1,720,966 research outputs found
Comparison of alternative imputation methods for ordinal data
Full text linkIn this paper, we compare alternative missing imputation methods in the presence of ordinal data, in the framework of CUB (Combination of Uniform and (shifted) Binomial random variable) models. Various imputation methods are considered, as are univariate and multivariate approaches. The rst step consists of running a simulation study designed by varying the parameters of the CUB model, to consider and compare CUB models as well as other methods of missing imputation. We use real datasets on which to base the comparison between our approach and some general methods of missing imputation for various missing data mechanism
Importance and quality of service quality dimensions : a model based approach
No full textThe importance that users or customers attach to various services and products
is an essential part of customer satisfaction surveys. Some proposals for linking
satisfaction and importance can be found in available literature. The objective is to
identify and understand the dimensions with high importance but low perceived quality.
These dimensions are primary candidates for focused improvement initiatives. In
this study, we propose to apply a class of statistical models, denoted as CUB models,
generally used to estimate the feeling and the uncertainty, to measure the importance
of items on observed overall satisfaction. A questionnaire with explicit variables of
importance for each dimension is considered to compare the obtained ranks with the
observed ones. Then the estimated importance and the perceived quality, both obtained with the CUB models, will be jointly analyzed in different datasets coming from various fields. This approach will be compared with some others reported in the literature
A model-based approach to validate a measuring instrument for assessing the quality of care
No full textThe Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Treatment Satisfaction - Patient Satisfaction (FACIT-TS-PS) is a measure for assessing the quality of care and satisfaction in chronically ill patients. Validity of the multi-dimensional structure and reliability of the FACIT-TS-PS were investigated in a sample of 431 chronically ill patients, using Confirmative Factor Analysis (CFA) and CUB models.
Integrated use of CUB models and CFA resulted in a satisfactory structure, leading to confirmation of the original, reliable, seven-factor structure, even with a reduction in items from 25 to 15.
The FACIT-TS-PS appears to be a practical instrument that is reliable and has good construct validity
La presa in carico del paziente cronico : nuove sfide e strumenti di valutazione della qualità delle cure
No full textIntroduzione. L’aumento costante del numero dei malati cronici rappresenta sempre più una sfida per il sistema sanitario. Dati epidemiologici (OMS, 2005) hanno evidenziato che le patologie croniche riducono drasticamente gli anni di vita sana (DALY – Disability-Adjusted Life Year) soprattutto nei pazienti di età 30-59 anni. Al contempo il miglioramento dell’efficacia delle terapie ha condotto ad un significativo aumento delle loro aspettative di vita. Diviene quindi necessario sviluppare modelli gestionali di presa in carico capaci di rispondere a bisogni nuovi e di garantire buona qualità della vita per molti anni.
Obiettivi. Il contributo propone alcuni spunti per la costruzione di un modello integrato di valutazione dei servizi di cura delle patologie croniche che tenga conto sia dei differenti fattori di qualità delle presa in carico, sia delle modalità del paziente di rapportarsi e sentirsi parte del sistema di cura stesso.
Metodologia. Nell’ambito di due studi (n= 137 nello studio I; n=365 nello studio II), condotti con differenti tipologie di pazienti cronici adulti, è stato somministrato un questionario self report che includeva
due scale di misura: il Senso di appartenenza alla comunità di cura (SACC), operativamente definito come il sentire di essere parte di una rete relazionale supportiva e caratterizzata da legami positivi e da un senso di responsabilità reciproca per il benessere dei membri; la soddisfazione per la qualità della presa in carico (FACIT TS-PS).
Risultati e Conclusioni. Le analisi condotte evidenziano il rapporto tra dimensioni di qualità della presa in carico, SACC e qualità della vita dei pazienti. Nello specifico il SACC sembra avere un ruolo di mediazione nella relazione tra fattori di qualità delle cure e qualità della vita dei differenti tipi di pazienti cronici. L’applicazione di modelli CUB (Covariate Uniform Binomial) di analisi dei dati ha permesso inoltre di evidenziare la mancata corrispondenza tra le risposte di soddisfazione globale espresse dal paziente e la misura latente, scaturita dalle valutazioni sui singoli fattori. Tale risultato fornisce un interessante spunto di riflessione circa la validità dei risultati delle indagini di Customer Satisfaction, ampiamente diffuse in ambito sanitari
Model-based approach for importance–performance analysis
No full textThe importance that users or customers attach to various services and products is an essential part of customer satisfaction surveys. Some proposals for linking satisfaction and importance can be found in available literature. The objective is to identify and understand the dimensions with high importance but low perceived quality. These dimensions are primary candidates for focused improvement initiatives. In this study, we propose to apply a class of statistical models, denoted as CUB models, generally used to estimate the feeling and the uncertainty, to measure the importance of items on observed overall satisfaction. A questionnaire with explicit variables of importance for each dimension is considered to compare the obtained ranks with the observed ones. Then the estimated importance and the perceived quality, both obtained with the CUB models, will be jointly analyzed in different datasets coming from various fields. This approach will be compared with some others reported in the literatur
Bayesian networks and the assessment of universities' value added
No full textA broad literature focused on the effectiveness of tertiary education. In classical models, a performance indicator is regressed on a set of characteristics of the individuals and fixed effects at the institution level. The FE coefficients are interpreted as the pure value added of the universities. The innovative contribution of the present paper resides in the use of Bayesian network (BN) analysis to assess the effectiveness of tertiary education. The results of an empirical study focused on Italian universities are discussed, to present the use of BN as a decision support tool for policy-making purposes
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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