Developing a Decision-Making Framework to Improve Healthcare Service Quality during a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted almost every sector. This impact has been especially felt in the healthcare sector, as the pandemic has affected its stability, which has highlighted the need for improvements in service. As such, we propose a collaborative decision-making framework that is capable of accounting for the goals of multiple stakeholders, which consequently enables an optimal, consensus decision to be identified. The proposed framework utilizes the best–worst method (BWM) and the Multi-Actor Multi-Criteria Analysis (MAMCA) methodology to capture and rank each stakeholder’s preferences, followed by the application of a Multi-Objective Linear Programming (MOLP) model to identify the consensus solution. To demonstrate the applicability of the framework, two hypothetical scenarios involving improving patient care in an intensive care unit (ICU) are considered. Scenario 1 reflects all selected criteria under each stakeholder, whereas in Scenario 2, every stakeholder identifies their preferred set of criteria based on their experience and work background. The results for both scenarios indicate that hiring part-time physicians and medical staff can be the effective solution for improving service quality in the ICU. The developed integrated framework will help the decision makers to identify optimal courses of action in real-time and to select sustainable and effective strategies for improving service quality in the healthcare sector.

A Digital Twin-Based Platform towards Intelligent Automation with Virtual Counterparts of Flight and Air Traffic Control Operations

Automation technologies have been deployed widely to boost the efficiency of production and operations, to trim the complicated process, and to reduce the human error involved. Nevertheless, aviation remains human-centred and requires collaboration between different parties. Given the lack of a collaborative decision-making training platform for air traffic operations in the industry, this study utilises the concept of cyber-physical systems (CPS) to formulate a system architecture for pilots and air traffic control officers training in collaborative decision making by linking and integrating the virtual counterparts of flights and air traffic control operations. Collaborative decision-making training and the corresponding intelligent automation aids could be realised and supported. A performance analysis via a flight task undertaken with different computational load settings was prepared to evaluate the platform’s latency and integrity. The latency is presented using its 95% confidence interval, and integrity is presented using the percentage of data loss during wireless transmission. The results demonstrated convincing performance and a promising system robustness in both domains.

A Goal-Directed Model of Collaborative Decision Making in Hospice and Palliative Care

Hospice and palliative care teams face numerous barriers to the meaningful involvement of patients and families in medical decision making, which limits opportunities for exploration of the very values, preferences, and goals that ideally inform serious illness care. Researchers who develop and test interventions to address these barriers have noted the complementary utility of two existing models in supporting collaborative relationships between hospice and palliative care teams and the patients and families they serve: (1) the social problem-solving model, and (2) the integrative model of shared decision making in medical encounters. This paper describes the integration and extension of these two highly synergistic models, resulting in a goal-directed model of collaborative decision making in hospice and palliative care. Directions for practice innovation and research informed by the model are discussed at length.

Indigenous Influence and Engagement in Mining Permitting in British Columbia, Canada: Lessons for Sweden and Norway?

Mine developments in Indigenous territories risk disrupting Indigenous cultures and their economies, including spiraling already high levels of conflict. This is the situation in Canada, Sweden, and Norway, as elsewhere, and is fostered by current state legal framework that reflect historical trajectories, although circumstances are gradually changing. Promising institutional changes have taken place in British Columbia (BC), Canada, with respect to new legislative reforms. Notably, new legislation from 2019 intends to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in the province, by promoting consent-based and collaborative decision-making mechanisms. New environmental assessment legislation is another example; this legislation includes early engagement, collaborative decision-making, and Indigenous-led assessments. The article’s aim is, first, to analyze how Indigenous communities can influence and engage in the mining permitting system of BC, and, secondly, to highlight the positive features of the BC system using a comparative lens to identify opportunities for Sweden and Norway regarding mining permitting and Indigenous rights. Applying a legal-scientific and comparative analysis, the article analyzes traditional legal sources. The article concludes that the strong points that the BC regime could offer the two Nordic countries are: the concept of reconciliation, incorporation of UNDRIP, the spectrum of consultation and engagement approaches, and the structure of environmental assessments. All three jurisdictions, however, struggle with balancing mine developments and securing Indigenous authority and influence over land uses in their traditional territories.