The Conceptualisation and Development of a Space-Saving Multipurpose Table for Enhanced Ergonomic Performance

Foldable furniture is a trend of the modern furniture industry. However, apart from limitations attributed to multifunctionality and space saving characteristics, a complete design process documentation of foldable furniture is uncommon in furniture research. This study aims to develop a space-saving multipurpose table for improved ergonomic performance. Features and functions are extracted from research articles and patents for concept generation. The final concept is modelled using Autodesk Inventor Professional 2019. Mechanical simulations are done to confirm the structural integrity of the invention before prototyping and testing. The tests accounted for usage efficiency, space and usability. Using Minitab 19, the experimental data are analysed with t-tests. The survey data are analysed using Spearman’s correlation test via IBM SPSS Statistics version 21. Participants were able to complete tasks around 1.1–1.5 times faster with the proposed invention than with single-function furniture items. The amount of space occupied with the proposed invention was approximately 25–80% lesser than with the single-function furniture items placed together. The survey analysis demonstrated that there was a strong, positive and significant correlation between space saving effectiveness and ergonomic performance. Further developments to transition this invention to its commercialisation phase should be done to facilitate daily living domestic activities of society at large.

Development of a Standard Methodology for Documenting Processes in an Organization

The application of process management in our country has been extended throughout the last decade; improvement in management, high performance levels, reduction of operation times, optimization of resources and obtaining of quality certifications are among the main reasons why both public and private organizations seek to implement it. However, despite being an implicit activity within the change of management model to the process approach and even the improvement of the functional administrative model, the documentation of processes becomes an uncomfortable, complex and time-consuming task that often generates nervousness and distrust in workers. Diversity of criteria and the lack of an adequate methodology with effective tools makes it difficult to achieve the expected results. This article presents in detail the steps, their sequence and instruments used that allow an organization to raise the information of its processes and document them. As a result of different research projects developed over several years, the methodology of process mapping allowed for the documentation of all the activities of different administrative units of the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo and not only to comply with the laws and regulations but also to improve their management. In the last application, it contributed to the development of the documentary structure of a quality management system that allowed an academic unit to achieve international quality certification. Keywords: management, processes, process documentation, process manual. Resumen Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador *E-mail: [email protected] La aplicación de la gestión de procesos en nuestro país se ha ido extendiendo a lo largo de la última década; mejoras en la gestión, altos niveles de rendimiento, reducción de tiempos de operaciones, optimización de recursos y obtenciones de certificaciones de calidad son entre otros los principales motivos por los cuales organizaciones tanto públicas como privadas buscan implementarla. Sin embargo y a pesar de ser una actividad implícita dentro del cambio de modelo de gestión hacia el enfoque de procesos e incluso del mejoramiento del modelo administrativo funcional, la documentación de los procesos se convierte en una labor incomoda, compleja y con un alto consumo de tiempo que suele generar nerviosismo y desconfianza en los trabajadores. Diversidad de criterios y la falta de una metodología adecuada con instrumentos eficaces complica cumplir los resultados esperados. El presente artículo presenta a detalle los pasos, su secuencia e instrumentos utilizados que le permiten a una organización levantar la información de sus procesos y documentarlos. Resultado de diferentes proyectos de investigación desarrollados a los largo de varios años, la metodología de levantamiento de procesos permitió documentar todas las actividades de distintas unidades administrativas de la Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo y no solo cumplir lo establecido el leyes y reglamentos sino también mejorar su gestión, en la última aplicación contribuyó a elaborar la estructura documental de un sistema de gestión de la calidad que logró que una unidad académica alcance una certificación internacional de calidad. Palabras claves: gestión, procesos, documentación de procesos, manual de procesos.

Blood Culture Testing Outcomes among Non-Malarial Febrile Children at Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Sites in Uganda, 2017–2018

Blood culture (BC) processes are critical to the utility of diagnostic testing, bloodstream infection (BSI) management, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance. While Uganda has established BC guidelines, often laboratory practice does not meet the desired standards. This compromises pathogen recovery, reliability of antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and diagnostic test utility. This study assessed laboratory BC process outcomes among non-malarial febrile children below five years of age at five AMR surveillance sites in Uganda between 2017 and 2018. Secondary BC testing data was reviewed against established standards. Overall, 959 BC specimens were processed. Of these, 91% were from female patients, neonates, infants, and young children (1–48 months). A total of 37 AMR priority pathogens were identified; Staphylococcus aureus was predominant (54%), followed by Escherichia coli (19%). The diagnostic yield was low (4.9%). Only 6.3% of isolates were identified. AST was performed on 70% (18/26) of identified AMR priority isolates, and only 40% of these tests adhered to recommended standards. Interventions are needed to improve laboratory BC practices for effective patient management through targeted antimicrobial therapy and AMR surveillance in Uganda. Further research on process documentation, diagnostic yield, and a review of patient outcomes for all hospitalized febrile patients is needed.

An evaluation of documentation requirements for ISO 9001 compliance in scrum projects

PurposeQuality management standards (e.g. ISO 9001) lead to process conformance in the realization of quality goods and services; however, they can be rather document intensive. This paper investigates documentation practices used for aligning “light-weight” Scrum methods with ISO 9001 in a leading healthcare software firm.Design/methodology/approachThe authors investigated how “light-weight” Scrum approaches fit with organizational documentation practices for ISO 9001 compliance in one leading healthcare software development firm. Three investigative rounds were conducted with software professionals having different Scrum roles to understand their challenges in maintaining process documentation with Scrum methods.FindingsISO standards stipulate certain mandatory documentation as evidence that certain pre-defined processes are followed in the build-up of quality goods and services. However, this may result in “heavy-weight” document driven approaches that interfere with “light-weight” Scrum methods. Case study findings reveal tensions faced by software professionals in maintaining the ISO 9001 documentation. That is, while some level of documentation is considered useful, software professionals consider certain other documentation tasks to be excessive and cumbersome. Further, many operational documents were written retrospectively for administrative compliance, leading to reduced, incomplete and ambiguous descriptions.Practical implicationsThe study provides much value for practitioners in adapting their documentation with ongoing operational processes. Further, the critique on current ISO 9001 implementations in Agile environments has implications for future documentation practice.Originality/valueThe empirically drawn findings showcase some of the challenges in maintaining ISO 9001 documentation within Scrum projects. The study has contributed to both theory and practice in relation to the co-existence of ISO drawn standards with Agile approaches used for software development.

Using the unit software model to improve design solutions and optimize process management

Advanced design power units are distinguished by a high degree of digital transformation. Therefore, of particular interest are operator information (intelligent) support systems, which can reduce the workload on operating personnel as well as predict possible deviations long before they evolve into severe emergencies. The article analyzes the current standard process documentation that requires solutions to support the operator and determines the list of system functions that should be provided to improve the safety level of nuclear power plants. A brief overview of the world experience in implementing such solutions is also provided. As an example of the further development of operator support systems, the authors consider the operator information support system (OISS), which is being developed at the NvNPP pilot unit with the VVER-1200 reactor. The OISS functions will make it possible to fulfill the requirements of standard process documentation that are currently not implemented in the power unit design. The key features of the OISS under development are step-by-step interactive procedures and the unit software model. The authors provide a brief description of the power unit software model and consider several examples of its practical application as part of the OISS to improve design solutions and optimize automatic process control. In the years ahead, it is proposed to implement the OISS at power units under construction in order to reduce the information overload of operators and create conditions for a step-by-step increase in the automation level of the power unit control.

Testing early warning and response systems through a full-scale exercise in Vietnam

Background Simulation exercises can functionally validate World Health Organization (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) core capacities. In 2018, the Vietnam Ministry of Health (MOH) conducted a full-scale exercise (FSX) in response to cases of severe viral pneumonia with subsequent laboratory confirmation for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) to evaluate the country’s early warning and response capabilities for high-risk events. Methods An exercise planning team designed a complex fictitious scenario beginning with one case of severe viral pneumonia presenting at the hospital level and developed all the materials required for the exercise. Actors, controllers and evaluators were trained. In August 2018, a 3-day exercise was conducted in Quang Ninh province and Hanoi city, with participation of public health partners at the community, district, province, regional and national levels. Immediate debriefings and an after-action review were conducted after all exercise activities. Participants assessed overall exercise design, conduction and usefulness. Results FSX findings demonstrated that the event-based surveillance component of the MOH surveillance system worked optimally at different administrative levels. Detection and reporting of signals at the community and health facility levels were appropriate. Triage, verification and risk assessment were successfully implemented to identify a high-risk event and trigger timely response. The FSX identified infection control, coordination with internal and external response partners and process documentation as response challenges. Participants positively evaluated the exercise training and design. Conclusions This exercise documents the value of exercising surveillance capabilities as part of a real-time operational scenario before facing a true emergency. The timing of this exercise and choice of disease scenario was particularly fortuitous given the subsequent appearance of COVID-19. As a result of this exercise and subsequent improvements made by the MOH, the country may have been better able to deal with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and contain it.

Impact of Nutrition Care Process Documentation in Obese Children and Adolescents with Metabolic Syndrome and/or Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

This study evaluated the Nutrition Care Process documentation used by dietitians for obese pediatric patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and/or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its impact on the achievement of nutritional goals. This retrospective cohort study utilized data retrieved from three tertiary care hospitals in Riyadh. A total of 142 obese pediatric patients aged 8–18 years diagnosed with NAFLD and/or MetS were evaluated. Data on weight, height, blood pressure (BP), lipid profile, and liver enzymes were collected. A validated audit was used to assess the documentation quality. Twenty-seven (46.6%) dietitian notes received a high score, 21 (36.2%) received a medium score, and 10 (17.2%) received a low score. There was no significant effect of dietitian audit scores on nutritional outcomes, however, the change in body mass index from 6 to 12 months follow-up period was inversely correlated with the audit score (r = −0.761, p = 0.007), and alkaline phosphatase was inversely correlated with the audit score (r = −0.819, p = 0.013). In conclusion, there was a clear variation in the quality of dietitians’ documentation and the impact of documentation scores on nutritional outcomes.

Technology-dependent pedagogical process redesign: leveraging lean methods

PurposeThis research compared the efficacy of process outcomes leveraging lean methods versus traditional pedagogy applied to dental education dependent on emerging technology. The pedagogical objective was to improve system efficiency without compromising traditional outcomes of effectiveness (quality).Design/methodology/approachThe research team tested the efficacy of a lean A3 framework to identify, remove waste and redesign a technology-dependent simulation laboratory course (CAD/CAM/IR Restorative Dentistry). Students were also sensitized to time-in-chair to introduce a stronger patient focus. Baseline data collected from a control group were statistically compared to the research group's data after the course redesign. In addition, course time allocations were measured and then compared.FindingsThe results showed the interventions significantly reduced procedure cycle times without compromising quality. Additionally, the course was more efficiently conducted as measured by course time allocations.Practical implicationsThis research demonstrated that the use of the A3 framework enhanced learning through process documentation, reengineering and systems optimization resolving issues of inefficiency associated with the CAD/CAM/IR pedagogy. This work is significant because it demonstrates the practice of using lean interventions to redesign and improve a technology-based healthcare course to maximize benefits.Originality/valueThis research is the first to examine how to leverage lean methods in a healthcare simulation laboratory, dependent on innovative technology, to educate and train future practitioners. This research applied statistical rigor in a controlled experiment to maximize its applicability and generalizability.

Quality of the documentation of the Nursing process in clinical decision support systems

Objective: to compare the quality of the Nursing process documentation in two versions of a clinical decision support system. Method: a quantitative and quasi-experimental study of the before-and-after type. The instrument used to measure the quality of the records was the Brazilian version of the Quality of Diagnoses, Interventions and Outcomes, which has four domains and a maximum score of 58 points. A total of 81 records were evaluated in version I (pre-intervention), as well as 58 records in version II (post-intervention), and the scores obtained in the two applications were compared. The interventions consisted of planning, pilot implementation of version II of the system, training and monitoring of users. The data were analyzed in the R software, using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: the mean obtained at the pre-intervention moment was 38.24 and, after the intervention, 46.35 points. There was evidence of statistical difference between the means of the pre- and post-intervention groups, since the p-value was below 0.001 in the four domains evaluated. Conclusion: the quality of the documentation of the Nursing process in version II of the system was superior to version I. The efficacy of the system and the effectiveness of the interventions were verified. This study can contribute to the quality of documentation, care management, visibility of nursing actions and patient safety.