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Portable Multi-Peripheral Telemedicine Kits to Expand Clinical Services of Relief Organizations in Contexts Of Disaster
Get PDFObjectives: This study explored the practical aspects of multi-peripheral portable telemedicine kits that make them specifically ideal for expanding and improving the medical services provided by disaster relief organisations. It also attempted to compile a list of proposed criteria and components of a standard disaster portable telemedicine kit. Methodology: Descriptive study extracting data by review of published research articles and manufacturer documentations, and reports of some humanitarian organisations.Results: The study revealed that portable telemedicine kits help delivering timely, high-quality, and safe general and specialty medical service in disaster situations. Moreover they increase the capacity to serve greater numbers of affected people. A list of criteria was compiled from reviewed data to suggest a standard disaster portable telemedicine kit. Conclusion: Portable telemedicine kits expand the capacity of the delivered healthcare service of a relief organisation qualitatively and quantitatively. Portable telemedicine kits with disaster- specific criteria are recommended for relief organisations
Financing Telemedicine In France: A Descriptive Retrospective Study
No full textDeployment of telemedicine in France has been supported by the Ministry of Health since 2011. The development of routine telemedicine practice however, relies on the financial compensation provided for healthcare professionals. The objective of the study was to describe the financing of telemedicine in France since 2011. Financial specifications were identified using the state health insurance (‘Assurance Maladie’) and health legislation. The retrospective descriptive study covered the date of initiation, financial status, phase, disease type, telemedicine activity, financial scheme and amount compensated. Diabetic retinopathy screening with telemedicine was the first and only telemedicine service with routine financial compensation in France. Ophthalmologists were compensated €11.30 per screening to provide biennial screening for diabetic patients (aged <70 years). Financial compensation for telemedicine services in chronic and/or complex wound care management was introduced in nine regions of France in 2015 as an experiment. Teleconsultation and tele-expertise performed by medical doctors were compensated €28 and €14 per consultation respectively. In April 2016, teleconsultation and tele-expertise for “long term illness” (“Affection Longue Durée”) patients and from home/medico-social care were introduced to replace chronic and/or complex wound care management. Medical doctors were compensated per consultation; general practitioners: €26, specialists: €28 and psychiatrists: €43.70. Financial compensation for chronic heart failure (CHF), chronic kidney failure (CKF) and chronic respiratory failure (CRF) were later approved as an experiment through package and payment-for-performance schemes. These schemes pay medical doctors €110 for CHF, €73 for CKF and CRF per patient for 6 months. Routine financial compensation is currently only provided for one telemedicine service in France. The impact of financing still needs to be assessed
Customization of OpenMRS for Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Center in Ethiopia
No full textIn this era of evidence based medical practice, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are significantly affected by the scarcity of locally generated data. This is mainly due to the absence of electronic medical record systems even in large medical and research centres. Most still use paper-based patient registration and documentation. However, the shift to digital records can benefit both clinicians and patients. Developing countries need health information technology more than other countries due to the challenges in patient tracking and exchanging data even within one medical centre. In Ethiopia, similar to other LMICs, medical recording, patient transfers and consultations are all done with paper-based documentation, and electronic medical records were not implemented in the majority of the country’s facilities. The first attempt to select and contextualise an open source electronic health record (EHR) system at the Leishmaniasis Research and treatment Centre, University of Gondar, Ethiopia is described.
Investigating factors that impact the success of students in a Higher Education classroom: a case study
Get PDFSouth African Higher Education Institutions (SAHEIs) were rocked by student protests in 2015 and 2016. While the main issue that sparked the protests was unaffordable fee hikes which were negatively impacting equitable access to HE, the protests also brought to the fore, other issues impacting students’ success such as lack of transformation and the manner in which universities deliver their curricula which does not cater for the now diverse student body. The main educational challenge is not the diversity of the student body but rather the failure by institutions and individuals to tailor the standard teaching and learning processes to the realities of the great majority of the current student body. This was the motivation for this study in which I sought to investigate factors that impact students’ success in my classroom. Data was collected from students in the form of students’ responses to an open-ended question at the beginning of a course and to semi-structured group interviews at the end of the course. Students’ responses were analysed using various bodies of literature as a lens. The factors that are likely to impact the success of the diverse student body in a Higher Education classroom were identified and discussed and recommendations were made
First year students’ experience of access and engagement at a University
Get PDFUniversities in South Africa have opened access to a diverse population of students, which has resulted in an increased participation of first-generation, low-income and mature students. Concomitant to the widening access, issues relating to retention and success continue to remain a challenge. Student engagement persists as a key concern at universities both locally and globally. This study draws on the theoretical observations of Tinto (1975, 1993), and Leach and Zepke (2011) to explore First Year (FY) students’ pre-university non-academic factors and its influence on student engagement experiences with institutional support initiatives. Data was collected from a quantitative questionnaire completed by 195 participants and from a follow up of qualitative data gathered from focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. The findings from this study reveal that students’ pre-university non-academic factors play a significant role in the way students engage with institutional support initiatives. One such factor include students’ motivation and resilience to succeed and the key role it plays in enhancing their engagement with peers and lecturers at the university
The role of professional learning communities in facilitating teachers’pedagogical adaptation and change
Get PDFThe role of professional learning
communities in facilitating teachers’
pedagogical adaptation and change
Jennifer Feldman
(Received 9 March 2016; accepted 7 December 2016)
Abstract
This article draws on a two-year PLC process to explore the role of professional learning
communities (PLCs) in facilitating teachers’ pedagogical adaptation and change. Situated
within the context of the current South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy
Statement (CAPS), which is described as tightly scripted and regulated, this article argues,
drawing on Nancy Fraser’s conceptualisation of justice, that there is a need for teachers to
dialogue about ways in which the pedagogical process can include ethical concerns of
recognition of student cultural knowledge and a representation of diverse social-cultural
groups in the process of knowledge redistribution, and suggests that PLCs hold the potential
to mediate this process. Drawing on Bourdieu’s thinking tools, this article conceptualises
teachers’ pedagogical adaptation and change via the PLC process, as a form of ‘habitus
engagement’ that engages with the teachers’ firmly held pedagogical dispositions, their
‘pedagogical habitus’ which over time has acquired a depth of complexity that is difficult to
shift
Description of a Professional Master's Program on Research Processes and Innovation in Healthcare in Brazil
Get PDFThe Brazilian national coordination for the improvement of higher education personnel (CAPES) approved the Professional Master's Programme on Research Processes and Innovation in Healthcare course in 2013, and the first class started in 2014. This paper describes the programme. The programme requires 2 years, including 360 class hours plus a thesis. The programme comprises mandatory and elective courses. The master's thesis must align with one of two work fields. Students can have different backgrounds, such as health, management, law and engineering. During the programme, students work together and in partnership with other institutions and companies on multidisciplinary projects. In the coming academic year we will offer the students the opportunity to specialise, during the master's programme, in some predefined areas. This Master's programme prepares professionals for the needs of the market, and connects research, clinical practice, industry and government, working in a multidisciplinary team to improve quality and innovate in healthcare
Development of a Solution for OLED Display Smartphones for Pilot Training in Low-Visibility Flight Scenarios
Get PDFVisual illusions and spatial disorientation are common causes of air accidents and incidents, especially during low-visibility flight conditions in small aircraft. It is therefore essential that pilots receive training regarding adaptation of the visual and vestibular systems to the aerospace environment. This project aimed to develop a device capable of simulating different visual illusions and aspects related to central and peripheral vision (colour and visual acuity), through the use of smartphones with OLED display technology (model: Galaxy S5 SM-G900M, screen: 5.1 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution, 432 pixels per inch). The phone was coupled with augmented reality glasses (model: ColorCross 3D Virtual Reality) with a 70 mm focal length lens, supporting devices of 4 to 6 inches. The smartphone is attached to the front of the glasses, giving an impression of three-dimensionality, and the visual tests are either transmitted from a computer or saved on the device itself. The images and videos selected, such as the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test and Cambridge Colour Test, are commonly used in pilot training and are validated for use in clinical ophthalmology. Technical adaptations were necessary so these tests functioned adequately on the smartphone. Both tests are designed exclusively for use on a computing platform and, therefore, the Trinus VR application was first used to convert the computer image to 3D, before making it available on the smartphone screen. This solution for training pilots in visual illusions during low-visibility flight scenarios using smartphones with OLED displays is easy to implement, user-friendly and low-cost. Mobile technology adaptation for use in aviation training is of great value, as it can have a positive influence on the reduction of human errors that can result from alterations in human physiology secondary to exposure to the aerospace environment, thereby reducing the occurrence of air accidents and incidents