Self-Service Systems

Author(s):  
Calin Gurau

The evolution of information technology applications has changed the landscape of the service industry, offering the possibility of customer empowerment through self-service applications. Considering the main three streams of research already applied in the study of self-services, this chapter investigates customers’ perceptions about eight dimensions that characterise the quality of the self-service experience. On the other hand, the study attempts to analyse the influence of the self-service users’ profile (gender, Internet usage experience, and online self-service usage experience), and to provide specific insights about the needs and wants of various categories of customers.

2010 ◽  
pp. 843-854
Author(s):  
Calin Gurau

The evolution of information technology applications has changed the landscape of the service industry, offering the possibility of customer empowerment through self-service applications. Considering the main three streams of research already applied in the study of self-services, this chapter investigates customers’ perceptions about eight dimensions that characterise the quality of the self-service experience. On the other hand, the study attempts to analyse the influence of the self-service users’ profile (gender, Internet usage experience, and online self-service usage experience), and to provide specific insights about the needs and wants of various categories of customers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Chiarenza ◽  
D Domenig ◽  
S Cattacin

Abstract Background Several sets of standards aiming at improving access and quality of care for service users have been published in recent years. Certain standards focused on improving healthcare providers’ responsiveness to specific target groups. The general goal of this research was to improve organisations’ awareness of equity standards that are not focused on specific groups, but on all contributing factors that put vulnerable groups at risk of exclusion. The specific objective was to evaluate the degree of compliance with a set of equity standards in 52 health care organisations from 16 countries. Methods A self-assessment tool (SAT) was developed to allow healthcare organisations to measure their capacity to provide equitable care for service users. The SAT indicates the main areas that should be addressed: equity in policy; equitable access and utilisation; equitable quality of care; equity in participation; promoting equity. A cross-sectional survey addressing participants from pilot-organisations was used for data collection, concerning both the self-reported compliance score with the standards, as well as the additional information provided to support the score assigned. Data were analysed quantitatively as well as qualitatively. Results The findings confirm that healthcare providers do invest in improving equity in the access and delivery of services to vulnerable groups. However, many health organisations have inadequate strategies to address inequities and are insufficiently engaged in improving equity in participation and promoting equity outside the organisation. Conclusions The participating organisations reported a significant impact from use of the self-assessment tool: some received the support from regional/national authorities to continue working on improving equity in healthcare; others linked the equity standards to existing performance-measurement strategies; others invested in new frameworks to improve service users engagement. Key messages The implementation of the SAT contributes to a self-reflective process, involving health professionals and managers, in which gaps and potential improvements are identified. Pilot organisations utilised the SAT as part of a process of increasing their awareness of equity issues and changing their organisational culture.


2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 290-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver J. Mason ◽  
Rebecca Holt

Aims and methodCoping Through Football aims to improve well-being and reduce social isolation for younger people with severe mental illness in a deprived area of North East London. Interviews were conducted with 12 service users, 5 referrers and 2 coaches to obtain their views of the project's implications for health and well-being, quality of life and social/community relationships. A qualitative approach was used to derive themes from interview transcripts using some of the tools of grounded theory.ResultsThemes included: identifying with past self; service with a difference: opening up the social world; safety; empowerment; and feeling good. Coping Through Football was seen by stakeholders as leading to increased well-being and social opportunities within a safe and understanding environment.Clinical implicationsFor many service users the football project played a key role in their recovery of personal and social roles. Social and community-based mental health projects benefit greatly from active community collaboration, in this case a professional football club and several non-statutory sport/leisure bodies.


2010 ◽  
pp. 1689-1702
Author(s):  
Calin Gurau

The rapid development of online self-service applications has created the need for empirical studies about consumers’ perceptions and behavior during the adoption and use of such systems. An essential condition for understanding the elements that can enhance the adoption and use of these online systems is to identify the main factors that define the quality of self-service applications from the perspective of online users. After a presentation of the main streams of research focused on the analysis of online self-service systems, the article identifies eight quality dimensions defined by previous studies. The analysis of primary data permits a ranking of these quality dimensions in relation to users’ perceptions. On the other hand, the study investigates the influence of users’ personal characteristics (gender, age, Internet usage frequency and online self-service usage frequency) on the perceived importance of various quality dimensions, providing specific insights about the needs and wants of various categories of customers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2097-2108
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Croft ◽  
Courtney T. Byrd

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify levels of self-compassion in adults who do and do not stutter and to determine whether self-compassion predicts the impact of stuttering on quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Participants included 140 adults who do and do not stutter matched for age and gender. All participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale. Adults who stutter also completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Data were analyzed for self-compassion differences between and within adults who do and do not stutter and to predict self-compassion on quality of life in adults who stutter. Results Adults who do and do not stutter exhibited no significant differences in total self-compassion, regardless of participant gender. A simple linear regression of the total self-compassion score and total Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering score showed a significant, negative linear relationship of self-compassion predicting the impact of stuttering on quality of life. Conclusions Data suggest that higher levels of self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connectedness (i.e., self-compassion) are related to reduced negative reactions to stuttering, an increased participation in daily communication situations, and an improved overall quality of life. Future research should replicate current findings and identify moderators of the self-compassion–quality of life relationship.


MedPharmRes ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14
Author(s):  
Tri Doan ◽  
Tuan Tran ◽  
Han Nguyen ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  

Purpose: This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the self-report and parent-proxy Health-Related Quality of Life Measure for Children with Epilepsy (CHEQOL-25) into Vietnamese and to evaluate their reliability. Methods: Both English versions of the self-report and parent-proxy CHEQOL-25 were translated and culturally adapted into Vietnamese by using the Principles of Good Practice for the Translation and Cultural Adaptation Process. The Vietnamese versions were scored by 77 epileptic patients, who aged 8–15 years, and their parents/caregivers at neurology outpatient clinic of Children Hospital No. 2 – Ho Chi Minh City. Reliability of the questionnaires was determined by using Cronbach’s coefficient α and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: Both Vietnamese versions of the self-report and parent-proxy CHEQOL-25 were shown to be consistent with the English ones, easy to understand for Vietnamese children and parents. Thus, no further modification was required. Cronbach’s α coefficient for each subscale of the Vietnamese version of the self-report and parent-proxy CHEQOL-25 was 0.65 to 0.86 and 0.83 to 0.86, respectively. The ICC for each subscale of the self-report and parent-proxy CHEQOL-25 was in the range of 0.61 to 0.86 and 0.77 to 0.98, respectively. Conclusion: The Vietnamese version of the self-report and parent-proxy CHEQOL-25 were the first questionnaires about quality of life of epileptic children in Vietnam. This Vietnamese version was shown to be reliable to assess the quality of life of children with epilepsy aged 8–15 years.


2010 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-36
Author(s):  
Vaia Touna

This paper argues that the rise of what is commonly termed "personal religion" during the Classic-Hellenistic period is not the result of an inner need or even quality of the self, as often argued by those who see in ancient Greece foreshadowing of Christianity, but rather was the result of social, economic, and political conditions that made it possible for Hellenistic Greeks to redefine the perception of the individual and its relationship to others.


MIS Quarterly ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Scherer ◽  
◽  
Nancy V. Wünderlich ◽  
Florian von Wangenheim ◽  
◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanhua Xie ◽  
Yunhe Gao ◽  
Weichi Tan

BACKGROUND In the conventional method, the blood pressure values of pregnant women were measured by nurses in the obstetrics outpatient clinics, and then were entered into the computer system.The pregnant women should wait for long time to complete this process.We hypothesized that the self-service blood pressure measurement by pregnant women could be a better option rather than measuring the blood pressure by nurses. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to analyze the effect of self-service blood pressure measurement in obstetrical outpatient clinic on waiting time, satisfaction of pregnant women and outpatient volume, and provide reference for the optimization of outpatient service processes. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study. The waiting time and satisfaction degree of pregnant women, as well as the outpatient volume in the Obstetrics Outpatient Clinic were compared on the use of self-service blood pressure measurement system with the conventional method. A total of 519 pregnant women in the obstetrics outpatient clinics of Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center in China participated in the satisfaction survey. The sample means were compared with t-test. RESULTS Compared to wait a longer queue for blood pressure measured by nurses, after using the self-service blood pressure measurement system, the waiting time of pregnant women for blood pressure measurement was significantly reduced from (18.57±9.68) min to (2.39±1.96) min (P<0.001). In addition, the satisfaction degree of pregnant women was significantly increased (P<0.001), and the monthly outpatient volume was significantly increased (P=0.02,P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that after implementation of self-service blood pressure measurement, the waiting time of the pregnant women for blood pressure measurement was decreased significantly, while the satisfactory degree and outpatient flow were increased significantly, improving the cost-effectiveness.Therefore, this method is worth to be popularized in clinical practices. Relevance to clinical practice: How to use medical intelligence in clinical practices, replace manual works by self-service devices to address the high outpatient flow, high work load of medical personnel, and improve the experience of patients in seeking medical services are the most concerned issues by both patients as well as hospital managers.This study demonstrated that the self-service blood pressure measurement as a promising strategy in clinical practices and provided reference for the optimization of outpatient service processes. CLINICALTRIAL This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center (approval number:SFE-KL-46401; Supplementary file 4). All the pregnant women included in this study signed the informed consent form.


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