scholarly journals Co-design and feasibility of a pharmacist-led minor ailment service

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Dineen-Griffin ◽  
Shalom I. Benrimoj ◽  
Kylie A. Williams ◽  
Victoria Garcia-Cardenas
Keyword(s):  
Communication Systems ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Practice Change ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Change Facilitation ◽  
Treatment Pathways ◽  
Minor Ailment ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Qualitative Part ◽  
Digital Communication Systems

Abstract Background Community pharmacies provide an appropriate setting to deliver minor ailment services (MASs). Many community pharmacy services have been developed previously without stakeholder involvement. As a result, implementation of services may fail to produce the expected impact. The aim of this research was to co-design and test the feasibility of an Australian MAS for minor ailment presentations. Methods This study used co-design methodology which included two phases: (1) a focus group with stakeholders to allow the conceptualization of the service and agreement on service elements; (2) a literature review of clinical guidelines and three working meetings with a team of editors and general practitioners for the development of treatment pathways. Following this, a study evaluating the feasibility of the co-designed service was undertaken. The qualitative part of the methodology associated with the feasibility study comprised semi-structured interviews with MAS pharmacists, observation and completion of a tool by change facilitators identifying barriers and facilitators to service delivery. Qualitative data obtained for all phases were analysed using thematic analysis. Results The developed service included the following components: (i) an in-pharmacy consultation between the patient and pharmacist, (ii) treatment pathways accessible to pharmacists on the internet to guide consultations, (iii) existing digital communication systems used by general practice to exchange patient information, (iv) training, and (v) change facilitation. As a result of feasibility testing, twenty-six implementation factors were identified for practice change, with the main change being the simplification of the pharmacist-patient consultation and data collection processes. Conclusions An Australian MAS was generated as a result of co-design, while testing revealed that the co-designed service was feasible. As a result of integrating the views of multiple stakeholders, the designed MAS has been adapted to suit healthcare practices, which may increase the acceptance and impact of MAS when implemented into practice.

Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation - Lessons from Uganda

10.33117/512 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-69
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Implementation Success ◽  
Success Model ◽  
Strategic Csr ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose: This paper presents aspects of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Implementation Success Model to guide CSR engagements. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative case methodology is used to investigate two CSR companies in Uganda. Semi-structured interviews with managers and stakeholders are conducted. Data triangulation includes reviewing CSR reports and documents, and visiting communities and CSR activities/projects mentioned in the case companies’ reports. Grounded theory guides the data analysis and aggregation. Findings: The findings culminate into a “CSR Implementation Success Model. ” Key aspects of CSR implementation success are identified as: (i) involvement of stakeholders and management (i.e., co-production) at the start and during every stage of CSR implementation; (ii) management of challenges and conflicts arising within/outside of the company itself; and (iii) feedback management or performance assessment—i.e., accountability via CSR communications and reporting. Stakeholder involvement and feedback management (accountability) are pivotal, though all three must be considered equally. Research limitations: The studied companies were large and well-established mature companies, so it is unclear whether newer companies and small and medium-sized enterprises would produce similar findings. Practical implications: Successful CSR implementation starts with a common but strategic understanding of what CSR means to the company. However, CSR implementation should (i) yield benefits that are tangible, and (ii) have a sustainable development impact because these two aspects form implementation benchmarks. Additionally, top management should be involved in CSR implementation, but with clear reasons and means. Originality/value: This paper unearths a CSR Implementation Success Model that amplifies views of “creating shared value” for sustainable development. It guides organizations towards strategic CSR, as opposed to the responsive CSR (returning profits to society) that largely dominates in developing countries. Additionally, it explains how to add value to the resource envelope lubricating the entire CSR implementation process

Security Analysis of Wireless Authentication Protocols

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish Joshi ◽  
Amar Kumar Mohapatra
Keyword(s):  
Execution Time ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Security Analysis ◽  
Cryptographic Protocols ◽  
Command Line ◽  
Time Analysis ◽  
Authentication Protocols ◽  
Replay Attack ◽  
Peer Communication ◽  
Digital Communication Systems

Background & Objective: Cryptographic protocols had been evident method for ensuring con dentiality, Integrity and authentication in various digital communication systems. However the validation and analysis of such cryptographic protocols was limited to usage of formal mathematical models until few years back. Methods: In this paper, various popular cryptographic protocols have been studied. Some of these protocols (PAP, CHAP, and EAP) achieve security goals in peer to peer communication while others (RADIUS, DIAMETER and Kerberos) can work in multiparty environment. These protocols were validated and analysed over two popular security validation and analysis tools AVISPA and Scyther. The protocols were written according to their documentation using the HLPSL and SPDL for analysis over AVISPA and Scyther respectively. The results of these tools were analysed to nd the possible attack an each protocol. Afterwards The execution time analysis of the protocols were done by repeating the experiment for multiple iterations over the command line versions of these tools.As the literature review suggested, this research also validates that using password based protocols (PAP) is faster in terms of execution time as compared to other methods, Usage of nonces tackles the replay attack and DIAMETER is secure than RADIUS. Results and Conclusion: The results also showed us that DIAMETER is faster than RADIUS. Though Kerberos protocol was found to safe, the results tell us that it is compromisable under particular circumstances.

scholarly journals The Lived Experiences of Stigmatization in the Process of HIV Status Disclosure among People Living with HIV in Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5089
Author(s):  
Chia-Hui Yu ◽  
Chu-Yu Huang ◽  
Nai-Ying Ko ◽  
Heng-Hsin Tung ◽  
Hui-Man Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Status ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Hiv Status Disclosure ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Status Disclosure

People living with HIV (PLWH) face social stigma which makes disclosure of HIV status difficult. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of stigmatization in the process of disease disclosure among PLWH in Taiwan. Analysis of the semi-structured interviews from 19 PLWH in Taiwan revealed two phases and six themes. Phase one “experiences before disclosure” involved three themes: “Struggles under the pressure of concealing the HIV Status,” “Torn between fear of unemployment/isolation and desire to protect closed ones,” and “Being forced to disclose the HIV status.” Phase two “experiences after disclosure” included three themes: “Receiving special considerations and requirements from school or work,” “Receiving differential treatments in life and when seeking medical care,” and “Stress relief and restart.” Healthcare professionals need to assess stigmatization in PLWH and develop individualized approaches to assist with the disease disclosure process.

scholarly journals Regulation EU 2017/745 on medical devices – implementation analysis in Portugal by the distributors

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Vilaça
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public Health Action ◽  
Study Implementation ◽  
Implementation Analysis

Abstract The Regulation responds to legislation failures in the European regulatory framework on medical devices (MD), which in turn led to public health issues. Two media scandals triggered the final actions on the elaboration of this EU Regulation, which was already being thought off in a context of fast MD development, and on the commitment of member-states to harmonize legislation in order to better manage resources. This Regulation is expected to address detected gaps, and contribute to the protection of European citizens' health by ensuring high quality and safety of MD, through advocating for more transparency, vigilance, and traceability. A technique to evaluate policies is the implementation analysis, as it links theory and practice. By understanding it, it is possible to ascertain if, in fact, the Regulation will contribute, as proposed, to improve public health. The implementation analysis framework I developed can be used in other countries affected by this Regulation, and may even be extrapolated to other scenarios. Entry into force 25/05/17.Full application 05/20. This qualitative study uses document analysis and semi-structured interviews to collect data, and literature review to frame the situation and to study implementation analysis. The questions are: identify the facilitators and resistance points of the implementation; explore perceptions of the Portuguese MD distributors; understand the policy implementation pathway; and have a picture of the implementation status in Portugal. The results can be summarized as: implementers are interested in complying with the Regulation; there is stakeholder involvement in policy making and throughout the implementation process; the main points of resistance, difficulties and the facilitators are identified; and the Regulation is being implemented according to the timelines. The public health action brought by the policy is that each economic operator is an active actor on vigilance and patient safety across MD lifecycle. Key messages If we are interested in the extent to which a particular polity is able to solve the problems with which it is confronted, we need to study the way in which the law is executed in practice. Focus on the effective implementation of the new regulatory framework on medical devices to protect patients and ensure it addresses new and emerging challenges.

scholarly journals Ugandan stakeholder hopes and concerns about gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control: new directions for gene drive risk governance

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hartley ◽  
Robert D. J. Smith ◽  
Adam Kokotovich ◽  
Chris Opesen ◽  
Tibebu Habtewold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Control ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
Malaria Control Programme ◽  
Gene Drive ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
New Directions ◽  
High Level

Abstract Background The African Union’s High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies identified gene drive mosquitoes as a priority technology for malaria elimination. The first field trials are expected in 5–10 years in Uganda, Mali or Burkina Faso. In preparation, regional and international actors are developing risk governance guidelines which will delineate the framework for identifying and evaluating risks. Scientists and bioethicists have called for African stakeholder involvement in these developments, arguing the knowledge and perspectives of those people living in malaria-afflicted countries is currently missing. However, few African stakeholders have been involved to date, leaving a knowledge gap about the local social-cultural as well as ecological context in which gene drive mosquitoes will be tested and deployed. This study investigates and analyses Ugandan stakeholders’ hopes and concerns about gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control and explores the new directions needed for risk governance. Methods This qualitative study draws on 19 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Ugandan stakeholders in 2019. It explores their hopes for the technology and the risks they believed pertinent. Coding began at a workshop and continued through thematic analysis. Results Participants’ hopes and concerns for gene drive mosquitoes to address malaria fell into three themes: (1) ability of gene drive mosquitoes to prevent malaria infection; (2) impacts of gene drive testing and deployment; and, (3) governance. Stakeholder hopes fell almost exclusively into the first theme while concerns were spread across all three. The study demonstrates that local stakeholders are able and willing to contribute relevant and important knowledge to the development of risk frameworks. Conclusions International processes can provide high-level guidelines, but risk decision-making must be grounded in the local context if it is to be robust, meaningful and legitimate. Decisions about whether or not to release gene drive mosquitoes as part of a malaria control programme will need to consider the assessment of both the risks and the benefits of gene drive mosquitoes within a particular social, political, ecological, and technological context. Just as with risks, benefits—and importantly, the conditions that are necessary to realize them—must be identified and debated in Uganda and its neighbouring countries.

scholarly journals Effect of Correlated Non-Gaussian Quadratures on the Performance of Binary Modulations

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Valentine A. Aalo ◽  
George P. Efthymoglou
Keyword(s):  
Communication Systems ◽  
Gaussian Quadrature ◽  
Wireless Communication Systems ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Random Waves ◽  
The Central Limit Theorem ◽  
Gaussian Quadratures ◽  
Non Gaussian ◽  
Digital Communication Systems ◽  
Composite Signal

The received signal in many wireless communication systems comprises of the sum of waves with random amplitudes and random phases. In general, the composite signal consists of correlated nonidentical Gaussian quadrature components due to the central limit theorem (CLT). However, in the presence of a small number of random waves, the CLT may not always hold and the quadrature components may not be Gaussian distributed. In this paper, we assume that the fading environment is such that the quadrature components follow a correlated bivariate Student-t joint distribution. Then, we derive the envelope distribution of the received signal and obtain new expressions for the exact and high signal-to-noise (SNR) approximate average BER for binary modulations. It also turns out that the derived envelope pdf approaches the Rayleigh and Hoyt distributions as limiting cases. Using the derived envelope pdf, we investigate the effect of correlated nonidentical quadratures on the error rate performance of digital communication systems.

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