1,721,075 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Get PDF“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
Participatory development of a minimum dataset for the Khayelitsha district
Get PDFThe original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaCITATION: Mash, B., Mahomed, H. 2000. Participatory development of a minimum dataset for the Khayelitsha district. South African Medical Journal, 90(10):1024-1030.Background. Traditional 'data-led' information systems have created excessive amounts of poor-quality and poorly utilised data. The Health Information Systems Pilot Project (HISPP), a Western Cape project that started in 1996, initiated a process in one of its three pilot sites to model an alternative approach to developing a district health information system. Objective. To develop a minimum dataset for Khayelitsha as part of an action-led district health and management information system in a participatory 'bottom-up' process. Method. The HISPP, in conjunction with health workers in the proposed Khayelitsha district, developed a minimum dataset through a process of defining local goals, targets and indicators. This dataset was integrated with data requirements at regional and provincial levels. Results. A minimum dataset was produced that defined all the data needed according to the frequency of reporting and the level at which it was required. Conclusion. The HISPP has demonstrated an alternative model for defining health information needs at district level. This participatory process has enabled health workers to appraise their own information needs critically and has encouraged local use of information for planning and action.Publisher’s versio
The effects of a language barrier in a South African district hospital
Get PDFThe original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaCITATION: Schlemmer, A., Mash, B. 2006. The effects of a language barrier in a South African district hospital. South African Medical Journal, 96(10):1080-1087.Background. Communication between health workers and patients at Hottentots Holland Hospital (HHH) is hindered by staff and patients not speaking the same language. HHH is a district hospital in the Cape Town Metropolitan District of the Western Cape where staff mainly speak Afrikaans or English and a large number of patients mainly Xhosa. Objectives. The study aimed to explore the effects of this language barrier on health workers and patients at HHH. Design. Three focus group interviews were held with 21 members of staff and 5 in-depth patient interviews were conducted. Results. The language barrier was found to interfere with working efficiently, create uncertainty about the accuracy of interpretation, be enhanced by a lack of education or training, cause significant ethical dilemmas, negatively influence the attitudes of patients and staff towards each other, decrease the quality of and satisfaction with care, and cause cross-cultural misunderstandings. Conclusion. The effects of the language barrier were considerable and persistent despite an official language policy in the province. The training and employment of professional interpreters as well as teaching of basic Xhosa to staff are recommended.Publisher’s versio
Quality of care for intimate partner violence in South African primary care : a qualitative study
Get PDFCITATION: Joyner, K. & Mash, B. 2014. Quality of care for intimate partner violence in South African primary care : a qualitative study. Violence and Victims, 29(4):652-669.The original publication is available at http://www.springerpub.com/violence-and-victims.htmlENGLISH SUMMARY : Intimate partner violence (IPV) makes a substantial contribution to the burden of disease in South Africa. This article explores the current quality of care for IPV in public sector primary care facilities within the Western Cape. Only 10% of women attending primary care, while suffering from IPV, were recognized. Case studies, based on in-depth interviews and medical records, were used to reflect on the quality of care received among the women who were recognized. Care tended to be superficial, fragmented, poorly coordinated, and lacking in continuity. The recognition, management, and appropriate documentation of IPV should be prioritized within the training of primary care providers. It may be necessary to appoint IPV champions within primary care to ensure comprehensive care for survivors of IPV.Post prin
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Advance directives or living wills : reflections of general practitioners and frail care coordinators in a small town in KwaZulu-Natal
Get PDFCITATION: Bull, A. P. A. & Mash, B. 2012. Advance directives or living wills : reflections of general practitioners and frail care coordinators in a small town in KwaZulu-Natal. South African Family Practice, 54(6):507-512.The original publication is available at http://www.safpj.co.zaBackground: Living wills have long been associated with end-of-life care. This study explored the promotion of living wills by general practitioners (GPs) and frail care nursing coordinators who were directly involved in the care of the elderly in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal. The study also explored their views regarding the pro forma living will disseminated by the Living Will Society.
Subjects: Seven GPs and three frail care nursing coordinators; 10 in total.
Design: The design was qualitative in-depth interviews and analysis, using the Framework method.
Results: Both doctors and nursing staff understood the concept of living wills and acknowledged that they were beneficial to patients, their families and staff. They were concerned about the lack of legal status of the living will. They felt that the pro forma document from the Living Will Society was simple and clear. Despite identifying the low level of living will usage among patients, doctors and nursing staff felt that third-party organisations and individuals should promote living wills to patients, rather than promoting them to patients themselves.
Conclusion: GPs and frail care nurse coordinators were knowledgeable about living wills in general, and the Living Will Society pro forma document in particular. They valued the contribution that living wills make to the care of the elderly, as they benefit patients, their families, healthcare workers and the health system. They also valued the pro forma living will document from the Living Will Society for its clarity and simplicity. However, the GPs and frail care nursing coordinators viewed the living will process as patient driven. They viewed their main role to be that of custodians, and not advocates, of the living wills.http://www.safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/2593Publisher's versio
- …
