scholarly journals Consumers on the Job: Contextualization Crafting in Expert Services

2021 ◽  
pp. 109467052110124
Author(s):  
Courtney Nations Azzari ◽  
Laurel Anderson ◽  
Martin Mende ◽  
Josephine Go Jefferies ◽  
Hilary Downey ◽  
...  

Tasked with a greater role in the coproduction of expert services, consumers often face an immense burden in coproducing service and well-being outcomes. While some prior research has explored customer work, we delineate unique aspects of expert services and articulate consumer efforts that transpire outside the dyadic service interaction. Through netnographic inquiry in a health care context, we find that coproduction efforts are job-like and require job crafting efforts. Upon this foundation, three major themes emerged: (1) consumers leverage their context expertise by adapting content expertise to their unique circumstances, (2) consumers develop and deploy strategies (hacks) through affordances in order to manage their coproduction jobs, and (3) consumers move through the expert service journey in a variety of ways that shift them toward or away from well-being outcomes. After assessing the transferability of our results by analyzing a second expert service context (financial services/debt management), we suggest implications for theory, practice, and future research.

2021 ◽  
pp. 104420732110275
Author(s):  
Alex Nester Jiya ◽  
Maxwell Peprah Opoku ◽  
William Nketsia ◽  
Joslin Alexei Dogbe ◽  
Josephine Nkrumah Adusei

Deplorable living conditions among persons with disabilities and the need to improve their living conditions cannot be overemphasized. This has triggered international discussion on the need for deliberate social policies to bridge the poverty gap between persons with and without disabilities. In Malawi, expansion of financial services has been identified as an essential tool to accelerate economic and inclusive development. However, empirical studies are yet to explore the preparedness of financial institutions to extend their services to persons with disabilities. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers from commercial banks in Malawi to understand their perspectives on extending financial services to persons with disabilities. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a descriptive thematic analysis was performed. Although participants reiterated the need to provide persons with disabilities with financial services to improve their well-being, few initiatives have been undertaken to improve their participation. Particularly, participants stated that barriers, such as a lack of financial literacy and adaptive technologies, communication barriers, and high rates of unemployment, explained the reluctance of commercial banks to extend financial services to persons with disabilities. The limitations, recommendations for future research, and implications of the study for policymaking have been highlighted.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Andrea Tomo ◽  
Lucio Todisco

Literature is increasingly recognizing that organizations must combine themes of care and concern with more established economic objectives. This conceptual study will expand on this literature by considering how expressions of organizational care toward employees, by improving their well-being, may influence their motivation, work involvement and, in turn, improve performance. In more detail, by extending the conceptual framework developed by Bonner & Sprinkle (2001), it is argued that managers should take into account the impact, not only of monetary and non-monetary incentives, but even of other caring policies, on employee motivation and performance outcomes. On this ground, this study develops a theoretical model on how organizational care may help employees in expressing their work potential and enhancing their performance. The model is developed within the health care context since its particular setting that strongly affects employees’ well-being.


2015 ◽  
pp. 132-151
Author(s):  
Sunilkumar S. Manvi ◽  
Manjula R. B.

Although the present technology has aided in development of high-technology-based disease detection machines, potential medicines and devices, the well-being of the individual remains a challenge. Human beings are struggling to control diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, hypertension, insomnia, heart disease, and diabetes due to non-availability of patient's real-time data for comprehensive study and analysis. Smart health centre environments represent the evolutionary developmental step towards intelligent health care. The Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) with pervasive and ubiquitous computing may be a solution for this predicament. WSNs are a key technology for ambient assisted living. The concept of WSN is used to measure the various health parameters like blood pressure, blood clot, allergy, ECG, cholesterol, RBCs, etc. In this chapter, the authors highlight the importance of WSNs with respect to health care services and discuss some of its challenging applications for diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, asthma, and heart disease. They delineate the challenges that researchers face in this area that may lead to future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 371-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S. Williams ◽  
Cheryl Rathert ◽  
Sandra C. Buttigieg

The well-being of the health care workforce has emerged as both a major concern and as a component of the “quadruple aim” to enable the “triple aim” of improving patient experiences, reducing costs, and improving population health. Physician burnout is problematic given its effects on physicians, patients, health care organizations, and society. Using conservation of resources theory as a frame, we conducted a systematic review of the empirical literature on the relationship of physician burnout with physician personal and professional outcomes that includes 43 articles. Nine outcomes were organized into three categories illustrating burnout as a dynamic loss spiral rather than a static end-state. Findings show that emotional exhaustion had the greatest impact with the outcomes explored, while depersonalization and lack of professional accomplishment manifested fewer associations. The results suggest that burnout is a complex, dynamic phenomenon, which unfolds over time. Future research and implications of these results are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Dionigi ◽  
Carla Canestrari

Within the past decade, there has been a surge of interest in investigating the effects of clown intervention in a large variety of clinical settings. Many studies have focused on the effects of clown intervention on children. However, few studies have investigated clowning effects on adults. This paper presents an overview of the concept of medical clowning followed by a literature review conducted on the empirical studies drawn from three data bases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar), with the aim of mapping and discussing the evidence of clowning effects on non-children, namely adults. The following areas were investigated: Adult and elderly patients (mainly those with dementia), observers of clowning, namely non-hospitalized adults who are at the hospital as relatives of patients or health-care staff, and finally clowns themselves. The main results are that 1) clown intervention induces positive emotions, thereby enhancing the patient’s well-being, reduces psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and prompts a decrease in negative emotions, such as anxiety and stress; 2) clown doctors are also well-perceived by relatives and healthcare staff and their presence appears to be useful in creating a lighter atmosphere in the health setting; 3) few pilot studies have been conducted on clown doctors and this lacuna represents a subject for future research.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Robinson ◽  
Andrew K Husband ◽  
Robert D Slight ◽  
Sarah P Slight

BACKGROUND The internet has become an important medium within health care, giving patients the opportunity to search for information, guidance, and support to manage their health and well-being needs. Online forums and internet-based platforms appear to have changed the way many patients undergoing bariatric surgery view and engage with their health, before and after weight loss surgery. Given that significant health improvements result from sustained weight loss, ensuring patient adherence to recommended preoperative and postoperative guidance is critical for bariatric surgery success. In a patient cohort with high information needs preoperatively, and notoriously high attrition rates postoperatively, online forums may present an underutilized method of support. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to conduct a narrative review focusing on the developing roles that online forums can play for patients with bariatric conditions preoperatively and postoperatively. METHODS A literature search was conducted in October-November 2019 across 5 electronic databases: Scopus, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and MEDLINE. Qualitative or mixed methods studies were included if they evaluated patients undergoing bariatric surgery (or bariatric surgery health care professionals) engaging with, using, or analyzing online discussion forums or social media platforms. Using thematic analysis, themes were developed from coding patterns within the data to identify the roles and challenges of online forums for patients undergoing bariatric surgery. RESULTS A total of 8 studies were included in this review, with 5 themes emerging around (1) managing expectations of a <i>new life</i>; (2) decision making and signposting; (3) supporting information seeking; (4) facilitating connectedness: peer-to-peer social and emotional support; and (5) enabling accessibility and connectivity with health care professionals. CONCLUSIONS Online forums could offer one solution to improving postoperative success by supporting and motivating patients. Future research should consider how best to design and moderate online forums for maximal effectiveness and the sharing of accurate information. The surgical multidisciplinary team may consider recommendations of online peer-support networks to complement care for patients throughout their surgical journey.


2021 ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Viktoriia Adamyk ◽  
Khrystyna Shcherbiak

Introduction. The development of bilateral relations in the context of globalization and European integration involves expanding the range of forms of cooperation, as well as those areas covered by cooperation. The implementation of medical reform in Ukraine necessitates the intensification of the exchange of experience in the medical field with other countries, including Poland. The rapid processes of digitalization against the background of the Kovid-19 pandemic determine the modernization of communication tools and cooperation in the field of health services.The purpose of the article is to study the state and prospects of exchange of experience in the field of medical services between Ukraine and Poland.Research methods. To achieve the goal set in the article, general scientific and special methods were used, namely: analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, abstraction and concretization, systematization, as well as elements of comparative analysis. The methodological basis for the study are national and international regulations of Ukraine and Poland, which regulate the functioning of health care and bilateral relations in the field of medical services, scientific works of domestic and foreign researchers, statistical reports and more.Results. The exchange of experience in the provision of medical services between Ukraine and Poland is carried out in a slightly different state of health care and taking into account Ukraine’s integration intentions using tools such as conferences, seminars, webinars, academic mobility of scientists and students, bilateral agreements between medical institutions with the support of local governments and self-government, etc. Digitalization, on the one hand, expands opportunities for collaboration, and on the other - necessitates the need to improve the quality of technical equipment of hospitals and makes new demands on human capital. Improving the exchange of experience in the field of  medical services is enhanced by receiving technical assistance from Polish partners, including under the auspices of international institutions, such as the EU, WHO, UNICEF, etc. Perspective areas are the introduction of the eHealth system in Ukraine, as well as the involvement of Polish specialists to modernize the management system in domestic health care facilities. The article details the recommendations for intensifying the exchange of experience between Ukraine and Poland in areas and tools.Perspectives. Future research is important to focus on an interdisciplinary analysis of the consequences of health care reform in Ukraine and Poland in the context of the impact on the well-being of citizens.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
sarah idriss ◽  
walaa alasaadi ◽  
abdullah Aldhuhayyan ◽  
Ahmed alenzi ◽  
Reem alharbi ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The use of communication technologies to deliver health care remotely is known as telemedicine. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a variety of consequences for health-care delivery in 2020. As a result, it was necessary to adapt and deliver high-quality care to patients while limiting possible viral exposure for both patients and health-care workers. During the pandemic, physicians employed video visits, phone visits, and electronic written visits (e-consultations), all of which have the ability to provide a comparable quality of care while removing social barriers. OBJECTIVE The study’s aim is to assess physicians’ perspectives and attitudes concerning the usage of telemedicine in Riyadh hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main domains of the assessment are physicians’ overall experience with telemedicine use before and during COVID-19, future adaptability to using telemedicine, perceptions about patients’ experience, and the influence of telemedicine on burnout. METHODS Methods: An anonymous 28-question cross-sectional survey was developed using SurveyMonkey and distributed to all physicians from all specialty disciplines across Riyadh city hospitals. RESULTS A total of 362 doctors were included in the study. Among them, 28.7% were consultants, 30.4% were specialists, and 40.9% were residents. Male doctors formed the majority (56.1%). When asked about the frequency of using telemedicine, 41.4% answered “frequently,” 26% responded “occasionally,” and 32.6% said “never.” Thirty one percent of doctors agreed and somewhat agreed that the “quality of care during telemedicine is comparable with face-to-face visits.” About 55% doctors believed that telemedicine consultation is a cost-effective way, compared to face-to-face visits. Most of the doctors were skilled (70%) at telemedicine, and they were also able to solve technology issues during telemedicine visits (54%). Overall, the physicians felt that their patients liked telemedicine: 68% said they felt comfortable using telemedicine and 76% said theyfound that it saved time. As per the burnout question, 4.1% of doctors felt burnout every day, 7.5% felt burnout a few times a week, and 27.3% felt burnout a few times per month. CONCLUSIONS Physicians had a generally favorable attitude toward telemedicine, believing that the quality of health-care delivery using it was comparable to that of in-person care. Future research is needed to investigate how physicians’ attitudes toward telemedicine have changed since the pandemic, as well as how this virtual technology might be used to improve their professional and personal well-being.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 205920432199770
Author(s):  
Kat R. Agres ◽  
Rebecca S. Schaefer ◽  
Anja Volk ◽  
Susan van Hooren ◽  
Andre Holzapfel ◽  
...  

The fields of music, health, and technology have seen significant interactions in recent years in developing music technology for health care and well-being. In an effort to strengthen the collaboration between the involved disciplines, the workshop “Music, Computing, and Health” was held to discuss best practices and state-of-the-art at the intersection of these areas with researchers from music psychology and neuroscience, music therapy, music information retrieval, music technology, medical technology (medtech), and robotics. Following the discussions at the workshop, this article provides an overview of the different methods of the involved disciplines and their potential contributions to developing music technology for health and well-being. Furthermore, the article summarizes the state of the art in music technology that can be applied in various health scenarios and provides a perspective on challenges and opportunities for developing music technology that (1) supports person-centered care and evidence-based treatments, and (2) contributes to developing standardized, large-scale research on music-based interventions in an interdisciplinary manner. The article provides a resource for those seeking to engage in interdisciplinary research using music-based computational methods to develop technology for health care, and aims to inspire future research directions by evaluating the state of the art with respect to the challenges facing each field.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1778-1787
Author(s):  
Shayan Bahadori ◽  
Sarah Collard ◽  
Jonathan Mark Williams ◽  
Ian Swain

Little concerted effort has been made to understand why individuals undergo total hip replacement (THR) surgery and their rehabilitation goals. Similarly, insight of views and perspective of health care professionals’ (HCPs) regarding surgery and what objective measures help them with decision-making is lacking. This patient and public involvement report aimed to explore both patients’ and HCPs’ perspectives of THR surgery. Twenty patients, 10 pre-THR, 10 post-THR, 9 physiotherapists, and 6 surgeons took part. Results suggest a consensus among patients and HCPs on pain reduction being the main reason for undergoing THR. The inability to carry out simple daily activities such as dog walking and sleep deprivation had a significant effect on patients’ mental and physical well-being. This article is the first to explore the views of THR patients and HCPs on reasons behind THR surgery amalgamated into a single report. As walking is important, wearable activity monitors are suggested as a possible motivator to enhance patient compliance to self-care rehabilitation and increase quality of life. A future research project on the use of such wearable activity monitors in enhancing mobility post-THR is therefore planned.


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