Goldstein and Stephens Revisited and Extended to a Telehealth Model of Hearing Aid Optimization

Author(s):  
Elaine Saunders ◽  
Sophie Brice ◽  
Roya Alimoradian

Tele-audiology practice is sometimes portrayed or practiced as an extension of conventional audiology practice, but in reality, it should be considered as a more flexible and innovative way of delivering hearing healthcare. It is likely to continue expanding beyond the bounds of conventional audiology into the future. This has far-reaching implications for clinical utility and client satisfaction. One important consequence is that tele-audiology is changing the way individuals are approaching their hearing health. In a connected economy, people are becoming more empowered in managing their health and are metamorphosing from patients, whose only option is to visit a clinical facility, to consumers with choices. There will still be a need for conventional audiology practices to manage more complex cases where medical diagnosis and intervention are involved, or where clients prefer face-to-face service, but this will be as part of a hearing health ecosystem where the consumer makes the choices drawing on a range of influencing factors. There is now substantial evidence from large-scale studies and clinical data that aspects of tele-audiology are prevalent within different service models and that the outcomes are at least as beneficial to the recipients as the outcomes from delivery of conventional audiology services in conventional audiology clinics. In addition to potential improvements to client outcomes, tele-audiology is already starting to improve access to hearing health services, reduce costs, and deliver social and economic benefits to society.

Author(s):  
Elaine Saunders ◽  
Sophie Brice ◽  
Roya Alimoradian

Tele-audiology practice is sometimes portrayed or practiced as an extension of conventional audiology practice, but in reality, it should be considered as a more flexible and innovative way of delivering hearing healthcare. It is likely to continue expanding beyond the bounds of conventional audiology into the future. This has far-reaching implications for clinical utility and client satisfaction. One important consequence is that tele-audiology is changing the way individuals are approaching their hearing health. In a connected economy, people are becoming more empowered in managing their health and are metamorphosing from patients, whose only option is to visit a clinical facility, to consumers with choices. There will still be a need for conventional audiology practices to manage more complex cases where medical diagnosis and intervention are involved, or where clients prefer face-to-face service, but this will be as part of a hearing health ecosystem where the consumer makes the choices drawing on a range of influencing factors. There is now substantial evidence from large-scale studies and clinical data that aspects of tele-audiology are prevalent within different service models and that the outcomes are at least as beneficial to the recipients as the outcomes from delivery of conventional audiology services in conventional audiology clinics. In addition to potential improvements to client outcomes, tele-audiology is already starting to improve access to hearing health services, reduce costs, and deliver social and economic benefits to society.


1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (03) ◽  
pp. 436-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armando Tripodi ◽  
Barbara Negri ◽  
Rogier M Bertina ◽  
Pier Mannuccio Mannucci

SummaryThe factor V (FV) mutation Q506 that causes resistance to activated protein C (APC) is the genetic defect associated most frequently with venous thrombosis. The laboratory diagnosis can be made by DNA analysis or by clotting tests that measure the degree of prolongation of plasma clotting time upon addition of APC. Home-made and commercial methods are available but no comparative evaluation of their diagnostic efficacy has so far been reported. Eighty frozen coded plasma samples from carriers and non-carriers of the FV: Q506 mutation, diagnosed by DNA analysis, were sent to 8 experienced laboratories that were asked to analyze these samples in blind with their own APC resistance tests. The APTT methods were highly variable in their capacity to discriminate between carriers and non-carriers but this capacity increased dramatically when samples were diluted with FV-deficient plasma before analysis, bringing the sensitivity and specificity of these tests to 100%. The best discrimination was obtained with methods in which fibrin formation is triggered by the addition of activated factor X or Russell viper venom. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that some coagulation tests are able to distinguish carriers of the FV: Q506 mutation from non-carriers as well as the DNA test. They are inexpensive and easy to perform. Their use in large-scale clinical trials should be of help to determine the medical and economic benefits of screening healthy individuals for the mutation before they are exposed to such risk factors for venous thrombosis as surgery, pregnancy and oral contraceptives.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 8823-8830
Author(s):  
Jiafeng Li ◽  
Hui Hu ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Qian Jin ◽  
Tianhao Huang

Under the influence of COVID-19, the economic benefits of shale gas development are greatly affected. With the large-scale development and utilization of shale gas in China, it is increasingly important to assess the economic impact of shale gas development. Therefore, this paper proposes a method for predicting the production of shale gas reservoirs, and uses back propagation (BP) neural network to nonlinearly fit reservoir reconstruction data to obtain shale gas well production forecasting models. Experiments show that compared with the traditional BP neural network, the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy and stability of the prediction. There is a nonlinear correlation between reservoir reconstruction data and gas well production, which does not apply to traditional linear prediction methods


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1274
Author(s):  
Loau Al-Bahrani ◽  
Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian ◽  
Ben Horan ◽  
Alex Stojcevski

Few non-traditional optimization techniques are applied to the dynamic economic dispatch (DED) of large-scale thermal power units (TPUs), e.g., 1000 TPUs, that consider the effects of valve-point loading with ramp-rate limitations. This is a complicated multiple mode problem. In this investigation, a novel optimization technique, namely, a multi-gradient particle swarm optimization (MG-PSO) algorithm with two stages for exploring and exploiting the search space area, is employed as an optimization tool. The M particles (explorers) in the first stage are used to explore new neighborhoods, whereas the M particles (exploiters) in the second stage are used to exploit the best neighborhood. The M particles’ negative gradient variation in both stages causes the equilibrium between the global and local search space capabilities. This algorithm’s authentication is demonstrated on five medium-scale to very large-scale power systems. The MG-PSO algorithm effectively reduces the difficulty of handling the large-scale DED problem, and simulation results confirm this algorithm’s suitability for such a complicated multi-objective problem at varying fitness performance measures and consistency. This algorithm is also applied to estimate the required generation in 24 h to meet load demand changes. This investigation provides useful technical references for economic dispatch operators to update their power system programs in order to achieve economic benefits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233339362093002
Author(s):  
Susanne Winther ◽  
Mia Fredens ◽  
Marie Brund Hansen ◽  
Kirstine Skov Benthien ◽  
Camilla Palmhøj Nielsen ◽  
...  

Proactive Health Support (PaHS) is a large-scale intervention in Denmark carried out by registered nurses (RNs) who provide self-management support to people at risk of hospital admission to enhance their health, coping, and quality of life. PaHS is initiated with a face-to-face session followed by telephone conversations. We aimed to explore the start-up sessions, including if and how the relationship between participants and RNs developed at the onset of PaHS. We used an ethnographic design including observations and informal interviews. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological–hermeneutical approach. The study showed that contexts such as hospitals and RNs legitimized the intervention. Face-to-face communication contributed to credibility, just as the same RN throughout the intervention ensured continuity. We conclude that start-up sessions before telephone-based self-management support enable a trust-based relationship between participants and RNs. Continuous contact with the same RNs throughout the session promoted participation in the intervention.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Willem Wasmann ◽  
Cris Lanting ◽  
Wendy Huinck ◽  
Emmanuel Mylanus ◽  
Jeroen van der Laak ◽  
...  

The global digital transformation enables computational audiology for advanced clinical applications that have the potential to impact the global burden of hearing loss. In this paper we describe emerging hearing-related artificial intelligence applications and argue for their potential to improve access, precision and efficiency of hearing health care services. In addition, we raise awareness of risks that must be addressed to enable a safe digital transformation in audiology. We envision a future where computational audiology is implemented via open-source models using interoperable shared data and where health care providers adopt new roles within a network of distributed expertise. All of this should take place in a health care system where privacy, the responsibility of each stakeholder and, most importantly, the safety and autonomy of patients are all guarded by design.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
JY Hur ◽  
Wonhyuk Cho ◽  
G Lee ◽  
Sarah Bickerton

© 2019, © 2019 Asian Studies Association of Australia. Starting in 2012, the South Korean government has implemented a large-scale relocation of its central government agencies, which are now split between the existing capital city (Seoul) and a new administrative-capital city (Sejong). One of the most controversial aspects of the relocation has been the bureaucratic inefficiency caused by its split nature. ICT-enabled solutions, dubbed “Smart Work”, were adopted to deal with this challenge, but have not been effective in avoiding inefficiency. In this article, we argue that different forms of organisational inertia created resistance to switching from traditional work routines to Smart Work’s ICT-assisted equivalents. Various forms of inertia–psychological (anxiety around learning new technologies), cognitive (culture/norms in face-to-face work routines), technological (stickiness of pre-existing IT system), political (continued influence from elected officials), and resource allocation (success bias from previous digital government projects)–significantly influenced public managers’ work practices in Sejong. These types of inertia, we argue, have reinforced face-to-face communication rather than digital communication, on-site visits rather than video-conferencing, and fixed-time work rather than flex-work. Our findings challenge dominant views from functionalist models of digital transformation and emphasise the importance of cultural congruency between workplace norms and technophilic business processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 236 ◽  
pp. 04030
Author(s):  
Wang Shengjin ◽  
Chen Ying

In order to meet the diversified consumption needs of urban residents, many new urban express terminal distribution service models have emerged, from the traditional “door to door” service to the current service station and smart cabinets and other service modes coexist. The diversification of urban express delivery service models can not only bring customers a better consumer experience, but also help to further improve the consumption level of urban residents. Through qualitative comparison and analysis of existing urban express terminal distribution service models, this paper can provide a reference for e-commerce companies and logistics companies to choose the urban express terminal distribution service models suitable for their own development. Improving the current status of urban express delivery services will help resolve the contradiction between customer experience demands and enterprises, bring economic benefits to enterprises, and also help improve urban transportation and bring social benefits.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Natalia Alfonso ◽  
Adnan A Hyder ◽  
Olakunle Alonge ◽  
Shumona Sharmin Salam ◽  
Kamran Baset ◽  
...  

Abstract Drowning is the leading cause of death among children 12-59 months old in rural Bangladesh. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a large-scale crèche intervention in preventing child drowning. Estimates of the effectiveness of the crèches was based on prior studies and the program cost was assessed using monthly program expenditures captured prospectively throughout the study period from two different implementing agencies. The study evaluated the cost-effectiveness from both a program and societal perspective. Results showed that from the program perspective the annual operating cost of a crèche was $416.35 (95%C.I.: $222 to $576), the annual cost per child was $16 (95%C.I.: $9 to $22) and the incremental-cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) per life saved with the crèches was $17,803 (95%C.I.: $9,051 to $27,625). From the societal perspective (including parents time valued) the ICER per life saved was -$176,62 (95%C.I.: -$347,091 to -$67,684)—meaning crèches generated net economic benefits per child enrolled. Based on the ICER per disability-adjusted-life years averted from the societal perspective (excluding parents time), $2,020, the crèche intervention was cost-effective even when the societal economic benefits were ignored. Based on the evidence, the creche intervention has great potential for reducing child drowning at a cost that is reasonable.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10741
Author(s):  
Ovidija Eičaitė ◽  
Gitana Alenčikienė ◽  
Ingrida Pauliukaitytė ◽  
Alvija Šalaševičienė

More than half of food waste is generated at the household level, and therefore, it is important to tackle and attempt to solve the problem of consumer food waste. This study aimed to identify factors differentiating high food wasters from low food wasters. A large-scale survey was conducted in Lithuania. A total of 1001 respondents had participated in this survey and were selected using a multi-stage probability sample. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Binary logistic regression modelling was used to analyse the effect of socio-demographics, food-related behaviours, attitudes towards food waste, and knowledge of date labelling on levels of food waste. Impulse buying, inappropriate food preparation practices, non-consumption of leftovers, lack of concern about food waste, and worry about food poisoning were related to higher food waste. On the other hand, correct planning practices and knowledge of date labelling were related to lower food waste. The findings of this study have practical implications for designing interventions aimed at reducing consumer food waste.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document