net, http://www.medcertain.org/) is a recently launched international project funded under the European Union's (EU) "Action Plan for safer use of the Internet". It provides a technical infrastructure and a conceptual basis for an international system of "quality seals", ratings and self-labelling of Internet health information, with the final aim to establish a global "trustmark" for networked health information. Digital "quality seals" are evaluative metadata (using standards such as PICS=Platform for Internet Content Selection, now being replaced by RDF/XML) assigned by trusted third-party raters. The project also enables and encourages self-labelling with descriptive metainformation by web authors. Together these measures will help consumers as well as professionals to identify high-quality information on the Internet. MedCERTAIN establishes a fully functional demonstrator for a self- and third-party rating system enabling consumers and professionals to filter harmful health information and to positively identify and select high quality information. We aim to provide a trustmark system which allows citizens to place greater confidence in networked information, to encourage health information providers to follow best practices guidelines such as the Washington eHealth Code of Ethics, to provide effective feedback and law enforcement channels to handle user complaints, and to stimulate medical societies to develop standard for patient information. The project further proposes and identifies standards for interoperability of rating and description services (such as libraries or national health portals) and fosters a worldwide collaboration to guide consumers to high-quality information on the web.
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Microtia and Social Media: Patient Versus Physician Perspective of Quality of Information.
Sepehripour, Sarvnaz; McDermott, Ann Louise; Lloyd, Mark Sheldon
2017-05-01
Previous research demonstrates that patients seek high-quality information on the World Wide Web, especially in rare conditions such as microtia. Social media has overtaken other sources of patient information but quality remains untested. This study quantifies the quality of information for patients with Microtia on social media compared with nonsocial media websites and compares physician and patient scoring on quality using the DISCERN tool. In phase 1, quality of the top 100 websites featuring information "Microtia" was ranked according to quality score and position on Google showing the position of social media websites among other nonsocial media websites. Phase 2 involved independent scoring of websites on microtia compared with a patient group with microtia to test whether physicians score differently to patients with t test comparison. Social media websites account for 2% of the scored websites with health providers linking to social media. Social media websites were among the highest ranked on Google. No correlation was found between the quality of information and Google rank. Social media scored higher than nonsocial media websites regarding quality of information on microtia. No significant difference existed between physician and patient quality of information scores on social media and nonsocial media websites (p 1.033). Physicians and patients objectively score microtia websites alike. Social media websites have higher use despite being few in number compared with nonsocial media websites. Physicians providing links to social media on information websites on rare conditions such as microtia are engaging in current information-seeking trends.
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Dashboard report on performance on select quality indicators to cancer care providers.
Stattin, Pär; Sandin, Fredrik; Sandbäck, Torsten; Damber, Jan-Erik; Franck Lissbrant, Ingela; Robinson, David; Bratt, Ola; Lambe, Mats
2016-01-01
Cancer quality registers are attracting increasing attention as important, but still underutilized sources of clinical data. To optimize the use of registers in quality assurance and improvement, data have to be rapidly collected, collated and presented as actionable, at-a-glance information to the reporting departments. This article presents a dashboard performance report on select quality indicators to cancer care providers. Ten quality indicators registered on an individual patient level in the National Prostate Cancer Register of Sweden and recommended by the National Prostate Cancer Guidelines were selected. Data reported to the National Prostate Cancer Register are uploaded within 24 h to the Information Network for Cancer Care platform. Launched in 2014, "What''s Going On, Prostate Cancer" provides rapid, at-a-glance performance feedback to care providers. The indicators include time to report to the National Prostate Cancer Register, waiting times, designated clinical nurse specialist, multidisciplinary conference, adherence to guidelines for diagnostic work-up and treatment, and documentation and outcome of treatment. For each indicator, three performance levels were defined. What's Going On, a dashboard performance report on 10 selected quality indicators to cancer care providers, provides an example of how data in cancer quality registers can be transformed into condensed, at-a-glance information to be used as actionable metrics for quality assurance and improvement.
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Quality of online information on type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.
Weymann, Nina; Härter, Martin; Dirmaier, Jörg
2015-12-01
Evidence-based health information is a prerequisite for patients with type 2 diabetes to engage in self-management and to make informed medical decisions. The Internet is an important source of health information. In the present study, we systematically assessed formal quality, quality of decision support and usability of German and English language websites on type 2 diabetes. The search term 'type 2 diabetes' was entered in the two most popular search engines. Descriptive data on website quality are presented. Additionally, associations between website quality and affiliation (commercial vs. non-commercial), presence of the HON code quality seal and website traffic were explored. Forty-six websites were included. Most websites provided basic information necessary for decision-making, while only one website also provided decision support. Websites with a HON code had significantly better formal quality than websites without HON code. We found a highly significant correlation between usability and website traffic and a significant correlation between formal quality and website traffic. Most websites do not provide sufficient information to support patients in medical decision-making. Our finding that usability and website traffic are tightly associated is consistent with previous research indicating that design is the most important cue for users assessing website credibility. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
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Lin, Hsien-Cheng
2017-02-01
Nursing information systems can enhance nursing practice and the efficiency and quality of administrative affairs within the nursing department and thus have been widely considered for implementation. Close alignment of human-computer interaction can advance optimal clinical performance with the use of information systems. However, a lack of introduction of the concept of alignment between users' perceptions and technological functionality has caused dissatisfaction, as shown in the existing literature. This study provides insight into the alignment between nurses' perceptions and how technological functionality affects their satisfaction with Nursing Information System use through a reductionist perspective of alignment. This cross-sectional study collected data from 531 registered nurses in Taiwan. The results indicated that "perceived usefulness in system quality alignment," "perceived usefulness in information quality alignment," "perceived ease of use in system quality alignment," "perceived ease of use in information quality alignment," and "perceived ease of use in service quality alignment" have significantly affected nurses' satisfaction with Nursing Information System use. However, "perceived usefulness in service quality alignment" had no significant effect on nurses' satisfaction. This study also provides some meaningful implications for theoretical and practical aspects of design.
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Qualitative assessment of precocious puberty-related user-created contents on YouTube.
Nam, Hyo-Kyoung; Bang, Soo Min; Rhie, Young Jun; Park, Sang Hee; Lee, Kee-Hyoung
2015-09-01
User-created content (UCC) has provided a considerable amount of medical information and become an important source. We aimed to evaluate the quality and scientific accuracy of precocious puberty-related UCC on YouTube. The keywords "precocious puberty", "early puberty", "sexual precocity", and "precocity" were searched for on YouTube during June and July 2014. More than 1,500 UCC matched the keywords. According to the information provider, UCC was classified as medical, oriental, or commercial & others. We evaluated the quality and scientific accuracy of the information provided in UCC using the DISCERN instrument and information scores, respectively. We selected 51 UCC, which were categorized into three types: medical (n=17), oriental (n=17), or commercial & others (n=17). The overall quality score for medical UCC (3.4) was significantly higher relative to those of oriental and commercial & others UCC (2.8 and 2.3, respectively) (P<0.001). In the assessment of scientific accuracy, the mean information score for medical UCC (30.7) was significantly higher than those of oriental and commercial & others UCC (15.9 and 5.1, respectively) (P<0.001). The mean duration of oriental UCC was the longest (P<0.001), however, it was viewed less frequently among them (P=0.086). The quality and accuracy of precocious puberty-related health information in UCC were variable and often unreliable. The overall quality of UCC regarding precocious puberty was moderate. Only medical UCC provided scientifically accurate information. As UCC becomes a popular source of health information, it is important to provide reliable, scientifically accurate information.
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Qualitative assessment of precocious puberty-related user-created contents on YouTube
Nam, Hyo-Kyoung; Bang, Soo Min; Rhie, Young Jun; Park, Sang Hee
2015-01-01
Purpose User-created content (UCC) has provided a considerable amount of medical information and become an important source. We aimed to evaluate the quality and scientific accuracy of precocious puberty-related UCC on YouTube. Methods The keywords "precocious puberty", "early puberty", "sexual precocity", and "precocity" were searched for on YouTube during June and July 2014. More than 1,500 UCC matched the keywords. According to the information provider, UCC was classified as medical, oriental, or commercial & others. We evaluated the quality and scientific accuracy of the information provided in UCC using the DISCERN instrument and information scores, respectively. Results We selected 51 UCC, which were categorized into three types: medical (n=17), oriental (n=17), or commercial & others (n=17). The overall quality score for medical UCC (3.4) was significantly higher relative to those of oriental and commercial & others UCC (2.8 and 2.3, respectively) (P<0.001). In the assessment of scientific accuracy, the mean information score for medical UCC (30.7) was significantly higher than those of oriental and commercial & others UCC (15.9 and 5.1, respectively) (P<0.001). The mean duration of oriental UCC was the longest (P<0.001), however, it was viewed less frequently among them (P=0.086). Conclusion The quality and accuracy of precocious puberty-related health information in UCC were variable and often unreliable. The overall quality of UCC regarding precocious puberty was moderate. Only medical UCC provided scientifically accurate information. As UCC becomes a popular source of health information, it is important to provide reliable, scientifically accurate information. PMID:26512350
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Accessibility, nature and quality of health information on the Internet: a survey on osteoarthritis.
Maloney, S; Ilic, D; Green, S
2005-03-01
This study aims to determine the quality and validity of information available on the Internet about osteoarthritis and to investigate the best way of sourcing this information. Keywords relevant to osteoarthritis were searched across 15 search engines representing medical, general and meta-search engines. Search engine efficiency was defined as the percentage of unique and relevant websites from all websites returned by each search engine. The quality of relevant information was appraised using the DISCERN tool and the concordance of the information offered by the website with the available evidence about osteoarthritis determined. A total of 3443 websites were retrieved, of which 344 were identified as unique and providing information relevant to osteoarthritis. The overall quality of website information was poor. There was no significant difference between types of search engine in sourcing relevant information; however, the information retrieved from medical search engines was of a higher quality. Fewer than a third of the websites identified as offering relevant information cited evidence to support their recommendations. Although the overall quality of website information about osteoarthritis was poor, medical search engines may provide consumers with the opportunity to source high-quality health information on the Internet. In the era of evidence-based medicine, one of the main obstacles to the Internet reaching its potential as a medical resource is the failure of websites to incorporate and attribute evidence-based information.
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How healthcare organizations use the Internet to market quality achievements.
Revere, Lee; Robinson, Leroy
2010-01-01
The increasingly competitive environment is having a strong bearing on the strategic marketing practices of hospitals. The Internet is a fairly new marketing tool, and it has the potential to dramatically influence healthcare consumers. This exploratory study investigates how hospitals use the Internet as a tool to market the quality of their services. Significant evidence exists that customers use the Internet to find information about potential healthcare providers, including information concerning quality. Data were collected from a random sample of 45 U.S. hospitals from the American Hospital Association database. The data included hospital affiliation, number of staffed beds, accreditation status, Joint Commission quality awards, and number of competing hospitals. The study's findings show that system-affiliated hospitals do not provide more, or less, quality information on their websites than do non-system-affiliated hospitals. The findings suggest that the amount of quality information provided on a hospital website is not dependent on hospital size. Research provides evidence that hospitals with more Joint Commission awards promote their quality accomplishments more so than their counterparts that earned fewer Joint Commission awards. The findings also suggest that the more competitors in a marketplace the more likely a hospital is to promote its quality as a potential differential advantage. The study's findings indicate that a necessary element of any hospital's competitive strategy should be to include the marketing of its quality on the organization's website.
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Adopting Quality Criteria for Websites Providing Medical Information About Rare Diseases
Göbel, Jens; Storf, Holger; Litzkendorf, Svenja; Babac, Ana; Frank, Martin; Lührs, Verena; Schauer, Franziska; Schmidtke, Jörg; Biehl, Lisa; Wagner, Thomas OF; Ückert, Frank; Graf von der Schulenburg, Johann-Matthias; Hartz, Tobias
2016-01-01
Background The European Union considers diseases to be rare when they affect less than 5 in 10,000 people. It is estimated that there are between 5000 and 8000 different rare diseases. Consistent with this diversity, the quality of information available on the Web varies considerably. Thus, quality criteria for websites about rare diseases are needed. Objective The objective of this study was to generate a catalog of quality criteria suitable for rare diseases. Methods First, relevant certificates and quality recommendations for health information websites were identified through a comprehensive Web search. Second, all considered quality criteria of each certification program and catalog were examined, extracted into an overview table, and analyzed by thematic content. Finally, an interdisciplinary expert group verified the relevant quality criteria. Results We identified 9 quality certificates and criteria catalogs for health information websites with 304 single criteria items. Through this, we aggregated 163 various quality criteria, each assigned to one of the following categories: thematic, technical, service, content, and legal. Finally, a consensus about 13 quality criteria for websites offering medical information on rare diseases was determined. Of these categories, 4 (data protection concept, imprint, creation and updating date, and possibility to contact the website provider) were identified as being the most important for publishing medical information about rare diseases. Conclusions The large number of different quality criteria appearing within a relatively small number of criteria catalogs shows that the opinion of what is important in the quality of health information differs. In addition, to define useful quality criteria for websites about rare diseases, which are an essential source of information for many patients, a trade-off is necessary between the high standard of quality criteria for health information websites in general and the limited provision of information about some rare diseases. Finally, transparently presented quality assessments can help people to find reliable information and to assess its quality. PMID:27562540
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Adopting Quality Criteria for Websites Providing Medical Information About Rare Diseases.
Pauer, Frédéric; Göbel, Jens; Storf, Holger; Litzkendorf, Svenja; Babac, Ana; Frank, Martin; Lührs, Verena; Schauer, Franziska; Schmidtke, Jörg; Biehl, Lisa; Wagner, Thomas Of; Ückert, Frank; Graf von der Schulenburg, Johann-Matthias; Hartz, Tobias
2016-08-25
The European Union considers diseases to be rare when they affect less than 5 in 10,000 people. It is estimated that there are between 5000 and 8000 different rare diseases. Consistent with this diversity, the quality of information available on the Web varies considerably. Thus, quality criteria for websites about rare diseases are needed. The objective of this study was to generate a catalog of quality criteria suitable for rare diseases. First, relevant certificates and quality recommendations for health information websites were identified through a comprehensive Web search. Second, all considered quality criteria of each certification program and catalog were examined, extracted into an overview table, and analyzed by thematic content. Finally, an interdisciplinary expert group verified the relevant quality criteria. We identified 9 quality certificates and criteria catalogs for health information websites with 304 single criteria items. Through this, we aggregated 163 various quality criteria, each assigned to one of the following categories: thematic, technical, service, content, and legal. Finally, a consensus about 13 quality criteria for websites offering medical information on rare diseases was determined. Of these categories, 4 (data protection concept, imprint, creation and updating date, and possibility to contact the website provider) were identified as being the most important for publishing medical information about rare diseases. The large number of different quality criteria appearing within a relatively small number of criteria catalogs shows that the opinion of what is important in the quality of health information differs. In addition, to define useful quality criteria for websites about rare diseases, which are an essential source of information for many patients, a trade-off is necessary between the high standard of quality criteria for health information websites in general and the limited provision of information about some rare diseases. Finally, transparently presented quality assessments can help people to find reliable information and to assess its quality.
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Doering, Nora; Maarse, Hans
2015-12-01
Patients barely use publicly available quality information for making a decision concerning secondary health care, but instead rely on information coming from their general practitioner (GP). An intermediate role of GPs has been suggested concerning the use of publicly available quality information. The aim of the study is to quantify and explore GPs' use of publicly available quality information when referring patients or suggesting secondary health-care provider to them. In this cross-sectional study, an invitation to an electronic questionnaire was sent to 858 GPs in the south of the Netherlands. GPs were asked about their use of and perception towards publicly available quality information through closed-ended and open-ended questions. Differences among subgroups were tested for significance using Pearson's chi-square tests. The majority of respondents (89.5%) never or rarely use publicly available quality information. They perceive them as invalid and unreliable. Distance to the hospital, prior experiences and personal contacts with specialists guide them when advising and referring. Almost 90% of respondents never or rarely suggest quality information as support for decision making to their patients. No significant differences between subgroups were observed. This study is among the firsts exploring and quantifying GPs' use of publicly available quality information. The results suggest that publicly available quality information appears in its current format and application not useful for GPs. GPs have to be aware of their influential role in patients' decision making and possibly have to take more responsibility in guiding them through the jungle of quality information. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Yeung, Trevor M; Sacchi, Matteo; Mortensen, Neil J; Spinelli, Antonino
2015-09-01
The Internet is a vast resource for patients to search for health information on the treatment of Crohn's disease. This study examines the quality of Web sites that provide information to adults regarding Crohn's disease, including treatment options and surgery. Two search engines (Google and Yahoo) and the search terms "surgery for Crohn's disease" were used. The first 50 sites of each search were assessed. Sites that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were evaluated for content and scored by using the DISCERN instrument, which evaluates the quality of health information on treatment choices. One hundred sites were examined, of which 13 were duplicates. Sixty-two sites provided patient-orientated information. The other sites included 7 scientific articles, 3 blogs, 2 links, 6 forums, 3 video links, and 4 dead links. Of the 62 Web sites that provided patient information for adults, only 15 (24.2%) had been updated within the past 2 years. Only 9 (14.5%) were affiliated with hospitals and clinics. The majority of sites (33, 53.2%) were associated with private companies with commercial interests. Only half of the Web sites provided details on treatment options, and most Web sites did not provide any information on symptoms and procedure details. Just 5 Web sites (8.1%) described the risks of surgery, and only 7 (11.3%) provided any information on the timescale for recovery. Overall, only 1 Web site (1.6%) was identified as being "good" or "excellent" with the use of the DISCERN criteria. Although the internet is constantly evolving, this study captures data at a specific time point. Search results may vary depending on geographical location. This study only assessed English language websites. The quality of patient information on surgery for Crohn's disease is highly variable and generally poor. There is potential for the Internet to provide valuable information, and clinicians should identify high-quality Web sites to guide their patients.
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Reavley, N J; Mackinnon, A J; Morgan, A J; Alvarez-Jimenez, M; Hetrick, S E; Killackey, E; Nelson, B; Purcell, R; Yap, M B H; Jorm, A F
2012-08-01
Although mental health information on the internet is often of poor quality, relatively little is known about the quality of websites, such as Wikipedia, that involve participatory information sharing. The aim of this paper was to explore the quality of user-contributed mental health-related information on Wikipedia and compare this with centrally controlled information sources. Content on 10 mental health-related topics was extracted from 14 frequently accessed websites (including Wikipedia) providing information about depression and schizophrenia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and a psychiatry textbook. The content was rated by experts according to the following criteria: accuracy, up-to-dateness, breadth of coverage, referencing and readability. Ratings varied significantly between resources according to topic. Across all topics, Wikipedia was the most highly rated in all domains except readability. The quality of information on depression and schizophrenia on Wikipedia is generally as good as, or better than, that provided by centrally controlled websites, Encyclopaedia Britannica and a psychiatry textbook.
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[Publication of healthcare quality data to citizens--status and perspectives].
Utzon, Jan; Kaergaard, Johan
2009-05-11
Public quality reports are intended to stimulate active consumer participation by enabling consumers to make informed choices about their healthcare providers. Despite all efforts, public reporting has been shown not to be effective in stimulating consumers to choose their healthcare provider based on performance information in Denmark and other countries. Numerous barriers are identified. In an effort to move towards an effective public reporting system in Denmark, the present article discusses how quality information can be made accessible and meaningful to wider groups of consumers.
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Carpal tunnel syndrome: Analysis of online patient information with the EQIP tool.
Frueh, F S; Palma, A F; Raptis, D A; Graf, C P; Giovanoli, P; Calcagni, M
2015-06-01
Patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) actively search for medical information on the Internet. The World Wide Web represents the main source of patient information. The aim of this study was to systematically assess the quality of patient information about CTS in the Internet. A qualitative and quantitative assessment of websites was performed with the modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) tool that contains 36 standardized items. Five hundred websites with information on CTS treatment options were identified through Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask.com and AOL. Duplicates and irrelevant websites were excluded. One hundred and ten websites were included. Only five websites addressed more than 20 items; quality scores were not significantly different between the various providing groups. A median of 15 EQIP items was found, with the top website addressing 26 out of 36 items. Major complications such as median nerve injury were reported in 27% of the websites and their treatment in only 3%. This analysis revealed several critical shortcomings in the quality of the information provided to patients suffering from CTS. There is a collective need to provide interactive, informative and educational websites for standard procedures in hand surgery. These websites should be compatible with international quality standards for hand surgery procedures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
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Goverman, I L
1994-11-01
Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound (GHC), a large staff-model health maintenance organization based in Seattle, is redesigning its information systems to provide the systems and information needed to support its quality agenda. Long-range planning for GHC's information resources was done in three phases. In assessment, interviews, surveys, and a benchmarking effort identified strengths and weaknesses of the existing information systems. We concluded that we needed to improve clinical care and patient management systems and enhance health plan applications. In direction setting, we developed six objectives (for example, approach information systems in a way that is consistent with quality improvement principles). Detailed planning was used to define projects, timing, and resource allocations. Some of the most important efforts in the resulting five-year plan include the development of (1) a computerized patient record; (2) a provider-based clinical workstation for access to patient information, order entry, results reporting, guidelines, and reminders; (3) a comprehensive set of patient management and service quality systems; (4) reengineered structures, policies, and processes within the health plan, supported by a complete set of integrated information systems; (5) a standardized, high-capacity communications network to provide linkages both within GHC and among its business partners; and (6) a revised oversight structure for information services, which forms partnerships with users. A quality focus ensured that each project not only produced its own benefits but also supported the larger organizational goals associated with "total" quality.
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The quality and readability of online consumer information about gynecologic cancer.
Sobota, Aleksandra; Ozakinci, Gozde
2015-03-01
The Internet has become an important source of health-related information for consumers, among whom younger women constitute a notable group. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the quality and readability of online information about gynecologic cancer using validated instruments and (2) to relate the quality of information to its readability. Using the Alexa Rank, we obtained a list of 35 Web pages providing information about 7 gynecologic malignancies. These were assessed using the Health on the Net (HON) seal of approval, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, and the DISCERN instrument. Flesch readability score was calculated for sections related to symptoms and signs and treatment. Less than 30% of the Web pages displayed the HON seal or achieved all JAMA benchmarks. The majority of the treatment sections were of moderate to high quality according to the DISCERN. There was no significant relationship between the presence of the HON seal and readability. Web pages achieving all JAMA benchmarks were significantly more difficult to read and understand than Web pages that missed any of the JAMA benchmarks. Treatment-related content of moderate to high quality as assessed by the DISCERN had a significantly better readability score than the low-quality content. The online information about gynecologic cancer provided by the most frequently visited Web pages is of variable quality and in general difficult to read and understand. The relationship between the quality and readability remains unclear. Health care providers should direct their patients to reliable material online because patients consider the Internet as an important source of information.
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Harris, Katherine M
2002-01-01
Objective To investigate the impact of quality information on the willingness of consumers to enroll in health plans that restrict provider access. Data Sources and Setting A survey administered to respondents between the ages of 25 and 64 in the West Los Angeles area with private health insurance. Study Design An experimental approach is used to measure the effect of variation in provider network features and information about the quality of network physicians on hypothetical plan choices. Conditional logit models are used to analyze the experimental choice data. Next, choice model parameter estimates are used to simulate the impact of changes in plan features on the market shares of competing health plans and to calculate the quality level required to make consumers indifferent to changes in provider access. Principal Findings The presence of quality information reduced the importance of provider network features in plan choices as hypothesized. However, there were not statistically meaningful differences by type of quality measure (i.e., consumer assessed versus expert assessed). The results imply that large quality differences are required to make consumers indifferent to changes in provider access. The impact of quality on plan choices depended more on the particular measure and less on the type of measure. Quality ratings based on the proportion of survey respondents “extremely satisfied with results of care” had the greatest impact on plan choice while the proportion of network doctors “affiliated with university medical centers” had the least. Other consumer and expert assessed measures had more comparable effects. Conclusions Overall the results provide empirical evidence that consumers are willing to trade high quality for restrictions on provider access. This willingness to trade implies that relatively small plans that place restrictions on provider access can successfully compete against less restrictive plans when they can demonstrate high quality. However, the results of this study suggest that in many cases, the level of quality required for consumers to accept access restrictions may be so high as to be unattainable. The results provide empirical support for the current focus of decision support efforts on consumer assessed quality measures. At the same time, however, the results suggest that consumers would also value quality measures based on expert assessments. This finding is relevant given the lack of comparative quality information based on expert judgment and research suggesting that consumers have apprehensions about their ability to meaningfully interpret performance-based quality measures. PMID:12132595
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Healthcare delivery systems: designing quality into health information systems.
Joyce, Phil; Green, Rosamund; Winch, Graham
2007-01-01
To ensure that quality is 'engineered in' a holistic, integrated and quality approach is required, and Total Quality Management (TQM) principles are the obvious foundations for this. This paper describes a novel approach to viewing the operations of a healthcare provider where electronic means could be used to distribute information (including electronic fund settlements), building around the Full Service Provider core. Specifically, an approach called the "triple pair flow" model is used to provide a view of healthcare delivery that is integrated, yet detailed, and that combines the strategic enterprise view with a business process view.
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Eysenbach, G; Köhler, C; Yihune, G; Lampe, K; Cross, P; Brickley, D
2001-01-01
There has been considerable debate about the variable quality of health information on the world-wide-web and its impact on public health. While central authorities to regulate, control, censor, or centrally approve information, in-formation providers or websites are neither realistic nor desirable, public health professionals are interested in making systems available that direct patient streams to the best available information sources. National governments and medical societies have also recognized their responsibility to help users to identify "good quality" information sources. But what constitutes good quality, and how can such a system be implemented in a decentralized and democratic manner? This paper presents a model which combines aspects of consumer education, encouragement of best practices among information providers, self-labeling and external evaluations. The model is currently being implemented and evaluated in the MedCERTAIN project, funded by the European Union under the Action Plan for Safer Use of the Internet. The aim is to develop a technical and organisational infrastructure for a pilot system that allows consumers to access metainformation about web-sites and health information providers, including disclosure information from health providers and opinions of external evaluators. The paper explains the general conceptual framework of the model and presents preliminary experiences including results from an expert consensus meeting, where the framework was discussed.
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Sacchi, M; Yeung, T M; Spinelli, A; Mortensen, N J
2015-06-01
This study examines the quality of websites providing information on ulcerative colitis, including treatment options and surgery. Two search engines (Google and Yahoo) and the search term 'surgery for ulcerative colitis' were used. The first 50 sites obtained with each search engine were assessed. Sites were evaluated for content and scored using the DISCERN instrument, which evaluates the quality of health information on treatment choices. One hundred sites were examined, of which 14 were duplicates. Of the remainder, 58 provided patient-orientated information for adults and one site provided information for surgery in children. The other 27 sites included six scientific articles, three blogs, three links, six resources for clinicians, five fora, two video links and two dead links. Of the 58 websites that provided patient information for adults, only 26 (44.8%) had been updated within the last 2 years. Only 13/58 (22.4%) were affiliated to hospitals and clinics. Most sites (38/58, 65.5%) were associated with private companies with commercial interests. Although most websites contained information on symptoms and treatment options for ulcerative colitis, 37 (63.8%) did not describe any of the risks of surgery. Overall, only seven (12.1%) websites were identified as being 'good' or 'excellent' using the DISCERN criteria. The quality of patient information on surgery for ulcerative colitis is highly variable. There is potential for internet provision of valuable information and clinicians should guide patients with to access high-quality websites. Colorectal Disease © 2014 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.
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How consumers evaluate health care quality: Part II.
Moore, S T; Bopp, K D
1999-01-01
This article is the second in a series which examines the way in which consumers assess information regarding the quality of health care services. In the previous article it was demonstrated that, in the view of health care consumers, three major perceptions held by health care consumers, are: (1) substantial differences in quality exist among health care providers, (2) little information is available that allows for the comparison of health care providers on issues related to quality, and (3) when such information is available it is found to be useful and often serves as the basis for decision regarding the choice of health care providers. We further discussed the short coming of marketing strategies based on complex quality indicators and the difficulties of image advertising in an age of institutional mistrust. The reader is reminded that these findings relate to the subjective assessments of consumers, not to objective facts concerning health care delivery.
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Effective Elementary Social Studies.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hoge, John Douglas
This book advocates providing high-quality K-6 social studies instruction. The text provides practical information on how teachers can conduct high-quality social studies programs in their classrooms. The volume is divided into three parts. Part 1 offers an overview of the formal and informal social studies curriculum, its history, current status,…
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Public Health Educational Information Other Resources
This page provides educational information and resources to assist public health officials, air quality managers, health care providers and others in providing information on the health effects of wildfire and wildland fire smoke to the public.
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Magasi, Susan; Durkin, Elizabeth; Wolf, Michael S; Deutsch, Anne
2009-02-01
To explore consumers' use and understanding of quality information about postacute rehabilitation facilities. Thematic, semistructured interviews. Two skilled nursing facilities and 2 inpatient rehabilitation facilities in a large Midwestern city. Rehabilitation inpatients (n=17) with stroke, hip fractures, and joint replacements and care partners (n=12) of rehabilitation inpatients. None. None. Health literacy imposed barriers to participants' understanding of quality information. Using the Institute of Medicine's Health Literacy Framework, we identified specific barriers that limited participants' abilities to (1) obtain quality information, (2) process and understand quality information, and (3) make appropriate decisions about the quality of a rehabilitation facility. Participants tended to rely on informal and nonquality information when choosing a rehabilitation facility. Given the barriers imposed by low health literacy, rehabilitation providers have a responsibility to present quality information in a way that consumers, especially those with low health literacy, can use and understand.
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Authoritative Guide to Evaluating Information on the Internet. Neal-Schuman NetGuide Series.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cooke, Alison
This guide assists Internet users in searching for quality information sources available via the Internet and assessing the quality of materials. Chapter 1 provides an introduction and background to the concept of quality in relation to the information available via the Internet. Chapter 2 presents a guide to the different types of online search…
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2008-11-01
This document provides information on the compliance of the LTPP program with the guidelines the Department of Transportation (DOT) issued Information Dissemination Quality Guidelines (IDQG). These guidelines were developed in response to requirement...
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Design and Establishment of Quality Model of Fundamental Geographic Information Database
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ma, W.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, Y.; Zhang, P.; Dang, Y.; Zhao, T.
2018-04-01
In order to make the quality evaluation for the Fundamental Geographic Information Databases(FGIDB) more comprehensive, objective and accurate, this paper studies and establishes a quality model of FGIDB, which formed by the standardization of database construction and quality control, the conformity of data set quality and the functionality of database management system, and also designs the overall principles, contents and methods of the quality evaluation for FGIDB, providing the basis and reference for carry out quality control and quality evaluation for FGIDB. This paper designs the quality elements, evaluation items and properties of the Fundamental Geographic Information Database gradually based on the quality model framework. Connected organically, these quality elements and evaluation items constitute the quality model of the Fundamental Geographic Information Database. This model is the foundation for the quality demand stipulation and quality evaluation of the Fundamental Geographic Information Database, and is of great significance on the quality assurance in the design and development stage, the demand formulation in the testing evaluation stage, and the standard system construction for quality evaluation technology of the Fundamental Geographic Information Database.
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Perceived quality of management information and the influence of overspending penalties in the NHS.
Marriott, N; Mellett, H
1996-11-01
The information needs of managers have changed considerably since the introduction of the internal market and many NHS units have invested in new management information systems to enhance the organization's performance. The characteristics of good quality information include accuracy, timeliness and comprehension. Information for management control also benefits from participation between the provider and the user. There are behavioural implications of using information as a control device and managers must internalize the financial objectives of the organization, usually expressed in budget reports. Failure to meet targets must attract penalties that will influence the managers' behaviour. They must respond to the information provided if control is to be exercised. This paper gives the results of a study into managers' perceptions of the adequacy and usefulness of financial information and the impact of penalties for overspending. It concludes that the financial information currently provided fails to meet many of the criteria of good quality information. Any perceived penalty for failing to attain budget-related goals is better than none, and there is little distinction between an overt reprimand and the ultimate sanction of dismissal.
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Quality of Life After Prophylactic Oophorectomy
2002-09-01
information about the effects of prophylactic oophorectomy, this pilot study will provide significant information on the broader quality of life issues...They also need the opportunity to choose from an array of coping strategies to manage their health decisions. Studying multidimensional quality of life issues
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Total Quality Management in Information Services. Information Services Management Series.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
St. Clair, Guy
Information services managers have a responsibility to provide the best information delivery possible. The basic principles of total quality management can be used by information professionals to help justify library funding through the creation of an environment where customer-patron satisfaction is paramount. This book reveals how to apply the…
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Quality-based purchasing in health care.
Waters, Hugh R; Morlock, Laura L; Hatt, Laurel
2004-01-01
Quality-based purchasing is a growing trend that seeks to improve healthcare quality through the purchaser-provider relationship. This article provides a unifying conceptual framework, presents examples of the purchaser-provider relationship in countries at different income levels, and identifies important supporting mechanisms for quality-based purchasing. As countries become wealthier, a higher proportion of healthcare spending is channeled through pooled arrangements, allowing for greater involvement of purchasers in promoting the quality of service provision. Global and line item budgets are the most common type of provider payment system in low and middle-income countries. In these countries, improving public hospital performance through contracting and incentives is a key issue. In middle and high-income countries, there are several documented examples of governments contracting to private or non-governmental health care providers, resulting in higher perceived quality of care and lower delivery costs. Encouraging quality through employer purchasing arrangements has been promoted in several countries, particularly the United States. Community-based financing schemes are an increasingly common form of health financing in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, but these schemes still cover less than 10% of national populations in countries in which they are active. To date, there is little evidence of their impact on healthcare quality. The availability of information--concerning healthcare service provision and outcomes--determines the options for establishing and monitoring contract provisions and promoting quality. Regardless of the context, quality-based purchasing depends critically on informa-tion--reporting, monitoring, and providing useful information to healthcare consumers. In many low and middle-income countries, the lack of availability of information is the principal constraint on measuring performance, a critical component of quality-based purchasing.
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Faber, Marjan; Bosch, Marije; Wollersheim, Hub; Leatherman, Sheila; Grol, Richard
2009-01-01
One of the underlying goals of public reporting is to encourage the consumer to select health care providers or health plans that offer comparatively better quality-of-care. To review the weight consumers give to quality-of-care information in the process of choice, to summarize the effect of presentation formats, and to examine the impact of quality information on consumers' choice behavior. The evidence is organized in a theoretical consumer choice model. English language literature was searched in PubMed, the Cochrane Clinical Trial, and the EPOC Databases (January 1990-January 2008). Study selection was limited to randomized controlled trails, controlled before-after trials or interrupted time series. Included interventions focused on choice behavior of consumers in health care settings. Outcome measures referred to one of the steps in a consumer choice model. The quality of the study design was rated, and studies with low quality ratings were excluded. All 14 included studies examine quality information, usually CAHPS, with respect to its impact on the consumer's choice of health plans. Easy-to-read presentation formats and explanatory messages improve knowledge about and attitude towards the use of quality information; however, the weight given to quality information depends on other features, including free provider choice and costs. In real-world settings, having seen quality information is a strong determinant for choosing higher quality-rated health plans. This review contributes to an understanding of consumer choice behavior in health care settings. The small number of included studies limits the strength of our conclusions.
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A survey of Canadian websites providing information about female urinary incontinence.
Farrell, Karen D; Robinson, Lynne M; Baydock, Sandra A; Farrell, Scott A; Irving, Linda E; O'Connell, Colleen M
2006-08-01
Urinary incontinence (UI) is a prevalent health issue that has significant detrimental effects on quality of life. The Internet offers a unique vehicle for incontinent women to access information that could facilitate conservative self-help therapy. An evaluation of Canadian websites offering female UI information was conducted to determine their quality and readability. We evaluated websites using published general quality criteria for health sites and a quality assessment tool compiled by the authors for specific UI information derived from published, peer-reviewed clinical practice guidelines. Three health care professionals reviewed sites for quality, Canadian content, and interactivity. The readability of health information was also evaluated. Fifty-six Canadian sites (18 professional, 22 organizational, 16 commercial) were evaluated. Significant agreement was found among the raters' evaluations on all measures. For all sites, the mean scores were general quality, 9/14; specific UI quality, 30/122; reading ease, 37/100; grade level, 10.9. The median score for Canadian content was high, but for interactivity it was low. The only significant difference between site types was for general quality (F [2,165]=3.38, P=0.036). Post hoc Tukey's tests showed a significant difference between organizational and commercial sites, with organizational sites having higher general quality. Canadian websites providing female UI information have moderately high general quality, low specific UI information quality, minimal interactivity, and more than minimal Canadian content. The reading level of most sites is too high for average consumers. A webliography of the best sites has been developed to guide patients.
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Online health information on obesity in pregnancy: a systematic review.
Al Wattar, Bassel H; Pidgeon, Connie; Learner, Hazel; Zamora, Javier; Thangaratinam, Shakila
2016-11-01
To assess the quality of health information available online for healthcare users on obesity in pregnancy and evaluate the role of the internet as an effective medium to advocate a healthy lifestyle in pregnancy. We used the poly-search engine Polymeta and complimented the results with Google searches (till July 2015) to identify relevant websites. All open access websites in English providing advice on the risks and management of obesity in pregnancy. Two independent reviewers assessed the quality of information provided in each of the included websites for credibility, accuracy, readability, content quality and technology. We compared websites 'quality according to their target population, health topic and source of funding'. Fifty-three websites were included. A third of websites were focused on obesity in pregnancy and two thirds targeted healthcare users. The median value for the overall credibility was 5/9, 7/12 for accuracy, 57.6/100 for readability, 45/80 for content quality and 75/100 for technology. Obesity specific websites provided lower credibility compared to general health websites (p=0.008). Websites targeting health users were easier to read (p=0.001). Non-governmental funded websites demonstrated higher content quality (p=0.005). Websites that are obesity focused, targeting health users and funded by non-governmental bodies demonstrated higher composite quality scores (p=0.048). Online information on obesity in pregnancy is varied. Governmental bodies in particular need to invest more efforts to improve the quality of online health information. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION CONTENT AND GENERAL QUALITY OF OBESITY AND EATING DISORDERS WEBSITES.
Hernández-Morante, Juan José; Jiménez-Rodríguez, Diana; Cañavate, Rubén; Conesa-Fuentes, María del Carmen
2015-08-01
nowadays, the Internet is increasingly used by providers as a source of information for eating disorder health issues. However, health information on the Internet remains unregulated and varies in quality, accuracy and readability. the objective of this study was to determine both general and information quality of eating disorder websites, including obesity websites. three key terms (obesity, anorexia and bulimia) were entered into the Google search engine. Websites were assessed using two tests (HonCode certification and Bermudez-Tamayo et al. test) to analyze overall quality, and a third test (DISCERN test) to analyze specifically information quality. there were no significant differences regarding overall quality among the different pathologies studied (p = 0.197), although anorexia websites tended to obtain lower quality scores. Furthermore, all evaluated websites showed significant deficiencies regarding information quality (p = 0.032). Nevertheless, obesity websites showed a significant higher information quality than anorexia websites. the overall quality of eating disorders websites is moderate, but the information quality that they contain is fairly poor. Remarkably, anorexia nervosa websites showed both the lower information and general quality, while bulimia websites showed a higher general quality and obesity websites presented the most reliable information. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.
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Eaton, Scott; Ostrander, Michael; Santangelo, Jennifer; Kamal, Jyoti
2008-11-06
The Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC) Information Warehouse (IW) is a comprehensive data warehousing facility that provides providing data integration, management, mining, training, and development services to a diversity of customers across the clinical, education, and research sectors of the OSUMC. Providing accurate and complete data is a must for these purposes. In order to monitor the data quality of targeted data sets, an online scorecard has been developed to allow visualization of the critical measures of data quality in the Information Warehouse.
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Sowter, Julie; Astin, Felicity; Dye, Louise; Marshall, Paul; Knapp, Peter
2016-06-01
To assess the quality, readability and coverage of website information about herbal remedies for menopausal symptoms. A purposive sample of commercial and non-commercial websites was assessed for quality (DISCERN), readability (SMOG) and information coverage. Non-parametric and parametric tests were used to explain the variability of these factors across types of websites and to assess associations between website quality and information coverage. 39 sites were assessed. Median quality and information coverage scores were 44/80 and 11/30 respectively. The median readability score was 18.7, similar to UK broadsheets. Commercial websites scored significantly lower on quality (p=0.014), but there were no statistical differences for information coverage or readability. There was a significant positive correlation between information quality and coverage scores irrespective of website provider (r=0.69, p<0.001, n=39). Overall website quality and information coverage are poor and the required reading level high. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Assessment of the quality of web-based information on bunions.
Chong, Yew Ming; Fraval, Andrew; Chandrananth, Janan; Plunkett, Virginia; Tran, Phong
2013-08-01
The Internet provides a large source of health-related information for patients. However, information on the Internet is mostly unregulated, ranging from factually correct to misleading or contradictory information. The objective of this study was to determine the quality of information available on World Wide Web on the topic of bunions. Websites were identified using 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo, and MSN) and the search term bunions. The first 30 websites in each search were analyzed. Websites were assessed using the validated DISCERN rating instrument to determine the quality of health content and treatment information. The DISCERN tool possesses moderate to very good strength of interobserver agreement, ranging from .41 to .82. A total of 90 websites were assessed and studied. Forty-eight sites were duplicated, leaving 42 unique sites. Of these, 60% (25/42) provided patient-related information, 21% (9/42) were advertisements, 7% (3/42) promoted medical centers, 5% (2/42) were dead links, 5% (2/42) were news articles, and 2% (1/42) was doctor's information. In determining the quality of unique sites, of a maximum score of 5, the average overall DISCERN score was 2.9 (range, 1.8 to 4.6). Only 24% (10/42) of websites were classified as "good" or "excellent." Although most websites contained information on symptoms, causes, risk factors, investigations, and treatment options on bunions, 60% (25/42) did not provide adequate information on the benefits for each treatment, 45% (19/42) did not contain any risks of treatment, and 76% (32/42) did not describe how treatment choices affect overall quality of life. The sources of information were clear in 33% (14/42), and the date when this information was reviewed was given in only 50% (21/42). Only 29% (12/42) of websites had been updated within the past 2 years. Overall, the quality of patient information on bunions varies widely. We believe clinicians should guide patients in identifying the best possible and genuine information on the World Wide Web. Patients are commonly using the internet as an information resource, in spite of the highly variable quality of this information. They should be encouraged to exercise caution and to utilize only well-known sites.
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How well does the Internet answer patients’ questions about inflammatory bowel disease?
Promislow, Steven; Walker, John R; Taheri, Mohammad; Bernstein, Charles N
2010-01-01
BACKGROUND The Internet is an increasingly important source of health information. OBJECTIVE To assess how well common websites answered patients’ questions regarding inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS Thirty websites were identified and evaluated. Based on a previous survey of patient information needs, a comprehensive question list was developed in the three following areas: medical information (seven items), medical treatment (six items) and self-management (eight items). The websites were evaluated for the amount of information they provided to answer each question using two standard measures of information quality – the DISCERN and the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients scales. RESULTS Four particularly strong websites, scoring highest (on a scale from 1 to 5) in terms of IBD information, were the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (mean information score 4.3), About.com (4.2), HealthCentral (3.8) and WebMD (3.8). These websites also scored well on the DISCERN and the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients quality scales. Most websites provided at least adequate information on common symptoms, complications, treatments and what is known (or not known) about the causes of IBD. However, many web-sites did not provide adequate information about prognosis, possible side effects of treatment and risks of developing cancer. Information regarding self-management was covered to a very limited extent. CONCLUSION Websites could be strengthened by providing more of the information patients deem to be important, and by more clearly identifying sources of information and the date the information was updated. Most websites would benefit from more attention given to reducing the reading level and improving the organization of material. PMID:21157582
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This site provides information for air quality data analysts inside and outside EPA. Much of the information is in the form of documented analyses that support the review of the national air qualiyt standards.
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Quality of Prostate Cancer Treatment Information on Cancer Center Websites.
Dulaney, Caleb; Barrett, Olivia Claire; Rais-Bahrami, Soroush; Wakefield, Daniel; Fiveash, John; Dobelbower, Michael
2016-04-20
Cancer center websites are trusted sources of internet information about treatment options for prostate cancer. The quality of information on these websites is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of information on cancer center websites addressing prostate cancer treatment options, outcomes, and toxicity. We evaluated the websites of all National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers to determine if sufficient information was provided to address eleven decision-specific knowledge questions from the validated Early Prostate Cancer Treatment Decision Quality Instrument. We recorded the number of questions addressed, the number of clicks to reach the prostate cancer-specific webpage, evaluation time, and Spanish and mobile accessibility. Correlation between evaluation time and questions addressed were calculated using the Pearson coefficient. Sixty-three websites were reviewed. Eighty percent had a prostate cancer-specific webpage reached in a median of three clicks. The average evaluation time was 6.5 minutes. Information was available in Spanish on 24% of sites and 59% were mobile friendly. Websites provided sufficient information to address, on average, 19% of questions. No website addressed all questions. Evaluation time correlated with the number of questions addressed (R(2) = 0.42, p < 0.001). Cancer center websites provide insufficient information for men with localized prostate cancer due to a lack of information about and direct comparison of specific treatment outcomes and toxicities. Information is also less accessible in Spanish and on mobile devices. These data can be used to improve the quality and accessibility of prostate cancer treatment information on cancer center websites.
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An Informatics Blueprint for Healthcare Quality Information Systems
Niland, Joyce C.; Rouse, Layla; Stahl, Douglas C.
2006-01-01
There is a critical gap in our nation's ability to accurately measure and manage the quality of medical care. A robust healthcare quality information system (HQIS) has the potential to address this deficiency through the capture, codification, and analysis of information about patient treatments and related outcomes. Because non-technical issues often present the greatest challenges, this paper provides an overview of these socio-technical issues in building a successful HQIS, including the human, organizational, and knowledge management (KM) perspectives. Through an extensive literature review and direct experience in building a practical HQIS (the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Outcomes Research Database system), we have formulated an “informatics blueprint” to guide the development of such systems. While the blueprint was developed to facilitate healthcare quality information collection, management, analysis, and reporting, the concepts and advice provided may be extensible to the development of other types of clinical research information systems. PMID:16622161
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Santa Margarita Estuary Water Quality Monitoring Data
2018-02-01
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION The work described in this report was performed for the Water Quality Section of the Environmental Security Marine Corps Base...water quality model calibration given interest and the necessary resources. The dataset should also inform the stakeholders and Regional Board on...period. Several additional ancillary datasets were collected during the monitoring timeframe that provide key information though they were not collected
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Quality/Performance Circles Three Years after Implementation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ladwig, Dennis J.
An overview is provided of the development of quality/performance circles at Lakeshore Technical Institute (LTI), Wisconsin, and of the projects undertaken through the quality/performance circle program during its 3-year history. First, background information is provided on the use of quality circles in Japan and the United States, including…
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EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have initiated the “Village Blue” research project to provide real-time water quality monitoring data to the Baltimore community and increase public awareness about local water quality in Baltimore Harbor and the Chesapeake Ba...
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Gul, M; Kaynar, M
2017-03-01
Premature ejaculation is one of the most common male sexual dysfunctions; however, only a few patients with premature ejaculation are seeking professional help or advice. Internet has become an important source of knowledge, and thus, more patients are looking online for health information. According to our best knowledge, no study has evaluated the content and quality of websites on premature ejaculation. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate the content and quality of currently available Internet-based information on premature ejaculation. A sample was obtained comprising the 50 top sites retrieved from Google, Bing and Yahoo search engines using the terms 'premature ejaculation'. Each site then was reviewed based on some predefined evaluation criteria to determine the general quality, condition-specific content quality, popularity index and ownership. The websites reviewed were differed highly in terms of quality and ownership. Only a few sites provided comprehensive medical and complete information on premature ejaculation. The online information available is often of uncertain calibre; therefore, men are being exposed to information about premature ejaculation with a highly variable degree quality. This fact should be considered both by health professionals and website owners, and better online resources should be provided for these patients. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
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Bruendl, Johannes; Rothbauer, Clemens; Ludwig, Bernd; Dotzler, Bernhard; Wolff, Christian; Reimann, Sandra; Borgmann, Hendrik; Burger, Maximilian; Breyer, Johannes
2018-01-01
The internet is an emerging source of information for prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Since little is known about the quality of information on PCa provided online, we investigated its accordance to the latest European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines. A total of 89 German web pages were included for analysis. A quality model classifying the provider of information and its expertise was introduced. Correctness of provided information was systematically compared to the EAU guidelines. Information was provided by medical experts (41%), media (11%), and pharmaceutical companies (6%). Certificates were found in 23% with a significantly higher rate if provided by medical experts (p = 0.003). The minority of web pages showed information in accordance with the EAU guidelines regarding screening (63%), diagnosis (32%), classification (39%), therapy (36%), complications (8%), and follow-up (27%). Web pages by medical experts as well as websites with any kind of certification showed a significantly higher guideline conformity regarding diagnosis (p = 0.027, p = 0.002), therapy (p = 0.010, p = 0.011), follow-up (p = 0.005, p < 0.001), and availability of references (p = 0.017, p = 0.003). The present study reveals that online health information on PCa lacks concordance to current guidelines. Certified websites or websites provided by medical experts showed a significantly higher quality and accordance with guidelines. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.
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The public gets what the public wants: experiences of public reporting in long-term care in Europe.
Rodrigues, Ricardo; Trigg, Lisa; Schmidt, Andrea E; Leichsenring, Kai
2014-05-01
Public reporting of quality in long-term care is advocated on the basis of allowing providers to improve their performance by benchmarking and supporting users to choose the best providers. Both mechanisms are intended to drive improvements in quality. However, there is relatively scarce comparative research on the experiences and impact of public reporting on quality in long-term care in Europe. Using information gathered from key informants by means of a structured questionnaire and country profiles, this paper discusses experiences with public reporting mechanisms in seven European countries and available information on their impact on quality in long-term care. Countries surveyed included a variety of public reporting schemes, ranging from pilot programmes to statutory mechanisms. Public reporting mechanisms more often focus on institutional care. Inspections carried out as part of a legal quality assurance framework are the main source of information gathering, supplemented by provider self-assessments in the context of internal quality management and user satisfaction surveys. Information on quality goes well beyond structural indicators to also include indicators on quality of life of users. Information is displayed using numerical scores (percentages), but also measures such as ratings (similar to school grades) and ticks and crosses. Only one country corrects for case-mix. The internet is the preferred medium of displaying information. There was little evidence to show whether public reporting has a significant impact on driving users' choices of provider. Studies reported low awareness of quality indicators among potential end users and information was not always displayed in a convenient format, e.g. through complicated numerical scores. There is scarce evidence of public reporting directly causing improved quality, although the relative youth and the pilot characteristics of some of the schemes covered here could also have contributed to downplay their impact. The establishment of public reporting mechanisms did however contribute to shaping the discussion on quality measurement in several of the countries surveyed. The findings presented in this paper highlight the need to consider some factors in the discussion of the impact of public reporting in long-term care, namely, the organisation of care markets, frequently characterised by limited competition; the circumstances under which user choice takes place, often made under conditions of duress; and the leadership conditions needed to bring about improvements in quality in different care settings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Menachemi, Nir; Struchen-Shellhorn, Wendy; Brooks, Robert G; Simpson, Lisa
2009-01-01
Pay-for-performance programs are used to promote improved health care quality, often through increased use of health information technology. However, little is known about whether pay-for-performance programs influence the adoption of health information technology, especially among child health providers. This study explored how various pay-for-performance compensation methods are related to health information technology use. Survey data from 1014 child health providers practicing in Florida were analyzed by using univariate and multivariate techniques. Questions asked about the adoption of electronic health records and personal digital assistants, as well as types of activities that affected child health provider compensation or income. The most common reported method to affect respondents' compensation was traditional productivity or billing (78%). Of the pay-for-performance-related methods of compensation, child health providers indicated that measures of clinical care (41%), patient surveys and experience (34%), the use of health information technology (29%), and quality bonuses or incentives (27%) were a major or minor factor in their compensation. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, only pay-for-performance programs that compensated directly for health information technology use were associated with an increased likelihood of electronic health record system adoption. Pay-for-performance programs linking measures of clinical quality to compensation were positively associated with personal digital assistant use among child health providers. Pay-for-performance programs that do not directly emphasize health information technology use do not influence the adoption of electronic health records among Florida physicians treating children. Understanding how different pay-for-performance compensation methods incentivize health information technology adoption is important for improving quality.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Davis, J.; Pickering, A.; Horak, H.; Boehm, A.
2008-12-01
Tanzania (TZ) has one of the highest rates of child mortality due to enteric disease in the world. NGOs and local agencies have introduced numerous technologies (e.g., chlorine tablets, borewells) to increase the quantity and quality of water in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, in hopes of reducing morbidity and mortality of waterborne disease. The objective of the present study is to determine if providing personalized information about water quality and hand surface quality, as determined by concentrations of enterococci and E. coli, results in improved health and water quality in households. A cohort study was completed in June-September 2008 in 3 communities ranging from urban to per-urban in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to achieve our objective. The study consisted of 4 cohorts that were visited 4 times over the 3 month study. One cohort received no information about water and hand quality until the end of the summer, while the other groups received either just information on hand surface quality, just information on water quality, and information on both hand surface and water quality after the first (baseline) household visit. We report concentrations of enterococci and E. coli in water sources (surface waters and bore wells), water stored in households, and environmental waters were children and adults swim and bathe. In addition, we report concentrations of enterococci and E. coli on hands of caregivers and children in households. Preliminary results of surveys on health and perceptions of water quality and illness from the households are provided. Ongoing work will integrate the microbiological and sociological data sets to determine if personalized information interventions resulted in changes in health, water quality in the household, or perceptions of water quality, quantity and relation to human health. Future work will analyze DNA samples from hands and water for human-specific Bacteroides bacteria which are only present in human feces. Our study has the potential to provide empirical evidence to promote large scale monitoring and education campaigns in Africa to improve health and reduce the burden of waterborne disease.
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Hibbard, Judith H; Greene, Jessica; Sofaer, Shoshanna; Firminger, Kirsten; Hirsh, Judith
2012-03-01
Advocates of health reform continue to pursue policies and tools that will make information about comparative costs and resource use available to consumers. Reformers expect that consumers will use the data to choose high-value providers-those who offer higher quality and lower prices-and thus contribute to the broader goal of controlling national health care spending. However, communicating this information effectively is more challenging than it might first appear. For example, consumers are more interested in the quality of health care than in its cost, and many perceive a low-cost provider to be substandard. In this study of 1,421 employees, we examined how different presentations of information affect the likelihood that consumers will make high-value choices. We found that a substantial minority of the respondents shied away from low-cost providers, and even consumers who pay a larger share of their health care costs themselves were likely to equate high cost with high quality. At the same time, we found that presenting cost data alongside easy-to-interpret quality information and highlighting high-value options improved the likelihood that consumers would choose those options. Reporting strategies that follow such a format will help consumers understand that a doctor who provides higher-quality care than other doctors does not necessarily cost more.
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YouTube provides irrelevant information for the diagnosis and treatment of hip arthritis.
Koller, Ulrich; Waldstein, Wenzel; Schatz, Klaus-Dieter; Windhager, Reinhard
2016-10-01
YouTube is increasingly becoming a key source for people to satisfy the need for additional information concerning their medical condition. This study analyses the completeness of accurate information found on YouTube pertaining to hip arthritis. The present study analyzed 133 YouTube videos using the search terms: hip arthritis, hip arthritis symptoms, hip arthritis diagnosis, hip arthritis treatment and hip replacement. Two quality assessment checklists with a scale of 0 to 12 points were developed to evaluate available video content for the diagnosis and the treatment of hip arthritis. Videos were grouped into poor quality (grade 0-3), moderate quality (grade 4-7) and excellent quality (grade 8-12), respectively. Three independent observers assessed all videos using the new grading system and independently scored all videos. Discrepancies regarding the categories were clarified by consensus discussion. For intra-observer reliabilities, grading was performed at two occasions separated by four weeks. Eighty-four percent (n = 112) had a poor diagnostic information quality, 14% (n = 19) a moderate quality and only 2% (n = 2) an excellent quality, respectively. In 86% (n = 114), videos provided poor treatment information quality. Eleven percent (n = 15) of videos had a moderate quality and only 3% (n = 4) an excellent quality, respectively. The present study demonstrates that YouTube is a poor source for accurate information pertaining to the diagnosis and treatment of hip arthritis. These finding are of high relevance for clinicians as videos are going to become the primary source of information for patients. Therefore, high quality educational videos are needed to further guide patients on the way from the diagnosis of hip arthritis to its proper treatment.
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Pollution Abatement and Prevention Analysis (PAPA) Study.
1994-07-01
of information. Including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services , Directorate for information Operations and Reports...areas include solid and hazardous waste management, wastewater discharge, noise abatement, endangered species, wetlands, air quality attainment, and...support this study. The Environmental Quality Office of HQ AMC provided policy and program guidance while the sites provided the specific pollution
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External Quality Control Review of the Defense Information Systems Agency Audit Organization
2012-08-07
We are providing this report for your information and use. We have reviewed the system of quality control for the audit organization of the Defense...audit organization encompasses the audit organization’s leadership, emphasis on performing high quality work, and policies and procedures established
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High quality data: An evaluation of AIM data quality and data quality procedures
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
The goal of every monitoring program is to collect high-quality data which can then be used to provide information to decision makers. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) program is one such data set which provides rangeland status, condition, and trend in...
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2001-01-01
This editorial provides a model of how quality initiatives concerned with health information on the World Wide Web may in the future interact with each other. This vision fits into the evolving "Semantic Web" architecture - ie, the prospective that the World Wide Web may evolve from a mess of unstructured, human-readable information sources into a global knowledge base with an additional layer providing richer and more meaningful relationships between resources. One first prerequisite for forming such a "Semantic Web" or "web of trust" among the players active in quality management of health information is that these initiatives make statements about themselves and about each other in a machine-processable language. I present a concrete model on how this collaboration could look, and provide some recommendations on what the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other policy makers in this framework could be. PMID:11772549
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Eysenbach, G
2001-01-01
This editorial provides a model of how quality initiatives concerned with health information on the World Wide Web may in the future interact with each other. This vision fits into the evolving "Semantic Web" architecture - ie, the prospective that the World Wide Web may evolve from a mess of unstructured, human-readable information sources into a global knowledge base with an additional layer providing richer and more meaningful relationships between resources. One first prerequisite for forming such a "Semantic Web" or "web of trust" among the players active in quality management of health information is that these initiatives make statements about themselves and about each other in a machine-processable language. I present a concrete model on how this collaboration could look, and provide some recommendations on what the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other policy makers in this framework could be.
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Quality and Safety in Health Care, Part XXI: PSOs and the Vascular Quality Initiative.
Harolds, Jay A
2017-04-01
Congress provided for the formation of patient safety organizations (PSOs) so that physicians and other providers would come forward to improve the safety and quality of health care. Important legal safeguards for the providers and patients were put in place for PSOs. The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) PSO operates the Vascular Quality Initiative. The latter gathers information from certain commonly done vascular procedures. First, information is collected so a risk adjustment determination of each individual patient can be done. Then the details of every procedure are recorded for later analysis of the processes of the patient's care. In addition, outcome analysis from all procedures is carried out. This registry is an important source of data for research improving health care safety and quality.
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Reynolds, Kristin A; Walker, John R; Walsh, Kate
2015-10-01
The goals of this study were to evaluate the quality of information concerning anxiety disorders in children that is available on the Internet and to evaluate changes in the quality of website information over time. The authors identified websites addressing child anxiety disorders (N = 26) using a Google search and recommendations from an expert in child anxiety. Each website was evaluated on the extent to which it addressed questions that parents consider important, the quality of information, and the reading level. All websites provided adequate information describing treatment options; however, fewer websites had information addressing many questions that are important to parents, including the duration of treatment, what happens when treatment stops, and the benefits and risks of various treatments. Many websites provided inadequate information on pharmacological treatment. Most websites were of moderate quality and had more difficult reading levels than is recommended. Five years after the initial assessment, authors re-analyzed the websites in order to investigate changes in content over time. The content of only six websites had been updated since the original analysis, the majority of which improved on the three aforementioned areas of evaluation. Websites could be strengthened by providing important information that would support parent decision-making. © The Author(s) 2014.
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Hammarberg, Karin; Prentice, Tess; Purcell, Isabelle; Johnson, Louise
2018-06-01
Many factors influence the chance of having a baby with assisted reproductive technologies (ART). A 2016 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) investigation concluded that ART clinics needed to improve the quality of information they provide about chance of ART success. To evaluate changes in the quality of information about success rates provided on the websites of ART clinics in Australia and New Zealand before and after the ACCC investigation. Desktop audits of websites of ART clinics in Australia and New Zealand were conducted in 2016 and 2017 and available information about success rates was scored using a matrix with eight variables and a possible range of scores of 0-9. Of the 54 clinic websites identified in 2016, 32 had unique information and were eligible to be audited. Of these, 29 were also eligible to be audited in 2017. While there was a slight improvement in the mean score from 2016 to 2017 (4.93-5.28), this was not statistically significantly different. Of the 29 clinics, 14 had the same score on both occasions, 10 had a higher and five a lower information quality score in 2017. To allow people who consider ART to make informed decisions about treatment they need comprehensive and accurate information about what treatment entails and what the likely outcomes are. As measured by a scoring matrix, most ART clinics had not improved the quality of the information about success rates following the ACCC investigation. © 2017 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
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Legal issues concerning electronic health information: privacy, quality, and liability.
Hodge, J G; Gostin, L O; Jacobson, P D
1999-10-20
Personally identifiable health information about individuals and general medical information is increasingly available in electronic form in health databases and through online networks. The proliferation of electronic data within the modern health information infrastructure presents significant benefits for medical providers and patients, including enhanced patient autonomy, improved clinical treatment, advances in health research and public health surveillance, and modern security techniques. However, it also presents new legal challenges in 3 interconnected areas: privacy of identifiable health information, reliability and quality of health data, and tortbased liability. Protecting health information privacy (by giving individuals control over health data without severely restricting warranted communal uses) directly improves the quality and reliability of health data (by encouraging individual uses of health services and communal uses of data), which diminishes tort-based liabilities (by reducing instances of medical malpractice or privacy invasions through improvements in the delivery of health care services resulting in part from better quality and reliability of clinical and research data). Following an analysis of the interconnectivity of these 3 areas and discussing existing and proposed health information privacy laws, recommendations for legal reform concerning health information privacy are presented. These include (1) recognizing identifiable health information as highly sensitive, (2) providing privacy safeguards based on fair information practices, (3) empowering patients with information and rights to consent to disclosure (4) limiting disclosures of health data absent consent, (5) incorporating industry-wide security protections, (6) establishing a national data protection authority, and (7) providing a national minimal level of privacy protections.
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Achieving total quality through intelligence.
Fuld, L M
1992-02-01
American firms want 'total quality'. The time and money spent by U.S. companies attempting to qualify for the coveted Baldrige Award exemplifies corporate America's desire to achieve new quality standards. Corporate intelligence and 'total quality' are inextricably linked. In this article, the authors demonstrate how shared and properly-used information can be a powerful tool for elevating quality standards, and how corporate intelligence programmes can provide the information links vital for success in attaining the highest standards of quality.
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A conceptual persistent healthcare quality improvement process for software development management.
Lin, Jen-Chiun; Su, Mei-Ju; Cheng, Po-Hsun; Weng, Yung-Chien; Chen, Sao-Jie; Lai, Jin-Shin; Lai, Feipei
2007-01-01
This paper illustrates a sustained conceptual service quality improvement process for the management of software development within a healthcare enterprise. Our proposed process is revised from Niland's healthcare quality information system (HQIS). This process includes functions to survey the satisfaction of system functions, describe the operation bylaws on-line, and provide on-demand training. To achieve these goals, we integrate five information systems in National Taiwan University Hospital, including healthcare information systems, health quality information system, requirement management system, executive information system, and digital learning system, to form a full Deming cycle. A preliminary user satisfaction survey showed that our outpatient information system scored an average of 71.31 in 2006.
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Standards to Assure Quality in Tertiary Education: The Case of Tanzania
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Manyaga, Timothy
2008-01-01
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide information on development of standards in Tanzania which may be of help to training providers in other countries as they seek to improve the quality and standards of their provision. Design/methodology/approach: The need to provide quality assured tertiary qualifications in Tanzania to win both…
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Exploring nursing e-learning systems success based on information system success model.
Chang, Hui-Chuan; Liu, Chung-Feng; Hwang, Hsin-Ginn
2011-12-01
E-learning is thought of as an innovative approach to enhance nurses' care service knowledge. Extensive research has provided rich information toward system development, courses design, and nurses' satisfaction with an e-learning system. However, a comprehensive view in understanding nursing e-learning system success is an important but less focused-on topic. The purpose of this research was to explore net benefits of nursing e-learning systems based on the updated DeLone and McLean's Information System Success Model. The study used a self-administered questionnaire to collected 208 valid nurses' responses from 21 of Taiwan's medium- and large-scale hospitals that have implemented nursing e-learning systems. The result confirms that the model is sufficient to explore the nurses' use of e-learning systems in terms of intention to use, user satisfaction, and net benefits. However, while the three exogenous quality factors (system quality, information quality, and service quality) were all found to be critical factors affecting user satisfaction, only information quality showed a direct effect on the intention to use. This study provides useful insights for evaluating nursing e-learning system qualities as well as an understanding of nurses' intentions and satisfaction related to performance benefits.
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Optimizing cardiothoracic surgery information for a managed care environment.
Denton, T A; Matloff, J M
1995-11-01
The rapid change occurring in American healthcare is a direct response to rising costs. Managed care is the fastest growing model that attempts to control escalating costs through limitations in patient choice, the active use of guidelines, and placing providers at risk. Managed care is an information intensive system, and those providers who use information effectively will be at an advantage in the competitive healthcare marketplace. There are five classes of information that providers must collect to be competitive in a managed care environment: patient satisfaction, medical outcomes, continuous quality improvement, quality of the decision, and financial data. Each of these should be actively used in marketing, assuring the quality of patient care, and maintaining financial stability. Although changes in our healthcare system are occurring rapidly, we need to respond to the marketplace to maintain our viability, but as physicians, we have the singular obligation to maintain the supremacy of the individual patient and the physician-patient relationship.
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77 FR 65391 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-10-26
...) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the..., there is a focused interest in providing quality and value-based healthcare for Medicare beneficiaries...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Preuss, Gil A.
2003-01-01
A study of the effect of high-performance work systems on 935 nurses and 182 nurses aides indicated that quality of decision-making information depends on workers' interpretive skills and partially mediated effects of work design and total quality management on organizational performance. Providing relevant knowledge and opportunities to use…
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Stability and Patterns of Classroom Quality in German Early Childhood Education and Care
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kuger, Susanne; Kluczniok, Katharina; Kaplan, David; Rossbach, Hans-Guenther
2016-01-01
Many education systems worldwide have dedicated a significant amount of resources to improve quality levels in early childhood education and care. Research can contribute to this goal by providing information about conditions of high-quality education and care and reasons for changes in the quality provided to children. This study therefore…
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Tweets about hospital quality: a mixed methods study
Greaves, Felix; Laverty, Antony A; Cano, Daniel Ramirez; Moilanen, Karo; Pulman, Stephen; Darzi, Ara; Millett, Christopher
2014-01-01
Background Twitter is increasingly being used by patients to comment on their experience of healthcare. This may provide information for understanding the quality of healthcare providers and improving services. Objective To examine whether tweets sent to hospitals in the English National Health Service contain information about quality of care. To compare sentiment on Twitter about hospitals with established survey measures of patient experience and standardised mortality rates. Design A mixed methods study including a quantitative analysis of all 198 499 tweets sent to English hospitals over a year and a qualitative directed content analysis of 1000 random tweets. Twitter sentiment and conventional quality metrics were compared using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Key results 11% of tweets to hospitals contained information about care quality, with the most frequent topic being patient experience (8%). Comments on effectiveness or safety of care were present, but less common (3%). 77% of tweets about care quality were positive in tone. Other topics mentioned in tweets included messages of support to patients, fundraising activity, self-promotion and dissemination of health information. No associations were observed between Twitter sentiment and conventional quality metrics. Conclusions Only a small proportion of tweets directed at hospitals discuss quality of care and there was no clear relationship between Twitter sentiment and other measures of quality, potentially limiting Twitter as a medium for quality monitoring. However, tweets did contain information useful to target quality improvement activity. Recent enthusiasm by policy makers to use social media as a quality monitoring and improvement tool needs to be carefully considered and subjected to formal evaluation. PMID:24748372
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WaterQualityWatch and water-quality information bookmark
Wilde, Franceska D.
2014-01-01
WaterQualityWatch is an online resource of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that provides access to continuous real-time measurements of water temperature, specific electrical conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and nitrate at selected data-collection stations throughout the Nation. Additional online resources of the USGS that pertain to various types of water-quality information are shown on the reverse side of this bookmark.
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Hynes, Denise M.; Perrin, Ruth A.; Rappaport, Steven; Stevens, Joanne M.; Demakis, John G.
2004-01-01
Information systems are increasingly important for measuring and improving health care quality. A number of integrated health care delivery systems use advanced information systems and integrated decision support to carry out quality assurance activities, but none as large as the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VHA's Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) is a large-scale, multidisciplinary quality improvement initiative designed to ensure excellence in all areas where VHA provides health care services, including inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings. In this paper, we describe the role of information systems in the VHA QUERI process, highlight the major information systems critical to this quality improvement process, and discuss issues associated with the use of these systems. PMID:15187063
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Pérez-López, Faustino R; Pérez Roncero, Gonzalo R
2006-12-01
To evaluate the content and quality of currently available Internet-based information on the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. A sample was obtained comprising the 75 top sites retrieved with the Google search engine using 'treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis' and then evaluated according to predefined general and specific criteria, content type, language and quality. Using a systematic scoring tool, each site was assessed for factual information provided and site quality. The sites studied were heterogeneous in content and quality. The most frequent type of website corresponded to non-profit organizations (n = 40), followed by commercial sites (n = 19), professional sites (n = 8) and government sites (n = 8). There were no significant differences in the popularity index, medical content score or quality score among the four groups of sites. Twelve websites were papers published in peer-reviewed medical journals. Few sites provided comprehensive medical and complete information on the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis oriented towards consumers. The consumer-oriented webpage with the most balanced and complete information was that of the National Osteoporosis Foundation which, at the same time, had the highest popularity index of all the resources studied. The content and quality of websites concerning the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis are highly varied and sometimes biased. The most frequent high-quality information corresponds to peer-reviewed medical journals. It is necessary to increase the number of resources, with rigorous language that is understandable for consumers, in relation to the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
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Nalwadda, Gorrette; Tumwesigye, Nazarius M; Faxelid, Elisabeth; Byamugisha, Josaphat; Mirembe, Florence
2011-01-01
Low and inconsistent use of contraceptives by young people contributes to unintended pregnancies. This study assessed quality of contraceptive services for young people aged 15-24 in two rural districts in Uganda. Five female and two male simulated clients (SCs) interacted with 128 providers at public, private not-for-profit (PNFP), and private for profit (PFP) health facilities. After consultations, SCs were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Six aspects of quality of care (client's needs, choice of contraceptive methods, information given to users, client-provider interpersonal relations, constellation of services, and continuity mechanisms) were assessed. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were performed. Means and categorized quality scores for all aspects of quality were low in both public and private facilities. The lowest quality scores were observed in PFP, and medium scores in PNFP facilities. The choice of contraceptive methods and interpersonal relations quality scores were slightly higher in public facilities. Needs assessment scores were highest in PNFP facilities. All facilities were classified as having low scores for appropriate constellation of services. Information given to users was suboptimal and providers promoted specific contraceptive methods. Minority of providers offered preferred method of choice and showed respect for privacy. The quality of contraceptive services provided to young people was low. Concurrent quality improvements and strengthening of health systems are needed.
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Nalwadda, Gorrette; Tumwesigye, Nazarius M.; Faxelid, Elisabeth; Byamugisha, Josaphat; Mirembe, Florence
2011-01-01
Background Low and inconsistent use of contraceptives by young people contributes to unintended pregnancies. This study assessed quality of contraceptive services for young people aged 15–24 in two rural districts in Uganda. Methods Five female and two male simulated clients (SCs) interacted with 128 providers at public, private not-for-profit (PNFP), and private for profit (PFP) health facilities. After consultations, SCs were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Six aspects of quality of care (client's needs, choice of contraceptive methods, information given to users, client-provider interpersonal relations, constellation of services, and continuity mechanisms) were assessed. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were performed. Results Means and categorized quality scores for all aspects of quality were low in both public and private facilities. The lowest quality scores were observed in PFP, and medium scores in PNFP facilities. The choice of contraceptive methods and interpersonal relations quality scores were slightly higher in public facilities. Needs assessment scores were highest in PNFP facilities. All facilities were classified as having low scores for appropriate constellation of services. Information given to users was suboptimal and providers promoted specific contraceptive methods. Minority of providers offered preferred method of choice and showed respect for privacy. Conclusions The quality of contraceptive services provided to young people was low. Concurrent quality improvements and strengthening of health systems are needed. PMID:22132168
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Using Web sites on quality health care for teaching consumers in public libraries.
Oermann, Marilyn H; Lesley, Marsha L; VanderWal, Jillon S
2005-01-01
More and more consumers are searching the Internet for health information. Health Web sites vary in quality, though, and not all consumers are aware of the need to evaluate the information they find on the Web. Nurses and other health providers involved in patient education can evaluate Web sites and suggest quality sites for patients to use. This article describes a project we implemented in 2 public libraries to educate consumers about quality health care and patient safety using Web sites that we had evaluated earlier. Participants (n = 103) completed resources on health care quality, questions patients should ask about their diagnoses and treatment options, changes in Medicare and Medicare options or ways to make their health benefits work for them, and tips to help prevent medical errors. Most consumers were highly satisfied with the Web sites and the information they learned on quality care from these resources. Many participants did not have Internet access at home or work and instead used the library to search the Web. Information about the Web sites used in this project and other sites on quality care can be made available in libraries and community settings and as part of patient education resources in hospitals. The Web provides easy access for consumers to information about patient safety initiatives and health care quality in general.
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Heising, Jenneke K; Claassen, G D H; Dekker, Matthijs
2017-10-01
Optimising supply chain management can help to reduce food waste. This paper describes how intelligent packaging can be used to reduce food waste when used in supply chain management based on quality-controlled logistics (QCL). Intelligent packaging senses compounds in the package that correlate with the critical quality attribute of a food product. The information on the quality of each individual packaged food item that is provided by the intelligent packaging can be used for QCL. In a conceptual approach it is explained that monitoring food quality by intelligent packaging sensors makes it possible to obtain information about the variation in the quality of foods and to use a dynamic expiration date (IP-DED) on a food package. The conceptual approach is supported by quantitative data from simulations on the effect of using the information of intelligent packaging in supply chain management with the goal to reduce food waste. This simulation shows that by using the information on the quality of products that is provided by intelligent packaging, QCL can substantially reduce food waste. When QCL is combined with dynamic pricing based on the predicted expiry dates, a further waste reduction is envisaged.
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Reputation and Competition in a Hidden Action Model
Fedele, Alessandro; Tedeschi, Piero
2014-01-01
The economics models of reputation and quality in markets can be classified in three categories. (i) Pure hidden action, where only one type of seller is present who can provide goods of different quality. (ii) Pure hidden information, where sellers of different types have no control over product quality. (iii) Mixed frameworks, which include both hidden action and hidden information. In this paper we develop a pure hidden action model of reputation and Bertrand competition, where consumers and firms interact repeatedly in a market with free entry. The price of the good produced by the firms is contractible, whilst the quality is noncontractible, hence it is promised by the firms when a contract is signed. Consumers infer future quality from all available information, i.e., both from what they know about past quality and from current prices. According to early contributions, competition should make reputation unable to induce the production of high-quality goods. We provide a simple solution to this problem by showing that high quality levels are sustained as an outcome of a stationary symmetric equilibrium. PMID:25329387
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Reputation and competition in a hidden action model.
Fedele, Alessandro; Tedeschi, Piero
2014-01-01
The economics models of reputation and quality in markets can be classified in three categories. (i) Pure hidden action, where only one type of seller is present who can provide goods of different quality. (ii) Pure hidden information, where sellers of different types have no control over product quality. (iii) Mixed frameworks, which include both hidden action and hidden information. In this paper we develop a pure hidden action model of reputation and Bertrand competition, where consumers and firms interact repeatedly in a market with free entry. The price of the good produced by the firms is contractible, whilst the quality is noncontractible, hence it is promised by the firms when a contract is signed. Consumers infer future quality from all available information, i.e., both from what they know about past quality and from current prices. According to early contributions, competition should make reputation unable to induce the production of high-quality goods. We provide a simple solution to this problem by showing that high quality levels are sustained as an outcome of a stationary symmetric equilibrium.
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Managing University Business Educational Quality: ISO or AACSB?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dumond, Ellen J.; Johnson, Thomas W.
2013-01-01
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into quality management for business education. The paper provides business schools and Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) with information about two different quality standards and suggests how the AACSB accreditation process might be strengthened--thereby…
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A Systematic Method for Reviewing and Analyzing Health Information on Consumer-Oriented Websites.
Rew, Lynn; Saenz, Ashley; Walker, Lorraine O
2018-05-29
A discussion of a proposed method for analyzing the quality of consumer-oriented websites that provide health-related information. The quality of health information available to consumers online varies widely in quality. In an effort to improve the quality of online information, experts have undertaken systematic reviews on selected health topics; however, no standardized comprehensive methodology currently exists for such review. An eight-step method is recommended embracing the following steps: (1) select topic; (2) determine the purpose of the analysis; (3) select search terms and engines; (4) develop and apply website inclusion and exclusion criteria; (5) develop processes and tools to manage search results; (6) specify measures of quality; (7) compute readability; (8) evaluate websites. Each of these steps is illustrated in relation to the health topic of gynecomastia, a physical and mental health challenge for many adolescent males and young men. Although most extant analyses of consumer-oriented websites have focused on disease conditions and their treatment, website-analysis methodology would encourage analyses that fall into the nursing care domain. The method outlined in this paper is intended to provide nurses and others who work with specific patient populations with the tools needed for website analytic studies. Such studies provide a foundation for making recommendations about quality websites, as well as identifying gaps in online information for health consumers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Limited Use of Price and Quality Advertising Among American Hospitals
Wilks, Chrisanne E A; Richter, Jason P
2013-01-01
Background Consumer-directed policies, including health savings accounts, have been proposed and implemented to involve individuals more directly with the cost of their health care. The hope is this will ultimately encourage providers to compete for patients based on price or quality, resulting in lower health care costs and better health outcomes. Objective To evaluate American hospital websites to learn whether hospitals advertise directly to consumers using price or quality data. Methods Structured review of websites of 10% of American hospitals (N=474) to evaluate whether price or quality information is available to consumers and identify what hospitals advertise about to attract consumers. Results On their websites, 1.3% (6/474) of hospitals advertised about price and 19.0% (90/474) had some price information available; 5.7% (27/474) of hospitals advertised about quality outcomes information and 40.9% (194/474) had some quality outcome data available. Price and quality information that was available was limited and of minimal use to compare hospitals. Hospitals were more likely to advertise about service lines (56.5%, 268/474), access (49.6%, 235/474), awards (34.0%, 161/474), and amenities (30.8%, 146/474). Conclusions Insufficient information currently exists for consumers to choose hospitals on the basis of price or quality, making current consumer-directed policies unlikely to realize improved quality or lower costs. Consumers may be more interested in information not related to cost or clinical factors when choosing a hospital, so consumer-directed strategies may be better served before choosing a provider, such as when choosing a health plan. PMID:23988296
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Limited use of price and quality advertising among American hospitals.
Muhlestein, David B; Wilks, Chrisanne E A; Richter, Jason P
2013-08-29
Consumer-directed policies, including health savings accounts, have been proposed and implemented to involve individuals more directly with the cost of their health care. The hope is this will ultimately encourage providers to compete for patients based on price or quality, resulting in lower health care costs and better health outcomes. To evaluate American hospital websites to learn whether hospitals advertise directly to consumers using price or quality data. Structured review of websites of 10% of American hospitals (N=474) to evaluate whether price or quality information is available to consumers and identify what hospitals advertise about to attract consumers. On their websites, 1.3% (6/474) of hospitals advertised about price and 19.0% (90/474) had some price information available; 5.7% (27/474) of hospitals advertised about quality outcomes information and 40.9% (194/474) had some quality outcome data available. Price and quality information that was available was limited and of minimal use to compare hospitals. Hospitals were more likely to advertise about service lines (56.5%, 268/474), access (49.6%, 235/474), awards (34.0%, 161/474), and amenities (30.8%, 146/474). Insufficient information currently exists for consumers to choose hospitals on the basis of price or quality, making current consumer-directed policies unlikely to realize improved quality or lower costs. Consumers may be more interested in information not related to cost or clinical factors when choosing a hospital, so consumer-directed strategies may be better served before choosing a provider, such as when choosing a health plan.
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Dy, Sydney M; Purnell, Tanjala S
2012-02-01
High-quality provider-patient decision-making is key to quality care for complex conditions. We performed an analysis of key elements relevant to quality and complex, shared medical decision-making. Based on a search of electronic databases, including Medline and the Cochrane Library, as well as relevant articles' reference lists, reviews of tools, and annotated bibliographies, we developed a list of key concepts and applied them to a decision-making example. Key concepts identified included provider competence, trustworthiness, and cultural competence; communication with patients and families; information quality; patient/surrogate competence; and roles and involvement. We applied this concept list to a case example, shared decision-making for live donor kidney transplantation, and identified the likely most important concepts as provider and cultural competence, information quality, and communication with patients and families. This concept list may be useful for conceptualizing the quality of complex shared decision-making and in guiding research in this area. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Informatics: essential infrastructure for quality assessment and improvement in nursing.
Henry, S B
1995-01-01
In recent decades there have been major advances in the creation and implementation of information technologies and in the development of measures of health care quality. The premise of this article is that informatics provides essential infrastructure for quality assessment and improvement in nursing. In this context, the term quality assessment and improvement comprises both short-term processes such as continuous quality improvement (CQI) and long-term outcomes management. This premise is supported by 1) presentation of a historical perspective on quality assessment and improvement; 2) delineation of the types of data required for quality assessment and improvement; and 3) description of the current and potential uses of information technology in the acquisition, storage, transformation, and presentation of quality data, information, and knowledge. PMID:7614118
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Marketing Schools: Consumer Goods and Competitive Incentives for Consumer Information
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lubienski, Christopher
2007-01-01
Effective school-choice plans depend on the quality of information available to families. Examining the promotional materials provided by different schools in a highly competitive and diverse urban area tells us not only about the quality of that information but also how schools respond to competitive incentives. This analysis outlines an economic…
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1989-02-01
installs, and provides life cycle support for information management systems. 16. Provides information and reports to higher authority and the scientific com...instruction/policy. 29 November New Employees Margaret Overton Paula Augustine Staffing Clerk Clerk Typist Code OOB Code I I GS-203-4 GS-322-4 Sylvia ...Evaluation and Survey Systems-Develops systems to evaluate the effectiveness of quality of life programs and to improve the quality of personnel
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Lin, Tung-Cheng; Hwang, Lih-Lian; Lai, Yung-Jye
2017-05-17
Previous studies have reported that credibility and content (argument quality) are the most critical factors affecting the quality of health information and its acceptance and use; however, this causal relationship merits further investigation in the context of health education. Moreover, message recipients' prior knowledge may moderate these relationships. This study used the elaboration likelihood model to determine the main effects of argument quality, source credibility and the moderating effect of self-reported diabetes knowledge on message attitudes. A between-subjects experimental design using an educational message concerning diabetes for manipulation was applied to validate the effects empirically. A total of 181 participants without diabetes were recruited from the Department of Health, Taipei City Government. Four group messages were manipulated in terms of argument quality (high and low) × source credibility (high and low). Argument quality and source credibility of health information significantly influenced the attitude of message recipients. The participants with high self-reported knowledge participants exhibited significant disapproval for messages with low argument quality. Effective health information should provide objective descriptions and cite reliable sources; in addition, it should provide accurate, customised messages for recipients who have high background knowledge level and ability to discern message quality. © 2017 Health Libraries Group Health Information & Libraries Journal.
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Rodrigues, Alexandre M; Ferreira, Pedro L; Ferré-Grau, Carmen
2016-10-01
To evaluate the quality of life of informal caregivers of patients with pressure ulcer; to assess their levels of burden; to analyse the variables influencing both their quality of life and burden. Informal caregivers of pressure ulcer patients, besides coping with the natural dependency of these patients, deal with the specificity of caring these types of wounds. This situation has an impact on not only the quality of life and burden felt by informal caregivers but also on individual and familiar dynamics. Descriptive and correlational study. This study focused on 145 informal caregivers providing home care. Measurement instruments were: SF-36v2 and the Burden Interview Scale. Descriptive analysis of the quantitative variables was carried out according to measures of central tendency, and the qualitative variables were described using absolute and relative frequencies. The relationships or associations between variables were explored through correlational analysis and, whenever the data allowed, multivariate techniques were used. Informal caregivers showed low levels of quality of life and, most of them, significant burden. Quality of life decreased with overload, with the increasing number of pressure ulcer and with less experience of informal caregivers, with lack of financial remuneration, with unemployment, with patient positioning and with the direct care of the wound. The burden increased with the number of pressure ulcer in each patient and with the lack of financial remuneration. These informal caregivers have low quality of life and are overburdened. Both situations are positively and negatively influenced by factors related to the pressure ulcer and to the patients' sociodemographic data. The results of this study allow more effective monitoring by health professionals of levels of burden and quality of life encountered in pressure ulcer informal caregivers, as well as direct interventions to inhibit the factors inducing burden and enhance those that improve quality of life. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Competition and quality in a physiotherapy market with fixed prices.
Pekola, Piia; Linnosmaa, Ismo; Mikkola, Hennamari
2017-01-01
Our study focuses on competition and quality in physiotherapy organized and regulated by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). We first derive a hypothesis with a theoretical model and then perform empirical analyses of the data. Within the physiotherapy market, prices are regulated by Kela, and after registration eligible firms are accepted to join a pool of firms from which patients choose service providers based on their individual preferences. By using 2SLS estimation techniques, we analyzed the relationship among quality, competition and regulated price. According to the results, competition has a statistically significant (yet weak) negative effect (p = 0.019) on quality. The outcome for quality is likely caused by imperfect information. It seems that Kela has provided too little information for patients about the quality of the service.
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Air Quality Planning Unit | Ground-level Ozone | New England ...
2017-04-10
Looking for answers about a specific air quality issue? Here's a list of topics and programs related to air quality and Air Quality Planning (AQP) staff who can answer questions and provide information about them.
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Air Quality Planning Unit | Ground-level Ozone | New England ...
2017-09-05
Looking for answers about a specific air quality issue? Here's a list of topics and programs related to air quality and Air Quality Planning (AQP) staff who can answer questions and provide information about them.
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Baek, JongDeuk; Seidman, Robert L
2015-01-01
Factors in the practice environment, such as health information technology (IT) infrastructure, availability of other clinical resources, and financial incentives, may influence whether practices are able to successfully implement the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model and realize its benefits. This study investigates the impacts of those PCMH-related elements on primary care physicians' perception of quality of care. A multiple logistic regression model was estimated using the 2004 to 2005 CTS Physician Survey, a national sample of salaried primary care physicians (n = 1733). The patient-centered practice environment and availability of clinical resources increased physicians' perceived quality of care. Although IT use for clinical information access did enhance physicians' ability to provide high quality of care, a similar positive impact of IT use was not found for e-prescribing or the exchange of clinical patient information. Lack of resources was negatively associated with physician perception of quality of care. Since health IT is an important foundation of PCMH, patient-centered practices are more likely to have health IT in place to support care delivery. However, despite its potential to enhance delivery of primary care, simply making health IT available does not necessarily translate into physicians' perceptions that it enhances the quality of care they provide. It is critical for health-care managers and policy makers to ensure that primary care physicians fully recognize and embrace the use of new technology to improve both the quality of care provided and the patient outcomes.
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Quality of medication information available on retail pharmacy Web sites.
Ghoshal, Malini; Walji, Muhammad F
2006-12-01
The Internet is becoming an important source for medication information. Although the quality of consumer medication information (CMI) in brick and mortar pharmacies has been reported to be suboptimal, little is known about the quality of CMI offered by pharmacy Web sites. To evaluate the quality, readability, and provision of Web functionality of 4 popular medications (atenolol, nitroglycerin, atorvastatin, and glyburide) available on the websites of 3 of the largest retail pharmacies: Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, and Rite Aid. The quality of online medication information was evaluated by 2 reviewers using a preexisting evaluation instrument created by a national panel of experts. Readability level was assessed using the Gunning Fog Test. We also assessed the presence of 4 Web-specific functional criteria: (1) capability for font enlargement, (2) availability of a glossary of terms, (3) presence of an "Ask a pharmacist" feature, and (4) access to detailed medication information or full prescribing information. Overall, medication information was 77% adherent to the criteria evaluated. When broken down by drug, CMI was most adherent for atorvastatin (83%), followed by glyburide (77%), atenolol (76%), and nitroglycerin (75%). The average readability level was found to be 10th grade. No pharmacy Web site provided the ability for font enlargement, a glossary of terms, or access to detailed medication information; however, all pharmacy Web sites provided an "Ask a pharmacist" service. Although pharmacy Web sites were found to have an overall good content quality, the high readability level of text, areas of incomplete information, and limited use of desirable Web functionality suggest room for improvement.
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Can Internet information on vertebroplasty be a reliable means of patient self-education?
Sullivan, T Barrett; Anderson, Joshua T; Ahn, Uri M; Ahn, Nicholas U
2014-05-01
Studies of the quality and accuracy of health and medical information available on the Internet have shown that many sources provide inadequate information. However, to our knowledge, there are no published studies analyzing the quality of information available online regarding vertebroplasty. Because this has been a high-volume procedure with highly debated efficacy, it is critical that patients receive complete, accurate, and well-balanced information before deciding a treatment course. Additionally, few studies have evaluated the merit of academic site authorship or site certification on information quality, but some studies have used measurements of quality that are based primarily on subjective criteria or information accuracy rather than information completeness. The purposes of our study were (1) to evaluate and analyze the information on vertebroplasty available to the general public through the Internet; (2) to see if sites sponsored by academic institutions offered a higher quality of information; and (3) to determine whether quality of information varied according to site approval by a certification body. Three search engines were used to identify 105 web sites (35 per engine) offering information regarding vertebroplasty. Sites were evaluated for authorship/sponsorship, content, and references cited. Information quality was rated as "excellent," "high," "moderate," "low," or "unacceptable." Sites also were evaluated for contact information to set up an appointment. Data were analyzed as a complete set, then compared between authorship types, and finally evaluated by certification status. Academic sites were compared with other authorship groups and certified sites were compared with noncertified sites using Student's t-test. Appropriate indications were referenced in 74% of sites, whereas only 45% discussed a contraindication to the procedure. Benefits were expressed by 100% of sites, but risks were outlined in only 53% (p < 0.001). Ninety-nine percent of sites provided step-by-step descriptions of the procedure, and 44% of sites also included images. Alternative treatments were mentioned by 51% of sites. Twenty-seven percent of sites referenced peer-reviewed literature, 41% offered experiential or noncited data based on American populations, and 7% offered analogous data from international populations. Thirty percent of sites provided contact information for patient appointment scheduling. Seven percent of sites were classified as excellent quality, 6% as high quality, 11% as moderate quality, 19% as poor quality, and 57% as unacceptable. Sixteen percent of sites were sponsored by academic institutions, 62% by private groups, 8% by biomedical device companies, and 14% were sponsored otherwise. Academic sites reported fewer risks of the procedure than private sites or other sites (p = 0.05 and p = 0.04), but reported more risks than industry sites (p = 0.007). Academic sites were more likely than sites classified as other to offer contact information for patient appointment scheduling (p = 0.004). Nine percent of sites evaluated were Health on the Net Foundation (HONCode) certified. No association with improved information quality was observed in these sites relative to noncertified sites (all p > 0.05). Internet information regarding vertebroplasty is not only inadequate for proper patient education, but also potentially misleading as sites are more likely to present benefits of the procedure than risks. Although academic sites might be expected to offer higher-quality information than private, industry, or other sites, our data would suggest that they do not. HONCode certification cannot be used reliably as a means of qualifying website information quality. Academic sites should be expected to set a high standard and alter their Internet presence with adequate information distribution. Certification bodies also should alter their standards to necessitate provision of complete information in addition to emphasizing accurate information. Treating physicians may want to counsel their patients regarding the limitations of information present on the Internet and the pitfalls of current certification systems. Level IV, economic and decision analyses. See the Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
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77 FR 45716 - Proposed Information Collection (Foreign Medical Program); Comment Request
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-08-01
... solicits comments on information needed to reimburse healthcare providers for medical services provided to... quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of... techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Titles: a. Foreign Medical Program...
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Evaluation of poison information services provided by a new poison information center.
Churi, Shobha; Abraham, Lovin; Ramesh, M; Narahari, M G
2013-01-01
The aim of this study is to assess the nature and quality of services provided by poison information center established at a tertiary-care teaching hospital, Mysore. This was a prospective observational study. The poison information center was officially established in September 2010 and began its functioning thereafter. The center is equipped with required resources and facility (e.g., text books, Poisindex, Drugdex, toll free telephone service, internet and online services) to provide poison information services. The poison information services provided by the center were recorded in documentation forms. The documentation form consists of numerous sections to collect information on: (a) Type of population (children, adult, elderly or pregnant) (b) poisoning agents (c) route of exposure (d) type of poisoning (intentional, accidental or environmental) (e) demographic details of patient (age, gender and bodyweight) (f) enquirer details (background, place of call and mode of request) (g) category and purpose of query and (h) details of provided service (information provided, mode of provision, time taken to provide information and references consulted). The nature and quality of poison information services provided was assessed using a quality assessment checklist developed in accordance with DSE/World Health Organization guidelines. Chi-Square test (χ(2)). A total of 419 queries were received by the center. A majority (n = 333; 79.5%) of the queries were asked by the doctors to provide optimal care (n = 400; 95.5%). Most of the queries were received during ward rounds (n = 201; 48.0%), followed by direct access (n = 147; 35.1%). The poison information services were predominantly provided through verbal communication (n = 352; 84.0%). Upon receipt of queries, the required service was provided immediately (n = 103; 24.6%) or within 10-20 min (n = 296; 70.6%). The queries were mainly related to intentional poisoning (n = 258; 64.5%), followed by accidental poisoning (n = 142; 35.5%). The most common poisoning agents were medicines (n = 124; 31.0%). The service provided was graded as "Excellent" for the majority of queries (n = 360; 86%; P < 0.001), followed by "Very Good" (n = 50; 12%) and "Good" (n = 9; 2%). The poison information center provided requested services in a skillful, efficient and evidence-based manner to meet the needs of the requestor. The enquiries and information provided is documented in a clear and systematic manner.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Data Quality Campaign, 2014
2014-01-01
District superintendents or school principals need to be able to access and use high-quality data to make good decisions. Often this data is collected and stored locally, but information that is publicly reported by the state can provide additional value. Although public reporting in a few states is designed to serve information needs, states'…
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Diagnostic colonoscopy: performance measurement study.
Kuznets, Naomi
2002-07-01
This is the fifth of a series of best practices studies undertaken by the Performance Measurement Initiative (PMI), the centerpiece of the Institute for Quality Improvement (IQI), a not-for-profit quality improvement subsidiary of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) (Performance Measurement Initiative, 1999a, 1999b, 2000a, 2000b). The IQI was created to offer clinical performance measurement and improvement opportunities to ambulatory health care organizations and others interested in quality patient care. The purpose of the study was to provide opportunities to initiate clinical performance measurement on key processes and outcomes for this procedure and use this information for clinical quality improvement. This article provides performance measurement information on how organizations that have demonstrated and validated differences in clinical practice can have similar outcomes, but at a dramatically lower cost. The intent of the article is to provide organizations with alternatives in practice to provide a better value to their patients.
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Tourism guide cloud service quality: What actually delights customers?
Lin, Shu-Ping; Yang, Chen-Lung; Pi, Han-Chung; Ho, Thao-Minh
2016-01-01
The emergence of advanced IT and cloud services has beneficially supported the information-intensive tourism industry, simultaneously caused extreme competitions in attracting customers through building efficient service platforms. On response, numerous nations have implemented cloud platforms to provide value-added sightseeing information and personal intelligent service experiences. Despite these efforts, customers' actual perspectives have yet been sufficiently understood. To bridge the gap, this study attempts to investigate what aspects of tourism cloud services actually delight customers' satisfaction and loyalty. 336 valid survey questionnaire answers were analyzed using structural equation modeling method. The results prove positive impacts of function quality, enjoyment, multiple visual aids, and information quality on customers' satisfaction as well as of enjoyment and satisfaction on use loyalty. The findings hope to provide helpful references of customer use behaviors for enhancing cloud service quality in order to achieve better organizational competitiveness.
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Quality of Pharmaceutical Advertisements in Medical Journals: A Systematic Review
Othman, Noordin; Vitry, Agnes; Roughead, Elizabeth E.
2009-01-01
Background Journal advertising is one of the main sources of medicines information to doctors. Despite the availability of regulations and controls of drug promotion worldwide, information on medicines provided in journal advertising has been criticized in several studies for being of poor quality. However, no attempt has been made to systematically summarise this body of research. We designed this systematic review to assess all studies that have examined the quality of pharmaceutical advertisements for prescription products in medical and pharmacy journals. Methods and Findings Studies were identified via searching electronic databases, web library, search engine and reviewing citations (1950 – February 2006). Only articles published in English and examined the quality of information included in pharmaceutical advertisements for prescription products in medical or pharmacy journals were included. For each eligible article, a researcher independently extracted the data on the study methodology and outcomes. The data were then reviewed by a second researcher. Any disagreements were resolved by consensus. The data were analysed descriptively. The final analysis included 24 articles. The studies reviewed advertisements from 26 countries. The number of journals surveyed in each study ranged from four to 24 journals. Several outcome measures were examined including references and claims provided in advertisements, availability of product information, adherence to codes or guidelines and presentation of risk results. The majority of studies employed a convenience-sampling method. Brand name, generic name and indications were usually provided. Journal articles were commonly cited to support pharmaceutical claims. Less than 67% of the claims were supported by a systematic review, a meta-analysis or a randomised control trial. Studies that assessed misleading claims had at least one advertisement with a misleading claim. Two studies found that less than 28% of claims were unambiguous clinical claims. Most advertisements with quantitative information provided risk results as relative risk reduction. Studies were conducted in 26 countries only and then the generalizability of the results is limited. Conclusions Evidence from this review indicates that low quality of journal advertising is a global issue. As information provided in journal advertising has the potential to change doctors' prescribing behaviour, ongoing efforts to increase education about drug promotion are crucial. The results from our review suggest the need for a global pro-active and effective regulatory system to ensure that information provided in medical journal advertising is supporting the quality use of medicines. PMID:19623259
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Mousiolis, Athanasios; Michala, Lina; Antsaklis, Aris
2012-07-01
To identify the websites most visited by patients regarding polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and to evaluate the quality of information provided by these websites. We sought data regarding the popularity of sites providing information about PCOS regardless of the way the visitors reached the site. We then scrutinized the top sites for predefined quality check points to evaluate the quality of information provided, including Health on Net Foundation (HON) accreditation. Finally, we searched for the expansion of these sites in social networks (Facebook and Twitter). Of the top 15 sites, 8 were HONcode certified. The mean performance of content presence for all sites was 7.33 (min=4, max=10, SD=1.633). There was a moderate correlation of higher performance score with HON accreditation (R: 0.535, p<0.05). Several sites have expanded in social media. None of the high-score sites has a page dedicated to PCOS. There exists a lack of HON accreditation in many sites and a wide variability in the quality of the information provided. In some cases, key elements of content, necessary for complete appreciation of PCOS, are missing. Official and high authority healthcare organisms should introduce themselves in the social media world. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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U.S. Geological Survey water resources Internet tools
Shaffer, Kimberly H.
2013-11-07
The U.S. Geological Fact Sheet (USGS) provides a wealth of information on hydrologic data, maps, graphs, and other resources for your State.Sources of water resources information are listed below.WaterWatchWaterQualityWatchGroundwater WatchWaterNowWaterAlertUSGS Flood Inundation MapperNational Water Information System (NWIS)StreamStatsNational Water Quality Assessment (NAWOA)
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What's in Your Water? An Educator's Guide to Water Quality.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Constabile, Kerry, Comp.; Craig, Heidi, Comp.; O'Laughlin, Laura, Comp.; Reiss, Anne Bei, Comp.; Spencer, Liz, Comp.
This guide provides basic information on the Clean Water Act, watersheds, and testing for water quality, and presents four science lesson plans on water quality. Activities include: (1) "Introduction to Water Quality"; (2) "Chemical Water Quality Testing"; (3) "Biological Water Quality Testing"; and (4) "What Can We Do?" (YDS)
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Web Page Content and Quality Assessed for Shoulder Replacement.
Matthews, John R; Harrison, Caitlyn M; Hughes, Travis M; Dezfuli, Bobby; Sheppard, Joseph
2016-01-01
The Internet has become a major source for obtaining health-related information. This study assesses and compares the quality of information available online for shoulder replacement using medical (total shoulder arthroplasty [TSA]) and nontechnical (shoulder replacement [SR]) terminology. Three evaluators reviewed 90 websites for each search term across 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing). Websites were grouped into categories, identified as commercial or noncommercial, and evaluated with the DISCERN questionnaire. Total shoulder arthroplasty provided 53 unique sites compared to 38 websites for SR. Of the 53 TSA websites, 30% were health professional-oriented websites versus 18% of SR websites. Shoulder replacement websites provided more patient-oriented information at 48%, versus 45% of TSA websites. In total, SR websites provided 47% (42/90) noncommercial websites, with the highest number seen in Yahoo, compared with TSA at 37% (33/90), with Google providing 13 of the 33 websites (39%). Using the nonmedical terminology with Yahoo's search engine returned the most noncommercial and patient-oriented websites. However, the quality of information found online was highly variable, with most websites being unreliable and incomplete, regardless of search term.
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2017-03-30
FROM: 59 MDW/SGYU SUBJECT: Professional Presentation Approval 9 MAR 2017 1. Your paper, entitled Quality Improvement Poster presented at/published...to Improving Outpatient Recognition of VTE in the Ambulatory Setting (Poster) & American College of Physicians Internal Medicine Meeting, San Diego...information so that we can provide quality support for you, your department, and the Medical Center commander. This information is used to document the
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Oncology information on the Internet.
Goto, Yasushi; Nagase, Takahide
2012-05-01
Owing to new developments in Internet technologies, the amount of available oncology information is growing. Both patients and caregivers are increasingly using the Internet to obtain medical information. However, while it is easy to provide information, ensuring its quality is always a concern. Thus, many instruments for evaluating the quality of health information have been created, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The increasing importance of online search engines such as Google warrants the examination of the correlation between their rankings and medical quality. The Internet also mediates the exchange of information from one individual to another. Mailing lists of advocate groups and social networking sites help spread information to patients and caregivers. While text messages are still the main medium of communication, audio and video messages are also increasing rapidly, accelerating the communication on the Internet. Future health information developments on the Internet include merging patients' personal information on the Internet with their traditional health records and facilitating the interaction among patients, caregivers and health-care providers. Through these developments, the Internet is expected to strengthen the mutually beneficial relationships among all stakeholders in the field of medicine.
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Li, Chien-Ching; Matthews, Alicia K; Dossaji, Mazahir; Fullam, Francis
2017-07-01
Prior research has demonstrated poorer patient-provider communication ratings among African American compared to White patients. The quality of patient-provider communication has been shown to impact treatment outcomes among cancer patients. A secondary data analysis design was used to determine the relationship of six patient-provider communication variables on the physical health quality of life (PHQOL) and mental health quality of life (MHQOL) of African American and White cancer patients (N = 479). We also examined whether the relationship between communication patterns and QOL differed based on race/ethnicity. Mean physical and mental health QOL scores for the sample were 69.8 and 77.6, respectively. After controlling for significant sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital variables, results showed that patients who experienced fewer interpersonal communication barriers who were more satisfied with the information given by providers had higher PHQOL and MHQOL scores. Additionally, patients who felt more comfort in asking questions or had fewer unmet information needs had higher MHQOL. A stratified analysis showed that the relationship of overall satisfaction with information on MHQOL was stronger among African American patients than White patients. Future research should focus on the development of interventions to improve patient-provider communication as a means for enhancing QOL outcomes among cancer survivors.
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Use of speech-to-text technology for documentation by healthcare providers.
Ajami, Sima
2016-01-01
Medical records are a critical component of a patient's treatment. However, documentation of patient-related information is considered a secondary activity in the provision of healthcare services, often leading to incomplete medical records and patient data of low quality. Advances in information technology (IT) in the health system and registration of information in electronic health records (EHR) using speechto- text conversion software have facilitated service delivery. This narrative review is a literature search with the help of libraries, books, conference proceedings, databases of Science Direct, PubMed, Proquest, Springer, SID (Scientific Information Database), and search engines such as Yahoo, and Google. I used the following keywords and their combinations: speech recognition, automatic report documentation, voice to text software, healthcare, information, and voice recognition. Due to lack of knowledge of other languages, I searched all texts in English or Persian with no time limits. Of a total of 70, only 42 articles were selected. Speech-to-text conversion technology offers opportunities to improve the documentation process of medical records, reduce cost and time of recording information, enhance the quality of documentation, improve the quality of services provided to patients, and support healthcare providers in legal matters. Healthcare providers should recognize the impact of this technology on service delivery.
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Peng, Ji-yu; Song, Xing-lin; Liu, Fei; Bao, Yi-dan; He, Yong
2016-03-01
The research achievements and trends of spectral technology in fast detection of Camellia sinensis growth process information and tea quality information were being reviewed. Spectral technology is a kind of fast, nondestructive, efficient detection technology, which mainly contains infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy. The rapid detection of Camellia sinensis growth process information and tea quality is helpful to realize the informatization and automation of tea production and ensure the tea quality and safety. This paper provides a review on its applications containing the detection of tea (Camellia sinensis) growing status(nitrogen, chlorophyll, diseases and insect pest), the discrimination of tea varieties, the grade discrimination of tea, the detection of tea internal quality (catechins, total polyphenols, caffeine, amino acid, pesticide residual and so on), the quality evaluation of tea beverage and tea by-product, the machinery of tea quality determination and discrimination. This paper briefly introduces the trends of the technology of the determination of tea growth process information, sensor and industrial application. In conclusion, spectral technology showed high potential to detect Camellia sinensis growth process information, to predict tea internal quality and to classify tea varieties and grades. Suitable chemometrics and preprocessing methods is helpful to improve the performance of the model and get rid of redundancy, which provides the possibility to develop the portable machinery. Future work is to develop the portable machinery and on-line detection system is recommended to improve the further application. The application and research achievement of spectral technology concerning about tea were outlined in this paper for the first time, which contained Camellia sinensis growth, tea production, the quality and safety of tea and by-produce and so on, as well as some problems to be solved and its future applicability in modern tea industrial.
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Health information technology and physicians' perceptions of healthcare quality.
Fang, Hai; Peifer, Karen L; Chen, Jie; Rizzo, John A
2011-03-01
To investigate the relationship between the use of health information technology (HIT) and physician perceptions of providing high-quality care and to determine whether this relationship has changed over time. We used 2 waves of longitudinal data from the Community Tracking Study Physician Surveys, 2000-2001 and 2004-2005. Three measures of HIT were examined: a binary variable measuring the use of at least 1 type of HIT, a continuous variable measuring the total number of HIT types, and a binary variable measuring use of all 5 HIT types related to "meaningful use" of HIT as defined by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Three multivariate models were estimated to study the effect of each HIT measure on physicians' perception of providing high-quality care. Individual fixed-effects estimation also was used to control for individual time-invariant factors. Using at least 1 type of HIT significantly enhanced physicians' perception of providing high-quality care in 2000-2001, but not in 2004-2005. The marginal effect of adding 1 extra HIT type was positive and statistically significant in both periods. The association between using all 5 HIT types related to meaningful use and perceived quality was statistically significant in 2000-2001, but not in 2004-2005. Health information technology has become a multifunctional system and appears to have enhanced physicians' perception of providing high-quality care. Physicians' perceptions of medical care quality improved as the number of HIT types used increased. This study supports more extensive use of HIT in physician practices.
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Water fluoridation and the quality of information available online.
Frangos, Zachary; Steffens, Maryke; Leask, Julie
2018-02-13
The Internet has transformed the way in which people approach their health care, with online resources becoming a primary source of health information. Little work has assessed the quality of online information regarding community water fluoridation. This study sought to assess the information available to individuals searching online for information, with emphasis on the credibility and quality of websites. We identified the top 10 web pages returned from different search engines, using common fluoridation search terms (identified in Google Trends). Web pages were scored using a credibility, quality and health literacy tool based on Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GAVCS) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. Scores were compared according to their fluoridation stance and domain type, then ranked by quality. The functionality of the scoring tool was analysed via a Bland-Altman plot of inter-rater reliability. Five-hundred web pages were returned, of which 55 were scored following removal of duplicates and irrelevant pages. Of these, 28 (51%) were pro-fluoridation, 16 (29%) were neutral and 11 (20%) were anti-fluoridation. Pro, neutral and anti-fluoridation pages scored well against health literacy standards (0.91, 0.90 and 0.81/1 respectively). Neutral and pro-fluoridation web pages showed strong credibility, with mean scores of 0.80 and 0.85 respectively, while anti-fluoridation scored 0.62/1. Most pages scored poorly for content quality, providing a moderate amount of superficial information. Those seeking online information regarding water fluoridation are faced with comprehensible, yet poorly referenced, superficial information. Sites were credible and user friendly; however, our results suggest that online resources need to focus on providing more transparent information with appropriate figures to consolidate the information. © 2018 FDI World Dental Federation.
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Agi, Jorge; Kasahara, Niro; Lottenberg, Claudio Luiz
2018-06-07
To evaluate the quality of online information on age-related macular degeneration available in Portuguese. The search term "age-related macular degeneration" was used to browse the web using four different search engines. The first 40 websites appearing on match lists provided by each search engine were recorded and those listed in at least three tab pages selected. The Sandvik Severity Index was used as to assess website quality. Quality of information available on selected websites was rated average (mean Sandvik Score 7.08±2.23). Most websites disseminating information about age-related macular degeneration were of average quality. The need to readjust web-based information to target lay public and promote increased understanding was emphasized.
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Kates, James M; Arehart, Kathryn H
2015-10-01
This paper uses mutual information to quantify the relationship between envelope modulation fidelity and perceptual responses. Data from several previous experiments that measured speech intelligibility, speech quality, and music quality are evaluated for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. A model of the auditory periphery is used to generate envelope signals, and envelope modulation fidelity is calculated using the normalized cross-covariance of the degraded signal envelope with that of a reference signal. Two procedures are used to describe the envelope modulation: (1) modulation within each auditory frequency band and (2) spectro-temporal processing that analyzes the modulation of spectral ripple components fit to successive short-time spectra. The results indicate that low modulation rates provide the highest information for intelligibility, while high modulation rates provide the highest information for speech and music quality. The low-to-mid auditory frequencies are most important for intelligibility, while mid frequencies are most important for speech quality and high frequencies are most important for music quality. Differences between the spectral ripple components used for the spectro-temporal analysis were not significant in five of the six experimental conditions evaluated. The results indicate that different modulation-rate and auditory-frequency weights may be appropriate for indices designed to predict different types of perceptual relationships.
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Kates, James M.; Arehart, Kathryn H.
2015-01-01
This paper uses mutual information to quantify the relationship between envelope modulation fidelity and perceptual responses. Data from several previous experiments that measured speech intelligibility, speech quality, and music quality are evaluated for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. A model of the auditory periphery is used to generate envelope signals, and envelope modulation fidelity is calculated using the normalized cross-covariance of the degraded signal envelope with that of a reference signal. Two procedures are used to describe the envelope modulation: (1) modulation within each auditory frequency band and (2) spectro-temporal processing that analyzes the modulation of spectral ripple components fit to successive short-time spectra. The results indicate that low modulation rates provide the highest information for intelligibility, while high modulation rates provide the highest information for speech and music quality. The low-to-mid auditory frequencies are most important for intelligibility, while mid frequencies are most important for speech quality and high frequencies are most important for music quality. Differences between the spectral ripple components used for the spectro-temporal analysis were not significant in five of the six experimental conditions evaluated. The results indicate that different modulation-rate and auditory-frequency weights may be appropriate for indices designed to predict different types of perceptual relationships. PMID:26520329
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The quality of mental disorder information websites: a review.
Reavley, Nicola J; Jorm, Anthony F
2011-11-01
This paper reviews studies assessing the quality of websites providing information about mental disorders. The review included 31 articles identified by searching research databases in March 2010. Topics covered included affective disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance use disorders and schizophrenia/psychosis. The largest number of articles (13) reported studies assessing affective disorder information quality. Methodologies varied in site selection and rating methods, with some of limited validity. Most concluded that quality was poor, although quality of affective disorder sites may be improving. There is currently very little understanding of the influence of website quality on user behaviour. Future quality assessments might use the criteria informed by key behaviour change theories. A possible approach to research on websites and user behaviour might be to develop an evaluation framework incorporating strategies from behaviour change models, key mental health literacy elements and health outcomes relevant to mental health promotion. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Managing Vocabulary Mapping Services
Che, Chengjian; Monson, Kent; Poon, Kasey B.; Shakib, Shaun C.; Lau, Lee Min
2005-01-01
The efficient management and maintenance of large-scale and high-quality vocabulary mapping is an operational challenge. The 3M Health Information Systems (HIS) Healthcare Data Dictionary (HDD) group developed an information management system to provide controlled mapping services, resulting in improved efficiency and quality maintenance. PMID:16779203
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EPA AirNow Satellite Data Processor (ASDP) for Improving Air Quality Information
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
White, J. E.; Dickerson, P.; Szykman, J.; Chu, D.; Kondragunta, S.; Zhang, H.; Martin, R. V.; van Donkelaar, A.; Pasch, A. N.; Dye, T. S.; Zahn, P. H.; Haderman, M. D.; DeWinter, J. L.
2012-12-01
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) AirNow program provides Air Quality Index (AQI) information to the public, decision-makers, researchers and the media (data and forecasts) mainly for ozone and PM2.5 (particles smaller than 2.5 μm in median diameter). EPA wants to provide the best information available to the public and integrating NASA satellite-derived surface PM2.5 concentrations with ground-level PM2.5 observations has proved promising. The AirNow Satellite Data Processor (ASDP) uses daily PM2.5 estimates and uncertainties derived from average Aqua and Terra MODerate resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) AOD in near-real-time over the United States and fuses the results with observed PM2.5 measurements to create several air quality products for evaluation. In addition to the description of the AirNow program and the AirNow ASDP, several case studies will be presented to show the value that NASA satellite information adds to maps of air quality.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dong, S.; Yan, Q.; Xu, Y.; Bai, J.
2018-04-01
In order to promote the construction of digital geo-spatial framework in China and accelerate the construction of informatization mapping system, three-dimensional geographic information model emerged. The three-dimensional geographic information model based on oblique photogrammetry technology has higher accuracy, shorter period and lower cost than traditional methods, and can more directly reflect the elevation, position and appearance of the features. At this stage, the technology of producing three-dimensional geographic information models based on oblique photogrammetry technology is rapidly developing. The market demand and model results have been emerged in a large amount, and the related quality inspection needs are also getting larger and larger. Through the study of relevant literature, it is found that there are a lot of researches on the basic principles and technical characteristics of this technology, and relatively few studies on quality inspection and analysis. On the basis of summarizing the basic principle and technical characteristics of oblique photogrammetry technology, this paper introduces the inspection contents and inspection methods of three-dimensional geographic information model based on oblique photogrammetry technology. Combined with the actual inspection work, this paper summarizes the quality problems of three-dimensional geographic information model based on oblique photogrammetry technology, analyzes the causes of the problems and puts forward the quality control measures. It provides technical guidance for the quality inspection of three-dimensional geographic information model data products based on oblique photogrammetry technology in China and provides technical support for the vigorous development of three-dimensional geographic information model based on oblique photogrammetry technology.
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Litzkendorf, Svenja; Pauer, Frédéric; Zeidler, Jan; Göbel, Jens; Storf, Holger; Graf von der Schulenburg, J-Matthias
2017-05-01
A central information portal on rare diseases (ZIPSE) has been conceptualized and implemented that allows patients, relatives and health care professionals to access quality-assured information. For this purpose, quality criteria have been developed specifically for rare diseases. At the same time, the information basis should take into account the specific needs of those interested. The needs of patients and relatives regarding online-based information are analyzed. Based on this, we examined to what extent the information basis, which is available according to the ZIPSE quality criteria, can cover these needs. If necessary, measures have to be developed to ensure quality- as well as needs-oriented information management. Qualitative interviews with patients and relatives were conducted, which were then evaluated using content analysis. Subsequently, a quantitative evaluation of the information on rare diseases in the portal was made. The research addresses how many websites do not fulfil the quality criteria, from which group of provider these websites originate and which criteria are not fulfilled. This is followed by a comparison of the quantitative and qualitative results. When looking for information on the Internet, the websites of self-help groups represent a significant source. These are perceived as very trustworthy and in the later course of the disease, offer detailed information on important information areas. Information websites from self-help groups, however, often do not meet quality requirements. Therefore, a transparent representation is made regarding the quality of the ZIPSE information pages. Pages that are not quality-assured can be actively requested, but will be clearly identified.
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Citizen Science Opportunities for Monitoring Air Quality Fact Sheet
The Citizen Science Opportunities for Monitoring Air Quality fact sheet provides information on what citizen science is and the tools and resources available for citizen scientists interested in monitoring air quality.
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Does Competition Have an Effect on Price and Quality in Physiotherapy?
Pekola, Piia; Linnosmaa, Ismo; Mikkola, Hennamari
2017-10-01
We estimate the effect of competition on quality and prices in physiotherapy organised and financed by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland for disabled individuals. Within the physiotherapy market, firms participate in competitive bidding, prices are determined by the market, services are free at the point of use and firms are allowed to react to patient choice only by enhancing quality. Firm-level data (n = 854) regarding quality and price were analysed. Using 2SLS estimation techniques, we analysed the relationship between quality and competition, and price and competition. Our study found that competition has a negative (yet weak) effect on quality. Prices on the other hand are not affected by competition. The result is likely caused by imperfect information, because it seems that the Social Insurance Institution of Finland has provided too little information for patients to make adequate choices about proper service providers. We argue that by publishing quality information, it is possible to ease the decision-making of patients and influence the quality strategies of firms active in the physiotherapy market. Moreover, we found that competition appeared as an exogenous variable in this study. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Total quality management: It works for aerospace information services
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Erwin, James; Eberline, Carl; Colquitt, Wanda
1993-01-01
Today we are in the midst of information and 'total quality' revolutions. At the NASA STI Program's Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI), we are focused on using continuous improvements techniques to enrich today's services and products and to ensure that tomorrow's technology supports the TQM-based improvement of future STI program products and services. The Continuous Improvements Program at CASI is the foundation for Total Quality Management in products and services. The focus is customer-driven; its goal, to identify processes and procedures that can be improved and new technologies that can be integrated with the processes to gain efficiencies, provide effectiveness, and promote customer satisfaction. This Program seeks to establish quality through an iterative defect prevention approach that is based on the incorporation of standards and measurements into the processing cycle. Four projects are described that utilize cross-functional, problem-solving teams for identifying requirements and defining tasks and task standards, management participation, attention to critical processes, and measurable long-term goals. The implementation of these projects provides the customer with measurably improved access to information that is provided through several channels: the NASA STI Database, document requests for microfiche and hardcopy, and the Centralized Help Desk.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Data Quality Campaign, 2014
2014-01-01
Local school board members need to be able to access and use high-quality data to make good decisions. Often this data is collected and stored locally, but information that is publicly reported by the state can provide additional value. Most state public reporting is designed to serve information needs, and are geared toward compliance with state…
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2011-01-01
Background Various countries are currently implementing a national electronic patient record (n-EPR). Despite the assumed positive effects of n-EPRs, their overall adoption remains low and meets resistance from health care providers. This study aims to increase our understanding of health care providers' attitude towards the n-EPR, by investigating their perceptions of the benefits and problems of electronic information exchange in health care and the n-EPR in particular. Methods The study was conducted in three Dutch health care settings: acute care, diabetes care, and ambulatory mental health care. Two health care organisations were included per setting. Between January and June 2010, interviews were conducted with 17 stakeholders working in these organisations. Relevant themes were deduced by means of thematic qualitative analysis. Results Health care providers perceived electronic information exchange to promote the efficiency and quality of care. The problems they perceived in electronic information exchange mainly concerned the confidentiality and safety of information exchange and the reliability and quality of patient data. Many problems perceived by health care providers did not specifically apply to the n-EPR, but to electronic information exchange in general. Conclusions The implementation of the Dutch n-EPR has mainly followed a top-down approach, thereby neglecting the fact that the perceptions and preferences of its users (health care providers) need to be addressed in order to achieve successful implementation. The results of this study provide valuable suggestions about how to promote health care providers' willingness to adopt electronic information exchange, which can be useful for other countries currently implementing an n-EPR. Apart from providing information about the benefits and usefulness of electronic information exchange, efforts should be focused on minimising the problems as perceived by health care providers. The safety and confidentiality of electronic information exchange can be improved by developing tools to evaluate the legitimacy of access to electronic records, by increasing health care providers' awareness of the need to be careful when using patient data, and by measures to limit access to sensitive patient data. Improving health care providers' recording behaviour is important to improve the reliability and quality of electronically exchanged patient data. PMID:21982395
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Zwaanswijk, Marieke; Verheij, Robert A; Wiesman, Floris J; Friele, Roland D
2011-10-07
Various countries are currently implementing a national electronic patient record (n-EPR). Despite the assumed positive effects of n-EPRs, their overall adoption remains low and meets resistance from health care providers. This study aims to increase our understanding of health care providers' attitude towards the n-EPR, by investigating their perceptions of the benefits and problems of electronic information exchange in health care and the n-EPR in particular. The study was conducted in three Dutch health care settings: acute care, diabetes care, and ambulatory mental health care. Two health care organisations were included per setting. Between January and June 2010, interviews were conducted with 17 stakeholders working in these organisations. Relevant themes were deduced by means of thematic qualitative analysis. Health care providers perceived electronic information exchange to promote the efficiency and quality of care. The problems they perceived in electronic information exchange mainly concerned the confidentiality and safety of information exchange and the reliability and quality of patient data. Many problems perceived by health care providers did not specifically apply to the n-EPR, but to electronic information exchange in general. The implementation of the Dutch n-EPR has mainly followed a top-down approach, thereby neglecting the fact that the perceptions and preferences of its users (health care providers) need to be addressed in order to achieve successful implementation. The results of this study provide valuable suggestions about how to promote health care providers' willingness to adopt electronic information exchange, which can be useful for other countries currently implementing an n-EPR. Apart from providing information about the benefits and usefulness of electronic information exchange, efforts should be focused on minimising the problems as perceived by health care providers. The safety and confidentiality of electronic information exchange can be improved by developing tools to evaluate the legitimacy of access to electronic records, by increasing health care providers' awareness of the need to be careful when using patient data, and by measures to limit access to sensitive patient data. Improving health care providers' recording behaviour is important to improve the reliability and quality of electronically exchanged patient data.
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2011-01-01
Background Many people have difficulties finding information on health questions, including occupational safety and health (OSH) issues. One solution to alleviate these difficulties could be to offer questioners free-of-charge, online access to a network of OSH experts who provide tailored, high-quality information. The aim of this study was to assess whether network quality, respectively information quality, as perceived by the questioners, is associated with questioners' overall satisfaction and to explore the impact of the information received on questioners' knowledge, work and work functioning. Methods We evaluated the experiences of OSH questioners with the online network ArboAntwoord.com over a two-year period. In this network, approximately 80 qualified experts are available to answer OSH questions. By means of a questionnaire, we assessed questioners' overall satisfaction with the network, whether the network was user-friendly, easily accessible and easy to handle and whether the information provided was complete, applicable and received in a timely manner. The impact of the information on questioners' knowledge, work or work functioning was explored with seven questions. In the study period, 460 unique OSH questioners asked 851 OSH questions. In total, 205 of the 460 questioners completed the questionnaire (response rate 45%). Results Of the responders, 71% were satisfied with the ArboAntwoord network. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the applicability of the information had a positive influence on the questioners' overall satisfaction (OR = 16.0, 95% CI: 7.0-36.4). Also, user friendliness of the network (OR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.3-8.6) and completeness of the information provided (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.3-6.8) were positively related to the questioners' satisfaction. For 74% of the questioners, the information helped to increase their knowledge and understanding. Overall, 25% of the questioners indicated that the received information improved their work, work functioning or health. Conclusions A free-of-charge, online expert network in the field of OSH can be a useful strategy to provide OSH questioners with applicable, complete and timely information that may help improve safety and health at work. This study provides more insight in how to satisfy network questioners and about the potential impact of provided information on OSH. PMID:22111587
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Rhebergen, Martijn D F; Lenderink, Annet F; van Dijk, Frank J H; Hulshof, Carel T J
2011-11-23
Many people have difficulties finding information on health questions, including occupational safety and health (OSH) issues. One solution to alleviate these difficulties could be to offer questioners free-of-charge, online access to a network of OSH experts who provide tailored, high-quality information. The aim of this study was to assess whether network quality, respectively information quality, as perceived by the questioners, is associated with questioners' overall satisfaction and to explore the impact of the information received on questioners' knowledge, work and work functioning. We evaluated the experiences of OSH questioners with the online network ArboAntwoord.com over a two-year period. In this network, approximately 80 qualified experts are available to answer OSH questions. By means of a questionnaire, we assessed questioners' overall satisfaction with the network, whether the network was user-friendly, easily accessible and easy to handle and whether the information provided was complete, applicable and received in a timely manner. The impact of the information on questioners' knowledge, work or work functioning was explored with seven questions. In the study period, 460 unique OSH questioners asked 851 OSH questions. In total, 205 of the 460 questioners completed the questionnaire (response rate 45%). Of the responders, 71% were satisfied with the ArboAntwoord network. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the applicability of the information had a positive influence on the questioners' overall satisfaction (OR = 16.0, 95% CI: 7.0-36.4). Also, user friendliness of the network (OR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.3-8.6) and completeness of the information provided (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.3-6.8) were positively related to the questioners' satisfaction. For 74% of the questioners, the information helped to increase their knowledge and understanding. Overall, 25% of the questioners indicated that the received information improved their work, work functioning or health. A free-of-charge, online expert network in the field of OSH can be a useful strategy to provide OSH questioners with applicable, complete and timely information that may help improve safety and health at work. This study provides more insight in how to satisfy network questioners and about the potential impact of provided information on OSH.
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Can a Focus on Preventable Events Help Untangle the Quality Measurement Mess?
Miller, Michael
2016-01-01
The success of a shift from paying for volume to paying for value depends on our ability to measure quality. Unfortunately, current approaches to measuring quality and linking quality to payment have frustrated providers and failed to provide essential information to patients. Shifting to a focus on preventable events could go a long way toward clarifying and simplifying quality measurement, but successful adoption of that approach requires overcoming several substantive and political challenges.
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Rights in the Workplace: A Guide for Child Care Teachers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Owens, Christine; Stoken, Amy; Fritts, Jonathan; Magar, Michele; Bellm, Dan; Shukla, Renu; Vardell, Rosemarie; Wayne, Claudia; Whitebook, Marcy
Research on child care quality and experience in the field shows that the quality of working conditions are linked to a caregiver's ability to provide quality care. Noting that legal rights that generally apply to most child care teachers are not upheld in every workplace, this guide provides information on federal legal rights of child care…
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A Transparent and Transferable Framework for Tracking Quality Information in Large Datasets
Smith, Derek E.; Metzger, Stefan; Taylor, Jeffrey R.
2014-01-01
The ability to evaluate the validity of data is essential to any investigation, and manual “eyes on” assessments of data quality have dominated in the past. Yet, as the size of collected data continues to increase, so does the effort required to assess their quality. This challenge is of particular concern for networks that automate their data collection, and has resulted in the automation of many quality assurance and quality control analyses. Unfortunately, the interpretation of the resulting data quality flags can become quite challenging with large data sets. We have developed a framework to summarize data quality information and facilitate interpretation by the user. Our framework consists of first compiling data quality information and then presenting it through 2 separate mechanisms; a quality report and a quality summary. The quality report presents the results of specific quality analyses as they relate to individual observations, while the quality summary takes a spatial or temporal aggregate of each quality analysis and provides a summary of the results. Included in the quality summary is a final quality flag, which further condenses data quality information to assess whether a data product is valid or not. This framework has the added flexibility to allow “eyes on” information on data quality to be incorporated for many data types. Furthermore, this framework can aid problem tracking and resolution, should sensor or system malfunctions arise. PMID:25379884
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INDOOR AIR QUALITY MODELING (CHAPTER 58)
The chapter discussses indoor air quality (IAQ) modeling. Such modeling provides a way to investigate many IAQ problems without the expense of large field experiments. Where experiments are planned, IAQ models can be used to help design experiments by providing information on exp...
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Martin-Facklam, Meret; Kostrzewa, Michael; Martin, Peter; Haefeli, Walter E
2004-01-01
The generally poor quality of health information on the world wide web (WWW) has caused preventable adverse outcomes. Quality management of information on the internet is therefore critical given its widespread use. In order to develop strategies for the safe use of drugs, we scored general and content quality of pages about sildenafil and performed an intervention to improve their quality. The internet was searched with Yahoo and AltaVista for pages about sildenafil and 303 pages were included. For assessment of content quality a score based on accuracy and completeness of essential drug information was assigned. For assessment of general quality, four criteria were evaluated and their association with high content quality was determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The pages were randomly allocated to either control or intervention group. Evaluation took place before, as well as 7 and 22 weeks after an intervention which consisted of two letters with individualized feedback information on the respective page which were sent electronically to the address mentioned on the page. Providing references to scientific publications or prescribing information was significantly associated with high content quality (odds ratio: 8.2, 95% CI 3.2, 20.5). The intervention had no influence on general or content quality. To prevent adverse outcomes caused by misinformation on the WWW individualized feedback to the address mentioned on the page was ineffective. It is currently probably the most straight-forward approach to inform lay persons about indicators of high information quality, i.e. the provision of references.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stephenson, Jennifer; Carter, Mark; Kemp, Coral
2012-01-01
Parents and teachers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are often presented with a confusing array of intervention options that vary considerably in their level of research support. Logical sources of information and guidance are the web sites of national autism associations. This research examined the quality of the information that…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McMahon, Mary
2004-01-01
This paper represents the second of two papers written as part of the National Standards and Accreditation of Career Practitioners project. The first, a scoping paper titled Shaping a career development culture: Quality standards, quality practice, quality outcomes (McMahon, 2004), provided information for and guided discussion at the National…
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Balderas-Díaz, Sara; Martínez, M Pilar; Guerrero-Contreras, Gabriel; Miró, Elena; Benghazi, Kawtar; Sánchez, Ana I; Garrido, José Luis; Prados, Germán
2017-03-23
Although sleep alterations can be an important factor contributing to the clinical state of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, there are no studies to adequately assess sleep quality in this type of disease. The aim of this work is to analyse the sleep quality of Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE) patients based on more objective information provided by actigraphy and mobile systems. The idea is to carry out a comprehensive study by analysing how environmental conditions and factors can affect sleep quality. In traditional methods the information for assessing sleep quality is obtained through questionnaires. In this work, a novel method is proposed by combining these questionnaires that provide valuable but subjective information with actigraphy and a mobile system to collect more objective information about the patient and their environment. The method provides mechanisms to detect how sleep hygiene could be associated directly with the sleep quality of the subjects, in order to provide a custom intervention to SLE patients. Moreover, this alternative provides ease of use, and non-intrusive ICT (Information and Communication Technology) through a wristband and a mHealth system. The mHealth system has been developed for environmental conditions sensing. This consists of a mobile device with built-in sensors providing input data about the bedroom environment during sleep, and a set of services of the Environmental Monitoring System for properly managing the configuration, registration and fusion of those input data. In previous studies, this information has never been taken into account. However, the information could be relevant in the case of SLE patients. The sample is composed of 9 women with SLE and 11 matched controls with a mean age of 35.78 and 32.18, respectively. Demographic and clinical variables between SLE patients and healthy controls are compared using the Fisher exact test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Relationships between psychological variables, actigraphy measures, and variables related to environmental conditions are analysed with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The SLE group showed poorer sleep quality, and more pain intensity, fatigue and depression than the healthy controls. Significant differences between SLE women and healthy controls in measures of actigraphy were not found. However, the fusion of the measures of the environmental conditions that were collected by the mobile system and actigraphy, has shown that light, and more specifically temperature have a direct relation with several measures of actigraphy which are related to sleep quality. It should be emphasize this result because usually the sleep problems are assessment through self-reported measures which had not revealed this association. Moreover, there are no previous studies that analyse these aspects in bedroom environments of SLE patients directly from objective measures. The results indicate the need to complement the subjective evaluation of sleep with objective measures. The use of actigraphy in combination with a new mHealth system provides a complete assessment especially relevant to chronic conditions as SLE. Both systems incorporate this objective information directly from objective measures in a non-intrusive way. Moreover, the measures of bedroom environmental variables provide useful and relevant clinical information to assess what is happening daily and not occasionally. This could lead to more customized interventions and adapt the treatment to each individual.
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42 CFR 480.102 - Statutory bases for acquisition and maintenance of information.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... information. 480.102 Section 480.102 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS ACQUISITION, PROTECTION, AND... medical necessity and quality of health care services they provide to Medicare patients as required by...
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The memorandum modifies the 2002 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report Guidance to provide clarity and promote consistency in the manner in which states use biological data and information in developing their 2002 submissions.
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Hinds, Richard M; Klifto, Christopher S; Naik, Amish A; Sapienza, Anthony; Capo, John T
2016-08-01
The Internet is a common resource for applicants of hand surgery fellowships, however, the quality and accessibility of fellowship online information is unknown. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the accessibility of hand surgery fellowship Web sites and to assess the quality of information provided via program Web sites. Hand fellowship Web site accessibility was evaluated by reviewing the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) on November 16, 2014 and the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) fellowship directories on February 12, 2015, and performing an independent Google search on November 25, 2014. Accessible Web sites were then assessed for quality of the presented information. A total of 81 programs were identified with the ASSH directory featuring direct links to 32% of program Web sites and the NRMP directory directly linking to 0%. A Google search yielded direct links to 86% of program Web sites. The quality of presented information varied greatly among the 72 accessible Web sites. Program description (100%), fellowship application requirements (97%), program contact email address (85%), and research requirements (75%) were the most commonly presented components of fellowship information. Hand fellowship program Web sites can be accessed from the ASSH directory and, to a lesser extent, the NRMP directory. However, a Google search is the most reliable method to access online fellowship information. Of assessable programs, all featured a program description though the quality of the remaining information was variable. Hand surgery fellowship applicants may face some difficulties when attempting to gather program information online. Future efforts should focus on improving the accessibility and content quality on hand surgery fellowship program Web sites.
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Sander, Uwe; Emmert, Martin; Dickel, Jochen; Meszmer, Nina; Kolb, Benjamin
2015-03-16
Improving the transparency of information about the quality of health care providers is one way to improve health care quality. It is assumed that Internet information steers patients toward better-performing health care providers and will motivate providers to improve quality. However, the effect of public reporting on hospital quality is still small. One of the reasons is that users find it difficult to understand the formats in which information is presented. We analyzed the presentation of risk-adjusted mortality rate (RAMR) for coronary angiography in the 10 most commonly used German public report cards to analyze the impact of information presentation features on their comprehensibility. We wanted to determine which information presentation features were utilized, were preferred by users, led to better comprehension, and had similar effects to those reported in evidence-based recommendations described in the literature. The study consisted of 5 steps: (1) identification of best-practice evidence about the presentation of information on hospital report cards; (2) selection of a single risk-adjusted quality indicator; (3) selection of a sample of designs adopted by German public report cards; (4) identification of the information presentation elements used in public reporting initiatives in Germany; and (5) an online panel completed an online questionnaire that was conducted to determine if respondents were able to identify the hospital with the lowest RAMR and if respondents' hospital choices were associated with particular information design elements. Evidence-based recommendations were made relating to the following information presentation features relevant to report cards: evaluative table with symbols, tables without symbols, bar charts, bar charts without symbols, bar charts with symbols, symbols, evaluative word labels, highlighting, order of providers, high values to indicate good performance, explicit statements of whether high or low values indicate good performance, and incomplete data ("N/A" as a value). When investigating the RAMR in a sample of 10 hospitals' report cards, 7 of these information presentation features were identified. Of these, 5 information presentation features improved comprehensibility in a manner reported previously in literature. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically analyze the most commonly used public reporting card designs used in Germany. Best-practice evidence identified in international literature was in agreement with 5 findings about German report card designs: (1) avoid tables without symbols, (2) include bar charts with symbols, (3) state explicitly whether high or low values indicate good performance or provide a "good quality" range, (4) avoid incomplete data (N/A given as a value), and (5) rank hospitals by performance. However, these findings are preliminary and should be subject of further evaluation. The implementation of 4 of these recommendations should not present insurmountable obstacles. However, ranking hospitals by performance may present substantial difficulties.
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Atmospheric Science Data Center
2016-11-25
... may contain parameters at varying quality levels. ORGANIZATION MISR Products are divided into four groups, Level 1, Level 2 ... are provided both to complement Standard Product quality information and to satisfy those who order the ancillary products. ARP ...
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Aung, Tin; White, Christopher; Montagu, Dominic; McFarland, Willi; Hlaing, Thaung; Khin, Hnin Su Su; San, Aung Kyaw; Briegleb, Christina; Chen, Ingrid; Sudhinaraset, May
2015-03-06
As efforts to contain artemisinin resistance and eliminate Plasmodium falciparum intensify, the accurate diagnosis and prompt effective treatment of malaria are increasingly needed in Myanmar and the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been shown to be safe, feasible, and effective at promoting appropriate treatment for suspected malaria, which are of particular importance to drug resistance containment. The informal private sector is often the first point of care for fever cases in malaria endemic areas across Myanmar and the GMS, but there is little published information about informal private provider practices, quality of service provision, or potential to contribute to malaria control and elimination efforts. This study tested different incentives to increase RDT use and improve the quality of care among informal private healthcare providers in Myanmar. The study randomized six townships in the Mon and Shan states of rural Myanmar into three intervention arms: 1) RDT price subsidies, 2) price subsidies with product-related financial incentives, and 3) price subsidies with intensified information, education and counselling (IEC). The study assessed the uptake of RDT use in the communities by cross-sectional surveys of 3,150 households at baseline and six months post-intervention (6,400 households total, 832 fever cases). The study also used mystery clients among 171 providers to assess quality of service provision across intervention arms. The pilot intervention trained over 600 informal private healthcare providers. The study found a price subsidy with intensified IEC, resulted in the highest uptake of RDTs in the community, as compared to subsidies alone or merchandise-related financial incentives. Moreover, intensified IEC led to improvements in the quality of care, with mystery client surveys showing almost double the number of correct treatment following diagnostic test results as compared to a simple subsidy. Results show that training and quality supervision of informal private healthcare providers can result in improved demand for, and appropriate use of RDTs in drug resistance containment areas in eastern Myanmar. Future studies should assess the sustainability of such interventions and the scale and level of intensity required over time as public sector service provision expands.
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Quality of Web-based information on cocaine addiction.
Khazaal, Yasser; Chatton, Anne; Cochand, Sophie; Zullino, Daniele
2008-08-01
To evaluate the quality of web-based information on cocaine use and addiction and to investigate potential content quality indicators. Three keywords: cocaine, cocaine addiction and cocaine dependence were entered into two popular World Wide Web search engines. Websites were assessed with a standardized proforma designed to rate sites on the basis of accountability, presentation, interactivity, readability and content quality. "Health on the Net" (HON) quality label, and DISCERN scale scores aiding people without content expertise to assess quality of written health publication were used to verify their efficiency as quality indicators. Of the 120 websites identified, 61 were included. Most were commercial sites. The results of the study indicate low scores on each of the measures including content quality. A global score (the sum of accountability, interactivity, content quality and aesthetic criteria) appeared as a good content quality indicator. While cocaine education websites for patients are widespread, their global quality is poor. There is a need for better evidence-based information about cocaine use and addiction on the web. The poor and variable quality of web-based information and its possible impact on physician-patient relationship argue for a serious provider for patient talk about the health information found on Internet. Internet sites could improve their content using the global score as a quality indicator.
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Water quality in the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin, North Carolina and Virginia, 1992-95
Spruill, Timothy B.; Harned, Douglas A.; Ruhl, Peter M.; Eimers, Jo Leslie; McMahon, Gerard; Smith, Kelly E.; Galeone, David R.; Woodside, Michael D.
1998-01-01
The NAWQA Program is assessing the water-quality conditions of more than 50 of the Nation's largest river basins and aquifers, known as Study Units. Collectively, these Study Units cover about one-half of the United States and include sources of drinking water used by about 70 percent of the U.S. population. Comprehensive assessments of about one-third of the Study Units are ongoing at a given time. Each Study Unit is scheduled to be revisited every decade to evaluate changes in water-quality conditions. NAWQA assessments rely heavily on existing information collected by the USGS and many other agencies as well as the use of nationally consistent study designs and methods of sampling and analysis. Such consistency simultaneously provides information about the status and trends in water-quality conditions in a particular stream or aquifer and, more importantly, provides the basis to make comparisons among watersheds and improve our understanding of the factors that affect water-quality conditions regionally and nationally. This report is intended to summarize major findings that emerged between 1992 and 1995 from the water-quality assessment of the Albemarle-Pamlico Drainage Study Unit and to relate these findings to water-quality issues of regional and national concern. The information is primarily intended for those who are involved in water-resource management. Indeed, this report addresses many of the concerns raised by regulators, water-utility managers, industry representatives, and other scientists, engineers, public officials, and members of stakeholder groups who provided advice and input to the USGS during this NAWQA Study-Unit investigation. Yet, the information contained here may also interest those who simply wish to know more about the quality of water in the rivers and aquifers in the area where they live.
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Ilic, D; Bessell, T L; Silagy, C A; Green, S
2003-03-01
The Internet provides consumers with access to online health information; however, identifying relevant and valid information can be problematic. Our objectives were firstly to investigate the efficiency of search-engines, and then to assess the quality of online information pertaining to androgen deficiency in the ageing male (ADAM). Keyword searches were performed on nine search-engines (four general and five medical) to identify website information regarding ADAM. Search-engine efficiency was compared by percentage of relevant websites obtained via each search-engine. The quality of information published on each website was assessed using the DISCERN rating tool. Of 4927 websites searched, 47 (1.44%) and 10 (0.60%) relevant websites were identified by general and medical search-engines respectively. The overall quality of online information on ADAM was poor. The quality of websites retrieved using medical search-engines did not differ significantly from those retrieved by general search-engines. Despite the poor quality of online information relating to ADAM, it is evident that medical search-engines are no better than general search-engines in sourcing consumer information relevant to ADAM.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Azarnova, T. V.; Titova, I. A.; Barkalov, S. A.
2018-03-01
The article presents an algorithm for obtaining an integral assessment of the quality of an organization from the perspective of customers, based on the method of aggregating linguistic information on a multilevel hierarchical system of quality assessment. The algorithm is of a constructive nature, it provides not only the possibility of obtaining an integral evaluation, but also the development of a quality improvement strategy based on the method of linguistic decomposition, which forms the minimum set of areas of work with clients whose quality change will allow obtaining the required level of integrated quality assessment.
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Quality and Safety in Health Care, Part XVII: The ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.
Harolds, Jay A
2016-12-01
Mainly due to the positive effect on quality and safety from the Veterans Health Administration National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP), a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) for private hospitals was begun, which is now under the auspices of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). More than 600 hospitals now participate in the ACS-NSQIP. The information gained by the institutions is typically utilized to initiate quality improvement activities. The ACS-NSQIP also shares information on how to get better results, has national meetings, and provides other support.
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Squitieri, Lee; Chung, Kevin C
2017-07-01
In 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began requiring all eligible providers to participate in the Quality Payment Program or face financial reimbursement penalty. The Quality Payment Program outlines two paths for provider participation: the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Advanced Alternative Payment Models. For the first performance period beginning in January of 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that approximately 83 to 90 percent of eligible providers will not qualify for participation in an Advanced Alternative Payment Model and therefore must participate in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System program. The Merit-Based Incentive Payment System path replaces existing quality-reporting programs and adds several new measures to evaluate providers using four categories of data: (1) quality, (2) cost/resource use, (3) improvement activities, and (4) advancing care information. These categories will be combined to calculate a weighted composite score for each provider or provider group. Composite Merit-Based Incentive Payment System scores based on 2017 performance data will be used to adjust reimbursed payment in 2019. In this article, the authors provide relevant background for understanding value-based provider performance measurement. The authors also discuss Merit-Based Incentive Payment System reporting requirements and scoring methodology to provide plastic surgeons with the necessary information to critically evaluate their own practice capabilities in the context of current performance metrics under the Quality Payment Program.
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Turnpenny, Agnes; Beadle-Brown, Julie
2015-07-01
User choice and personalisation have been at the centre of health and social care policies in many countries. Exercising choice can be especially challenging for people with long-term conditions (LTC) or disabilities. Information about the quality, cost and availability of services is central to user choice. This study used systematic review methods to synthesise evidence in three main areas: (i) how people with LTC or disabilities and their family carers find and access information about the quality of services; (ii) how quality information is used in decision-making; and (iii) what type of quality information is most useful. Quality information was defined broadly and could include formal quality reports (e.g. inspection reports, report cards, etc.), information about the characteristics of a service or provider (e.g. number and qualifications of staff, facilities, etc.) and informal reports about quality (e.g. personal experience, etc.). Literature searches were carried out using electronic databases in January 2012. Thirteen papers reporting findings from empirical studies published between 2001 and 2012 were included in the review. The majority of papers (n = 9) had a qualitative design. The analysis highlighted the use of multiple sources of information in decision-making about services and in particular the importance of informal sources and extended social networks in accessing information. There is limited awareness and use of 'official' and online information sources. Service users or family carers place greater emphasis on general information and structural indicators. Clinical or quality-of-life outcomes are often difficult to interpret and apply. Trust emerged a key issue in relation to quality information. Experiential and subjective information is highly valued and trusted. Various barriers to the effective use of quality information in making choices about services are identified. Implications for policy and future research are discussed. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Quality of Web-based information on obsessive compulsive disorder.
Klila, Hedi; Chatton, Anne; Zermatten, Ariane; Khan, Riaz; Preisig, Martin; Khazaal, Yasser
2013-01-01
The Internet is increasingly used as a source of information for mental health issues. The burden of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) may lead persons with diagnosed or undiagnosed OCD, and their relatives, to search for good quality information on the Web. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of Web-based information on English-language sites dealing with OCD and to compare the quality of websites found through a general and a medically specialized search engine. Keywords related to OCD were entered into Google and OmniMedicalSearch. Websites were assessed on the basis of accountability, interactivity, readability, and content quality. The "Health on the Net" (HON) quality label and the Brief DISCERN scale score were used as possible content quality indicators. Of the 235 links identified, 53 websites were analyzed. The content quality of the OCD websites examined was relatively good. The use of a specialized search engine did not offer an advantage in finding websites with better content quality. A score ≥16 on the Brief DISCERN scale is associated with better content quality. This study shows the acceptability of the content quality of OCD websites. There is no advantage in searching for information with a specialized search engine rather than a general one. The Internet offers a number of high quality OCD websites. It remains critical, however, to have a provider-patient talk about the information found on the Web.
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Agi, Jorge; Kasahara, Niro; Lottenberg, Claudio Luiz
2018-01-01
ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the quality of online information on age-related macular degeneration available in Portuguese. Methods: The search term “age-related macular degeneration” was used to browse the web using four different search engines. The first 40 websites appearing on match lists provided by each search engine were recorded and those listed in at least three tab pages selected. The Sandvik Severity Index was used as to assess website quality. Results: Quality of information available on selected websites was rated average (mean Sandvik Score 7.08±2.23). Conclusion: Most websites disseminating information about age-related macular degeneration were of average quality. The need to readjust web-based information to target lay public and promote increased understanding was emphasized. PMID:29898089
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76 FR 30715 - Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-05-26
... technology; and (e) ways to further reduce the information collection burden on small business concerns with...: Business or other for-profit. Number of Respondents and Responses: 48 respondents; 63 responses. Estimated... designed to capture trends in service quality under price cap regulation. It provides service quality...
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Efficacy of an outdoor air pollution education program in a community at risk for asthma morbidity.
Dorevitch, Samuel; Karandikar, Abhijay; Washington, Gregory F; Walton, Geraldine Penny; Anderson, Renate; Nickels, Leslie
2008-11-01
Asthma management guidelines recommend avoiding exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants. A limitation of such recommendations is that they do not provide information about how the public should obtain and act on air quality information. Although the Air Quality Index (AQI) provides simplified outdoor air quality forecasts, communities with high rates of asthma morbidity tend to have low rates of internet access due to factors such as low socioeconomic status. Assessments of knowledge about air quality among low-income minority communities are lacking, as are community-based programs to educate the public about using the AQI. An air quality education program and system for disseminating air quality information were developed to promote pollutant avoidance during the reconstruction of a major highway in a low-income minority community on Chicago's South Side. The program, which centered on workshops run by community asthma educators, was evaluated using a pre-test, post-test, and 1-year follow-up questionnaire. A total of 120 community workshop participants completed at least a portion of the evaluation process. At baseline, knowledge about air quality was limited. Following the workshops, substantial increases were noted in rates of correct answers to questions about health effects of air pollution, the availability of air quality information, and the color code for an AQI category. Approximately 1 year after the workshops were held, few participants could recall elements of the training. Few participants have internet access, and alternative means of distributing air quality information were suggested by study participants. Baseline knowledge of air quality information was limited in the community studied. Air quality education workshops conducted by community educators can increase knowledge about outdoor air quality and its impact on health over the short term. Refresher workshops or other efforts to sustain the knowledge increase may be useful. Given the known short-term and long-term effects of air quality on morbidity and mortality, air quality education efforts should be further developed, evaluated, and promoted for the general public, for people with underlying cardiopulmonary disease, and given the documented health disparities within the general population, for low-income and minority communities.
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Bessell, T L; Anderson, J N; Silagy, C A; Sansom, L N; Hiller, J E
2003-04-01
To examine whether the sale of medicines via the internet supports their safe and appropriate use. e-Pharmacy websites were identified using key words and a metasearch engine and the quality of information published on these websites was surveyed using the DISCERN tool. A case scenario and internet pharmacy practice standards were also used to evaluate the quality of care delivered. Between July and September 2001 104 websites were surveyed and 27 sent either Sudafed (pseudoephedrine HCl), St John's wort products, or both to a residential address in Melbourne, Australia. Quality of health information (DISCERN ratings), information exchanged between e-pharmacy staff and consumers, and product and delivery costs. Of 104 e-pharmacies from at least 13 different countries, 63 websites provided some health information but overall the quality of the information was poor. Only three website operators provided adequate advice to consumers to avoid a potential drug interaction. The costs for a daily dose of pseudoephedrine HCl (240 mg) ranged from 0.81 Australian dollars to 3.04 Australian dollars, and delivery costs from 3.28 Australian dollars to 62.70 Australian dollars. Consumers who self-select medicines from websites have insufficient access to information and advice at the point of ordering and on delivery to make informed decisions about their safe and appropriate use.
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Quality of life in dementia patients: nursing home versus home care.
Nikmat, Azlina Wati; Hawthorne, Graeme; Al-Mashoor, S Hassan
2011-12-01
Care management providing a high quality of life (QoL) is a crucial issue in dealing with increasing numbers of dementia patients. Although the transition from informal (home-based) care to formal (institutional) care is often a function of dementia stage, for those with early dementia there is currently no definitive evidence showing that informal or formal care provides a higher QoL, particularly where informal care is favored for local cultural reasons. This paper outlines the research protocol for a study comparing formal and informal care in Malaysia. It seeks to provide evidence regarding which is more appropriate and results in higher QoL in early dementia. This is a quasi-experimental study design involving 224 early dementia patients from both nursing home and community settings. Participants will be assessed for cognitive severity, QoL, needs, activities of daily living, depression and social isolation/connectedness by using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Cognitive Impairment Scale - 4 items (CIS-4), EUROPE Health Interview Survey-Quality of Life (WHO8), Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL8), Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly - Short Version (CANE-S), Barthel Index (BI), Cornell Scale for Depression (CSDD), Geriatric Depression Scale - 15 items (GDS-15), and Friendship Scale (FS) respectively. This study aims to provide a better understanding of care needs in early dementia. Given population aging, the study findings will provide evidence assisting decision-making for policies aimed at reducing the burden of caregiving and preserving the QoL of dementia patients.
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How Do Infant Feeding Apps in China Measure Up? A Content Quality Assessment
Freeman, Becky; Li, Mu
2017-01-01
Background Globally, with the popularization of mobile phones, the number of health-related mobile phone apps has skyrocketed to 259,000 in 2016. In the digital era, people are accessing health information through their fingertips. In China, there are several apps that claim to provide infant feeding and nutrition guidance. However, the quality of information in those apps has not been extensively assessed. Objective We aimed to assess the quality of Chinese infant feeding apps using comprehensive quality assessment criteria and to explore Chinese mothers’ perceptions on apps’ quality and usability. Methods We searched for free-to-download Chinese infant feeding apps in the iTunes and Android App Stores. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of the accountability, scientific basis, accuracy of information relevant to infant feeding, advertising policy, and functionality and carried out a preliminary screening of infant formula advertisements in the apps. In addition, we also conducted exploratory qualitative research through semistructured interviews with Chinese mothers in Shanghai to elicit their views about the quality of apps. Results A total of 4925 apps were screened, and 26 apps that met the selection criteria were evaluated. All 26 apps were developed by commercial entities, and the majority of them were rated poorly. The highest total score was 62.2 (out of approximately 100) and the lowest was 16.7. In the four quality domains assessed, none of them fulfilled all the accountability criteria. Three out of 26 apps provided information covering the three practices from the World Health Organization’s infant feeding recommendations. Only one app described its advertising policy in its terms of usage. The most common app functionality was a built-in social forum (19/26). Provision of a website link was the least common functionality (2/26). A total of 20 out of 26 apps promoted infant formula banner advertisements on their homepages. In addition, 12 apps included both e-commerce stores and featured infant formula advertisements. In total, 21 mothers were interviewed face-to-face. Mothers highly valued immediate access to parenting information and multifunctionality provided by apps. However, concerns regarding incredible information and commercial activities in apps, as well as the desire for information and support offered by health care professionals were expressed. Conclusions The findings provide valuable information on Chinese infant feeding apps. The results are concerning, particularly with the relative absence of scientific basis and credibility and the large number of commercial advertisements that are displayed. Apps do seem to be able to provide an opportunity for mothers to access health information and support; it is time for tighter controls on content and advertisements. Ongoing app research and development should focus on implementation of a standard framework, which would drive the development of high-quality apps to support healthy infant feeding through cooperation among academics, health professionals, app users, app developers, and government bodies. PMID:29212627
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How Do Infant Feeding Apps in China Measure Up? A Content Quality Assessment.
Zhao, Jing; Freeman, Becky; Li, Mu
2017-12-06
Globally, with the popularization of mobile phones, the number of health-related mobile phone apps has skyrocketed to 259,000 in 2016. In the digital era, people are accessing health information through their fingertips. In China, there are several apps that claim to provide infant feeding and nutrition guidance. However, the quality of information in those apps has not been extensively assessed. We aimed to assess the quality of Chinese infant feeding apps using comprehensive quality assessment criteria and to explore Chinese mothers' perceptions on apps' quality and usability. We searched for free-to-download Chinese infant feeding apps in the iTunes and Android App Stores. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of the accountability, scientific basis, accuracy of information relevant to infant feeding, advertising policy, and functionality and carried out a preliminary screening of infant formula advertisements in the apps. In addition, we also conducted exploratory qualitative research through semistructured interviews with Chinese mothers in Shanghai to elicit their views about the quality of apps. A total of 4925 apps were screened, and 26 apps that met the selection criteria were evaluated. All 26 apps were developed by commercial entities, and the majority of them were rated poorly. The highest total score was 62.2 (out of approximately 100) and the lowest was 16.7. In the four quality domains assessed, none of them fulfilled all the accountability criteria. Three out of 26 apps provided information covering the three practices from the World Health Organization's infant feeding recommendations. Only one app described its advertising policy in its terms of usage. The most common app functionality was a built-in social forum (19/26). Provision of a website link was the least common functionality (2/26). A total of 20 out of 26 apps promoted infant formula banner advertisements on their homepages. In addition, 12 apps included both e-commerce stores and featured infant formula advertisements. In total, 21 mothers were interviewed face-to-face. Mothers highly valued immediate access to parenting information and multifunctionality provided by apps. However, concerns regarding incredible information and commercial activities in apps, as well as the desire for information and support offered by health care professionals were expressed. The findings provide valuable information on Chinese infant feeding apps. The results are concerning, particularly with the relative absence of scientific basis and credibility and the large number of commercial advertisements that are displayed. Apps do seem to be able to provide an opportunity for mothers to access health information and support; it is time for tighter controls on content and advertisements. Ongoing app research and development should focus on implementation of a standard framework, which would drive the development of high-quality apps to support healthy infant feeding through cooperation among academics, health professionals, app users, app developers, and government bodies. ©Jing Zhao, Becky Freeman, Mu Li. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 06.12.2017.
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National Water Quality Standards Database (NWQSD)
The National Water Quality Standards Database (WQSDB) provides access to EPA and state water quality standards (WQS) information in text, tables, and maps. This data source was last updated in December 2007 and will no longer be updated.
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Atmospheric Science Data Center
2016-11-25
... may contain parameters at varying quality levels. ORGANIZATION This document relates to the NEW MISR Level 2 and Level ... are provided both to complement Standard Product quality information and to satisfy those who order the ancillary products. ARP ...
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SPATIAL PREDICTION OF AIR QUALITY DATA
Site-specific air quality monitoring data have been used extensively in both scientific and regulatory programs. As such, these data provide essential information to the public, environmental managers, and the atmospheric research community. Currently, air quality management prac...
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2012-01-01
Background Tinnitus is a prevalent and complex medical complaint often co-morbid with stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and cognitive or communication difficulties. Its chronicity places a major burden on primary and secondary healthcare services. In our recent national survey of General Practitioners (GPs) from across England, many reported that their awareness of tinnitus was limited and as a result were dissatisfied with the service they currently provide. GPs identified 10 online sources of information they currently use in clinical practice, but welcomed further concise and accurate information on tinnitus assessment and management. The purpose of this study was to assess the content, reliability, and quality of the information related to primary care tinnitus assessment and management on these 10 websites. Methods Tinnitus related content on each website was assessed using a summative content analysis approach. Reliability and quality of the information was assessed using the DISCERN questionnaire. Results Quality of information was rated using the validated DISCERN questionnaire. Significant inter-rater reliability was confirmed by Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (Wt) which ranged from 0.48 to 0.92 across websites. The website Map of Medicine achieved the highest overall DISCERN score. However, for information on treatment choice, the British Tinnitus Association was rated best. Content analysis revealed that all websites lacked a number of details relating to either tinnitus assessment or management options. Conclusions No single website provides comprehensive information for GPs on tinnitus assessment and management and so GPs may need to refer to more than one if they want to maximise their coverage of the topic. From those preferred by GPs we recommend several specific websites as the current ‘best’ sources. Our findings should guide healthcare website providers to improve the quality and inclusiveness of the information they publish on tinnitus. In the case of one website, our preliminary findings are already doing so. Such developments will in turn help facilitate best practice in primary care. PMID:22788751
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Fackrell, Kathryn; Hoare, Derek J; Smith, Sandra; McCormack, Abby; Hall, Deborah A
2012-07-12
Tinnitus is a prevalent and complex medical complaint often co-morbid with stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and cognitive or communication difficulties. Its chronicity places a major burden on primary and secondary healthcare services. In our recent national survey of General Practitioners (GPs) from across England, many reported that their awareness of tinnitus was limited and as a result were dissatisfied with the service they currently provide. GPs identified 10 online sources of information they currently use in clinical practice, but welcomed further concise and accurate information on tinnitus assessment and management. The purpose of this study was to assess the content, reliability, and quality of the information related to primary care tinnitus assessment and management on these 10 websites. Tinnitus related content on each website was assessed using a summative content analysis approach. Reliability and quality of the information was assessed using the DISCERN questionnaire. Quality of information was rated using the validated DISCERN questionnaire. Significant inter-rater reliability was confirmed by Kendall's coefficient of concordance (Wt) which ranged from 0.48 to 0.92 across websites. The website Map of Medicine achieved the highest overall DISCERN score. However, for information on treatment choice, the British Tinnitus Association was rated best. Content analysis revealed that all websites lacked a number of details relating to either tinnitus assessment or management options. No single website provides comprehensive information for GPs on tinnitus assessment and management and so GPs may need to refer to more than one if they want to maximise their coverage of the topic. From those preferred by GPs we recommend several specific websites as the current 'best' sources. Our findings should guide healthcare website providers to improve the quality and inclusiveness of the information they publish on tinnitus. In the case of one website, our preliminary findings are already doing so. Such developments will in turn help facilitate best practice in primary care.
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Methods for Examining the Psychometric Quality of Subscores: A Review and Application
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wedman, Jonathan; Lyrén, Per-Erik
2015-01-01
When subscores on a test are reported to the test taker, the appropriateness of reporting them depends on whether they provide useful information above what is provided by the total score. Subscores that fail to do so lack adequate psychometric quality and should not be reported. There are several methods for examining the quality of subscores,…
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Forest Inventory and Analysis National Data Quality Assessment Report for 2000 to 2003
James E. Pollard; James A. Westfall; Paul L. Patterson; David L. Gartner; Mark Hansen; Olaf Kuegler
2006-01-01
The Forest Inventory and Analysis program (FIA) is the key USDA Forest Service (USFS) program that provides the information needed to assess the status and trends in the environmental quality of the Nation's forests. The goal of the FIA Quality Assurance (QA) program is to provide a framework to assure the production of complete, accurate and unbiased forest...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nair, U. S.; Keiser, K.; Wu, Y.; Maskey, M.; Berendes, D.; Glass, P.; Dhakal, A.; Christopher, S. A.
2012-12-01
The Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) is responsible for wildfire control and also prescribed burn management in the state of Alabama. Visibility and air quality degradation resulting from smoke are two pieces of information that are crucial for this activity. Currently the tools available to AFC are the dispersion index available from the National Weather Service and also surface smoke concentrations. The former provides broad guidance for prescribed burning activities but does not provide specific information regarding smoke transport, areas affected and quantification of air quality and visibility degradation. While the NOAA operational air quality guidance includes surface smoke concentrations from existing fire events, it does not account for contributions from background aerosols, which are important for the southeastern region including Alabama. Also lacking is the quantification of visibility. The University of Alabama in Huntsville has developed a state-of-the-art integrated modeling system to address these concerns. This system based on the Community Air Quality Modeling System (CMAQ) that ingests satellite derived smoke emissions and also assimilates NASA MODIS derived aerosol optical thickness. In addition, this operational modeling system also simulates the impact of potential prescribed burn events based on location information derived from the AFC prescribed burn permit database. A lagrangian model is used to simulate smoke plumes for the prescribed burns requests. The combined air quality and visibility degradation resulting from these smoke plumes and background aerosols is computed and the information is made available through a web based decision support system utilizing open source GIS components. This system provides information regarding intersections between highways and other critical facilities such as old age homes, hospitals and schools. The system also includes satellite detected fire locations and other satellite derived datasets relevant for fire and smoke management.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Holod, Aleksandra; Faria, Ann-Marie; Weinberg, Emily; Howard, Eboni
2015-01-01
As national attention has increasingly focused on the potential for high-quality early childhood education (ECE) to improve children's school readiness, states have developed quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) to document the quality of ECE programs, support systematic quality improvement, and provide clear information to families…
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Evaluation and Quality Control for the Copernicus Seasonal Forecast Systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Manubens, N.; Hunter, A.; Bedia, J.; Bretonnière, P. A.; Bhend, J.; Doblas-Reyes, F. J.
2017-12-01
The EU funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) will provide authoritative information about past, current and future climate for a wide range of users, from climate scientists to stakeholders from a wide range of sectors including insurance, energy or transport. It has been recognized that providing information about the products' quality and provenance is paramount to establish trust in the service and allow users to make best use of the available information. This presentation outlines the work being conducted within the Quality Assurance for Multi-model Seasonal Forecast Products project (QA4Seas). The aim of QA4Seas is to develop a strategy for the evaluation and quality control (EQC) of the multi-model seasonal forecasts provided by C3S. First, we present the set of guidelines the data providers must comply with, ensuring the data is fully traceable and harmonized across data sets. Second, we discuss the ongoing work on defining a provenance and metadata model that is able to encode such information, and that can be extended to describe the steps followed to obtain the final verification products such as maps and time series of forecast quality measures. The metadata model is based on the Resource Description Framework W3C standard, being thus extensible and reusable. It benefits from widely adopted vocabularies to describe data provenance and workflows, as well as from expert consensus and community-support for the development of the verification and downscaling specific ontologies. Third, we describe the open source software being developed to generate fully reproducible and certifiable seasonal forecast products, which also attaches provenance and metadata information to the verification measures and enables the user to visually inspect the quality of the C3S products. QA4Seas is seeking collaboration with similar initiatives, as well as extending the discussion to interested parties outside the C3S community to share experiences and establish global common guidelines or best practices regarding data provenance.
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Li, Jialin; Lowres, Nicole; Jin, Kai; Zhang, Ling; Neubeck, Lis; Gallagher, Robyn
Chinese immigrants are at an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) compared with Chinese nationals partly because of lifestyle changes and knowledge deficits. Translated patient resources are available on the Internet and are often provided by health professionals; however, the quality and cultural sensitivity of these resources have not been reported. The aim of this study was to assess the availability, quality, and cultural sensitivity of Chinese-language information available from national "Heart Foundations" (cardiac research bodies, nongovernmental organisations) of the 5 most popular destinations of Chinese immigration. This study is a descriptive research in which national "Heart Foundation" websites were systematically searched for Chinese-language CVD patient education resources. Quality (content, identification, structure) was assessed using the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients instrument. Cultural sensitivity was evaluated using the Cultural Sensitivity Assessment Tool. From 107 identified resources, 33 were CVD specific: coronary heart disease (n = 20), arrhythmias (n = 7), and heart failure (n = 6). Quality of resources was adequate (mean Ensuring Quality Information for Patients score, 69%), but scores varied significantly (min, 60%; max, 85%). Although all resources were classified as culturally sensitive (Cultural Sensitivity Assessment Tool score ≥ 2.5), 2 resources scored low (≤2.5) for visual impact, and across all resources, written and visual domains were assessed as least culturally sensitive. Most resources lacked culturally specific references. Chinese-language CVD resources were inconsistent in the supply of key information. Quality and level of cultural sensitivity were adequate, but most resources lacked culturally specific references. Comprehensive, high-quality CVD resources powered by Editorial Manager and ProduXion Manager from Aries Systems Corporation tailored for Chinese immigrants are urgently needed for healthcare providers to support CVD education and care of patients belonging to this population.
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Kijsanayotin, Boonchai
2013-01-01
Thailand achieved universal healthcare coverage with the implementation of the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) in 2001. This study employed qualitative method to explore the impact of the UCS on the country's health information systems (HIS) and health information technology (HIT) development. The results show that health insurance beneficiary registration system helps improve providers' service workflow and country vital statistics. Implementation of casemix financing tool, Thai Diagnosis-Related Groups, has stimulated health providers' HIS and HIT capacity building, data and medical record quality and the adoption of national administrative data standards. The system called "Disease Management Information Systems" aiming at reimbursement for select diseases increased the fragmentation of HIS and increase burden on data management to providers. The financial incentive of outpatient data quality improvement project enhance providers' HIS and HIT investment and also induce data fraudulence tendency. Implementation of UCS has largely brought favorable impact on the country HIS and HIT development. However, the unfavorable effects are also evident.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Batagan, Lorena; Pocovnicu, Adrian; Capisizu, Sergiu
2009-01-01
A characteristic of today's society is the increasing use of modern information and communication technologies in all areas. Computer applications, called e-services, are being developed to provide efficient access to services, electronically. Quality management systems are needed to provide a consistent way to select, evaluate, prioritize and…
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Is a public reporting approach appropriate for nursing home care?
Stevenson, David G
2006-08-01
Publicizing quality information has been used as a quality improvement strategy in the acute care sector for more than a decade. Despite research showing mixed results of these efforts, publicly reporting quality measures is currently being pursued as a quality improvement strategy for nursing homes. Designed to empower consumers to make informed choices and to stimulate provider competition on quality, nursing home public reporting began in 1998 with the Nursing Home Compare Web site and has received greater emphasis in the 2002 Nursing Home Quality Initiative, both directed by the federal government. Focusing on the response of three key stakeholder groups across settings of care-consumers, providers, and purchasers-I identify several challenges that nursing home reporting must overcome to be successful. I conclude that publicly reporting quality measures for nursing homes will have a harder time promoting quality improvement than for acute care settings, where results have been disappointing thus far. In addition to the conceptual analysis, I evaluate whether the quality information reported on Nursing Home Compare had any impact on nursing home occupancy rates following its release. Using a pre/post-release design, I find that the effect of public reporting on nursing home occupancy rates has been minimal thus far. Although some estimates of effect are statistically significant and in the hypothesized direction, they all suggest very small effect sizes. It is unclear whether the absence of a larger reporting effect to date is specific to Nursing Home Compare or whether it inheres to the broader task of using quality information to promote change in the nursing home care sector.
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Johnson, Tyler; Ford, Eric W; Huerta, Timothy R
2017-01-01
Background As electronic health records (EHRs) become ubiquitous in the health care industry, privacy breaches are increasing and being made public. These breaches may make consumers wary of the technology, undermining its potential to improve care coordination and research. Objective Given the developing concerns around privacy of personal health information stored in digital format, it is important for providers to understand how views on privacy and security may be associated with patient disclosure of health information. This study aimed to understand how privacy concerns may be shifting patient behavior. Methods Using a pooled cross-section of data from the 2011 and 2014 cycles of the Health Information and National Trends Survey (HINTS), we tested whether privacy and security concerns, as well as quality perceptions, are associated with the likelihood of withholding personal health information from a provider. A fully interacted multivariate model was used to compare associations between the 2 years, and interaction terms were used to evaluate trends in the factors that are associated with withholding behavior. Results No difference was found regarding the effect of privacy and security concerns on withholding behavior between 2011 and 2014. Similarly, whereas perceived high quality of care was found to reduce the likelihood of withholding information from a provider in both 2011 (odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56-0.94) and 2014 (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.48-0.76), no difference was observed between years. Conclusions These findings suggest that consumers’ beliefs about EHR privacy and security, the relationship between technology use and quality, and intentions to share information with their health care provider have not changed. These findings are counter to the ongoing discussions about the implications of security failures in other domains. Our results suggest that providers could ameliorate privacy and security by focusing on the care quality benefits EHRs provide. PMID:28052843
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Martin-Facklam, Meret; Kostrzewa, Michael; Martin, Peter; Haefeli, Walter E
2004-01-01
Aims The generally poor quality of health information on the world wide web (WWW) has caused preventable adverse outcomes. Quality management of information on the internet is therefore critical given its widespread use. In order to develop strategies for the safe use of drugs, we scored general and content quality of pages about sildenafil and performed an intervention to improve their quality. Methods The internet was searched with Yahoo and AltaVista for pages about sildenafil and 303 pages were included. For assessment of content quality a score based on accuracy and completeness of essential drug information was assigned. For assessment of general quality, four criteria were evaluated and their association with high content quality was determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The pages were randomly allocated to either control or intervention group. Evaluation took place before, as well as 7 and 22 weeks after an intervention which consisted of two letters with individualized feedback information on the respective page which were sent electronically to the address mentioned on the page. Results Providing references to scientific publications or prescribing information was significantly associated with high content quality (odds ratio: 8.2, 95% CI 3.2, 20.5). The intervention had no influence on general or content quality. Conclusions To prevent adverse outcomes caused by misinformation on the WWW individualized feedback to the address mentioned on the page was ineffective. It is currently probably the most straight-forward approach to inform lay persons about indicators of high information quality, i.e. the provision of references. PMID:14678344
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42 CFR 460.136 - Internal quality assessment and performance improvement activities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... in quality assessment and performance improvement activities, including providing information about... 42 Public Health 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Internal quality assessment and performance...) PROGRAMS OF ALL-INCLUSIVE CARE FOR THE ELDERLY (PACE) Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement § 460...
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42 CFR 460.136 - Internal quality assessment and performance improvement activities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... in quality assessment and performance improvement activities, including providing information about... 42 Public Health 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Internal quality assessment and performance...) PROGRAMS OF ALL-INCLUSIVE CARE FOR THE ELDERLY (PACE) Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement § 460...
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42 CFR 441.585 - Quality assurance system.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... provides information about the provisions of quality improvement and assurance to each individual receiving... 42 Public Health 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Quality assurance system. 441.585 Section 441.585...) § 441.585 Quality assurance system. (a) States must establish and maintain a comprehensive, continuous...
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42 CFR 460.136 - Internal quality assessment and performance improvement activities.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... in quality assessment and performance improvement activities, including providing information about... 42 Public Health 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Internal quality assessment and performance...) PROGRAMS OF ALL-INCLUSIVE CARE FOR THE ELDERLY (PACE) Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement § 460...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
American Association of School Administrators, Arlington, VA.
This booklet presents information on how total quality management can be applied to school systems to create educational improvement. Total quality management offers education a systemic approach and a new set of assessment tools. Chapter 1 provides a definition and historical overview of total quality management. Chapter 2 views the school…
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[Quality of health information about epilepsy on the Internet: Evaluation of French websites].
Auvin, S; Dupont, S
2013-03-01
The Internet is now the single largest source of health information and is used by many patients who are affected by epilepsy and their families. To assess the quality of information provided by French website on the different forms of epilepsy and their treatment, we used search engines (French pages from Bing, Google and Yahoo) to look for information using the French equivalent of three keywords epilepsy (Épilepsie); epilepsy treatment (Épilepsie traitement) and seizure (Convulsions). The websites were evaluated for content quality by using an adaptation of the validated DISCERN rating instrument. Each website was evaluated by three investigators (a naive observer, a pediatric neurologist and a neurologist). Most of the information on epilepsy and its treatment were from community websites. We found six French websites which were scored higher than half of the maximal value of our scoring system (≥27.5/55): www.passeportsante.net; fr.wikipedia.org; www.fondation-epilepsie.fr; www.epilepsie-france.fr; www.doctissimo.fr; www.caducee.net. This study provides a list of French websites that have been evaluated for the quality of their information. We did not observe any correlation between the quality of the information and priority on search engine listings. Websites sponsored by patients associations and by institutions should update their content more frequently or work on their search engine indexation to appear higher on search engine listings. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.
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Eysenbach, Gunther
2000-01-01
Context A recent concern and topic of many publications in the last three years has been the quality of health information and services for the public on the Internet. Objectives To identify and summarize studies published in the peer-reviewed literature evaluating the quality of information and services for consumers on the Internet, including information published on web sites, information on newsgroups and mailing lists and other venues such as email contacts with doctors, as well as studies evaluating the quality of ehealth services such as cyberdoctors and cyberpharmacies. Data Sources MEDLINE and PREMEDLINE (1966 - May 2000), Science Citation Index (1992-May 2000), Social Sciences Citation Index (1992- May 2000), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (1992-May 2000) and a personal bibliographic database. Study Selection We included empirical studies where investigators searched the Internet systematically for specific health information or clearly define a set of specific services to be included, evaluated the quality of information or services found, and reported quantitative data. Data Extraction Study characteristics, medical domain, search strategies used, quality criteria and methodology of quality assessment, results (number of sites rated as sufficient pertaining to a quality), quality and rigor of study methodology and reporting. Data Synthesis A total of 41 studies met the inclusion criteria, dealing either with content of websites, information on e-commerce sites, quality of online-care or community venues. A) Content: 29 evaluated information on websites, of those 5 evaluated information on websites from the field of pediatrics, 3 from oncology, 3 pharmacology information, 2 nutrition information, 4 general clinical information and 12 specific information from other clinical disciplines. Studies varied widely in methodology, quality and results. Among the 29 studies dealing with quality of health information on websites, one study evaluated the authority of source, 19 studies checked sites for presence or absences of technical criteria (such as disclosure of sponsorship, authorship, presence of references or last update), three evaluated readability, 20 evaluated the accuracy of information, and 12 content completeness. B) E-Commerce: Three studies dealt with drug information on e-commerce sites. To evaluate the quality authors extracted prices, checked for completeness of online-history taking and/or information provided on the site e.g. pertaining to contraindications or the presence/absence of disclaimers and/or liability waivers. Only one of these three studies actually used the service by ordering drugs, allowing to evaluate quality of online-advice, qualification of cyberdocs, delivery time, reasons for non-delivery. C) Care: Five studies dealt with the quality of online consultations, of them one dealt with advice given by ordinary physicians in response to a unsolicited fictionous patient request, two evaluated the responses of cyberdocs soliciting patient requests, and two evaluated advice given in response to a request for an online prescription directed to drug e-commerce sites. D) Community: Seven studies evaluated messages on mailing lists or usenet newsgroups. Two studies collected messages from a venue and evaluated them for accuracy, two studies posted a "test" message on a newsgroup and evaluated the accuracy of responses. In three studies authors used the cumulative impact factor of the published research of the mailing list contributors as an indicator for the qualification of the authors and thus as quality indicator of the mailing list. Of the 23 studies evaluating accuracy and/or completeness of information provided on websites, 10 used guidelines as gold standard (all of the to extract a-priori criteria), five used peer-reviewed literature (all to compare information a posteriori), two used textbooks, one used consensus among the raters and three used the personal experience or opinion of the author. All three studies which compared information against personal opinion came to a positive conclusion regarding the accuracy of information, while all of the more rigorous studies comparing information against guidelines concluded that much of the information found on the web were of low quality. In two cases it was not reported where the gold standard comes from. 9 studies used more than one rater to assess a website, 6 of them provided some sort of information on inter-observer variability. Conclusions Methodology, results and conclusions of investigators vary widely. There is a wide variability even regarding the evaluation of formal criteria such as authorship and references. Differences in study conclusions regarding the quality of Internet information are likely a result of difference in study rigor, evaluation criteria and topic chosen. All but five studies concluded that quality is a problem on the Internet. The rigor of these five studies coming to a more positive conclusion as expressed in a "assessment quality score" was significantly inferior to the remaining studies. Although there were two comparative studies of the quality of information on the Internet compared with information found outside of the Internet, there is little evidence that health information found on the Internet is worse than health information in traditional media. A conceptual and methodological framework is presented for describing, comparing, and analyzing the structure and quality of e-health, based on Donabedians quality measures of structure, process and outcome.
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Assessing the Value of Enhancing AirNow Data with NASA Satellite Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pasch, A. N.; Burke, B.; Huang, S.; Dye, T.; Dawes, S. S.; DeWinter, J. L.; Zahn, P. H.; Haderman, M.; Szykman, J.; White, J. E.; Dickerson, P.; van Donkelaar, A.; Martin, R.
2013-12-01
We will describe the methodology and findings from a study that addressed how satellite-enhanced air quality information provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) AirNow Satellite Data Processor (ASDP) program could contribute to greater socioeconomic benefits. This study was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and conducted, in partnership with the EPA, by the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany (CTG) and Sonoma Technology, Inc. (STI). AirNow is the national repository of real-time air quality data and forecasts for the United States. While mainly a public outreach and awareness tool, AirNow relies on the same network of ground-based air quality monitors that is used by federal, state, local, and tribal governments throughout the United States. Extensive as the monitoring network is, considerable gaps exist in certain parts of the United States. Even areas with monitors considered adequate for regulatory purposes can lack information needed to resolve localized air quality issues or give forecasters sufficient confidence about the potential air quality impact of specific events. Monitors are expensive to deploy and maintain; thus, EPA is seeking other ways to improve coverage and detail. Satellite-estimated data can provide information for many places where ground monitors do not exist, and supplement ground monitors, providing additional information for use in analysis and forecasting. ASDP uses satellite-derived estimates for fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) and provides coverage for a small window of time during the day. As satellite capabilities improve in terms of different types of sensors and increased coverage throughout the day, the ASDP program is prepared to extend its scope to additional pollutants and provide greater enhancements to the ground-based networks. In this study, CTG assessed the socioeconomic benefits of air quality data at a community level through three case studies in the Denver, Atlanta, and Kansas City regions by interviewing people at EPA regional offices, state environmental and public health agencies, local public health authorities, regional planning and non-profit outreach organizations, and universities. The interviews focused on the existing uses of air quality information and the potential value of incorporating NASA satellite-enhanced AirNow data to support and enhance the missions of the organizations interviewed. STI analyzed the economic benefit of using satellite data to fill in gaps in the current air quality monitoring network used to provide information to the public. This presentation will discuss how the findings can be used to improve estimation of the socioeconomic benefits derived from Earth observation science in policy and management decisions.
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Matta-Machado, Antônio Thomaz Gonzaga; de Lima, Ângela Maria L Dayrell; de Abreu, Daisy Maria Xavier; Araújo, Lucas Lobato; Sobrinho, Délcio Fonseca; Silva Lopes, Érica Araújo; Teixeira, Gabriel Henrique Silva; Dos Santos, Alaneir de Fátima
The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is on the increase in the health systems, representing a means of improving the quality of health care. This study analyzed the ICT incorporation in primary care in Brazil and identified the different aspects that may be associated with better quality in the care provided, in relation to certain aspects of women's care. We noted an unevenness regarding ICT incorporation in Brazil. However, the findings indicate an association between ICT and certain aspects of the quality provided in women's health care, which reinforces the need for further studies on this type of evaluation.
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LeRouge, Cynthia; Smith, K Jody; De Leo, Gianluca
2017-01-01
Background Today’s health care environment encourages health care consumers to take an active role in managing their health. As digital natives, young educated adults do much of their health information management through the Internet and consider it a valid source of health advice. However, the quality of information on health websites is highly variable and dynamic. Little is known about the understandings and perceptions that young educated adults have garnered on the quality of information on health websites used for health care–related purposes. Objective To fill this gap, the aim of this study was to develop a conceptual framework of health website information quality with quality dimensions (ie, criteria) and associated quality drivers (ie, attributes) specified in the context of young educated adults’ use of health websites for health care–related purposes. This aim was achieved by (1) identifying information quality dimensions of health websites from the perspective of young educated adults; (2) identifying the importance ratings of these quality dimensions; and (3) constructing a framework of health website information quality with quality dimensions and associated drivers specified in the context of young educated adults’ use of health websites for health care–related purposes. Methods The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. Methods included semistructured group interviews and an individual quality assessment exercise grounded in visiting various websites and responding to Likert scale questions regarding the importance ratings of information quality dimensions and open-ended questions with specifying website quality drivers. Study participants included junior and senior undergraduate and graduate students in business, allied health, and public health majors. Qualitative, open-coding procedures were used to develop the conceptual framework reflecting the participants’ means of assessing information quality on health websites. Results Five dimensions of information quality for health websites were identified: Completeness of information, Understandability of information, Relevance of information, Depth of information, and Accuracy of information. Completeness of information and Understandability of information were rated as the two most important quality dimensions by the study participants. Results indicated that these five information quality dimensions for health websites were supported by the following main driver themes: Content, Design, Links, Consumer resources, Search functionality, Supporting references, User focus, Content FAQ, Open access, Policy statements, and Site performance. Conclusions This study contributes to the literature by developing a health website information quality conceptual framework with quality dimensions and associated drivers specified for a young educated adult population. The detailed quality drivers supporting the corresponding quality dimensions provide a rich picture of young educated adults’ perceptions on health website information quality. This framework can be used to guide the development of health websites, as well as the foundation for a means to evaluate health information from existing health websites with young educated adults as the target audience. PMID:28986336
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Tao, Donghua; LeRouge, Cynthia; Smith, K Jody; De Leo, Gianluca
2017-10-06
Today's health care environment encourages health care consumers to take an active role in managing their health. As digital natives, young educated adults do much of their health information management through the Internet and consider it a valid source of health advice. However, the quality of information on health websites is highly variable and dynamic. Little is known about the understandings and perceptions that young educated adults have garnered on the quality of information on health websites used for health care-related purposes. To fill this gap, the aim of this study was to develop a conceptual framework of health website information quality with quality dimensions (ie, criteria) and associated quality drivers (ie, attributes) specified in the context of young educated adults' use of health websites for health care-related purposes. This aim was achieved by (1) identifying information quality dimensions of health websites from the perspective of young educated adults; (2) identifying the importance ratings of these quality dimensions; and (3) constructing a framework of health website information quality with quality dimensions and associated drivers specified in the context of young educated adults' use of health websites for health care-related purposes. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. Methods included semistructured group interviews and an individual quality assessment exercise grounded in visiting various websites and responding to Likert scale questions regarding the importance ratings of information quality dimensions and open-ended questions with specifying website quality drivers. Study participants included junior and senior undergraduate and graduate students in business, allied health, and public health majors. Qualitative, open-coding procedures were used to develop the conceptual framework reflecting the participants' means of assessing information quality on health websites. Five dimensions of information quality for health websites were identified: Completeness of information, Understandability of information, Relevance of information, Depth of information, and Accuracy of information. Completeness of information and Understandability of information were rated as the two most important quality dimensions by the study participants. Results indicated that these five information quality dimensions for health websites were supported by the following main driver themes: Content, Design, Links, Consumer resources, Search functionality, Supporting references, User focus, Content FAQ, Open access, Policy statements, and Site performance. This study contributes to the literature by developing a health website information quality conceptual framework with quality dimensions and associated drivers specified for a young educated adult population. The detailed quality drivers supporting the corresponding quality dimensions provide a rich picture of young educated adults' perceptions on health website information quality. This framework can be used to guide the development of health websites, as well as the foundation for a means to evaluate health information from existing health websites with young educated adults as the target audience. ©Donghua Tao, Cynthia LeRouge, K Jody Smith, Gianluca De Leo. Originally published in JMIR Human Factors (http://humanfactors.jmir.org), 06.10.2017.
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Hardy, Claire; Sillence, Elizabeth
2016-01-01
An increasing number of people are now turning to the Internet for health information. Internet use is especially likely in women with the clinical condition premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which affects approximately 8% of premenopausal women. However, to date, there has not been a review of the quality of these online resources on PMDD. The aim of the present study was to address this gap by reviewing websites containing PMDD information. A search was conducted on three commonly used search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing). The first 50 results were extracted and compared across each search engine results to determine unique resources. After removing inaccessible links, a total of 69 unique websites were reviewed to evaluate their general quality, condition-specific content quality, and ownership. The websites varied widely in terms of their quality and ownership. Most returned websites were from web providers, U.S. health care providers, and media companies. General quality (e.g., design) was modest; yet, condition-specific content quality was far poorer. Women are being exposed to a varying degree of quality information about PMDD. Health professionals and website owners of this information should consider this and encourage better online resources to help this patient group. The paper presents the five highest scoring websites that may be used by those with a vested interest in PMDD, such as health professionals or women with PMDD. Copyright © 2016 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Effect of quality metric monitoring and colonoscopy performance.
Razzak, Anthony; Smith, Dineen; Zahid, Maliha; Papachristou, Georgios; Khalid, Asif
2016-10-01
Background and aims: Adenoma detection rate (ADR) and cecal withdrawal time (CWT) have been identified as measures of colonoscopy quality. This study evaluates the impact of monitoring these measures on provider performance. Methods: Six blinded gastroenterologists practicing at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center were prospectively monitored over 9 months. Data for screening, adenoma surveillance, and fecal occult blood test positive (FOBT +) indicated colonoscopies were obtained, including exam preparation quality, cecal intubation rate, CWT, ADR, adenomas per colonoscopy (APC), and adverse events. Metrics were continuously monitored after a period of informed CWT monitoring and informed CWT + ADR monitoring. The primary outcome was impact on ADR and APC. Results: A total of 1671 colonoscopies were performed during the study period with 540 before informed monitoring, 528 during informed CWT monitoring, and 603 during informed CWT + ADR monitoring. No statistically significant impact on ADR was noted across each study phase. Multivariate regression revealed a trend towards fewer adenomas removed during the CWT monitoring phase (OR = 0.79; 95 %CI 0.62 - 1.02, P = 0.065) and a trend towards more adenomas removed during the CWT + ADR monitoring phase when compared to baseline (OR = 1.26; 95 %CI 0.99 - 1.61, P = 0.062). Indication for examination and provider were significant predictors for higher APC. Provider-specific data demonstrated a direct relationship between high ADR performers and increased CWT. Conclusions: Monitoring quality metrics did not significantly alter colonoscopy performance across a small heterogeneous group of providers. Non-significant trends towards higher APC were noted with CWT + ADR monitoring. Providers with a longer CWT had a higher ADR. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of monitoring on colonoscopy performance.
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The Quality and Readability of Information Available on the Internet Regarding Lumbar Fusion
Zhang, Dafang; Schumacher, Charles; Harris, Mitchel B.; Bono, Christopher M.
2015-01-01
Study Design An Internet-based evaluation of Web sites regarding lumbar fusion. Objective The Internet has become a major resource for patients; however, the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion is unclear. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion and to determine whether these measures changed with Web site modality, complexity of the search term, or Health on the Net Code of Conduct certification. Methods Using five search engines and three different search terms of varying complexity (“low back fusion,” “lumbar fusion,” and “lumbar arthrodesis”), we identified and reviewed 153 unique Web site hits for information quality and readability. Web sites were specifically analyzed by search term and Web site modality. Information quality was evaluated on a 5-point scale. Information readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid score for reading grade level. Results The average quality score was low. The average reading grade level was nearly six grade levels above that recommended by National Work Group on Literacy and Health. The quality and readability of Internet information was significantly dependent on Web site modality. The use of more complex search terms yielded information of higher reading grade level but not higher quality. Conclusions Higher-quality information about lumbar fusion conveyed using language that is more readable by the general public is needed on the Internet. It is important for health care providers to be aware of the information accessible to patients, as it likely influences their decision making regarding care. PMID:26933614
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The Quality and Readability of Information Available on the Internet Regarding Lumbar Fusion.
Zhang, Dafang; Schumacher, Charles; Harris, Mitchel B; Bono, Christopher M
2016-03-01
Study Design An Internet-based evaluation of Web sites regarding lumbar fusion. Objective The Internet has become a major resource for patients; however, the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion is unclear. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion and to determine whether these measures changed with Web site modality, complexity of the search term, or Health on the Net Code of Conduct certification. Methods Using five search engines and three different search terms of varying complexity ("low back fusion," "lumbar fusion," and "lumbar arthrodesis"), we identified and reviewed 153 unique Web site hits for information quality and readability. Web sites were specifically analyzed by search term and Web site modality. Information quality was evaluated on a 5-point scale. Information readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid score for reading grade level. Results The average quality score was low. The average reading grade level was nearly six grade levels above that recommended by National Work Group on Literacy and Health. The quality and readability of Internet information was significantly dependent on Web site modality. The use of more complex search terms yielded information of higher reading grade level but not higher quality. Conclusions Higher-quality information about lumbar fusion conveyed using language that is more readable by the general public is needed on the Internet. It is important for health care providers to be aware of the information accessible to patients, as it likely influences their decision making regarding care.
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Library and information services: impact on patient care quality.
Marshall, Joanne Gard; Morgan, Jennifer Craft; Thompson, Cheryl A; Wells, Amber L
2014-01-01
The purpose of this paper is to explore library and information service impact on patient care quality. A large-scale critical incident survey of physicians and residents at 56 library sites serving 118 hospitals in the USA and Canada. Respondents were asked to base their answers on a recent incident in which they had used library resources to search for information related to a specific clinical case. Of 4,520 respondents, 75 percent said that they definitely or probably handled patient care differently using information obtained through the library. In a multivariate analysis, three summary clinical outcome measures were used as value and impact indicators: first, time saved; second, patient care changes; and third, adverse events avoided. The outcomes were examined in relation to four information access methods: first, asking librarian for assistance; second, performing search in a physical library; third, searching library's web site; or fourth, searching library resources on an institutional intranet. All library access methods had consistently positive relationships with the clinical outcomes, providing evidence that library services have a positive impact on patient care quality. Electronic collections and services provided by the library and the librarian contribute to patient care quality.
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Information-Seeking in Family Day Care: Access, Quality and Personal Cost
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Corr, L.; Davis, E.; Cook, K.; Mackinnon, A.; Sims, M.; Herrman, H.
2014-01-01
Family day-care (FDC) educators work autonomously to provide care and education for children of mixed ages, backgrounds and abilities. To meet the demands and opportunities of their work and regulatory requirements, educators need access to context-relevant and high quality information. No previous research has examined how and where these workers…
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The Compositional Effect of Rigorous Teacher Evaluation on Workforce Quality. Working Paper 168
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cullen, Julie Berry; Koedel, Cory; Parsons, Eric
2016-01-01
Improving public sector workforce quality is challenging in sectors such as education where worker productivity is difficult to assess and manager incentives are muted by political and bureaucratic constraints. In this paper, we study how providing information to principals about teacher effectiveness and encouraging them to use the information in…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Porter, Sherry A.
2016-01-01
The general problem was that, in the competitive telecommunications industry, information technology service providers have to develop ways to improve on customer satisfaction and service quality during service disruptions to meet service level agreements. A descriptive phenomenological study was used to explore the lived experiences and…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Z.; Shie, C. L.; Meyer, D. J.
2017-12-01
Global satellite-based precipitation products have been widely used in research and applications around the world. Compared to ground-based observations, satellite-based measurements provide precipitation data on a global scale, especially in remote continents and over oceans. Over the years, satellite-based precipitation products have evolved from single sensor and single algorithm to multi-sensors and multi-algorithms. As a result, many satellite-based precipitation products have been enhanced such as spatial and temporal coverages. With inclusion of ground-based measurements, biases of satellite-based precipitation products have been significantly reduced. However, data quality issues still exist and can be caused by many factors such as observations, satellite platform anomaly, algorithms, production, calibration, validation, data services, etc. The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC) is home to NASA global precipitation product archives including the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM), as well as other global and regional precipitation products. Precipitation is one of the top downloaded and accessed parameters in the GES DISC data archive. Meanwhile, users want to easily locate and obtain data quality information at regional and global scales to better understand how precipitation products perform and how reliable they are. As data service providers, it is necessary to provide an easy access to data quality information, however, such information normally is not available, and when it is available, it is not in one place and difficult to locate. In this presentation, we will present challenges and activities at the GES DISC to address precipitation data quality issues.
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32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... THE AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMMERCIAL AIR TRANSPORTATION QUALITY AND SAFETY REVIEW...-related information voluntarily provided to DOD by an air carrier for the purposes of this Part if DOD determines that— (1) The disclosure of the information would, in the future, inhibit an air carrier from...
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Groundwater quality in the Northern Sacramento Valley, California
Bennett, George L.; Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth
2011-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California's drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State's groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Northern Sacramento Valley is one of the study units being evaluated.
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Groundwater quality in the Southern Sacramento Valley, California
Bennett, George L.; Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth
2011-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California's drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State's groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Southern Sacramento Valley is one of the study units being evaluated.
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Groundwater quality in the Santa Barbara Coastal Plain, California
Davis, Tracy A.; Belitz, Kenneth
2016-10-03
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California established the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Santa Barbara Coastal Plain is one of the study units.
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Groundwater quality in the Klamath Mountains, California
Bennett, George L.; Fram, Miranda S.
2014-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Klamath Mountains constitute one of the study units being evaluated.
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Regulated provider perceptions of feedback reports.
O'Rourke, Hannah M; Fraser, Kimberly D; Boström, Anne-Marie; Baylon, Melba Andrea B; Sales, Anne E
2013-11-01
This paper reports on regulated (or licensed) care providers' understanding and perceptions of feedback reports in a sample of Canadian long-term care settings using a cross-sectional survey design. Audit with feedback quality improvement studies have seldom targeted front-line providers in long-term care to receive feedback information. Feedback reports were delivered to front-line regulated care providers in four long-term care facilities for 13 months in 2009-10. Providers completed a postfeedback survey. Most (78%) regulated care providers (n = 126) understood the reports and felt they provided useful information for making changes to resident care (64%). Perceptions of the report differed, depending on the role of the regulated care provider. In multivariable logistic regression, the regulated nurses' understanding of more than half the report was negatively associated with 'usefulness of information for changing resident care', and perceiving the report as generally useful had a positive association. Front-line regulated providers are an appropriate target for feedback reports in long-term care. Long-term care administrators should share unit-level information on care quality with unit-level managers and other professional front-line direct care providers. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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2012-01-01
Background Ensuring the quality of malaria medicines is crucial in working toward malaria control and eventual elimination. Unlike other validated tests that can assess all critical quality attributes, which is the standard for determining the quality of medicines, basic tests are significantly less expensive, faster, and require less skilled labour; yet, these tests provide reproducible data and information on several critical quality attributes, such as identity, purity, content, and disintegration. Visual and physical inspection also provides valuable information about the manufacturing and the labelling of medicines, and in many cases this inspection is sufficient to detect counterfeit medicines. The Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) programme has provided technical assistance to Amazon Malaria Initiative (AMI) countries to implement the use of basic tests as a key screening mechanism to assess the quality of malaria medicines available to patients in decentralized regions. Methods Trained personnel from the National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs), often in collaboration with country’s Official Medicine Control Laboratory (OMCL), developed country- specific protocols that encompassed sampling methods, sample analysis, and data reporting. Sampling sites were selected based on malaria burden, accessibility, and geographical location. Convenience sampling was performed and countries were recommended to store the sampled medicines under conditions that did not compromise their quality. Basic analytical tests, such as disintegration and thin layer chromatography (TLC), were performed utilizing a portable mini-laboratory. Results Results were originally presented at regional meetings in a non-standardized format that lacked relevant medicines information. However, since 2008 information has been submitted utilizing a template specifically developed by PQM for that purpose. From 2005 to 2010, the quality of 1,663 malaria medicines from seven AMI countries was evaluated, mostly collected from the public sector, 1,445/1,663 (86.9%). Results indicate that 193/1,663 (11.6%) were found not to meet quality specifications. Most failures were reported during visual and physical inspection, 142/1663 (8.5%), and most of these were due to expired medicines, 118/142 (83.1%). Samples failing TLC accounted for 27/1,663 (1.6%) and those failing disintegration accounted for 24/1,663 (1.4%). Medicines quality failures decreased significantly during the last two years. Conclusions Basic tests revealed that the quality of medicines in the public sector improved over the years, since the implementation of this type of quality monitoring programme in 2005. However, the lack of consistent confirmatory tests in the quality control (QC) laboratory, utilizing methods that can also evaluate additional quality attributes, could still mask quality issues. In the future, AMI countries should improve coordination with their health authorities and their QC lab consistently, to provide a more complete picture of malaria medicines quality and support the implementation of corrective actions. Facilities in the private and informal sectors also should be included when these sectors constitute an important source of medicines used by malaria patients. PMID:22704680
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Pribluda, Victor S; Barojas, Adrian; Añez, Arletta; López, Cecilia G; Figueroa, Ruth; Herrera, Roxana; Nakao, Gladys; Nogueira, Fernando Ha; Pianetti, Gerson A; Povoa, Marinete M; Viana, Giselle Mr; Gomes, Margarete S Mendonça; Escobar, Jose P; Sierra, Olga L Muñoz; Norena, Susana P Rendon; Veloz, Raúl; Bravo, Marcy Silva; Aldás, Martha R; Hindssemple, Alison; Collins, Marilyn; Ceron, Nicolas; Krishnalall, Karanchand; Adhin, Malti; Bretas, Gustavo; Hernandez, Nelly; Mendoza, Marjorie; Smine, Abdelkrim; Chibwe, Kennedy; Lukulay, Patrick; Evans, Lawrence
2012-06-15
Ensuring the quality of malaria medicines is crucial in working toward malaria control and eventual elimination. Unlike other validated tests that can assess all critical quality attributes, which is the standard for determining the quality of medicines, basic tests are significantly less expensive, faster, and require less skilled labour; yet, these tests provide reproducible data and information on several critical quality attributes, such as identity, purity, content, and disintegration. Visual and physical inspection also provides valuable information about the manufacturing and the labelling of medicines, and in many cases this inspection is sufficient to detect counterfeit medicines. The Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) programme has provided technical assistance to Amazon Malaria Initiative (AMI) countries to implement the use of basic tests as a key screening mechanism to assess the quality of malaria medicines available to patients in decentralized regions. Trained personnel from the National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs), often in collaboration with country's Official Medicine Control Laboratory (OMCL), developed country- specific protocols that encompassed sampling methods, sample analysis, and data reporting. Sampling sites were selected based on malaria burden, accessibility, and geographical location. Convenience sampling was performed and countries were recommended to store the sampled medicines under conditions that did not compromise their quality. Basic analytical tests, such as disintegration and thin layer chromatography (TLC), were performed utilizing a portable mini-laboratory. Results were originally presented at regional meetings in a non-standardized format that lacked relevant medicines information. However, since 2008 information has been submitted utilizing a template specifically developed by PQM for that purpose. From 2005 to 2010, the quality of 1,663 malaria medicines from seven AMI countries was evaluated, mostly collected from the public sector, 1,445/1,663 (86.9%). Results indicate that 193/1,663 (11.6%) were found not to meet quality specifications. Most failures were reported during visual and physical inspection, 142/1663 (8.5%), and most of these were due to expired medicines, 118/142 (83.1%). Samples failing TLC accounted for 27/1,663 (1.6%) and those failing disintegration accounted for 24/1,663 (1.4%). Medicines quality failures decreased significantly during the last two years. Basic tests revealed that the quality of medicines in the public sector improved over the years, since the implementation of this type of quality monitoring programme in 2005. However, the lack of consistent confirmatory tests in the quality control (QC) laboratory, utilizing methods that can also evaluate additional quality attributes, could still mask quality issues. In the future, AMI countries should improve coordination with their health authorities and their QC lab consistently, to provide a more complete picture of malaria medicines quality and support the implementation of corrective actions. Facilities in the private and informal sectors also should be included when these sectors constitute an important source of medicines used by malaria patients.
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Takegami, Yasuhiko; Seki, Taisuke; Amano, Takafumi; Higuchi, Yoshitoshi; Komatsu, Daigo; Nishida, Yoshihiro; Ishiguro, Naoki
2017-08-01
Although many patients use the internet to access health-related information, the quality and the reliability of the information is highly inconsistent. Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is one of the surgical procedures for hip dysplasia. However, medical information on PAO is limited on the internet. This study aims to evaluate the quality and reliability of information available on PAO on the internet in Japan. A web search was conducted on two search engines for the following terms: "hip osteotomy," "pelvic osteotomy," and "osteotomy for hip preservation" in Japanese. In total, we found 120 websites. To determine the quality and reliability of information on each website, we used the Health on the Net Foundation (HON) score, the Brief DISCERN score, and an osteotomy-specific content (OSC) score. After eliminating duplicate websites, we reviewed 49 unique websites. Only three websites (6.1%) had good reliability, as indicated by their HON scores. Twelve websites (24.4%) had good-quality information, as measured by their Brief DISCERN scores. As evaluated by their OSC scores, physician websites were found to be biased toward etiology and surgical indication and did not provide information on the complications of procedures. Non-physician websites were generally insufficient. The information about PAO on the internet is, therefore, unreliable and of poor-quality for Japanese patients.
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Systems and processes that ensure high quality care.
Bassett, Sally; Westmore, Kathryn
2012-10-01
This is the second in a series of articles examining the components of good corporate governance. It considers how the structures and processes for quality governance can affect an organisation's ability to be assured about the quality of care. Complex information systems and procedures can lead to poor quality care, but sound structures and processes alone are insufficient to ensure good governance, and behavioural factors play a significant part in making sure that staff are enabled to provide good quality care. The next article in this series looks at how the information reporting of an organisation can affect its governance.
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DEVELOPMENT OF A LAND-SURFACE MODEL PART I: APPLICATION IN A MESOSCALE METEOROLOGY MODEL
Parameterization of land-surface processes and consideration of surface inhomogeneities are very important to mesoscale meteorological modeling applications, especially those that provide information for air quality modeling. To provide crucial, reliable information on the diurn...
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Managing Air Quality - Ongoing Evaluation of Progress
Describes the importance of evaluating if air quality programs are achieving the desired results to inform environmental program managers, regulated industry and the public, and provides EPA examples.
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Source Water Quality Monitoring
Presentation will provide background information on continuous source water monitoring using online toxicity monitors and cover various tools available. Conceptual and practical aspects of source water quality monitoring will be discussed.
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SAGES quality initiative: an introduction.
Lidor, Anne; Telem, Dana; Bower, Curtis; Sinha, Prashant; Orlando, Rocco; Romanelli, John
2017-08-01
The Medicare program has transitioned to paying healthcare providers based on the quality of care delivered, not on the quantity. In May 2015, SAGES held its first ever Quality Summit. The goal of this meeting was to provide us with the information necessary to put together a strategic plan for our Society over the next 3-5 years, and to participate actively on a national level to help develop valid measures of quality of surgery. The transition to value-based medicine requires that providers are now measured and reimbursed based on the quality of services they provide rather than the quantity of patients in their care. As of 2014, quality measures must cover 3 of the 6 available National Quality domains. Physician quality reporting system measures are created via a vigorous process which is initiated by the proposal of the quality measure and subsequent validation. Commercial, non-profit, and governmental agencies have now been engaged in the measurement of hospital performance through structural measures, process measures, and increasingly with outcomes measures. This more recent focus on outcomes measures have been linked to hospital payments through the Value-Based Purchasing program. Outcomes measures of quality drive CMS' new program, MACRA, using two formats: Merit-based incentive programs and alternative payment models. But, the quality of information now available is highly variable and difficult for the average consumer to use. Quality metrics serve to guide efforts to improve performance and for consumer education. Professional organizations such as SAGES play a central role in defining the agenda for improving quality, outcomes, and safety. The mission of SAGES is to improve the quality of patient care through education, research, innovation, and leadership, principally in gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery.
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van Weert, Julia C M; Jansen, Jesse; de Bruijn, Gert-Jan; Noordman, Janneke; van Dulmen, Sandra; Bensing, Jozien M
2009-11-01
Knowing patients' needs is a prerequisite to ensure high quality cancer care. This study describes the development and psychometric properties of a patient-centred instrument to measure needs and actual experiences with communication preceding chemotherapy treatment: QUOTE(chemo). QUOTE-questionnaires (Quality Of care Through the patients' Eyes) are widely used to gain insight into unmet needs, but no validated, standardised questionnaire combining patients' needs and experiences surrounding chemotherapy treatment is available yet. To evaluate the psychometric properties of the QUOTE(chemo), content validity, internal structure and convergent validity were investigated amongst 345 cancer patients, new to chemotherapy, from 10 different hospitals. Literature study, focus group discussions and a categorisation procedure of 67 relevant topics revealed seven main themes: Treatment-related information, Prognosis information, Rehabilitation information, Coping information, Interpersonal communication, Tailored communication and Affective communication. Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling indicated that the measurement model provided good fit to the data with factor loadings ranging from .43 to .77. The seven QUOTE(chemo) dimensions captured relevant issues of concern with good internal consistency (alpha .72-.92), satisfactory item-total correlations (.35-.79) and satisfactory convergent validity. Affective communication, Treatment-related information and Rehabilitation information were perceived most important by patients. The instrument also appeared to be able to determine which aspects need improvement to ensure high quality care. The highest need for improvement was found for communicating Prognosis information and Rehabilitation information and for Interpersonal communication. These findings provide preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the QUOTE(chemo) for use in cancer care surrounding chemotherapy treatment. Researchers and health care providers can use the instrument to measure patients' needs and experiences with communication to identify aspects that need improvement.
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[Quality management is associated with high quality services in health care].
Nielsen, Tenna Hassert; Riis, Allan; Mainz, Jan; Jensen, Anne-Louise Degn
2013-12-09
In these years, quality management has been the focus in order to meet high quality services for the patients in Danish health care. This article provides information on quality management and quality improvement and it evaluates its effectiveness in achieving better organizational structures, processes and results in Danish health-care organizations. Our findings generally support that quality management is associated with high quality services in health care.
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Quality comparison of websites related to developmental disabilities.
Reichow, Brian; Shefcyk, Allison; Bruder, Mary Beth
2013-10-01
The Internet is commonly used to seek health-related information, but little is known about the quality of websites on developmental disabilities. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the characteristics and quality of websites located by searching ten common terms related to developmental disabilities and explore relations between website characteristics and website quality in order to make recommendations on ways to ensure locating good online information. We located 208 unique websites in our November 2012 US searches of Google and Bing. Two independent coders evaluated 10 characteristics of the websites and two different coders assessed the quality of the websites. From the 208 websites, 104 (50%) provided relevant information about the disability being searched. Of these 104 websites, those found to be of highest quality were least likely to be a sponsored result, contain advertisements, be from a for-profit company, and did contain references to peer-reviewed publications or had a top-level domain of .gov or .org. Individuals with developmental disabilities and their family members who choose to obtain disability-related information online should remain vigilant to ensure that they locate high-quality and accurate information and should not replace information obtained from health-care professionals and educational specialists with information found online. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Prospective analysis of the quality of Spanish health information web sites after 3 years.
Conesa-Fuentes, Maria C; Hernandez-Morante, Juan J
2016-12-01
Although the Internet has become an essential source of health information, our study conducted 3 years ago provided evidence of the low quality of Spanish health web sites. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the quality of Spanish health information web sites now, and to compare these results with those obtained 3 years ago. For the original study, the most visited health information web sites were selected through the PageRank® (Google®) system. The present study evaluated the quality of the same web sites from February to May 2013, using the method developed by Bermúdez-Tamayo et al. and HONCode® criteria. The mean quality of the selected web sites was low and has deteriorated since the previous evaluation, especially in regional health services and institutions' web sites. The quality of private web sites remained broadly similar. Compliance with privacy and update criteria also improved in the intervening period. The results indicate that, even in the case of health web sites, design or appearance is more relevant to developers than quality of information. It is recommended that responsible institutions should increase their efforts to eliminate low-quality health information that may further contribute to health problems.
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Quality of information accompanying on-line marketing of home diagnostic tests.
Datta, Adrija K; Selman, Tara J; Kwok, Tony; Tang, Teresa; Khan, Khalid S
2008-01-01
To assess the quality of information provided to consumers by websites marketing medical home diagnostic tests. A cross-sectional analysis of a database developed from searching targeted websites. Data sources were websites written in English which marketed medical home diagnostic tests. A meta-search engine was used to identify the first 20 citations for each type of home diagnostic medical test. Relevant websites limited to those written in English were reviewed independently and in triplicate, with disputes resolved by two further reviewers. Information on the quality of these sites was extracted using a pre-piloted performer. 168 websites were suitable for inclusion in the review. The quality of these sites showed marked variation. Only 24 of 168 (14.2%) complied with at least three-quarters of the quality items and just over half (95 of 168, 56.5%) reported official approval or certification of the test. Information on accuracy of the test marketed was reported by 87 of 168 (51.7%) websites, with 15 of 168 (8.9%) providing a scientific reference. Instructions for use of the product were found in 97 of 168 (57.9%). However, the course of action to be taken after obtaining the test result was stated in only 63 of 168 (37.5%) for a positive result and 43 of 168 (25.5%) for a negative result. The quality of information posted on commercial websites marketing home tests online is unsatisfactory and potentially misleading for consumers.
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Quality of information accompanying on-line marketing of home diagnostic tests
Datta, Adrija K; Selman, Tara J; Kwok, Tony; Tang, Teresa; Khan, Khalid S
2008-01-01
Objective To assess the quality of information provided to consumers by websites marketing medical home diagnostic tests. Design A cross-sectional analysis of a database developed from searching targeted websites. Setting Data sources were websites written in English which marketed medical home diagnostic tests. Main outcome measures A meta-search engine was used to identify the first 20 citations for each type of home diagnostic medical test. Relevant websites limited to those written in English were reviewed independently and in triplicate, with disputes resolved by two further reviewers. Information on the quality of these sites was extracted using a pre-piloted performer. Results 168 websites were suitable for inclusion in the review. The quality of these sites showed marked variation. Only 24 of 168 (14.2%) complied with at least three-quarters of the quality items and just over half (95 of 168, 56.5%) reported official approval or certification of the test. Information on accuracy of the test marketed was reported by 87 of 168 (51.7%) websites, with 15 of 168 (8.9%) providing a scientific reference. Instructions for use of the product were found in 97 of 168 (57.9%). However, the course of action to be taken after obtaining the test result was stated in only 63 of 168 (37.5%) for a positive result and 43 of 168 (25.5%) for a negative result. Conclusions The quality of information posted on commercial websites marketing home tests online is unsatisfactory and potentially misleading for consumers. PMID:18263912
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Dionne, Shannon G.; Granato, Gregory E.; Tana, Cameron K.
1999-01-01
A readily accessible archive of information that is valid, current, and technically defensible is needed to make informed highway-planning, design, and management decisions. The National Highway Runoff Water-Quality Data and Methodology Synthesis (NDAMS) is a cataloging and assessment of the documentation of information relevant to highway-runoff water quality available in published reports. The report review process is based on the NDAMS review sheet, which was designed by the USGS with input from the FHWA, State transportation agencies, and the regulatory community. The report-review process is designed to determine the technical merit of the existing literature in terms of current requirements for data documentation, data quality, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC), and technical issues that may affect the use of historical data. To facilitate the review process, the NDAMS review sheet is divided into 12 sections: (1) administrative review information, (2) investigation and report information, (3) temporal information, (4) location information (5) water-quality-monitoring information, (6) sample-handling methods, (7) constituent information, (8) sampling focus and matrix, (9) flow monitoring methods, (10) field QA/QC, (11) laboratory, and (12) uncertainty/error analysis. This report describes the NDAMS report reviews and metadata documentation methods and provides an overview of the approach and of the quality-assurance and quality-control program used to implement the review process. Detailed information, including a glossary of relevant terms, a copy of the report-review sheets, and reportreview instructions are completely documented in a series of three appendixes included with this report. Therefore the reviews are repeatable and the methods can be used by transportation research organizations to catalog new reports as they are published.
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... through a clinical facility’s quality assurance program, are fundamental to radiation protection. More information about the principles ... as part of quality assurance program emphasizing radiation management. Health care providers who use fluoroscopy should be ...
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Charlton, Peter H; Bonnici, Timothy; Tarassenko, Lionel; Alastruey, Jordi; Clifton, David A; Beale, Richard; Watkinson, Peter J
2017-05-01
Breathing rate (BR) can be estimated by extracting respiratory signals from the electrocardiogram (ECG) or photoplethysmogram (PPG). The extracted respiratory signals may be influenced by several technical and physiological factors. In this study, our aim was to determine how technical and physiological factors influence the quality of respiratory signals. Using a variety of techniques 15 respiratory signals were extracted from the ECG, and 11 from PPG signals collected from 57 healthy subjects. The quality of each respiratory signal was assessed by calculating its correlation with a reference oral-nasal pressure respiratory signal using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Relevant results informing device design and clinical application were obtained. The results informing device design were: (i) seven out of 11 respiratory signals were of higher quality when extracted from finger PPG compared to ear PPG; (ii) laboratory equipment did not provide higher quality of respiratory signals than a clinical monitor; (iii) the ECG provided higher quality respiratory signals than the PPG; (iv) during downsampling of the ECG and PPG significant reductions in quality were first observed at sampling frequencies of <250 Hz and <16 Hz respectively. The results informing clinical application were: (i) frequency modulation-based respiratory signals were generally of lower quality in elderly subjects compared to young subjects; (ii) the qualities of 23 out of 26 respiratory signals were reduced at elevated BRs; (iii) there were no differences associated with gender. Recommendations based on the results are provided regarding device designs for BR estimation, and clinical applications. The dataset and code used in this study are publicly available.
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Statistical process control based chart for information systems security
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Khan, Mansoor S.; Cui, Lirong
2015-07-01
Intrusion detection systems have a highly significant role in securing computer networks and information systems. To assure the reliability and quality of computer networks and information systems, it is highly desirable to develop techniques that detect intrusions into information systems. We put forward the concept of statistical process control (SPC) in computer networks and information systems intrusions. In this article we propose exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) type quality monitoring scheme. Our proposed scheme has only one parameter which differentiates it from the past versions. We construct the control limits for the proposed scheme and investigate their effectiveness. We provide an industrial example for the sake of clarity for practitioner. We give comparison of the proposed scheme with EWMA schemes and p chart; finally we provide some recommendations for the future work.
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Theis, Ryan P; Stanford, Jevetta C; Goodman, J Robyn; Duke, Lisa L; Shenkman, Elizabeth A
2017-06-01
With an increased emphasis on patient-centred outcomes and research, investigators seek to understand aspects of health care that are most important to patients. Such information is essential for developing report cards that present health-care quality information for consumers, which many states are adopting as a strategy to promote consumer choice. This study examined the processes that women in Medicaid follow for selecting health plans and explored their definitions of 'good' and 'poor' quality health care. We conducted focus groups with Medicaid beneficiaries in four Texas communities, using quota sampling to ensure representation of different racial/ethnic, eligibility and geographic groups. We conducted 22 focus groups with 102 participants between October 2012 and January 2013. In a free-list exercise, 'doctors' represented the most important aspect of health care to participants, followed by cost, attention, coverage and respect. Discussions of health-care quality revealed an even mix of structural factors (e.g. timeliness) and interpersonal factors (e.g. communication), although few differences were observed by beneficiary characteristics. Participants linked themes in their overall framing of 'quality' - revealing processes of care that affect health outcomes (e.g. discontinuity of care resulting from poor communication with providers) and which were often mediated by advocate providers who assisted patients experiencing barriers to services. Findings support other studies that highlight the importance of the patient-provider relationship. Patient-centred definitions of health-care quality can complement predominant provider-centred conceptual frameworks and better inform initiatives for public reporting of quality measures in these populations. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
1991-10-01
According to {section} 35.32, Quality Management Program,'' of 10 CFR Part 35, Medical Use of Byproduct Material,'' applicants or licensees, as applicable, are required to establish a quality management (QM) program. This regulatory guide provides guidance to licensees and applicants for developing policies and procedures for the QM program. This guide does not restrict or limit the licensee from using other guidance that may be equally useful in developing a QM program, e.g., information available from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations or the American College of Radiology. Any information collection activities mentioned in this regulatory guide aremore » contained as requirements in 10 CFR Part 35, which provides the regulatory basis for this guide. This information collection requirements in 10 CFR Part 35 have been cleared under OMB Clearance No. 3150-0010.« less
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Human Variome Project Quality Assessment Criteria for Variation Databases.
Vihinen, Mauno; Hancock, John M; Maglott, Donna R; Landrum, Melissa J; Schaafsma, Gerard C P; Taschner, Peter
2016-06-01
Numerous databases containing information about DNA, RNA, and protein variations are available. Gene-specific variant databases (locus-specific variation databases, LSDBs) are typically curated and maintained for single genes or groups of genes for a certain disease(s). These databases are widely considered as the most reliable information source for a particular gene/protein/disease, but it should also be made clear they may have widely varying contents, infrastructure, and quality. Quality is very important to evaluate because these databases may affect health decision-making, research, and clinical practice. The Human Variome Project (HVP) established a Working Group for Variant Database Quality Assessment. The basic principle was to develop a simple system that nevertheless provides a good overview of the quality of a database. The HVP quality evaluation criteria that resulted are divided into four main components: data quality, technical quality, accessibility, and timeliness. This report elaborates on the developed quality criteria and how implementation of the quality scheme can be achieved. Examples are provided for the current status of the quality items in two different databases, BTKbase, an LSDB, and ClinVar, a central archive of submissions about variants and their clinical significance. © 2016 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.
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[Quality of information in the process of informed consent for anesthesia].
Guillén-Perales, José; Luna-Maldonado, Aurelio; Fernández-Prada, María; Guillén-Solvas, José Francisco; Bueno-Cavanillas, Aurora
2013-11-01
To assess the quality of the information that patients receive in the informed consent document signed prior to surgery. Cross-sectional study of a sample of cancer patients admitted for surgery at the University Hospital San Cecilio of Granada in 2011. After checking the inclusion criteria and obtaining their consent, demographic data were collected and procedure data, and a questionnaire «ad hoc» to assess the quality and comprehensiveness of the information provided in the informed consent. 150 patients were studied. The majority (109 over 150) said they had received sufficient information, in appropriate language, and had the opportunity to ask questions, but only 44.7% correctly answered three or more issues related to anesthesia. University education level, knowledge of the intervention, information about the anesthesia problems and appropriate language were associated. Although systematic informed consent was performed, half of the patients did not comprehend the anesthesia risks. Variables primarily related to the information received were associated with the quality of the response, but not with patient characteristics. Copyright © 2013 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.
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Bessell, T; Anderson, J; Silagy, C; Sansom, L; Hiller, J
2003-01-01
Objective: To examine whether the sale of medicines via the internet supports their safe and appropriate use. Design: e-Pharmacy websites were identified using key words and a metasearch engine and the quality of information published on these websites was surveyed using the DISCERN tool. A case scenario and internet pharmacy practice standards were also used to evaluate the quality of care delivered. Setting and participants: Between July and September 2001 104 websites were surveyed and 27 sent either Sudafed (pseudoephedrine HCl), St John's wort products, or both to a residential address in Melbourne, Australia. Main outcome measures: Quality of health information (DISCERN ratings), information exchanged between e-pharmacy staff and consumers, and product and delivery costs. Results: Of 104 e-pharmacies from at least 13 different countries, 63 websites provided some health information but overall the quality of the information was poor. Only three website operators provided adequate advice to consumers to avoid a potential drug interaction. The costs for a daily dose of pseudoephedrine HCl (240 mg) ranged from A$0.81 to A$3.04, and delivery costs from A$3.28 to A$62.70. Conclusion: Consumers who self-select medicines from websites have insufficient access to information and advice at the point of ordering and on delivery to make informed decisions about their safe and appropriate use. PMID:12679503
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Buote, R D; Malone, S D; Bélanger, L J; McGowan, E L
2016-09-01
In this study, we assessed the quality of publicly available cancer-related physical activity (PA) information appearing on reputable sites from Canada and other English-speaking countries. A cross-sectional Internet search was conducted on select countries (Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, UK) using Google to generate top 50 results per country for the keywords "'physical activity' AND 'cancer'". Top results were assessed for quality of PA information based on a coding frame. Additional searches were performed for Canadian-based sites to produce an exhaustive list. Results found that many sites offered cancer-related PA information (94.5%), but rarely defined PA (25.2%). Top 50 results from each country did not differ on any indicator examined. The exhaustive list of Canadian sites found that many sites gave information about PA for survivorship (78.3%) and prevention (70.0%), but rarely defined (6.7%) or referenced PA guidelines (28.3%). Cancer-related PA information is plentiful on the Internet but the quality needs improvement. Sites should do more than mention PA; they should provide definitions, examples and guidelines. With improvements, these websites would enable healthcare providers to effectively educate their patients about PA, and serve as a valuable resource to the general public who may be seeking cancer-related PA information. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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A study of undue pain and surfing: using hierarchical criteria to assess website quality.
Lorence, Daniel; Abraham, Joanna
2008-09-01
In studies of web-based consumer health information, scant attention has been paid to the selective development of differential methodologies for website quality evaluation, or to selective grouping and analysis of specific ;domains of uncertainty' in healthcare. Our objective is to introduce a more refined model for website evaluation, and illustrate its application using assessment of websites within an area of ongoing medical uncertainty, back pain. In this exploratory technology assessment, we suggest a model for assessing these ;domains of uncertainty' within healthcare, using qualitative assessment of websites and hierarchical concepts. Using such a hierarchy of quality criteria, we review medical information provided by the most frequently accessed websites related to back pain. Websites are evaluated using standardized criteria, with results rated from the viewpoint of the consumer. Results show that standardization of quality rating across subjective content, and between commercial and niche search results, can provide a consumer-friendly dimension to health information.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Chang, Tony, E-mail: tc282@nau.edu; Nielsen, Erik, E-mail: erik.nielsen@nau.edu; Auberle, William, E-mail: william.auberle@nau.edu
2013-01-15
The environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been a tool for decision makers since the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Since that time, few analyses have been performed to verify the quality of information and content within EIAs. High quality information within assessments is vital in order for decision makers, stake holders, and the public to understand the potential impact of proposed actions on the ecosystem and wildlife species. Low quality information has been a major cause for litigation and economic loss. Since 1999, wind energy development has seen an exponential growth with unknown levels of impact onmore » wildlife species, in particular bird and bat species. The purpose of this article is to: (1) develop, validate, and apply a quantitative index to review avian/bat assessment quality for wind energy EIAs; and (2) assess the trends and status of avian/bat assessment quality in a sample of wind energy EIAs. This research presents the development and testing of the Avian and Bat Assessment Quality Index (ABAQI), a new approach to quantify information quality of ecological assessments within wind energy development EIAs in relation to avian and bat species based on review areas and factors derived from 23 state wind/wildlife siting guidance documents. The ABAQI was tested through a review of 49 publicly available EIA documents and validated by identifying high variation in avian and bat assessments quality for wind energy developments. Of all the reviewed EIAs, 66% failed to provide high levels of preconstruction avian and bat survey information, compared to recommended factors from state guidelines. This suggests the need for greater consistency from recommended guidelines by state, and mandatory compliance by EIA preparers to avoid possible habitat and species loss, wind energy development shut down, and future lawsuits. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We developed, validated, and applied a quantitative index to review avian/bat assessment quality for wind energy EIAs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We assessed the trends and status of avian/bat assessment quality in a sample of wind energy EIAs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Applied index to 49 EIA documents and identified high variation in assessment quality for wind energy developments. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer For the reviewed EIAs, 66% provided inadequate preconstruction avian and bat survey information.« less
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Campbell, Jared M; Umapathysivam, Kandiah; Xue, Yifan; Lockwood, Craig
2015-12-01
Clinicians and other healthcare professionals need access to summaries of evidence-based information in order to provide effective care to their patients at the point-of-care. Evidence-based practice (EBP) point-of-care resources have been developed and are available online to meet this need. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive list of available EBP point-of-care resources and evaluate their processes and policies for the development of content, in order to provide a critical analysis based upon rigor, transparency and measures of editorial quality to inform healthcare providers and promote quality improvement amongst publishers of EBP resources. A comprehensive and systematic search (Pubmed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central) was undertaken to identify available EBP point-of-care resources, defined as "web-based medical compendia specifically designed to deliver predigested, rapidly accessible, comprehensive, periodically updated, and evidence-based information (and possibly also guidance) to clinicians." A pair of investigators independently extracted information on general characteristics, content presentation, editorial quality, evidence-based methodology, and breadth and volume. Twenty-seven summary resources were identified, of which 22 met the predefined inclusion criteria for EBP point-of-care resources, and 20 could be accessed for description and assessment. Overall, the upper quartile of EBP point-of-care providers was assessed to be UpToDate, Nursing Reference Centre, Mosby's Nursing Consult, BMJ Best Practice, and JBI COnNECT+. The choice of which EBP point-of-care resources are suitable for an organization is a decision that depends heavily on the unique requirements of that organization and the resources it has available. However, the results presented in this study should enable healthcare providers to make that assessment in a clear, evidence-based manner, and provide a comprehensive list of the available options. © 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International.
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Evolution of a CDC Public Health Research Agenda for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer
Hall, Ingrid J.; Smith, Judith Lee
2016-01-01
Men with prostate cancer face difficult choices when selecting a therapy for localized prostate cancer. Comparative data from controlled studies are lacking and clinical opinions diverge about the benefits and harms of treatment options. Consequently, there is limited guidance for patients regarding the impact of treatment decisions on quality of life. There are opportunities for public health to intervene at several decision-making points. Information on typical quality of life outcomes associated with specific prostate cancer treatments could help patients select treatment options. From 2003 to present, the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at CDC has supported projects to explore patient information-seeking behavior post-diagnosis, caregiver and provider involvement in treatment decision making, and patient quality of life following prostate cancer treatment. CDC's work also includes research that explores barriers and facilitators to the presentation of active surveillance as a viable treatment option and promotes equal access to information for men and their caregivers. This article provides an overview of the literature and considerations that initiated establishing a prospective public health research agenda around treatment decision making. Insights gathered from CDC-supported studies are poised to enhance understanding of the process of shared decision making and the influence of patient, caregiver, and provider preferences on the selection of treatment choices. These findings provide guidance about attributes that maximize patient experiences in survivorship, including optimal quality of life and patient and caregiver satisfaction with information, treatment decisions, and subsequent care. PMID:26590643
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quality nonattainment and maintenance areas. The VALE Program provides funding through the Airport quality improvements. For more information, see the VALE Program website. (Reference 49 U.S. Code 47139
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Quality of generic medicines in South Africa: perceptions versus reality - a qualitative study.
Patel, Aarti; Gauld, Robin; Norris, Pauline; Rades, Thomas
2012-09-03
Generic Medicines are an important policy option allowing for access to affordable, essential medicines. Quality of generic medicines must be guaranteed through the activities of national medicines regulatory authorities. Existing negative perceptions surrounding the quality of generic medicines must be addressed to ensure that people use them with confidence. Campaigns to increase the uptake of generic medicines by consumers and providers of healthcare need to be informed by local norms and practices. This study sought to compare South African consumers' and healthcare providers' perceptions of quality of generics to the actual quality of selected products. The study was conducted at the local level in three cities of South Africa: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Purposive sampling was used to recruit consumer participants (n = 73) and random sampling used to recruit healthcare providers from public and private sectors (n = 15). Data were obtained through twelve focus group discussions with consumers and semi-structured interviews (n = 15) with healthcare providers in order to gain familiarity with perceptions of quality. One hundred and thirty five products comprising paracetamol tablets (n = 47), amoxicillin capsules (n = 45) and hydrochlorothiazide tablets (n = 43) were sourced from public and private sector healthcare providers. These products were subjected to in vitro dissolution, uniformity of weight and identity (Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy) tests using prescribed methods from the British (2005) and United States Pharmacopeias (2006). Respondents described drug quality in relation to the effect on symptoms. Procurement and use behavior of healthcare providers was influenced by prior experience, manufacturers' names and consumers' ability to pay. All formulations passed the in vitro tests for quality. This study showed clear differences between perceptions of quality and actual quality of medicines suggesting deficiencies in public engagement by government regarding the implementation of generic medicines policy. Implementation of generic medicines policy requires the involvement of consumers and healthcare providers to specifically address their information gaps and needs.
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Nason, Gregory J; Baker, Joseph F; Byrne, Damien P; Noel, Jacques; Moore, David; Kiely, Patrick J
2012-10-01
A quality-control Internet-based study using recognized quality scoring systems. To evaluate the quality of information available on the Internet. The quality of information available is of poor quality and unreliable, and this study was to determine if it has improved in line with the exponential increase in Internet-based information since the last time it was reviewed in 2005. To identify potential Web sites, the 5 most commonly accessed search engines were identified and a search for "scoliosis" was performed on each. The top 100 Web sites were reviewed. Each Web site was categorized according to its authorship and assessed using recognized scoring systems (Journal of American Medical Association [JAMA] and DISCERN criteria, scoliosis-specific content quality). The presence of the Health on the Net code, a reported quality-assurance marker, was noted. Forty-one unique Web sites were identified and analyzed. Five were academic, 11 were produced by physicians, 5 were commercial, 3 were nonphysician sites, 6 were attached to discussion groups or social media sites, 3 were media related, and 8 were not otherwise classifiable. There were significant differences noted between the authorship categories on the DISCERN score, JAMA benchmark criteria, and scoliosis-specific content quality score, (P = 0.001, <0.0001, and 0.009, respectively) with academic- and physician-related Web sites containing better-quality information. Internet sites with a Health on the Net code demonstrated higher-quality scoliosis-specific information than those without the code (P = 0.1368). The overall quality of information regarding scoliosis remains poor despite an exponential increase in the number of sites available. Patients need to be educated about appropriate Internet use-academic- and physician-provided sites have been shown to contain better-quality information. We have a potential role as clinicians to not only direct patients to appropriate sites but also to help in developing content on the Internet.
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Groundwater quality in the Sierra Nevada, California
Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth
2014-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Sierra Nevada Regional study unit constitutes one of the study units being evaluated.
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Groundwater quality in the Tahoe and Martis Basins, California
Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth
2012-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California's drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State's groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Tahoe and Martis Basins and surrounding watersheds constitute one of the study units being evaluated.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Childcare Resources, Birmingham, AL.
The purpose of this manual is to provide school-age child care center staff in Alabama with information about school-age children that facilitates program planning and provides a basis for implementing and evaluating a high quality school-age child care (SACC) program. Sections of the manual discuss: (1) teacher competencies addressed by the…
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Groundwater quality in the South Coast Interior Basins, California
Parsons, Mary C.; Belitz, Kenneth
2014-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s untreated groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The South Coast Interior Basins constitute one of the study units being evaluated.
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Groundwater quality in the western San Joaquin Valley, California
Fram, Miranda S.
2017-06-09
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Western San Joaquin Valley is one of the study units being evaluated.
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How Useful are Orthopedic Surgery Residency Web Pages?
Oladeji, Lasun O; Yu, Jonathan C; Oladeji, Afolayan K; Ponce, Brent A
2015-01-01
Medical students interested in orthopedic surgery residency positions frequently use the Internet as a modality to gather information about individual residency programs. Students often invest a painstaking amount of time and effort in determining programs that they are interested in, and the Internet is central to this process. Numerous studies have concluded that program websites are a valuable resource for residency and fellowship applicants. The purpose of the present study was to provide an update on the web pages of academic orthopedic surgery departments in the United States and to rate their utility in providing information on quality of education, faculty and resident information, environment, and applicant information. We reviewed existing websites for the 156 departments or divisions of orthopedic surgery that are currently accredited for resident education by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Each website was assessed for quality of information regarding quality of education, faculty and resident information, environment, and applicant information. We noted that 152 of the 156 departments (97%) had functioning websites that could be accessed. There was high variability regarding the comprehensiveness of orthopedic residency websites. Most of the orthopedic websites provided information on conference, didactics, and resident rotations. Less than 50% of programs provided information on resident call schedules, resident or faculty research and publications, resident hometowns, or resident salary. There is a lack of consistency regarding the content presented on orthopedic residency websites. As the competition for orthopedic websites continues to increase, applicants flock to the Internet to learn more about orthopedic websites in greater number. A well-constructed website has the potential to increase the caliber of students applying to a said program. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Odukoya, Olufunmilola K; Chui, Michelle A; Pu, Jia
2014-08-01
To examine factors influencing the amount of time and information pharmacy personnel provide to patients at drive-through and walk-in counselling areas. On-site observational data collection in 22 community pharmacies by pharmacy students. Information included observable patient characteristics such as gender, age range, English proficiency and mobility impairment; encounter characteristics included type of prescription and whether the patient was acknowledged; and counselling characteristics included types of counselling information conveyed and length of time for each encounter. Patient-pharmacist encounters were documented at the drive-through and walk-in counselling areas 961 and 1098 times respectively. Pharmacists spent less time, and technicians more time, with patients at the drive-through counselling area. The amount of information provided to patients was significantly affected by whether the patient was receiving new versus refill prescriptions. Patients with a new prescription were twice as likely to receive more information from pharmacy personnel. There was a significant difference between the amount of counselling provided to patients at the drive-through and walk-in counselling area (rate ratio (RR) 0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.86-1.00). Patients at the drive-through received a lower amount of information relative to patients using the walk-in. Amount of information provided to patients was affected by the level of pharmacy busyness (RR 0.96, 95% CI: 0.95-0.99). Providing patient care at the drive-through counselling area may negatively influence quality of patient care. To improve quality of pharmacy drive-through services, standardization of drive-through services in pharmacies may be needed. © 2013 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
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van Ryn, Michelle; Sanders, Sara; Kahn, Katherine; van Houtven, Courtney; Griffin, Joan M.; Martin, Michelle; Atienza, Audie A.; Phelan, Sean; Finstad, Deborah; Rowland, Julia
2015-01-01
A great deal of clinical cancer care is delivered in the home by informal caregivers (e.g. family, friends), who are often untrained. Caregivers' context varies widely, with many providing care despite low levels of resources and high levels of additional demands. Background Changes in health care have shifted much cancer care to the home, with limited data to inform this transition. We studied the characteristics, care tasks, and needs of informal caregivers of cancer patients. Methods Caregivers of seven geographically and institutionally defined cohorts of newly diagnosed colorectal and lung cancer patients completed self-administered questionnaires (n = 677). We combined this information with patient survey and chart abstraction data and focused on caregivers who reported providing, unpaid, at least 50% of the patient's informal cancer care. Results Over half of caregivers (55%) cared for a patient with metastatic disease, severe comorbidity, or undergoing current treatment. Besides assisting with activities of daily living, caregivers provided cancer-specific care such as watching for treatment side effects (68%), helping manage pain, nausea or fatigue (47%), administering medicine (34%), deciding whether to call a doctor (30%), deciding whether medicine was needed (29%), and changing bandages (19%). However, half of caregivers reported not getting training perceived as necessary. In addition, 49% of caregivers worked for pay, 21% reported poor or fair health, and 21% provided unpaid care for other individuals. One in four reported low confidence in the quality of the care they provided. Conclusions Much assistance for cancer patients is delivered in the home by informal caregivers, often without desired training, with a significant minority having limited resources and high additional demands. Future research should explore the potentially high yield of addressing caregiver needs in improving quality of cancer care and both survivors' and caregivers' outcomes. PMID:20201115
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Needs Assessment for the Use of NASA Remote Sensing Data for Regulatory Water Quality
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Spiering, Bruce; Underwood, Lauren
2010-01-01
This slide presentation reviews the assessment of the needs that NASA can use for the remote sensing of water quality. The goal of this project is to provide information for decision-making activities (water quality standards) using remotely sensed/satellite based water quality data from MODIS and Landsat data.
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76 FR 65515 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-10-21
... evaluation is determining participant quality of life and how the program affects quality of life. Medicaid... adequately meet their needs or does not provide them a suitable quality of life. State Operational Protocols... national evaluation contractor to assess program outcomes. The MFP Quality of Life data will be used by the...
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Using business intelligence to monitor clinical quality metrics.
Resetar, Ervina; Noirot, Laura A; Reichley, Richard M; Storey, Patricia; Skiles, Ann M; Traynor, Patrick; Dunagan, W Claiborne; Bailey, Thomas C
2007-10-11
BJC HealthCare (BJC) uses a number of industry standard indicators to monitor the quality of services provided by each of its hospitals. By establishing an enterprise data warehouse as a central repository of clinical quality information, BJC is able to monitor clinical quality performance in a timely manner and improve clinical outcomes.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bowers, Alison W.; Ranganathan, Shyam; Simmons, Denise R.
2018-01-01
Objectives: This research brief explores the literature addressing quality in undergraduate education to identify what previous research has said about quality and to offer future directions for research on quality in undergraduate education. Method: We conducted a scoping review to provide a broad overview of existing research. Using targeted…
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Spatial Data Quality Control Procedure applied to the Okavango Basin Information System
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Butchart-Kuhlmann, Daniel
2014-05-01
Spatial data is a powerful form of information, capable of providing information of great interest and tremendous use to a variety of users. However, much like other data representing the 'real world', precision and accuracy must be high for the results of data analysis to be deemed reliable and thus applicable to real world projects and undertakings. The spatial data quality control (QC) procedure presented here was developed as the topic of a Master's thesis, in the sphere of and using data from the Okavango Basin Information System (OBIS), itself a part of The Future Okavango (TFO) project. The aim of the QC procedure was to form the basis of a method through which to determine the quality of spatial data relevant for application to hydrological, solute, and erosion transport modelling using the Jena Adaptable Modelling System (JAMS). As such, the quality of all data present in OBIS classified under the topics of elevation, geoscientific information, or inland waters, was evaluated. Since the initial data quality has been evaluated, efforts are underway to correct the errors found, thus improving the quality of the dataset.
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Quality and readability of online information resources on insomnia.
Ma, Yan; Yang, Albert C; Duan, Ying; Dong, Ming; Yeung, Albert S
2017-09-01
The internet is a major source for health information. An increasing number of people, including patients with insomnia, search for remedies online; however, little is known about the quality of such information. This study aimed to evaluate the quality and readability of insomnia-related online information. Google was used as the search engine, and the top websites on insomnia that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated for quality and readability. The analyzed websites belonged to nonprofit, commercial, or academic organizations and institutions such as hospitals and universities. Insomnia-related websites typically included definitions (85%), causes and risk factors (100%), symptoms (95%), and treatment options (90%). Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) was the most commonly recommended approach for insomnia treatment, and sleep drugs are frequently mentioned. The overall quality of the websites on insomnia is moderate, but all the content exceeded the recommended reading ease levels. Concerns that must be addressed to increase the quality and trustworthiness of online health information include sharing metadata, such as authorship, time of creation and last update, and conflicts of interest; providing evidence for reliability; and increasing the readability for a layman audience.
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Using scientific evidence to improve information practice.
Bradley, J; Marshall, J G
1995-09-01
The recent policy statement of the Medical Library Association (MLA) takes the position that scientific evidence is the basis for improving the quality of library and information sciences now and in the future. Research activity is seen as the foundation of an evolving knowledge base for the profession--a knowledge base that will set health sciences librarians apart from others in an increasingly competitive world of information service providers. The statement represents the culmination of many years of activity by association members, during which the role of research in health information practice has been debated. Over a similar time period, the quality movement, with its increasing demand for the collection and use of data, has been growing. Developments such as total quality management (TQM) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) reinforce the centrality of research with its increasing demand for the collection and use of data, has been growing. Developments such as total quality management (TQM) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) reinforce the centrality of research and its relationship to efficient and effective information practice as envisioned in the MLA policy statement.
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Robillard, Julie M; Feng, Tanya L
2017-01-01
As the number of older adults turning to the Internet for health information increases, so does the potential for online information to have a substantial impact on the patient-physician relationship and on their health. Inaccurate information may weaken patient-physician relationships or result in increased physician visits and health anxiety, while high quality information may allow Internet users to make better decisions about their health. To assess the quality and content of available online resources about the prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A sample of 308 articles related to the prevention of AD was collected from the first three pages of location-independent keyword searches on Google.com between September 17-30, 2014. Content analysis was applied to articles that met criteria (n = 298) and a quality evaluation tool was developed to generate a quality score for each of the articles (n = 290). We found that articles on the high end of the quality spectrum focused on modifiable risk factors and tended to present balanced information, while articles of low quality emphasized nutrition as a method of prevention and were more likely to be in conflict of interest. This study provides the first insight into the content and quality of prevention information for AD currently available online and highlights the importance of future research to better understand the impact of this information on the patient-physician relationship and health decision-making of older adults.
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Evaluating the quality of perinatal anxiety information available online.
Kirby, Paige L; Reynolds, Kristin A; Walker, John R; Furer, Patricia; Pryor, Teaghan A M
2018-06-22
The Internet is an easily accessible source of information for women experiencing anxiety in pregnancy and/or postpartum to use when seeking health information. However, the Internet has several drawbacks, including inaccurate content that may be perceived as being accurate, non-biased, and evidence-based. Prior research indicates that anxiety and postpartum mental health websites have poor quality in terms of describing treatment options. There is a lack of research and knowledge in the area of perinatal anxiety, and an absence of research evaluating perinatal anxiety websites. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of information regarding perinatal anxiety available on the Internet. Websites concerning perinatal anxiety were selected using the Google search engine. Each website was evaluated based on quality of health information, website usability, and readability. The 20 websites included in this study had low to moderate quality scores based on the DISCERN tool. There were no associations found between website order and website quality, or between website readability and website quality. Many websites had high PEMAT scores for the understandability section, which included content, style, and layout of information; however, most did not use visual aids to enhance comprehension. Most websites had low actionability scores, suggesting that information may not be useful in describing what actions may be taken to manage perinatal anxiety. This study highlights the need for high-quality websites concerning perinatal anxiety that are easy to navigate and provide the public with evidence-based information.
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Information vs advertising in the market for hospital care.
Montefiori, Marcello
2008-09-01
Recent health care reforms have introduced prospective payments and have allowed patients to choose their preferred providers. The expected outcome is efficiency in production and an increase in the quality level. The former objective should be obtained by the prospective payment scheme; the latter by the demand mechanism, through the competition between providers. Unfortunately, because of asymmetry of information, patients are unable to observe the true quality and the demand for health care services depends on a perceived quality as influenced by the hospital advertising. Inefficiency in the resource allocation and social welfare loss are the two likely effects. In this paper we show how the purchaser can implement effective policies to overcome these undesired effects.
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Joubert, Karin; Githinji, Esther
2014-02-01
The implementation of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programmes is necessary in order to facilitate the early identification of hearing loss. An important component of EHDI is parental education. International and national guidelines stipulating that comprehensive, unbiased and appropriate information pamphlets should be provided to parents as part of EHDI programmes, however little is known about the availability and readability of such materials in South Africa. The objectives of this study were therefore to determine the availability of information pamphlets on hearing and hearing loss in children at public hospitals in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. In addition, the quality and readability levels of these pamphlets were determined. A non-experimental, descriptive research design was employed for this study. Information on the availability of leaflets at public health hospitals was obtained through a telephonic survey. Twenty-one information pamphlets available at these hospitals were then evaluated to determine the quality and readability levels. It was found that 73% of audiology departments at public hospitals in Gauteng had information pamphlets available on hearing and hearing loss in children. Of the pamphlets evaluated, the majority were rated to 'present with serious problems' questioning the quality of the content included. In addition, it was found that on average the readability level of these pamphlets were at a sixth-grade level, much higher that the recommended fourth-grade reading level. The need for development of quality educational material focused on providing parents with unbiased, comprehensive and appropriate information on hearing and hearing loss in children has been highlighted. Proposed guidelines were recommended to assist audiologists in this endeavour. The importance of providing appropriate parental educational materials for the success of EHDI in South Africa should not be underestimated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Facilitating informed choice in prenatal testing: how well are we doing?
Marteau, T M; Dormandy, E
2001-01-01
There is a consensus that prenatal testing services need to provide the information and support necessary for women to make informed choices about prenatal testing. Informed choices are those based on relevant information that reflect the decision-maker's values. To date, most research has focused on the information provided to women deciding whether to undergo tests. This has highlighted the poor quality of information provided to many women. There is agreement on the need to provide information on three key aspects of any test: the condition for which testing is being offered, characteristics of the test, and the implications of testing. Very little research has been conducted on decisions after the diagnosis of a fetal abnormality and how information and emotional and decisional support are and should be provided. Research is now needed in four key areas: first, on the optimal ways of organizing services to facilitate choices that are not only based on relevant information, but also reflect the decision-maker's values; second, on the most effective ways of framing information needed for the different decisions involved in prenatal testing; third, on the most effective media in which to deliver information; and, fourth, to identify aspects of counseling that facilitate informed choices following diagnoses of fetal abnormality. If we value women's ability to make informed choices about prenatal tests as highly as we value reliable laboratory tests, evidence-based quality standards need to be developed for the information and support women are given at all stages of the process of prenatal testing.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Faria, Ann-Marie; Hawkinson, Laura; Metzger, Ivan; Bouacha, Nora; Cantave, Michelle
2017-01-01
A quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) is a voluntary state assessment system that uses multidimensional data on early childhood education programs to rate program quality, support quality improvement efforts, and provide information to families about the quality of available early childhood education programs. QRISs have two components:…
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Quality engineering as a discipline of study.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kolb, Rachel R.; Hoover, Marcey L.
2012-12-01
The current framework for quality scholarship in the United States ranges from the training and education of future quality engineers, managers, and professionals to focused and sustained research initiatives that, through academic institutions and other organizations, aim to improve the knowledge and application of quality across a variety of sectors. Numerous quality journals also provide a forum for professional dissemination of information.
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40 CFR 51.366 - Data analysis and reporting.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... monitoring and evaluation of the program by program management and EPA, and shall provide information... and effectiveness evaluations of the enforcement mechanism, the quality assurance system, the quality... vehicles receiving a mass emissions test. (b) Quality assurance report. The program shall submit to EPA by...
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42 CFR 441.585 - Quality assurance system.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... 42 Public Health 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Quality assurance system. 441.585 Section 441.585 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... provides information about the provisions of quality improvement and assurance to each individual receiving...
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42 CFR 441.585 - Quality assurance system.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... 42 Public Health 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Quality assurance system. 441.585 Section 441.585 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... provides information about the provisions of quality improvement and assurance to each individual receiving...
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Citizen Science Air Monitoring in the Ironbound Community ...
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mission is to protect human health and the environment. To move toward achieving this goal, EPA is facilitating identification of potential environmental concerns, particularly in vulnerable communities. This includes actively supporting citizen science projects and providing communities with the information and assistance they need to conduct their own air pollution monitoring efforts. The Air Sensor Toolbox for Citizen Scientists1 was developed as a resource to meet stakeholder needs. Examples of materials developed for the Toolbox and ultimately pilot tested in the Ironbound Community in Newark, New Jersey are reported here. The Air Sensor Toolbox for Citizen Scientists is designed as an online resource that provides information and guidance on new, low-cost compact technologies used for measuring air quality. The Toolbox features resources developed by EPA researchers that can be used by citizens to effectively collect, analyze, interpret, and communicate air quality data. The resources include information about sampling methods, how to calibrate and validate monitors, options for measuring air quality, data interpretation guidelines, and low-cost sensor performance information. This Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) project provided an opportunity for the Office of Research and Development (ORD) to work collaboratively with EPA Region 2 to provide the Ironbound Community with a “Toolbox” specific for c
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Doumen, Sarah; Smits, Ilse; Luyckx, Koen; Duriez, Bart; Vanhalst, Janne; Verschueren, Karine; Goossens, Luc
2012-12-01
Identity formation and the perceived quality of one's peer relationships are theorized to be intimately linked in emerging adulthood. The present study examined the associations between identity styles (i.e., information-oriented, normative, and diffuse-avoidant styles) and the quality of relationships with peers (as indexed by friendship quality and loneliness) in a sample of 343 college students from Belgium. High scores for the information-oriented style were positively related to friendship quality, whereas high scores for the diffuse-avoidant identity style were positively related to loneliness. These direct associations were mediated, at least in part, by attachment-related emotions (i.e., avoidance and anxiety). These associations, both direct and indirect, provide the first evidence linking identity styles and the quality of peer relationships. Suggestions for future research are provided, both at the methodological and the conceptual level. Copyright © 2012 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Automating annotation of information-giving for analysis of clinical conversation.
Mayfield, Elijah; Laws, M Barton; Wilson, Ira B; Penstein Rosé, Carolyn
2014-02-01
Coding of clinical communication for fine-grained features such as speech acts has produced a substantial literature. However, annotation by humans is laborious and expensive, limiting application of these methods. We aimed to show that through machine learning, computers could code certain categories of speech acts with sufficient reliability to make useful distinctions among clinical encounters. The data were transcripts of 415 routine outpatient visits of HIV patients which had previously been coded for speech acts using the Generalized Medical Interaction Analysis System (GMIAS); 50 had also been coded for larger scale features using the Comprehensive Analysis of the Structure of Encounters System (CASES). We aggregated selected speech acts into information-giving and requesting, then trained the machine to automatically annotate using logistic regression classification. We evaluated reliability by per-speech act accuracy. We used multiple regression to predict patient reports of communication quality from post-visit surveys using the patient and provider information-giving to information-requesting ratio (briefly, information-giving ratio) and patient gender. Automated coding produces moderate reliability with human coding (accuracy 71.2%, κ=0.57), with high correlation between machine and human prediction of the information-giving ratio (r=0.96). The regression significantly predicted four of five patient-reported measures of communication quality (r=0.263-0.344). The information-giving ratio is a useful and intuitive measure for predicting patient perception of provider-patient communication quality. These predictions can be made with automated annotation, which is a practical option for studying large collections of clinical encounters with objectivity, consistency, and low cost, providing greater opportunity for training and reflection for care providers.
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Data from selected U.S. Geological Survey National Stream Water-Quality Networks (WQN)
Alexander, Richard B.; Slack, J.R.; Ludtke, A.S.; Fitzgerald, K.K.; Schertz, T.L.; Briel, L.I.; Buttleman, K.P.
1996-01-01
This CD-ROM set contains data from two USGS national stream water-quality networks, the Hydrologic Benchmark Network (HBN) and the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN), operated during the past 30 years. These networks were established to provide national and regional descriptions of stream water-quality conditions and trends, based on uniform monitoring of selected watersheds throughout the United States, and to improve our understanding of the effects of the natural environment and human activities on water quality. The HBN, consisting of 63 relatively small, minimally disturbed watersheds, provides data for investigating naturally induced changes in streamflow and water quality and the effects of airborne substances on water quality. NASQAN, consisting of 618 larger, more culturally influenced watersheds, provides information for tracking water-quality conditions in major U.S. rivers and streams.
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Using quality indicators in anaesthesia: feeding back data to improve care.
Benn, J; Arnold, G; Wei, I; Riley, C; Aleva, F
2012-07-01
After recent UK policy developments, considerable attention has been focused upon how clinical specialties measure and report on the quality of care delivered to patients. Defining the right indicators alone is insufficient to close the feedback loop. This narrative review aims to describe and synthesize a diverse body of research relevant to the question of how information from quality indicators can be fed back and used effectively to improve care. Anaesthesia poses certain challenges in the identification of valid outcome indicators sensitive to variations in anaesthetic care. Metrics collected during the immediate post-anaesthetic recovery period, such as patient temperature, patient-reported quality of recovery, and pain and nausea, provide potentially useful information for the anaesthetist, yet this information is not routinely fed back. Reviews of the effects of feeding back performance data to healthcare providers suggest that this may result in small to moderate positive effects upon outcomes and professional practice, with stronger effects where feedback is integrated within a broader quality improvement strategy. The dominant model for use of data within quality improvement is based upon the industrial process control approach, in which care processes are monitored continuously for process changes which are rapidly detectable for corrective action. From this review and experience of implementing these principles in practice, effective feedback from quality indicators is timely, credible, confidential, tailored to the recipient, and continuous. Considerable further work is needed to understand how information from quality indicators can be fed back in an effective way to clinicians and clinical units, in order to support revalidation and continuous improvement.
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Spreeuwers, Dick; de Boer, Angela G E M; Verbeek, Jos H A M; van Dijk, Frank J H
2009-10-23
The aim of the study was to develop quality indicators that can be used for quality assessment of registries of occupational diseases in relation to preventive policy on a national level. The research questions were: 1. Which indicators determine the quality of national registries of occupational diseases with respect to their ability to provide appropriate information for preventive policy? 2. What are the criteria that can distinguish low quality from high quality? First, we performed a literature search to assess which output of registries can be considered appropriate for preventive policy and to develop a set of preliminary indicators and criteria. Second, final indicators and criteria were assessed and their content validity was tested in a Delphi study, for which experts from the 25 EU Member States were invited. The literature search revealed two different types of information output to be appropriate for preventive policy: monitor and alert information. For the evaluation of the quality of the monitor and alert function we developed ten indicators and criteria. Sixteen of the twenty-five experts responded in the first round of the Delphi study, and eleven in the second round. Based on their comments, we assessed the final nine indicators: the completeness of the notification form, coverage of registration, guidelines or criteria for notification, education and training of reporting physicians, completeness of registration, statistical methods used, investigation of special cases, presentation of monitor information, and presentation of alert information. Except for the indicator "coverage of registration" for the alert function, all the indicators met the preset requirements of content validity. We have developed quality indicators and criteria to evaluate registries for occupational diseases on the ability to provide appropriate information for preventive policy on a national level. Together, these indicators form a tool which can be used for quality improvement of registries of occupational diseases.
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Weege, Bettina; Pham, Michael N; Shackelford, Todd K; Fink, Bernhard
2015-01-01
Physical strength provides information about male quality and can be assessed from facial and body morphology. Research on perception of dance movements indicates that body movement also provides information about male physical strength. These relationships have not been investigated for women. We investigated relationships of handgrip strength (HGS) and dance attractiveness perception in 75 men and 84 women. We identified positive relationships between HGS and opposite-sex assessments of dance attractiveness for men but not women. The replication of previous research investigating relationships between dance attractiveness and physical strength in men corroborates the hypothesis that dance movements provide information about male quality. We argue that these relationships are interpretable in contexts of inter- and intra-sexual selection. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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... Air Toxics Website Rules and Implementation Related Information Air Quality Data and Tools Clean Air Act Criteria Air ... Resources Visibility and Haze Voluntary Programs for Improving Air Quality Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, ...
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Third Molars on the Internet: A Guide for Assessing Information Quality and Readability.
Hanna, Kamal; Brennan, David; Sambrook, Paul; Armfield, Jason
2015-10-06
Directing patients suffering from third molars (TMs) problems to high-quality online information is not only medically important, but also could enable better engagement in shared decision making. This study aimed to develop a scale that measures the scientific information quality (SIQ) for online information concerning wisdom tooth problems and to conduct a quality evaluation for online TMs resources. In addition, the study evaluated whether a specific piece of readability software (Readability Studio Professional 2012) might be reliable in measuring information comprehension, and explored predictors for the SIQ Scale. A cross-sectional sample of websites was retrieved using certain keywords and phrases such as "impacted wisdom tooth problems" using 3 popular search engines. The retrieved websites (n=150) were filtered. The retained 50 websites were evaluated to assess their characteristics, usability, accessibility, trust, readability, SIQ, and their credibility using DISCERN and Health on the Net Code (HoNCode). Websites' mean scale scores varied significantly across website affiliation groups such as governmental, commercial, and treatment provider bodies. The SIQ Scale had a good internal consistency (alpha=.85) and was significantly correlated with DISCERN (r=.82, P<.01) and HoNCode (r=.38, P<.01). Less than 25% of websites had SIQ scores above 75%. The mean readability grade (10.3, SD 1.9) was above the recommended level, and was significantly correlated with the Scientific Information Comprehension Scale (r=.45. P<.01), which provides evidence for convergent validity. Website affiliation and DISCERN were significantly associated with SIQ (P<.01) and explained 76% of the SIQ variance. The developed SIQ Scale was found to demonstrate reliability and initial validity. Website affiliation, DISCERN, and HoNCode were significant predictors for the quality of scientific information. The Readability Studio software estimates were associated with scientific information comprehensiveness measures.
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Managed Care and the Quality of Children's Health Services.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bergman, David A.; Homer, Charles J.
1998-01-01
Information available so far indicates that children in managed care arrangements are less likely to be seen by pediatric specialists and that families and providers are less satisfied under managed care. In spite of these drawbacks, the managed care approach, modified appropriately, offers new opportunities to provide high-quality medical care…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hansen, Mary A.; Lyon, Steven R.; Heh, Peter; Zigmond, Naomi
2013-01-01
Large-scale assessment programs, including alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS), must provide evidence of technical quality and validity. This study provides information about the technical quality of one AA-AAS by evaluating the standard setting for the science component. The assessment was designed to have…
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Ryan, Andrew M; Bishop, Tara F; Shih, Sarah; Casalino, Lawrence P
2013-01-01
The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spurred adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) in the United States, through such measures as financial incentives to providers through Medicare and Medicaid and regional extension centers, which provide ongoing technical assistance to practices. Yet the relationship between EHR adoption and quality of care remains poorly understood. We evaluated the early effects on quality of the Primary Care Information Project, which provides subsidized EHRs and technical assistance to primary care practices in underserved neighborhoods in New York City, using the regional extension center model. We found that just general participation in, or exposure to, the project was not enough to improve quality of care. It took sustained exposure on the part of these practices and technical assistance to them before they demonstrated improvement on measures of care most likely to be affected by the use of electronic health records, such as cancer screenings and care for patients with diabetes. Participating in the Primary Care Information Project for nine or more months was associated with significantly improved quality, but only for this limited group of quality measures and only for physicians receiving extensive technical assistance.
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The double-edged sword of electronic health records: implications for patient disclosure.
Campos-Castillo, Celeste; Anthony, Denise L
2015-04-01
Electronic health record (EHR) systems are linked to improvements in quality of care, yet also privacy and security risks. Results from research studies are mixed about whether patients withhold personal information from their providers to protect against the perceived EHR privacy and security risks. This study seeks to reconcile the mixed findings by focusing on whether accounting for patients' global ratings of care reveals a relationship between EHR provider-use and patient non-disclosure. A nationally representative sample from the 2012 Health Information National Trends Survey was analyzed using bivariate and multivariable logit regressions to examine whether global ratings of care suppress the relationship between EHR provider-use and patient non-disclosure. 13% of respondents reported having ever withheld information from a provider because of privacy/security concerns. Bivariate analysis showed that withholding information was unrelated to whether respondents' providers used an EHR. Multivariable analysis showed that accounting for respondents' global ratings of care revealed a positive relationship between having a provider who uses an EHR and withholding information. After accounting for global ratings of care, findings suggest that patients may non-disclose to providers to protect against the perceived EHR privacy and security risks. Despite evidence that EHRs inhibit patient disclosure, their advantages for promoting quality of care may outweigh the drawbacks. Clinicians should leverage the EHR's value in quality of care and discuss patients' privacy concerns during clinic visits, while policy makers should consider how to address the real and perceived privacy and security risks of EHRs. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
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Asan medical information system for healthcare quality improvement.
Ryu, Hyeon Jeong; Kim, Woo Sung; Lee, Jae Ho; Min, Sung Woo; Kim, Sun Ja; Lee, Yong Su; Lee, Young Ha; Nam, Sang Woo; Eo, Gi Seung; Seo, Sook Gyoung; Nam, Mi Hyun
2010-09-01
This purpose of this paper is to introduce the status of the Asan Medical Center (AMC) medical information system with respect to healthcare quality improvement. Asan Medical Information System (AMIS) is projected to become a completely electronic and digital information hospital. AMIS has played a role in improving the health care quality based on the following measures: safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, privacy, and security. AMIS CONSISTED OF SEVERAL DISTINCTIVE SYSTEMS: order communication system, electronic medical record, picture archiving communication system, clinical research information system, data warehouse, enterprise resource planning, IT service management system, and disaster recovery system. The most distinctive features of AMIS were the high alert-medication recognition & management system, the integrated and severity stratified alert system, the integrated patient monitoring system, the perioperative diabetic care monitoring and support system, and the clinical indicator management system. AMIS provides IT services for AMC, 7 affiliated hospitals and over 5,000 partners clinics, and was developed to improve healthcare services. The current challenge of AMIS is standard and interoperability. A global health IT strategy is needed to get through the current challenges and to provide new services as needed.
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Best Practices for Validating Hazard Control
Provides information on the application of Hazard Assessment Critical Control Points analysis to manging building water quality, and information on molecular assay options for detecting pathogens in water.
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The poor quality and reliability of information on periacetabular osteotomy on the internet in Japan
Takegami, Yasuhiko; Seki, Taisuke; Amano, Takafumi; Higuchi, Yoshitoshi; Komatsu, Daigo; Nishida, Yoshihiro; Ishiguro, Naoki
2017-01-01
ABSTRACT Although many patients use the internet to access health-related information, the quality and the reliability of the information is highly inconsistent. Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is one of the surgical procedures for hip dysplasia. However, medical information on PAO is limited on the internet. This study aims to evaluate the quality and reliability of information available on PAO on the internet in Japan. A web search was conducted on two search engines for the following terms: “hip osteotomy,” “pelvic osteotomy,” and “osteotomy for hip preservation” in Japanese. In total, we found 120 websites. To determine the quality and reliability of information on each website, we used the Health on the Net Foundation (HON) score, the Brief DISCERN score, and an osteotomy-specific content (OSC) score. After eliminating duplicate websites, we reviewed 49 unique websites. Only three websites (6.1%) had good reliability, as indicated by their HON scores. Twelve websites (24.4%) had good-quality information, as measured by their Brief DISCERN scores. As evaluated by their OSC scores, physician websites were found to be biased toward etiology and surgical indication and did not provide information on the complications of procedures. Non-physician websites were generally insufficient. The information about PAO on the internet is, therefore, unreliable and of poor-quality for Japanese patients. PMID:28878442
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Castell, Nuria; Schneider, Philipp; Grossberndt, Sonja; Fredriksen, Mirjam F; Sousa-Santos, Gabriela; Vogt, Mathias; Bartonova, Alena
2018-08-01
In Norway, children in kindergartens spend significant time outdoors under all weather conditions, and there is thus a natural concern about the quality of outdoor air. It is well known that air pollution is associated with a wide variety of adverse health impacts for children, with greater impact on children with asthma. Especially during winter and spring, kindergartens in Oslo that are situated close to streets with busy traffic, or in areas where wood burning is used for house heating, can experience many days with bad air quality. During these periods, updated information on air quality levels can help the kindergarten teachers to plan appropriate outdoor activities and thus protect children's health. We have installed 17 low-cost air quality nodes in kindergartens in Oslo. These nodes are smaller, cheaper and less complex to use than traditional equipment. Performance evaluation shows that while they are less accurate and suffer from higher uncertainty than reference equipment, they still can provide reliable coarse information about local pollution. The main challenge when using this technology is that calibration parameters might change with time depending on the atmospheric conditions. Thus, even if the sensors are calibrated a priori, once deployed, and especially if they are deployed for a long time, it is not possible to determine if a node is over- or under-estimating the concentration levels. To enhance the data from the sensors, we employed a data fusion technique that allows generating a detailed air quality map merging the data from the sensors and the data from an urban model, thus being able to offer air quality information to any location within Oslo. We arranged a focus group with the participation of local administration, kindergarten staff and parents to understand their opinion and needs related to the air quality information that was provided to the participant kindergartens. They expressed concern about the data quality but agree that having updated information on the air quality in the surroundings of kindergartens can help them to reduce children's exposure to air pollution. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Health Information Exchange Readiness for Demonstrating Return on Investment and Quality of Care.
Khurshid, Anjum; Diana, Mark L; Jain, Rahul
2015-01-01
To study the extent to which community health information exchanges (HIEs) deliver and measure return on investment (ROI) and improvements in the quality of care. We surveyed operational HIEs for their characteristics, information domains, impact on quality of care, and ROI. A 60 percent response rate was achieved. Two-thirds of respondents agreed that community HIEs demonstrated a positive ROI, while one-third had no opinion or disagreed. One-fourth or fewer respondents reported using various metrics to calculate ROI. Most respondents agreed that HIEs improve the quality of care, though several were not sure and were awaiting further evidence. Most respondents indicated that they did not deliver reports on quality measures (76 percent) and that data were not being used to measure quality performance of participating providers (73 percent). Respondents from most HIEs believe that the HIEs are demonstrating a positive ROI; however, a minority of them indicated they had used or will use specific metrics to calculate ROI. HIE representatives overwhelmingly reported that they believe the HIE activities improve the quality of healthcare delivered, but only a few are using data to evaluate provider performance or generate reports on quality measures. This study demonstrates the challenge faced by policy makers and healthcare organizations that are investing millions of dollars in HIEs that are believed to improve health outcomes and increase efficiency, but still need more time to develop the evidence to confirm that belief. Our study shows that calculating ROI for HIEs or their impact on quality of care remains a secondary priority for most HIEs. This finding raises serious questions for the sustained support of HIEs, both financially and as a policy lever, given the end of Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act funding.
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... AirNow.gov is a website that monitors outdoor air quality and informs the public of health risks from ... provide feedback, or report a problem. Asthma Indoor Air Quality Home Page Asthma Home Take the Asthma Quiz ...
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Remotely Sensed Information and Field Data are both Essential to Assess Biodiversity CONDITION!
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sparrow, B.; Schaefer, M.; Scarth, P.; Phinn, S. R.; Christensen, R.; Lowe, A. J.; O'Neill, S.; Thurgate, N.; Wundke, D.
2015-12-01
Over the past year the TERN Ausplots facility has hosted a process to determine the definition of Biodiversity Condition in an Australian Continental Context, and conducted a wide collaborative process to determine which environmental attributes are required to be measures to accurately inform on biodiversity condition. A major output from this work was the acknowledgement that good quality data from both remotely sensed sources and good quality field collected data are both essential to provide the best information possible on biodiversity condition. This poster details some background to the project, the assesment of which attributes to measure, and if the are sources primarily from field based or remotely sensed measures. It then proceeds to provide three examples of ways in which the combination of data types provides a superior product as output, with one example being provided for the three cornerstone areas of condition: Structure, Function and Composition.
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Groundwater quality in the San Francisco Bay groundwater basins, California
Parsons, Mary C.; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Belitz, Kenneth
2013-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. Selected groundwater basins of the San Francisco Bay area constitute one of the study units being evaluated.
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Groundwater quality in the North San Francisco Bay shallow aquifer, California
Bennett, George L.; Fram, Miranda S.
2018-02-23
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer constitutes one of the study units being evaluated.
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Copying referral letters to patients: prepare for change.
White, Philip
2004-08-01
The National Health Service (NHS) Plan for England has directed that from April 2004 clinicians will offer patients the opportunity to receive copies of letters that are written about them. Patients like to have more information and patients who have received copies of letters have found them useful. It is hoped that copying letters will improve relationships between doctors and patients, encourage patients to be better informed, and improve the quality of information provided to patients. Relatively little empirical research has been performed in this area but what exists is generally supportive. Attention will need to be paid to issues of confidentiality, the language and content of letters, and individuals who may have difficulty obtaining information from letters. This initiative is one of many that the NHS has introduced to enhance openness, honesty and the quality of information provided to patients.
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Feltelius, Nils; Gedeborg, Rolf; Holm, Lennart; Zethelius, Björn
2017-06-01
The aim of this study was to describe content and procedures in some selected Swedish health care quality registries (QRs) of relevance to regulatory decision-making. A workshop was organized with participation of seven Swedish QRs which subsequently answered a questionnaire regarding registry content on drug treatments and outcomes. Patient populations, coverage, data handling and quality control, as well as legal and ethical aspects are presented. Scientific publications from the QRs are used as a complementary measure of quality and scientific relevance. The registries under study collect clinical data of high relevance to regulatory and health technology agencies. Five out of seven registries provide information on the drug of interest. When applying external quality criteria, we found a high degree of fulfillment, although information on medication was not sufficient to answer all questions of regulatory interest. A notable strength is the option for linkage to the Prescribed Drug Registry and to information on education and socioeconomic status. Data on drugs used during hospitalization were also collected to some extent. Outcome measures collected resemble those used in relevant clinical trials. All registries collected patient-reported outcome measures. The number of publications from the registries was substantial, with studies of appropriate design, including randomized registry trials. Quality registries may provide a valuable source of post-marketing data on drug effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Closer collaboration between registries and regulators to improve quality and usefulness of registry data could benefit both regulatory utility and value for health care providers.
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Oliveira, Indiara Soares; da Cunha Menezes Costa, Lucíola; Fagundes, Felipe Ribeiro Cabral; Cabral, Cristina Maria Nunes
2015-05-01
To assess the procedures of translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and measurement properties of breast cancer-specific quality-of-life questionnaires. Searches were conducted in the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and SciELO using the keywords: "Questionnaires," "Quality of life," and "Breast cancer." The studies were analyzed in terms of methodological quality according to the guidelines for the procedure of cross-cultural adaptation and the quality criteria for measurement properties of questionnaires. We found 24 eligible studies. Most of the articles assessed the translation and measurement properties of the instrument EORTC QLQ-BR23. Description about translation and cross-cultural adaptation was incomplete in 11 studies. Translation and back translation were the most tested phases, and synthesis of the translation was the most omitted phase in the articles. Information on assessing measurement properties was provided incompletely in 23 articles. Internal consistency was the most tested property in all of the eligible articles, but none of them provided information on agreement. Construct validity was adequately tested in only three studies that used the FACT-B and QLQ-BR23. Eight articles provided information on reliability; however, only four found positive classification. Responsiveness was tested in four articles, and ceiling and floor effects were tested in only three articles. None of the instruments showed fully adequate quality. There is limited evidence on cross-cultural adaptations and measurement properties; therefore, it is recommended that caution be exercised when using breast cancer-specific quality-of-life questionnaires that have been translated, adapted, and tested.
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Quality Analysis of Open Street Map Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, M.; Li, Q.; Hu, Q.; Zhou, M.
2013-05-01
Crowd sourcing geographic data is an opensource geographic data which is contributed by lots of non-professionals and provided to the public. The typical crowd sourcing geographic data contains GPS track data like OpenStreetMap, collaborative map data like Wikimapia, social websites like Twitter and Facebook, POI signed by Jiepang user and so on. These data will provide canonical geographic information for pubic after treatment. As compared with conventional geographic data collection and update method, the crowd sourcing geographic data from the non-professional has characteristics or advantages of large data volume, high currency, abundance information and low cost and becomes a research hotspot of international geographic information science in the recent years. Large volume crowd sourcing geographic data with high currency provides a new solution for geospatial database updating while it need to solve the quality problem of crowd sourcing geographic data obtained from the non-professionals. In this paper, a quality analysis model for OpenStreetMap crowd sourcing geographic data is proposed. Firstly, a quality analysis framework is designed based on data characteristic analysis of OSM data. Secondly, a quality assessment model for OSM data by three different quality elements: completeness, thematic accuracy and positional accuracy is presented. Finally, take the OSM data of Wuhan for instance, the paper analyses and assesses the quality of OSM data with 2011 version of navigation map for reference. The result shows that the high-level roads and urban traffic network of OSM data has a high positional accuracy and completeness so that these OSM data can be used for updating of urban road network database.
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Feltelius, Nils; Gedeborg, Rolf; Holm, Lennart; Zethelius, Björn
2017-01-01
Aim The aim of this study was to describe content and procedures in some selected Swedish health care quality registries (QRs) of relevance to regulatory decision-making. Methods A workshop was organized with participation of seven Swedish QRs which subsequently answered a questionnaire regarding registry content on drug treatments and outcomes. Patient populations, coverage, data handling and quality control, as well as legal and ethical aspects are presented. Scientific publications from the QRs are used as a complementary measure of quality and scientific relevance. Results The registries under study collect clinical data of high relevance to regulatory and health technology agencies. Five out of seven registries provide information on the drug of interest. When applying external quality criteria, we found a high degree of fulfillment, although information on medication was not sufficient to answer all questions of regulatory interest. A notable strength is the option for linkage to the Prescribed Drug Registry and to information on education and socioeconomic status. Data on drugs used during hospitalization were also collected to some extent. Outcome measures collected resemble those used in relevant clinical trials. All registries collected patient-reported outcome measures. The number of publications from the registries was substantial, with studies of appropriate design, including randomized registry trials. Conclusions Quality registries may provide a valuable source of post-marketing data on drug effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Closer collaboration between registries and regulators to improve quality and usefulness of registry data could benefit both regulatory utility and value for health care providers. PMID:28276780
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How Can Remote Sensing Be Used for Water Quality Monitoring?
“How can remote sensing address information needs and gaps in water quality and quantity management?” was a workshop convened during the biennial National Water Quality Monitoring Conference 2014, held in Cincinnati, OH. The focus of this workshop was to provide an o...
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An evaluation of dental information sessions provided to childcare educators in NSW in 2010-2011.
Noller, Jennifer M
2013-12-01
Childcare services provide ideal settings to promote good oral health and help reduce tooth decay in young children. This paper reports the results of an evaluation of the dental information session component of the NSW Little Smiles Program provided by public oral health service professionals to childcare educators in NSW in 2010-2011. The evaluation sought to determine if a face-to-face information session provided to childcare educators by oral health professionals: (i) can improve the confidence of childcare educators to reach national quality standards that relate to oral health; and (ii) is an appropriate model to use. In 2010-2011, 163 dental information sessions were provided to 1716 participants from over 526 childcare centres across NSW. Results showed that a dental information session can improve the confidence of childcare educators to assist their service to reach the required national quality standards for oral hygiene and diet-related oral health issues. Further evaluation is required to determine if oral health can be embedded in the daily practice of childcare services and other options need to be explored to deliver the sessions in a more cost-effective way.
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Quality of websites with patient information about spinal cord injury in Spanish.
Bea-Muñoz, M; Medina-Sánchez, M; Flórez-García, M T
2016-07-01
Descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of websites with information on spinal cord injury (SCI) in Spanish. To assess the quality, readability and presence of quality labels on web pages with information about SCI in Spanish. The Internet. An Internet search was conducted on Google with the keywords 'lesión medular' (spinal cord injury), 'paraplejia' (paraplegia) and 'tetraplejia' (tetraplegia). The first 50 results of each search were included. The quality of websites was assessed with the LIDA tool while the readability was assessed with the Flesch-Szigriszt index and the INFLESZ scale. We also checked the presence of any quality label. After excluding duplicated and irrelevant results, 33 websites were analysed. Only four of them had a quality label. The mean score of the LIDA tool was 61.12% (medium quality), and the worst results were those referring to the reliability of the information. The readability of the web pages was somewhat difficult, with a mean of 48.22 in the Flesch-Szigriszt index. Only eight of the websites showed normal readability. We observed no differences in either the quality or the readability of the websites according to their origin or the presence of quality labels. The websites analysed present a medium quality. Mainly, they should improve the reliability of their contents and their readability, including more quality labels. For SCI information in Spanish to be understandable and to provide valuable content, websites analysed in our study need to improve the quality parameters.
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Localized analysis of paint-coat drying using dynamic speckle interferometry
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sierra-Sosa, Daniel; Tebaldi, Myrian; Grumel, Eduardo; Rabal, Hector; Elmaghraby, Adel
2018-07-01
The paint-coating is part of several industrial processes, including the automotive industry, architectural coatings, machinery and appliances. These paint-coatings must comply with high quality standards, for this reason evaluation techniques from paint-coatings are in constant development. One important factor from the paint-coating process is the drying, as it has influence on the quality of final results. In this work we present an assessment technique based on the optical dynamic speckle interferometry, this technique allows for the temporal activity evaluation of the paint-coating drying process, providing localized information from drying. This localized information is relevant in order to address the drying homogeneity, optimal drying, and quality control. The technique relies in the definition of a new temporal history of the speckle patterns to obtain the local activity; this information is then clustered to provide a convenient indicative of different drying process stages. The experimental results presented were validated using the gravimetric drying curves
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chen, Charlie C.; Vannoy, Sandra
2013-01-01
Voice over Internet Protocol- (VoIP) enabled online learning service providers struggling with high attrition rates and low customer loyalty issues despite VoIP's high degree of system fit for online global learning applications. Effective solutions to this prevalent problem rely on the understanding of system quality, information quality, and…
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R2 Water Quality Portal Monitoring Stations
The Water Quality Data Portal (WQP) provides an easy way to access data stored in various large water quality databases. The WQP provides various input parameters on the form including location, site, sampling, and date parameters to filter and customize the returned results. The The Water Quality Portal (WQP) is a cooperative service sponsored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) that integrates publicly available water quality data from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) the EPA STOrage and RETrieval (STORET) Data Warehouse, and the USDA ARS Sustaining The Earth??s Watersheds - Agricultural Research Database System (STEWARDS).
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Vest, Joshua R; Kirk, Hilary M; Issel, L Michele
2012-01-01
Public health professionals rely on quantitative data for the daily practice of public health as well as organizational decision making and planning. However, several factors work against effective data sharing among public health agencies in the US. This review characterizes the reported barriers and enablers of effective use of public health IS from an informatics perspective. A systematic review of the English language literature for 2005 to 2011 followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) format. The review focused on immunization information systems (IIS) and vital records information systems (VRIS). Systems were described according to the structural aspects of IS integration and data quality. Articles describing IIS documented issues pertaining to the distribution of the system, the autonomy of the data providers, the heterogeneous nature of information sharing as well as the quality of the data. Articles describing VRIS were focused much more heavily on data quality, particularly whether or not the data were free from errors. For state and local practitioners to effectively utilize data, public health IS will have to overcome the challenges posed by a large number of autonomous data providers utilizing a variety of technologies.
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Re: Request for Correction - IRIS Assessment for Trichloroethylene
Letter from Faye Graul providing supplemental information to her Request for Correction for Threshold of Trichloroethylene Contamination of Maternal Drinking Waters submitted under the Information Quality Act.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Faria, Ann-Marie; Hawkinson, Laura E.; Greenberg, Ariela C.; Howard, Eboni C.; Brown, Leah
2015-01-01
Documenting and improving early childhood program quality is a national priority, leading to a rapid expansion of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRISs). QRISs document and improve the quality of early childhood education programs and provide clear information to families about their child care choices. The current study described how…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-02-04
... not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If... other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA... language for your requested changes. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information and/or...
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Quality of generic medicines in South Africa: Perceptions versus Reality – A qualitative study
2012-01-01
Background Generic Medicines are an important policy option allowing for access to affordable, essential medicines. Quality of generic medicines must be guaranteed through the activities of national medicines regulatory authorities. Existing negative perceptions surrounding the quality of generic medicines must be addressed to ensure that people use them with confidence. Campaigns to increase the uptake of generic medicines by consumers and providers of healthcare need to be informed by local norms and practices. This study sought to compare South African consumers’ and healthcare providers’ perceptions of quality of generics to the actual quality of selected products. Methods The study was conducted at the local level in three cities of South Africa: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Purposive sampling was used to recruit consumer participants (n = 73) and random sampling used to recruit healthcare providers from public and private sectors (n = 15). Data were obtained through twelve focus group discussions with consumers and semi-structured interviews (n = 15) with healthcare providers in order to gain familiarity with perceptions of quality. One hundred and thirty five products comprising paracetamol tablets (n = 47), amoxicillin capsules (n = 45) and hydrochlorothiazide tablets (n = 43) were sourced from public and private sector healthcare providers. These products were subjected to in vitro dissolution, uniformity of weight and identity (Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy) tests using prescribed methods from the British (2005) and United States Pharmacopeias (2006). Results Respondents described drug quality in relation to the effect on symptoms. Procurement and use behavior of healthcare providers was influenced by prior experience, manufacturers’ names and consumers’ ability to pay. All formulations passed the in vitro tests for quality. Conclusions This study showed clear differences between perceptions of quality and actual quality of medicines suggesting deficiencies in public engagement by government regarding the implementation of generic medicines policy. Implementation of generic medicines policy requires the involvement of consumers and healthcare providers to specifically address their information gaps and needs. PMID:22943592
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boubakri, S.; Rhinane, H.
2017-11-01
The monitoring of water quality is, in most cases, managed in the laboratory and not on real time bases. Besides this process being lengthy, it doesn't provide the required specifications to describe the evolution of the quality parameters that are of interest. This study presents the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with wireless sensor networks (WSN) aiming to create a system able to detect the parameters like temperature, salinity and conductivity in a Moroccan catchment scale and transmit information to the support station. This Information is displayed and evaluated in a GIS using maps and spatial dashboard to monitor the water quality in real time.
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Chesapeake Bay Program Water Quality Database
The Chesapeake Information Management System (CIMS), designed in 1996, is an integrated, accessible information management system for the Chesapeake Bay Region. CIMS is an organized, distributed library of information and software tools designed to increase basin-wide public access to Chesapeake Bay information. The information delivered by CIMS includes technical and public information, educational material, environmental indicators, policy documents, and scientific data. Through the use of relational databases, web-based programming, and web-based GIS a large number of Internet resources have been established. These resources include multiple distributed on-line databases, on-demand graphing and mapping of environmental data, and geographic searching tools for environmental information. Baseline monitoring data, summarized data and environmental indicators that document ecosystem status and trends, confirm linkages between water quality, habitat quality and abundance, and the distribution and integrity of biological populations are also available. One of the major features of the CIMS network is the Chesapeake Bay Program's Data Hub, providing users access to a suite of long- term water quality and living resources databases. Chesapeake Bay mainstem and tidal tributary water quality, benthic macroinvertebrates, toxics, plankton, and fluorescence data can be obtained for a network of over 800 monitoring stations.
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Health information on internet: quality, importance, and popularity of persian health websites.
Samadbeik, Mahnaz; Ahmadi, Maryam; Mohammadi, Ali; Mohseni Saravi, Beniamin
2014-04-01
The Internet has provided great opportunities for disseminating both accurate and inaccurate health information. Therefore, the quality of information is considered as a widespread concern affecting the human life. Despite the increasingly substantial growth in the number of users, Persian health websites and the proportion of internet-using patients, little is known about the quality of Persian medical and health websites. The current study aimed to first assess the quality, popularity and importance of websites providing Persian health-related information, and second to evaluate the correlation of the popularity and importance ranking with quality score on the Internet. The sample websites were identified by entering the health-related keywords into four most popular search engines of Iranian users based on the Alexa ranking at the time of study. Each selected website was assessed using three qualified tools including the Bomba and Land Index, Google PageRank and the Alexa ranking. The evaluated sites characteristics (ownership structure, database, scope and objective) really did not have an effect on the Alexa traffic global rank, Alexa traffic rank in Iran, Google PageRank and Bomba total score. Most websites (78.9 percent, n = 56) were in the moderate category (8 ≤ x ≤ 11.99) based on their quality levels. There was no statistically significant association between Google PageRank with Bomba index variables and Alexa traffic global rank (P > 0.05). The Persian health websites had better Bomba quality scores in availability and usability guidelines as compared to other guidelines. The Google PageRank did not properly reflect the real quality of evaluated websites and Internet users seeking online health information should not merely rely on it for any kind of prejudgment regarding Persian health websites. However, they can use Iran Alexa rank as a primary filtering tool of these websites. Therefore, designing search engines dedicated to explore accredited Persian health-related Web sites can be an effective method to access high-quality Persian health websites.
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State-Sponsored Public Reporting Programs of Hospital Quality in the United States
Ross, Joseph S.; Sheth, Sameer D.; Krumholz, Harlan M.
2011-01-01
The prevalence of state public reporting initiatives focused on hospital quality is not known. We systematically reviewed state-sponsored publicly reporting programs focused on clinical aspects of hospital quality and performance for adults, surveying the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. We found that while identifying information about programs was frequently a challenge, programs were present in 25 states (49%) and provided hospital quality information that varied considerably from state to state both by condition and by process and outcome measures reported. We examine the implications of these findings for future state initiatives. PMID:21134936
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Walker, Daniel M; Johnson, Tyler; Ford, Eric W; Huerta, Timothy R
2017-01-04
As electronic health records (EHRs) become ubiquitous in the health care industry, privacy breaches are increasing and being made public. These breaches may make consumers wary of the technology, undermining its potential to improve care coordination and research. Given the developing concerns around privacy of personal health information stored in digital format, it is important for providers to understand how views on privacy and security may be associated with patient disclosure of health information. This study aimed to understand how privacy concerns may be shifting patient behavior. Using a pooled cross-section of data from the 2011 and 2014 cycles of the Health Information and National Trends Survey (HINTS), we tested whether privacy and security concerns, as well as quality perceptions, are associated with the likelihood of withholding personal health information from a provider. A fully interacted multivariate model was used to compare associations between the 2 years, and interaction terms were used to evaluate trends in the factors that are associated with withholding behavior. No difference was found regarding the effect of privacy and security concerns on withholding behavior between 2011 and 2014. Similarly, whereas perceived high quality of care was found to reduce the likelihood of withholding information from a provider in both 2011 (odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56-0.94) and 2014 (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.48-0.76), no difference was observed between years. These findings suggest that consumers' beliefs about EHR privacy and security, the relationship between technology use and quality, and intentions to share information with their health care provider have not changed. These findings are counter to the ongoing discussions about the implications of security failures in other domains. Our results suggest that providers could ameliorate privacy and security by focusing on the care quality benefits EHRs provide. ©Daniel M Walker, Tyler Johnson, Eric W Ford, Timothy R Huerta. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 04.01.2017.
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The quality and readability of colorectal cancer information on the internet.
Grewal, P; Alagaratnam, S
2013-01-01
Patients can rapidly access the internet and more young people are using their mobile to access health-related information. The aim of this study is to assess the readability and quality of colorectal disease websites for colorectal cancer. We searched the Google, Yahoo and Bing for colorectal cancer. Readability was assessed using Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade (FKG) and Gunning Fog Index (GFI). The LIDA tool and DISCERN instrument were used to measure the design and content of health information on the Internet. A sub-group analysis was performed on websites certified by HONcode and Information Standard against non-certified websites. The mean FRES were 56.3, mean FKG of 6.9, mean GFI of 9.5, equivalent to TIME magazine. The mean LIDA Tool overall score was 85.6% and mean DISCERN instrument was 52.2 (95% CI 45-59.4). This study shows that colorectal cancer websites were readable but potentially unreliable. Government certified sites were superior to non-certified sites. Improvements are required to provide patients with reliable information to make informed decisions on medical treatments. We propose that national cancer services develop reliable and easily readable information regarding the diagnosis and investigation of colorectal cancer. The site should provide adequate information regarding the treatment options and importantly how each treatment option would affect the patient's quality of life. Clinicians can then provide these websites to the patients before and after their consultations to allow the patient to be fully informed. Copyright © 2013 Surgical Associates Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Annual reports in the Pacific: transforming data into information and knowledge.
Hodge, Nicola
2012-04-01
Annual Reports provide a wealth of raw data. However, they are often comprised of pages of complex tables with little interpretation or descriptive analysis provided, thus limiting their usefulness in monitoring and evaluating health patterns. This article provides an overview of research carried out as part of a Masters Dissertation, which was concerned with what Annual Reports from Pacific Island Countries can tell us about the quality of data being produced from Health Information Systems (HIS). Five dimensions of quality were selected for assessment (comparability, disaggregation, interpretability, presentation and timeliness), and methods of measurement developed accordingly. Findings from the research are two-fold. Firstly, reports are often excessively long, with a wide range of information on the entire Health System and include pages of dense tables with little critical analysis on implications for policy or decision-making. The second main finding relates to the concept of quality. Overall, the research found that the quality of data produced from HIS, as presented in Annual Reports, is poor. The wealth of data contained within Annual Reports deserve wider dissemination and use, and could play a crucial role in evidence-based decision making and the monitoring and evaluation of health systems and health outcomes. As such, four key recommendations are proposed: (1) comprehensive review of reporting practices; (2) development of quality assessment tools; (3) development of regional reporting templates; and (4) development of a minimum data set.
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Soileau, Suzanna; Miller, Kirk
2013-01-01
The quality of the Nation’s water resources are vital to the health and well-being of both our communities and the natural landscapes we value. The U.S. Geological Survey investigates the occurrence, quantity, quality, distribution, and movement of surface water and groundwater and provides this information to engineers, scientists, managers, educators, and the general public. This information also supplements current (2013) and historical water data provided by the National Water Information System. The U.S. Geological Survey collects and shares data nationwide, but how those data are used is often site specific; this variety of data assists natural-resource managers in addressing unique, local, and regional challenges.
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Kania-Richmond, Ania; Weeks, Laura; Scholten, Jeffrey; Reney, Mikaël
2016-03-01
Practice based research networks (PBRNs) are increasingly used as a tool for evidence based practice. We developed and tested the feasibility of using software to enable online collection of patient data within a chiropractic PBRN to support clinical decision making and research in participating clinics. To assess the feasibility of using online software to collect quality patient information. The study consisted of two phases: 1) Assessment of the quality of information provided, using a standardized form; and 2) Exploration of patients' perspectives and experiences regarding online information provision through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was descriptive. Forty-five new patients were recruited. Thirty-six completed online forms, which were submitted by an appropriate person 100% of the time, with an error rate of less than 1%, and submitted in a timely manner 83% of the time. Twenty-one participants were interviewed. Overall, online forms were preferred given perceived security, ease of use, and enabling provision of more accurate information. Use of online software is feasible, provides high quality information, and is preferred by most participants. A pen-and-paper format should be available for patients with this preference and in case of technical difficulties.
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Popular on YouTube: a critical appraisal of the educational quality of information regarding asthma.
Gonzalez-Estrada, Alexei; Cuervo-Pardo, Lyda; Ghosh, Bitan; Smith, Martin; Pazheri, Foussena; Zell, Katrina; Wang, Xiao-Feng; Lang, David M
2015-01-01
Asthma affects >300 million people globally, including 25 million in the United States. Patients with asthma frequently use the Internet as a source of information. YouTube is one of the three most popular Web sites. To determine the educational quality of YouTube videos for asthma. We performed a YouTube search by using the keyword "asthma." The 200 most frequently viewed relevant videos were included in the study. Asthma videos were analyzed for characteristics, source, and content. Source was further classified as asthma health care provider, other health care provider, patient, pharmaceutical company, and professional society and/or media. A scoring system was created to evaluate quality (-10 to 30 points). Negative points were assigned for misleading information. Two hundred videos were analyzed, with a median of 18,073.5 views, 31.5 likes, and 2 dislikes, which spanned a median of 172 seconds. More video presenters were male (60.5%). The most common type of video source was other health care providers (34.5%). The most common video content was alternative treatments (38.0%), including live-fish ingestion; reflexology; acupressure and/or acupuncture; Ayurveda; yoga; raw food, vegan, gluten-free diets; marijuana; Buteyko breathing; and salt therapy. Scores for videos supplied by asthma health care providers were statistically significantly different from other sources (p < 0.001) and had the highest average score (9.91). YouTube videos of asthma were frequently viewed but were a poor source of accurate health care information. Videos by asthma health care providers were rated highest in quality. The allergy/immunology community has a clear opportunity to enhance the value of educational material on YouTube.
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Sources and summaries of water-quality information for the Rapid Creek basin, western South Dakota
Zogorski, John S.; Zogorski, E.M.; McKallip, T.E.
1990-01-01
This report provides a compilation of water quality information for the Rapid Creek basin in western South Dakota. Two types of information are included: First, past and current water quality monitoring data collected by the South Dakota Department of Water and Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and others are described. Second, a summary is included for all past water quality reports, publications, and theses that could be located during this study. A total of 62 documents were abstracted and included journal articles, abstracts, Federal agency reports and publications, university and State agency reports, local agency reports, and graduate theses. The report should be valuable to water resources managers, regulators, and others contemplating water quality research, monitoring, and regulatory programs in the Rapid Creek basin. (USGS)
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Management information systems: their role in the marketing activities of HMOs.
Aronow, D B
1988-01-01
HMOs are particularly dependent on their information resources in providing cost-effective, high quality, accessible care. Understanding the role of MIS in HMO marketing activities may guide administrators in evaluating information systems applications within their organizations.
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Googling endometriosis: a systematic review of information available on the Internet.
Hirsch, Martin; Aggarwal, Shivani; Barker, Claire; Davis, Colin J; Duffy, James M N
2017-05-01
The demand for health information online is increasing rapidly without clear governance. We aim to evaluate the credibility, quality, readability, and accuracy of online patient information concerning endometriosis. We searched 5 popular Internet search engines: aol.com, ask.com, bing.com, google.com, and yahoo.com. We developed a search strategy in consultation with patients with endometriosis, to identify relevant World Wide Web pages. Pages containing information related to endometriosis for women with endometriosis or the public were eligible. Two independent authors screened the search results. World Wide Web pages were evaluated using validated instruments across 3 of the 4 following domains: (1) credibility (White Paper instrument; range 0-10); (2) quality (DISCERN instrument; range 0-85); and (3) readability (Flesch-Kincaid instrument; range 0-100); and (4) accuracy (assessed by a prioritized criteria developed in consultation with health care professionals, researchers, and women with endometriosis based on the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology guidelines [range 0-30]). We summarized these data in diagrams, tables, and narratively. We identified 750 World Wide Web pages, of which 54 were included. Over a third of Web pages did not attribute authorship and almost half the included pages did not report the sources of information or academic references. No World Wide Web page provided information assessed as being written in plain English. A minority of web pages were assessed as high quality. A single World Wide Web page provided accurate information: evidentlycochrane.net. Available information was, in general, skewed toward the diagnosis of endometriosis. There were 16 credible World Wide Web pages, however the content limitations were infrequently discussed. No World Wide Web page scored highly across all 4 domains. In the unlikely event that a World Wide Web page reports high-quality, accurate, and credible health information it is typically challenging for a lay audience to comprehend. Health care professionals, and the wider community, should inform women with endometriosis of the risk of outdated, inaccurate, or even dangerous information online. The implementation of an information standard will incentivize providers of online information to establish and adhere to codes of conduct. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Measuring quality in maternal-newborn care: developing a clinical dashboard.
Sprague, Ann E; Dunn, Sandra I; Fell, Deshayne B; Harrold, Joann; Walker, Mark C; Kelly, Sherrie; Smith, Graeme N
2013-01-01
Pregnancy, birth, and the early newborn period are times of high use of health care services. As well as opportunities for providing quality care, there are potential missed opportunities for health promotion, safety issues, and increased costs for the individual and the system when quality is not well defined or measured. There has been a need to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure quality care within the provincial maternal-newborn system. We also wanted to provide automated audit and feedback about these KPIs to support quality improvement initiatives in a large Canadian province with approximately 140 000 births per year. We therefore worked to develop a maternal-newborn dashboard to increase awareness about selected KPIs and to inform and support hospitals and care providers about areas for quality improvement. We mapped maternal-newborn data elements to a quality domain framework, sought feedback via survey for the relevance and feasibility of change, and examined current data and the literature to assist in setting provincial benchmarks. Six clinical performance indicators of maternal-newborn quality care were identified and evidence-informed benchmarks were set. A maternal-newborn dashboard with "drill down" capacity for detailed analysis to enhance audit and feedback is now available for implementation. While audit and feedback does not guarantee individuals or institutions will make practice changes and move towards quality improvement, it is an important first step. Practice change and quality improvement will not occur without an awareness of the issues.
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Software solutions alone cannot guarantee useful radiology requests.
Van Borsel, Mathias D; Devolder, Pieter Jd; Bosmans, Jan Ml
2016-11-01
Background The availability of clinical information and a pertinent clinical question can improve the diagnostic accuracy of the imaging process. Purpose To examine if an electronic request form forcing referring clinicians to provide separate input of both clinical information and a clinical question can improve the quality of the request. Material and Methods A total of 607 request forms in the clinical worklists for a computed tomography (CT) scan of the thorax, the abdomen or their combination, were examined. Using software of our own making, we examined the presence of clinical information and a clinical question before and after the introduction of a new, more compelling order method. We scored and compared the quality of the clinical information and the clinical question between the two systems and we examined the effect on productivity. Results Both clinical information and a clinical question were present in 76.7% of cases under the old system and in 95.3% under the new system ( P < 0.001). Individual characteristics of the clinical information and the clinical question however, with the exception of incompleteness, showed little improvement under the new system. There was also no significant difference between the two systems in the number of requests requiring further search. Conclusion The introduction of electronic radiology request forms compelling referring clinicians to provide separate input of clinical information and a clinical question provides only limited benefit to the quality of the request. Raising awareness among clinicians of the importance of a well-written request remains essential.
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Prusti, Marjo; Lehtineva, Susanna; Pohjanoksa-Mäntylä, Marika; Bell, J Simon
2012-01-01
The Internet is a frequently used source of drug information, including among people with mental disorders. Online drug information may be narrow in scope, incomplete, and contain errors of omission. To evaluate the quality of online antidepressant drug information in English and Finnish. Forty Web sites were identified using the search terms antidepressants and masennuslääkkeet in English and Finnish, respectively. Included Web sites (14 English, 8 Finnish) were evaluated for aesthetics, interactivity, content coverage, and content correctness using published criteria. All Web sites were assessed using the Date, Author, References, Type, Sponsor (DARTS) and DISCERN quality assessment tools. English and Finnish Web sites had similar aesthetics, content coverage, and content correctness scores. English Web sites were more interactive than Finnish Web sites (P<.05). Overall, adverse drug reactions were covered on 21 of 22 Web sites; however, drug-alcohol interactions were addressed on only 9 of 22 Web sites, and dose was addressed on only 6 of 22 Web sites. Few (2/22 Web sites) provided incorrect information. The DISCERN score was significantly correlated with content coverage (r=0.670, P<.01), content correctness (r=0.663, P<.01), and the DARTS score (r=0.459, P<.05). No Web site provided information about all aspects of antidepressant treatment. Nevertheless, few Web sites provided incorrect information. Both English and Finnish Web sites were similar in terms of aesthetics, content coverage, and content correctness. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Evaluating clinical librarian services: a systematic review.
Brettle, Alison; Maden-Jenkins, Michelle; Anderson, Lucy; McNally, Rosalind; Pratchett, Tracey; Tancock, Jenny; Thornton, Debra; Webb, Anne
2011-03-01
Previous systematic reviews have indicated limited evidence and poor quality evaluations of clinical librarian (CL) services. Rigorous evaluations should demonstrate the value of CL services, but guidance is needed before this can be achieved. To undertake a systematic review which examines models of CL services, quality, methods and perspectives of clinical librarian service evaluations. Systematic review methodology and synthesis of evidence, undertaken collaboratively by a group of 8 librarians to develop research and critical appraisal skills. There are four clear models of clinical library service provision. Clinical librarians are effective in saving health professionals time, providing relevant, useful information and high quality services. Clinical librarians have a positive effect on clinical decision making by contributing to better informed decisions, diagnosis and choice of drug or therapy. The quality of CL studies is improving, but more work is needed on reducing bias and providing evidence of specific impacts on patient care. The Critical Incident Technique as part of a mixed method approach appears to offer a useful approach to demonstrating impact. This systematic review provides practical guidance regarding the evaluation of CL services. It also provides updated evidence regarding the effectiveness and impact of CL services. The approach used was successful in developing research and critical appraisal skills in a group of librarians. © 2010 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2010 Health Libraries Group.
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Toward a US National Air Quality Forecast Capability: Current and Planned Capabilities
As mandated by Congress, NOAA is establishing a US national air quality forecast capability. This capability is being built with EPA, to provide air quality forecast information with enough accuracy and lead-time so that people can take actions to limit harmful effects of poor a...
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Baji, Petra; Rubashkin, Nicholas; Szebik, Imre; Stoll, Kathrin; Vedam, Saraswathi
2017-09-01
In Central and Eastern Europe, many women make informal cash payments to ensure continuity of provider, i.e., to have a "chosen" doctor who provided their prenatal care, be present for birth. High rates of obstetric interventions and disrespectful maternity care are also common to the region. No previous study has examined the associations among informal payments, intervention rates, and quality of maternity care. We distributed an online cross-sectional survey in 2014 to a nationally representative sample of Hungarian internet-using women (N = 600) who had given birth in the last 5 years. The survey included items related to socio-demographics, type of provider, obstetric interventions, and experiences of care. Women reported if they paid informally, and how much. We built a two-part model, where a bivariate probit model was used to estimate conditional probabilities of women paying informally, and a GLM model to explore the amount of payments. We calculated marginal effects of the covariates (provider choice, interventions, respectful care). Many more women (79%) with a chosen doctor paid informally (191 euros on average) compared to 17% of women without a chosen doctor (86 euros). Based on regression analysis, the chosen doctor's presence at birth was the principal determinant of payment. Intervention and procedure rates were significantly higher for women with a chosen doctor versus without (cesareans 45% vs. 33%; inductions 32% vs. 19%; episiotomy 75% vs. 62%; epidural 13% vs. 5%), but had no direct effect on payments. Half of the sample (42% with a chosen doctor, 62% without) reported some form of disrespectful care, but this did not reduce payments. Despite reporting disrespect and higher rates of interventions, women rewarded the presence of a chosen doctor with informal payments. They may be unaware of evidence-based standards, and trust that their chosen doctor provided high quality maternity care. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Quality assurance and quality improvement in U.S. clinical molecular genetic laboratories.
Chen, Bin; Richards, C Sue; Wilson, Jean Amos; Lyon, Elaine
2011-04-01
A robust quality-assurance program is essential for laboratories that perform molecular genetic testing to maintain high-quality testing and be able to address challenges associated with performance or delivery of testing services as the use of molecular genetic tests continues to expand in clinical and public health practice. This unit discusses quality-assurance and quality-improvement considerations that are critical for molecular genetic testing performed for heritable diseases and conditions. Specific discussion is provided on applying regulatory standards and best practices in establishing/verifying test performance, ensuring quality of the total testing process, monitoring and maintaining personnel competency, and continuing quality improvement. The unit provides a practical reference for laboratory professionals to use in recognizing and addressing essential quality-assurance issues in human molecular genetic testing. It should also provide useful information for genetics researchers, trainees, and fellows in human genetics training programs, as well as others who are interested in quality assurance and quality improvement for molecular genetic testing. 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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ED Proposed Regulations to Title II of HEA: Comments from the Data Quality Campaign
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Data Quality Campaign, 2015
2015-01-01
States are uniquely positioned to provide feedback to teacher preparation programs (TPPs) on the effectiveness of the teachers they train, and to provide information about the quality of TPPs to the public. States have been building the significant data capacity to reliably and securely link teachers with their students' achievement and growth…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-17
..., phone 1-800-743-3951. I. Background The Affordable Care Act seeks to improve the quality of health care services and to lower health care costs by encouraging providers to create integrated health care delivery... incentives for health care providers to enhance health care quality and lower costs. One important delivery...
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Hirdes, John P; Poss, Jeff W; Caldarelli, Hilary; Fries, Brant E; Morris, John N; Teare, Gary F; Reidel, Kristen; Jutan, Norma
2013-02-26
Evidence informed decision making in health policy development and clinical practice depends on the availability of valid and reliable data. The introduction of interRAI assessment systems in many countries has provided valuable new information that can be used to support case mix based payment systems, quality monitoring, outcome measurement and care planning. The Continuing Care Reporting System (CCRS) managed by the Canadian Institute for Health Information has served as a data repository supporting national implementation of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI 2.0) in Canada for more than 15 years. The present paper aims to evaluate data quality for the CCRS using an approach that may be generalizable to comparable data holdings internationally. Data from the RAI 2.0 implementation in Complex Continuing Care (CCC) hospitals/units and Long Term Care (LTC) homes in Ontario were analyzed using various statistical techniques that provide evidence for trends in validity, reliability, and population attributes. Time series comparisons included evaluations of scale reliability, patterns of associations between items and scales that provide evidence about convergent validity, and measures of changes in population characteristics over time. Data quality with respect to reliability, validity, completeness and freedom from logical coding errors was consistently high for the CCRS in both CCC and LTC settings. The addition of logic checks further improved data quality in both settings. The only notable change of concern was a substantial inflation in the percentage of long term care home residents qualifying for the Special Rehabilitation level of the Resource Utilization Groups (RUG-III) case mix system after the adoption of that system as part of the payment system for LTC. The CCRS provides a robust, high quality data source that may be used to inform policy, clinical practice and service delivery in Ontario. Only one area of concern was noted, and the statistical techniques employed here may be readily used to target organizations with data quality problems in that (or any other) area. There was also evidence that data quality was good in both CCC and LTC settings from the outset of implementation, meaning data may be used from the entire time series. The methods employed here may continue to be used to monitor data quality in this province over time and they provide a benchmark for comparisons with other jurisdictions implementing the RAI 2.0 in similar populations.
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Spooner, Kiara K; Salemi, Jason L; Salihu, Hamisu M; Zoorob, Roger J
2016-05-01
This study aimed to describe disparities and temporal trends in the level of perceived patient-provider communication quality (PPPCQ) in the United States, and to identify sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with elements of PPPCQ. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using nationally-representative data from the 2011-2013 iterations of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Descriptive statistics, multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations. PPPCQ scores, the composite measure of patients' ratings of communication quality, were positive overall (82.8; 95% CI: 82.1-83.5). However, less than half (42-46%) of respondents perceived that providers always addressed their feelings, spent enough time with them, or helped with feelings of uncertainty about their health. Older adults and those with a regular provider consistently had higher PPPCQ scores, while those with poorer perceived general health were consistently less likely to have positive perceptions of their providers' communication behaviors. Disparities in PPPCQ can be attributed to patients' age, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, employment status, income, healthcare access and general health. These findings may inform educational and policy efforts which aim to improve patient-provider communication, enhance the quality of care, and reduce health disparities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Re: Supplement to Request for Correction - IRIS Assessment of Trichloroethylene
Letter from Faye Graul providing supplemental information to her Request for Correction for Threshold of Trichloroethylene Contamination of Maternal Drinking Waters submitted under the Information Quality Act.
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Quality of online health information about oral contraceptives from Hebrew-language websites.
Neumark, Yehuda; Flum, Lior; Lopez-Quintero, Catalina; Shtarkshall, Ronny
2012-09-24
The Internet is a frequently used source of health information. Adolescents in particular seem to be receptive to online health information (OHI) and often incorporate such information in their decision-making processes. Yet, OHI is often incomplete, inaccurate, or unreliable. This study assessed the quality of Hebrew online (non-user-generated) content on oral contraceptives (OC), with regard to accuracy/completeness, credibility, and usability. Twenty-nine websites in Hebrew, including those of the four Israeli HMOs, were identified and evaluated. The websites were categorized as: HMO, health portal, contraception-specific, promotional-commercial, and life style and women's health. A set of established content parameters was selected by a family planning expert to assess accuracy/completeness. The Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) principles were used to assess the websites' reliability. Usability was assessed by applying items selected from the Minervation Validation and the University of Michigan's 'Website Evaluation checklist' scale. Mean scores, standard deviations (SD), and ranges were calculated for all websites and for category-specific websites. Correlation between dimensions and Inter-rater reliability were also examined. The mean score for accuracy/completeness was 50.9% for all websites (SD=30.1%, range 8-100%). Many websites failed to provide complete information, or provided inaccurate information regarding what to do when a pill is missed and when to use back-up methods. The average credibility score for all websites was 70.6% (SD=15.1, range=38=98%). The credibility parameters that were most commonly absent were funding source, authoring, date of content creation and last modification, explicit reference to evidence-based information, and references and citations. The average usability score for all websites was 94.5% (SD=6.9%, range 79-100%). A weak correlation was found between the three quality parameters assessed. Wide variation was noted in the quality of Hebrew-language OC websites. HMOs' websites scored highest on credibility and usability, and contraceptive-specific websites exhibited the greatest accuracy/completeness. The findings highlight the need to establish quality guidelines for health website content, train health care providers in assisting their patients to seek high quality OHI, and strengthen e-health literacy skills among online-information seekers, including perhaps health professionals.
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Quality of online health information about oral contraceptives from Hebrew-language websites
2012-01-01
Background The Internet is a frequently used source of health information. Adolescents in particular seem to be receptive to online health information (OHI) and often incorporate such information in their decision-making processes. Yet, OHI is often incomplete, inaccurate, or unreliable. This study assessed the quality of Hebrew online (non-user-generated) content on oral contraceptives (OC), with regard to accuracy/completeness, credibility, and usability. Methods Twenty-nine websites in Hebrew, including those of the four Israeli HMOs, were identified and evaluated. The websites were categorized as: HMO, health portal, contraception-specific, promotional-commercial, and life style and women’s health. A set of established content parameters was selected by a family planning expert to assess accuracy/completeness. The Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) principles were used to assess the websites’ reliability. Usability was assessed by applying items selected from the Minervation Validation and the University of Michigan’s ′Website Evaluation checklist′ scale. Mean scores, standard deviations (SD), and ranges were calculated for all websites and for category-specific websites. Correlation between dimensions and Inter-rater reliability were also examined. Results The mean score for accuracy/completeness was 50.9% for all websites (SD=30.1%, range 8–100%). Many websites failed to provide complete information, or provided inaccurate information regarding what to do when a pill is missed and when to use back–up methods. The average credibility score for all websites was 70.6% (SD=15.1, range=38=98%). The credibility parameters that were most commonly absent were funding source, authoring, date of content creation and last modification, explicit reference to evidence-based information, and references and citations. The average usability score for all websites was 94.5% (SD=6.9%, range 79–100%). A weak correlation was found between the three quality parameters assessed. Conclusions Wide variation was noted in the quality of Hebrew-language OC websites. HMOs’ websites scored highest on credibility and usability, and contraceptive-specific websites exhibited the greatest accuracy/completeness. The findings highlight the need to establish quality guidelines for health website content, train health care providers in assisting their patients to seek high quality OHI, and strengthen e-health literacy skills among online-information seekers, including perhaps health professionals. PMID:23006798
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Commentary: public disclosure in the health field: is there a relevant option?
Weil, T P
2001-01-01
Steadily increasing numbers of private, not-for-profit, and public agencies are releasing quality of care and financial information to enhance the market power of those purchasing America's health services. These sources range widely from the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) to the federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A growing interest in publicly disclosing performance information that concerns providers, as recently recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on patient safety, until now has only achieved a modest impact. A major exception is in those metropolitan areas where acute-care facilities experience intense competition for patient admissions. Although the comparative quality and cost information currently available is for the most part in the public interest, it is concluded that, in the foreseeable future, these report cards as now structured will not result in any significant enhancement in access, improvement in quality, or reduction in cost. Options to encourage more public disclosure explored in this paper are Congress potentially passing legislation (a) to establish a Center for Patient Safety within the US Department of Health and Human Services as recommended by the recent Institute of IOM study, or (b) empowering the SEC beyond its current mandate to collect and disseminate all pertinent quality of care and cost information on every provider in the United States. The latter alternative would include user-friendly, comparative analyses to be provided on the Internet and elsewhere and would make readily available information from HEDIS, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery studies, cost comparisons based on Medicare cost reports and SEC filings, and other similar sources.
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Groundwater quality in the Central Sierra Nevada, California
Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth
2012-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California's drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State's groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. Two small watersheds of the Fresno and San Joaquin Rivers in the Central Sierra Nevada constitute one of the study units being evaluated.
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Groundwater quality in the Southern Sierra Nevada, California
Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth
2012-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California's drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State's groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Tehachapi-Cummings Valley and Kern River Valley basins and surrounding watersheds in the Southern Sierra Nevada constitute one of the study units being evaluated.
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Groundwater quality in the South Coast Range Coastal groundwater basins, California
Burton, Carmen A.; Belitz, Kenneth
2013-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s untreated groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The coastal basins in the Southern Coast Ranges constitute one of the study units being evaluated.
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Groundwater quality in the Bear Valley and Lake Arrowhead Watershed, California
Mathany, Timothy; Burton, Carmen; Fram, Miranda S.
2017-06-20
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Bear Valley and Lake Arrowhead Watershed study areas in southern California compose one of the study units being evaluated.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lipenbergs, E.; Bobrovs, Vj.; Ivanovs, G.
2016-10-01
To ensure that end-users and consumers have access to comprehensive, comparable and user-friendly information regarding the Internet access service quality, it is necessary to implement and regularly renew a set of legislative regulatory acts and to provide monitoring of the quality of Internet access services regarding the current European Regulatory Framework. The actual situation regarding the quality of service monitoring solutions in different European countries depends on national regulatory initiatives and public awareness. The service monitoring solutions are implemented using different measurement methodologies and tools. The paper investigates the practical implementations for developing a harmonising approach to quality monitoring in order to obtain objective information on the quality of Internet access services on mobile networks.
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Price and quality transparency: how effective for health care reform?
Nyman, John A; Li, Chia-Hsuan W
2009-07-01
Many in Minnesota and the United States are promoting price and quality transparency as a means for reforming health care. The assumption is that with such information, consumers and providers would be motivated to change their behavior and this would lead to lower costs and higher-quality care.This article attempts to determine the extent to which publicizing information about the cost and quality of medical care does, in fact, improve quality and lower costs, and thus should be included in any reform strategy. The authors reviewed a number of studies and concluded that there is a general lack of empirical evidence on the effect of price transparency on health care costs and that the evidence on the effectiveness of quality transparency is mixed.
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Theron, Maggie; Redmond, Anne; Borycki, Elizabeth M
2017-01-01
Both the Internet and social media have become important tools that patients and health professionals, including health professional students, use to obtain information and support their decision-making surrounding health care. Students in the health sciences require increased competence to select, appraise, and use online sources to adequately educate and support patients and advocate for patient needs and best practices. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if second year nursing students have the ability to critically identify and evaluate the quality of online health information through comparisons between student and expert assessments of selected online health information postings using an adapted Trust in Online Health Information scale. Interviews with experts provided understanding of how experts applied the selected criteria and what experts recommend for implementing nursing informatics literacy in curriculums. The difference between student and expert assessments of the quality of the online information is on average close to 40%. Themes from the interviews highlighted several possible factors that may influence informatics competency levels in students, specifically regarding the critical appraisal of the quality of online health information.
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Quality analysis of patient information about knee arthroscopy on the World Wide Web.
Sambandam, Senthil Nathan; Ramasamy, Vijayaraj; Priyanka, Priyanka; Ilango, Balakrishnan
2007-05-01
This study was designed to ascertain the quality of patient information available on the World Wide Web on the topic of knee arthroscopy. For the purpose of quality analysis, we used a pool of 232 search results obtained from 7 different search engines. We used a modified assessment questionnaire to assess the quality of these Web sites. This questionnaire was developed based on similar studies evaluating Web site quality and includes items on illustrations, accessibility, availability, accountability, and content of the Web site. We also compared results obtained with different search engines and tried to establish the best possible search strategy to attain the most relevant, authentic, and adequate information with minimum time consumption. For this purpose, we first compared 100 search results from the single most commonly used search engine (AltaVista) with the pooled sample containing 20 search results from each of the 7 different search engines. The search engines used were metasearch (Copernic and Mamma), general search (Google, AltaVista, and Yahoo), and health topic-related search engines (MedHunt and Healthfinder). The phrase "knee arthroscopy" was used as the search terminology. Excluding the repetitions, there were 117 Web sites available for quality analysis. These sites were analyzed for accessibility, relevance, authenticity, adequacy, and accountability by use of a specially designed questionnaire. Our analysis showed that most of the sites providing patient information on knee arthroscopy contained outdated information, were inadequate, and were not accountable. Only 16 sites were found to be providing reasonably good patient information and hence can be recommended to patients. Understandably, most of these sites were from nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. Furthermore, our study revealed that using multiple search engines increases patients' chances of obtaining more relevant information rather than using a single search engine. Our study shows the difficulties encountered by patients in obtaining information regarding knee arthroscopy and highlights the duty of knee surgeons in helping patients to identify the relevant and authentic information in the most efficient manner from the World Wide Web. This study highlights the importance of the role of orthopaedic surgeons in helping their patients to identify the best possible information on the World Wide Web.
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Public reporting of cost and quality information in orthopaedics.
Marjoua, Youssra; Butler, Craig A; Bozic, Kevin J
2012-04-01
Public reporting of patient health outcomes offers the potential to incentivize quality improvement by fostering increased accountability among providers. Voluntary reporting of risk-adjusted outcomes in cardiac surgery, for example, is viewed as a "watershed event" in healthcare accountability. However, public reporting of outcomes, cost, and quality information in orthopaedic surgery remains limited by comparison, attributable in part to the lack of standard assessment methods and metrics, provider fear of inadequate adjustment of health outcomes for patient characteristics (risk adjustment), and historically weak market demand for this type of information. We review the origins of public reporting of outcomes in surgical care, identify existing initiatives specific to orthopaedics, outline the challenges and opportunities, and propose recommendations for public reporting of orthopaedic outcomes. We performed a comprehensive review of the literature through a bibliographic search of MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases from January 1990 to December 2010 to identify articles related to public reporting of surgical outcomes. Orthopaedic-specific quality reporting efforts include the early FDA adverse event reporting MedWatch program and the involvement of surgeons in the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative. Issues that require more work include balancing different stakeholder perspectives on quality reporting measures and methods, defining accountability and attribution for outcomes, and appropriately risk-adjusting outcomes. Given the current limitations associated with public reporting of quality and cost in orthopaedic surgery, valuable contributions can be made in developing specialty-specific evidence-based performance measures. We believe through leadership and involvement in policy formulation and development, orthopaedic surgeons are best equipped to accurately and comprehensively inform the quality reporting process and its application to improve the delivery and outcomes of orthopaedic care.
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Tirlapur, S A; Leiu, C; Khan, K S
2013-08-01
Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) has an impact on quality of life and available treatments often only provide temporary symptomatic relief. The information provided by websites can be valuable for patient education and management. The hypothesis was to assess medical information available on the internet related to bladder pain syndrome in terms of accuracy, credibility, readability and quality. A search was performed in the meta-search engine Copernic Agent, using the search terms "bladder pain syndrome, interstitial cystitis, painful bladder syndrome and pelvic pain", which simultaneously captured websites from a range of engines. Websites in the English language that were open-access were included. The four quality assessments used were: credibility using a ten-point scale, accuracy based on the American Urological Association guidelines, quality using the DISCERN questionnaire and readability using the Flesch Reading Ease Score. Inter-rater agreement was tested by intra-class coefficient (ICC). Eighteen suitable websites were identified; 7 (39%) were specialist or specific to BPS. The combined mean scores for accuracy, quality, credibility and readability ranged from 83 to 144 for specialist websites and 76 to 137 for non-specialist ones, with a maximum possible score of 208. There was good inter-observer agreement for the assessments performed with an ICC ranging from 0.80 for DISCERN to 0.53 for readability. Specialist websites had higher quality scores (median difference 10, p = 0.07) and readability scores (median difference 5.4, p = 0.05) compared with non-specialist websites whereas credibility and accuracy scores were no different. We found four websites that fulfilled our criteria for good quality information.
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The on-site quality-assurance system for Hyper Suprime-Cam: OSQAH
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Furusawa, Hisanori; Koike, Michitaro; Takata, Tadafumi; Okura, Yuki; Miyatake, Hironao; Lupton, Robert H.; Bickerton, Steven; Price, Paul A.; Bosch, James; Yasuda, Naoki; Mineo, Sogo; Yamada, Yoshihiko; Miyazaki, Satoshi; Nakata, Fumiaki; Koshida, Shintaro; Komiyama, Yutaka; Utsumi, Yousuke; Kawanomoto, Satoshi; Jeschke, Eric; Noumaru, Junichi; Schubert, Kiaina; Iwata, Ikuru; Finet, Francois; Fujiyoshi, Takuya; Tajitsu, Akito; Terai, Tsuyoshi; Lee, Chien-Hsiu
2018-01-01
We have developed an automated quick data analysis system for data quality assurance (QA) for Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC). The system was commissioned in 2012-2014, and has been offered for general observations, including the HSC Subaru Strategic Program, since 2014 March. The system provides observers with data quality information, such as seeing, sky background level, and sky transparency, based on quick analysis as data are acquired. Quick-look images and validation of image focus are also provided through an interactive web application. The system is responsible for the automatic extraction of QA information from acquired raw data into a database, to assist with observation planning, assess progress of all observing programs, and monitor long-term efficiency variations of the instrument and telescope. Enhancements of the system are being planned to facilitate final data analysis, to improve the HSC archive, and to provide legacy products for astronomical communities.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Plag, H.-P.
2012-04-01
Geo-referenced information is increasingly important for many scientific and societal applications. The availability of reliable and applicable spatial data and information is fundamental for addressing pressing problems such as food, water, and energy security; disaster risk reduction; climate change; environmental quality; pandemics; economic crises and wars; population migration; and, in a general sense, sustainability. Today, more than 70% of societal activities in developed countries depend directly or indirectly on geo-referenced information. The rapid development of analysis tools, such as Geographic Information Systems and web-based tools for viewing, accessing, and analyzing of geo-referenced information, and the growing abundance of openly available Earth observations (e.g., through the Global Earth Observation System of Systems, GEOSS) likely will increase the dependency of science and society on geo-referenced information. Increasingly, the tools allow the combination of data sets from various sources. Improvements of interoperability, promoted particularly by GEOSS, will strengthen this trend and lead to more tools for the combinations of data from different sources. What is currently lacking is a service-oriented infrastructure helping to ensure that data quality and applicability are not compromised through modifications and combinations. Most geo-referenced information comes without sufficient information on quality and applicability. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) has embarked on establishing a so-called GEO Label that would provide easy-to-understand, globally available information on aspects of quality, user rating, relevance, and fit-for-usage of the products and services accessible through GEOSS (with the responsibility for the concept development delegated to Work Plan Task ID-03). In designing a service-oriented architecture that could support a GEO Label, it is important to understand the impact of the goals for the label on the design of the infrastructure. Design, concept, implementation, and success of a label depend on the goals, and these goals need to be well-defined and widely accepted. Strong labels are generally those that are unique in their field and accepted by an authoritative body in this field. A label requires time to get accepted, and once established the key characteristics normally can not be changed. Therefore, an informed decision on a labeling for geo-referenced data is crucial for success. GEO is in a position to make this decision. There is a wide range of potential goals for the GEO Label including: (1) an attractive incentive for involvement of S&T communities by giving recognition for contributions; enabling credits for providers (attribution); and supporting forward traceability (usage); (2) promote data sharing by signaling data availability and conditions; (3) inform users by increasing trustworthiness; characterizing quality; characterizing applicability; ensuring backward traceability (data sources); (4) inform providers (and their funders) by providing information on relevance (meeting user needs); and provide information on usage. GEO will have to decide on which of these goals to choose for the GEO Label. Input from GEOSS users and S&T communities would help to reach a decision that would serve best all those depending on geo-referenced information.
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Baron, Jill S.
2005-01-01
Indicators are routinely used to report the status and trends of human health, economy, educational achievement, and quality of life. Some environmental indicators, such as for water and air quality, are routinely reported and used to inform personal, management, or policy decisions. Other environmental indicators, particularly those that do not relate directly to human well-being, have been harder to define, interpret, or use. These indicators may be just as useful and important in describing the ability to provide ecosystem good and services, or less tangible quality of life measures, but they may be suspect because of the quality of data or even the source of the information.
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The Air Quality Assessment Final Report is intended for managers and scientists working on air quality to provide them with information on the potential effects of climate change on regional air quality in the United States.
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Water Quality Indicators Data Usability Improvement Project ...
ECHO, Enforcement and Compliance History Online, provides compliance and enforcement information for approximately 800,000 EPA-regulated facilities nationwide. ECHO includes permit, inspection, violation, enforcement action, and penalty information about facilities regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Stationary Source Program, Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System (NPDES), and/or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Information also is provided on surrounding demographics when available.
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[Overview of the US policies for health information technology and lessons learned for Israel].
Topaz, Maxim; Ash, Nachman
2013-05-01
The heaLthcare system in the United States (U.S.) faces a number of significant changes aimed at improving the quality and availability of medical services and reducing costs. Implementation of health information technologies, especiaLly ELectronic Health Records (EHR), is central to achieving these goals. Several recent Legislative efforts in the U.S. aim at defining standards and promoting wide scale "Meaningful Use" of the novel technologies. In Israel, the majority of heaLthcare providers adopted EHR throughout the Last decade. Unlike the U.S., the process of EHR adoption occurred spontaneously, without governmental control or the definition of standards. In this article, we review the U.S. health information technology policies and standards and suggest potential lessons Learned for Israel. First, we present the three-staged Meaningful Use regulations that require eligible healthcare practitioners to use EHR in their practice. We also describe the standards for EHR certification and national efforts to create interoperable health information technology networks. Finally, we provide a brief overview of the IsraeLi regulation in the field of EHR. Although the adoption of health information technology is wider in Israel, the Lack of technology standards and governmental control has Led to Large technology gaps between providers. The example of the U.S. Legislation urges the adoption of several critical steps to further enhance the quality and efficiency of the Israeli healthcare system, in particular: strengthening health information technology regulation; developing Licensure criteria for health information technology; bridging the digital gap between healthcare organizations; defining quality measures; and improving the accessibility of health information for patients.
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Analysis of the Factors Affecting Consumer Acceptance of Accredited Online Health Information
2017-01-01
With the increasing use of the internet and the spread of smartphones, health information seekers obtain considerable information through the internet. As the amount of online health information increases, the need for quality management of health information has been emphasized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the intention of using accredited online health information by applying the extended technology acceptance model (Extended-TAM). An online survey was conducted from September 15, 2016 to October 3, 2016, on 500 men and women aged 19–69 years. The results showed that the greatest factor influencing the acceptance of the accredited health information was perceived usefulness, and the expectation for the quality of the accreditation system was the most important mediator variable. In order to establish the health information accreditation system as a means to provide easy and useful information to the consumers, it is necessary to carry out quality management and promote the system through the continuous monitoring of the accreditation system. PMID:28960026
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Tao, Donghua
2008-01-01
This study extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by examining the roles of two aspects of e-resource characteristics, namely, information quality and system quality, in predicting public health students’ intention to use e-resources for completing research paper assignments. Both focus groups and a questionnaire were used to collect data. Descriptive analysis, data screening, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques were used for data analysis. The study found that perceived usefulness played a major role in determining students’ intention to use e-resources. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use fully mediated the impact that information quality and system quality had on behavior intention. The research model enriches the existing technology acceptance literature by extending TAM. Representing two aspects of e-resource characteristics provides greater explanatory information for diagnosing problems of system design, development, and implementation. PMID:18999300
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Tao, Donghua
2008-11-06
This study extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by examining the roles of two aspects of e-resource characteristics, namely, information quality and system quality, in predicting public health students' intention to use e-resources for completing research paper assignments. Both focus groups and a questionnaire were used to collect data. Descriptive analysis, data screening, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques were used for data analysis. The study found that perceived usefulness played a major role in determining students' intention to use e-resources. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use fully mediated the impact that information quality and system quality had on behavior intention. The research model enriches the existing technology acceptance literature by extending TAM. Representing two aspects of e-resource characteristics provides greater explanatory information for diagnosing problems of system design, development, and implementation.
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Middle-Aged Offspring’s Support to Aging Parents With Emerging Disability
Bangerter, Lauren R.; Liu, Yin; Polenick, Courtney A.; Zarit, Steven H.; Fingerman, Karen L.
2017-01-01
Abstract Purpose of the Study: A vast literature has examined family caregivers, but few studies explore transitions from providing ordinary support to parents to situations involving increasing dependency. Using 2 waves of data, we examined how parents’ increasing disability in activities of daily living (ADL) is associated with changes in everyday support patterns, relationship quality, and psychological well-being of middle-aged offspring, taking into account other informal and paid help to the parent. Design and Methods: Three hundred and eighty middle-aged adults reported on everyday support they provided to each parent (N = 487) and parent’s ADL at baseline and 5 years later. Results: Increased parents’ disability led to increases in offspring’s support, in particular tangible support. Support given by offspring was lower when parents received paid help but was not affected by help from other informal members (e.g., family members, friends). Increased disability was associated with decreases in positive relationship quality with parents; as well, offspring who provided actual help with ADL reported increases in negative relationship quality. Implications: The effects of increasing parents’ disability on relationship quality and involvement of other informal and paid help may have implications for the longer-term impact of care on both offspring and their parents. PMID:26893489
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ali, Radwan; Katz, Irvin R.
2010-01-01
Today's information and communications technology (ICT) provides unprecedented amounts of information to organizations and their employees. This overabundance challenges workers, placing an increasing premium on skills of sifting through information of sometimes dubious quality, integrating information critically, and producing well-reasoned…
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Enhanced road weather forecasting : Clarus regional demonstrations.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2011-01-01
The quality of road weather forecasts has major impacts on users of surface transportation systems and managers of those systems. Improving the quality involves the ability to provide accurate, route-specific road weather information (e.g., timing an...
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Eligibility, Quality, and Identification of Aeronautical Replacement Parts
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1996-05-24
This advisory circular (AC) provides information and guidance for use in determining the quality, eligibility and traceability of aeronautical parts and materials intended for installation on U.S. type-certificated products and to enable compliance w...
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Developing Interoperable Air Quality Community Portals
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Falke, S. R.; Husar, R. B.; Yang, C. P.; Robinson, E. M.; Fialkowski, W. E.
2009-04-01
Web portals are intended to provide consolidated discovery, filtering and aggregation of content from multiple, distributed web sources targeted at particular user communities. This paper presents a standards-based information architectural approach to developing portals aimed at air quality community collaboration in data access and analysis. An important characteristic of the approach is to advance beyond the present stand-alone design of most portals to achieve interoperability with other portals and information sources. We show how using metadata standards, web services, RSS feeds and other Web 2.0 technologies, such as Yahoo! Pipes and del.icio.us, helps increase interoperability among portals. The approach is illustrated within the context of the GEOSS Architecture Implementation Pilot where an air quality community portal is being developed to provide a user interface between the portals and clearinghouse of the GEOSS Common Infrastructure and the air quality community catalog of metadata and data services.
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Development of a cloud-based application for the Fracture Liaison Service model of care.
Holzmueller, C G; Karp, S; Zeldow, D; Lee, D B; Thompson, D A
2016-02-01
The aims of this study are to develop a cloud-based application of the Fracture Liaison Service for practitioners to coordinate the care of osteoporotic patients after suffering primary fractures and provide a performance feedback portal for practitioners to determine quality of care. The application provides continuity of care, improved patient outcomes, and reduced medical costs. The purpose of this study is to describe the content development and functionality of a cloud-based application to broadly deploy the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) to coordinate post-fracture care for osteoporotic patients. The Bone Health Collaborative developed the FLS application in 2013 to support practitioners' access to information and management of patients and provide a feedback portal for practitioners to track their performance in providing quality care. A five-step protocol (identify, inform, initiate, investigate, and iterate) organized osteoporotic post-fracture care-related tasks and timelines for the application. A range of descriptive data about the patient, their medical condition, therapies and care, and current providers can be collected. Seven quality of care measures from the National Quality Forum, The Joint Commission, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can be tracked through the application. There are five functional areas including home, tasks, measures, improvement, and data. The home, tasks, and data pages are used to enter patient information and coordinate care using the five-step protocol. Measures and improvement pages are used to enter quality measures and provide practitioners with continuous performance feedback. The application resides within a portal, running on a multitenant, private cloud-based Avedis enterprise registry platform. All data are encrypted in transit and users access the application using a password from any common web browser. The application could spread the FLS model of care across the US health care system, provide continuity of care, effectively manage osteoporotic patients, improve outcomes, and reduce medical costs.
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Portrait, France R M; van der Galiën, Onno; Van den Berg, Bernard
2016-04-01
The Dutch healthcare system is in transition towards managed competition. In theory, a system of managed competition involves incentives for quality and efficiency of provided care. This is mainly because health insurers contract on behalf of their clients with healthcare providers on, potentially, quality and costs. The paper develops a strategy to comprehensively analyse available multidimensional data on quality and costs to assess and report on the relative performance of healthcare providers within managed competition. We had access to individual information on 2409 clients of 19 Dutch diabetes care groups on a broad range of (outcome and process related) quality and cost indicators. We carried out a cost-consequences analysis and corrected for differences in case mix to reduce incentives for risk selection by healthcare providers. There is substantial heterogeneity between diabetes care groups' performances as measured using multidimensional indicators on quality and costs. Better quality diabetes care can be achieved with lower or higher costs. Routine monitoring using multidimensional data on quality and costs merged at the individual level would allow a systematic and comprehensive analysis of healthcare providers' performances within managed competition. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Health Information Technology in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety: Literature Review.
Feldman, Sue S; Buchalter, Scott; Hayes, Leslie W
2018-06-04
The area of healthcare quality and patient safety is starting to use health information technology to prevent reportable events, identify them before they become issues, and act on events that are thought to be unavoidable. As healthcare organizations begin to explore the use of health information technology in this realm, it is often unclear where fiscal and human efforts should be focused. The purpose of this study was to provide a foundation for understanding where to focus health information technology fiscal and human resources as well as expectations for the use of health information technology in healthcare quality and patient safety. A literature review was conducted to identify peer-reviewed publications reporting on the actual use of health information technology in healthcare quality and patient safety. Inductive thematic analysis with open coding was used to categorize a total of 41 studies. Three pre-set categories were used: prevention, identification, and action. Three additional categories were formed through coding: challenges, outcomes, and location. This study identifies five main categories across seven study settings. A majority of the studies used health IT for identification and prevention of healthcare quality and patient safety issues. In this realm, alerts, clinical decision support, and customized health IT solutions were most often implemented. Implementation, interface design, and culture were most often noted as challenges. This study provides valuable information as organizations determine where they stand to get the most "bang for their buck" relative to health IT for quality and patient safety. Knowing what implementations are being effectivity used by other organizations helps with fiscal and human resource planning as well as managing expectations relative to cost, scope, and outcomes. The findings from this scan of the literature suggest that having organizational champion leaders that can shepherd implementation, impact culture, and bridge knowledge with developers would be a valuable resource allocation to consider. ©Sue S Feldman, Scott Buchalter, Leslie W. Hayes. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (http://medinform.jmir.org), 04.06.2018.
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Clifford, Amanda M; Ryan, Jean; Walsh, Cathal; McCurtin, Arlene
2017-02-23
Patient decision aids (DAs) are support tools designed to provide patients with relevant information to help them make informed decisions about their healthcare. While DAs can be effective in improving patient knowledge and decision quality, it is unknown what types of information and evidence are used to populate such decision tools. Systematic methods were used to identify and appraise the relevant literature and patient DAs published between 2006 and 2015. Six databases (Academic Search Complete, AMED, CINAHL, Biomedical Reference Collection, General Sciences and MEDLINE) and reference list searching were used. Articles evaluating the effectiveness of the DAs were appraised using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The content, quality and sources of evidence in the decision aids were evaluated using the IPDASi-SF and a novel classification system. Findings were synthesised and a narrative analysis was performed on the results. Thirteen studies representing ten DAs met the inclusion criteria. The IPDASI-SF score ranged from 9 to 16 indicating many of the studies met the majority of quality criteria. Sources of evidence were described but reports were sometimes generic or missing important information. The majority of DAs incorporated high quality research evidence including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Patient and practice evidence was less commonly employed, with only a third of included DAs using these to populate decision aid content. The quality of practice and patient evidence ranged from high to low. Contextual factors were addressed across all DAs to varying degrees and covered a range of factors. This is an initial study examining the information and evidence used to populate DAs. While research evidence and contextual factors are well represented in included DAs, consideration should be given to incorporating high quality information representing all four pillars of evidence based practice when developing DAs. Further, patient and expert practice evidence should be acquired rigorously and DAs should report the means by which such evidence is obtained with citations clearly provided.
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Lambert, Kelly; Mullan, Judy; Mansfield, Kylie; Owen, Paris
2017-11-01
Mobile phone applications (apps) are increasingly being used by patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We sought to describe the main purpose of commonly available renal diet apps and to quantify the accuracy of information, technical quality, and health literacy demand of renal diet apps. The design was content analysis. All eligible renal diet apps in the Australian Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone, and Blackberry App World were evaluated. Eligible apps were in English and were related to kidney disease in humans (of any type or stage). Exclusion criteria included apps which were prohibited because of password protection. Renal diet information in the apps was compared with evidence-based guidelines for the management of kidney disease to quantify information accuracy. App information was evaluated using the Silberg Scale. Technical quality and health literacy demand were evaluated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale. A total of 21 apps were eligible for evaluation. The main purpose of these apps was to provide food and nutrition information (57.1%) or for educative purposes for CKD patients (38.1%). Only 47.6% (10/21) of apps contained accurate evidence-based information. Overall, app technical quality was considered acceptable (mean Mobile Application Rating Scale score 3.19 ± 0.35 out of 5), with 80.9% of apps scoring acceptable or greater for app technical quality. Scores for health literacy demand also indicated that most apps (15/21, 71.4%) were acceptable. A range of apps currently exist that may provide individuals with CKD with useful food and nutrition information or increase their knowledge of the renal diet. These apps are also mainly of acceptable technical quality and health literacy demand. However, caution is required when using renal diet apps because more than half of the apps evaluated were not accurate and evidence based. Copyright © 2017 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Creating value-focused healthcare delivery systems: Part three--Core competencies.
Beveridge, R N
1997-01-01
Value is created through the delivery of high-quality, cost--effective healthcare services. The ability to create value from the providers' perspective is facilitated through the development and implementation of essential, customer-focused core competencies. These core competencies include customer relationship management, payer/provider relationship management, disease management, outcomes management, financial/cost management, and information management. Customer relationship management is the foundation upon which all core competencies must be built. All of the core competencies must focus on the needs of the customers, both internal and external. Structuring all processes involved in the core competencies from the perspective of the customer will ensure that value is created throughout the system. Payer/provider relationship management will become a crucial pillar for healthcare providers in the future. As more vertical integration among providers occurs, the management of the relationships among providers and with payers will become more important. Many of the integration strategies being implemented across the country involve the integration of hospitals, physicians, and payers to form accountable health plans. The relationships must be organized to form "win/win" situations, where all parties are focused on a shared vision of creating value and none of the parties benefits at the expense of the others. Disease management in creating value requires that we begin examining the disease process along the entire continuum. Not only must providers be able to provide high-quality acute and chronic care, but they must also begin to focus more heavily on programs of prevention. Value is created throughout the system through reducing the prevalence and incidence of disease. Only through managing the full continuum of health will value be created throughout the healthcare delivery system. Outcomes management ensures that the outcomes are the highest quality at a cost-effective price. Outcomes must not only be compared to best practices, but to what is possible. Providers must constantly strive to enhance the quality of the services. Financial/cost management ensures that care is cost-effective and that a marginal profit is maintained to allow continued investment in new technology and continuing medical education to enhance the quality of care and lifestyles for all stakeholders. Information management is the binding element, or keystone, in providing value-focused care. Through the collection, storing, transfer, manipulation, sorting, and reporting of data, more effective decision-making can occur. Integrated MIS allows information to be generated about the cost-effectiveness of treatment regimens, employee productivity, physician cost-effectiveness, supply utilization, and clinical outcomes, as well as patient information to be readily available throughout the healthcare system. Having this information available will allow providers to become more cost-effective in the delivery of care, which results in perceived higher value for the services. Customers demand value. Value is created by meeting the needs and demands of the customers through the delivery of cost-effective, high-quality healthcare services that are easily accessible and meet with high patient satisfaction. Providers who can demonstrate their ability to provide the services in this manner will create a competitive advantage in the marketplace and will be perceived as the value provider of choice by loyal customers.
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Urban Air Quality Modelling with AURORA: Prague and Bratislava
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Veldeman, N.; Viaene, P.; De Ridder, K.; Peelaerts, W.; Lauwaet, D.; Muhammad, N.; Blyth, L.
2012-04-01
The European Commission, in its strategy to protect the health of the European citizens, states that in order to assess the impact of air pollution on public health, information on long-term exposure to air pollution should be available. Currently, indicators of air quality are often being generated using measured pollutant concentrations. While air quality monitoring stations data provide accurate time series information at specific locations, air quality models have the advantage of being able to assess the spatial variability of air quality (for different resolutions) and predict air quality in the future based on different scenarios. When running such air quality models at a high spatial and temporal resolution, one can simulate the actual situation as closely as possible, allowing for a detailed assessment of the risk of exposure to citizens from different pollutants. AURORA (Air quality modelling in Urban Regions using an Optimal Resolution Approach), a prognostic 3-dimensional Eulerian chemistry-transport model, is designed to simulate urban- to regional-scale atmospheric pollutant concentration and exposure fields. The AURORA model also allows to calculate the impact of changes in land use (e.g. planting of trees) or of emission reduction scenario's on air quality. AURORA is currently being applied within the ESA atmospheric GMES service, PASODOBLE (http://www.myair-eu.org), that delivers information on air quality, greenhouse gases, stratospheric ozone, … At present there are two operational AURORA services within PASODOBLE. Within the "Air quality forecast service" VITO delivers daily air quality forecasts for Belgium at a resolution of 5 km and for the major Belgian cities: Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Liege and Charleroi. Furthermore forecast services are provided for Prague, Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia, both at a resolution of 1 km. The "Urban/regional air quality assessment service" provides urban- and regional-scale maps (hourly resolution) for air pollution and human exposure statistics for an entire year. So far we concentrated on Brussels, Belgium and the Rotterdam harbour area, The Netherlands. In this contribution we focus on the operational forecast services. Reference Lefebvre W. et al. (2011) Validation of the MIMOSA-AURORA-IFDM model chain for policy support: Modeling concentrations of elemental carbon in Flanders, Atmospheric Environment 45, 6705-6713
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Dixon, Brian E; McGowan, Julie J; Grannis, Shaun J
2011-01-01
There is increasing interest in leveraging electronic health data across disparate sources for a variety of uses. A fallacy often held by data consumers is that clinical data quality is homogeneous across sources. We examined one attribute of data quality, completeness, in the context of electronic laboratory reporting of notifiable disease information. We evaluated 7.5 million laboratory reports from clinical information systems for their completeness with respect to data needed for public health reporting processes. We also examined the impact of health information exchange (HIE) enhancement methods that attempt to improve completeness. The laboratory data were heterogeneous in their completeness. Fields identifying the patient and test results were usually complete. Fields containing patient demographics, patient contact information, and provider contact information were suboptimal. Data processed by the HIE were often more complete, suggesting that HIEs can support improvements to existing public health reporting processes.
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Total quality management - It works for aerospace information services
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Erwin, James; Eberline, Carl; Colquitt, Wanda
1993-01-01
Today we are in the midst of information and 'total quality' revolutions. At the NASA STI Program's Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI), we are focused on using continuous improvements techniques to enrich today's services and products and to ensure that tomorrow's technology supports the TQM-based improvement of future STI program products and services. The Continuous Improvements Program at CASI is the foundation for Total Quality Management in products and services. The focus is customer-driven; its goal, to identify processes and procedures that can be improved and new technologies that can be integrated with the processes to gain efficiencies, provide effectiveness, and promote customer satisfaction. This Program seeks to establish quality through an iterative defect prevention approach that is based on the incorporation of standards and measurements into the processing cycle.
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1998-01-01
President Clinton appointed a 34-member Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry in 1997, and the group has adopted a statement of consumers' rights and responsibilities. The document addresses eight areas, including information disclosure on health plans, benefits, and qualifications of healthcare providers, choice of providers and plans, access to emergency services, patients' rights to participate in treatment decisions, mutual respect and nondiscrimination, confidentiality of health and personal information, complaints and the appeals process, and the responsibilities of consumers.
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Haffajee, Zenobia Ayesha Mohamed; Kumar, Beena; Francis, Glenn; Peck, Martyn; Badrick, Tony
2017-11-20
The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Program (RCPAQAP) Anatomical Pathology provides a comprehensive External Quality Assurance (EQA) exercise to review the reporting of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in-situ hybridization (ISH) breast markers through an audit of clinical results. The aim of this exercise was to provide information regarding the quality of breast marker testing within clinical laboratories from 2005 to 2015. This comprehensive audit included estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 marker reporting. This was an important quality assurance activity established in response to ongoing difficulties experienced in laboratories in this area of testing.
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The California stream quality assessment
Van Metre, Peter C.; Egler, Amanda L.; May, Jason T.
2017-03-06
In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project is assessing stream quality in coastal California, United States. The USGS California Stream Quality Assessment (CSQA) will sample streams over most of the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains ecoregion (modified from Griffith and others, 2016), where rapid urban growth and intensive agriculture in the larger river valleys are raising concerns that stream health is being degraded. Findings will provide the public and policy-makers with information regarding which human and natural factors are the most critical in affecting stream quality and, thus, provide insights about possible approaches to protect the health of streams in the region.
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Koster, Ellen S; Blom, Lyda; Overbeeke, Marloes R; Philbert, Daphne; Vervloet, Marcia; Koopman, Laura; van Dijk, Liset
2016-01-01
Consumer Quality Index questionnaires are used to assess quality of care from patients' experiences. To provide insight into the agreement about quality of pharmaceutical care, measured both by a patient questionnaire and video observations. Pharmaceutical encounters in four pharmacies were video-recorded. Patients completed a questionnaire based upon the Consumer Quality Index Pharmaceutical Care after the encounter containing questions about patients' experiences regarding information provision, medication counseling, and pharmacy staff's communication style. An observation protocol was used to code the recorded encounters. Agreement between video observation and patients' experiences was calculated. In total, 109 encounters were included for analysis. For the domains "medication counseling" and "communication style", agreement between patients' experiences and observations was very high (>90%). Less agreement (45%) was found for "information provision", which was rated more positive by patients compared to the observations, especially for the topic, encouragement of patients' questioning behavior. A questionnaire is useful to assess the quality of medication counseling and pharmacy staff's communication style, but might be less suitable to evaluate information provision and pharmacy staff's encouragement of patients' questioning behavior. Although patients may believe that they have received all necessary information to use their new medicine, some information on specific instructions was not addressed during the encounter. When using questionnaires to get insight into information provision, observations of encounters are very informative to validate the patient questionnaires and make necessary adjustments.
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Characterization of shallow groundwater quality in the Lower St. Johns River Basin: a case study
Ying Ouyang; Jia-En Zhang; Prem Parajuli
2013-01-01
Characterization of groundwater quality allows the evaluation of groundwater pollution and provides information for better management of groundwater resources. This study characterized the shallow groundwater quality and its spatial and seasonal variations in the Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida, USA, under agricultural, forest, wastewater, and residential land...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Doran, Matt; Simonin, Danielle; Morse, Laura; Smith, Allyson; Maloney, Colleen; Wright, Cara; Underwood, Michelle; Hoppel, Andrea; O'Donnell, Shannon; Chambliss, Catherine
The Internet provides a new means of obtaining psychological health care, but Internet site quality varies widely. To help in the search for reliable information in cyberspace, a ratings scale, which assesses six dimensions of site quality (accuracy, practicality, normalization, sense of belonging, referral, and feedback mechanisms) is offered…
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USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Most water quality studies are conducted at the plot, field, or watershed scale; however, studies that integrate the three scales provide information to scale results obtained at one scale to a greater area. The objective of this study was to analyze runoff and water quality measured (1997-2001) fr...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nordvall, Robert C.; Braxton, John M.
1996-01-01
Traditional approaches to defining academic quality (reputational, resources, and outcomes or value-added) are criticized as not providing useful information. An alternative perspective is offered, focusing on fundamental course-level academic processes and defining the quality of such processes as the level of understanding of course content…
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77 FR 47850 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-08-10
... function; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity... care provided by managed care organizations under contract to CMS is of high quality. One way of ensuring high quality care in Medicare Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), or more commonly referred to as...
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Davis, Jenny; Morgans, Amee; Burgess, Stephen
2016-04-01
Efficient information systems support the provision of multi-disciplinary aged care and a variety of organisational purposes, including quality, funding, communication and continuity of care. Agreed minimum data sets enable accurate communication across multiple care settings. However, in aged care multiple and poorly integrated data collection frameworks are commonly used for client assessment, government reporting and funding purposes. To determine key information needs in aged care settings to improve information quality, information transfer, safety, quality and continuity of care to meet the complex needs of aged care clients. Modified Delphi methods involving five stages were employed by one aged care provider in Victoria, Australia, to establish stakeholder consensus for a derived minimum data set and address barriers to data quality. Eleven different aged care programs were identified; with five related data dictionaries, three minimum data sets, five program standards or quality frameworks. The remaining data collection frameworks related to diseases classification, funding, service activity reporting, and statistical standards and classifications. A total of 170 different data items collected across seven internal information systems were consolidated to a derived set of 60 core data items and aligned with nationally consistent data collection frameworks. Barriers to data quality related to inconsistencies in data items, staff knowledge, workflow, system access and configuration. The development an internal aged care minimum data set highlighted the critical role of primary data quality in the upstream and downstream use of client information; and presents a platform to build national consistency across the sector.
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45 CFR 154.301 - CMS's determinations of Effective Rate Review Programs.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... provide, for the rate increases it reviews, access from its Web site to at least the information contained... provide CMS's Web address for such information) and have a mechanism for receiving public comments on... quality; (ix) The impact of changes in other administrative costs; (x) The impact of changes in applicable...
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45 CFR 154.301 - CMS's determinations of Effective Rate Review Programs.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... provide, for the rate increases it reviews, access from its Web site to at least the information contained... provide CMS's Web address for such information) and have a mechanism for receiving public comments on... quality; (ix) The impact of changes in other administrative costs; (x) The impact of changes in applicable...
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Web-based provision of information on infectious diseases: a systems study.
Roy, Anjana; Kostkova, Patty; Catchpole, Michael; Carson, Ewart
2006-12-01
The National electronic Library for Health (NeLH) is an Internet medical information resources portal, principally for healthcare professionals, within which the National electronic Library of Infection (NeLI) is one of NeLH Specialist Libraries providing evidence on infectious diseases. In this article, we describe a systems-based evaluation of NeLI based on a soft systems methodology. User feedback and other data for the analysis were obtained using online questionnaires. This evaluation, which is a pilot study aimed at demonstrating proof of concept, provided evidence for improving three systems that are crucial to effective NeLI provision. These are navigation of the site, quality and tagging of information provided by NeLI, and information regarding users and their usage of the system. On the basis of a soft systems analysis, an action plan was formulated identifying areas where improvement is needed. Actions for consideration included simplifying terminologies to improve the navigation, enhancing the provision of research assessments, quality tagging NeLI documents, provided by experts in the field, and attracting a broader cross-section of healthcare professional user.
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Complex adaptive systems: a tool for interpreting responses and behaviours.
Ellis, Beverley
2011-01-01
Quality improvement is a priority for health services worldwide. There are many barriers to implementing change at the locality level and misinterpreting responses and behaviours can effectively block change. Electronic health records will influence the means by which knowledge and information are generated and sustained among those operating quality improvement programmes. To explain how complex adaptive system (CAS) theory provides a useful tool and new insight into the responses and behaviours that relate to quality improvement programmes in primary care enabled by informatics. Case studies in two English localities who participated in the implementation and development of quality improvement programmes. The research strategy included purposefully sampled case studies, conducted within a social constructionist ontological perspective. Responses and behaviours of quality improvement programmes in the two localities include both positive and negative influences associated with a networked model of governance. Pressures of time, resources and workload are common issues, along with the need for education and training about capturing, coding, recording and sharing information held within electronic health records to support various information requirements. Primary care informatics enables information symmetry among those operating quality improvement programmes by making some aspects of care explicit, allowing consensus about quality improvement priorities and implementable solutions.
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Perzel, S; Huebner, H; Rascher, W; Menendez-Castro, C; Hartner, A; Fahlbusch, F B
2017-10-01
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) are pregnancy complications associated with morbidity in later life. Despite a growing body of evidence from current research on developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), little information is currently provided to parents on long-term metabolic, cardiovascular and neurologic consequences. As parents strongly rely on internet-based health-related information, we examined the quality of information on IUGR/FGR sequelae and DOHaD in webpages used by laypersons. Simulating non-clinicians experience, we entered the terms 'IUGR consequences' and 'FGR consequences' into Google and Yahoo search engines. The quality of the top search-hits was analyzed with regard to the certification through the Health On the Net Foundation (HON), currentness of cited references, while reliability of information and DOHaD-related consequences were assessed via the DISCERN Plus score (DPS). Overall the citation status was not up-to-date and only a few websites were HON-certified. The results of our analysis showed a dichotomy between the growing body of evidence regarding IUGR/FGR-related sequelae and lack of current guidelines, leaving parents without clear directions. Furthermore, detailed information on the concept of DOHaD is not provided. These findings emphasize the responsibility of the individual physician for providing advice on IUGR/FGR-related sequelae, monitoring and follow-up.
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Karamagi, Esther; Kigonya, Angella; Lawino, Anna; Marquez, Lani; Lunsford, Sarah Smith; Twinomugisha, Albert
2018-01-01
Background Uganda is working to increase voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) to prevent HIV infection. To support VMMC quality improvement, this study compared three methods of disseminating information to facilities on how to improve VMMC quality: M—providing a written manual; MH—providing the manual plus a handover meeting in which clinicians shared advice on implementing key changes and participated in group discussion; and MHC—manual, handover meeting, and three site visits to the facility in which a coach provided individualized guidance and mentoring on improvement. We determined the different effects these had on compliance with indicators of quality of care. Methods This controlled pre-post intervention study randomized health facility groups to receive M, MH, or MHC. Observations of VMMCs performance determined compliance with quality indicators. Intervention costs per patient receiving VMMC were used in a decision-tree cost-effectiveness model to calculate the incremental cost per additional patient treated to compliance with indicators of informed consent, history taking, anesthesia administration, and post-operative instructions. Results The most intensive method (MHC) cost $28.83 per patient and produced the biggest gains in history taking (35% improvement), anesthesia administration (20% improvement), and post-operative instructions (37% improvement). The least intensive method (M; $1.13 per patient) was most efficient because it produced small gains for a very low cost. The handover meeting (MH) was the most expensive among the three interventions but did not have a corresponding positive effect on quality. Conclusion Health workers in facilities that received the VMMC improvement manual and participated in the handover meeting and coaching visits showed more improvement in VMMC quality indicators than those in the other two intervention groups. Providing the manual alone cost the least but was also the least effective in achieving improvements. The MHC intervention is recommended for broader implementation to improve VMMC quality in Uganda. PMID:29672578
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Content-based management service for medical videos.
Mendi, Engin; Bayrak, Coskun; Cecen, Songul; Ermisoglu, Emre
2013-01-01
Development of health information technology has had a dramatic impact to improve the efficiency and quality of medical care. Developing interoperable health information systems for healthcare providers has the potential to improve the quality and equitability of patient-centered healthcare. In this article, we describe an automated content-based medical video analysis and management service that provides convenience and ease in accessing the relevant medical video content without sequential scanning. The system facilitates effective temporal video segmentation and content-based visual information retrieval that enable a more reliable understanding of medical video content. The system is implemented as a Web- and mobile-based service and has the potential to offer a knowledge-sharing platform for the purpose of efficient medical video content access.
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Ferreira, Daniel; Carreira, Helena; Silva, Susana; Lunet, Nuno
2013-11-01
The objective of this study was to assess the quality of the contents related to screening in a sample of websites providing information on breast and prostate cancer in the Portuguese language. The first 200 results of each cancer-specific Google search were considered. The accuracy of the screening contents was defined in accordance with the state of the art, and its readability was assessed. Most websites mentioned mammography as a method for breast cancer screening (80%), although only 28% referred to it as the only recommended method. Almost all websites mentioned PSA evaluation as a possible screening test, but correct information regarding its effectiveness was given in less than 10%. For both breast and prostate cancer screening contents, the potential for overdiagnosis and false positive results was seldom addressed, and the median readability index was approximately 70. There is ample margin for improving the quality of websites providing information on breast and prostate cancer in Portuguese.
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Lesser, Cara S; Ginsburg, Paul B
2006-06-01
Drawing on observations from tracking changes in local health care markets over the past ten years, this article critiques two Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice recommendations to enhance price and quality competition. First, we take issue with the notion that consumers, acting independently, will drive greater competition in health care markets. Rather we suggest an important role remains for trusted agents who can analyze inherently complex price and quality information and negotiate on consumers' behalf. With aggregated information identifying providers who deliver cost-effective care, consumers would be better positioned to respond to financial incentives about where to seek care and thereby drive more meaningful competition among providers to reduce costs and improve quality. Second, we take issue with the FTC/DOJ recommendation to provide more direct subsidies to prevent distortions in competition. In the current political environment, it is not practical to provide direct subsidies for all of the unfunded care that exists in health care markets today; instead, some interference with competition may be necessary to protect cross subsidies. Barriers can be reduced, though, by revising pricing policies that have resulted in marked disparities in the relative profitability of different services.
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Community Air Monitoring Where You Live in EPA Region 5
Community air monitoring projects that are using air sensor technology to monitor air quality in states in EPA’s Region 5 are providing the public with more information on the quality of the air they breathe.
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Community Air Monitoring Where You Live in EPA Region 8
Community air monitoring projects that are using air sensor technology to monitor air quality in states in EPA’s Region 8 are providing the public with more information on the quality of the air they breathe.
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AIR QUALITY MODELING OF PM AND AIR TOXICS AT NEIGHBORHOOD SCALES
The current interest in fine particles and toxics pollutants provide an impetus for extending air quality modeling capability towards improving exposure modeling and assessments. Human exposure models require information on concentration derived from interpolation of observati...
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Dental Quality Measurement--A Practitioner Perspective.
Amundson, Craig W
2016-04-01
This article reviews the HealthPartners Dental Group's experience with clinical quality measurement and provides information on the administrative infrastructure that supports measurement within the group. Some examples of the role measurement plays in operations and clinical practice are also reviewed.
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AWWA's Program Delivers Points to Remember.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Water and Sewage Works, 1979
1979-01-01
Included are discussions surrounding organics in water that were presented at the water quality technology conference in 1978. Information is also provided on up-to-date water quality lab practices for disease control, heavy metal detection, and sodium monitoring. (CS)
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BREMNER, J. DOUGLAS; QUINN, JOHN; QUINN, WILLIAM; VELEDAR, EMIR
2011-01-01
Psychological trauma is a major public-health problem, and trauma victims frequently turn to the Internet for medical information related to trauma. The Internet has many advantages for trauma victims, including low cost, privacy, use of access, and reduced direct social interactions. However, there are no regulations on what is posted on the Internet, or by whom, and little is known about the quality of information currently available related to the topic of psychological trauma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of Internet sites related to the topic of psychological trauma. The top 20 hits for searches on Google, AllTheWeb, and Yahoo were tabulated, using search words of ‘psychological trauma’, ‘stress’, ‘PTSD’, and ‘trauma’. From these searches, a list of 94 unique unsponsored hits that represented accessible websites was generated. Fourteen sites were unrelated or only peripherally related, and eight were related but were not comprehensively evaluated because they represented brochures, online book sales, etc. Seventy-two websites underwent evaluation of the content, design, disclosure, ease of use, and other factors based on published guidelines for medical information sites. Forty-two per cent of sites had inaccurate information, 82% did not provide a source of their information, and 41% did not use a mental-health professional in the development of the content. Ratings of content (e.g. accuracy, reliability, etc.) were 4 (2 SD) on a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being the best. There were similar ratings for the other variables assessed. These findings suggest that although abundant, websites providing information about psychological trauma are often not useful, and can sometimes provide inaccurate and potentially harmful information to consumers of medical information. PMID:16954059
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Bremner, J Douglas; Quinn, John; Quinn, William; Veledar, Emir
2006-09-01
Psychological trauma is a major public-health problem, and trauma victims frequently turn to the Internet for medical information related to trauma. The Internet has many advantages for trauma victims, including low cost, privacy, use of access, and reduced direct social interactions. However, there are no regulations on what is posted on the Internet, or by whom, and little is known about the quality of information currently available related to the topic of psychological trauma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of Internet sites related to the topic of psychological trauma. The top 20 hits for searches on Google, AllTheWeb, and Yahoo were tabulated, using search words of 'psychological trauma', 'stress', 'PTSD', and 'trauma'. From these searches, a list of 94 unique unsponsored hits that represented accessible websites was generated. Fourteen sites were unrelated or only peripherally related, and eight were related but were not comprehensively evaluated because they represented brochures, online book sales, etc. Seventy-two websites underwent evaluation of the content, design, disclosure, ease of use, and other factors based on published guidelines for medical information sites. Forty-two per cent of sites had inaccurate information, 82% did not provide a source of their information, and 41% did not use a mental-health professional in the development of the content. Ratings of content (e.g. accuracy, reliability, etc.) were 4 (2 SD) on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being the best. There were similar ratings for the other variables assessed. These findings suggest that although abundant, websites providing information about psychological trauma are often not useful, and can sometimes provide inaccurate and potentially harmful information to consumers of medical information.
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Whittaker, P J; Gollins, H J; Roaf, E J
2014-03-01
Infant male circumcision is practised by many groups for religious and cultural reasons. Prompted by a desire to minimize the complication rate and to help parents identify good quality providers, a quality assurance (QA) process for infant male circumcision providers has been developed in Greater Manchester. Local stakeholders agreed a set of minimum standards, and providers were invited to submit evidence of their practice in relation to these standards. In participation with parents, community groups, faith groups, healthcare staff and safeguarding partners, an information leaflet for parents was produced. Engagement work with local community groups, faith groups, providers and healthcare staff was vital to ensure that the resources are accessible to parents and that providers continue to engage in the process. Providers that met the QA standards have been listed on a local website. Details of the website are included in the information leaflet distributed by maternity services, health visitors, primary care and community and faith groups. The leaflet is available in seven languages. Local QA processes can be used to encourage and identify good practice and to support parents who need to access services outside the remit of the National Health Service.
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Friedel, Michael J.
2008-01-01
The USGS entered into an agreement with the Mauritania Ministry of Mines and Industry to inventory and review the quality of information collected as part of the Project for Strengthening of the Institutions in the Mining Sector (PRISM). Whereas the PRISM program collected geophysical, geochemical, geological, satellite, and hydrogeologic information, this report focuses on an inventory and review of available hydrogeologic data provided to the USGS in multiple folders, files, and formats. Most of the information pertained to the hydrogeologic setting and the water budget of evaporation, evapotranspiration, and precipitation in the Choum-Zouerate area in northwestern Mauritania, and the country of Mauritania itself. Other information about the quantity and quality of groundwater was found in the relational Access database. In its present form, the limited hydrogeologic information was not amenable to conducting water balance, geostatistical, and localized numerical modeling studies in support of mineral exploration and development. Suggestions are provided to remedy many of the data's shortcomings, such as performing quality assurance on all SIPPE2 data tables and sending questionnaires to appropriate agencies, mining and other companies to populate the database with additional meteorology, hydrology, and groundwater data.
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Hartz, Tobias; Göbel, Jens; Storf, Holger; Pauer, Frédéric; Babac, Ana; Lührs, Verena; Bruckner-Tuderman, Leena; Schauer, Franziska; Schmidtke, Jörg; Biehl, Lisa; Wagner, TOF; Graf von der Schulenburg, J-Matthias; Frank, Martin
2018-01-01
Background Recently, public and political interest has focused on people living with rare diseases and their health concerns. Due to the large number of different types of rare diseases and the sizable number of patients, taking action to improve the life of those affected is gaining importance. In 2013, the federal government of Germany adopted a national action plan for rare diseases, including the call to establish a central information portal on rare diseases (Zentrales Informationsportal über seltene Erkrankungen, ZIPSE). Objective The objective of this study, therefore, was to conduct scientific research on how such a portal must be designed to meet the needs of patients, their families, and medical professionals, and to provide high-quality information for information seekers. Methods We chose a 3-step procedure to develop a needs-based prototype of a central information portal. In the first step, we determined the information needs of patients with rare diseases, their relatives, and health care professionals by means of qualitative interviews and their content-analytical evaluation. On the basis of this, we developed the basic structure of the portal. In the second step, we identified quality criteria for websites on rare diseases to ensure that the information linked with ZIPSE meets the quality demands. Therefore, we gathered existing criteria catalogs and discussed them in an expert workshop. In the third step, we implemented and tested the developed prototypical information portal. Results A portal page was configured and made accessible on the Web. The structure of ZIPSE was based on the findings from 108 qualitative interviews with patients, their relatives, and health care professionals, through which numerous information needs were identified. We placed particularly important areas of information, such as symptoms, therapy, research, and advisory services, on the start page. Moreover, we defined 13 quality criteria, referring to factors such as author information, creation date, and privacy, enabling links with high-quality information. Moreover, 19 users tested all the developed routines based on usability and comprehensibility. Subsequently, we improved the visual presentation of search results and other important search functions. Conclusions The implemented information portal, ZIPSE, provides high-quality information on rare diseases from a central point of access. By integrating the targeted groups as well as different experts on medical information during the construction, the website can assure an improved search for information for users. ZIPSE can also serve as a model for other Web-based information systems in the field of rare diseases. Registered Report Identifier RR1-10.2196/7425 PMID:29752252
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Reilly, Karen E; Mueller, Christine; Zimmerman, David R
2007-01-01
This paper presents the first comprehensive account of a major national demonstration designed to integrate skilled nursing facilities (SNF) prospective case-mix payment and quality of care. It describes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Nursing Home Case-Mix and Quality (NHCMQ) Demonstration-the template for Medicare's SNF Prospective Payment System (PPS) implemented July 1998. The NHCMQ Demonstration provided the basis for one of the most significant changes in SNF reimbursement and quality monitoring policies to date. Prospective reimbursement policies created positive incentive for providers to admit Medicare residents under more equitable payment rates. However, controversy regarding unanticipated perverse provider incentives remains. The quality management system designed under the NHCMQDemonstration is currently used in over 17,000 nursing homes. Furthermore, under the NHCMQ Demonstration, one standardized assessment tool-the MDS-was used to assess a resident's clinical condition, to monitor quality, and to calculate provider reimbursement. Experiences from the NHCMQ Demonstration and continued evaluation of the current national PPS, along with state systems, provide a rich information source regarding prospective, case-mix reimbursement, and provider incentives.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Giali, Gabriela; Schneider, Petra
2015-04-01
USE OF GIS TECHNOLOGY IN SURFACE WATER MONITORING FOR TARGETED POLICY INTERVENTION IN A MOUNTAINOUS CATCHMENT IN ROMANIA The collection of information on surface water quality is a specific activity that takes place systematically and regularly at regional and national scale, and it is important for the assessment of the water quality as well as for water management policy-making. A data base information management using a Geographical Information System (GIS) forms an important aspect of environmental management, which provides the frame for processing and visualisation of water monitoring data and information as well as for the optimisation of monitoring concepts. This paper presents an architecture performed by a GIS which provides a grafic database and attributes the nesessary measurements of the water quality to different sections of the mountainous catchment of the Suceava river in the north of Romania. With this approach the location of the water sampling points can be optimised in terms of the selection and setting of the river sections. To facilitate the setting of the sampling locations in the various sections of water sampling in the river, the presented GIS system provides to the user different information layers with combined or isolated data according to the objectives. In the frame of the research were created 5 layers of information in the basin under study, underlying the determination of a new information layer, namely the "Hydrografic Network Graded to Hydrographic Sections". Practically, in the studied basin were established 8 sections for water sampling locations, and the water quality characterization was done by the consideration of 15 quality indicators. The GIS system presented in this research is a valuable, useful and adaptable to land use changes data base that can be exploited by any number of combinations, its capabilities justify it's role as "tool to support decision making." With this characteristics it supports the policy-making of the competent bodies to fulfil the requirements of EC Water Framework Directive on catchment scale and it serves as planning tool for hydroengineering and water resources management.
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Nakazato, Takeru; Bono, Hidemasa
2017-01-01
Abstract It is important for public data repositories to promote the reuse of archived data. In the growing field of omics science, however, the increasing number of submissions of high-throughput sequencing (HTSeq) data to public repositories prevents users from choosing a suitable data set from among the large number of search results. Repository users need to be able to set a threshold to reduce the number of results to obtain a suitable subset of high-quality data for reanalysis. We calculated the quality of sequencing data archived in a public data repository, the Sequence Read Archive (SRA), by using the quality control software FastQC. We obtained quality values for 1 171 313 experiments, which can be used to evaluate the suitability of data for reuse. We also visualized the data distribution in SRA by integrating the quality information and metadata of experiments and samples. We provide quality information of all of the archived sequencing data, which enable users to obtain sufficient quality sequencing data for reanalyses. The calculated quality data are available to the public in various formats. Our data also provide an example of enhancing the reuse of public data by adding metadata to published research data by a third party. PMID:28449062
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Acid rain and its effects on streamwater quality on Catoctin Mountain, Maryland
Rice, Karen C.; Bricker, O.P.
1992-01-01
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the Nation's largest water-science and water-information agency. The mission of the Water Resources Division of the USGS is to provide the hydrologic information and understanding needed for the best management of the Nation's water resources. To fulfill this mission, the USGS conducts water-quality and other types of investigations of the Nation's surface- and ground-water resources.
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Wilcox, S.; Andreas, A.
2010-11-03
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory collaborates with the solar industry to establish high quality solar and meteorological measurements. This Solar Resource and Meteorological Assessment Project (SOLRMAP) provides high quality measurements to support deployment of power projects in the United States. The no-funds-exchanged collaboration brings NREL solar resource assessment expertise together with industry needs for measurements. The end result is high quality data sets to support the financing, design, and monitoring of large scale solar power projects for industry in addition to research-quality data for NREL model development. NREL provides consultation for instrumentation and station deployment, along with instrument calibrations, data acquisition, quality assessment, data distribution, and summary reports. Industry participants provide equipment, infrastructure, and station maintenance.
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Water Quality Indicators Data Review | ECHO | US EPA
ECHO, Enforcement and Compliance History Online, provides compliance and enforcement information for approximately 800,000 EPA-regulated facilities nationwide. ECHO includes permit, inspection, violation, enforcement action, and penalty information about facilities regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Stationary Source Program, Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System (NPDES), and/or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Information also is provided on surrounding demographics when available.
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Measuring and improving the quality of mental health care: a global perspective
Kilbourne, Amy M.; Beck, Kathryn; Spaeth‐Rublee, Brigitta; Ramanuj, Parashar; O'Brien, Robert W.; Tomoyasu, Naomi; Pincus, Harold Alan
2018-01-01
Mental disorders are common worldwide, yet the quality of care for these disorders has not increased to the same extent as that for physical conditions. In this paper, we present a framework for promoting quality measurement as a tool for improving quality of mental health care. We identify key barriers to this effort, including lack of standardized information technology‐based data sources, limited scientific evidence for mental health quality measures, lack of provider training and support, and cultural barriers to integrating mental health care within general health environments. We describe several innovations that are underway worldwide which can mitigate these barriers. Based on these experiences, we offer several recommendations for improving quality of mental health care. Health care payers and providers will need a portfolio of validated measures of patient‐centered outcomes across a spectrum of conditions. Common data elements will have to be developed and embedded within existing electronic health records and other information technology tools. Mental health outcomes will need to be assessed more routinely, and measurement‐based care should become part of the overall culture of the mental health care system. Health care systems will need a valid way to stratify quality measures, in order to address potential gaps among subpopulations and identify groups in most need of quality improvement. Much more attention should be devoted to workforce training in and capacity for quality improvement. The field of mental health quality improvement is a team sport, requiring coordination across different providers, involvement of consumer advocates, and leveraging of resources and incentives from health care payers and systems. PMID:29352529
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Vest, Joshua R; Kirk, Hilary M; Issel, L Michele
2012-01-01
Objectives: Public health professionals rely on quantitative data for the daily practice of public health as well as organizational decision making and planning. However, several factors work against effective data sharing among public health agencies in the US. This review characterizes the reported barriers and enablers of effective use of public health IS from an informatics perspective. Methods: A systematic review of the English language literature for 2005 to 2011 followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) format. The review focused on immunization information systems (IIS) and vital records information systems (VRIS). Systems were described according to the structural aspects of IS integration and data quality. Results: Articles describing IIS documented issues pertaining to the distribution of the system, the autonomy of the data providers, the heterogeneous nature of information sharing as well as the quality of the data. Articles describing VRIS were focused much more heavily on data quality, particularly whether or not the data were free from errors. Conclusions: For state and local practitioners to effectively utilize data, public health IS will have to overcome the challenges posed by a large number of autonomous data providers utilizing a variety of technologies. PMID:23569634
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Information recovery through image sequence fusion under wavelet transformation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
He, Qiang
2010-04-01
Remote sensing is widely applied to provide information of areas with limited ground access with applications such as to assess the destruction from natural disasters and to plan relief and recovery operations. However, the data collection of aerial digital images is constrained by bad weather, atmospheric conditions, and unstable camera or camcorder. Therefore, how to recover the information from the low-quality remote sensing images and how to enhance the image quality becomes very important for many visual understanding tasks, such like feature detection, object segmentation, and object recognition. The quality of remote sensing imagery can be improved through meaningful combination of the employed images captured from different sensors or from different conditions through information fusion. Here we particularly address information fusion to remote sensing images under multi-resolution analysis in the employed image sequences. The image fusion is to recover complete information by integrating multiple images captured from the same scene. Through image fusion, a new image with high-resolution or more perceptive for human and machine is created from a time series of low-quality images based on image registration between different video frames.
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Commendatore, V; Dieuzeide, G; Faingold, C; Fuente, G; Luján, D; Aschner, P; Lapertosa, S; Villena Chávez, J; Elgart, J; Gagliardino, J J
2013-12-01
To implement a patient registry and collect data related to the care provided to people with type 2 diabetes in six specialized centers of three Latin American countries, measure the quality of such care using a standardized form (QUALIDIAB) that collects information on different quality of care indicators, and analyze the potential of collecting this information for improving quality of care and conducting clinical research. We collected data on clinical, metabolic and therapeutic indicators, micro- and macrovascular complications, rate of use of diagnostic and therapeutic elements and hospitalization of patients with type 2 diabetes in six diabetes centers, four in Argentina and one each in Colombia and Peru. We analyzed 1157 records from patients with type 2 diabetes (Argentina, 668; Colombia, 220; Peru, 269); 39 records were discarded because of data entry errors or inconsistencies. The data demonstrated frequency performance deficiencies in several procedures, including foot and ocular fundus examination and various cardiovascular screening tests. In contrast, HbA1c and cardiovascular risk factor assessments were performed with a greater frequency than recommended by international guidelines. Management of insulin therapy was sub-optimal, and deficiencies were also noted among diabetes education indicators. Patient registry was successfully implemented in these clinics following an interactive educational program. The data obtained provide useful information as to deficiencies in care and may be used to guide quality of care improvement efforts. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Federal and state nursing facility websites: just what the consumer needs?
Harrington, Charlene; Collier, Eric; O'Meara, Janis; Kitchener, Martin; Simon, Lisa Payne; Schnelle, John F
2003-01-01
Since the introduction of the Medicare Nursing Home Compare website in 1999, some states have begun to develop their own websites to help consumers compare nursing facilities (NFs). This article presents a brief conceptual framework for the type of information needed for an Internet-based information system and analyzes existing federal and state NF websites, using data collected from a survey completed in 2002. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have a variety of information on NFs, similar to the information on the Medicare website. Information on characteristics and deficiencies of a facility is the most commonly available, but a few states have data on ownership, staffing indicators, quality indicators, complaints, and enforcement actions. Other types of data, such as resident characteristics, staff turnover rates, and financial indicators, are generally not available. Although many states are making progress toward providing consumers with information, there are gaps that exist, which if filled, could provide consumers with a better tool for facility selection and monitoring the quality of care.
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Providing Data Quality Information for Remote Sensing Applications
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Albrecht, F.; Blaschke, T.; Lang, S.; Abdulmutalib, H. M.; Szabó, G.; Barsi, Á.; Batini, C.; Bartsch, A.; Kugler, Zs.; Tiede, D.; Huang, G.
2018-04-01
The availability and accessibility of remote sensing (RS) data, cloud processing platforms and provided information products and services has increased the size and diversity of the RS user community. This development also generates a need for validation approaches to assess data quality. Validation approaches employ quality criteria in their assessment. Data Quality (DQ) dimensions as the basis for quality criteria have been deeply investigated in the database area and in the remote sensing domain. Several standards exist within the RS domain but a general classification - established for databases - has been adapted only recently. For an easier identification of research opportunities, a better understanding is required how quality criteria are employed in the RS lifecycle. Therefore, this research investigates how quality criteria support decisions that guide the RS lifecycle and how they relate to the measured DQ dimensions. Subsequently follows an overview of the relevant standards in the RS domain that is matched to the RS lifecycle. Conclusively, the required research needs are identified that would enable a complete understanding of the interrelationships between the RS lifecycle, the data sources and the DQ dimensions, an understanding that would be very valuable for designing validation approaches in RS.
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Importance-performance analysis as a guide for hospitals in improving their provision of services.
Whynes, D K; Reed, G
1995-11-01
As a result of the 1990 National Health Services Act, hospitals now compete with one another to win service contracts. A high level of service quality represents an important ingredient of a successful competitive strategy, yet, in general, hospitals have little external information on which to base quality decisions. Specifically, in their efforts to win contracts from fundholding general practitioners, hospitals require information on that which these purchasers deem important with respect to quality, and on how these purchasers assess the quality of their current service performance. The problem is complicated by the fact that hospital service quality, in itself, is multi-dimensional. In other areas of economic activity, the information problem has been resolved by importance-performance analysis and this paper reports the findings of such an analysis conducted for hosptials in the Trent region. The importance and performance service quality ratings of fundholders were obtained from a questionnaire survey and used in a particular variant of importance-performance analysis, which possesses certain advantages over more conventional approaches. In addition to providing empirical data on the determinants of service quality, as perceived by the purchasers of hospital services, this paper demonstrates how such information can be successfully employed in a quality enhancement strategy.
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Quality of Informal Care Is Multidimensional
Christie, Juliette; Smith, G. Rush; Williamson, Gail M.; Lance, Charles. E.; Shovali, Tamar E.; Silva, Luciana
2010-01-01
Purpose To demonstrate that assessing quality of informal care involves more than merely determining whether care recipient needs for assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) are satisfied on a routine basis. Potentially harmful behavior (PHB), adequate care, and exemplary care (EC) are conceptually distinct dimensions of quality of care. We investigated the extent to which these three dimensions also are empirically distinguishable. Design 237 care recipients completed the quality of care measures, and their caregivers completed psychosocial measures of depressed affect, life events, cognitive status, and perceived pre-illness relationship quality. Results Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that PHB, adequate care, and EC are empirically distinct factors. Although PHB was moderately related to EC, adequate care was not associated with PHB and was only slightly related to EC. Psychosocial variables were not related to adequate care but were differentially associated with PHB and EC, providing further evidence for the distinction between the measures of quality of care used in this study. Conclusions Assessing quality of informal care is a complex endeavor. ADL assistance can be adequate in the presence of PHB and/or the absence of EC. Declines in EC may signal increases in PHB, independent of adequacy of care. These findings produce a brief, portable, and more comprehensive instrument for assessing quality of informal care. PMID:19469607
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Progress and lessons learned from water-quality monitoring networks
Myers, Donna N.; Ludtke, Amy S.
2017-01-01
Stream-quality monitoring networks in the United States were initiated and expanded after passage of successive federal water-pollution control laws from 1948 to 1972. The first networks addressed information gaps on the extent and severity of stream pollution and served as early warning systems for spills. From 1965 to 1972, monitoring networks expanded to evaluate compliance with stream standards, track emerging issues, and assess water-quality status and trends. After 1972, concerns arose regarding the ability of monitoring networks to determine if water quality was getting better or worse and why. As a result, monitoring networks adopted a hydrologic systems approach targeted to key water-quality issues, accounted for human and natural factors affecting water quality, innovated new statistical methods, and introduced geographic information systems and models that predict water quality at unmeasured locations. Despite improvements, national-scale monitoring networks have declined over time. Only about 1%, or 217, of more than 36,000 US Geological Survey monitoring sites sampled from 1975 to 2014 have been operated throughout the four decades since passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act. Efforts to sustain monitoring networks are important because these networks have collected information crucial to the description of water-quality trends over time and are providing information against which to evaluate future trends.
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Kania-Richmond, Ania; Weeks, Laura; Scholten, Jeffrey; Reney, Mikaël
2016-01-01
Background: Practice based research networks (PBRNs) are increasingly used as a tool for evidence based practice. We developed and tested the feasibility of using software to enable online collection of patient data within a chiropractic PBRN to support clinical decision making and research in participating clinics. Purpose: To assess the feasibility of using online software to collect quality patient information. Methods: The study consisted of two phases: 1) Assessment of the quality of information provided, using a standardized form; and 2) Exploration of patients’ perspectives and experiences regarding online information provision through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was descriptive. Results: Forty-five new patients were recruited. Thirty-six completed online forms, which were submitted by an appropriate person 100% of the time, with an error rate of less than 1%, and submitted in a timely manner 83% of the time. Twenty-one participants were interviewed. Overall, online forms were preferred given perceived security, ease of use, and enabling provision of more accurate information. Conclusions: Use of online software is feasible, provides high quality information, and is preferred by most participants. A pen-and-paper format should be available for patients with this preference and in case of technical difficulties. PMID:27069272
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Evaluating the quality of Internet information for femoroacetabular impingement.
Lee, Simon; Shin, Jason J; Haro, Marc S; Song, Sang H; Nho, Shane J
2014-10-01
The Internet has become a ubiquitous source of medical information for both the patient and the physician. However, the quality of this information is highly variable. We evaluated the quality of Internet information available for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Four popular search engines were used to collect 100 Web sites containing information on FAI. Web sites were evaluated based on authorship, various content criteria, and the presence of Health On the Net Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification. By use of a novel evaluation system for quality, Web sites were also classified as excellent, high, moderate, poor, or inadequate and were subsequently analyzed. Web sites were evaluated as a group, followed by authorship type, by HONcode certification, and by quality level. Of the Web sites, 73 offered the ability to contact the author, 91 offered a considerable explanation of FAI, 54 provided surgical treatment options, 58 offered nonsurgical treatment options, 27 discussed possible complications, 11 discussed eligibility criteria, 31 discussed rehabilitation, 67 discussed a differential diagnosis, and 48 included peer-reviewed citations. We categorized 40 Web sites as academic, 33 as private, 9 as industry, 9 as public education, and 9 as blogs. Our novel quality evaluation system classified 16 Web sites as excellent, 18 as high, 17 as moderate, 18 as poor, and 31 as inadequate. Only 8% of all evaluated Web sites contained HONcode certification. We found that the quality of information available on the Internet about FAI was dramatically variable. A significantly large proportion of Web sites were from academic sources, but this did not necessarily indicate higher quality. Sites with HONcode certification showed as much variability in quality as noncertified sites. This study increases clinician competence in the available Internet information about FAI and helps them to confidently guide patients to formulate appropriate medical decisions based on high-quality information. Copyright © 2014 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Arce, José M; Martín Cleary, Catalina; Cenjor, Carlos; Ramos, Ángel; Ortiz, Alberto
2017-04-01
Patient choice of healthcare centers to be treated for specific diseases is compromised by the low accessibility of understandable information. Physicians are rarely involved in healthcare quality assessment, despite their potentially valuable input. The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for evaluating the quality of care that specifically incorporates advice from medical specialists and provides accessible information for patients in search of high-quality healthcare. A pilot Delphi study was conducted among 28 Spanish otolaryngology experts, seeking their opinion on the quality-of-care indicators and on their ability to recommend the most suitable department for the treatment of specific otolaryngologic diseases. The average acceptance rate was 91.9% for quality-of-care indicator and 96.5% for the resources needed for improving the quality of care. Furthermore, 93% experts reported that patients frequently ask for physician advice on which center provides better care for a specific disease, 92.6% experts believe they could recommend the best centers for specific otolaryngologic diseases, and 80% experts agreed that expert opinion on the quality of care offered by different centers would be a valuable addition to quality-of-care assessment. The incorporation of physician advice into healthcare quality assessment may improve the usefulness of healthcare quality indicators for patients. Assessment tools incorporating physician advice should be developed and validated.
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Pingleton, Susan K; Horak, Bernard J; Davis, David A; Goldmann, Donald A; Keroack, Mark A; Dickler, Robert M
2009-11-01
The relationship of the quality of teaching hospitals' clinical performance to resident education in quality and patient safety is unclear. The authors studied residents' knowledge of these areas in major teaching hospitals with higher- and lower-quality performance rankings. They assessed the presence of formal and informal quality curricula to determine whether programmatic differences exist. The authors used qualitative research methodology with purposeful sampling. They gathered data from individual structured interviews with residents and key educational and quality leaders in six medical schools and teaching hospitals, which represented a range of quality performance rankings, geographic regions, and public or private status. No relationship emerged between a hospital's quality status, residents' curriculum, and the residents' understanding of quality. Residents' definitions of quality and safety and their knowledge of the practice-based learning and systems-based practice competencies were indistinguishable between hospitals. Residents in all programs had extensive patient safety knowledge acquired through an informal curriculum in the hospital setting. A formal curriculum existed in only two programs, both of them ambulatory settings. Residents' learning about quality and patient safety is extensive, largely through a positive informal curriculum in the teaching hospital and, less frequently, via a formal curriculum. No relationship was found between the quality performance of the teaching hospital and the residents' curriculum or understanding of quality or safety. Residents seem to learn through an informal curriculum provided by hospital initiatives and resources, and thus these data suggest the importance of major teaching hospitals in quality education.
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Stone, Benjamin V; Forde, James C; Levit, Valerie B; Lee, Richard K; Te, Alexis E; Chughtai, Bilal
2016-11-01
In July 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication regarding serious complications associated with surgical mesh for pelvic organ prolapse, prompting increased media and public attention. This study sought to analyze internet search activity and news article volume after this FDA warning and to evaluate the quality of websites providing patient-centered information. Google Trends™ was utilized to evaluate search engine trends for the term "pelvic organ prolapse" and associated terms between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2014. Google News™ was utilized to quantify the number of news articles annually under the term "pelvic organ prolapse." The search results for the term "pelvic organ prolapse" were assessed for quality using the Health On the Net Foundation (HON) certification. There was a significant increase in search activity from 37.42 in 2010 to 57.75 in 2011, at the time of the FDA communication (p = 0.021). No other annual interval had a statistically significant increase in search activity. The single highest monthly search activity, given the value of 100, was August 2011, immediately following the July 2011 notification, with the next highest value being 98 in July 2011. Linear regression analysis of news articles per year since the FDA communication revealed r 2 = 0.88, with a coefficient of 186. Quality assessment demonstrated that 42 % of websites were HON-certified, with .gov sites providing the highest quality information. Although the 2011 FDA safety communication on surgical mesh was associated with increased public and media attention, the quality of relevant health information on the internet remains of poor quality. Future quality assurance measures may be critical in enabling patients to play active roles in their own healthcare.
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Villamor Ordozgoiti, Alberto; Delgado Hito, Pilar; Guix Comellas, Eva María; Fernandez Sanchez, Carlos Manuel; Garcia Hernandez, Milagros; Lluch Canut, Teresa
2016-01-01
Information and Communications Technologies in healthcare has increased the need to consider quality criteria through standardised processes. The aim of this study was to analyse the software quality evaluation models applicable to healthcare from the perspective of ICT-purchasers. Through a systematic literature review with the keywords software, product, quality, evaluation and health, we selected and analysed 20 original research papers published from 2005-2016 in health science and technology databases. The results showed four main topics: non-ISO models, software quality evaluation models based on ISO/IEC standards, studies analysing software quality evaluation models, and studies analysing ISO standards for software quality evaluation. The models provide cost-efficiency criteria for specific software, and improve use outcomes. The ISO/IEC25000 standard is shown as the most suitable for evaluating the quality of ICTs for healthcare use from the perspective of institutional acquisition.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Peck, T; Sparkman, D; Storch, N
''The LLNL Site-Specific Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASCI) Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document describes a set of recommended software quality engineering (SQE) practices for ASCI code projects at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). In this context, SQE is defined as the process of building quality into software products by applying the appropriate guiding principles and management practices. Continual code improvement and ongoing process improvement are expected benefits. Certain practices are recommended, although projects may select the specific activities they wish to improve, and the appropriate time lines for such actions. Additionally, projects can rely on the guidance ofmore » this document when generating ASCI Verification and Validation (VSrV) deliverables. ASCI program managers will gather information about their software engineering practices and improvement. This information can be shared to leverage the best SQE practices among development organizations. It will further be used to ensure the currency and vitality of the recommended practices. This Overview is intended to provide basic information to the LLNL ASCI software management and development staff from the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document. Additionally the Overview provides steps to using the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document. For definitions of terminology and acronyms, refer to the Glossary and Acronyms sections in the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I''.« less
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Bicycle and pedestrian data : sources, needs, & gaps
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2000-01-01
This report provides a review of existing sources of bicycle and pedestrian-related information, including their uses, quality, and limitations. It also includes information from a broad range of decision-makers, researchers, planners, and other user...
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AIR QUALITY CRITERIA DOCUMENT(S) FOR LEAD
This collection of documents intend to assess the latest scientific information on the health and environmental fate and effects of lead to provide scientific bases for periodic review and possible revision of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for lead.
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75 FR 1585 - Notice of Request for Collection of Public Information With the Use of a Survey
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-01-12
... call center and is able to provide borrowers with convenient access to their loan account information... Information With the Use of a Survey AGENCY: Rural Development, USDA. ACTION: Proposed collection; comments... Development's intention to request clearance for continuation of information collection to measure the quality...
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A primer on evaluation and use of natural resource information for corporate data bases
H. Gyde Lund; Charles E. Thomas; Robert G. Bailey; James E. Brickell; William H. Clerke; Robert S. Cunningham; Raymond L. Czaplewski; Susan J. DeLost; Fran Evanisko; Harold R. Greenlee; Paul Howard; Randy Moore; Jerry F. Ragus; Brian M. Spears; Wayne Valentine
1995-01-01
This primer provides resource inventory specialists with information on how to evaluate existing natural resource information and how to use it in preparing new resource inventortes. Subjects covered indude determining information needs, finding existing lnformation, determining its utility, evaluating Its suitability and quality, and incorporating It into new...
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Patients' Use of the Internet for Medical Information
Diaz, Joseph A; Griffith, Rebecca A; Ng, James J; Reinert, Steven E; Friedmann, Peter D; Moulton, Anne W
2002-01-01
OBJECTIVES To determine the percentage of patients enrolled in a primary care practice who use the Internet for health information, to describe the types of information sought, to evaluate patients' perceptions of the quality of this information, and to determine if patients who use the Internet for health information discuss this with their doctors. DESIGN Self-administered mailed survey. SETTING Patients from a primary care internal medicine private practice. PARTICIPANTS Randomly selected patients (N = 1,000) were mailed a confidential survey between December 1999 and March 2000. The response rate was 56.2%. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Of the 512 patients who returned the survey, 53.5% (274) stated that they used the Internet for medical information. Those using the Internet for medical information were more educated (P < .001) and had higher incomes (P < .001). Respondents used the Internet for information on a broad range of medical topics. Sixty percent felt that the information on the Internet was the “same as” or “better than” information from their doctors. Of those using the Internet for health information, 59% did not discuss this information with their doctor. Neither gender, education level, nor age less than 60 years was associated with patients sharing their Web searches with their physicians. However, patients who discussed this information with their doctors rated the quality of information higher than those who did not share this information with their providers. CONCLUSIONS Primary care providers should recognize that patients are using the World Wide Web as a source of medical and health information and should be prepared to offer suggestions for Web-based health resources and to assist patients in evaluating the quality of medical information available on the Internet. PMID:11929503
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Interpreting and Reporting Radiological Water-Quality Data
McCurdy, David E.; Garbarino, John R.; Mullin, Ann H.
2008-01-01
This document provides information to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science Centers on interpreting and reporting radiological results for samples of environmental matrices, most notably water. The information provided is intended to be broadly useful throughout the United States, but it is recommended that scientists who work at sites containing radioactive hazardous wastes need to consult additional sources for more detailed information. The document is largely based on recognized national standards and guidance documents for radioanalytical sample processing, most notably the Multi-Agency Radiological Laboratory Analytical Protocols Manual (MARLAP), and on documents published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American National Standards Institute. It does not include discussion of standard USGS practices including field quality-control sample analysis, interpretive report policies, and related issues, all of which shall always be included in any effort by the Water Science Centers. The use of 'shall' in this report signifies a policy requirement of the USGS Office of Water Quality.
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Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water year 2005
Rose, W.J.; Garn, H.S.; Goddard, G.L.; Marsh, S.B.; Olson, D.L.; Robertson, Dale M.
2006-01-01
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a data base for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. The purpose of this report is to provide information about the chemical and physical charac-teristics of Wisconsin lakes. Data that have been collected at specific lakes, and information to aid in the interpretation of those data, are included in this report. Data collected include measure-ments of in-lake water quality and lake stage. Time series graphs of Secchi depths, surface total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations collected during non-frozen periods are included for all lakes. Graphs of vertical profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance are included for sites where these parameters were measured. Descriptive infor-mation for each lake includes: location of the lake, area of the lake's watershed, period for which data are available, revisions to previously published records, and pertinent remarks.
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Hu, Zhi-Liang; Ramos, Antonio M.; Humphray, Sean J.; Rogers, Jane; Reecy, James M.; Rothschild, Max F.
2011-01-01
The newly available pig genome sequence has provided new information to fine map quantitative trait loci (QTL) in order to eventually identify causal variants. With targeted genomic sequencing efforts, we were able to obtain high quality BAC sequences that cover a region on pig chromosome 17 where a number of meat quality QTL have been previously discovered. Sequences from 70 BAC clones were assembled to form an 8-Mbp contig. Subsequently, we successfully mapped five previously identified QTL, three for meat color and two for lactate related traits, to the contig. With an additional 25 genetic markers that were identified by sequence comparison, we were able to carry out further linkage disequilibrium analysis to narrow down the genomic locations of these QTL, which allowed identification of the chromosomal regions that likely contain the causative variants. This research has provided one practical approach to combine genetic and molecular information for QTL mining. PMID:22303339
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Third Molars on the Internet: A Guide for Assessing Information Quality and Readability
Brennan, David; Sambrook, Paul; Armfield, Jason
2015-01-01
Background Directing patients suffering from third molars (TMs) problems to high-quality online information is not only medically important, but also could enable better engagement in shared decision making. Objectives This study aimed to develop a scale that measures the scientific information quality (SIQ) for online information concerning wisdom tooth problems and to conduct a quality evaluation for online TMs resources. In addition, the study evaluated whether a specific piece of readability software (Readability Studio Professional 2012) might be reliable in measuring information comprehension, and explored predictors for the SIQ Scale. Methods A cross-sectional sample of websites was retrieved using certain keywords and phrases such as “impacted wisdom tooth problems” using 3 popular search engines. The retrieved websites (n=150) were filtered. The retained 50 websites were evaluated to assess their characteristics, usability, accessibility, trust, readability, SIQ, and their credibility using DISCERN and Health on the Net Code (HoNCode). Results Websites’ mean scale scores varied significantly across website affiliation groups such as governmental, commercial, and treatment provider bodies. The SIQ Scale had a good internal consistency (alpha=.85) and was significantly correlated with DISCERN (r=.82, P<.01) and HoNCode (r=.38, P<.01). Less than 25% of websites had SIQ scores above 75%. The mean readability grade (10.3, SD 1.9) was above the recommended level, and was significantly correlated with the Scientific Information Comprehension Scale (r=.45. P<.01), which provides evidence for convergent validity. Website affiliation and DISCERN were significantly associated with SIQ (P<.01) and explained 76% of the SIQ variance. Conclusion The developed SIQ Scale was found to demonstrate reliability and initial validity. Website affiliation, DISCERN, and HoNCode were significant predictors for the quality of scientific information. The Readability Studio software estimates were associated with scientific information comprehensiveness measures. PMID:26443470
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222-S Laboratory Quality Assurance Plan. Revision 1
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Meznarich, H.K.
1995-07-31
This Quality Assurance Plan provides,quality assurance (QA) guidance, regulatory QA requirements (e.g., 10 CFR 830.120), and quality control (QC) specifications for analytical service. This document follows the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) issued Hanford Analytical Services Quality Assurance Plan (HASQAP). In addition, this document meets the objectives of the Quality Assurance Program provided in the WHC-CM-4-2, Section 2.1. Quality assurance elements required in the Guidelines and Specifications for Preparing Quality Assurance Program Plans (QAMS-004) and Interim Guidelines and Specifications for Preparing Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAMS-005) from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are covered throughout this document. A qualitymore » assurance index is provided in the Appendix A. This document also provides and/or identifies the procedural information that governs laboratory operations. The personnel of the 222-S Laboratory and the Standards Laboratory including managers, analysts, QA/QC staff, auditors, and support staff shall use this document as guidance and instructions for their operational and quality assurance activities. Other organizations that conduct activities described in this document for the 222-S Laboratory shall follow this QA/QC document.« less
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Teichert, Martina; Schoenmakers, Tim; Kylstra, Nico; Mosk, Berend; Bouvy, Marcel L; van de Vaart, Frans; De Smet, Peter A G M; Wensing, Michel
2016-08-01
Background The quality of pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies in the Netherlands has been assessed annually since 2008. The initial set has been further developed with pharmacists and patient organizations, the healthcare inspectorate, the government and health insurance companies. The set over 2012 was the first set of quality indicators for community pharmacies which was validated and supported by all major stakeholders. The aims of this study were to describe the validated set of quality indicators for community pharmacies and to report their scores over 2012. In subanalyses the score development over 5 years was described for those indicators, that have been surveyed before and remained unchanged. Methods Community pharmacists in the Netherlands were invited in 2013 to provide information for the set of 2012. Quality indicators were mapped by categories relevant for pharmaceutical care and defined for structures, processes and dispensing outcomes. Scores for categorically-measured quality indicators were presented as the percentage of pharmacies reporting the presence of a quality aspect. For numerical quality indicators, the mean of all reported scores was expressed. In subanalyses for those indicators that had been questioned previously, scores were collected from earlier measurements for pharmacies providing their scores in 2012. Multilevel analysis was used to assess the consistency of scores within one pharmacy over time by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Results For the set in 2012, 1739 Dutch community pharmacies (88 % of the total) provided information for 66 quality indicators in 10 categories. Indicator scores on the presence of quality structures showed relatively high quality levels. Scores for processes and dispensing outcomes were lower. Subanalyses showed that overall indicators scores improved within pharmacies, but this development differed between pharmacies. Conclusions A set of validated quality indicators provided insight into the quality of pharmaceutical care in the Netherlands. The quality of pharmaceutical care improved over time. As of 2012 quality structures were present in at least 80 % of the community pharmacies. Variation in scores on care processes and outcomes between individual pharmacies and over time can initiate future research to better understand and facilitate quality improvement in community pharmacies.
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Data Quality Parameters and Web Services Facilitate User Access to Research-Ready Seismic Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Trabant, C. M.; Templeton, M. E.; Van Fossen, M.; Weertman, B.; Ahern, T. K.; Casey, R. E.; Keyson, L.; Sharer, G.
2016-12-01
IRIS Data Services has the mission of providing efficient access to a wide variety of seismic and related geoscience data to the user community. With our vast archive of freely available data, we recognize that there is a constant challenge to provide data to scientists and students that are of a consistently useful level of quality. To address this issue, we began by undertaking a comprehensive survey of the data and generating metrics measurements that provide estimates of data quality. These measurements can inform the scientist of the level of suitability of a given set of data for their scientific investigation. They also serve as a quality assurance check for network operators, who can act on this information to improve their current recording or mitigate issues with already recorded data and metadata. Following this effort, IRIS Data Services is moving forward to focus on providing tools for the scientist that make it easier to access data of a quality and characteristic that suits their investigation. Data that fulfill this criterion are termed "research-ready". In addition to filtering data by type, geographic location, proximity to events, and specific time ranges, we will offer the ability to filter data based on specific quality assessments. These include signal-to-noise ratio measurements, data continuity, timing quality, absence of channel cross-talk, and potentially many other factors. Our goal is to ensure that the user receives only the data that meets their specifications and will not require extensive review and culling after delivery. We will present the latest developments of the MUSTANG automated data quality system and introduce the Research-Ready Data Sets (RRDS) service. Together these two technologies serve as a data quality assurance ecosystem that will provide benefit to the scientific community by aiding efforts to readily find appropriate and suitable data for use in any number of objectives.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-06-27
... anonymous access system, and EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in... control measures. Section 110(a)(2)(B): Ambient air quality monitoring/data system. Section 110(a)(2)(C... significant deterioration (PSD) and visibility protection. Section 110(a)(2)(K): Air quality modeling and...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wendt, Oliver; Miller, Bridget
2012-01-01
Critical appraisal of the research literature is an essential step in informing and implementing evidence-based practice. Quality appraisal tools that assess the methodological quality of experimental studies provide a means to identify the most rigorous research suitable for evidence-based decision-making. In single-subject experimental research,…
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The Effects of Accountability Incentives in Early Childhood Education. CEPA Working Paper No. 17-10
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bassok, Daphna; Dee, Thomas S.; Latham, Scott
2017-01-01
In an effort to enhance the quality of early childhood education (ECE) at scale, nearly all U.S. states have recently adopted Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS). These accountability systems give providers and parents information on program quality and create both reputational and financial incentives for program improvement. However,…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brug, Johannes; van Dale, Djoeke; Lanting, Loes; Kremers, Stef; Veenhof, Cindy; Leurs, Mariken; van Yperen, Tom; Kok, Gerjo
2010-01-01
Registration or recognition systems for best-practice health promotion interventions may contribute to better quality assurance and control in health promotion practice. In the Netherlands, such a system has been developed and is being implemented aiming to provide policy makers and professionals with more information on the quality and…
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Wisconsin's Lake Superior Basin Water Quality Study. Supplement. Technical Report No. 2.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Whisnant, David M., Ed.
During the period extending from May 1972 through April 1973, an investigation of the overall water quality conditions of streams flowing into Lake Superior from the entire state of Wisconsin was conducted. The goal of this publication was to provide much needed regional information on water quality, drainage basins, pollution sources and loads,…
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Alexander, R. H. (Principal Investigator); Reed, W. E.; Lewis, J. E.
1975-01-01
The author has identified the following significant results. The pilot air quality system provided data for updating information on the sources of point and area emissions of SO2 and particulate matter affecting the Norfolk-Portsmouth area of Virginia for 1971-72 winter and the annual 1972 period. During the 1971-72 winter, estimated SO2 amounts over an area with a SW-NE axis in the central section of Norfolk exceeded both primary and secondary levels.
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Hofmann, Julia; Kien, Christina; Gartlehner, Gerald
2015-01-01
Evidence-based information materials about the pros and cons of cancer screening are important sources for men and women to decide for or against cancer screening. The aim of this paper was to compare recommendations from different cancer institutions in German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland) regarding screening for breast, cervix, colon, and prostate cancer and to assess the quality and development process of patient information materials. Relevant information material was identified through web searches and personal contact with cancer institutions. To achieve our objective, we employed a qualitative approach. The quality of 22 patient information materials was analysed based on established guidance by Bunge et al. In addition, we conducted guided interviews about the process of developing information materials with decision-makers of cancer institutes. Overall, major discrepancies in cancer screening recommendations exist among the Austrian, German, and Swiss cancer institutes. Process evaluation revealed that crucial steps of quality assurance, such as assembling a multi-disciplinary panel, assessing conflicts of interest, or transparency regarding funding sources, have frequently not been undertaken. All information materials had substantial quality deficits in multiple areas. Three out of four institutes issued information materials that met fewer than half of the quality criteria. Most patient information materials of cancer institutes in German-speaking countries are fraught with substantial deficits and do not provide an objective source for patients to be able to make an informed decision for or against cancer screening. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier GmbH.
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USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Long-term climate and water quality monitoring data provide some of the most essential and informative information to the scientific community. These datasets however, are often incomplete and do not have frequent enough sampling to provide full explanations of trends. With the advent of continuous ...
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Research on Trying to Improve the Quality of Information Elicited from Vulnerable Witnesses
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bull, Ray
2013-01-01
This article notes that very little research has previously been published on how best to assist vulnerable witnesses to provide information relevant to crime investigations. It then provides commentary on four of the articles in this Special Issue. These four articles constitute a major contribution to knowledge on this difficult to research…
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Petzold, Thomas; Hertzschuch, Diana; Elchlep, Frank; Eberlein-Gonska, Maria
2014-01-01
Process management (PM) is a valuable method for the systematic analysis and structural optimisation of the quality and safety of clinical treatment. PM requires a high motivation and willingness to implement changes of both employees and management. Definition of quality indicators is required to systematically measure the quality of the specified processes. One way to represent comparable quality results is the use of quality indicators of the external quality assurance in accordance with Sect. 137 SGB V—a method which the Federal Joint Committee (GBA) and the institutions commissioned by the GBA have employed and consistently enhanced for more than ten years. Information on the quality of inpatient treatment is available for 30 defined subjects throughout Germany. The combination of specified processes with quality indicators is beneficial for the information of employees. A process-based indicator dashboard provides essential information about the treatment process. These can be used for process analysis. In a continuous consideration of these indicator results values can be determined and errors will be remedied quickly. If due consideration is given to these indicators, they can be used for benchmarking to identify potential process improvements. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier GmbH.
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Application of online measures to monitor and evaluate multiplatform fusion performance
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stubberud, Stephen C.; Kowalski, Charlene; Klamer, Dale M.
1999-07-01
A primary concern of multiplatform data fusion is assessing the quality and utility of data shared among platforms. Constraints such as platform and sensor capability and task load necessitate development of an on-line system that computes a metric to determine which other platform can provide the best data for processing. To determine data quality, we are implementing an approach based on entropy coupled with intelligent agents. To determine data quality, we are implementing an approach based on entropy coupled with intelligent agents. Entropy measures quality of processed information such as localization, classification, and ambiguity in measurement-to-track association. Lower entropy scores imply less uncertainty about a particular target. When new information is provided, we compuete the level of improvement a particular track obtains from one measurement to another. The measure permits us to evaluate the utility of the new information. We couple entropy with intelligent agents that provide two main data gathering functions: estimation of another platform's performance and evaluation of the new measurement data's quality. Both functions result from the entropy metric. The intelligent agent on a platform makes an estimate of another platform's measurement and provides it to its own fusion system, which can then incorporate it, for a particular target. A resulting entropy measure is then calculated and returned to its own agent. From this metric, the agent determines a perceived value of the offboard platform's measurement. If the value is satisfactory, the agent requests the measurement from the other platform, usually by interacting with the other platform's agent. Once the actual measurement is received, again entropy is computed and the agent assesses its estimation process and refines it accordingly.
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26 CFR 801.6 - Business results measures.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-04-01
... IRS personnel provided accurate tax law and account information. (3) Other work units. The quality... data that does not contain information regarding the tax enforcement result reached in any case that...) Number or percentage of overage cases; (9) Inventory information; (10) Toll-free level of access; and (11...
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40 CFR 141.75 - Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... does not provide filtration treatment must report monthly to the State the information specified in... must report monthly to the State the information specified in this paragraph (a) beginning December 31... requirements, as appropriate, until filtration is in place. (1) Source water quality information must be...
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40 CFR 141.75 - Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... does not provide filtration treatment must report monthly to the State the information specified in... must report monthly to the State the information specified in this paragraph (a) beginning December 31... requirements, as appropriate, until filtration is in place. (1) Source water quality information must be...
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40 CFR 141.75 - Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... does not provide filtration treatment must report monthly to the State the information specified in... must report monthly to the State the information specified in this paragraph (a) beginning December 31... requirements, as appropriate, until filtration is in place. (1) Source water quality information must be...
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40 CFR 141.75 - Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... does not provide filtration treatment must report monthly to the State the information specified in... must report monthly to the State the information specified in this paragraph (a) beginning December 31... requirements, as appropriate, until filtration is in place. (1) Source water quality information must be...
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Information Asymmetries as Trade Barriers: ISO 9000 Increases International Commerce
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Potoski, Matthew; Prakash, Aseem
2009-01-01
Spatial, cultural, and linguistic barriers create information asymmetries between buyers and sellers that impede international trade. The International Organization for Standardization's ISO 9000 program is designed to reduce these information asymmetries by providing assurance about the product quality of firms that receive its certification.…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-10-03
... through Friday, except Federal holidays. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Customer Satisfaction Surveys. Background: Executive Order 12862, ``Setting Customer Service Standards'' requires that federal agencies provide the highest quality service to our customers by identifying them and determining what they think...
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75 FR 57741 - Notice of Submission for OMB Review
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-09-22
... comments which: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper...) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information... broad descriptive information on the range and quality of service provided to children participating in...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jordan, Brian C.
2012-01-01
Information gained from the present study should provide important policy insights into whether adjustments to the School District Finance and Quality Performance Accreditation (SDFQPA) Act funding formula have supported the original goal behind SDFQPA, which was to provide more equal funding to public elementary and secondary pupils in Kansas.…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jordan, Brian C.
2012-01-01
Information gained from the present study should provide important policy insights into whether adjustments to the School District Finance and Quality Performance Accreditation (SDFQPA) Act funding formula have supported the original goal behind SDFQPA, which was to provide more equal funding to public elementary and secondary pupils in Kansas.…
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Overcoming information asymmetry in consumer-directed health plans.
Retchin, Sheldon M
2007-04-01
Consumer-centric healthcare has been extolled as the centerpiece of a new model for managing both quality and price. However, information asymmetry in consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) is a challenge that must be addressed. For CDHPs to work as intended and to gain acceptance, consumers need information regarding the quality and price of healthcare purchases. The federal government, particularly the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, could function as an official resource for information on performance and comparisons among facilities and providers. Because of workforce constraints among primary care physicians, a new group of healthcare professionals called "medical decision advisors" could be trained. Academic health centers would have to play a critical role in devising an appropriate curriculum, as well as designing a certification and credentialing process. However, with appropriate curricula and training, medical decision advisors could furnish information for consumers and aid in the complicated decisions they will face under CDHPs.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Akrout, Nabil M.; Gordon, Howard; Palisson, Patrice M.; Prost, Remy; Goutte, Robert
1996-05-01
Facing a world undergoing fundamental and rapid change, healthcare organizations are seeking ways to increase innovation, quality, productivity, and patient value, keys to more effective care. Individual clinics acting alone can respond in only a limited way, so re- engineering the process key which services are delivered demands real-time collaborative technology that provides immediate information sharing, improving the management and coordination of information in cross-functional teams. StreamWorks is a development stage architecture that uses a distribution technique to deliver an advanced information management system for telemedicine. The challenge of StreamWorks in telemedicine is to enable equity of the quality of Health Care of Telecommunications and Information Technology also to patients in less favored regions, like India or China, where the quality of medical care varies greatly by region, but where there are some very current communications facilities.
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Relative quality of internet-derived gastrointestinal cancer information.
Chan, David S Y; Willicombe, Anita; Reid, Thomas D; Beaton, Ceri; Arnold, David; Ward, James; Davies, I Llion; Lewis, Wyn G
2012-12-01
Internet-derived health care information is increasingly accessed by patients, yet its quality and accuracy is variable and unregulated. The aim of this study was to assess the information available regarding common gastrointestinal cancers via three internet search engines (Google, Yahoo and Bing). The top 30 websites for each of the terms: oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, colon and rectal cancer were evaluated (University of Michigan Consumer Health Website Checklist) and scored [-80 (poor) to 90 (excellent)]. The median score was 53 (-7 to 81) and was significantly higher for oesophageal (61) and pancreatic (65) cancer websites, compared with gastric (49), colon (48) and rectal cancer (50) (p = 0.014). Median scores related to charitable organisations were significantly better than academic, commercial, news agency, care provider, layperson and medical information websites collectively (79 vs. 42, p < 0.0001). Overall quality of internet-derived gastrointestinal cancer information remains poor and patients and clinicians should be aware.
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Bookbinder, Marilyn; Hugodot, Amandine; Freeman, Katherine; Homel, Peter; Santiago, Elisabeth; Riggs, Alexa; Gavin, Maggie; Chu, Alice; Brady, Ellen; Lesage, Pauline; Portenoy, Russell K
2018-02-01
Quality improvement in end-of-life care generally acquires data from charts or caregivers. "Tracer" methodology, which assesses real-time information from multiple sources, may provide complementary information. The objective of this study was to develop a valid brief audit tool that can guide assessment and rate care when used in a clinician tracer to evaluate the quality of care for the dying patient. To identify items for a brief audit tool, 248 items were created to evaluate overall quality, quality in specific content areas (e.g., symptom management), and specific practices. Collected into three instruments, these items were used to interview professional caregivers and evaluate the charts of hospitalized patients who died. Evidence that this information could be validly captured using a small number of items was obtained through factor analyses, canonical correlations, and group comparisons. A nurse manager field tested tracer methodology using candidate items to evaluate the care provided to other patients who died. The survey of 145 deaths provided chart data and data from 445 interviews (26 physicians, 108 nurses, 18 social workers, and nine chaplains). The analyses yielded evidence of construct validity for a small number of items, demonstrating significant correlations between these items and content areas identified as latent variables in factor analyses. Criterion validity was suggested by significant differences in the ratings on these items between the palliative care unit and other units. The field test evaluated 127 deaths, demonstrated the feasibility of tracer methodology, and informed reworking of the candidate items into the 14-item Tracer EoLC v1. The Tracer EoLC v1 can be used with tracer methodology to guide the assessment and rate the quality of end-of-life care. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Competition and quality in health care markets: a differential-game approach.
Brekke, Kurt R; Cellini, Roberto; Siciliani, Luigi; Straume, Odd Rune
2010-07-01
We investigate the effect of competition on quality in health care markets with regulated prices taking a differential game approach, in which quality is a stock variable. Using a Hotelling framework, we derive the open-loop solution (health care providers set the optimal investment plan at the initial period) and the feedback closed-loop solution (providers move investments in response to the dynamics of the states). Under the closed-loop solution competition is more intense in the sense that providers observe quality in each period and base their investment on this information. If the marginal provision cost is constant, the open-loop and closed-loop solutions coincide, and the results are similar to the ones obtained by static models. If the marginal provision cost is increasing, investment and quality are lower in the closed-loop solution (when competition is more intense). In this case, static models tend to exaggerate the positive effect of competition on quality.
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[Information quality in general public French-speaking websites dedicated to oral cancer detection].
Vivien, A; Kowalski, V; Chatellier, A; Babin, E; Bénateau, H; Veyssière, A
2017-02-01
The goal set by the French highest national authorities in the 2014-2019 Cancer Plan is to "heal more sick persons by promoting early diagnosis through screening". Screening requires information. Nowadays, Internet allows for access to information "in one click". The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of information found on the Internet. Several sites dedicated to oral cavity cancer screening were selected on Google. The quality of health information found in these sites was evaluated by the DISCERN questionnaire. The quality of decision support provided by the sites was evaluated by the IPDAS checklist. Twenty-seven sites were selected. The average DISCERN score was 25.1/75 (15/75 to 40/75). Eighteen sites (66.6%) had very poor, 8 sites (29.6%) had poor and 1 site had average information quality. IPDAS scores ranged from 11.1 to 38.1. Eight sites (29.6%) had less than 20%, 14 sites (51.9%) had between 20 and 30% and 5 sites (18.5%) had 30% or more validated criteria. No site achieved the pass mark. The quality of general public French-speaking website dedicated to oral cancer detection is very bad. The role of health professionals such as general practitioners and head and neck surgeons, remains essential. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
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Health Information on Internet: Quality, Importance, and Popularity of Persian Health Websites
Samadbeik, Mahnaz; Ahmadi, Maryam; Mohammadi, Ali; Mohseni Saravi, Beniamin
2014-01-01
Background: The Internet has provided great opportunities for disseminating both accurate and inaccurate health information. Therefore, the quality of information is considered as a widespread concern affecting the human life. Despite the increasingly substantial growth in the number of users, Persian health websites and the proportion of internet-using patients, little is known about the quality of Persian medical and health websites. Objectives: The current study aimed to first assess the quality, popularity and importance of websites providing Persian health-related information, and second to evaluate the correlation of the popularity and importance ranking with quality score on the Internet. Materials and Methods: The sample websites were identified by entering the health-related keywords into four most popular search engines of Iranian users based on the Alexa ranking at the time of study. Each selected website was assessed using three qualified tools including the Bomba and Land Index, Google PageRank and the Alexa ranking. Results: The evaluated sites characteristics (ownership structure, database, scope and objective) really did not have an effect on the Alexa traffic global rank, Alexa traffic rank in Iran, Google PageRank and Bomba total score. Most websites (78.9 percent, n = 56) were in the moderate category (8 ≤ x ≤ 11.99) based on their quality levels. There was no statistically significant association between Google PageRank with Bomba index variables and Alexa traffic global rank (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The Persian health websites had better Bomba quality scores in availability and usability guidelines as compared to other guidelines. The Google PageRank did not properly reflect the real quality of evaluated websites and Internet users seeking online health information should not merely rely on it for any kind of prejudgment regarding Persian health websites. However, they can use Iran Alexa rank as a primary filtering tool of these websites. Therefore, designing search engines dedicated to explore accredited Persian health-related Web sites can be an effective method to access high-quality Persian health websites. PMID:24910795
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Weil, Alexander G; Bojanowski, Michel W; Jamart, Jacques; Gustin, Thierry; Lévêque, Marc
2014-01-01
To evaluate the quality of information available on the Internet to patients with a cervical pathology undergoing elective cervical spine surgery. Six key words ("cervical discectomy," "cervical foraminotomy," "cervical fusion," "cervical disc replacement," "cervical arthroplasty," "cervical artificial disc") were entered into two different search engines (Google, Yahoo!). For each key word, the first 50 websites were evaluated for accessibility, comprehensibility, and website quality using the DISCERN tool, transparency and honesty criteria, and an accuracy and exhaustivity scale. Of 5,098,500 evaluable websites, 600 were visited; 97 (16%) of these websites were evaluated for quality and comprehensiveness. Overall, 3% of sites obtained an excellent global quality score, 7% obtained a good score, 25% obtained an above average score, 15% obtained an average score, 37% obtained a poor score, and 13% obtained a very poor score. High-quality websites were affiliated with a professional society (P = 0.021), had bibliographical references (P = 0.030), and had a recent update within 6 months (r = 0.277, P < 0.001). No correlation between global quality score and other variables was observed. This study shows that the search for medical information on the Internet is time-consuming and often disappointing. The Internet is a potentially misleading source of information. Surgeons and professional societies must use the Internet as an ally in providing optimal information to patients. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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Accuracy of Information about the Intrauterine Device on the Internet
Madden, Tessa; Cortez, Sarah; Kuzemchak, Marie; Kaphingst, Kimberly A.; Politi, Mary C.
2015-01-01
Background Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are highly effective methods of contraception, but use continues to lag behind less effective methods such as oral contraceptive pills and condoms. Women who are aware of the actual effectiveness of various contraceptive methods are more likely to choose the IUD. Conversely, women who are misinformed about the safety of IUDs may be less like to use this method. Individuals increasingly use the Internet for health information. Information about IUDs obtained through the Internet may influence attitudes about IUD use among patients. Objective Our objective was to evaluate the quality of information about intrauterine devices (IUDs) among websites providing contraceptive information to the public. Study Design We developed a 56-item structured questionnaire to evaluate the quality of information about IUDs available through the Internet. We then conducted an online search to identify websites containing information about contraception and IUDs using common search engines. The search was performed in August 2013 and websites were reviewed in October 2015 to ensure no substantial changes. Results Our search identified over 2000 websites, of which 108 were eligible for review; 105 (97.2%) of these sites contained information about IUDs. Eighty-six percent of sites provided at least one mechanism of the IUD. Most websites accurately reported advantages of the IUD including that it is long-acting (91%), highly effective (82%), and reversible (68%). However, only 30% of sites explicitly indicated that IUDs are safe. Fifty percent of sites (n=53) contained inaccurate information about the IUD such as an increased risk of pelvic inflammatory disease beyond the insertion month (27%) or that women in non-monogamous relationships (30%) and nulliparous women (20%) are not appropriate candidates. Forty-four percent of websites stated that a mechanism of IUDs is prevention of implantation of a fertilized egg. Only 3% of websites incorrectly stated that IUDs are an abortifacient. More than a quarter of sites listed an inaccurate contraindication to the IUD such as nulliparity, history of pelvic inflammatory disease, or history of an ectopic pregnancy. Conclusions The quality of information about IUDs available on the Internet is variable. Accurate information was mixed with inaccurate or outdated information that could perpetuate myths about IUDs. Clinicians need knowledge about accurate,, evidence-based Internet resources to provide to women given the inconsistent quality of information available through online sources. PMID:26546848
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Accuracy of information about the intrauterine device on the Internet.
Madden, Tessa; Cortez, Sarah; Kuzemchak, Marie; Kaphingst, Kimberly A; Politi, Mary C
2016-04-01
Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are highly effective methods of contraception, but use continues to lag behind less effective methods such as oral contraceptive pills and condoms. Women who are aware of the actual effectiveness of various contraceptive methods are more likely to choose the IUD. Conversely, women who are misinformed about the safety of IUDs may be less likely to use this method. Individuals increasingly use the Internet for health information. Information about IUDs obtained through the Internet may influence attitudes about IUD use among patients. Our objective was to evaluate the quality of information about IUDs among World Wide Web sites providing contraceptive information to the public. We developed a 56-item structured questionnaire to evaluate the quality of information about IUDs available through the Internet. We then conducted an online search to identify web sites containing information about contraception and IUDs using common search engines. The search was performed in August 2013 and web sites were reviewed again in October 2015 to ensure there were no substantial changes. Our search identified >2000 web sites, of which 108 were eligible for review; 105 (97.2%) of these sites contained information about IUDs. Of sites, 86% provided at least 1 mechanism of the IUD. Most web sites accurately reported advantages of the IUD including that it is long acting (91%), highly effective (82%), and reversible (68%). However, only 30% of sites explicitly indicated that IUDs are safe. Fifty percent (n = 53) of sites contained inaccurate information about the IUD such as an increased risk of pelvic inflammatory disease beyond the insertion month (27%) or that women in nonmonogamous relationships (30%) and nulliparous women (20%) are not appropriate candidates. Among sites, 44% stated that a mechanism of IUDs is prevention of implantation of a fertilized egg. Only 3% of web sites incorrectly stated that IUDs are an abortifacient. More than a quarter of sites listed an inaccurate contraindication to the IUD such as nulliparity, history of pelvic inflammatory disease, or history of an ectopic pregnancy. The quality of information about IUDs available on the Internet is variable. Accurate information was mixed with inaccurate or outdated information that could perpetuate myths about IUDs. Clinicians need knowledge about accurate, evidence-based Internet resources to provide to women given the inconsistent quality of information available through online sources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Evaluation and Analysis of Regional Best Management Practices in San Diego, California (USA)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Flint, K.; Kinoshita, A. M.
2017-12-01
In urban areas, surface water quality is often impaired due to pollutants transported by stormwater runoff. To maintain and improve surface water quality, the United States Clean Water Act (CWA) requires an evaluation of available water quality information to develop a list of impaired water bodies and establish contaminant restrictions. Structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) are designed to reduce runoff volume and/or pollutant concentrations to comply with CWA requirements. Local level policy makers and managers require an improved understanding of the costs and benefits associated with BMP installation, performance, and maintenance. The International Stormwater BMP Database (Database) is an online platform for submittal of information about existing BMPs, such as cost, design details, and statistical analysis of influent and effluent pollutant concentrations. While the Database provides an aggregation of data which supports analysis of overall BMP performance at international and national scales, the sparse spatial distribution of the data is not suitable for regional and local analysis. This research conducts an extensive review of local inventory and spatial analysis of existing permanent BMPs throughout the San Diego River watershed in California, USA. Information collected from cities within the San Diego River watershed will include BMP types, locations, dates of installation, costs, expected removal efficiencies, monitoring data, and records of maintenance. Aggregating and mapping this information will facilitate BMP evaluation. Specifically, the identification of spatial trends, inconsistencies in BMP performances, and gaps in current records. Regression analysis will provide insight into the nature and significance of correlations between BMP performance and physical characteristics such as land use, soil type, and proximity to impaired waters. This analysis will also result in a metric of relative BMP performance and will provide a basis for future predictions of BMP effectiveness. Ultimately, results from this work will provide information to local governments and agencies for prioritizing, maintaining and monitoring BMPs, and improvement of hydrologic and water quality modeling in urban systems subject to compliance.
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Wakefield, Daniel V; Manole, Bogdan A; Jethanandani, Amit; May, Michael E; Marcrom, Samuel R; Farmer, Michael R; Ballo, Matthew T; VanderWalde, Noam A
2016-01-01
Radiation oncology (RO) residency applicants commonly use Internet resources for information on residency programs. The purpose of this study is to assess the accessibility, availability, and quality of online information for RO graduate medical education. Accessibility of online information was determined by surveying databases for RO residency programs within the Fellowship Residency Electronic Interactive Data Access System (FREIDA) of the American Medical Association, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and Google search. As of June 30, 2015, websites were assessed for presence, accessibility, and overall content availability based on a 55-item list of desired features based on 13 program features important to previously surveyed applicants. Quality scoring of available content was performed based on previously published Likert scale variables deemed desirable to RO applicants. Quality score labels were given based on percentage of desired information presented. FREIDA and ACGME databases listed 89% and 98% of program websites, respectively, but only 56% and 52% of links routed to a RO department-specific website, respectively. Google search obtained websites for 98% of programs and 95% of links routed to RO department-specific websites. The majority of websites had program descriptions (98%) and information on staff. However, resident information was more limited (total number [42%], education [47%], previous residents [28%], positions available [35%], contact information [13%]). Based on quality scoring, program websites contained only 47% of desired information on average. Only 13% of programs had superior websites containing 80% or more of desired information. Compared with Google, the FREIDA and ACGME program databases provide limited access to RO residency websites. The overall information availability and quality of information within RO residency websites varies widely. Applicants and programs may benefit from improved content accessibility and quality from US RO program websites in the residency application process. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Systematic monitoring and evaluation of M7 scanner performance and data quality
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Stewart, S.; Christenson, D.; Larsen, L.
1974-01-01
An investigation was conducted to provide the information required to maintain data quality of the Michigan M7 Multispectral scanner by systematic checks on specific system performance characteristics. Data processing techniques which use calibration data gathered routinely every mission have been developed to assess current data quality. Significant changes from past data quality are thus identified and attempts made to discover their causes. Procedures for systematic monitoring of scanner data quality are discussed. In the solar reflective region, calculations of Noise Equivalent Change in Radiance on a permission basis are compared to theoretical tape-recorder limits to provide an estimate of overall scanner performance. M7 signal/noise characteristics are examined.
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The database provides chemical-specific toxicity information for aquatic life, terrestrial plants, and terrestrial wildlife. ECOTOX is a comprehensive ecotoxicology database and is therefore essential for providing and suppoirting high quality models needed to estimate population...
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Total Quality Management (TQM). Implementers Workshop
1990-05-15
SHEE’T :s t’ii ,rrl DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE May 15, 1990 Lfl CN I TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) Implementers Workshop © Copyright 1990 Booz.Allen...must be continually performed in order to achieve successful TQM implementation. 1-5 = TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT Implementers Workshop Course Content...information, please refer to the student manual, Total Quality Management (TOM) Awareness Seminar, that was provided for the Awareness Course. You may
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Goetz, Katja; Hess, Sigrid; Jossen, Marianne; Huber, Felix; Rosemann, Thomas; Brodowski, Marc; Künzi, Beat; Szecsenyi, Joachim
2015-04-21
To examine the effectiveness of the quality management programme--European Practice Assessment--in primary care in Switzerland. Longitudinal study with three points of measurement. Primary care practices in Switzerland. In total, 45 of 91 primary care practices completed European Practice Assessment three times. The interval between each assessment was around 36 months. A variance analyses for repeated measurements were performed for all 129 quality indicators from the domains: 'infrastructure', 'information', 'finance', and 'quality and safety' to examine changes over time. Significant improvements were found in three of four domains: 'quality and safety' (F=22.81, p<0.01), 'information' (F=27.901, p<0.01) and 'finance' (F=4.073, p<0.02). The 129 quality indicators showed a significant improvement within the three points of measurement (F=33.864, p<0.01). The European Practice Assessment for primary care practices thus provides a functioning quality management programme, focusing on the sustainable improvement of structural and organisational aspects to promote high quality of primary care. The implementation of a quality management system which also includes a continuous improvement process would give added value to provide good 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.
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Quality and Safety in Health Care, Part XXVI: The Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.
Harolds, Jay A
2017-09-01
The Adult Cardiac Surgery Database of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons has provided highly useful information in quality and safety in general thoracic surgery, including ratings of the surgeons and institutions participating in this type of surgery. The Adult Cardiac Surgery Database information is very helpful for writing guidelines and determining optimal protocols and for many research projects. This article discusses the history and current status of this database.
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Managing quality of teaching and learning in the ophthalmic nursing course.
Law, M L
2000-02-01
With auditing of teaching and learning in earnest by the Quality Assurance Agency for the Higher Education Funding Council, the nature of quality in education is top on the agenda for educational stakeholders. However, the nature of quality is difficult to define and measure. This is because quality is essentially a subjective perception and can mean different things to different individuals. Therefore, attempt to quantify and measure quality is difficult and problematic but is necessary for personal, professional, bureaucratic, political and stakeholder demands for accountability, and demonstration of efficiency, effectiveness and value for money. Using a total quality management framework, the internal controls of quality in the ophthalmic nursing course and at the faculty level are considered. The wider contexts of quality control from the institutional, political and at the customer's levels are explored. This paper concludes that the various methods used to control and measure quality may provide useful information for service clarity and a basis for service development. However, such information needs to be treated with caution and interpreted in the context and environment in which this information is generated. Ultimately, the issues of quality in teaching and learning may be addressed by the teacher's commitment to be developed as a reflective practitioner.
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Zbýň, Š; Krššák, M; Memarsadeghi, M; Gholami, B; Haitel, A; Weber, M; Helbich, T H; Trattnig, S; Moser, E; Gruber, S
2014-07-01
The presented evaluation of the relative uncertainty (δ'CCC) of the (choline + creatine)/citrate (CC/C) ratios can provide objective information about the quality and diagnostic value of prostate MR spectroscopic imaging data. This information can be combined with the numeric values of CC/C ratios and provides metabolic-quality maps enabling accurate cancer detection and user-independent data evaluation. In addition, the prostate areas suffering most from the low precision of CC/C ratios (e. g., prostate base) were identified. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
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Transparency--"Deal or no deal"?
Lutz, Sandy
2007-01-01
In the United States, transparency is becoming an ideal worthy of Mom and apple pie, like quality in healthcare. Physicians, payers, hospitals, business associations, and organizations representing patients have all chimed in expressing support. At the local, state, and national levels a variety of transparency initiatives are under way. How will transparency affect the healthcare industry? Transparency could profoundly change today's balance of power, for it is about information, and information is power. As employers push more cost sharing to workers, hospitals and health systems will have to construct a pricing structure that is meaningful to consumers. What are providers to do? To be successful with this new demand, providers should make sure they are making quality information as well as pricing information available to consumers. They will have to know the market, know what their own prices mean, consider the customer, and reengineer business processes around the patient rather than around the billing side of business.
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Avraham, Sarit; Machtinger, Ronit; Cahan, Tal; Sokolov, Amit; Racowsky, Catherine; Seidman, Daniel S
2014-01-01
To evaluate adequacy and adherence to American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidelines of internet information provided by Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART)-affiliated clinics regarding social oocyte cryopreservation (SOC). Systematic evaluation of websites of all SART member fertility clinics. The internet. None. All websites offering SOC services were scored using a 0-13 scale, based on 10 questions designed to assess website quality and adherence to the ASRM/SART guidelines. The websites were analyzed independently by two authors. Whenever disagreement occurred, a third investigator determined the score. Scores defined website quality as excellent, ≥9; moderate, 5-8; or poor, ≤4 points. Of the 387 clinics registered as SART members, 200 offered oocyte cryopreservation services for either medical or social reasons; 147 of these advertised SOC. The average website scores of those clinics offering SOC was 3.4 ± 2.1 (range, 2-11) points. There was no significant difference in scores between private versus academic clinics or clinics performing more or less than 500 cycles per year. The majority of the websites do not follow the SART/ASRM guidelines for SOC, indicating that there is a need to improve the type and quality of information provided on SOC by SART member websites. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Quality, not just quantity: Lessons learned from HIV testing in Salvador, Brazil
MacCarthy, Sarah; Rasanathan, Jennifer J. K.; Dourado, Ines; Gruskin, Sofia
2015-01-01
Studies have demonstrated that an early HIV diagnosis is a critical first step toward continued engagement in care. We examined HIV testing experiences in Salvador, Brazil, to understand how a focus on quality services can inform service provision more generally in the post–2015 global health agenda. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with HIV-positive pregnant women in Salvador, a large urban centre of northeast Brazil. Interviews were transcribed, translated, and coded for analysis. Deductive codes confirmed factors identified in the literature review. Inductive codes highlighted new factors emerging from the initial coding. ‘Quality’ was defined according to global and national guidelines as HIV testing with informed and voluntary consent, counselling, and confidentiality (3Cs). No pregnant woman experienced all elements of the 3Cs. Three women did not experience any informed and voluntary consent, counselling, or confidentiality. Few women provided consent overall and none received pre-test counselling. Post-test counselling and confidentiality of services were more consistently provided. This study suggests that testing in Salvador—the third-largest city in the country—is not of the quality called for by global and national guidelines, despite the fact that HIV testing is being routinely provided for HIV-positive pregnant women in Brazil. Going forward, additional clarity around the 3Cs is necessary to improve how the quality, not just the quantity, of HIV services is measured. PMID:24881693
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Koster, Ellen S; Blom, Lyda; Overbeeke, Marloes R; Philbert, Daphne; Vervloet, Marcia; Koopman, Laura; van Dijk, Liset
2016-01-01
Introduction Consumer Quality Index questionnaires are used to assess quality of care from patients’ experiences. Objective To provide insight into the agreement about quality of pharmaceutical care, measured both by a patient questionnaire and video observations. Methods Pharmaceutical encounters in four pharmacies were video-recorded. Patients completed a questionnaire based upon the Consumer Quality Index Pharmaceutical Care after the encounter containing questions about patients’ experiences regarding information provision, medication counseling, and pharmacy staff’s communication style. An observation protocol was used to code the recorded encounters. Agreement between video observation and patients’ experiences was calculated. Results In total, 109 encounters were included for analysis. For the domains “medication counseling” and “communication style”, agreement between patients’ experiences and observations was very high (>90%). Less agreement (45%) was found for “information provision”, which was rated more positive by patients compared to the observations, especially for the topic, encouragement of patients’ questioning behavior. Conclusion A questionnaire is useful to assess the quality of medication counseling and pharmacy staff’s communication style, but might be less suitable to evaluate information provision and pharmacy staff’s encouragement of patients’ questioning behavior. Although patients may believe that they have received all necessary information to use their new medicine, some information on specific instructions was not addressed during the encounter. When using questionnaires to get insight into information provision, observations of encounters are very informative to validate the patient questionnaires and make necessary adjustments. PMID:27042025
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Joury, A; Joraid, A; Alqahtani, F; Alghamdi, A; Batwa, A; Pines, J M
2018-03-01
When symptoms of otitis media appear, parents and patients often access the Internet for health information. We study the content and quality of health information in parent-patient-focused websites for otitis media. We searched the 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) using "otitis media" and "middle ear infection" then reviewed the top 30 hits for each search. We included sites that were focused on providing patient-patient information about otitis media. A variety of instruments were used to assess website content and quality. In 35 included websites, there was considerable variation in content, with the average site having 11 out of 15 informational items potentially useful to parents and patients on otitis media (range 4-15). Across included websites, the mean DISCERN score was 47 out of 80 (low to medium quality), 16 (46%) were HONcode certified, and 8 (23%) fulfilled all the JAMA benchmark criteria. The average website was written at a 9th/10th-grade reading level. The content and quality of health information for otitis media in parent-and-patient-focused websites is highly variable. Although easy-to-read, high-quality websites with complete content are available, the average website sites is difficult to read without a high school education and is difficult to use. Consideration should be given to adopting a standard approach for presenting disease-specific information to parents and patients. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Obtaining and providing health information in the community pharmacy setting.
Iwanowicz, Susan L; Marciniak, Macary Weck; Zeolla, Mario M
2006-06-15
Community pharmacists are a valuable information resource for patients and other healthcare providers. The advent of new information technology, most notably the Internet, coupled with the rapid availability of new healthcare information, has fueled this demand. Pharmacy students must receive training that enables them to meet this need. Community advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) provide an excellent opportunity for students to develop and master drug information skills in a real-world setting. Preceptors must ensure that students are familiar with drug information resources and can efficiently identify the most useful resource for a given topic. Students must also be trained to assess the quality of resources and use this information to effectively respond to drug or health information inquiries. This article will discuss key aspects of providing drug information in the community pharmacy setting and can serve as a guide and resource for APPE preceptors.
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Obtaining and Providing Health Information in the Community Pharmacy Setting
Iwanowicz, Susan L.; Marciniak, Macary Weck; Zeolla, Mario M.
2006-01-01
Community pharmacists are a valuable information resource for patients and other healthcare providers. The advent of new information technology, most notably the Internet, coupled with the rapid availability of new healthcare information, has fueled this demand. Pharmacy students must receive training that enables them to meet this need. Community advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) provide an excellent opportunity for students to develop and master drug information skills in a real-world setting. Preceptors must ensure that students are familiar with drug information resources and can efficiently identify the most useful resource for a given topic. Students must also be trained to assess the quality of resources and use this information to effectively respond to drug or health information inquiries. This article will discuss key aspects of providing drug information in the community pharmacy setting and can serve as a guide and resource for APPE preceptors. PMID:17136178
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Xu, Ye; Liu, Yuanli; Shu, Ting; Yang, Wei; Liang, Minghui
2015-01-01
Public hospitals deliver over ninety percent of all outpatient and inpatient services in China. Their quality is graded into three levels (A, B, and C) largely based on structural resources, but empirical evidence on the quality of process and outcome of care is extremely scarce. As expectations for quality care rise with higher living standards and cost of care, such evidence is urgently needed and vital to improve care and to inform future health reforms. We compiled and analyzed a multicenter database of over 4 million inpatient discharge summary records to provide a comprehensive assessment of the level and variations in clinical outcomes of hospitalization at 39 tertiary hospitals in Beijing. We assessed six outcome measures of clinical quality: in-hospital mortality rates (RSMR) for AMI, stroke, pneumonia and CABG, post-procedural complication rate (RS-CR), and failure-to-rescue rate (RS-FTR). The measures were adjusted for pre-admission patient case-mix using indirect standardization method with hierarchical linear mixed models. We found good overall quality with large variations by hospital and condition (mean/range, in %): RSMR-AMI: 6.23 (2.37-14.48), RSMR-stroke: 4.18 (3.58-4.44), RSMR-pneumonia: 7.78 (7.20-8.59), RSMR-CABG: 1.93 (1.55-2.23), RS-CR: 11.38 (9.9-12.88), and RS-FTR: 6.41 (5.17-7.58). Hospital grade was not significantly associated with any risk-adjusted outcome measures. Going to a higher grade public hospital does not always lead to better patient outcome because hospital grade only contains information about hospital structural resources. A hospital report card with some outcome measures of quality would provide valuable information to patients in choosing providers, and for regulators to identify gaps in health care quality. Reducing the variations in clinical practice and patient outcome should be a focus for policy makers in the next round of health sector reforms in China.