scholarly journals The Development of a Care Home Data Platform in Scotland: Insights from the Care Home Innovation Partnership, Lothian

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Johnston ◽  
David AG Henderson ◽  
Jo Hockley ◽  
Susan D Shenkin
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Individual Care ◽  
Data Platform

Care homes collect a large amount of data about their residents, and the care provided, but there is a lack of consistency in how this information is collected. There is also a need to minimise the burden of data collection on staff, ensure information informs and supports person-centred care, and that this data is then of use to regulatory agencies, policy makers and researchers. We examined the data collected in six Care Homes in Lothian, Scotland. We extracted the meta-data collected, cross-referenced definitions and assessed the degree of current harmonisation between individual care homes and with data sets currently in use in Scotland and internationally. We interviewed the care home managers to identify data collection processes, views and experiences of current data availability, gaps, access and issues of capacity and capability in relation to data management and analytics. Our work has illustrated the scale of the data collected by care homes, the varied formats and heterogeneity of scope and definition. The inventory of 15 core data items that emerged, serves to expose in detail the foundations of care home data sets. The groundwork illuminated the heterogeneity in tools and assessments used to generate the data and the way in which the data is to be used, affects how it is specified and frequency of collection. By making known the reality of how and why care home data is collected, we can understand better the nuances of each individual data item that collectively create a data platform. We make four recommendations for the development of a national care home data platform.

scholarly journals Open-Source Data Collection and Data Sets for Activity Recognition in Smart Homes

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uwe Köckemann ◽  
Marjan Alirezaie ◽  
Jennifer Renoux ◽  
Nicolas Tsiftes ◽  
Mobyen Uddin Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Activity Recognition ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Smart Homes ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Home Setting

As research in smart homes and activity recognition is increasing, it is of ever increasing importance to have benchmarks systems and data upon which researchers can compare methods. While synthetic data can be useful for certain method developments, real data sets that are open and shared are equally as important. This paper presents the E-care@home system, its installation in a real home setting, and a series of data sets that were collected using the E-care@home system. Our first contribution, the E-care@home system, is a collection of software modules for data collection, labeling, and various reasoning tasks such as activity recognition, person counting, and configuration planning. It supports a heterogeneous set of sensors that can be extended easily and connects collected sensor data to higher-level Artificial Intelligence (AI) reasoning modules. Our second contribution is a series of open data sets which can be used to recognize activities of daily living. In addition to these data sets, we describe the technical infrastructure that we have developed to collect the data and the physical environment. Each data set is annotated with ground-truth information, making it relevant for researchers interested in benchmarking different algorithms for activity recognition.

scholarly journals A multi-decade record of high-quality fCO<sub>2</sub> data in version 3 of the Surface Ocean CO<sub>2</sub> Atlas (SOCAT)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothee C. E. Bakker ◽  
Benjamin Pfeil ◽  
Camilla S. Landa ◽  
Nicolas Metzl ◽  
Kevin M. O'Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Science Data ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Biogeochemical Models

Abstract. The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) is a synthesis of quality-controlled fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) values for the global surface oceans and coastal seas with regular updates. Version 3 of SOCAT has 14.5 million fCO2 values from 3646 data sets covering the years 1957 to 2014. This latest version has an additional 4.4 million fCO2 values relative to version 2 and extends the record from 2011 to 2014. Version 3 also significantly increases the data availability for 2005 to 2013. SOCAT has an average of approximately 1.2 million surface water fCO2 values per year for the years 2006 to 2012. Quality and documentation of the data has improved. A new feature is the data set quality control (QC) flag of E for data from alternative sensors and platforms. The accuracy of surface water fCO2 has been defined for all data set QC flags. Automated range checking has been carried out for all data sets during their upload into SOCAT. The upgrade of the interactive Data Set Viewer (previously known as the Cruise Data Viewer) allows better interrogation of the SOCAT data collection and rapid creation of high-quality figures for scientific presentations. Automated data upload has been launched for version 4 and will enable more frequent SOCAT releases in the future. High-profile scientific applications of SOCAT include quantification of the ocean sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide and its long-term variation, detection of ocean acidification, as well as evaluation of coupled-climate and ocean-only biogeochemical models. Users of SOCAT data products are urged to acknowledge the contribution of data providers, as stated in the SOCAT Fair Data Use Statement. This ESSD (Earth System Science Data) "Living Data" publication documents the methods and data sets used for the assembly of this new version of the SOCAT data collection and compares these with those used for earlier versions of the data collection (Pfeil et al., 2013; Sabine et al., 2013; Bakker et al., 2014).

scholarly journals An inventory of biodiversity data sources for conservation monitoring

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0242923
Author(s):  
P. J. Stephenson ◽  
Carrie Stengel
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Biodiversity Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The People ◽  
Science Community ◽  
Global Data

Many conservation managers, policy makers, businesses and local communities cannot access the biodiversity data they need for informed decision-making on natural resource management. A handful of databases are used to monitor indicators against global biodiversity goals but there is no openly available consolidated list of global data sets to help managers, especially those in high-biodiversity countries. We therefore conducted an inventory of global databases of potential use in monitoring biodiversity states, pressures and conservation responses at multiple levels. We uncovered 145 global data sources, as well as a selection of global data reports, links to which we will make available on an open-access website. We describe trends in data availability and actions needed to improve data sharing. If the conservation and science community made a greater effort to publicise data sources, and make the data openly and freely available for the people who most need it, we might be able to mainstream biodiversity data into decision-making and help stop biodiversity loss.

scholarly journals Hybrid simulation modelling of networks of heterogeneous care homes and the inter-facility spread of Covid-19 by sharing staff

2022 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. e1009780
Author(s):  
Le Khanh Ngan Nguyen ◽  
Itamar Megiddo ◽  
Susan Howick
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Model ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Hybrid Simulation ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Agency Staff ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Model Combining

Although system dynamics [SD] and agent-based modelling [ABM] have individually served as effective tools to understand the Covid-19 dynamics, combining these methods in a hybrid simulation model can help address Covid-19 questions and study systems and settings that are difficult to study with a single approach. To examine the spread and outbreak of Covid-19 across multiple care homes via bank/agency staff and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions targeting this group, we develop an integrated hybrid simulation model combining the advantages of SD and ABM. We also demonstrate how we use several approaches adapted from both SD and ABM practices to build confidence in this model in response to the lack of systematic approaches to validate hybrid models. Our modelling results show that the risk of infection for residents in care homes using bank/agency staff was significantly higher than those not using bank/agency staff (Relative risk [RR] 2.65, 95% CI 2.57–2.72). Bank/agency staff working across several care homes had a higher risk of infection compared with permanent staff working in a single care home (RR 1.55, 95%CI 1.52–1.58). The RR of infection for residents is negatively correlated to bank/agency staff’s adherence to weekly PCR testing. Within a network of heterogeneous care homes, using bank/agency staff had the most impact on care homes with lower intra-facility transmission risks, higher staff-to-resident ratio, and smaller size. Forming bubbles of care homes had no or limited impact on the spread of Covid-19. This modelling study has implications for policy makers considering developing effective interventions targeting staff working across care homes during the ongoing and future pandemics.

scholarly journals A multifaceted intervention to reduce antimicrobial prescribing in care homes: a non-randomised feasibility study and process evaluation

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-150
Author(s):  
Carmel Hughes ◽  
David Ellard ◽  
Anne Campbell ◽  
Rachel Potter ◽  
Catherine Shaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Antimicrobial Prescribing

Background The most frequent acute health-care intervention that care home residents receive is the prescribing of medications. There are serious concerns about prescribing generally, and about antimicrobial prescribing in particular, with facilities such as care homes being described as an important ‘reservoir’ of antimicrobial resistance. Objectives To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a multifaceted intervention on the prescribing of antimicrobials for the treatment of infections. Design This was a non-randomised feasibility study, using a mixed-methods design with normalization process theory as the underpinning theoretical framework and consisting of a number of interlinked strands: (1) recruitment of care homes; (2) adaptation of a Canadian intervention (a decision-making algorithm and an associated training programme) for implementation in UK care homes through rapid reviews of the literature, focus groups/interviews with care home staff, family members of residents and general practitioners (GPs), a consensus group with health-care professionals and development of a training programme; (3) implementation of the intervention; (4) a process evaluation consisting of observations of practice and focus groups with staff post implementation; and (5) a survey of a sample of care homes to ascertain interest in a larger study. Setting Six care homes – three in Northern Ireland and three in the West Midlands. Participants Care home staff, GPs associated with the care homes and family members of residents. Interventions A training programme for care home staff in the use of the decision-making algorithm, and implementation of the decision-making algorithm over a 6-month period in the six participating care homes. REACH (REduce Antimicrobial prescribing in Care Homes) Champions were appointed in each care home to support intervention implementation and the training of staff. Main outcome measures The acceptability of the intervention in terms of recruitment, delivery of training, feasibility of data collection from a variety of sources, implementation, practicality of use and the feasibility of measuring the appropriateness of prescribing. Results Six care homes from two jurisdictions were recruited, and the intervention was adapted and implemented. The intervention appeared to be broadly acceptable and was implemented largely as intended, although staff were concerned about the workload associated with study documentation. It was feasible to collect data from community pharmacies and care homes, but hospitalisation data from administrative sources could not be obtained. The survey indicated that there was interest in participating in a larger study. Conclusions The adapted and implemented intervention was largely acceptable to care home staff. Approaches to minimising the data-collection burden on staff will be examined, together with access to a range of data sources, with a view to conducting a larger randomised study. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN10441831. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 8. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. Queen’s University Belfast acted as sponsor.

scholarly journals The uptake and use of a minimum data set (MDS) for older people living and dying in care homes: a realist review

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Massirfufulay Kpehe Musa ◽  
Gizdem Akdur ◽  
Sarah Brand ◽  
Anne Killett ◽  
Karen Spilsbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Realist Review ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Minimum Data Set ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Minimum Data

Abstract Background Care homes provide long term care for older people. Countries with standardised approaches to residents’ assessment, care planning and review (known as minimum data sets (MDS)) use the aggregate data to guide resource allocation, monitor quality, and for research. Less is known about how an MDS affects how staff assess, provide and review residents’ everyday care. The review aimed to develop a theory-driven understanding of how care home staff can effectively implement and use MDS to plan and deliver care for residents. Methods The realist review was organised according to RAMESES (Realist And Meta-narrative Evidence Synthesis: and Evolving Standards) guidelines. There were three overlapping stages: 1) defining the scope of the review and theory development on the use of minimum data set 2) testing and refining candidate programme theories through iterative literature searches and stakeholders’ consultations as well as discussion among the research team; and 3) data synthesis from stages 1 and 2. The following databases were used MEDLINE via OVID, Embase, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), ASSIA [Applied Social Sciences Citation Index and Abstracts]) and sources of grey literature. Results Fifty-one papers informed the development of three key interlinked theoretical propositions: motivation (mandates and incentives for Minimum Data Set completion); frontline staff monitoring (when Minimum Data Set completion is built into the working practices of the care home); and embedded recording systems (Minimum Data Set recording system is integral to collecting residents’ data). By valuing the contributions of staff and building on existing ways of working, the uptake and use of an MDS could enable all staff to learn with and from each other about what is important for residents’ care Conclusions Minimum Data Sets provides commissioners service providers and researchers with standardised information useful for commissioning planning and analysis. For it to be equally useful for care home staff it requires key activities that address the staff experiences of care, their work with others and the use of digital technology. Registration PROSPERO registration number CRD42020171323.

scholarly journals A multi-decade record of high-quality <i>f</i>CO<sub>2</sub> data in version 3 of the Surface Ocean CO<sub>2</sub> Atlas (SOCAT)

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothee C. E. Bakker ◽  
Benjamin Pfeil ◽  
Camilla S. Landa ◽  
Nicolas Metzl ◽  
Kevin M. O'Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Synthesis Product ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Biogeochemical Models

Abstract. The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) is a synthesis of quality-controlled fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) values for the global surface oceans and coastal seas with regular updates. Version 3 of SOCAT has 14.7 million fCO2 values from 3646 data sets covering the years 1957 to 2014. This latest version has an additional 4.6 million fCO2 values relative to version 2 and extends the record from 2011 to 2014. Version 3 also significantly increases the data availability for 2005 to 2013. SOCAT has an average of approximately 1.2 million surface water fCO2 values per year for the years 2006 to 2012. Quality and documentation of the data has improved. A new feature is the data set quality control (QC) flag of E for data from alternative sensors and platforms. The accuracy of surface water fCO2 has been defined for all data set QC flags. Automated range checking has been carried out for all data sets during their upload into SOCAT. The upgrade of the interactive Data Set Viewer (previously known as the Cruise Data Viewer) allows better interrogation of the SOCAT data collection and rapid creation of high-quality figures for scientific presentations. Automated data upload has been launched for version 4 and will enable more frequent SOCAT releases in the future. High-profile scientific applications of SOCAT include quantification of the ocean sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide and its long-term variation, detection of ocean acidification, as well as evaluation of coupled-climate and ocean-only biogeochemical models. Users of SOCAT data products are urged to acknowledge the contribution of data providers, as stated in the SOCAT Fair Data Use Statement. This ESSD (Earth System Science Data) "living data" publication documents the methods and data sets used for the assembly of this new version of the SOCAT data collection and compares these with those used for earlier versions of the data collection (Pfeil et al., 2013; Sabine et al., 2013; Bakker et al., 2014). Individual data set files, included in the synthesis product, can be downloaded here: doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.849770. The gridded products are available here: doi:10.3334/CDIAC/OTG.SOCAT_V3_GRID.

Participant recruitment and data collection through Facebook: the role of personality factors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Chandler Rife ◽  
Kelly L. Cate ◽  
Michal Kosinski ◽  
David Stillwell
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Social Networking Service ◽  
Participant Recruitment ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Promising Avenue

As participant recruitment and data collection over the Internet have become more common, numerous observers have expressed concern regarding the validity of research conducted in this fashion. One growing method of conducting research over the Internet involves recruiting participants and administering questionnaires over Facebook, the world’s largest social networking service. If Facebook is to be considered a viable platform for social research, it is necessary to demonstrate that Facebook users are sufficiently heterogeneous and that research conducted through Facebook is likely to produce results that can be generalized to a larger population. The present study examines these questions by comparing demographic and personality data collected over Facebook with data collected through a standalone website, and data collected from college undergraduates at two universities. Results indicate that statistically significant differences exist between Facebook data and the comparison data-sets, but since 80% of analyses exhibited partial η2 &lt; .05, such differences are small or practically nonsignificant in magnitude. We conclude that Facebook is a viable research platform, and that recruiting Facebook users for research purposes is a promising avenue that offers numerous advantages over traditional samples.

GPs’ experience of safeguarding in care homes: what do they see and what do they do?

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp20X711269
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Alton ◽  
Caroline White
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Electronic Records ◽  
Multiple Relationships ◽  
Home Context ◽  
Emerging Themes ◽  
Multiple Health

BackgroundAbuse of older people in care homes is an on-going problem. GPs, as the most frequent practitioner group visiting care homes, have an important role in detecting and reporting abuse. However, there is little research about GPs’ experiences of working in care homes and how they work to safeguard residents.AimTo explore the challenges experienced by GPs working in this unique environment and how these impact on safeguarding.MethodAn online survey collected qualitative data about GPs’ experiences as visiting professionals to care homes, with an emphasis on safeguarding. A thematic analysis identified key themes.ResultsIn total, 58 completed surveys were returned, with a range of practitioner experience represented (1–30 years). Approximately 70% were GP partners, with the remainder salaried and locum doctors. Over one third reported they had witnessed signs of definite or possible abuse within care homes. Emerging themes related to the complex care home context, in which residents had multiple health needs and GPs had to build multiple relationships with managers, carers, families, and residents. Difficulties in accessing information were reported; residents could not always provide information, GPs had to rely on others for information, and rarely had access to electronic records.ConclusionGP work in care homes is a complex and skilled role, in which GPs encounter evidence of poor care and abuse. Key themes in respect of barriers and facilitators of good care were highlighted. The reliance on others for information and the need to build relationships with staff/managers may raise tensions in respect of safeguarding practice.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: Employment Issues in the United States

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 58-69
Author(s):  
Marlene Kim
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Pacific Islanders ◽  
Native Hawaiians ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Unemployment Rates

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in the United States face problems of discrimination, the glass ceiling, and very high long-term unemployment rates. As a diverse population, although some Asian Americans are more successful than average, others, like those from Southeast Asia and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs), work in low-paying jobs and suffer from high poverty rates, high unemployment rates, and low earnings. Collecting more detailed and additional data from employers, oversampling AAPIs in current data sets, making administrative data available to researchers, providing more resources for research on AAPIs, and enforcing nondiscrimination laws and affirmative action mandates would assist this population.

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