Flowpipe-Guard Intersection for Reachability Computations with Support Functions

Author(s):  
Frehse, Goran
Keyword(s):  
1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (01) ◽  
pp. 16-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Ringleb ◽  
T. Steiner ◽  
P. Knaup ◽  
W. Hacke ◽  
R. Haux ◽  
...  

Abstract:Today, the demand for medical decision support to improve the quality of patient care and to reduce costs in health services is generally recognized. Nevertheless, decision support is not yet established in daily routine within hospital information systems which often show a heterogeneous architecture but offer possibilities of interoperability. Currently, the integration of decision support functions into clinical workstations is the most promising way. Therefore, we first discuss aspects of integrating decision support into clinical workstations including clinical needs, integration of database and knowledge base, knowledge sharing and reuse and the role of standardized terminology. In addition, we draw up functional requirements to support the physician dealing with patient care, medical research and administrative tasks. As a consequence, we propose a general architecture of an integrated knowledge-based clinical workstation. Based on an example application we discuss our experiences concerning clinical applicability and relevance. We show that, although our approach promotes the integration of decision support into hospital information systems, the success of decision support depends above all on an adequate transformation of clinical needs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomasna Illahi

Education administration is a series of activities or the entire process of controlling a number of people working together to achieve educational goals in a planned and systematic manner held in a particular environment, especially in the form of educational institutions. The backbone of the education sector is its administrative and operational staff. From finance to human resources, the central support functions are similar to those found in organizations of any size. Like other organizations, no school can operate effectively without them.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma Saleh ◽  
Jovin Kitau ◽  
Flemming Konradsen ◽  
Leonard E. G. Mboera ◽  
Karin L. Schiøler

Abstract Background Disease surveillance is a cornerstone of outbreak detection and control. Evaluation of a disease surveillance system is important to ensure its performance over time. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the core and support functions of the Zanzibar integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR) system to determine its capacity for early detection of and response to infectious disease outbreaks. Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study involved 10 districts of Zanzibar and 45 public and private health facilities. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data. This included document review, observations and interviews with surveillance personnel using a modified World Health Organization generic questionnaire for assessing national disease surveillance systems. Results The performance of the IDSR system in Zanzibar was suboptimal particularly with respect to early detection of epidemics. Weak laboratory capacity at all levels greatly hampered detection and confirmation of cases and outbreaks. None of the health facilities or laboratories could confirm all priority infectious diseases outlined in the Zanzibar IDSR guidelines. Data reporting was weakest at facility level, while data analysis was inadequate at all levels (facility, district and national). The performance of epidemic preparedness and response was generally unsatisfactory despite availability of rapid response teams and budget lines for epidemics in each district. The support functions (supervision, training, laboratory, communication and coordination, human resources, logistic support) were inadequate particularly at the facility level. Conclusions The IDSR system in Zanzibar is weak and inadequate for early detection and response to infectious disease epidemics. The performance of both core and support functions are hampered by several factors including inadequate human and material resources as well as lack of motivation for IDSR implementation within the healthcare delivery system. In the face of emerging epidemics, strengthening of the IDSR system, including allocation of adequate resources, should be a priority in order to safeguard human health and economic stability across the archipelago of Zanzibar.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur K. S. Ng’etich ◽  
Kuku Voyi ◽  
Clifford M. Mutero

Abstract Background Effective surveillance and response systems are vital to achievement of disease control and elimination goals. Kenya adopted the revised guidelines of the integrated disease surveillance and response system in 2012. Previous assessments of surveillance system core and support functions in Africa are limited to notifiable diseases with minimal attention given to neglected tropical diseases amenable to preventive chemotherapy (PC-NTDs). The study aimed to assess surveillance system core and support functions relating to PC-NTDs in Kenya. Methods A mixed method cross-sectional survey was adapted involving 192 health facility workers, 50 community-level health workers and 44 sub-national level health personnel. Data was collected using modified World Health Organization generic questionnaires, observation checklists and interview schedules. Descriptive summaries, tests of associations using Pearson’s Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests and mixed effects regression models were used to analyse quantitative data. Qualitative data derived from interviews with study participants were coded and analysed thematically. Results Surveillance core and support functions in relation to PC-NTDs were assessed in comparison to an indicator performance target of 80%. Optimal performance reported on specimen handling (84%; 100%), reports submission (100%; 100%) and data analysis (84%; 80%) at the sub-county and county levels respectively. Facilities achieved the threshold on reports submission (84%), reporting deadlines (88%) and feedback (80%). However, low performance reported on case definitions availability (60%), case registers (19%), functional laboratories (52%) and data analysis (58%). Having well-equipped laboratories (3.07, 95% CI: 1.36, 6.94), PC-NTDs provision in reporting forms (3.20, 95% CI: 1.44, 7.10) and surveillance training (4.15, 95% CI: 2.30, 7.48) were associated with higher odds of functional surveillance systems. Challenges facing surveillance activities implementation revealed through qualitative data were in relation to surveillance guidelines and reporting tools, data analysis, feedback, supervisory activities, training and resource provision. Conclusion There was evidence of low-performing surveillance functions regarding PC-NTDs especially at the peripheral surveillance levels. Case detection, registration and confirmation, reporting, data analysis and feedback performed sub-optimally at the facility and community levels. Additionally, support functions including standards and guidelines, supervision, training and resources were particularly weak at the sub-national level. Improved PC-NTDs surveillance performance sub-nationally requires strengthened capacities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Elston ◽  
Ruth Dixon

Abstract “Administrative intensity” (AI) describes the proportion of total resources that organizations spend on administrative support functions rather than primary service and production processes. We test whether “sharing” administrative activities between organizations leads to a fall in AI due to economies of scale, as is often supposed, using organizational and financial data from more than 300 English local authorities. We employ multi-wave change score regression analysis to relate changes in AI from 2008 to 2016 to levels of shared services participation, and further test whether reform performance varies by category of local authority, type of administration, or degree of structural complexity. Although we find that some measures of AI fell slightly over this period, this was unrelated to shared service adoption for any category of local authority. Sharing of clerical rather than professional types of administration, and sharing by organizations and within partnerships characterized by lower structural complexity, also failed to improve reform outcomes. Faulty assumptions about the extent of administrative scale diseconomies in English local government partly explain this significant reform underperformance.


2002 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 83-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Husain ◽  
Abha ◽  
Z. Jabeen

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-342
Author(s):  
Ken Charles ◽  
Chris E Cloete

Outsourcing has become one of the most powerful, organisation-shaping management tools available today. However, the UN’s experience in outsourcing is limited to providing troops for peacekeeping operations.  The purpose of the paper is to develop an outsourcing scorecard for the UN and similar organisations.  Forty national and international organisations were surveyed through questionnaires, review of relevant literatures and records. The research established that by identifying core competencies, goals and objectives, risks, selection of provider as well as measurements and evaluation of providers performance using an outsourcing scorecard, support functions can be outsourced successfully. Other criteria indicated as important is peace-building, suitable for humanitarian organisations. The scorecard developed by the research could provide the UN with a number of benefits, such as maximization of efficiency and savings in costs.  The paper develops the first outsourcing scorecard to guide the UN and similar organisations in identifying services that can be outsourced successfully.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 219-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Smith

AbstractIn a world where articles and tweets are discussing how artificial intelligence technology will replace humans, including lawyers and their support functions in firms, it can be hard to understand what the future holds. This article, written by Alex Smith, is based on his presentation at the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians conference in Dublin 2016 and looks at demystifying the emerging technology boom and identifies the expertise needed to make these tools work and be deployed in law firms. The article then looks at the skills and expertise of the knowledge and information teams, based in law firms, and suggests how they are ideally placed to lead these challenges as a result of their domain expertise and their existing, well defined skills that are essential to this new generation of technology. The article looks at the new technical environment, the emerging areas of products and legal problems, the skills needed for the new roles that this revolution is creating and how this could fit into a reimagined knowledge team.


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