Fall prevention intervention technologies: A conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art

In recent years, an ever increasing range of technology-based applications have been developed with the goal of assisting in the delivery of more effective and efficient fall prevention interventions. Whilst there have been a number of studies that have surveyed technologies for a particular sub-domain of fall prevention, there is no existing research which surveys the full spectrum of falls prevention interventions and characterises the range of technologies that have augmented this landscape. This study presents a conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art of technology-based fall prevention systems which is derived from a systematic template analysis of studies presented in contemporary research literature. The framework proposes four broad categories of fall prevention intervention system: Pre-fall prevention; Post-fall prevention; Fall injury prevention; Cross-fall prevention. Other categories include, Application type, Technology deployment platform, Information sources, Deployment environment, User interface type, and Collaborative function. After presenting the conceptual framework, a detailed survey of the state of the art is presented as a function of the proposed framework. A number of research challenges emerge as a result of surveying the research literature, which include a need for: new systems that focus on overcoming extrinsic falls risk factors; systems that support the environmental risk assessment process; systems that enable patients and practitioners to develop more collaborative relationships and engage in shared decision making during falls risk assessment and prevention activities. In response to these challenges, recommendations and future research directions are proposed to overcome each respective challenge.     

临床医学前沿领域政产研协同创新度量方法及实证分析

以丙型肝炎病毒研究领域为例,介绍三螺旋协同创新模型现有研究情况,阐述基于Web of Science的临床医学前沿领域政产研协同创新度量方法并进行实证分析,以期为该领域科技创新管理提供参考。     

Age-specific impact of diabetes mellitus on the risk of cardiovascular mortality: An overview from the evidence for Cardiovascular Prevention from Observational Cohorts in the Japan Research Group (EPOCH-JAPAN)

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the age-specific association of diabetes with cardiovascular risk, especially in the elderly, remains unclear in non-Western populations.

The more you remember the more you decide: collaborative memory in adolescents with intellectual disability and their assistants

The aim of the present study was to investigate collaborative memory in adolescents with intellectual disabilities when collaborating with an assistant, and also the extent to which decisiveness is related to individual memory performance.Nineteen students with intellectual disabilities (mean age = 18.5, SD = 0.9) each collaborated with a teaching assistant (mean age 40.3, SD = 12.1) familiar from everyday work in school. Pictures were presented individually. Recognition was performed in two parts, first individually and thereafter collaboratively. The design involved 2 settings, one natural (with equal encoding time) and another with equal individual memory performance (assistants had shorter encoding time than the students). Results showed collaborative inhibition in this previously uninvestigated collaboration setting with adolescents with intellectual disabilities and their assistants. The assistants both performed higher and decided more than the students with intellectual disabilities in the natural setting, but not in the equated performance setting. Inhibition was larger in the equated setting. The assistants’ decisiveness was moderately correlated with individual memory performance. Implications for everyday life are discussed.     

DIAMOND: a Computerized System for the Management and Evaluation of District-wide Diabetes Care

A computerized diabetic clinic management system, DIAMOND, has been developed with the collaboration of local general practitioners (GPs) to assist communication about diabetic patients across the district. DIAMOND is written in a Windows format using Microsoft Access and its dataset is in line with BDA and Diabcare recommendations. DIAMOND is user-friendly and includes displays and help messages throughout and does not require advanced computer knowledge. The main index contains two primary tables: a patient registration table with demographic data and an episode table with clinically important physical and biochemical measures. All entered data are coded to facilitate audit and an audit function, which automatically presents data, either numerically or graphically, is included in the report facility. DIAMOND also incorporates a system for patient education and training (PEATS) which may be operated by a health professional or the patient. Over 4500 patients in Newham are presently registered on DIAMOND with in excess of 15000 episodes. Evaluation of this information is providing important clinical information both within individual GP practices and district-wide to assist future plans for health care provision.     

Promoting the social value of research in Kenya: examining the practical aspects of collaborative partnerships using an ethical framework

The ethics of research continue to attract considerable debate, particularly when that research is sponsored by partners from the North and carried out in the South. Ethical research should contribute to social value in the country where research is being carried out, but there is significant debate around how this might be achieved and who is responsible. The literature suggests that researchers might employ two inter-related strategies to maximise social value: collaborative partnerships with policy makers and communities from the outset of research, and dissemination of research results to participants, policy makers and implementers once the research is over. These areas have received relatively little empirical attention. In this study, we carried out 40 in-depth interviews to explore the role of collaborative partnerships in health research priority setting, and the way in which research findings are disseminated to aid policy making and implementation in Kenya. Interviewees included policy makers, researchers, policy implementers and representatives of organisations funding health reforms in Kenya. Two policy issues were drawn upon as tracers wherever possible: (1) the introduction of Artemesinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs), an anti-malarial treatment policy; and (2) Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) vaccine for the prevention of pneumococcal diseases among children. The findings point to significant gaps in the 'research to policy to practice' pathway, particularly for national research institutions with a focus on clinical/biomedical research. These gaps reflect poorly effective partnerships among stakeholders and limit the potential social value of much research. While more investment is needed to establish strong structures for promoting and directing collaboration and partnership, how to target this investment is not entirely clear, especially in the context of the considerable power of the global health agenda and the research financing tied to it.     

情境合作考试在护理专业本科生基础护理操作考核中的应用

目的探讨情境合作考试在护理专业本科生基础护理操作考核中的应用。方法选取某校2010级243名护理专业本科生作为研究对象,实行情境合作考试模式。结束后评价该考试的难度、信度和效度,并用自设问卷调查学生对情境合作考试的评价。结果情境合作考试难度系数为0.775,Cronbach＇sα系数为0.749,与操作考试平时成绩和理论考试成绩的相关系数分别为0.646和0.479（P〈0.01）。78.2%的学生认为情境合作考试优于传统的基础护理操作考试。结论情境合作考试应用于基础护理操作考核具有科学性和可行性。