22 CFR 142.62 - Health, welfare, social, and other services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Health, welfare, social, and other services..., Social, and Other Services § 142.62 Health, welfare, social, and other services. (a) General. In providing health, welfare, social and other services or benefits, a recipient may not, on the basis of...

45 CFR 605.52 - Health, welfare, and other social services.

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2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Health, welfare, and other social services. 605.52... ASSISTANCE Health, Welfare, and Social Services § 605.52 Health, welfare, and other social services. (a) General. In providing health, welfare, or other social services or benefits, a recipient may not, on the...

Public service providers and users in the information society

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernt Krohn Solvang

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The issue to be discussed in this article is to what extent does ICT create new challenges for the relationship between public service providers and users? It is important to recognize the concept of social capital because the concept is vital to the understanding of access to the information society and efficient functioning of government in its service to citizens. In this way we see social capital as a mediating “institution” between public authorities and the citizens (users.

Vulnerability and Agency: Beyond an Irreconcilable Dichotomy for Social Service Providers Working with Young Refugees in the UK

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O'Higgins, Aoife

2012-01-01

Many young refugees face significant difficulties in securing support from social services providers. This study invited 21 young refugees aged 16 to 21 to take part in focus groups and follow-up interviews about their experiences of accessing this support. The findings reveal that young refugees may deliberately conform to expectations about…

45 CFR 84.52 - Health, welfare, and other social services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Health, welfare, and other social services. 84.52..., Welfare, and Social Services § 84.52 Health, welfare, and other social services. (a) General. In providing health, welfare, or other social services or benefits, a recipient may not, on the basis of handicap: (1...

Disclosing Sex Trading Histories to Providers: Barriers and Facilitators to Navigation of Social Services Among Women Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation.

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Gerassi, Lara; Edmond, Tonya E; Fabbre, Vanessa; Howard, Abby; Nichols, Andrea J

2017-12-01

Sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) can lead to devastating health and mental health consequences for women, such as elevated rates of substance use, trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and HIV. Consequently, engagement with services that address addiction, mental health, and housing, and provide general advocacy is critically important to women's increased safety, stabilization, and quality of life. The purpose of this study is to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to service access and engagement with social services among women involved in CSE. Drawing from a larger grounded theory study that partnered with an anti-trafficking coalition and a substance use treatment center for women, in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with 30 adult women who traded sex as adults and 20 service providers who come into contact with this population. Women engaging in services were sampled through maximum variation sampling ( n = 24) and women not engaged with services ( n = 6) were recruited through snowball sampling. Providers were recruited through purposive sampling through the coalition ( n = 10) and nominations sampling ( n = 10). Open and focused coding were conducted. Multiple enhancements to methodological and analytic rigor were taken, including collaboration with multiple key stakeholders, use of nonstigmatizing language, self-reflexivity processes, analytic memo-writing, and member checking. Findings suggest that women experienced judgment when disclosing sex trading in social service intakes, and individual and group sessions from providers and other women in the groups. Although some women saw disclosure as helpful in addressing the complex feelings stemming from sex trading, as well as the desire to help or relate to other women in similar situations, they also identified risk of harm and multiple barriers to disclosing during intake meetings and individual sessions

Assessing Capacity for Providing Culturally Competent Services to LGBT Older Adults

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Portz, Jennifer Dickman; Retrum, Jessica H.; Wright, Leslie A.; Boggs, Jennifer M.; Wilkins, Shari; Grimm, Cathy; Gilchrist, Kay; Gozansky, Wendolyn S.

2014-01-01

This qualitative, interview-based study assessed the cultural competence of health and social service providers to meet the needs of LGBT older adults in an urban neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, known to have a large LGBT community. Only 4 of the agencies were categorized as “high competency” while 12 were felt to be “seeking improvement” and 8 were considered “not aware.” These results indicate significant gaps in cultural competency for the majority of service providers. Social workers are well-suited to lead efforts directed at improving service provision and care competencies for the older LGBT community. PMID:24798180

43 CFR 17.250 - Health, welfare, and social services.

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2010-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Health, welfare, and social services. 17... § 17.250 Health, welfare, and social services. This subpart applies to health, welfare, and other...) General. In providing health, welfare, or other social services or benefits, a recipient may not, on the...

Social capital and burnout among mental healthcare providers.

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Eliacin, Johanne; Flanagan, Mindy; Monroe-DeVita, Maria; Wasmuth, Sarah; Salyers, Michelle P; Rollins, Angela L

2018-01-06

Provider burnout is a critical problem in mental health services. Contributing factors have been explicated across three domains: personal, job and organizational characteristics. Of these, organizational characteristics, including workplace environment, appear to be particularly important given that most interventions addressing burnout via the other domains (e.g. bolstering personal coping skills) have been modestly effective at best. This study builds on previous research by using social capital as a framework for the experience of work social milieu, and aims to provide a richer understanding of how workplace social environment might impact burnout and help create more effective ways to reduce burnout. Providers (n = 40) taking part in a larger burnout intervention study were randomly selected to take part in interviews regarding their workplace environment and burnout. Participant responses were analyzed thematically. Workplace social milieu revolved around two primary themes: workplace social capital in provider burnout and the protective qualities of social capital in cohesive work teams that appear to mitigate burnout. These results imply that work environments where managers support collaboration and social interaction among work teams may reduce burnout.

Who Hires Social Workers? Structural and Contextual Determinants of Social Service Staffing in Nursing Homes.

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Roberts, Amy Restorick; Bowblis, John R

2017-02-01

Although nurse staffing has been extensively studied within nursing homes (NHs), social services has received less attention. The study describes how social service departments are organized in NHs and examines the structural characteristics of NHs and other macro-focused contextual factors that explain differences in social service staffing patterns using longitudinal national data (Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports, 2009-2012). NHs have three patterns of staffing for social services, using qualified social workers (QSWs); paraprofessional social service staff; and interprofessional teams, consisting of both QSWs and paraprofessionals. Although most NHs employ a QSW (89 percent), nearly half provide social services through interprofessional teams, and 11 percent rely exclusively on paraprofessionals. Along with state and federal regulations that depend on facility size, other contextual and structural factors within NHs also influence staffing. NHs most likely to hire QSWs are large facilities in urban areas within a health care complex, owned by nonprofit organizations, with more payer mixes associated with more profitable reimbursement. QSWs are least likely to be hired in small facilities in rural areas. The influence of policy in supporting the professionalization of social service staff and the need for QSWs with expertise in gerontology, especially in rural NHs, are discussed. © 2016 National Association of Social Workers.

MAIN FACTORS DRIVING SOCIAL PUBLIC SERVICES IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

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Mihaela, GHENTA

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Literature and the latest reports point out that not only in Europe, but all over the world there is a growing demand for social services. As social needs have diversified, the number of potential users of social services has increased and this has generated increased complexity of social services. This paper highlights some of the results of a study conducted by the author in the doctoral studies program. One of the aims of this study was to identify the main factors that cause the current configuration of social services at global level. The research analysed the demographic changes and the impact of the crisis in social services for Europe, the United States of America (USA and Japan based on statistical data provided by the national statistics institutes for the regions considered. The results highlight the necessity of continuous development and reconfiguration of social services in order to meet the social and economic demands and to ensure a better organisation of these type of services.

Race relations and racism in the LGBTQ community of Toronto: perceptions of gay and queer social service providers of color.

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Giwa, Sulaimon; Greensmith, Cameron

2012-01-01

This article explores race relations and racism within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community of Toronto, Ontario, from the perspective of seven gay/queer social service providers of color. Social constructions of race, race relations, and racism were placed at the centre of analysis. Employing interpretive phenomenological analysis, findings indicated that intergroup and broader systemic racism infiltrates the LGBTQ community, rendering invisible the lived experiences of many LGBTQ people of color. The study contributes to a growing body of research concerning our understanding of factors underpinning social discrimination in a contemporary Canadian LGBTQ context.

Uncovering ecosystem service bundles through social preferences.

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Berta Martín-López

Full Text Available Ecosystem service assessments have increasingly been used to support environmental management policies, mainly based on biophysical and economic indicators. However, few studies have coped with the social-cultural dimension of ecosystem services, despite being considered a research priority. We examined how ecosystem service bundles and trade-offs emerge from diverging social preferences toward ecosystem services delivered by various types of ecosystems in Spain. We conducted 3,379 direct face-to-face questionnaires in eight different case study sites from 2007 to 2011. Overall, 90.5% of the sampled population recognized the ecosystem's capacity to deliver services. Formal studies, environmental behavior, and gender variables influenced the probability of people recognizing the ecosystem's capacity to provide services. The ecosystem services most frequently perceived by people were regulating services; of those, air purification held the greatest importance. However, statistical analysis showed that socio-cultural factors and the conservation management strategy of ecosystems (i.e., National Park, Natural Park, or a non-protected area have an effect on social preferences toward ecosystem services. Ecosystem service trade-offs and bundles were identified by analyzing social preferences through multivariate analysis (redundancy analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. We found a clear trade-off among provisioning services (and recreational hunting versus regulating services and almost all cultural services. We identified three ecosystem service bundles associated with the conservation management strategy and the rural-urban gradient. We conclude that socio-cultural preferences toward ecosystem services can serve as a tool to identify relevant services for people, the factors underlying these social preferences, and emerging ecosystem service bundles and trade-offs.

Uncovering Ecosystem Service Bundles through Social Preferences

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Martín-López, Berta; Iniesta-Arandia, Irene; García-Llorente, Marina; Palomo, Ignacio; Casado-Arzuaga, Izaskun; Amo, David García Del; Gómez-Baggethun, Erik; Oteros-Rozas, Elisa; Palacios-Agundez, Igone; Willaarts, Bárbara; González, José A.; Santos-Martín, Fernando; Onaindia, Miren; López-Santiago, Cesar; Montes, Carlos

2012-01-01

Ecosystem service assessments have increasingly been used to support environmental management policies, mainly based on biophysical and economic indicators. However, few studies have coped with the social-cultural dimension of ecosystem services, despite being considered a research priority. We examined how ecosystem service bundles and trade-offs emerge from diverging social preferences toward ecosystem services delivered by various types of ecosystems in Spain. We conducted 3,379 direct face-to-face questionnaires in eight different case study sites from 2007 to 2011. Overall, 90.5% of the sampled population recognized the ecosystem’s capacity to deliver services. Formal studies, environmental behavior, and gender variables influenced the probability of people recognizing the ecosystem’s capacity to provide services. The ecosystem services most frequently perceived by people were regulating services; of those, air purification held the greatest importance. However, statistical analysis showed that socio-cultural factors and the conservation management strategy of ecosystems (i.e., National Park, Natural Park, or a non-protected area) have an effect on social preferences toward ecosystem services. Ecosystem service trade-offs and bundles were identified by analyzing social preferences through multivariate analysis (redundancy analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis). We found a clear trade-off among provisioning services (and recreational hunting) versus regulating services and almost all cultural services. We identified three ecosystem service bundles associated with the conservation management strategy and the rural-urban gradient. We conclude that socio-cultural preferences toward ecosystem services can serve as a tool to identify relevant services for people, the factors underlying these social preferences, and emerging ecosystem service bundles and trade-offs. PMID:22720006

38 CFR 18.452 - Health and other social services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Health and other social...-EFFECTUATION OF TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap Health and Social Services § 18.452 Health and other social services. (a) General. In providing health, or other...

Corporate culture and employment of people with disabilities: role of social workers and service provider organizations.

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Samant, Deepti; Soffer, Michal; Hernandez, Brigida; Adya, Meera; Akinpelu, Omolara; Levy, Joel M; Repoli, Elizabeth; Kramer, Michael; Blanck, Peter

2009-01-01

Corporate culture reflects an organization's value system and impacts the recruitment, retention, and promotion of employees. Individuals with disabilities are positively impacted by a corporate culture that espouses and establishes a diverse workforce as a priority. This article provides an overview of corporate culture and the employment of individuals with disabilities, and presents a case example of the corporate culture of a large not-for-profit disability service organization. With an in-depth understanding of corporate culture and disability issues, social workers can be particularly helpful to applicants and employees with disabilities as well as employers.

Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES): using GIS to include social values information in ecosystem services assessments

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Sherrouse, B.C.; Semmens, D.J.

2010-01-01

Ecosystem services can be defined in various ways; simply put, they are the benefits provided by nature, which contribute to human well-being. These benefits can range from tangible products such as food and fresh water to cultural services such as recreation and esthetics. As the use of these benefits continues to increase, additional pressures are placed on the natural ecosystems providing them. This makes it all the more important when assessing possible tradeoffs among ecosystem services to consider the human attitudes and preferences that express underlying social values associated with their benefits. While some of these values can be accounted for through economic markets, other values can be more difficult to quantify, and attaching dollar amounts to them may not be very useful in all cases. Regardless of the processes or units used for quantifying such values, the ability to map them across the landscape and relate them to the ecosystem services to which they are attributed is necessary for effective assessments. To address some of the needs associated with quantifying and mapping social values for inclusion in ecosystem services assessments, scientists at the Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center (RMGSC), in collaboration with Colorado State University, have developed a public domain tool, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES). SolVES is a geographic information system (GIS) application designed to use data from public attitude and preference surveys to assess, map, and quantify social values for ecosystem services. SolVES calculates and maps a 10-point Value Index representing the relative perceived social values of ecosystem services such as recreation and biodiversity for various groups of ecosystem stakeholders. SolVES output can also be used to identify and model relationships between social values and physical characteristics of the underlying landscape. These relationships can then be used to generate predicted Value Index maps for areas

Assessing and changing organizational social contexts for effective mental health services.

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Glisson, Charles; Williams, Nathaniel J

2015-03-18

Culture and climate are critical dimensions of a mental health service organization's social context that affect the quality and outcomes of the services it provides and the implementation of innovations such as evidence-based treatments (EBTs). We describe a measure of culture and climate labeled Organizational Social Context (OSC), which has been associated with innovation, service quality, and outcomes in national samples and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mental health and social service organizations. The article also describes an empirically supported organizational intervention model labeled Availability, Responsiveness, and Continuity (ARC), which has improved organizational social context, innovation, and effectiveness in five RCTs. Finally, the article outlines a research agenda for developing more efficient and scalable organizational strategies to improve mental health services by identifying the mechanisms that link organizational interventions and social context to individual-level service provider intentions and behaviors associated with innovation and effectiveness.

A realist synthesis of the effect of social accountability interventions on health service providers' and policymakers' responsiveness.

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Lodenstein, Elsbet; Dieleman, Marjolein; Gerretsen, Barend; Broerse, Jacqueline Ew

2013-11-07

Accountability has center stage in the current post-Millennium Development Goals (MDG) debate. One of the effective strategies for building equitable health systems and providing quality health services is the strengthening of citizen-driven or social accountability processes. The monitoring of actions and decisions of policymakers and providers by citizens is regarded as a right in itself but also as an alternative to weak administrative accountability mechanisms, in particular in settings with poor governance. The effects of social accountability interventions are often based on assumptions and are difficult to evaluate because of their complex nature and context sensitivity. This study aims to review and assess the available evidence for the effect of social accountability interventions on policymakers' and providers' responsiveness in countries with medium to low levels of governance capacity and quality. For policymakers and practitioners engaged in health system strengthening, social accountability initiatives and rights-based approaches to health, the findings of this review may help when reflecting on the assumptions and theories of change behind their policies and interventions. Little is known about social accountability interventions, their outcomes and the circumstances under which they produce outcomes for particular groups or issues. In this study, social accountability interventions are conceptualized as complex social interventions for which a realist synthesis is considered the most appropriate method of systematic review. The synthesis is based on a preliminary program theory of social accountability that will be tested through an iterative process of primary study searches, data extraction, analysis and synthesis. Published and non-published (grey) quantitative and qualitative studies in English, French and Spanish will be included. Quality and validity will be enhanced by continuous peer review and team reflection among the reviewers. The

Sexual health service providers' perceptions of transgender youth in England.

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Lefkowitz, Ayla R F; Mannell, Jenevieve

2017-05-01

Transgender youth often face difficulties when accessing sexual health services. However, few studies investigate health service providers' perceptions of transgender youth, and fewer focus on sexual health. To fill this gap, our study draws on social representations theory to examine sexual health service providers' perceptions of transgender youth and how this influences the provision of health services for this marginalised population in England. A thematic analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews with service providers, conducted between March and June 2014, resulted in five main themes centred on: binary representations of transgender; transgender as homosexuality; uncertain bodies; unstable mental states; and too young to know. Of the service providers interviewed, many understood transgender within a male/female binary, and perceived being transgender to be synonymous with being gay. There was confusion among service providers regarding transgender youths' sexual organs, and most of those interviewed saw transgender youth as mentally unstable and confused. Finally, many service providers perceived that transgender youth are too young to know that they are transgender and make decisions about their body. Some of these representations were potentially stigmatising and many conflicted with transgender youths' representations of themselves. Training by transgender people is recommended to help address these misunderstandings. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Online information services in the social sciences

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Jacobs, Neil

2004-01-01

Information professionals are increasingly responsible not only for running traditional information and library services but also for providing an online presence for their organisation. This book shows how best practice in delivering online information services should be based on actual user needs and behaviour. A series of case studies provide real life examples of how social science information is being used in the community. The book then draws on these case studies to outline the main issues facing service providers: such as usability, metadata and management. The book concludes with a lo

Social Media Utilization for the Service Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lene Tolstrup; Falch, Morten

2018-01-01

on service innovation in the ICT service encounter, where the ICT relation is based on social media. Two Danish cases are presented (a bank and a mobile service provider) focusing on their use of Facebook in their ideation and innovation processes. Interviews and monitoring of Facebook activities are used...... for these differences. The paper concludes that service innovation via social media only takes place if there is the right mix of organisational interest and readiness as well as understanding for how the innovation process should be handled....... and service creation. This paper looks into how innovation takes place for enterprises using Facebook as their channel for starting service innovation in the meeting between the enterprise and the customer as part of their strategy to getting closer to the customers. The paper takes a theoretical look...

Flexible Web services integration: a novel personalised social approach

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Metrouh, Abdelmalek; Mokhati, Farid

2018-05-01

Dynamic composition or integration remains one of the key objectives of Web services technology. This paper aims to propose an innovative approach of dynamic Web services composition based on functional and non-functional attributes and individual preferences. In this approach, social networks of Web services are used to maintain interactions between Web services in order to select and compose Web services that are more tightly related to user's preferences. We use the concept of Web services community in a social network of Web services to reduce considerably their search space. These communities are created by the direct involvement of Web services providers.

CONSTRUCTING SERVICE DISCOURSES IN LITHUANIAN FAMILY SOCIAL WORK

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Roberta Motiečienė

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, family social work is constructed through the analysis of social service discourses from the social workers’ perspective. Recent research shows how social workers are dealing with complex and fluid issues, as well as the societal uncertainty in their work with families (e.g., Spratt, 2009; Menéndez et al., 2015. Based on earlier studies, it is vital to analyse family social work in different contextual settings. Societal, political and organisational contexts affect the preconditions of social work, but social work also needs to operate within structures (e.g., Pohjola et al., 2014. This paper provides insights into the Lithuanian family social work. The focus is on what kinds of features construct Socialinis darbas su šeima Roberta Motiečienė, Merja Laitinen 12 family social work by analysing social workers’ discourses. This analysis continues the research of Eidukevičiūtė (2013, who analysed family social work practices in transitional Lithuanian society. This researcher aimed to deepen the knowledge about child protection services in Lithuania, the father’s role in child care and the mother’s performance in it. According to Eidukevičiūtė (2013, social workers are still struggling in the field of family social work. This study continues the research tradition in the field of family social work, paying attention to the different contextual settings where family social work is conducted. The Lithuanian government has stated that family policy is a key component of its mandate where (Social Report, 2014. The Council of Social Work plays a very important role in providing guidance on how to implement the government’s policy in the field of family social work. The European Commission Council (2015 provides recommendations for the implementation of the 2015 National Reform Programme, which should concentrate on the people (30% of the total population who are at risk of poverty. The council recommends working on

Service Learning and Political Socialization.

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Owen, Diana

2000-01-01

Discusses the link between political socialization scholarship and service learning. States that information gleaned from socialization research on adolescents' political identities and beliefs can inform service learning, asserting that the relationship between political socialization and service learning needs to be encouraged. (CMK)

Globalising Service-Learning in the Social Sciences

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Limoncelli, Stephanie A.

2017-01-01

The increasing internationalisation of social science curricula in undergraduate education along with the growth of service-learning has provided new opportunities to join the two. This article offers a refection and discussion of service-learning with placements in international nongovernmental organisations (INGOs), drawing from its application…

A NEW COLLEAGUE IN THE SOCIAL AFFAIRS SERVICE

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

The Social Affairs Service is pleased to announce that from now on it offers the services of a psychologist on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The Social Affairs Service is a centre offering advice and support which can provide the following: Information and documentation (education for your children, language courses, child-minding facilities, health-related matters etc.). Information on social protection (illness, disability, handicap, retirement, death, etc.) and integration. Assistance in dealings with the authorities/services concerned. Consultations with a view to resolving problems of a personal, family or professional nature, such as problems of dependancy (alcohol, drugs, relationship) or behavioural problems (stress, depression, eating disorders). Support in facing new situations (maternity, divorce, bereavement, change of post, geographical isolation). Assistance with decision making relating to family, personal or professional matters. The team is at the disposition of all members of person...

Service Demand Discovery Mechanism for Mobile Social Networks.

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Wu, Dapeng; Yan, Junjie; Wang, Honggang; Wang, Ruyan

2016-11-23

In the last few years, the service demand for wireless data over mobile networks has continually been soaring at a rapid pace. Thereinto, in Mobile Social Networks (MSNs), users can discover adjacent users for establishing temporary local connection and thus sharing already downloaded contents with each other to offload the service demand. Due to the partitioned topology, intermittent connection and social feature in such a network, the service demand discovery is challenging. In particular, the service demand discovery is exploited to identify the best relay user through the service registration, service selection and service activation. In order to maximize the utilization of limited network resources, a hybrid service demand discovery architecture, such as a Virtual Dictionary User (VDU) is proposed in this paper. Based on the historical data of movement, users can discover their relationships with others. Subsequently, according to the users activity, VDU is selected to facilitate the service registration procedure. Further, the service information outside of a home community can be obtained through the Global Active User (GAU) to support the service selection. To provide the Quality of Service (QoS), the Service Providing User (SPU) is chosen among multiple candidates. Numerical results show that, when compared with other classical service algorithms, the proposed scheme can improve the successful service demand discovery ratio by 25% under reduced overheads.

DECENTRALIZED SOCIAL NETWORK SERVICE USING THE WEB HOSTING SERVER FOR PRIVACY PRESERVATION

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Yoonho Nam

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the number of subscribers of the social network services such as Facebook and Twitter has increased rapidly. In accordance with the increasing popularity of social network services, concerns about user privacy are also growing. Existing social network services have a centralized structure that a service provider collects all the user’s profile and logs until the end of the connection. The information collected typically useful for commercial purposes, but may lead to a serious user privacy violation. The user’s profile can be compromised for malicious purposes, and even may be a tool of surveillance extremely. In this paper, we remove a centralized structure to prevent the service provider from collecting all users’ information indiscriminately, and present a decentralized structure using the web hosting server. The service provider provides only the service applications to web hosting companies, and the user should select a web hosting company that he trusts. Thus, the user’s information is distributed, and the user’s privacy is guaranteed from the service provider.

Challenges Addressing Unmet Need for Contraception: Voices of Family Planning Service Providers in Rural Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Baraka, Jitihada; Rusibamayila, Asinath; Kalolella, Admirabilis; Baynes, Colin

2015-12-01

Provider perspectives have been overlooked in efforts to address the challenges of unmet need for family planning (FP). This qualitative study was undertaken in Tanzania, using 22 key informant interviews and 4 focus group discussions. The research documents perceptions of healthcare managers and providers in a rural district on the barriers to meeting latent demand for contraception. Social-ecological theory is used to interpret the findings, illustrating how service capability is determined by the social, structural and organizational environment. Providers' efforts to address unmet need for FP services are constrained by unstable reproductive preferences, low educational attainment, and misconceptions about contraceptive side effects. Societal and organizational factors--such as gender dynamics, economic conditions, religious and cultural norms, and supply chain bottlenecks, respectively--also contribute to an adverse environment for meeting needs for care. Challenges that healthcare providers face interact and produce an effect which hinders efforts to address unmet need. Interventions to address this are not sufficient unless the supply of services is combined with systems strengthening and social engagement strategies in a way that reflects the multi-layered, social institutional problems.

The struggle to address woman battering in Slovakia: stories from service providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Susan L; Wasileski, Gabriela

2015-06-01

Following the fall of communism, Slovakia found itself in a challenging position: to openly acknowledge the existence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its disproportionate effect on women and children without an infrastructure to address victim safety, and provide resources and legal help. With collaboration with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the government responded by developing shelters and introducing legislation that criminalized IPV and created social services for victims. To assess implementation efforts, we conducted in-depth interviews with governmental officials and NGO personnel who provide services for battered women. We focus on the operation and efficacy of shelters to discover what services are most needed for battered women, the criminal justice system's response to IPV, and what long-range goals will facilitate more permanent solutions to the social problem of violence against women in Slovakia. © The Author(s) 2015.

Building Service Provider Capabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandl, Kristin; Jaura, Manya; Ørberg Jensen, Peter D.

2015-01-01

In this paper we study whether and how the interaction between clients and the service providers contributes to the development of capabilities in service provider firms. In situations where such a contribution occurs, we analyze how different types of activities in the production process...... process. We find that clients influence the development of human capital capabilities and management capabilities in reciprocally produced services. While in sequential produced services clients influence the development of organizational capital capabilities and management capital capabilities....... of the services, such as sequential or reciprocal task activities, influence the development of different types of capabilities. We study five cases of offshore-outsourced knowledge-intensive business services that are distinguished according to their reciprocal or sequential task activities in their production...

Helping the Helpers: An International Training Program for Professionals Providing Social Services for HIV-Positive Children and Their Families in Southern Kazakhstan

Science.gov (United States)

Tartakovsky, Eugene

2011-01-01

Over one hundred children and some of their parents were infected with HIV in state hospitals in the Chimkent region in Southern Kazakhstan. After this tragedy, the Regional Department of Public Health organized social services for these families and asked the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to provide them with training and…

Crowd Sensing-Enabling Security Service Recommendation for Social Fog Computing Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jun; Su, Zhou; Wang, Shen; Li, Jianhua

2017-07-30

Fog computing, shifting intelligence and resources from the remote cloud to edge networks, has the potential of providing low-latency for the communication from sensing data sources to users. For the objects from the Internet of Things (IoT) to the cloud, it is a new trend that the objects establish social-like relationships with each other, which efficiently brings the benefits of developed sociality to a complex environment. As fog service become more sophisticated, it will become more convenient for fog users to share their own services, resources, and data via social networks. Meanwhile, the efficient social organization can enable more flexible, secure, and collaborative networking. Aforementioned advantages make the social network a potential architecture for fog computing systems. In this paper, we design an architecture for social fog computing, in which the services of fog are provisioned based on "friend" relationships. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at an organized fog computing system-based social model. Meanwhile, social networking enhances the complexity and security risks of fog computing services, creating difficulties of security service recommendations in social fog computing. To address this, we propose a novel crowd sensing-enabling security service provisioning method to recommend security services accurately in social fog computing systems. Simulation results show the feasibilities and efficiency of the crowd sensing-enabling security service recommendation method for social fog computing systems.

An Analysis of Personal Technology Use by Service Members and Military Behavioral Health Providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards-Stewart, Amanda; Smolenski, Derek J; Reger, Greg M; Bush, Nigel; Workman, Don E

2016-07-01

Personal technology use is ubiquitous in the United States today and technology, in general, continues to change the face of health care. However, little is known about the personal technology use of military service members and the behavioral health care providers that treat them. This study reports the technology use of 1,101 active duty service members and 45 behavioral health care providers at a large military installation. Participants reported Internet usage; ownership of smartphones, tablets, and e-readers; usage of mobile applications (apps); and basic demographic information. Compared with providers, service members reported higher rates of smartphone ownership, were more likely to own Android smartphones than iPhones, and spent more time gaming. Both groups spent a comparable amount of time using social media. With the exception of gaming, however, differences between service members and providers were not statistically significant when demographics were matched and controlled. Among service members, younger respondents (18-34) were statistically more likely than older respondents (35-58) to own smartphones, spend time gaming, and engage in social media. Our findings can help inform provider's technology-based education and intervention of their patients and guide the development of new technologies to support the psychological health of service members. Reprint & Copyright © 2016 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Facilitators and barriers of implementing and delivering social prescribing services: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Pescheny, Julia Vera; Pappas, Yannis; Randhawa, Gurch

2018-02-07

Social Prescribing is a service in primary care that involves the referral of patients with non-clinical needs to local services and activities provided by the third sector (community, voluntary, and social enterprise sector). Social Prescribing aims to promote partnership working between the health and the social sector to address the wider determinants of health. To date, there is a weak evidence base for Social Prescribing services. The objective of the review was to identify factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation and delivery of SP services based in general practice involving a navigator. We searched eleven databases, the grey literature, and the reference lists of relevant studies to identify the barriers and facilitators to the implementation and delivery of Social Prescribing services in June and July 2016. Searches were limited to literature written in English. No date restrictions were applied. Findings were synthesised narratively, employing thematic analysis. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool Version 2011 was used to evaluate the methodological quality of included studies. Eight studies were included in the review. The synthesis identified a range of factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation and delivery of SP services. Facilitators and barriers were related to: the implementation approach, legal agreements, leadership, management and organisation, staff turnover, staff engagement, relationships and communication between partners and stakeholders, characteristics of general practices, and the local infrastructure. The quality of most included studies was poor and the review identified a lack of published literature on factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation and delivery of Social Prescribing services. The review identified a range of factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation and delivery of Social Prescribing services. Findings of this review provide an insight for commissioners, managers, and providers

School-related and social-emotional outcomes of providing mental health services in schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Ballard, Kristin L; Sander, Mark A; Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie

2014-02-01

This study evaluated student outcomes of an expanded school mental health (ESMH) model that placed community mental health clinicians on-site in schools to identify and treat children with mental health needs. The first aim of this study was to consider school-related outcomes (suspension rates and attendance rates) for those students who received ESMH treatment (n = 159) were compared to a matched high-risk sample that did not receive such services (n = 148). Results demonstrated differences between groups over time on measures of suspensions and attendance but not academic achievement. The second aim of this study was to evaluate change in social-emotional functioning (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Scores) over time for the treatment group. Results indicated significant improvements on several parent and teacher ratings. Despite limitations of the ESMH framework examined in this study, the overall results suggest some promising advantages for students who received ESMH services.

The Role of Social Networking Services in eParticipation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sæbø, Øystein; Rose, Jeremy; Nyvang, Tom

2009-01-01

, content-generation and the development of loosely-coupled communities. They provide the forum for much discussion and interaction. In this respect social networking could contribute to solve some of the problems of engaging their users that eParticipation services often struggle with. This paper...... and social networking because democratic systems favour the interests of larger groups of citizens --- the more voices behind a political proposition, the greater its chances of success. In this context of challenges the study of social networking on the internet and social network theory offers valuable...... insights into the practices and theories of citizen engagement. Social network theory focuses on the chains of relationships that social actors communicate and act within. Some social networking services on the internet attract large numbers of users, and apparently sustain a great deal of interaction...

Crowd Sensing-Enabling Security Service Recommendation for Social Fog Computing Systems

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Jun Wu

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Fog computing, shifting intelligence and resources from the remote cloud to edge networks, has the potential of providing low-latency for the communication from sensing data sources to users. For the objects from the Internet of Things (IoT to the cloud, it is a new trend that the objects establish social-like relationships with each other, which efficiently brings the benefits of developed sociality to a complex environment. As fog service become more sophisticated, it will become more convenient for fog users to share their own services, resources, and data via social networks. Meanwhile, the efficient social organization can enable more flexible, secure, and collaborative networking. Aforementioned advantages make the social network a potential architecture for fog computing systems. In this paper, we design an architecture for social fog computing, in which the services of fog are provisioned based on “friend” relationships. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at an organized fog computing system-based social model. Meanwhile, social networking enhances the complexity and security risks of fog computing services, creating difficulties of security service recommendations in social fog computing. To address this, we propose a novel crowd sensing-enabling security service provisioning method to recommend security services accurately in social fog computing systems. Simulation results show the feasibilities and efficiency of the crowd sensing-enabling security service recommendation method for social fog computing systems.

Crowd Sensing-Enabling Security Service Recommendation for Social Fog Computing Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jun; Su, Zhou; Li, Jianhua

2017-01-01

Fog computing, shifting intelligence and resources from the remote cloud to edge networks, has the potential of providing low-latency for the communication from sensing data sources to users. For the objects from the Internet of Things (IoT) to the cloud, it is a new trend that the objects establish social-like relationships with each other, which efficiently brings the benefits of developed sociality to a complex environment. As fog service become more sophisticated, it will become more convenient for fog users to share their own services, resources, and data via social networks. Meanwhile, the efficient social organization can enable more flexible, secure, and collaborative networking. Aforementioned advantages make the social network a potential architecture for fog computing systems. In this paper, we design an architecture for social fog computing, in which the services of fog are provisioned based on “friend” relationships. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at an organized fog computing system-based social model. Meanwhile, social networking enhances the complexity and security risks of fog computing services, creating difficulties of security service recommendations in social fog computing. To address this, we propose a novel crowd sensing-enabling security service provisioning method to recommend security services accurately in social fog computing systems. Simulation results show the feasibilities and efficiency of the crowd sensing-enabling security service recommendation method for social fog computing systems. PMID:28758943

Ecosystem services provided by waterbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Andy J; Elmberg, Johan

2014-02-01

Ecosystem services are ecosystem processes that directly or indirectly benefit human well-being. There has been much recent literature identifying different services and the communities and species that provide them. This is a vital first step towards management and maintenance of these services. In this review, we specifically address the waterbirds, which play key functional roles in many aquatic ecosystems, including as predators, herbivores and vectors of seeds, invertebrates and nutrients, although these roles have often been overlooked. Waterbirds can maintain the diversity of other organisms, control pests, be effective bioindicators of ecological conditions, and act as sentinels of potential disease outbreaks. They also provide important provisioning (meat, feathers, eggs, etc.) and cultural services to both indigenous and westernized societies. We identify key gaps in the understanding of ecosystem services provided by waterbirds and areas for future research required to clarify their functional role in ecosystems and the services they provide. We consider how the economic value of these services could be calculated, giving some examples. Such valuation will provide powerful arguments for waterbird conservation. © 2013 The Authors. Biological Reviews © 2013 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THE PEOPLE AND COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SOUTH KOREA

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Ko Young Cheol

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The main aim of the present study is the consideration of social services for population and students in South Korea. This article, on the basis of the research literature and the policy of South Korea government, contains information about the universality of social services for the National Basic Livelihood Security System and the Department of Population Health, as well as providing care for children and infants, student’s scholarship policy and the future of the problems in this area. The study identified the following challenges for the future: improvement of the quality of service and the expansion of services; improvement of the systems for mobilizing resources for the provision of social services; the role of the government and the private sector in the quality and efficiency of the social services; improvement of the working conditions and creating new workplaces.

Experiences of patients and service providers with out-patient rehabilitation services in a rehabilitation centre in the Western Cape Province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne Kumurenzi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Rehabilitation is important for persons with disabilities as it contributes to their sense of autonomy, self-worth and social participation, and improves their quality of life. Improving the quality of rehabilitation services requires the dialogue of patients’ perceptions with those of service providers, in order to recommend informed reform. Objective: The objective was to explore the experiences of persons with physical disabilities and service providers, regarding the multi-disciplinary rehabilitation services provided at a community-based out-patient rehabilitation centre. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory study design was used to collect the data. A focus group was conducted with conveniently selected persons with physical disabilities. Three in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively selected key informants. All ethical considerations were adhered to during the implementation of the study. Results: Patients and service providers had different experiences regarding accessibility to rehabilitation services, and similar experiences with patient education and intensity of rehabilitation. Although the patients experienced that the service providers had sufficient knowledge and skills to manage them, services providers expressed that they lacked certain skills. Conclusions: The experiences expressed highlighted the need to improve rehabilitation services in terms of increasing the capacity of service providers and providing transport services for persons with disabilities.

Differences between paid and unpaid social services for beneficiaries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Metz, Judith; Roza, Lonneke; Meijs, Lucas; van Baren, Eva; Hoogervorst, Niek

2017-01-01

In many Western welfare states, social work services that have traditionally been provided by paid employees are being replaced by family support, community support, informal networks and volunteering. For the field of social work, it is relevant to know what it matters to beneficiaries whether

Marketing as a part of competition on the market of social services

OpenAIRE

Marek, Ondřej

2015-01-01

1 ABSTRACT The diploma theses deals with marketing in practice of social services. Marketing brings positive effects in the field of client, personal and material-technical capacities to some organisations. This can bring financial as well as nonfinancial profit together with bigger independence from donors who provide means of running of social services. Theses will help to solve problems of some social services managers who don't care about marketing in the organisation sufficiently. The ob...

Ecosystem services provided by bats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunz, Thomas H; Braun de Torrez, Elizabeth; Bauer, Dana; Lobova, Tatyana; Fleming, Theodore H

2011-03-01

Ecosystem services are the benefits obtained from the environment that increase human well-being. Economic valuation is conducted by measuring the human welfare gains or losses that result from changes in the provision of ecosystem services. Bats have long been postulated to play important roles in arthropod suppression, seed dispersal, and pollination; however, only recently have these ecosystem services begun to be thoroughly evaluated. Here, we review the available literature on the ecological and economic impact of ecosystem services provided by bats. We describe dietary preferences, foraging behaviors, adaptations, and phylogenetic histories of insectivorous, frugivorous, and nectarivorous bats worldwide in the context of their respective ecosystem services. For each trophic ensemble, we discuss the consequences of these ecological interactions on both natural and agricultural systems. Throughout this review, we highlight the research needed to fully determine the ecosystem services in question. Finally, we provide a comprehensive overview of economic valuation of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, few studies estimating the economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats have been conducted to date; however, we outline a framework that could be used in future studies to more fully address this question. Consumptive goods provided by bats, such as food and guano, are often exchanged in markets where the market price indicates an economic value. Nonmarket valuation methods can be used to estimate the economic value of nonconsumptive services, including inputs to agricultural production and recreational activities. Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats. © 2011 New York Academy of Sciences.

Workplace Congruence and Occupational Outcomes among Social Service Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, John R; Shier, Micheal L; Nicholas, David

2016-06-01

Workplace expectations reflect an important consideration in employee experience. A higher prevalence of workplace congruence between worker and employer expectations has been associated with higher levels of productivity and overall workplace satisfaction across multiple occupational groups. Little research has investigated the relationship between workplace congruence and occupational health outcomes among social service workers. This study sought to better understand the extent to which occupational congruence contributes to occupational outcomes by surveying unionised social service workers ( n = 674) employed with the Government of Alberta, Canada. Multiple regression analysis shows that greater congruence between workplace and worker expectations around workloads, workplace values and the quality of the work environment significantly: (i) decreases symptoms related to distress and secondary traumatic stress; (ii) decreases intentions to leave; and (iii) increases overall life satisfaction. The findings provide some evidence of areas within the workplace of large government run social welfare programmes that can be better aligned to worker expectations to improve occupational outcomes among social service workers.

Layered stigma among health-care and social service providers toward key affected populations in Jamaica and The Bahamas.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, S J; Tureski, K; Cushnie, A; Brown, A; Bailey, A; Palmer, Q

2014-01-01

While considerable research has documented stigma toward key populations affected by HIV and AIDS - men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers (SWs) - it provided limited empirical evidence on the presence of layered stigma among health-care professionals providing services for these populations. C-Change conducted a survey among 332 staff of health-care and social service agencies in Jamaica and The Bahamas to understand the levels of stigma toward people living with HIV (PLHIV), including MSM and SWs and factors associated with stigma. While most health-care professionals responding to the survey said that PLHIV, MSM, and SWs deserved quality care, they expressed high levels of blame and negative judgments, especially toward MSM and SWs. Across a stigma assessment involving eight vignette characters, the highest levels of stigma were expressed toward PLHIV who were also MSM or SWs, followed by PLHIV, MSM, and SWs. Differences were assessed by gender, country, type of staff, type of agency, and exposure to relevant training. Findings indicate higher reported stigma among nonclinical vs. clinical staff, staff who worked in general vs. MSM/SW-friendly health facilities, and among untrained vs. training staff. This implies the need for targeted staff capacity strengthening as well as improved facility environments that are MSM/SW-friendly.

Health/Service Providers' Perspectives on Barriers to Healthy Weight Gain and Physical Activity in Pregnant, Urban First Nations Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Darroch, Francine E; Giles, Audrey R

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to examine health/service providers' perspectives of barriers to healthy weight gain and physical activity for urban, pregnant First Nations women in Ottawa, Canada. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, we explored 15 health/service providers' perspectives on the complex barriers their clients face. By using a postcolonial feminist lens and a social determinants of health framework, we identified three social determinants of health that the health/service providers believed to have the greatest influence on their clients' weight gain and physical activity during pregnancy: poverty, education, and colonialism. Our findings are then contextualized within existing Statistics Canada and the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study data. We found that health/service providers are in a position to challenge colonial relations of power. We conclude by urging health/service providers, researchers, and policymakers alike to take into consideration the ways in which these social determinants of health and their often synergistic effects affect urban First Nations women during pregnancy. © The Author(s) 2015.

Perspectives on Same-Sex Sexualities and Self-Harm amongst Service Providers and Teachers in Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Denise

2014-01-01

This study investigates the perspectives of service providers working with Chinese lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) young people in Hong Kong secondary schools and maps the relationships between same-sex sexualities, religion, education and self-harm. Sixteen service providers, including secondary school teachers, social workers based on and off…

Service-Learning and Social Entrepreneurship: From Strangers to Allies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela Lewellyn Jones

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Service-learning and social entrepreneurship share a common goal of engaging students in work to achieve the public good, and a desire to link education to addressing social problems and needs. Yet an examination of the two initiatives reveals that they generally co-exist on college and university campuses with little or no collaboration or communication between the two programs. This paper examines the definitions and core identities of service-learning and social entrepreneurship, exploring the potential for how the two initiatives might complement and support one another’s work in higher education. This examination includes identifying the values, philosophies, and practices that might provide common ground as well as those that might present points of conflict and tension. KEYWORDSService-learning; Social Entrepreneurship; Civic Engagement

Ancillary Services Provided from DER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Campbell, J.B.

2005-12-21

Distributed energy resources (DER) are quickly making their way to industry primarily as backup generation. They are effective at starting and then producing full-load power within a few seconds. The distribution system is aging and transmission system development has not kept up with the growth in load and generation. The nation's transmission system is stressed with heavy power flows over long distances, and many areas are experiencing problems in providing the power quality needed to satisfy customers. Thus, a new market for DER is beginning to emerge. DER can alleviate the burden on the distribution system by providing ancillary services while providing a cost adjustment for the DER owner. This report describes 10 types of ancillary services that distributed generation (DG) can provide to the distribution system. Of these 10 services the feasibility, control strategy, effectiveness, and cost benefits are all analyzed as in the context of a future utility-power market. In this market, services will be provided at a local level that will benefit the customer, the distribution utility, and the transmission company.

Public Services 2.0: The Impact of Social Computing on Public Services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huijboom, Noor; Broek, Tijs Van Den; Frissen, Valerie; Kool, Linda; Kotterink, Bas; Nielsen, Morten Meyerhoff; Millard, Jeremy

2009-01-01

The report gives an overview of the main trends of Social Computing, in the wider context of an evolving public sector, and in relation to relevant government trends and normative policy visions within and across EU Member States on future public services. It then provides an exhaustive literature

Advancing Sustainability through Urban Green Space: Cultural Ecosystem Services, Equity, and Social Determinants of Health

Science.gov (United States)

Jennings, Viniece; Larson, Lincoln; Yun, Jessica

2016-01-01

Urban green spaces provide an array of benefits, or ecosystem services, that support our physical, psychological, and social health. In many cases, however, these benefits are not equitably distributed across diverse urban populations. In this paper, we explore relationships between cultural ecosystem services provided by urban green space and the social determinants of health outlined in the United States Healthy People 2020 initiative. Specifically, we: (1) explore connections between cultural ecosystem services and social determinants of health; (2) examine cultural ecosystem services as nature-based health amenities to promote social equity; and (3) recommend areas for future research examining links between urban green space and public health within the context of environmental justice. PMID:26861365

Co-production, new public governance and third sector social services in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Pestoff

2011-01-01

political and economic challenges facing the welfare state in the 21st century. Co-production provides a model for the mix of public service agents and citizens who contribute to the provision of a public service. New Public Governance (NPG puts much greater emphasis on citizen participation and third sector provision of social services than either traditional public administration or New Public Management. Co-production is a core element of NPG that promotes the mix of public service agents and citizens who contribute to the provis ionof a public service. This paper explores the implications of two comparative studies of paren tparticipation in preschool services in Europe. They observe that citizen participation clearly varies between different providers of social services, as too does client and staff influence. This empirical overview concludes that some third sector providers can facilitate greater citizen participation, while a 'glass ceiling' for participation exists in municipal and for-profit preschool services. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of the emerging paradigm of New Public Governance.

Designing and Implementing a Distributed Social Network Service for Mobile Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru RADOVICI

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a new paradigm for building social network services. The proposed platform is called eXtensible Social Network. As it uses the XMPP protocol for authentication and communication, it allows users from different service providers interact with each other, without having to change their accounts. Moreover, the platform provides means for users to authenticate and interact with each other while temporary disconnected from the Internet. Moreover, the platform is specially designed for mobile devices, running on their restrictive operating systems and taking advantage of the systems optimizations.

Designing for Social Infrastructures in Complex Service Systems: A Human-Centered and Social Systems Perspective on Service Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mieke van der Bijl-Brouwer

Full Text Available Service design is one of the keys to improving how we target today’s complex societal problems. The predominant view of service systems is mechanistic and linear. A service infrastructure—which includes solutions like service blueprints, scripts, and protocols—is, in some ways, designed to control the behavior of service professionals at the service interface. This view undermines the intrinsic motivation, expertise, and creativity of service professionals. This article presents a different perspective on service design. Using theories of social systems and complex responsive processes, I define service organizations as ongoing iterated patterns of relationships between people, and identify them as complex social service systems. I go on to show how the human-centeredness of design practices contributes to designing for such service systems. In particular, I show how a deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of service professionals through phenomenological themes contributes to designing for social infrastructures that support continuous improvement and adaptation of the practices executed by service professionals at the service interface.

Predicting Perceived Isolation among Midlife and Older LGBT Adults: The Role of Welcoming Aging Service Providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jie; Chu, Yoosun; Salmon, Mary Anne

2017-06-16

Older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults are more likely to live alone and less likely to have children compared with their heterosexual counterparts. The lack of immediate family system can render older LGBT adults particularly vulnerable to social isolation and its consequences. The current study utilizes social exclusion theory, which asserts that not only material resources but also engagement with and inclusion into the society are necessary for marginalized people to be integrated into the mainstream. The study examines whether aging service providers (e.g., senior centers, adult day care, transportation, employment services) who are perceived by older LGBT adults as welcoming to LGBT people may reduce this population's perceived isolation. Data were collected through a needs assessment survey designed for the aging LGBT community in North Carolina. Adults aged 45 and over who self-identified as LGBT were recruited at several formal and informal groups. The survey yielded 222 valid responses. The outcome variable was perceived isolation. Key independent variables included having experienced welcoming aging service providers and living alone. After controlling for potential confounders and demographics, logistic regression results showed that having experienced welcoming aging service providers was a protective factor against perceived isolation and it also buffered the negative impact of living alone. The findings provided preliminary evidence for a new direction of intervention research-targeting LGBT cultural competence training for medical and social service providers. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Courtesy stigma: a hidden health concern among front-line service providers to sex workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Rachel; Benoit, Cecilia; Hallgrimsdottir, Helga; Vallance, Kate

2012-06-01

Courtesy stigma, also referred to as 'stigma by association', involves public disapproval evoked as a consequence of associating with a stigmatised individual or group. While a small number of sociological studies have shown how courtesy stigma limits the social support and social opportunities available to family members of stigmatised individuals, there is a paucity of research examining courtesy stigma among the large network of people who provide health and social services to stigmatised groups. This article presents results from a mixed methods study of the workplace experiences of a purposive sample of workers in a non-profit organisation providing services to sex workers in Canada. The findings demonstrate that courtesy stigma plays a role in workplace health as it shapes both the workplace environment, including the range of resources made available to staff to carry out their work activities, as well as staff perceptions of others' support. At the same time, it was evident that some workers were more vulnerable to courtesy stigma than others depending on their social location. We discuss these results in light of the existing literature on courtesy stigma and conclude that it is an under-studied determinant of workplace health among care providers serving socially denigrated groups. © 2011 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2011 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Social capital, collective efficacy and the provision of social support services and amenities by municipalities in the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Waverijn, Geeke; Groenewegen, Peter P; de Klerk, Mirjam

2017-03-01

Differential provision of local services and amenities has been proposed as a mechanism behind the relationship between social capital and health. The aim of this study was to investigate whether social capital and collective efficacy are related to the provision of social support services and amenities in Dutch municipalities, against a background of decentralisation of long-term care to municipalities. We used data on neighbourhood social capital, collective efficacy (the extent to which people are willing to work for the common good), and the provision of services and amenities in 2012. We included the services municipalities provide to support informal caregivers (e.g. respite care), individual services and support (e.g. domiciliary help), and general and collective services and amenities (e.g. lending point for wheelchairs). Data for social capital were collected between May 2011 and September 2012. Social capital was measured by focusing on contacts between neighbours. A social capital measure was estimated for 414 municipalities with ecometric measurements. A measure of collective efficacy was constructed based on information about the experienced responsibility for the liveability of the neighbourhood by residents in 2012, average charity collection returns in municipalities in 2012, voter turnout at the municipal elections in 2010 and the percentage of blood donors in 2012. We conducted Poisson regression and negative binomial regression to test our hypotheses. We found no relationship between social capital and the provision of services and amenities in municipalities. We found an interaction effect (coefficient = 3.11, 95% CI = 0.72-5.51, P = 0.011) of social capital and collective efficacy on the provision of support services for informal caregivers in rural municipalities. To gain more insight in the relationship between social capital and health, it will be important to study the relationship between social capital and differential provision of

Evaluation of Public E-Services and Information Technology Accessibility in Different Social Groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramutė Naujikienė

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to develop an approach based on the social quality evaluation square model for evaluation of information technology usage in different social groups. Componential view to the accessibility of e-services including IT means providing the possibility to research the influences of different life conditions to usage of the public e-services. The task of this empirical study is directed towards revealing the differences of e-inclusion and e-services accessibility for social groups of citizens of Lithuania, and to compare this accessibility data with other EU countries.Design/methodology/approach—the approach is based on the square model of social quality evaluation of information technology usage in different social groups. The social division square model includes an assessment of quality according to the evaluation of socioeconomic security, social inclusion, social cohesion, and empowerment. Empowerment can be defined as consisting of individual or collective decisions to act on one’s own life.Findings—the results are demonstrated by the accessibility of public e-services data, which are evaluated by the quality of social group development according to IT applications. The hypothesis was confirmed that the e-government activities can be realized by properly selecting and installing technologies, and using technology facilities. E-services influence the capabilities of state officials to apply modern technology and increase the availability of e-services for social groups. Results consist of individual or collective decisions to act on one’s own life, to implementation of effective information technologies in the e-government activities and using of e-services. An important indicator is the implementation of e-services in the activity of citizens. It is submitted as the index of e-participation in dealing with the activities of citizens and the possibilities of authorities directly related with providing services

Evaluation of Public E-Services and Information Technology Accessibility in Different Social Groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramutė Naujikienė

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to develop an approach based on the social quality evaluation square model for evaluation of information technology usage in different social groups. Componential view to the accessibility of e-services including IT means providing the possibility to research the influences of different life conditions to usage of the public e-services. The task of this empirical study is directed towards revealing the differences of e-inclusion and e-services accessibility for social groups of citizens of Lithuania, and to compare this accessibility data with other EU countries. Design/methodology/approach—the approach is based on the square model of social quality evaluation of information technology usage in different social groups. The social division square model includes an assessment of quality according to the evaluation of socioeconomic security, social inclusion, social cohesion, and empowerment. Empowerment can be defined as consisting of individual or collective decisions to act on one’s own life. Findings—the results are demonstrated by the accessibility of public e-services data, which are evaluated by the quality of social group development according to IT applications. The hypothesis was confirmed that the e-government activities can be realized by properly selecting and installing technologies, and using technology facilities. E-services influence the capabilities of state officials to apply modern technology and increase the availability of e-services for social groups. Results consist of individual or collective decisions to act on one’s own life, to implementation of effective information technologies in the e-government activities and using of e-services. An important indicator is the implementation of e-services in the activity of citizens. It is submitted as the index of e-participation in dealing with the activities of citizens and the possibilities of authorities directly related with providing

Why Teach Social Entrepreneurship: Enhance Learning and University-Community Relations through Service-Learning Outreach

Science.gov (United States)

Wessel, Stacy; Godshalk, Veronica M.

2004-01-01

This article focuses on providing a convincing argument for incorporating social entrepreneurship into the business professor's classroom. The outreach provided by social entrepreneurship enhances learning and promotes university-community relations. Service-learning engagement activities, in the form of social entrepreneurship, create a three-way…

Job satisfaction and social rewards in the social services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorunn Theresia Jessen

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This article investigates the sources of job satisfaction among practitioners and managers employed in the Norwegian public social services and the professionals ´ perception of social rewards in particular. Being valued, receiving praise and positive feedback are considered to be important aspects of job satisfaction. Nevertheless the expertise and competence of social workers is not always acknowledged. A central question raised is whether the workers ´ job satisfaction is influenced by their opportunities for support and recognition, compared to other (intrinsic and organisational rewarding aspects available to social service workers. The empirical data come from a 2004 quantitative survey among social workers in local welfare agencies. Despite conflicting demands and lack of resources in the front line services, findings indicate that managers and practitioners perceive their work as overall equally satisfying. Still, the managers find their job more interesting and challenging due to their position, reporting higher feelings of accomplishment and control over work. Receiving public approval and co-worker support are positively associated with job satisfaction within both work positions, while superior support and client recognition were found to be significantly rewarding aspects to the practitioners only. The final discussion addresses the challenges for an organizational climate that sustain the worth and contribution of social professionals.

O&M of services infrastructure by social franchising partnerships

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wall, K

2012-09-01

Full Text Available South African research finds that social franchising partnerships could address many challenges in the operation and maintenance of water services infrastructure. Franchising trains those on-site, and also provides backup off-site skills...

Deliverable D.8.4. Social data visualization and navigation services -3rd Year Update-

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bitter-Rijpkema, Marlies; Brouns, Francis; Drachsler, Hendrik; Fazeli, Soude; Sanchez-Alonso, Salvador; Rajabi, Enayat; Kolovou, Lamprini

2015-01-01

Within the Open Discovery Space our study (T.8.4) focused on ”Enhanced Social Data Visualization & Navigation Services. This deliverable provides the prototype report regarding the deployment of adapted visualization and navigation services to be integrated in the ODS Social Data Management Layer.

Advancing sustainability through urban green space: cultural ecosystem services, equity, and social determinants of health

Science.gov (United States)

Viniece Jennings; Lincoln Larson; Jessica Yun

2016-01-01

Urban green spaces provide an array of benefits, or ecosystem services, that support our physical, psychological, and social health. In many cases, however, these benefits are not equitably distributed across diverse urban populations. In this paper, we explore relationships between cultural ecosystem services provided by urban green space and the social determinants...

When high pressure, system constraints, and a social justice mission collide: A socio-structural analysis of emergency department social work services.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Megan; Cristofalo, Margaret; Dotolo, Danae; Torres, Nicole; Lahdya, Alexandra; Ho, Leyna; Vogel, Mia; Forrester, Mollie; Conley, Bonnie; Fouts, Susan

2017-04-01

The emergency department (ED) can be a critical intervention point for many patients with multifaceted needs. Social workers have long been part of interdisciplinary ED teams. This study aimed to contribute to the limited understanding of social worker-patient interactions and factors influencing social work services in this setting. This paper reports a qualitative content analysis of social work medical record notes (N = 1509) of services provided to trauma patients in an urban, public, level 1 trauma center and an in-depth analysis of semi-structured interviews with ED social workers (N = 10). Eight major social work roles were identified: investigator, gatekeeper, resource broker, care coordinator, problem solver, crisis manager, advocate, discharge planner. Analyses revealed a complex interplay between ED social work services and multi-layered contexts. Using a social-ecological framework, we identified the interactions between micro or individual level factors, mezzo or local system level factors and macro environmental and systemic factors that play a role in ED interactions and patient services. Macro-level contextual influences were socio-structural forces including socioeconomic barriers to health, social hierarchies that reflected power differentials between providers and patients, and distrust or bias. Mezzo-level forces were limited resources, lack of healthcare system coordination, a challenging hierarchy within the medical model and the pressure to discharge patients quickly. Micro-level factors included characteristics of patients and social workers, complexity of patient stressors, empathic strain, lack of closure and compassion. All of these forces were at play in patient-social worker interactions and impacted service provision. Social workers were at times able to successfully navigate these forces, yet at other times these challenges were insurmountable. A conceptual model of ED social work and the influences on the patient-social worker

Delivery of community information service as corporate social ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This necessitated the study, with a view to ascertaining if librarians in academic institutions, considering their location in rural areas, are involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) by way of providing library and information services in communities? Using four federal tertiary institutions in Imo and Ebonyi states, South ...

Social networks as the context for understanding employment services utilization among homeless youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Barman-Adhikari, Anamika; Rice, Eric

2014-08-01

Little is known about the factors associated with use of employment services among homeless youth. Social network characteristics have been known to be influential in motivating people's decision to seek services. Traditional theoretical frameworks applied to studies of service use emphasize individual factors over social contexts and interactions. Using key social network, social capital, and social influence theories, this paper developed an integrated theoretical framework that capture the social network processes that act as barriers or facilitators of use of employment services by homeless youth, and understand empirically, the salience of each of these constructs in influencing the use of employment services among homeless youth. We used the "Event based-approach" strategy to recruit a sample of 136 homeless youth at one drop-in agency serving homeless youth in Los Angeles, California in 2008. The participants were queried regarding their individual and network characteristics. Data were entered into NetDraw 2.090 and the spring embedder routine was used to generate the network visualizations. Logistic regression was used to assess the influence of the network characteristics on use of employment services. The study findings suggest that social capital is more significant in understanding why homeless youth use employment services, relative to network structure and network influence. In particular, bonding and bridging social capital were found to have differential effects on use of employment services among this population. The results from this study provide specific directions for interventions aimed to increase use of employment services among homeless youth. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SNMG: a social-level norm-based methodology for macro-governing service collaboration processes

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Ji; Lv, Hexin; Jin, Zhiyong; Xu, Ping

2017-08-01

In order to adapt to the accelerative open tendency of collaborations between enterprises, this paper proposes a Social-level Norm-based methodology for Macro-Governing service collaboration processes, called SNMG, to regulate and control the social-level visible macro-behaviors of the social individuals participating in collaborations. SNMG not only can remove effectively the uncontrollability hindrance confronted with by open social activities, but also enables across-management-domain collaborations to be implemented by uniting the centralized controls of social individuals for respective social activities. Therefore, this paper provides a brand-new system construction mode to promote the development and large-scale deployment of service collaborations.

Factors associated with the utilization and costs of health and social services in frail elderly patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kehusmaa Sari

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Universal access is one of the major aims in public health and social care. Services should be provided on the basis of individual needs. However, municipal autonomy and the fragmentation of services may jeopardize universal access and lead to variation between municipalities in the delivery of services. This paper aims to identify patient-level characteristics and municipality-level service patterns that may have an influence on the use and costs of health and social services of frail elderly patients. Methods Hierarchical analysis was applied to estimate the effects of patient and municipality-level variables on services utilization. Results The variation in the use of health care services was entirely due to patient-related variables, whereas in the social services, 9% of the variation was explained by the municipality-level and 91% by the patient-level characteristics. Health-related quality of life explained a major part of variation in the costs of health care services. Those who had reported improvement in their health status during the preceding year were more frequent users of social care services. Low informal support, poor functional status and poor instrumental activities of daily living, living at a residential home, and living alone were associated with higher social services expenditure. Conclusions The results of this study showed municipality-level variation in the utilization of social services, whereas health care services provided for frail elderly people seem to be highly equitable across municipalities. Another important finding was that the utilization of social and health services were connected. Those who reported improvement in their health status during the preceding year were more frequently also using social services. This result suggests that if municipalities continue to limit the provision of support services only for those who are in the highest need, this saving in the social sector may, in

42 CFR 410.73 - Clinical social worker services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Clinical social worker services. 410.73 Section 410... Clinical social worker services. (a) Definition: clinical social worker. For purposes of this part, a clinical social worker is defined as an individual who— (1) Possesses a master's or doctor's degree in...

Improving palliative care outcomes for Aboriginal Australians: service providers' perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahid, Shaouli; Bessarab, Dawn; van Schaik, Katherine D; Aoun, Samar M; Thompson, Sandra C

2013-07-23

Aboriginal Australians have a lower rate of utilisation of palliative care services than the general population. This study aimed to explore care providers' experiences and concerns in providing palliative care for Aboriginal people, and to identify opportunities for overcoming gaps in understanding between them and their Aboriginal patients and families. In-depth, qualitative interviews with urban, rural and remote palliative care providers were undertaken in inpatient and community settings in Western Australia. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded independently by two researchers with QSR NVivo 10 software used to help manage data. Data analysis was informed by multiple theoretical standpoints, including the social ecological model, critical cultural theories and the 'cultural security' framework. Thematic analysis was carried out that identified patterns within data. Fifteen palliative care providers were interviewed. Overall they reported lack of understanding of Aboriginal culture and being uncertain of the needs and priorities of Aboriginal people during end-of-life care. According to several participants, very few Aboriginal people had an understanding of palliative care. Managing issues such as anger, denial, the need for non-medical support due to socioeconomic disadvantage, and dealing with crises and conflicts over funeral arrangements were reported as some of the tensions between Aboriginal patients and families and the service providers. Early referral to palliative care is important in demonstrating and maintaining a caring therapeutic relationship. Paramount to meeting the needs for Aboriginal patients was access to appropriate information and logistical, psychological and emotional support. These were often seen as essential but additional to standard palliative care services. The broader context of Aboriginal history and historical distrust of mainstream services was seen to impinge on Aboriginal people's willingness and

The theory of social services in disaccumulationist capitalism.

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Hirschhorn, L

1979-01-01

The theory of social services today must be based on a more general theory of the "disaccumulation" of capitalist society. Capitalist society disaccumulates as new productive forces emerge within the framework of the capitalist labor market. These forces are expressed abstractly in new sources of productivity based on information and organization and concretely in a new organization of work. This new organization of work breaks down the old capitalist division between labor and non-labor time and poses instead a more fluid interaction and integration of work and non-work. Capitalist society, however, disaccumulates through social crisis. The reorganization of work is simultaneously expressed as the decay of the labor market. This decay delegitimates social services and creates the present social service crisis. Social services can find their new sources of legitimacy only if social classes can move past the crisis of disaccumulation and find the appropriate new forms of social life based on the emerging non-capitalist organization of work.

Teaching and Learning Social Justice through Online Service-Learning Courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathy L. Guthrie

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Creating a virtual classroom in which diverse students feel welcome to discuss and experience topics related to social justice, action, and change is a study in the value of connectedness and collaboration. Through a combination of technologies, pedagogies, and on-site experiences, virtual cultures develop that encourage the formation of demanding yet stimulating learning environments in which communications and interactions are intellectually transformative. This article explores student perceptions of their participation in an online service-learning course while working in local service organizations. Qualitative methodology was used to identify the philosophical intersection at which multiple pedagogies meet: social justice, service-learning, civic engagement, and leadership as instructed in a web-based environment. This study illustrates the capacity for intentionally constructed online educational experiences focused on social justice, civic engagement, and leadership to affect learning and to provide educators with pedagogical best practices to facilitate requisite change in teaching practice.

Social values for ecosystem services (SolVES): A GIS application for assessing, mapping, and quantifying the social values of ecosystem services-Documentation and user manual, version 1.0

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrouse, Benson C.; Riegle, Jodi L.; Semmens, Darius J.

2010-01-01

In response to the need for incorporating quantified and spatially explicit measures of social values into ecosystem services assessments, the Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center, in collaboration with Colorado State University, has developed a geographic information system application, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES). SolVES can be used to assess, map, and quantify the perceived social values of ecosystem services. SolVES derives a quantitative social values metric, the Value Index, from a combination of spatial and nonspatial responses to public attitude and preference surveys. SolVES also generates landscape metrics, such as average elevation and distance to water, calculated from spatial data layers describing the underlying physical environment. Using kernel density calculations and zonal statistics, SolVES derives and maps the 10-point Value Index and reports landscape metrics associated with each index value for social value types such as aesthetics, biodiversity, and recreation. This can be repeated for various survey subgroups as distinguished by their attitudes and preferences regarding public uses of the forests such as motorized recreation and logging for fuels reduction. The Value Index provides a basis of comparison within and among survey subgroups to consider the effect of social contexts on the valuation of ecosystem services. SolVES includes regression coefficients linking the predicted value (the Value Index) to landscape metrics. These coefficients are used to generate predicted social value maps using value transfer techniques for areas where primary survey data are not available. SolVES was developed, and will continue to be enhanced through future versions, as a public domain tool to enable decision makers and researchers to map the social values of ecosystem services and to facilitate discussions among diverse stakeholders regarding tradeoffs between different ecosystem services in a variety of physical and social contexts.

Logistic service providers and sustainable physical distribution

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Stef Weijers

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Logistic Service Providers main concern was to ensure reliability for a low price (Christopher, 2005. Dutch Logistic Service Providers still have these two aspects at the top of their list, but also have to take in a new aspect: sustainability. 88% Of the investigated Logistic Service Providers have included sustainability in the company's goals. These Logistic Service Providers have developed different strategies to achieve a higher level of sustainability. This paper presents the results of a study into what Logistic Service Providers say what they are doing, or intend to do, to improve sustainability for their transport services. In this way insight is given in the attitude of Dutch Logistic Service Providers towards sustainability and how they intend to translate this into business practise: internal solutions or new methods incorporating external partners. Methods: Various methods of the investigations were used, among which the analysis of the statements about the sustainabilityon the websites of various companies as well as the questionnaire per Internet. The research covered 50 largest logistics companies operating in the Netherlands and 60 companies that competed for the award "Lean and Green" advertised in the Netherlands. In addition, the Internet survey was answered by 41 companies that belong to the network of our university. Results: The investigation has shown that sustainability is handled by the logistics company as an integral part of the corporate strategy. In contrast, shippers depend in the choice of logistics services primarily on such classical aspects as the reliability or the price and the sustainability play a minor role. Conclusions: Trying to find methods to improve the sustainability, Dutch logistics service providers, in the first place, look for solutions that increase the efficiency and therefore the cost reduction potential. Solutions, which require the involvement of clients, were less often

42 CFR 405.2452 - Services and supplies incident to clinical psychologist and clinical social worker services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... psychologist and clinical social worker services. 405.2452 Section 405.2452 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... clinical social worker services. (a) Services and supplies incident to a clinical psychologist's or clinical social worker's services are reimbursable under this subpart if the service or supply is— (1) Of a...

28 CFR 92.8 - Providing recruitment services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... populations to a police department. The recruitment strategies employed may include: (a) A process for... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Providing recruitment services. 92.8... POLICING SERVICES (COPS) Police Recruitment Program Guidelines § 92.8 Providing recruitment services. The...

The social service as part of social protection: sociology management aspect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. V. Meschan

2015-06-01

The main directions of improving the management of social maintenances on the basis of sociology and management approach, improve the regulatory framework; Approval social standards; introduce a mechanism of social order as a form of cross­sector partnership for social development of the social services.

Mental health care roles of non-medical primary health and social care services.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Penny

2009-02-01

Changes in patterns of delivery of mental health care over several decades are putting pressure on primary health and social care services to increase their involvement. Mental health policy in countries like the UK, Australia and New Zealand recognises the need for these services to make a greater contribution and calls for increased intersectoral collaboration. In Australia, most investment to date has focused on the development and integration of specialist mental health services and primary medical care, and evaluation research suggests some progress. Substantial inadequacies remain, however, in the comprehensiveness and continuity of care received by people affected by mental health problems, particularly in relation to social and psychosocial interventions. Very little research has examined the nature of the roles that non-medical primary health and social care services actually or potentially play in mental health care. Lack of information about these roles could have inhibited development of service improvement initiatives targeting these services. The present paper reports the results of an exploratory study that examined the mental health care roles of 41 diverse non-medical primary health and social care services in the state of Victoria, Australia. Data were collected in 2004 using a purposive sampling strategy. A novel method of surveying providers was employed whereby respondents within each agency worked as a group to complete a structured survey that collected quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously. This paper reports results of quantitative analyses including a tentative principal components analysis that examined the structure of roles. Non-medical primary health and social care services are currently performing a wide variety of mental health care roles and they aspire to increase their involvement in this work. However, these providers do not favour approaches involving selective targeting of clients with mental disorders.

Low-Value Service Use in Provider Organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Aaron L; Zaslavsky, Alan M; Landon, Bruce E; Chernew, Michael E; McWilliams, J Michael

2018-02-01

To assess whether provider organizations exhibit distinct profiles of low-value service provision. 2007-2011 Medicare fee-for-service claims and enrollment data. Use of 31 services that provide minimal clinical benefit was measured for 4,039,733 beneficiaries served by 3,137 provider organizations. Variation across organizations, persistence within organizations over time, and correlations in use of different types of low-value services within organizations were estimated via multilevel modeling, with adjustment for beneficiary sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Organizations provided 45.6 low-value services per 100 beneficiaries on average, with considerable variation across organizations (90th/10th percentile ratio, 1.78; 95 percent CI, 1.72-1.84), including substantial between-organization variation within hospital referral regions (90th/10th percentile ratio, 1.66; 95 percent CI, 1.60-1.71). Low-value service use within organizations was highly correlated over time (r, 0.98; 95 percent CI, 0.97-0.99) and positively correlated between 13 of 15 pairs of service categories (average r, 0.26; 95 percent CI, 0.24-0.28), with the greatest correlation between low-value imaging and low-value cardiovascular testing and procedures (r, 0.54). Use of low-value services in provider organizations exhibited substantial variation, high persistence, and modest consistency across service types. These findings are consistent with organizations shaping the practice patterns of affiliated physicians. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Opinions Regarding Using Films in Social Studies Education

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Tuba Cengelci

2011-05-01

��contributions of films to social studies”, “problems can be encountered when using film in social studies”, and “recommendations”. Findings of the study show that according to pre-service teachers films appeal to multiple senses of students, help retention of learning, and facilitate history and geography learning. Moreover, films make learning enjoyable. Pre-service teachers explained contribution of films to social studies education under the sub-themes of contribution regarding knowledge, skills, and values acquirement. They mentioned about historical and geographical issues in terms of knowledge contribution of films. Pre-service teachers emphasized that films help students develop creative thinking, critical thinking, and interpreting skills. Additionally, they indicated that films play a significant role to teach values such as love, friendship, independence, cultural values, national values, cooperation and solidarity, peace, democracy and freedom, and sensitivity. Problems, pre-service teachers mentioned regarding using films in social studies, were determined as “films can create bias against certain views and beliefs”, “films are usually shot based on western sources”, “films generally adopt one-sided perspective”, “films about surreal heroes have negative impact on children”, “historical films may give inaccurate information”, and “violence is emphasized in some films”. Finally, pre-service teachers suggested recommendation for teachers, schools, families, and media organizations.According to results of the study pre-service teachers have positive views about using films social studies. They thought that films help retention of learning, and provide visualization in teaching learning process. Pre-service teachers thought that films help students acquire some knowledge, skills, and values. However, films could have negative effects on students. Teachers, schools, families and media organizations should take responsibility to solve

Service, training, mentorship: first report of an innovative education-support program to revitalize primary care social service in Chiapas, Mexico

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Andrew Van Wieren

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background: The Mexican mandatory year of social service following medical school, or pasantía, is designed to provide a safety net for the underserved. However, social service physicians (pasantes are typically unpracticed, unsupervised, and unsupported. Significant demotivation, absenteeism, and underperformance typically plague the social service year. Objective: Compañeros en Salud (CES aimed to create an education-support package to turn the pasantía into a transformative learning experience. Design: CES recruited pasantes to complete their pasantía in CES-supported Ministry of Health clinics in rural Chiapas. The program aims to: 1 train pasantes to more effectively deliver primary care, 2 expose pasantes to central concepts of global health and social medicine, and 3 foster career development of pasantes. Program components include supportive supervision, on-site mentorship, clinical information resources, monthly interactive seminars, and improved clinic function. We report quantitative and qualitative pasante survey data collected from February 2012 to August 2013 to discuss strengths and weaknesses of this program and its implications for the pasante workforce in Mexico. Results: Pasantes reported that their medical knowledge, and clinical and leadership skills all improved during the CES education-support program. Most pasantes felt the program had an overall positive effect on their career goals and plans, although their self-report of preparedness for the Mexican residency entrance exam (ENARM decreased during the social service year. One hundred percent reported they were satisfied with the CES-supported pasantía experience and wished to help the poor and underserved in their careers. Conclusions: Education-support programs similar to the CES program may encourage graduating medical students to complete their social service in underserved areas, improve the quality of care provided by pasantes, and address many of the known

Service, training, mentorship: first report of an innovative education-support program to revitalize primary care social service in Chiapas, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Wieren, Andrew; Palazuelos, Lindsay; Elliott, Patrick F; Arrieta, Jafet; Flores, Hugo; Palazuelos, Daniel

2014-01-01

The Mexican mandatory year of social service following medical school, or pasantía, is designed to provide a safety net for the underserved. However, social service physicians (pasantes) are typically unpracticed, unsupervised, and unsupported. Significant demotivation, absenteeism, and underperformance typically plague the social service year. Compañeros en Salud (CES) aimed to create an education-support package to turn the pasantía into a transformative learning experience. CES recruited pasantes to complete their pasantía in CES-supported Ministry of Health clinics in rural Chiapas. The program aims to: 1) train pasantes to more effectively deliver primary care, 2) expose pasantes to central concepts of global health and social medicine, and 3) foster career development of pasantes. Program components include supportive supervision, on-site mentorship, clinical information resources, monthly interactive seminars, and improved clinic function. We report quantitative and qualitative pasante survey data collected from February 2012 to August 2013 to discuss strengths and weaknesses of this program and its implications for the pasante workforce in Mexico. Pasantes reported that their medical knowledge, and clinical and leadership skills all improved during the CES education-support program. Most pasantes felt the program had an overall positive effect on their career goals and plans, although their self-report of preparedness for the Mexican residency entrance exam (ENARM) decreased during the social service year. One hundred percent reported they were satisfied with the CES-supported pasantía experience and wished to help the poor and underserved in their careers. Education-support programs similar to the CES program may encourage graduating medical students to complete their social service in underserved areas, improve the quality of care provided by pasantes, and address many of the known shortcomings of the pasantía. Additional efforts should focus on

Study effective factors on customer compliance in high contact services based on Bandura social - Cognitive theory

OpenAIRE

zahra asadi; bahman hajipour

2014-01-01

In today's competitive world, all market participants ranging from individuals, organizations should be looking for ways to success in the market. The secret to success high contact service providers as important part of market participants is, compliance and follow customers of high contact service providers the instructions and guidance. In this paper, a model based on Bandura social - Cognitive theory has Provided to customer compliance . According Bandura social - Cognitive theory and t...

A review of ecosystem service benefits from wild bees across social contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Matias, Denise Margaret S; Leventon, Julia; Rau, Anna-Lena; Borgemeister, Christian; von Wehrden, Henrik

2017-05-01

In order to understand the role of wild bees in both social and ecological systems, we conducted a quantitative and qualitative review of publications dealing with wild bees and the benefits they provide in social contexts. We classified publications according to several attributes such as services and benefits derived from wild bees, types of bee-human interactions, recipients of direct benefits, social contexts where wild bees are found, and sources of changes to the bee-human system. We found that most of the services and benefits from wild bees are related to food, medicine, and pollination. We also found that wild bees directly provide benefits to communities to a greater extent than individuals. In the social contexts where they are found, wild bees occupy a central role. Several drivers of change affect bee-human systems, ranging from environmental to political drivers. These are the areas where we recommend making interventions for conserving the bee-human system.

Provider of Services File

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The POS file consists of two data files, one for CLIA labs and one for 18 other provider types. The file names are CLIA and OTHER. If downloading the file, note it...

User Identification Framework in Social Network Services Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brijesh BAKARIYA

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Social Network Service is a one of the service where people may communicate with one an-other; and may also exchange messages even of any type of audio or video communication. Social Network Service as name suggests a type of network. Such type of web application plays a dominant role in internet technology. In such type of online community, people may share their common interest. Facebook LinkedIn, orkut and many more are the Social Network Service and it is good medium of making link with people having unique or common interest and goals. But the problem of privacy protection is a big issue in today’s world. As social networking sites allows anonymous users to share information of other stuffs. Due to which cybercrime is also increasing to a rapid extent. In this article we preprocessed the web log data of Social Network Services and assemble that data on the basis of image file format like jpg, jpeg, gif, png, bmp etc. and also propose a framework for victim’s identification.

Consumer-providers of care for adult clients of statutory mental health services.

Science.gov (United States)

Pitt, Veronica; Lowe, Dianne; Hill, Sophie; Prictor, Megan; Hetrick, Sarah E; Ryan, Rebecca; Berends, Lynda

2013-03-28

In mental health services, the past several decades has seen a slow but steady trend towards employment of past or present consumers of the service to work alongside mental health professionals in providing services. However the effects of this employment on clients (service recipients) and services has remained unclear.We conducted a systematic review of randomised trials assessing the effects of employing consumers of mental health services as providers of statutory mental health services to clients. In this review this role is called 'consumer-provider' and the term 'statutory mental health services' refers to public services, those required by statute or law, or public services involving statutory duties. The consumer-provider's role can encompass peer support, coaching, advocacy, case management or outreach, crisis worker or assertive community treatment worker, or providing social support programmes. To assess the effects of employing current or past adult consumers of mental health services as providers of statutory mental health services. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library 2012, Issue 3), MEDLINE (OvidSP) (1950 to March 2012), EMBASE (OvidSP) (1988 to March 2012), PsycINFO (OvidSP) (1806 to March 2012), CINAHL (EBSCOhost) (1981 to March 2009), Current Contents (OvidSP) (1993 to March 2012), and reference lists of relevant articles. Randomised controlled trials of current or past consumers of mental health services employed as providers ('consumer-providers') in statutory mental health services, comparing either: 1) consumers versus professionals employed to do the same role within a mental health service, or 2) mental health services with and without consumer-providers as an adjunct to the service. Two review authors independently selected studies and extracted data. We contacted trialists for additional information. We conducted analyses using a random-effects model, pooling studies that measured

Towards a dynamic social-network-based approach for service composition in the Internet of Things

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Wen; Hu, Zheng; Gong, Tao; Zhao, Zhengzheng

2011-12-01

The User-Generated Service (UGS) concept allows end-users to create their own services as well as to share and manage the lifecycles of these services. The current development of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) has brought new challenges to the UGS area. Creating smart services in the IoT environment requires a dynamic social network that considers the relationship between people and things. In this paper, we consider the know-how required to best organize exchanges between users and things to enhance service composition. By surveying relevant aspects including service composition technology, social networks and a recommendation system, we present the first concept of our framework to provide recommendations for a dynamic social network-based means to organize UGSs in the IoT.

Marketing Social Service Programs Using Political Campaign Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Bynum, Peter

1991-01-01

Discusses how human services agencies can use strategies and information technologies similar to those used in political campaigns to identify needs and attitudes for social services campaigns. Marketing for social services programs is described, and the use of computers for a political campaign and for a teenage pregnancy program is compared.…

Public health care providers and market competition: the case of Finnish occupational health services.

Science.gov (United States)

Kankaanpää, Eila; Linnosmaa, Ismo; Valtonen, Hannu

2011-02-01

As reforms in publicly funded health systems rely heavily on competition, it is important to know if and how public providers react to competition. In many European countries, it is empirically difficult to study public providers in different markets, but in Finnish occupational health services, both public and private for-profit and non-profit providers co-exist. We studied possible differences in public providers' performance (price, intensity of services, service mix-curative medical services/prevention, productivity and revenues) according to the competitiveness of the market. The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) collected data on clients, services and personnel for 1992, 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2004 from occupational health services (OHS) providers. Employers defray the costs of OHS and apply for reimbursement from the Social Insurance Institution (SII). The SII data was merged with FIOH's questionnaire. The unbalanced panel consisted of about 230 public providers, totalling 1,164 observations. Local markets were constructed from several municipalities based on commuting practices and regional collaboration. Competitiveness of the market was measured by the number of providers and by the Herfindahl index. The effect of competition was studied by ordinary least square regression analysis and panel models. The more competitive the environment was for a public provider the higher were intensity, productivity and the share of medical care. Fixed panel models showed that these differences were not due to differences and changes in the competitiveness of the market. Instead, in more competitive markets public providers had higher unit prices and higher revenues.

Social Security Number Verification Service (SSNVS)

Data.gov (United States)

Social Security Administration — SSNVS is a service offered by SSA's Business Services Online (BSO). It is used by employers and certain third-party submitters to verify the accuracy of the names...

Developing Cultural Competence in Human Service Providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Krajewski-Jaime, Elvia R.; And Others

Cultural competence assumes greater importance in the United States as international relations shift and the United States changes its own demographic makeup. Hispanics have significant health care needs and cultural beliefs that influence their acceptance of service. As part of an effort to build cultural competence in undergraduate social work…

The Investigation of the Social Entrepreneurship Characteristics of Social Studies Pre-Service Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Yazici, Kubilay; Uslu, Salih; Arik, Soner

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the social entrepreneurship characteristics of social studies pre-service teachers in terms of various variables (gender, defining oneself as a social entrepreneur and grade). The data of the research were obtained on a volunteer basis from 253 pre-service teachers studying at the departments of social…

Social Entrepreneurship and Community Leadership: A Service-Learning Model for Management Education

Science.gov (United States)

Litzky, Barrie E.; Godshalk, Veronica M.; Walton-Bongers, Cynthia

2010-01-01

This article provides a "how to" guide for developing and teaching a service-learning course in social entrepreneurship and community leadership. As the framework of the course, service-learning operates through faculty to student, student to student, and student to client interactions. The discussion articulates the planning and faculty…

THE EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN THE PROVISION OF FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nhedzi, Felistas

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the experiences of twelve social workers as providers of family preservation services. The sample was selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, which yielded rich information on a host of challenges experienced by social workers. Some of the challenges entail the parents’ reluctance to participate in family preservation services, their unwillingness to care for their children, non-adherence to intervention plans, protection of perpetrators of child abuse by family members, traditional practices, lack of resources and low salaries. These challenges have an adverse effect on the morale and wellbeing of social workers

Provider Customer Service Program - Performance Data

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — CMS is continuously analyzing performance and quality of the Provider Customer Service Programs (PCSPs) of the contractors and will be identifying trends and making...

Application of social media to library service delivery: Perception of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study revealed that few of the social media identified are rarely relevant to library service delivery. Reference services, current awareness services, and library news postings were the types of library services that social media are applied. Results also indicated that there were benefits derived from using social media in ...

Utilizing Social Network Services for Enhanced Communication with Elderly Living at Home

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wagner, Stefan

2009-01-01

This paper discusses whether social network services, like Facebook and Twitter, may be used by elderly living in their own homes to enhance communication with their relatives and friends. It introduces a prototype solution based on the iRobot Roomba 560, iRobot, USA, robot vacuum cleaner, which...... has been enhanced with Facebook and Twitter communication capabilities. The paper points out a number of other relevant applications where the use of social network services may provide better communication for ambient assisted living solutions and intelligent environments....

Enhancing social networks: a qualitative study of health and social care practice in UK mental health services.

Science.gov (United States)

Webber, Martin; Reidy, Hannah; Ansari, David; Stevens, Martin; Morris, David

2015-03-01

People with severe mental health problems such as psychosis have access to less social capital, defined as resources within social networks, than members of the general population. However, a lack of theoretically and empirically informed models hampers the development of social interventions which seek to enhance an individual's social networks. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study, which used ethnographic field methods in six sites in England to investigate how workers helped people recovering from psychosis to enhance their social networks. This study drew upon practice wisdom and lived experience to provide data for intervention modelling. Data were collected from 73 practitioners and 51 people who used their services in two phases. Data were selected and coded using a grounded theory approach to depict the key themes that appeared to underpin the generation of social capital within networks. Findings are presented in four over-arching themes - worker skills, attitudes and roles; connecting people processes; role of the agency; and barriers to network development. The sub-themes which were identified included worker attitudes; person-centred approach; equality of worker-individual relationship; goal setting; creating new networks and relationships; engagement through activities; practical support; existing relationships; the individual taking responsibility; identifying and overcoming barriers; and moving on. Themes were consistent with recovery models used within mental health services and will provide the basis for the development of an intervention model to enhance individuals' access to social capital within networks. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Institutional capacity to provide psychosocial oncology support services: A report from the Association of Oncology Social Work.

Science.gov (United States)

Zebrack, Brad; Kayser, Karen; Padgett, Lynne; Sundstrom, Laura; Jobin, Chad; Nelson, Krista; Fineberg, Iris C

2016-06-15

This study reports cancer-treating institutions' capacity to deliver comprehensive psychosocial support services. Oncology care providers at 60 cancer-treating institutions completed surveys assessing the capacity of their institutions to provide psychosocial care. Capacity was assessed with the Cancer Psychosocial Care Matrix (CPCM) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Scores represented individuals' perceptions of their cancer program's performance with respect to 10 fundamental elements of psychosocial care. Among 2134 respondents, 62% reported a mid-level capacity for ≥5 of 10 CPCM items. In comparison with other types of cancer programs (eg, NCI-designated, academic, or comprehensive centers), providers at community cancer programs reported a significantly greater capacity with respect to patient-provider communication, psychosocial needs assessment, and continuity in the delivery of psychosocial care over time. Nurses and primary medical providers reported a significantly lower capacity for linking patients and families with needed psychosocial services within their respective cancer programs. They also reported a significantly higher capacity for conducting follow-up, re-evaluations, and adjustments of psychosocial treatment plans. Cancer programs are performing moderately well in terms of communicating to patients the importance of psychosocial care, identifying patient psychosocial needs, and referring patients and families to psychosocial services. They are doing less well with respect to the provision of that care over time. Findings suggest that gaps in psychosocial service capacity are a function of patient, provider, and system characteristics. These results may be useful in formulating strategies to enhance psychosocial care delivery. Cancer 2016;122:1937-45. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Decision Tree for Social Services Administrators

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, Gerald V.; Ellegood, Christina

2005-01-01

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act has had a profound influence on social workers and social services administrators in virtually all work settings. Because of the multiple elements of the act, however, assessing the validity of claims can be a somewhat arduous and complicated task. This article provides a "decision tree" for…

Social support and responsiveness in online patient communities: impact on service quality perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Nambisan, Priya; Gustafson, David H; Hawkins, Robert; Pingree, Suzanne

2016-02-01

Hospitals frequently evaluate their service quality based on the care and services provided to patients by their clinical and non-clinical staff.(1,2) However, such evaluations do not take into consideration the many interactions that patients have in online patient communities with the health-care organization (HCO) as well as with peer patients. Patients' interactions in these online communities could impact their perceptions regarding the HCO's service quality. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of social support and responsiveness that patients experience in an HCO's online community on patients' perceptions regarding the HCO's service quality. The study data are collected from CHESS, a health-care programme (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System) run by the Centre for Health Enhancement System Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Findings show that the social support and the responsiveness received from peer patients in the online patient communities will impact patients' perceptions regarding the service quality of the HCO even when the organizational members themselves do not participate in the online discussions. The results indicate that interactions in such HCO-provided online patient communities should not be ignored as they could translate into patients' perceptions regarding HCOs' service quality. Ways to improve responsiveness and social support in an HCO's online patient community are discussed. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Social networking services: technologies and applications

OpenAIRE

Puzyrnyy, Oleksandr

2011-01-01

Puzyrnyy, Oleksandr. 2011. Social networking services: technologies and applications. Bachelor's Thesis. Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences. Business and Culture. Pages 52. The aim of this thesis is to describe the concept of social networking, its technological base, business opportunities and future perspectives. The study discovers how social networks are made and which different purposes they might have. In addition, social networking is viewed as a part of business strategy o...

[Health and social services used by the rural elderly].

Science.gov (United States)

Rubio, Encarnación; Comín, Magdalena; Montón, Gema; Martínez, Tomás; Magallón, Rosa

2014-01-01

To describe the use of health and social services, and to analyze the influence of functional capacity for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and other factors in their use. Cross-sectional study in a non-institutionalized population older than 64 years old in a basic rural health area of Zaragoza. use of different health and social services. Main independent variable: functional capacity for IADL according to the Lawton-Brody. Confounding variables: sociodemographic, physical exercise, comorbidity, self-perceived health, walking aids, social resources and economic resources (OARS-MAFQ). The relationship between the use of services and functional capacity for IADL was assessed using crude OR (ORC) and adjusted (adjusted OR) with CI95% by means of multivariate logistic regression models. The use of social and health services increased with age and worse functional capacity for IADL. The increased use of health services was related with bad stage of health, limited social and economic resources, physical inactivity and female. The increased use of home help services was related with limited social resources, low education level and male. Regular physical activity and using walking aids were associated with greater participation in recreational activities. The probability of using social and health services increased in older people with impaired functional capacity for IADL. The specific use of them changed according to differences in health, demographic and contextual features. Copyright © 2013 SEGG. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Congregations and Social Services: An Update from the Third Wave of the National Congregations Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Chaves

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Congregations and other religious organizations are an important part of the social welfare system in the United States. This article uses data from the 2012 National Congregations Study to describe key features of congregational involvement in social service programs and projects. Most congregations (83%, containing 92% of religious service attendees, engage in some social or human service activities intended to help people outside of their congregation. These programs are primarily oriented to food, health, clothing, and housing provision, with less involvement in some of the more intense and long-term interventions such as drug abuse recovery, prison programs, or immigrant services. The median congregation involved in social services spent $1500 per year directly on these programs, and 17% had a staff member who worked on them at least a quarter of the time. Fewer than 2% of congregations received any government financial support of their social service programs and projects within the past year; only 5% had applied for such funding. The typical, and probably most important, way in which congregations pursue social service activity is by providing small groups of volunteers to engage in well-defined and bounded tasks on a periodic basis, most often in collaboration with other congregations and community organizations.

Medical service provider networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Mougeot, Michel; Naegelen, Florence

2018-05-17

In many countries, health insurers or health plans choose to contract either with any willing providers or with preferred providers. We compare these mechanisms when two medical services are imperfect substitutes in demand and are supplied by two different firms. In both cases, the reimbursement is higher when patients select the in-network provider(s). We show that these mechanisms yield lower prices, lower providers' and insurer's profits, and lower expense than in the uniform-reimbursement case. Whatever the degree of product differentiation, a not-for-profit insurer should prefer selective contracting and select a reimbursement such that the out-of-pocket expense is null. Although all providers join the network under any-willing-provider contracting in the absence of third-party payment, an asymmetric equilibrium may exist when this billing arrangement is implemented. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mitigating Provider Uncertainty in Service Provision Contracts

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Chris; van Moorsel, Aad

Uncertainty is an inherent property of open, distributed and multiparty systems. The viability of the mutually beneficial relationships which motivate these systems relies on rational decision-making by each constituent party under uncertainty. Service provision in distributed systems is one such relationship. Uncertainty is experienced by the service provider in his ability to deliver a service with selected quality level guarantees due to inherent non-determinism, such as load fluctuations and hardware failures. Statistical estimators utilized to model this non-determinism introduce additional uncertainty through sampling error. Inability of the provider to accurately model and analyze uncertainty in the quality level guarantees can result in the formation of sub-optimal service provision contracts. Emblematic consequences include loss of revenue, inefficient resource utilization and erosion of reputation and consumer trust. We propose a utility model for contract-based service provision to provide a systematic approach to optimal service provision contract formation under uncertainty. Performance prediction methods to enable the derivation of statistical estimators for quality level are introduced, with analysis of their resultant accuracy and cost.

Management systems for service providers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolokonya, Herbert Chiwalo

2015-02-01

In the field of radiation safety and protection there are a number of institutions that are involved in achieving different goals and strategies. These strategies and objectives are achieved based on a number of tools and systems, one of these tools and systems is the use of a management system. This study aimed at reviewing the management system concept for Technical Service Providers in the field of radiation safety and protection. The main focus was on personal monitoring services provided by personal dosimetry laboratories. A number of key issues were found to be prominent to make the management system efficient. These are laboratory accreditation, approval; having a customer driven operating criteria; and controlling of records and good reporting. (au)

[SOCIAL SERVICES ORGANIZATION FOR ELDERLY CITIZENS AND DISABLED PERSONS IN SOUTH FEDERAL DISTRICT OF RUSSIA].

Science.gov (United States)

Bashkireva, A S; Bogdanov, E A; Shestakov, V P; Svintsov, A A; Chernova, G I; Cherniakina, T S

2015-01-01

The article presents a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the individual rehabilitation programs among elderly citizens and disabled persons of the Astrakhan region, the part of the South Federal District of Russia. We analyzed the data of the statistical survey of the social services provided rehabilitation facilities for the elderly and disabled people in the Astrakhan region. Analytical results thus obtained shown that the network of agencies and centers of social rehabilitation in the Astrakhan region did not correspond to the needs of elderly people and disabled persons. The negative dynamics in the number of social care centers as well as in the number of people who were provided with their services revealed the need for optimization of the institutional structure and its management. These specific characteristics of the social rehabilitation services in the Astrakhan region thus identified should be taken into consideration in order to improve the rehabilitation programs among elderly citizens and disabled persons in the South Region of the Russian Federation.

User experiences with clinical social franchising: qualitative insights from providers and clients in Ghana and Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Sieverding, Maia; Briegleb, Christina; Montagu, Dominic

2015-02-01

Clinical social franchising is a rapidly growing delivery model in private healthcare markets in low- and middle-income countries. Despite this growth, little is known about providers' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of social franchising or clients' reasons for choosing franchised facilities over other healthcare options. We examine these questions in the context of three social franchise networks in Ghana and Kenya. We conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of providers from the BlueStar Ghana, and Amua and Tunza networks in Kenya. We also conducted qualitative exit interviews with female clients who were leaving franchised facilities after a visit for a reproductive or child health reason. The total sample consists of 47 providers and 47 clients across the three networks. Providers perceived the main benefits of participation in a social franchise network to be training opportunities and access to a consistent supply of low-cost family planning commodities; few providers mentioned branding as a benefit of participation. Although most providers said that client flows for franchised services increased after joining the network, they did not associate this with improved finances for their facility. Clients overwhelmingly cited the quality of the client-provider relationship as their main motivation for attending the franchise facility. Recognition of the franchise brand was low among clients who were exiting a franchised facility. The most important benefit of social franchise programs to both providers and their clients may have more to do with training on business practices, patient counseling and customer service, than with subsidies, technical input, branding or clinical support. This finding may lead to a reconsideration of how franchise programs interact with both their member clinics and the larger health-seeking communities they serve.

Social Service has moved

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

The offices of the Social Service are now on the 1st floor of Building 33 (Reception), exactly one floor above the old location. We remind you that the team, consisting of two social workers, a psychologist (external consultant, 1 day/week) and an administrative assistant, is at the disposal of all members of the personnel, whatever their status, as well as to their family members. Advice and support in the following areas are offered : · information on integration in the local area; · assistance in dealing with the relevant authorities/services; · consultations with a view to resolving problems of a personal, family or professional nature, such as problems of dependency (alcohol, drugs) relationship or behavioral problems (stress, depression, eating disorders), etc.; · support in facing new situations (maternity, divorce, bereavement, job change, separation from family/familiar surroundings); · assistance with decision making relating to family, personal or profes...

Customer assessment of long-term care pharmacy provider services.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Thomas R

2008-09-01

Assess performance of long-term care pharmacy providers on key services offered to nursing facilities. Cross-sectional; nursing facility team. Random phone survey of nursing facility team members. 485 nursing facility team members (practicing in nursing facilities, interacting with > or = 1 consultant pharmacist); 46 members excluded, unable to identify facility's pharmacy provider. Directors of nursing, medical directors, and administrators were asked to rate long-term care pharmacy provider performance of eight commonly offered pharmacy services. All groups evaluated pharmacy provider performance of these services using a five-point scale. Results are broken down by employer type. Average rating for eight pharmacy services was 3.64. Top two services: "Labeling medications accurately" ranked in top 1-2 services for all groups (combined rating of 3.97) and "Provides medication administration system" ranked in top 1-3 services for all groups (combined rating of 3.95). One service, "Provides educational inservices," ranked lowest for all groups (combined rating of 3.54). In general, when looking at the eight services in combination for all providers, all services were ranked between Good and Very Good (average score of 3.64). Therefore, while the pharmacy provider is performing above average for these services, there is room for improvement in all of these services. These results can be used as a benchmark. Detailed data results and sample surveys are available online at www.ascp.com/supplements. These surveys can be used by the pharmacy provider to solicit assessments from their own facilities on these services.

Role Coastumer Service PT. Bank Danamon Provide Service to Customers

OpenAIRE

", NURJANAH; Hardani, Ninda

2015-01-01

PT. Bank Danamon Pekanbaru is the bank engaged in banking goods and services that always seeks to prioritize the satisfaction of its customers. The employee on duty and deal directly with the customer in providing services commonly known as customer service that are required to have the ability to serve customers accurately and quickly and have good communication skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of customer service as a receptionist, Deskman, salesman, customer rela...

Opinions of Pre-service Social Studies Teachers about Using Historical Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aslı AVCI AKÇALI

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to identify the knowledge, attitude and skill levels of pre-service social studies teachers about using historical environment in teaching. Based on this aim it can be included in the scope of the survey research. Participants of the research which was realized in 2015-2016 academic year were 75 senior grade pre-service teachers in the department of social studies teaching of a university from the north of Turkey. In the research, qualitative approach was followed in data collection. A questionnaire including open-ended questions and semi-structured interview technique were used. The data were analyzed according to the content analysis method. As the result of the study, it was identified that pre-service social studies teachers had knowledge to a certain extent about the definition of the historical environment, elements of it, educational attainments it might provide and the method and techniques which can be applied to use it. Moreover, they did not have enough knowledge about the nearby historical environment. Furthermore, it was propounded that attitude levels of the participants about using historical environment in social studies teaching were high whereas the skill levels were low.

Engaging service providers in improving industry performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oberth, R.

2012-01-01

Effective task leadership is the key to achieving results in the nuclear industry and in most other industries. One of the themes of this conference is to discuss how the nuclear industry can undertake Issue-Identification and Definition as a means of 'identifying what needs attention' and then 'defining what needs to be done to make that happen'. I will explore this theme from the perspective of the 'Service Provider' - which by the definition of this conference includes everyone not within an operating utility - meaning 'those involved in everything from inspection and repair to research and plant architecture' - basically the member companies of my association, OCI. Our members take the definition of the roles and responsibilities of the 'Service Provider' community very seriously. In the context of this discussion a key utility function is the early definition of requirements and expectations of Service Providers in supplying to these requirements. Let's explore for a moment the Service Provider role and perspective. Service Providers are by nature pro-active - they seek ways to engage with utilities (and tier one vendors) to solve problems and achieve good outcomes. They come to industry conferences like this one to learn about upcoming utility programs and supply opportunities and how they can improve performance. Service Providers particularly want to hear senior utility people comment on emerging issues even those at the very early identification stage. Some Clarification of Roles is in Order - as that is the focus of this conference: 'Issue-Identification and Definition'. 'Issue-Identification' is the utility's job - it is the utility's role to identify as early as possible 'what needs attention and what their needs and expectations are'. This takes place before service provider engagement. 'Issue-Definition' is more challenging. It means 'determining and prioritizing what needs to be done to deal with the situation at hand'. This typically involves

Employee motivation in Product-Service-System providers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kreye, Melanie

2016-01-01

This research investigates how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors contribute to employee motivation in providers of Product-Service Systems (PSS). Employee motivation determines the quality of the delivered service and is thus an area of great importance for PSS providers. We present rich...... case-based data collected through semi-structured interviews, a survey and secondary sources. The analysis showed the particularly high importance of intrinsic and individual motivation factors such as the fulfilling nature of the work and skill development showing the ownership and pride service...... employees took in their work. Further, the organisation needs to set the context of high employee motivation by enabling flexibility and performance feedback. Our research contributes to the literature by providing a first empirical study of employee motivation in PSS providers and thus providing important...

Using Social Media for Service Innovations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scupola, Ada; Nicolajsen, Hanne Westh

2013-01-01

This article investigates how social software such as blogs can be used to collect ideas generated by the users in the service innovation process. After a theoretical discussion of user involvement and more specifically user involvement using social software and interactive web-tools, the article...... reports the results from a field experiment at a university library. In the experiment, a blog was established to collect ideas for service innovations from the library users. The experiment shows that blogs may generate a modest, but very useful amount of ideas. The experiment furthermore reveals...

Comprehensive Social Service Programs for Handicapped Citizens through Title XX.

Science.gov (United States)

Roten, Shelby Jean

Reviewed are present and potential services and social programs for handicapped children in Mississippi through purchase of service contracts under Title XX of the Social Security Act. Sections cover the following topics: background and purpose of Title XX which gives states greater control over social service programs, planning state supported…

The Place of Social Recovery in Mental Health and Related Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramon, Shulamit

2018-05-23

This article looks at the place of social recovery in mental health and social care services, alongside personal recovery. Despite its conceptual and practice centrality to the new meaning of recovery, social recovery has remained a relatively neglected dimension. This article attempts to provide an updated critical commentary based on findings from fifty nine studies, including a variety of research methodologies and methods. Definitions of social recovery within the new meaning of recovery are looked at. This is followed by outlining the development and significance of this dimension as reflected in the key areas of shared decision making, co-production and active citizenship, re-entering employment after experiencing mental ill health, being in employment, poverty and coping with poverty, the economic and the scientific cases for social recovery. The article highlights the connections between service users' experiencing mental health and social care systems, and the implications of ideologies and policies reflecting positions on social recovery. The complexity of social recovery is indicated in each of these areas; the related conceptual and methodological frameworks developed to research this dimension, and key achievements and barriers concerning everyday practice application of social recovery. The summary indicates potential future development perspectives of this dimension.

76 FR 16199 - Hours of Service of Railroad Employees; Substantive Regulations for Train Employees Providing...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-22

... hostlers.'' Other employees, such as food service providers or sleeping car attendants, who may work on... day. Because of natural circadian rhythms and environmental and social factors, most people are able... Effectiveness (SAFTE) model and Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool TM (FAST) that have been validated and...

Awareness and use of social bookmarking services by final year ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Social computing is one of the renascent features of the web that has made it highly interactive. One of such social tools in the web is the social bookmarking services. It has been reported that social bookmarking services may be the least known social media network by students. Given that social media has been predicted ...

Impact of CRM on the competitiveness level of ICT services in Croatian service providers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dražen Alerić

2007-07-01

Full Text Available This paper proves a higher competitiveness of ICT service providers who utilize CRM versus the providers who do not. The study of observed participating ICT service providers in Croatia proves that the value added of the services incorporating CRM is more competitive than the same services but without CRM. There is also stronger demand from clients for the services enriched with CRM. Increased service competitiveness generated by CRM utilization raises the company’s general competitiveness. A systematic application of CRM creates a long-lasting relationship between clients and providers and thus enables high-quality long-term term solutions to client demands. CRM represents the value added that raises the level of service competitiveness and makes the service provider unique and recognizable among numerous competitors. Consequently, the satisfaction of clients with the provider and their preference for the same provider result in higher client loyalty. A service company that incorporates CRM in its practices has a higher success rate in fulfilling its mission and attaining goals in accordance with the marketing philosophy.

Providing web-based mental health services to at-risk women.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipman, Ellen L; Kenny, Meghan; Marziali, Elsa

2011-08-19

We examined the feasibility of providing web-based mental health services, including synchronous internet video conferencing of an evidence-based support/education group, to at-risk women, specifically poor lone mothers. The objectives of this study were to: (i) adapt a face-to-face support/education group intervention to a web-based format for lone mothers, and (ii) evaluate lone mothers' response to web-based services, including an online video conferencing group intervention program. Participating mothers were recruited through advertisements. To adapt the face-to-face intervention to a web-based format, we evaluated participant motivation through focus group/key informant interviews (n = 7), adapted the intervention training manual for a web-based environment and provided a computer training manual. To evaluate response to web-based services, we provided the intervention to two groups of lone mothers (n = 15). Pre-post quantitative evaluation of mood, self-esteem, social support and parenting was done. Post intervention follow up interviews explored responses to the group and to using technology to access a health service. Participants received $20 per occasion of data collection. Interviews were taped, transcribed and content analysis was used to code and interpret the data. Adherence to the intervention protocol was evaluated. Mothers participating in this project experienced multiple difficulties, including financial and mood problems. We adapted the intervention training manual for use in a web-based group environment and ensured adherence to the intervention protocol based on viewing videoconferencing group sessions and discussion with the leaders. Participant responses to the group intervention included decreased isolation, and increased knowledge and confidence in themselves and their parenting; the responses closely matched those of mothers who obtained same service in face-to-face groups. Pre-and post-group quantitative evaluations did not show

Culture and long-term care: the bath as social service in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Traphagan, John W

2004-01-01

A central feature of Japan's approach to community-based care of the elderly, including long-term home health care, is the emphasis on providing bath facilities. For mobile elders, senior centers typically provide a public bathing facility in which people can enjoy a relaxing soak along with friends who also visit the centers. In terms of in-home long-term care, visiting bath services are provided to assist family care providers with the difflcult task of bathing a frail or disabled elder--a task made more problematic as a result of the Japanese style of bathing. I argue that the bath, as social service, is a culturally shaped solution to a specific problem of elder care that arises in the Japanese context as a result of the importance of the bath in everyday life for Japanese. While the services may be considered specific to Japan, some aspects of bathing services, particularly the mobile bath service, may also have applicability in the United States.

Promoting Social Change through Service-Learning in the Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Bowen, Glenn A.

2014-01-01

Service-learning is a high-impact pedagogical strategy embraced by higher education institutions. Direct service based on a charity paradigm tends to be the norm, while little attention is paid to social change-oriented service. This article offers suggestions for incorporating social justice education into courses designed to promote social…

Charging for Local Social Services: the Case of Estonia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katrin Pihor

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Increasing fiscal pressure has forced local governments to seek new sources of autonomous revenues for financing public services. Charging users of social services has been modest, but with an aging society and growing social costs, this option needs to be reconsidered. This paper combines the results of the survey on the application of user charges on local social services in Estonian local governments (LGs with the official financial and population statistics in order to discover trends and explore factors determining the application of user charges in a small, unitary, highly centralised, post-soviet country. We conclude that user charges are mainly considered as a source of information and additional income to partially cover service costs – the possibilities of increased efficiency and demand control have remained undervalued. The probability of charging users of social services tends to be greater if the income level of inhabitants is higher, reflecting the ‘ability to pay’ principle. Charging users is more probable in the municipalities where the social costs are higher in volume or in proportion to the budget’s expenditures.

20 CFR 402.175 - Fees for providing information and related services for non-program purposes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... rendered. (d) Fee for copies of printed materials. When extra copies of printed material are available, the... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Fees for providing information and related services for non-program purposes. 402.175 Section 402.175 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY...

Individual attitudes and perceived social norms: Reports on HIV/AIDS-related stigma among service providers in China

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li; Liang, Li-Jung; Wu, Zunyou; Lin, Chunqing; Wen, Yi

2009-01-01

This study examined HIV/AIDS-related stigma among Chinese service providers by comparing their personal attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS with their perception of social norms related to people living with HIV/AIDS. We randomly selected three provincial hospitals, four city/prefecture hospitals, 10 county hospitals, 18 township health clinics, and 54 village clinics from Yunnan, China. Doctors and nurses were randomly sampled proportionally to the doctor-nurse ratio of each hospital or clinic. Lab technicians were over-sampled in order to include an adequate representation in the analysis. A total of 1,101 service providers participated in a voluntary, anonymous survey where demographic characteristics, individual attitude and perceived social norms toward people living with HIV/AIDS, discrimination intent at work, general prejudicial attitude and knowledge on HIV/AIDS were measured. A majority of the sample demonstrated a similarity between their personal views and what they thought most people in society believe. Multiple logistic regressions revealed that participants who were younger or reported personal contact with people living with HIV/AIDS were significantly more likely to report personal attitudes toward the population that were more liberal than their perceived social norms. Holding a more liberal personal attitude toward people living with HIV/AIDS than perceived social norms was significantly and negatively related to the level of discrimination intent at work, perceived discrimination at interpersonal level and the level of general prejudicial attitude toward people living with HIV/AIDS. Results underscored the importance of understanding social norms and personal attitudes in studying HIV-related stigma and called for the incorporation of existing human capital into future HIV stigma reduction programs. Cette étude a examiné le VIH/SIDA lié à stigmatisation parmi les agences chinoises fournissant des soins en comparant leurs attitudes

Conceptual Models of the Individual Public Service Provider

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Lotte Bøgh; Pedersen, Lene Holm; Bhatti, Yosef

are used to gain insight on the motivation of public service providers; namely principal-agent theory, self-determination theory and public service motivation theory. We situate the theoretical discussions in the context of public service providers being transferred to private organizations......Individual public service providers’ motivation can be conceptualized as either extrinsic, autonomous or prosocial, and the question is how we can best theoretically understand this complexity without losing too much coherence and parsimony. Drawing on Allison’s approach (1969), three perspectives...... theoretical – to develop a coherent model of individual public service providers – but the empirical illustration also contributes to our understanding of motivation in the context of public sector outsourcing....

PROFILE OF SOCIAL SERVICES FROM JIU VALLEY IN LIGHT PROFESSIONALS PERCEPTION. QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FELICIA ANDRIONI

2012-10-01

Full Text Available This study aims to analyse Jiu Valley social services profile using a qualitative perspective – focus grup analysis, by investigating perceptions of social services professionals from Jiu Valley, Hunedoara County, Romania. The qualitative methods of investigation, particularly important in achieving a comprehensive profile of social services from the Jiu Valley was to achieve a focused discussion sessions on social services. The following objectives were targeted by focus group: analysis of social professionals’ perception on social services from the Jiu Valley, Hunedoara County and identifying internal and external factors, to put their mark on the functioning of social services. Upon completion of discussions session focusing on social services in the Jiu Valley to conclude on the following aspects: social professionals perceive favorable development of social services in the Jiu Valley region in the period 2002-2008, and considering the dynamic development of these services is progressive. There are a number of elements which are seen by professionals as catalysts for the proper functioning and development of social services and factors inhibiting or blocking the functioning of these services.

Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout of North Korean Refugees Service Providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yeunhee Joyce

2017-03-01

The current study investigated the burnout and secondary traumatic stress of service providers for North Korean (NK) refugees based on the conceptual framework of theJob Demands-Resources (JD-R) model of workplace burnout. A cross-sectional self-administered survey was conducted with a national sample consisting of all 63 organizations in direct services to North Korean refugees. Of the estimated total number of 230 service providers comprising of social workers, psychotherapists, job counselors and paraprofessional counselors, 179 completed the survey, a 77.8% return rate. While job resources such as personal commitment to work and organizational support indicated inverse relations to burnout, job demands such as workload, work environment and secondary traumatic stress (STS) showed a positive relationship to worker burnout. The STS were present in more than half of the respondents (51.3%), of which 20.7% of them indicating a severe level of STS. The STS proved to be the most significant risk to worker burnout as it showed strong relations to all three dimensions of burnout. Structural issues of chronic work overload and poor work environment need to be addressed to reduce staff burnout. STS is a serious occupational hazard in working with North Korean refugees.

Providing Device Independence to Mobile Services

OpenAIRE

Nylander, Stina; Bylund, Markus

2002-01-01

People want user interfaces to services that are functional and well suited to the device they choose for access. To provide this, services must be able to offer device specific user interfaces for the wide range of devices available today. We propose to combine the two dominant approaches to platform independence, "Write Once, Run Every-where™" and "different version for each device", to create multiple device specific user interfaces for mobile services. This gives possibilities to minimize...

Perceptions of Human Services Students about Social Change Education

Science.gov (United States)

Herzberg, Judith T.

2010-01-01

Human services educators and scholars maintain that they are teaching social change theory and skills that will allow students to engage in large-scale social change. A review of the literature, from a critical theory perspective, offered little evidence that social change is being taught in human services programs. In this collective case study,…

On sampling social networking services

OpenAIRE

Wang, Baiyang

2012-01-01

This article aims at summarizing the existing methods for sampling social networking services and proposing a faster confidence interval for related sampling methods. It also includes comparisons of common network sampling techniques.

Social workers and unemployment: Factors associated with using employment-promoting practices in Israeli Municipal Departments of Social Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, Lia; Sefati, Noga

2018-04-23

Unemployment is a harsh social phenomenon with far reaching negative implications. Unemployed individuals often seek assistance from social workers working in Municipal Departments of Social Services around the world. However, little to no research exists on the factors involved in social workers' choice to engage in employment-promoting practices (EPP). The current study aimed to tackle this gap of knowledge, providing initial conclusions about the relationship between social workers' attitudes towards unemployment, their knowledge regarding EPP, the extent to which they perceive their organisations as endorsing EPP and their actual implementation. The main research question dealt with the extent to which each of the examined factors, in itself or in combination with others, would be the best predictor of social workers' utilisation of EPP. The study sample consisted of 163 social workers in Israel with varied experience in working with the unemployed, all working in public sector social services. Structural equation modelling performed on the attained data revealed that knowledge, skills and perceived organisational endorsement of EPP were positively associated with implementation of EPP. Contrary to the hypothesised, attitudes towards unemployment were not associated with the implementation of such practices. At the same time, professional training and seniority were associated with EPP only through the mediation of perceived organisational endorsement. Ultimately, perceived organisational endorsement of EPP emerged as the most influential factor involved in social workers' decision to carry out EPP with their service-users. Consequences of these findings for social work education, supervision, research and policy making are discussed, referring to the local Israeli context as well as its possible international inferences. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Men's Mental Health: Social Determinants and Implications for Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Affleck, William; Carmichael, Victoria; Whitley, Rob

2018-01-01

Numerous scholars have stated that there is a silent crisis in men's mental health. In this article, we aim to provide an overview of core issues in the field of men's mental health, including a discussion of key social determinants as well as implications for mental health services. Firstly, we review the basic epidemiology of mental disorders with a high incidence and prevalence in men, including suicide and substance use disorder. Secondly, we examine controversies around the low reported rates of depression in men, discussing possible measurement and reporting biases. Thirdly, we explore common risk factors and social determinants that may explain higher rates of certain mental health outcomes in men. This includes a discussion of 1) occupational and employment issues; 2) family issues and divorce; 3) adverse childhood experience; and 4) other life transitions, notably parenthood. Fourthly, we document and analyze low rates of mental health service utilization in men. This includes a consideration of the role of dominant notions of masculinity (such as stubbornness and self-reliance) in deterring service utilization. Fifthly, we note that some discourse on the role of masculinity contains much "victim blaming," often adopting a reproachful deficit-based model. We argue that this can deflect attention away from social determinants as well as issues within the mental health system, such as claims that it is "feminized" and unresponsive to men's needs. We conclude by calling for a multipronged public health-inspired approach to improve men's mental health, involving concerted action at the individual, health services, and societal levels.

The influence of social capital on employers' use of occupational health services: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ståhl, Christian; Åborg, Carl; Toomingas, Allan; Parmsund, Marianne; Kjellberg, Katarina

2015-10-23

Occupational health services may have a strategic role in the prevention of sickness absence, as well as in rehabilitation and return to work after sick leave, because of their medical expertise in combination with a close connection to workplaces. The purpose of this study was to explore how employers and occupational health service providers describe their business relations and the use of occupational health services in rehabilitation in relation to the organization of such services. The study uses a theoretical framework based on social capital to analyse the findings. Interviews and focus groups with managers with Swedish public employers (n = 60), and interviews with occupational health services professionals (n = 25). Employers emphasized trustful relationships, local workplace knowledge, long-term contracts and dialogue about services for good relationships with occupational health providers. Occupational health providers strove to be strategic partners to employers, promoting preventive work, which was more easily achieved in situations where the services were organized in-house. Employers with outsourced occupational health services expressed less trust in their providers than employers with internal occupational health provision. Social capital emerges as central to understanding the conditions for cooperation and collective action in the use of occupational health services, with reference to structural (e.g. contracts), relational (e.g. trust) as well as cognitive (e.g. shared vision) dimensions. The study suggests that attention to the quality of relationships is imperative for developing purposeful occupational health service delivery in rehabilitation and return to work.

Rapport social de service, client et valeur Service-based social relationships, customers and and value Vínculo social de servicio, cliente y valor

OpenAIRE

Philippe Zarifian

2013-01-01

Ce texte développe une double idée. La première est que l’on peut parler de « rapport social de service », au sens plein du concept de « rapport social », en en assumant toutes les implications et en le différenciant nettement de la notion de « relation de service ». La seconde, qui découle de la première, est que l’on peut parler de « composition » entre rapports sociaux différents, non réductibles l’un à l’autre. Nous montrons ainsi qu’il existe une composition entre rapport social de servi...

Collaborate across silos: Perceived barriers to integration of care for the elderly from the perspectives of service providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Janice Ying-Chui; Wong, Eliza Lai-Yi; Chung, Roger Y; Law, Stephen C K; Threapleton, Diane; Kiang, Nicole; Chau, Patsy; Wong, Samuel Y S; Woo, Jean; Yeoh, Eng-Kiong

2018-04-27

To examine the barriers that hinder collaboration between health care and social care services and to report recommendations for effective collaboration to meet the growing support and care needs of our ageing population. Data for this qualitative study were obtained from interviews with 7 key informants (n = 42) and 22 focus groups (n = 117) consisting of service providers who were from the health care or social care sectors and supporting elderly patients with multiple chronic diseases or long-term care needs. Data collection was conducted from 2015 to 2016. The data were analysed using an inductive approach on the basis of thematic analysis. Qualitative analysis reviewed a number of factors that play a significant role in setting up barriers at the operational level, including fragmentation and lack of sustainability of discharge programmes provided by non-governmental organisations, lack of capacity of homes for the elderly, limitation of time and resources, and variation of roles in supporting end-of-life care decisions between the medical and social sectors. Other barriers are those of communication to be found at the structural level and perceptual ones that exist between professionals. Of these, perceptual barriers affect attitudes and create mistrust and interprofessional stereotypes and a hierarchy between the health care and social care sectors. Health care and social care service providers recognise the need for collaborative work to enhance continuity of care and ageing in place; however, their efforts are hindered by the identified barriers that need to be dealt with in practical terms and by a change of policy. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Unfree markets: socially embedded informal health providers in northern Karnataka, India.

Science.gov (United States)

George, Asha; Iyer, Aditi

2013-11-01

The dynamics of informal health markets in marginalised regions are relevant to policy discourse in India, but are poorly understood. We examine how informal health markets operate from the viewpoint of informal providers (those without any government-recognised medical degrees, otherwise known as RMPs) by drawing upon data from a household survey in 2002, a provider census in 2004 and ongoing field observations from a research site in Koppal district, Karnataka, India. We find that despite their illegality, RMPs depend on government and private providers for their training and referral networks. Buffeted by unregulated market pressures, RMPs are driven to provide allopathic commodities regardless of need, but can also be circumspect in their practice. Though motivated by profit, their socially embedded practice at community level at times undermines their ability to ensure payment of fees for their services. In addition, RMPs feel that communities can threaten them via violence or malicious rumours, leading them to seek political favour and social protection from village elites and elected representatives. RMPs operate within negotiated quid pro quo bargains that lead to tenuous reciprocity or fragile trust between them and the communities in which they practise. In the context of this 'unfree' market, some RMPs reported being more embedded in health systems, more responsive to communities and more vulnerable to unregulated market pressures than others. Understanding the heterogeneity, nuanced motivations and the embedded social relations that mark informal providers in the health systems, markets and communities they work in, is critical for health system reforms. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Residential immersive life skills programs for youth with disabilities: service providers' perceptions of change processes.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Gillian; McPherson, Amy; Kingsnorth, Shauna; Stewart, Debra; Glencross-Eimantas, Tanya; Jones-Galley, Kimberlea; Morrison, Andrea; Isihi, Ana Maria; Gorter, Jan Willem

2015-05-01

Residential immersive life skills (RILS) programs are designed to equip youth with physical disabilities with the foundational life skills required to assume adult roles. The objective was to determine RILS service providers' perceptions of the active ingredients of the intervention change process. Thirty-seven service providers from various disciplines completed measures to assess expertise status and participated in qualitative interviews. Qualitative themes were derived, and similarities and differences in themes were identified for blinded groups of novices, intermediates, and experts. The three main themes, reflecting change processes, were: (a) creating a supportive program atmosphere with multiple opportunities for learning, (b) using strategies to support, encourage, and engage youth, and (c) intentionally fostering youth experiences of skill development, social interaction, and pride in accomplishment. In contrast to the novices, experts displayed a more holistic perspective and paid attention to higher-order issues such as providing opportunities and enabling youth. The findings indicate how RILS service providers work to create a program atmosphere and employ strategies to intentionally foster particular youth experiences. The findings explicate service providers' theories of practice, the intentional design of RILS program environments to bring about client change, and the value of service provider expertise. Implications for Rehabilitation Service providers of youth independence-oriented life skills programs can intentionally create a learning-oriented and supportive program atmosphere by using non-directive, coaching/guiding, and engagement strategies Youth experiences of skill development, shared experience with others, and pride in accomplishment can be cultivated by providing a range of learning opportunities, including choice making, problem-solving, and skill mastery Compared to more novice service providers, experts discussed managing the

Social media's and online user-generated content's role in services advertising

Science.gov (United States)

Stavrianea, A.; Kavoura, Androniki

2015-02-01

The aim of this paper is to present results from a study that examines the use of the Internet for collecting material and the attention people pay to advertisements through different media sources in the context of services. A representative stratified sample of 301 respondents of foreign arrivals of tourists in the Athens airport, Greece, collected in June and July 2014 was employed. We present which social media sources and user-generated material that promote advertisements were found to be important in capturing people's attention. Results illustrated the significant role that advertisements on Facebook play on the way people pay attention to. In fact, Facebook was found to be the second most important medium that people use when collecting material. In addition, Facebook was found to be the third source that respondents strongly agreed that they pay attention to advertisements, with the official websites/blogs to be the first source and travel guidebooks and travel magazines to follow, leaving traditional media far behind. Implications and suggestions are provided for online communication programs that may incorporate social media in services marketing communications campaigns. Libraries and corporate bodies may employ social media for advertising their services based on the significant role social media have.

BigBurgh Social Service Listings

Data.gov (United States)

Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — Information on social services in the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County for individuals experiencing homeless and for those in dire need, including crisis...

FROM THE «SOCIAL BUSINESS FACTORY» – TO THE «SOCIAL SERVICE FACTORY»

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. V. Vysotskaya

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Issues related to creation of organizations carrying out activities in the field of social business and social partnership are discussed as well as concepts of creation of two innovative projects «Social business factory» and «Social service factory».

Differences in Experiences of Discrimination in Accessing Social Services Among Transgender/Gender Nonconforming Individuals by (Dis)Ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Kattari, Shanna K; Walls, N Eugene; Speer, Stephanie Rachel

2017-01-01

Transgender and gender nonconforming (GNC) individuals frequently experience discrimination and potentially a lack of respect from service providers, suggesting they have decreased access to professionals with cultural competency. Similarly, people with disabilities experience higher levels of discrimination in social services than their nondisabled counterparts. From an intersectional perspective, this study examines rates of discrimination in accessing social services faced by transgender and GNC people, comparing across ability. Data indicate that although transgender and GNC individuals of all abilities experience gender-based discrimination when accessing social services, those with disabilities experience higher levels of antitransgender discrimination in mental health centers, rape crisis centers, and domestic violence shelters.

The cost of service quality improvements: tracking the flow of funds in social franchise networks in Myanmar.

Science.gov (United States)

Bishai, David; LeFevre, Amnesty; Theuss, Marc; Boxshall, Matt; Hetherington, John D; Zaw, Min; Montagu, Dominic

2013-01-01

This paper examines the cost of quality improvements in Population Services International (PSI) Myanmar's social franchise operations from 2007 to 2009. The social franchise commodities studied were products for reproductive health, malaria, STIs, pneumonia, and diarrhea. This project applied ingredients based costing for labor, supplies, transport, and overhead. Data were gathered seven during key informant interviews with staff in the central Yangon office, examination of 3 years of payroll data, examination of a time motion study conducted by PSI, and spreadsheets recording the costs of acquiring and transporting supplies. In 2009 PSI Myanmar's social franchise devoted $2.02 million towards a 94% reduction in commodity prices offered to its network of over 1700 primary care providers. These providers retained 1/3 of the subsidy as revenue and passed along the other 2/3 to their patients in the course of offering subsidized care for 1.5 million health episodes. In addition, PSI Myanmar devoted $2.09 million to support a team of franchise officers who conducted quality assurance for the private providers overseeing service quality and to distributing medical commodities. In Myanmar, the social franchise operated by PSI spends roughly $1.00 in quality management and retailing for every $1.00 spent subsidizing medical commodities. Some services are free, but patients also pay fees for other lines of service. Overall patients contribute 1/6 as much as PSI does. Unlike other NGO's, health services in social franchises like PSI are not all free to the patients, nor are the discounts uniformly applied. Discounts and subsidies evolve in response to public health concerns, market demand, providers' cost structures as well as strategic objectives in maintaining the network and its portfolio of services.

Providers of antenatal care services in Ghana: evidence from Ghana demographic and health surveys 1988-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickson, Kwamena Sekyi; Darteh, Eugene Kofuor Maafo; Kumi-Kyereme, Akwasi

2017-03-14

Antenatal care is one of the three most essential care - antenatal, delivery and post-natal, given to women during pregnancy and has the potential to contribute towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.1- reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 and target 3.8 - achieve universal health coverage. The main objective is to examine the contribution of the various providers of antenatal care services in Ghana from 1988 to 2014. The study uses data from all the six rounds of the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). Binary logistic regression models were applied to examine the association between background characteristics of respondents and providers of antenatal care services. The results show that majority of antenatal care services were provided by nurses over the period under review. The proportion of women who received antenatal care services from nurses improved over the period from 55% in 1988 to 89.5% in 2014. Moreover, there was a decline in antenatal care services provided by traditional birth attendants and women who did not receive antenatal care services from any service provider over the years under review. It was observed that women from rural areas were more likely to utilise antenatal care services provided by traditional birth attendants, whilst those from urban areas were more likely to utilise antenatal care from doctors and nurses. To further improve access to and utilisation of antenatal care services provided by nurses and doctors it is recommended that the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health should put in place systems aimed at improving on the quality of care given such as regular training workshops for health personnel and assessment of patient's satisfaction with services provided. Also, they should encourage women in rural areas especially those from the savannah zone to utilise antenatal care services from skilled providers through social and behaviour

Qualitative study investigating the commissioning process for older people's services provided by third sector organisations: SOPRANO study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Sands, Gina; Chadborn, Neil; Craig, Chris; Gladman, John

2016-05-18

The commissioning of third sector services for older people may influence the quality, availability and coordination of services for older people. The SOPRANO study aims to understand the relationships between and processes of commissioning bodies and third sector organisations providing health and social care services for older people. This qualitative study will be based in the East Midlands region of England. An initial scoping survey of commissioners will give an overview of services to maintain the health and well-being of older people in the community that are commissioned. Following this, semistructured interviews will be conducted with 4 sample groups: health and social care commissioners, service provider managers, service provider case workers and older service users. A sample size of 10-15 participants in each of the 4 groups is expected to be sufficient to reach data saturation, resulting in a final expected sample size of 40-60 participants. Informed consent will be gained from all participants, and those unable to provide informed consent will be excluded. The interview data will be analysed by 2 researchers using framework content analysis. Approval for the study has been gained from the University of Nottingham School of Medicine ethical review board, and the relevant approvals have been gained from the National Health Service (NHS) research and development departments for interviewing NHS staff. Early engagement with a wide range of stakeholders will ensure that the research findings are extensively disseminated to relevant stakeholders (including commissioners and third sector providers) in an accessible format using the extensive communication networks available to the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care CLAHRCs (applied health research organisations covering all of England). The study will also be disseminated through academic routes such as conference presentations and

Participation in Social Media as Academic Service (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, D. J.

2013-12-01

We are all familiar with the three-legged stool of standard academic practice -- research, teaching, and service -- especially as it pertains to promotion and tenure. For example, many studies are emerging on the various ways that social media can be effectively used in teaching at all levels. Researchers are using analytical tools to turn social media feeds into useful indicators of human pattern and process. Darling et al. (2013) investigate the usefulness of Twitter for the development and distribution of scientific knowledge, including within the life cycle of scientific publication. However, the author focuses here on the use of social media as related to the traditional forms of academic "service:" i.e., participation on a committee or a board, in strategic planning or development of programs, in coordination of a seminar series or workshop, in professional reviews of books, papers, proposals, delivery of a public lectures to a civic group, giving an interview to a journalist on one's research or practice, even providing testimony to a group of policymakers. The author shares personal and institutional/organizational perspectives on how appropriate social media interaction in this context, can be viewed as a necessary (even daily) part of professional practice, and thus yet another moniker of good scientific behavior (especially as a model for students and early-career faculty), and of the "gift culture" of scholarship. For example, the "live tweeting" of ideas and summary points from paper sessions at scholarly meetings is gaining popularity, especially to inform those who could not attend. Other modes of contribution to intellectual communities range from advertising calls for special issues, proposals, participation in specialists meetings, to showcasing the real-time effects of natural disasters via social media feeds embedded in maps. Indeed, there is much discussion of "innovation" in research and in teaching, but can the speed and structure of social

Consumer Social Responsibility: Example of Cycling Service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesevičiūtė-Ufartienė Laima

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents research on consumer social responsibility based on the example of cycling service. The author analyses the tourism sector determining a relation between socially responsible behaviour of an organization and consumer behaviour.

Concepts of social epidemiology in health services research

OpenAIRE

von dem Knesebeck, Olaf

2015-01-01

Background Social epidemiologists aim to identify social characteristics that affect the pattern of disease and health distribution in a society and to understand its mechanisms. Some important concepts of social epidemiology are: social inequalities, social relationships, social capital, and work stress. Discussion Concepts used in social epidemiology can make a useful contribution to health services research because the underlying social factors do not only influence health but are also rel...

Interventions to provide culturally-appropriate maternity care services: factors affecting implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Eleri; Lattof, Samantha R; Coast, Ernestina

2017-08-31

The World Health Organization recently made a recommendation supporting 'culturally-appropriate' maternity care services to improve maternal and newborn health. This recommendation results, in part, from a systematic review we conducted, which showed that interventions to provide culturally-appropriate maternity care have largely improved women's use of skilled maternity care. Factors relating to the implementation of these interventions can have implications for their success. This paper examines stakeholders' perspectives and experiences of these interventions, and facilitators and barriers to implementation; and concludes with how they relate to the effects of the interventions on care-seeking outcomes. We based our analysis on 15 papers included in the systematic review. To extract, collate and organise data on the context and conditions from each paper, we adapted the SURE (Supporting the Use of Research Evidence) framework that lists categories of factors that could influence implementation. We considered information from the background and discussion sections of papers included in the systematic review, as well as cost data and qualitative data when included. Women's and other stakeholders' perspectives on the interventions were generally positive. Four key themes emerged in our analysis of facilitators and barriers to implementation. Firstly, interventions must consider broader economic, geographical and social factors that affect ethnic minority groups' access to services, alongside providing culturally-appropriate care. Secondly, community participation is important in understanding problems with existing services and potential solutions from the community perspective, and in the development and implementation of interventions. Thirdly, respectful, person-centred care should be at the core of these interventions. Finally, cohesiveness is essential between the culturally-appropriate service and other health care providers encountered by women and their

Part of the Job? Workplace Violence in Massachusetts Social Service Agencies

Science.gov (United States)

Zelnick, Jennifer R.; Slayter, Elspeth; Flanzbaum, Beth; Butler, Nanci Ginty; Domingo, Beryl; Perlstein, Judith; Trust, Carol

2013-01-01

Workplace violence is a serious and surprisingly understudied occupational hazard in social service settings. The authors of this study conducted an anonymous, Internet-based survey of Massachusetts social service agencies to estimate the incidence of physical assault and verbal threat of violence in social service agencies, understand how social…

42 CFR 405.2450 - Clinical psychologist and clinical social worker services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Clinical psychologist and clinical social worker... § 405.2450 Clinical psychologist and clinical social worker services. (a) For clinical psychologist or clinical social worker professional services to be payable under this subpart, the services must be— (1...

Prejudice and discrimination from mental health service providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nemec, Patricia B; Swarbrick, Margaret; Legere, Lyn

2015-06-01

This column describes the experience of prejudice and discrimination that some mental health service users encounter in their interactions with service providers and organizations. The intent of this column is to highlight potential action steps to address the negative beliefs and attitudes of service providers that contribute to prejudice and discrimination. This description draws from published material and the authors' experience. If the most effective approaches to reduce public prejudice and discrimination toward people diagnosed with a mental illness are education and contact, then those methods may be useful methods to help mental health service providers view and engage persons served from a strengths-based recovery and wellness orientation. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Landscape services as boundary concept in landscape governance: Building social capital in collaboration and adapting the landscape

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westerink, Judith; Opdam, Paul; Rooij, Van Sabine; Steingröver, Eveliene

2017-01-01

The landscape services concept provides a lens to study relations within the social-ecological networks that landscapes are, and to identify stakeholders as either providers or beneficiaries. However, landscape services can also be used as a boundary concept in collaborative landscape governance. We

Rural North Dakota's oil boom and its impact on social services.

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Bret A; Geigle, Julia; Barkdull, Carenlee

2014-01-01

Over the last five years, North Dakota has experienced an oil boom based on high oil prices and hydraulic fracturing technologies. This has brought economic expansion and population growth to rural communities that had previously experienced decades of depopulation and economic struggle. Although the state has enjoyed many benefits--especially in juxtaposition to a sluggish national economy--the boom has also meant the arrival of economic refugees and dramatic impacts on largely rural social service systems. In the midst of a rapidly changing situation, available information tends to swing between euphoria over economic success and hysteria about rising crime and shifting cultures. In response, the authors used a primary focus group with county social service directors from across the state and a followup focus group with social workers operating on the edge of oil activity. Grounded in resilience theory, qualitative analysis of the primary focus group, and triangulation of data from other sources, this study provides a more objective report of the housing and social challenges, the benefits of the boom, and the challenges to solutions.

Community health center provider ability to identify, treat and account for the social determinants of health: a card study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Joy H; Whelihan, Kate; Navarro, Isaac; Boyle, Kimberly R

2016-08-27

The social determinants of health (SDH) are conditions that shape the overall health of an individual on a continuous basis. As momentum for addressing social factors in primary care settings grows, provider ability to identify, treat and assess these factors remains unknown. Community health centers care for over 20-million of America's highest risk populations. This study at three centers evaluates provider ability to identify, treat and code for the SDH. Investigators utilized a pre-study survey and a card study design to obtain evidence from the point of care. The survey assessed providers' perceptions of the SDH and their ability to address them. Then providers filled out one anonymous card per patient on four assigned days over a 4-week period, documenting social factors observed during encounters. The cards allowed providers to indicate if they were able to: provide counseling or other interventions, enter a diagnosis code and enter a billing code for identified factors. The results of the survey indicate providers were familiar with the SDH and were comfortable identifying social factors at the point of care. A total of 747 cards were completed. 1584 factors were identified and 31 % were reported as having a service provided. However, only 1.2 % of factors were associated with a billing code and 6.8 % received a diagnosis code. An obvious discrepancy exists between the number of identifiable social factors, provider ability to address them and documentation with billing and diagnosis codes. This disparity could be related to provider inability to code for social factors and bill for related time and services. Health care organizations should seek to implement procedures to document and monitor social factors and actions taken to address them. Results of this study suggest simple methods of identification may be sufficient. The addition of searchable codes and reimbursements may improve the way social factors are addressed for individuals and populations.

Aging in Rural Appalachia: Perspectives from Geriatric Social Service Professionals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie D. Pope

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper uses qualitative methodology to explore the experience of growing old in rural Appalachia. Given the growing population of older adults seeking and utilizing services, it is important to understand the challenges and specific needs related to aging. Within the context of rural Appalachia, these challenges and needs may be different than those in urban areas or areas outside of the region itself. From interviews with 14 geriatric service providers in rural southeast Ohio, the authors were able to identity three prevalent themes associated with aging in rural North Central Appalachia: scarcity of resources, valuing neighbors and family, and the prevalence of drug use. These findings suggest that preparation and ongoing training of rural geriatric social workers should include attention to topics such as substance abuse and strengthening social support networks that often exist in these regions.

Local Social Services in Nordic countries in Times of Disaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eydal, Guðný Björk; Ómarsdóttir, Ingibjörg Lilja; Dahlberg, Rasmus

of such disasters is on the rise according to forecasts. In order to enhance resilience and preparedness of those most vulnerable in disasters, the involvement of local social services in the emergency management system is of vital importance. The literature shows how social services can enhance social and human......The project focused on the emergency management systems in the five Nordic countries. It investigated whether local social services have a formal role in the contingency planning of the systems. The project was part of The Nordic Welfare Watch research project during the Icelandic Presidency...... Program in the Nordic Council of Ministers 2014-2016. The council financed the project. The main findings show that Finland, Norway and Sweden specifically address the role of social services in times of disaster in their legal frameworks on emergency management. Finland and Norway also address the role...

Providing web-based mental health services to at-risk women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenny Meghan

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We examined the feasibility of providing web-based mental health services, including synchronous internet video conferencing of an evidence-based support/education group, to at-risk women, specifically poor lone mothers. The objectives of this study were to: (i adapt a face-to-face support/education group intervention to a web-based format for lone mothers, and (ii evaluate lone mothers' response to web-based services, including an online video conferencing group intervention program. Methods Participating mothers were recruited through advertisements. To adapt the face-to-face intervention to a web-based format, we evaluated participant motivation through focus group/key informant interviews (n = 7, adapted the intervention training manual for a web-based environment and provided a computer training manual. To evaluate response to web-based services, we provided the intervention to two groups of lone mothers (n = 15. Pre-post quantitative evaluation of mood, self-esteem, social support and parenting was done. Post intervention follow up interviews explored responses to the group and to using technology to access a health service. Participants received $20 per occasion of data collection. Interviews were taped, transcribed and content analysis was used to code and interpret the data. Adherence to the intervention protocol was evaluated. Results Mothers participating in this project experienced multiple difficulties, including financial and mood problems. We adapted the intervention training manual for use in a web-based group environment and ensured adherence to the intervention protocol based on viewing videoconferencing group sessions and discussion with the leaders. Participant responses to the group intervention included decreased isolation, and increased knowledge and confidence in themselves and their parenting; the responses closely matched those of mothers who obtained same service in face-to-face groups. Pre-and post

Social Values for Ecosystem Services, version 3.0 (SolVES 3.0): documentation and user manual

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrouse, Ben C.; Semmens, Darius J.

2015-01-01

The geographic information system (GIS) tool, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES), was developed to incorporate quantified and spatially explicit measures of social values into ecosystem service assessments. SolVES 3.0 continues to extend the functionality of SolVES, which was designed to assess, map, and quantify the social values of ecosystem services. Social values—the perceived, nonmarket values the public ascribes to ecosystem services, particularly cultural services, such as aesthetics and recreation—can be evaluated for various stakeholder groups. These groups are distinguishable by their attitudes and preferences regarding public uses, such as motorized recreation and logging. As with previous versions, SolVES 3.0 derives a quantitative 10-point, social-values metric—the value index—from a combination of spatial and nonspatial responses to public value and preference surveys. The tool also calculates metrics characterizing the underlying environment, such as average distance to water and dominant landcover. SolVES 3.0 is integrated with Maxent maximum entropy modeling software to generate more complete social-value maps and offer robust statistical models describing the relationship between the value index and explanatory environmental variables. A model’s goodness of fit to a primary study area and its potential performance in transferring social values to similar areas using value-transfer methodology can be evaluated. SolVES 3.0 provides an improved public-domain tool for decision makers and researchers to evaluate the social values of ecosystem services and to facilitate discussions among diverse stakeholders regarding the tradeoffs among ecosystem services in a variety of physical and social contexts ranging from forest and rangeland to coastal and marine.

‘Doing the hard yards’: carer and provider focus group perspectives of accessing Aboriginal childhood disability services

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Despite a high prevalence of disability, Aboriginal Australians access disability services in Australia less than non-Aboriginal Australians with a disability. The needs of Aboriginal children with disability are particularly poorly understood. They can endure long delays in treatment which can impact adversely on development. This study sought to ascertain the factors involved in accessing services and support for Aboriginal children with a disability. Methods Using the focus group method, two community forums, one for health and service providers and one for carers of Aboriginal children with a disability, were held at an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) in the Sydney, metropolitan area of New South Wales, Australia. Framework analysis was applied to qualitative data to elucidate key issues relevant to the dimensions of access framework. Independent coding consistency checks were performed and consensus of analysis verified by the entire research team, several of whom represented the local Aboriginal community. Results Seventeen health and social service providers representing local area government and non-government-funded health and social service organisations and five carers participated in two separate forums between September and October 2011. Lack of awareness of services and inadequate availability were prominent concerns in both groups despite geographic proximity to a major metropolitan area with significant health infrastructure. Carers noted racism, insufficient or non-existent services, and the need for an enhanced role of ACCHSs and AHWs in disability support services. Providers highlighted logistical barriers and cultural and historical issues that impacted on the effectiveness of mainstream services for Aboriginal people. Conclusions Despite dedicated disability services in an urban community, geographic proximity does not mitigate lack of awareness and availability of support. This paper has enumerated a number of

PROVIDER CHOICE FOR OUTPATIENT HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN INDONESIA: THE ROLE OF HEALTH INSURANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Budi Hidayat

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Indonesian's health care system is characterized by underutilized of the health-care infrastructure. One of the ways to improve the demand for formal health care is through health insurance. Responding to this potentially effective policy leads the Government of Indonesia to expand health insurance coverage by enacting the National Social Security Act in 2004. In this particular issue, understanding provider choice is therefore a key to address the broader policy question as to how the current low uptake of health care services could be turned in to an optimal utilization. Objective:To estimate a model of provider choice for outpatient care in Indonesia with specific attention being paid to the role of health insurance. Methods: A total of 16485 individuals were obtained from the second wave of the Indonesian Family Life survey. A multinomial logit regression model was applied to a estimate provider choice for outpatient care in three provider alternative (public, private and self-treatment. A policy simulation is reported as to how expanding insurance benefits could change the patterns of provider choice for outpatient health care services. Results: Individuals who are covered by civil servant insurance (Askes are more likely to use public providers, while the beneficiaries of private employees insurance (Jamsostek are more likely to use private ones compared with the uninsured population. The results also reveal that less healthy, unmarried, wealthier and better educated individuals are more likely to choose private providers than public providers. Conclusions: Any efforts to improve access to health care through health insurance will fail if policy-makers do not accommodate peoples' preferences for choosing health care providers. The likely changes in demand from public providers to private ones need to be considered in the current social health insurance reform process, especially in devising premium policies and benefit packages

An Open Architecture to Support Social and Health Services in a Smart TV Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Carlos Rivas; Anido-Rifon, Luis E; Fernandez-Iglesias, Manuel J

2017-03-01

To design, implement, and test a solution to provide social and health services for the elderly at home based on smart TV technologies and access to all services. The architecture proposed is based on an open software platform and standard personal computing hardware. This provides great flexibility to develop new applications over the underlying infrastructure or to integrate new devices, for instance to monitor a broad range of vital signs in those cases where home monitoring is required. An actual system as a proof-of-concept was designed, implemented, and deployed. Applications range from social network clients to vital signs monitoring; from interactive TV contests to conventional online care applications such as medication reminders or telemedicine. In both cases, the results have been very positive, confirming the initial perception of the TV as a convenient, easy-to-use technology to provide social and health care. The TV set is a much more familiar computing interface for most senior users, and as a consequence, smart TVs become a most convenient solution for the design and implementation of applications and services targeted to this user group. This proposal has been tested in real setting with 62 senior people at their homes. Users included both individuals with experience using computers and others reluctant to them.

Eight myths on motivating social services workers: theory-based perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Latting, J K

1991-01-01

A combination of factors has made formal motivational and reward systems rare in human service organizations generally and virtually non-existent in social service agencies. The author reviews eight of these myths by reference to eight motivational theories which refute them: need theory, expectancy theory, feedback theory, equity theory, reinforcement theory, cognitive evaluation theory, goal setting theory, and social influence theory. Although most of these theories have been developed and applied in the private sector, relevant research has also been conducted in social service agencies. The author concludes with a summary of guidelines suggested by the eight theories for motivating human service workers.

Developing a community based service model for disability: Listening to the needs of all beneficiaries and providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Katrina

2017-12-11

To inform the strategic and operational development of a community based service model at the Crann Centre, Cork, Ireland for SB children, adults, their families and providers. A needs assessment was conducted by gathering the views of multiple stakeholder perspectives within the SB community in the geographical region the Centre will serve. The intention is to create project deliverables that are responsive to the needs highlighted through this research. The study used a multi method design with a participatory research approach to explore the needs of SB individuals, families and providers. This involved in depth interviews, focus groups and online surveys. One hundred and fifty-nine respondents contributed to this qualitative needs assessment. The research established a range of psychosocial, clinical, vocational and educational issues causing ongoing difficulties for SB individuals and families. Providers highlighted supports that would benefit the social and clinical wellbeing of persons with SB. Collectively participants in the study reported that there was an absence of coordinated, continuous and comprehensive service delivery for the SB community in the region. This was amplified by geographical location of services and access to relevant supports. Consensus across stakeholders in this research pointed to the necessity for an innovative model of community based provision at the Crann Centre. This was described as offering a service with family at the core of an assets based model of practice. A key finding was the lack of importance placed on the social and emotional development of SB individuals. Traditionally participants described a singular focus on physical health through clinically defined treatment models. The desire for a social model of disability that informed health and wellbeing of SB individuals and families emerged as a prominent recommendation from the research.

Switching Service Providers: Reasons, Service Types, and Sequences

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In Keaveney.s (1995) landmark study on the reasons for switching service providers, data were gathered using critical incident technique (CIT); here the original findings are tested using survey method. Keaveney.s typology of reasons for switching is supported across a range of categories but, in this new study, the reasons ...

Mobile social network services for families with children with developmental disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Li-Der; Lai, Nien-Hwa; Chen, Yen-Wen; Chang, Yao-Jen; Yang, Jyun-Yan; Huang, Lien-Fu; Chiang, Wen-Ling; Chiu, Hung-Yi; Shin, Haw-Yun

2011-07-01

As Internet technologies evolve, their applications have changed various aspects of human life. Here, we attempt to examine their potential impact on services for families with developmentally delayed children. Our research is thus designed to utilize wireless mobile communication technologies, location services, and search technology in an effort to match families of specific needs with potential care providers. Based on the investigation conducted by our counselors, this paper describes a platform for smooth communication between professional communities and families with children with developmental disabilities (CDD). This research also looks into the impact of management of mobile social network services and training on the operation of these services. Interaction opportunities, care, and support to families with CDD are introduced.

Zero-based budgeting: implications for social services?

Science.gov (United States)

Otten, G L

1977-01-01

It is now fact that there is a commitment to the implementation of Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) at the federal level. In all likelihood, the adoption of the zero-based approach will have unique implications for the administration and administrators of social service agencies. The following article explores the impetus behind budgetary reform, with a primary focus on the current appeal of ZBB. The author strongly suggests that there are similarities between the now passé Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System and ZBB that permit inferences about any implementation difficulties that ZBB may experience. It is further suggested that ZBB will present social workers with situations and opportunities that will severely challenge many on their current approaches to social service administration.

New challenges for public services social dialogue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Nana Wesley; Mailand, Mikkel

2015-01-01

This is the national report on Denmark to the country comparative project New Challenges for Public Services: Integrating Service User and Workforce In-volvement to Support Responsive Public Services in Tough Times. The project examines service user involvement and how it is related to tradi-tion......-tional forms of social dialogue in five European countries. Furthermore, the project examines how employers and trade unions are responding to recent de-velopments in the countries....

25 CFR 20.600 - Who can apply for financial assistance or social services?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Who can apply for financial assistance or social services... FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND SOCIAL SERVICES PROGRAMS Administrative Procedures § 20.600 Who can apply for financial assistance or social services? (a) You can apply for financial assistance or social services under...

The development of socially responsible life-sciences teachers through community service learning.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.J. Rian de Villiers

2012-03-01

Full Text Available In South Africa, polices in higher education are urging tertiary institutions to produce graduates who are socially responsible citizens. One method of achieving this is through service-learning initiatives. Zoos as community partners can provide exciting educational opportunities for students to do animal behaviour studies and to develop their social responsibility. A sample of 58 preservice life-sciences teachers from a South African university completed a questionnaire on their animal behaviour studies. This study sought to determine how animal behaviour studies could successfully be incorporated as a community service-learning project in a zoo setting, what the educational value of these studies was and what the benefits were of incorporating this community service-learning component in the life-sciences course. The incorporation of the service-learning component into the zoology course led to the students’ personal and professional development, knowledge about themselves, sensitivity to cultural diversity, civic responsibility and insights into the ways in which communities operate. For a successful service-learning project, lectures, students and community partners should all have a sense of engagement. A number of suggestions are made to improve the incorporation of this service-learning component into the existing zoology course.

Ecosystem Services are Social-ecological Services in a Traditional Pastoral System: the Case of California's Mediterranean Rangelands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lynn Huntsinger

2014-03-01

Full Text Available When attempting to value ecosystem services and support their production, two critical aspects may be neglected. The term "ecosystem services" implies that they are a function of natural processes; yet, human interaction with the environment may be key to the production of many. This can contribute to a misconception that ecosystem service production depends on, or is enhanced by, the coercion or removal of human industry. Second, in programs designed to encourage ecosystem service production and maintenance, too often the inter-relationship of such services with social and ecological processes and drivers at multiple scales is ignored. Thinking of such services as "social-ecological services" can reinforce the importance of human culture, perspectives, and economies to the production of ecosystem services. Using a social-ecological systems perspective, we explore the integral role of human activity and decisions at pasture, ranch, and landscape scales. Just as it does for understanding ecosystems, a hierarchical, multiscaled framework facilitates exploring the complexity of social-ecological systems as producers of ecosystem services, to develop approaches for the conservation of such services. Using California's Mediterranean rangelands as a study area, we suggest that using a multiscaled approach that considers the importance of the differing drivers and processes at each scale and the interactions among scales, and that incorporates social-ecological systems concepts, may help avoid mistakes caused by narrow assumptions about "natural" systems, and a lack of understanding of the need for integrated, multiscaled conservation programs.

Social capital and trust in providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahern, Melissa M; Hendryx, Michael S

2003-10-01

Trust in providers has been in decline in recent decades. This study attempts to identify sources of trust in characteristics of health care systems and the wider community. The design is cross-sectional. Data are from (1) the 1996 Household Survey of the Community Tracking Study, drawn from 24 Metropolitan Statistical Areas; (2) a 1996 multi-city broadcast media marketing database including key social capital indicators; (3) Interstudy; (4) the American Hospital Association; and (5) the American Medical Association. Independent variables include individual socio-demographic variables, HMO enrollment, community-level health sector variables, and social capital. The dependent variable is self-reported trust in physicians. Data are merged from the various sources and analyzed using SUDAAN. Subjects include adults in the Household Survey who responded to the items on trust in physicians (N=17,653). Trust in physicians is independently predicted by community social capital (pSocial capital plays a role in how health care is perceived by citizens, and how health care is delivered by providers. Efforts to build trust and collaboration in a community may improve trust in physicians, health care quality, access, and preserve local health care control.

The cost of service quality improvements: tracking the flow of funds in social franchise networks in Myanmar

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Introduction This paper examines the cost of quality improvements in Population Services International (PSI) Myanmar’s social franchise operations from 2007 to 2009. Methods The social franchise commodities studied were products for reproductive health, malaria, STIs, pneumonia, and diarrhea. This project applied ingredients based costing for labor, supplies, transport, and overhead. Data were gathered seven during key informant interviews with staff in the central Yangon office, examination of 3 years of payroll data, examination of a time motion study conducted by PSI, and spreadsheets recording the costs of acquiring and transporting supplies. Results In 2009 PSI Myanmar’s social franchise devoted $2.02 million towards a 94% reduction in commodity prices offered to its network of over 1700 primary care providers. These providers retained 1/3 of the subsidy as revenue and passed along the other 2/3 to their patients in the course of offering subsidized care for 1.5 million health episodes. In addition, PSI Myanmar devoted $2.09 million to support a team of franchise officers who conducted quality assurance for the private providers overseeing service quality and to distributing medical commodities. Conclusion In Myanmar, the social franchise operated by PSI spends roughly $1.00 in quality management and retailing for every $1.00 spent subsidizing medical commodities. Some services are free, but patients also pay fees for other lines of service. Overall patients contribute 1/6 as much as PSI does. Unlike other NGO’s, health services in social franchises like PSI are not all free to the patients, nor are the discounts uniformly applied. Discounts and subsidies evolve in response to public health concerns, market demand, providers’ cost structures as well as strategic objectives in maintaining the network and its portfolio of services. PMID:23826743

Qualitative Study of correspondence between Patient Perception of Service Advertisement and Service Provided from Traditional Health Facilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lusi Kristiana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available background: Attractive adses of traditional health services often promises such as certainty of healing, treatment without side effect, experience personnel, exclusive recipes, and testimony of patients who recovered. Ads that this unsubstantiated allegedly played a role in the tendency of people turn to traditional medicine. The aim of the study is to describe the perception of patients about the correspondence between the advertisement and the services provided qualitatively. Methods: The study was conducted in Surabaya for 5 months in 2012. Informants were selected purposively. results: The result shows that most of the information about traditional health services obtained from either advertisement local and national television. Health complaints predominanly degenerative diseases, and most have been treated to modern medicine but because they do not heal, switch to traditional medicine. conclusion: Informants judge ad featuring attractive because advanced equipment, herbal remedies as well as testimonials of patients who have recovered. Much of the promise of the ads is not evident when patients seek treatment, so they seek other traditional treatments. Most of them are less satisfied, but there is a fraction that satisfied because being cured. Traditional health services responsiveness associated with the non-medical aspects assessed either by informants. recomendation:Competent authorities should enforce and socialize media literacy to encourage community.

The experiences of survivors and trauma counselling service providers in northern Uganda: Implications for mental health policy and legislation.

Science.gov (United States)

Liebling, H; Davidson, L; Akello, G F; Ochola, G

Previous research in northern Uganda found high levels of trauma-related difficulties amongst the conflict-affected population. There is international evidence that psychological therapy can reduce depression, as one of the psychological effects of trauma, but very limited literature regarding the experiences of trauma counselling in Sub-Saharan Africa. The current British Academy and Leverhulme-funded research investigated the experiences of service users and providers of trauma services in Kitgum and Gulu, northern Uganda. It also examined their implications for mental health policy and legislation. A decision was made to utilise qualitative methodology to highlight the in-depth experiences of participants. The researcher's carried out interviews with 10 women and 10 men survivors attending trauma services in Kitgum and Gulu. The researchers also interviewed 15 key informants in Kitgum, Gulu and Kampala including trauma counselling service providers, ministers, cultural leaders and mental health professionals. The authors report the findings of the research based on thematic analysis of the interviews. Themes included the experiences of survivors, bearing witness and instilling hope, constraints to service provision, stigma and abuse, holistic approach, service providers doing their best, specialist populations, limited understanding, training and skills development, gaps in service provision and mental health policy and legislation. The interviews resulted in a clear indication that counselling and medication was valued by service users, and that service providers felt the treatments that were provided improved depression, and increased empowerment and engagement in social activities. However, the authors argue that there was a limit to the benefits that could be achieved without using the holistic approach that the survivors requested. Thus, in cases of trauma arising from conflict, there is a clear need for the state to ensure reparation and/or justice for the

Social values for ecosystem services (SolVES): Documentation and user manual, version 2.0

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrouse, Benson C.; Semmens, Darius J.

2012-01-01

In response to the need for incorporating quantified and spatially explicit measures of social values into ecosystem services assessments, the Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center (RMGSC), in collaboration with Colorado State University, developed a geographic information system (GIS) application, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES). With version 2.0 (SolVES 2.0), RMGSC has improved and extended the functionality of SolVES, which was designed to assess, map, and quantify the perceived social values of ecosystem services. Social values such as aesthetics, biodiversity, and recreation can be evaluated for various stakeholder groups as distinguished by their attitudes and preferences regarding public uses, such as motorized recreation and logging. As with the previous version, SolVES 2.0 derives a quantitative, 10-point, social-values metric, the Value Index, from a combination of spatial and nonspatial responses to public attitude and preference surveys and calculates metrics characterizing the underlying environment, such as average distance to water and dominant landcover. Additionally, SolVES 2.0 integrates Maxent maximum entropy modeling software to generate more complete social value maps and to produce robust statistical models describing the relationship between the social values maps and explanatory environmental variables. The performance of these models can be evaluated for a primary study area, as well as for similar areas where primary survey data are not available but where social value mapping could potentially be completed using value-transfer methodology. SolVES 2.0 also introduces the flexibility for users to define their own social values and public uses, model any number and type of environmental variable, and modify the spatial resolution of analysis. With these enhancements, SolVES 2.0 provides an improved public domain tool for decisionmakers and researchers to evaluate the social values of ecosystem services and to facilitate

Health Outcomes and Costs of Social Work Services: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Steketee, Gail; Ross, Abigail M; Wachman, Madeline K

2017-12-01

Efforts to reduce expensive health service utilization, contain costs, improve health outcomes, and address the social determinants of health require research that demonstrates the economic value of health services in population health across a variety of settings. Social workers are an integral part of the US health care system, yet the specific contributions of social work to health and cost-containment outcomes are unknown. The social work profession's person-in-environment framework and unique skillset, particularly around addressing social determinants of health, hold promise for improving health and cost outcomes. To systematically review international studies of the effect of social work-involved health services on health and economic outcomes. We searched 4 databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Social Science Citation Index) by using "social work" AND "cost" and "health" for trials published from 1990 to 2017. Abstract review was followed by full-text review of all studies meeting inclusion criteria (social work services, physical health, and cost outcomes). Of the 831 abstracts found, 51 (6.1%) met criteria. Full text review yielded 16 studies involving more than 16 000 participants, including pregnant and pediatric patients, vulnerable low-income adults, and geriatric patients. We examined study quality, health and utilization outcomes, and cost outcomes. Average study quality was fair. Studies of 7 social work-led services scored higher on quality ratings than 9 studies of social workers as team members. Most studies showed positive effects on health and service utilization; cost-savings were consistent across nearly all studies. Despite positive overall effects on outcomes, variability in study methods, health problems, and cost analyses render generalizations difficult. Controlled hypothesis-driven trials are needed to examine the health and cost effects of specific services delivered by social workers independently and through interprofessional team

Survey of social health insurance structure in selected countries; providing framework for basic health insurance in Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadi, Effat; Raissi, Ahmad Reza; Barooni, Mohsen; Ferdoosi, Massoud; Nuhi, Mojtaba

2014-01-01

paying the insurance premiums within 6-10% of their income and employment status, are entitled to use the services. Providing services to the insured are performed by indirect forms. Payments to the service providers for the fee of inpatient and outpatient services are conservative and the related diagnostic groups system. Paying attention to the importance of modification of the fragmented health insurance system and financing the country's healthcare can reduce much of the failure of the health system, including the access of the public to health services. The countries according to the degree of development, governmental, and private insurance companies and existing rules must use the appropriate structure, comprehensive approach to the structure, and financing of the health social insurance on the investigated basis and careful attention to the intersections and differentiation. Studied structures, using them in the proposed approach and taking advantages of the perspectives of different beneficiaries about discussed topics can be important and efficient in order to achieve the goals of the health social insurance.

Virtual customer service agents: using social presence and personalization to shape online service encounters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhagen, T.; van Nes, J; Feldberg, F; van Dolen, W.

2014-01-01

By performing tasks traditionally fulfilled by service personnel and having a humanlike appearance, virtual customer service agents bring classical service elements to the web, which may positively influence customer satisfaction through eliciting social responses and feelings of personalization.

Virtual Customer Service Agents: Using Social Presence and Personalization to Shape Online Service Encounters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhagen, T.; van Nes, J.; Feldberg, J.F.M.; van Dolen, W.M.

2014-01-01

By performing tasks traditionally fulfilled by service personnel and having a humanlike appearance, virtual customer service agents bring classical service elements to the web, which may positively influence customer satisfaction through eliciting social responses and feelings of personalization.

‘Comparing social service system in Scandinavia and Korea and the direction of future development in Korea.’

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abrahamson, Peter

2014-01-01

Social services as defined here are relatively new phenomena unlike areas such as education or health care. Establishing social care services for citizens on a collective basis is hence an indica-tion of a mature or developed society. Both Korea and Denmark have opted for a universal approach...... to service delivery, but while the traditional Scandinavian scheme emphasizes service delivery as a right irrespective of household situation and income and wealth, Korea has chosen a means tested system. Furthermore Korea relies predominantly on market providers, while in Scandinavia the emphasis has been...... citizens, and to avoid that middle and upper class citizens opt out and create their own alternative systems publicly organized ser-vices must have a reasonably high level of quality. Administration of social services are usually located at the municipal level while health care services are organized...

The effectiveness of social work services for families whose children are in temporary custody

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bardauskiene R.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Despite that there is an operating social support system for families, social workers are affected by factors that limit effectiveness of their activities in working with families whose children are taken into temporary custody. The article aims to uncover what hinders social worker to carry out effective work in providing social services for families whose children are in temporary custody. Qualitative research data shows that the research participants’ awareness of social work effectiveness is limited to its individual components. Putting together these components one can get a broad definition of effectivenessof social work though the research participants themselves donot use such a concept. The research data reveals that micro level factors influencing effectiveness of social workers’ activities working with families whose children are in temporary custody are as follows: absence of parental motivation to seek changes and unfavourable environment as well as negative community approach to social risk families. Macro level factors limiting social work effectiveness working with the families at social risk lie in the system of social services. Inadequate management of social work, limited social workers’ access to resources necessary to restore family functions; too high workload for social workers are essential factors limiting social work effectiveness.

Information Behavior on Social Live Streaming Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scheibe, Katrin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In the last few years, a new type of synchronous social networking services (SNSs has emerged—social live streaming services (SLSSs. Studying SLSSs is a new and exciting research field in information science. What information behaviors do users of live streaming platforms exhibit? In our empirical study we analyzed information production behavior (i.e., broadcasting as well as information reception behavior (watching streams and commenting on them. We conducted two quantitative investigations, namely an online survey with YouNow users (N = 123 and observations of live streams on YouNow (N = 434. YouNow is a service with video streams mostly made by adolescents for adolescents. YouNow users like to watch streams, to chat while watching, and to reward performers by using emoticons. While broadcasting, there is no anonymity (as in nearly all other WWW services. Synchronous SNSs remind us of the film The Truman Show, as anyone has the chance to consciously broadcast his or her own life real-time.

Health and social support services to HIV/AIDS infected individuals in Tanzania: employees and employers perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassile, Telemu; Anicetus, Honest; Kukula, Raphael; Mmbando, Bruno P

2014-06-20

HIV is a major public health problem in the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. It often leads to loss of productive labour and disruption of existing social support system which results in deterioration of population health. This poses a great challenge to infected people in meeting their essential goods and services. This paper examines health and social support services provided by employers to HIV/AIDS infected employees in Tanzania. This was a cross-sectional study, which employed qualitative and quantitative methods in data collection and analysis. Structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used to assess the health and social support services provision at employers and employees perspectives. The study participants were employees and employers from public and private organizations. A total of 181 employees and 23 employers from 23 workplaces aged between 18-68 years were involved. The results show that 23.8% (i.e., 20.4% males and 27.3% females) of the employees had at least one member of the family or close relatives living with HIV at the time of the study. Fifty six percent of the infected employees reported to have been receiving health or social support from their employers. Employees' responses were consistent with those reported by their employers. A total of 12(52.2%) and 11(47.8%) employers reported to have been providing health and social supports respectively. Female employees (58.3%) from the private sector (60.0%) were more likely to receive supports than male employees (52.6%) and than those from the public sector (46.2%). The most common health and social support received by the employees were treatment, and nutritional support and reduction of workload, respectively. HIV/AIDS infected employees named treatment and nutritional support, and soft loans and reduced workload respectively, as the most important health and social supports they needed from their employers. This study provides baseline information for further studies

Social insurance for health service.

Science.gov (United States)

Roemer, M I

1997-06-01

Implementation of social insurance for financing health services has yielded different patterns depending on a country's economic level and its government's political ideology. By the late 19th century, thousands of small sickness funds operated in Europe, and in 1883 Germany's Chancellor Bismarck led the enactment of a law mandating enrollment by low-income workers. Other countries followed, with France completing Western European coverage in 1928. The Russian Revolution in 1917 led to a National Health Service covering everyone from general revenues by 1937. New Zealand legislated universal population coverage in 1939. After World War II, Scandinavian countries extended coverage to everyone and Britain introduced its National Health Service covering everyone with comprehensive care and financed by general revenues in 1948. Outside of Europe Japan adopted health insurance in 1922, covering everyone in 1946. Chile was the first developing country to enact statutory health insurance in 1924 for industrial workers, with extension to all low-income people with its "Servicio Nacional de Salud" in 1952. India covered 3.5 percent of its large population with the Employees' State Insurance Corporation in 1948, and China after its 1949 revolution developed four types of health insurance for designated groups of workers and dependents. Sub-Saharan African countries took limited health insurance actions in the late 1960s and 1970s. By 1980, some 85 countries had enacted social security programs to finance or deliver health services or both.

THE ASPECTS OF PROVISION OF SOCIAL SERVICES CONSIDERING THE SOCIAL EXCLUSION DIMENSIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janina Cizikiene

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The article analyses the aspects of provision of social services, reducing social exclusion, in the view of rational choice theory. This approach was selected due to the fact that provision of social services often leads to discussions explaining the appropriate and rational choice of assistance for the socially excluded members of society. The authors discuss the key aspects of provision of social services, considering the dimensions and factors of social exclusion in the context of rational choice theory.

Research on Logistics Service Providers Selection Based on AHP and VIKOR

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Lu

The logistics service providers supply a kind of service which is a service product, thus there is a plenty of uncertainty and fuzzy in selecting logistics service providers. AHP is first used to calculate the weights of logistics services providers evaluations and then VIKOR method developed for multi-criteria optimization determining a compromise solution is applied to select the logistics services providers. The latter method provides a maximum "group utility" for the "majority" and minimum of an individual regret for the "opponent". This decision making process of logistics services providers selection is verified to be scientific and feasible through the empirical research.

Assessing Family Planning Service Quality And User Experiences In Social Franchising Programme - Case Studies From Two Rural Districts In Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Azmat, Syed Khurram; Ali, Moazzam; Hameed, Waqas; Awan, Muhammad Ali

2018-01-01

Studies have documented the impact of quality family planning services on improved contraceptive uptake and continuation, however, relatively little is known about their quality of service provision especially in the context of social franchising. This study examined the quality of clinical services and user experiences among two models in franchised service providers in rural Pakistan. This facility-based assessment was carried out during May-June 2015 at the 20 randomly selected social franchise providers from Chakwal and Faisalabad. In our case, a franchise health facility was a private clinic (mostly) run by a single provider, supported by an assistant. Within the selected health facilities, a total 39 user-provider interactions were observed and same users were interviewed separately. Most of the health facilities were in the private sector. Comparatively, service providers at Greenstar Social Marketing/Population Services International (GSM/PSI) model franchised facilities had higher number of rooms and staff employed, with more providers' ownership. Quality of service indices showed high scores for both Marie Stopes Society (MSS) and GSM/PSI franchised providers. MSS franchised providers demonstrated comparative edge in terms of clinical governance, better method mix and they were more user-focused, while PSI providers offered broader range of non-FP services. Quality of counselling services were similar among both models. Service providers performed well on all indicators of interpersonal care however overall low scores were noted in technical care. For both models, service providers attained an average score of 6.7 (out of the maximum value of 8) on waste disposal mechanism, supplies 12.5 (out of the maximum value of 15), user-centred facility 2.7 (out of the maximum value of 4), and clinical governance 6.5 (out of the maximum value of 11) and respecting clients' privacy. The exit interviews yielded high user satisfaction in both service models. The

The state of the psychology health service provider workforce.

Science.gov (United States)

Michalski, Daniel S; Kohout, Jessica L

2011-12-01

Numerous efforts to describe the health service provider or clinical workforce in psychology have been conducted during the past 30 years. The American Psychological Association (APA) has studied trends in the doctoral education pathway and the resultant effects on the broader psychology workforce. During this period, the creation and growth of the PsyD degree and the formalization of the predoctoral internship placement system (the APPIC Match) have been well noted, but efforts to gain a complete understanding of professional practice are lacking. Specifically, piecemeal research on the provider workforce has led to the study of specific subpopulations using varying approaches and definitions of those providing direct clinical service. Consequently, estimates of the supply and need for health service providers are distinctly divergent and generate protracted debate in organized psychology. The APA membership directory and the APA Doctorate Employment Surveys have traditionally been relied on for workforce analyses. Yet, these data have become characterized by limited generalizability in recent years because of declining survey response rates and the fact that APA member data may not be as representative of the entire psychology health service provider population as they were previously. The 2008 APA Survey of Psychology Health Service Providers targeted these limitations by including nonmember psychologists in the sampling frame. Results revealed emerging themes in the demographics, work settings, and delivery of health services of the psychology health service provider workforce. Future areas of research for APA and organized psychology to undertake in addressing need and demand are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

Service Provider Revenue Dependence of Offered Number of Service Classes

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V. S. Aćimović-Raspopović

2011-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper possible applications of responsive pricing scheme and Stackelberg game for pricing telecommunication services with service provider as a leader and users acting as followers are analyzed. We have classified users according to an elasticity criterion into inelastic, partially elastic and elastic users. Their preferences are modelled through utility functions, which describe users’ sensitivity to changes in the quality of service and price. In the proposed algorithm a bandwidth management server is responsible for performing automatic optimal bandwidth allocation to each user’s session while maximizing its expected utility and the overall service provider’s revenue. The pricing algorithm is used for congestion control and more efficient network capacity utilization. We have analyzed different scenarios of the proposed usage-based pricing algorithm. Particularly, the influence of the number of service classes on price setting in terms of service provider’s revenue and total users’ utility maximization are discussed. The model is verified through numerous simulations performed by software that we have developed for that purpose.

VT Wireless Internet Service Providers 2006

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — (Link to Metadata) The VT Wireless Internet Service Provider (ISP) dataset (WISP2006) includes polygons depicting the extent of Vermont's WISP broadband system as of...

VT Wireless Internet Service Providers 2007

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — (Link to Metadata) The VT Wireless Internet Service Provider (ISP) dataset (WISP2007) includes polygons depicting the extent of Vermont's WISP broadband system as of...

Economic and Social Potential of Family-supporting Services, Limits and Challenges

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Peter Thijs

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the increase of the economic pressure on households, it is increasingly more difficult to balance family life and economic activity. Reasons for this evolution can be the increased labour market participation of women, the ageing of the population to name a few. Within the EU, different systems to offer assistance in creating a balanced social and economically active life have been established in numerous countries. However, the aims, results and general scope of these national policies differ.The main focus of this paper will be the Belgian situation, i.e. the voucher system (services cheques. Starting with a general view of the reasons of existence of family-support services, followed by the different support services policies offered in various European countries, the Belgian situation will be discussed.The voucher system in Belgium has encountered an explosive boom which brings unexpected results and side effects. These affect the country’s social economical system. The paper discusses the evolution of the system. What are the reasons for the unexpected success? What are the economic and social consequences for a modern active welfare state, can growth be limitless? The paper will attempt to provide answers on these questions raised.

Are social franchises contributing to universal access to reproductive health services in low-income countries?

Science.gov (United States)

Sundari Ravindran, T K; Fonn, Sharon

2011-11-01

A social franchise in health is a network of for-profit private health practitioners linked through contracts to provide socially beneficial services under a common brand. The early 21st century has seen considerable donor enthusiasm for promoting social franchises for the provision of reproductive health services. Based on a compendium of descriptive information on 45 clinical social franchises, located in 27 countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, this paper examines their contribution to universal access to comprehensive reproductive health services. It finds that these franchises have not widened the range of reproductive health services, but have mainly focused on contraceptive services, and to a lesser extent, maternal health care and abortion. In many instances, coverage had not been extended to new areas. Measures taken to ensure sustainability ran counter to the objective of access for low-income groups. In almost two-thirds of the franchises, the full cost of all services had to be paid out of pocket and was unaffordable for low-income women. While standards and protocols for quality assurance were in place in all franchises, evidence on adherence to these was limited. Informal interviews with patients indicated satisfaction with services. However, factors such as difficulties in recruiting franchisees and significant attrition, franchisees' inability to attend training programmes, use of lay health workers to deliver services without support or supervision, and logistical problems with applying quality assurance tools, all raise concerns. The contribution of social franchises to universal access to reproductive health services appears to be uncertain. Continued investment in them for the provision of reproductive health services does not appear to be justified until and unless further evidence of their value is forthcoming. Copyright © 2011 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

28 CFR 549.72 - Services provided without fees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... care; (f) Diagnosis or treatment of chronic infectious diseases; (g) Mental health care; or (h... Section 549.72 Judicial Administration BUREAU OF PRISONS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT MEDICAL SERVICES Fees for Health Care Services § 549.72 Services provided without fees. We will not charge...

ACCOUNTING TREATMENTS USED FOR ACCOUNTING SERVICES PROVIDERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ŢOGOE GRETI DANIELA

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The theme of our research is the ways of keeping accounting entities that are the object of the provision of services in the accounting profession. This paper aims to achieve a parallel between the ways of organizing financial records - accounting provided by freelancers and companies with activity in the financial - accounting. The first step in our scientific research is to establish objectives chosen area of scientific knowledge. Our scientific approach seeks to explain through a thorough and detailed approach as different sides (conceptual and practical looking projections of accounting issues related to regulatory developments and practices in the field. This paper addresses various concepts, accounting treatments, and books and accounting documents used both freelancers in providing accounting services and legal persons authorized accounting profession. In terms of methodology and research perspective, the whole scientific approach combined with quantitative and qualitative research theoretical perspective (descriptive-conceptual with practice perspective (empirical analyzing the main contributions of various authors (Romanian and foreign to knowledge in the field. Following the survey believe that the amendments to the national legislation will support entities providing accounting services, by cutting red tape on Administrative Burdens, and consequently will increase profitability and increase service quality.

Measuring patient satisfaction with medical services using social media generated data.

Science.gov (United States)

Geletta, Simon

2018-03-12

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of an effort to use social media generated data for measuring patient satisfaction with medical care services. Traditionally, scientifically designed patient satisfaction surveys are used to provide such measurements. The goal here is to evaluate the possibility of supplementing patient satisfaction surveys with social media generated patient satisfaction measurements such that the later can be used either as validation or replacement for the former. Although surveys are scientifically designed to yield dependable results, recent studies have revealed multiple factors relating to the methods currently used for survey data collection, that may be contributing to the limitations of many survey results. In light of such criticisms, this study explored the possibility of using the increasing popular and proactively generated consumer ratings through the pervasive social media as data source for satisfaction measurement. The average satisfaction scores created from such data are then used to compare levels of satisfaction among five types of health service businesses. Design/methodology/approach The data used in this research are garnered from the consumer review social media site called "Yelp!". Ratings and reviews that are related to health and medical services were extracted from the "Yelp!" The types of services that are identified by consumers are standardized to typologies that are traditionally used in health service research. Five types of services were targeted - general practice physician offices, physician specialty services, dentists, hospitals and physical therapy services. The "five-star" rating systems were re-coded to form a five-point ordinal scale variable to represent "satisfaction score". Findings The Yelp! data-based measurement of patient satisfaction produced an overall satisfaction score of 3.8 (SD=1.7) for the sampled services. The average satisfaction score per type of service ranged

Evaluating the service quality of third-party logistics service providers using the analytic hierarchy process

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Soon-hoo So

2006-12-01

Full Text Available In this study we apply the analytic hierarchy process (AHP to evaluate the service quality of third-party logistics (3PL service providers. We first conceptualize five dimensions of 3PL service quality (i.e. tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. We then apply the AHP method to determine the relative weights of the five service quality dimensions and eventually select the best 3PL service provider. To implement this idea in practice, we conduct an empirical case study on four companies providing 3PL services in Korea. The results indicate that Responsiveness out of the five service quality dimensions is the most important factor in the perception of 3PL customers.

Social-ecological drivers of multiple ecosystem services: what variables explain patterns of ecosystem services across the Norrström drainage basin?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Megan Meacham

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In human dominated landscapes many diverse, and often antagonistic, human activities are intentionally and inadvertently determining the supply of various ecosystem services. Understanding how different social and ecological factors shape the availability of ecosystem services is essential for fair and effective policy and management. In this paper, we evaluate how well alternative social-ecological models of human impact on ecosystems explain patterns of 16 ecosystem services (ES across the 62 municipalities of the Norrström drainage basin in Sweden. We test four models of human impact on ecosystems, land use, ecological modernization, ecological footprint, and location theory, and test their ability to predict both individual ES and bundles of ES. We find that different models do best to predict different types of individual ES. Land use is the best model for predicting provisioning services, standing water quality, biodiversity appreciation, and cross-country skiing, while other models work better for the remaining services. However, this range of models is not able to predict some of the cultural ES. ES bundles are predicted worse than individual ES by these models, but provide a clear picture of variation in multiple ecosystem services based on limited information. Based on our results, we offer suggestions on how social-ecological modeling and assessments of ecosystems can be further developed.

An Environmental Scan of Health and Social System Navigation Services in an Urban Canadian Community

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Nancy Carter RN, PhD

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Systems navigation services provided by a designated provider or team have the potential to address health and social disparities. We conducted an environmental scan of navigation activities in a large urban Canadian community to identify and describe: service providers who engage in systems navigation; the clients who require systems navigation support and the issues they face; activities involved; and barriers and facilitators in providing systems navigation support to clients. Using an online survey and convenience sampling, we recruited individuals who self-identified as community navigators or practiced systems navigation activities as part of their role. The majority of respondents ( n  = 145 were social workers, social services workers, or nurses. Clients of navigators struggled with mental health or addictions issues, disabilities, chronic diseases, and history of trauma or abuse. The most frequently reported activities of navigators were building professional relationships, managing paperwork, and communicating with relevant agencies or organizations. Barriers to navigation were time available in the work day, difficulty partnering due to bureaucratic structures, differing philosophies and ways of working, and a lack of central information repository in the community. Facilitators were a client-centered organization, the availability of multiple community resources in the region, and organizational support. Participants struggled with client waitlists, system issues such as lack of resources and interagency collaboration, and role clarity.

13 Assessment of Social Welfare Services of Sufferers of Leprosy in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nekky Umera

focus group discussion, Social welfare, sufferers of. Leprosy. Introduction ... concerns of interdisciplinary professionals in the area of health and social services management, for such professionals work in social welfare services where they can help ... This is causing the state Government and well meaning citizens a lot of.

Health care and social service professionals' perceptions of a home-visit program for young, first-time mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, S A; Jack, S M; Gonzalez, A; Duku, E; MacMillan, H L

2015-01-01

Little is known about health care and social service professionals' perspective on the acceptability of long-term home-visit programs serving low-income, first-time mothers. This study describes the experiences and perspectives of these community care providers involved with program referrals or service delivery to mothers who participated in the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), a targeted nurse home-visit program. The study included two phases. Phase I was a secondary qualitative data analysis used to analyze a purposeful sample of 24 individual interviews of community care providers. This was part of a larger case study examining adaptations required to increase acceptability of the NFP in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In Phase II (n = 4), themes identified from Phase I were further explored through individual, semi-structured interviews with community health care and social service providers, giving qualitative description. Overall, the NFP was viewed as addressing an important service gap for first-time mothers. Providers suggested that frequent communication between the NFP and community agencies serving these mothers could help improve the referral process, avoid service duplication, and streamline the flow of service access. The findings can help determine key components required to enhance the success of integrating a home-visit program into an existing network of community services. The function of home-visit programs should not be viewed in isolation. Rather, their potential can be maximized when they collaborate and share information with other agencies to provide better services for first-time mothers.

Integration of social media with healthcare big data for improved service delivery

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Sibulela Mgudlwa

2018-04-01

service delivery to patients can be improved.   Conclusion: This study can be used to guide integration of social media with healthcare big data by health facilities in the communities. The study contributes to healthcare workers’ awareness on how social media can possibly be used to improve the services that they provide to the needy. Also, the study will benefit information systems and technologies and academic domains, particularly from the health services’ perspective.

Social Service Professionals' Perceptions of Nonoffending Caregivers in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfteich, Paula M.; Cline, Monica L.

2013-01-01

This study was designed to assess social service workers' perceptions of nonoffending caregivers in cases of child sexual abuse. Attributions of blame were examined by administering questionnaires to staff at local social service agencies. It was hypothesized that social service workers who worked in the field longer, were male, or had less…

Data as a service a framework for providing reusable enterprise data services

CERN Document Server

Sarkar, Pushpak

2015-01-01

Data as a Service shows how organizations can leverage "data as a service" by providing real-life case studies on the various and innovative architectures and related patterns. Comprehensive approach to introducing data as a service in any organization. A re-usable and flexible SOA based architecture framework. Roadmap to introduce 'big data as a service' for potential clients. Presents a thorough description of each component in the DaaS reference architecture so readers can implement solutions.

The Effects of Socioeconomic Vulnerability, Psychosocial Services, and Social Service Spending on Family Reunification: A Multilevel Longitudinal Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Esposito, Tonino; Delaye, Ashleigh; Chabot, Martin; Trocmé, Nico; Rothwell, David; Hélie, Sonia; Robichaud, Marie-Joelle

2017-09-09

Socio-environmental factors such as poverty, psychosocial services, and social services spending all could influence the challenges faced by vulnerable families. This paper examines the extent to which socioeconomic vulnerability, psychosocial service consultations, and preventative social services spending impacts the reunification for children placed in out-of-home care. This study uses a multilevel longitudinal research design that draws data from three sources: (1) longitudinal administrative data from Quebec's child protection agencies; (2) 2006 and 2011 Canadian Census data; and, (3) intra-province health and social services data. The final data set included all children ( N = 39,882) placed in out-of-home care for the first time between 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2013, and followed from their initial out-of-home placement. Multilevel hazard results indicate that socioeconomic vulnerability, controlling for psychosocial services and social services spending, contributes to the decreased likelihood of reunification. Specifically, socioeconomic vulnerability, psychosocial services, and social services spending account for 24.0% of the variation in jurisdictional reunification for younger children less than 5 years of age, 12.5% for children age 5 to 11 years and 21.4% for older children age 12 to 17 years. These findings have implications for decision makers, funding agencies, and child protection agencies to improve jurisdictional resources to reduce the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of reunifying families.

Service-learning in nursing education: its impact on leadership and social justice.

Science.gov (United States)

Groh, Carla J; Stallwood, Lynda G; Daniels, John J

2011-01-01

Although studies suggest that service-learning is positive for students, findings reported are primarily qualitative. A convenience sample of 306 senior-level nursing students completed the Service-Learning Self-Evaluation Tool (SLSET) pre- and post-service-learning experience over a six-year span. The constructs measured were leadership skills and social justice. Paired t-tests were calculated. Statistically significant differences were noted between pre- and post-service-learning experience, with students rating themselves higher on leadership and social justice items after the experience. Cronbach's alpha for leadership and social justice were greater than 0.80. Service-learning as an educational methodology that combines community service with academic learning objectives is a viable strategy for facilitating leadership skills and increased awareness of social justice issues in nursing students.

Health Outcomes and Costs of Social Work Services: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Abigail M.; Wachman, Madeline K.

2017-01-01

Background. Efforts to reduce expensive health service utilization, contain costs, improve health outcomes, and address the social determinants of health require research that demonstrates the economic value of health services in population health across a variety of settings. Social workers are an integral part of the US health care system, yet the specific contributions of social work to health and cost-containment outcomes are unknown. The social work profession’s person-in-environment framework and unique skillset, particularly around addressing social determinants of health, hold promise for improving health and cost outcomes. Objectives. To systematically review international studies of the effect of social work–involved health services on health and economic outcomes. Search Methods. We searched 4 databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Social Science Citation Index) by using “social work” AND “cost” and “health” for trials published from 1990 to 2017. Selection Criteria. Abstract review was followed by full-text review of all studies meeting inclusion criteria (social work services, physical health, and cost outcomes). Data Collection and Analysis. Of the 831 abstracts found, 51 (6.1%) met criteria. Full text review yielded 16 studies involving more than 16 000 participants, including pregnant and pediatric patients, vulnerable low-income adults, and geriatric patients. We examined study quality, health and utilization outcomes, and cost outcomes. Main Results. Average study quality was fair. Studies of 7 social work–led services scored higher on quality ratings than 9 studies of social workers as team members. Most studies showed positive effects on health and service utilization; cost-savings were consistent across nearly all studies. Conclusions. Despite positive overall effects on outcomes, variability in study methods, health problems, and cost analyses render generalizations difficult. Controlled hypothesis-driven trials are needed to

Environmental justice research shows the importance of social feedbacks in ecosystem service trade-offs

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Neil M. Dawson

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this article, we shine a spotlight on approaches to research ecosystem service trade-offs and critically assess their representation of relevant social dynamics. Although studies linking ecosystem services and human well-being have provided theoretical insights into social and ecological trade-offs, we argue that ecosystem services research has paid insufficient attention to "social feedbacks," people's cognitive and behavioral responses to change. We demonstrate that augmenting ecosystem services research with environmental justice approaches (exploring perceptions of the distribution of costs and benefits, decision making procedures, and recognition of different values and identities can more effectively capture important responses to ecosystem governance. Spatial analysis of land use change, mixed-method assessment of multidimensional well-being, and qualitative environmental justice research were applied in three villages adjacent to Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area in northern Laos. Spatial analysis showed that, from 2006 to 2015, forest clearance for cultivation remained stable within the protected area. Well-being assessment revealed the local population benefited from rapidly increasing incomes, asset ownership, and reduced poverty during that time. In combination, spatial and well-being analyses paint a picture of limited trade-offs, despite growing incentives to exploit protected land and resources through cash crops and high-value forest products. In contrast, results from environmental justice research revealed profound trade-offs between conservation and local practices, and highlight governance deficiencies relating to procedure and recognition. Consequently, formal protected area rules were perceived to be illegitimate by many and actively undermined, for example through negotiated access with alternative authorities. We conclude that although well-being research provides an essential foundation to understand diverse

Developing integrated health and social care services for older persons in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Leichsenring, Kai

2004-01-01

This paper is to distribute first results of the EU Fifth Framework Project 'Providing integrated health and social care for older persons-issues, problems and solutions' (PROCARE-http://www.euro.centre.org/procare/). The project's first phase was to identify different approaches to integration as well as structural, organisational, economic and social-cultural factors and actors that constitute integrated and sustainable care systems. It also served to retrieve a number of experiences, model ways of working and demonstration projects in the participating countries which are currently being analysed in order to learn from success-or failure-and to develop policy recommendations for the local, national and European level. The paper draws on existing definitions of integrated care in various countries and by various scholars. Given the context of an international comparative study it tries to avoid providing a single, ready-made definition but underlines the role of social care as part and parcel of this type of integrated care in the participating countries. The paper is based on national reports from researchers representing ten organisations (university institutes, consultancy firms, research institutes, the public and the NGO sector) from 9 European countries: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. Literature reviews made intensive use of grey literature and evaluation studies in the context of at least five model ways of working in each country. As a result of the cross-national overview an attempt to classify different approaches and definitions is made and indicators of relative importance of the different instruments used in integrating health and social care services are provided. The cross-national overview shows that issues concerning co-ordination and integration of services are high on the agenda in most countries. Depending on the state of service development, various approaches and instruments can be

CONSTRUCTING SERVICE DISCOURSES IN LITHUANIAN FAMILY SOCIAL WORK

OpenAIRE

Roberta Motiečienė; Merja Laitinen

2016-01-01

In this paper, family social work is constructed through the analysis of social service discourses from the social workers’ perspective. Recent research shows how social workers are dealing with complex and fluid issues, as well as the societal uncertainty in their work with families (e.g., Spratt, 2009; Menéndez et al., 2015). Based on earlier studies, it is vital to analyse family social work in different contextual settings. Societal, political and organisational contexts affect the pre...

The Role of Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organizations in the Provision of Social Services and the Palliation of Poverty

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Mihaela Bronić

2005-01-01

Full Text Available After introductory considerations, arguments are put forward for non-governmental organisations as exclusive providers of social services. The negative characteristics of the non-governmental organization are subject of the third part of the paper. In the fourth part, the meaning of the social funds is explained (they are a kind of non-governmental organisations, and in Part 5, we explain the importance of the synergy between the government and society in the provision of social services. After the explanation of the situation in Croatia, in the Part 6 of the paper we give our final considerations. In Croatia non-governmental organizations that provide social services are slowly developing. In their further strengthening it is necessary to change the general viewpoints concerning the role and importance of the non-governmental sector in the alleviation of poverty, as well as to achieve better coordination between the state and the sector.

Antecedents of Behavioral Intention to Use Mobile Telecommunication Services: Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility and Technology Acceptance

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Sanghoon Lee

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR and user experience have been identified as core determinants of the success of service providers. Accordingly, practitioners and researchers have investigated the effects of service providers’ CSR and user experience on behavioral intention to use a particular service. Based on the importance of these concepts, the current study integrates subjective dimensions of CSR with the technology acceptance model (TAM to explore whether the CSR efforts of mobile telecommunication services providers and the service acceptance of their customers have significant effects on behavioral intention to use a service. We apply structural equation modeling and find that two factors from the TAM (i.e., usefulness and ease of use as well as economic, social, and environmental responsibility are significantly related to customer attitude and satisfaction. Moreover, our results show that there are significantly positive relationships between customer attitude and behavioral intention to use a service, as well as between customer satisfaction and intention. Practical and theoretical implications along with notable limitations of the current study are presented.

Promoting Innovation in the Social Services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, Hanne Marlene; Fahnøe, Kristian

European welfare systems are under increasing pressure to transform and adapt to the present and future challenges of our globalized world. This is especially true of the comprehensive field of health, welfare and informal education services –that we will all use at one point or another during ou......, (4) The governance of social service innovation, (5) The influence of national, regional and local contexts, (6) New technologies, (7) Measuring outcomes, quality and challenges....

Toward a Social Approach to Learning in Community Service Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Cooks, Leda; Scharrer, Erica; Paredes, Mari Castaneda

2004-01-01

The authors describe a social approach to learning in community service learning that extends the contributions of three theoretical bodies of scholarship on learning: social constructionism, critical pedagogy, and community service learning. Building on the assumptions about learning described in each of these areas, engagement, identity, and…

Security measures effect over performance in service provider network

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2018-03-05

Mar 5, 2018 ... Abstract—network security is defined as a set of policies and actions taken by a ... These threats are linked with the following factors that are ... typically smaller than those in the service provider space. ... Service providers cannot manage to provide ... e the DB performance effect ... r the business needs [10].

Cost of providing injectable contraceptives through a community-based social marketing program in Tigray, Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Prata, Ndola; Downing, Janelle; Bell, Suzanne; Weidert, Karen; Godefay, Hagos; Gessessew, Amanuel

2016-06-01

To provide a cost analysis of an injectable contraceptive program combining community-based distribution and social marketing in Tigray, Ethiopia. We conducted a cost analysis, modeling the costs and programmatic outcomes of the program's initial implementation in 3 districts of Tigray, Ethiopia. Costs were estimated from a review of program expense records, invoices, and interviews with health workers. Programmatic outcomes include number of injections and couple-year of protection (CYP) provided. We performed a sensitivity analysis on the average number of injections provided per month by community health workers (CHWs), the cost of the commodity, and the number of CHWs trained. The average programmatic CYP was US $17.91 for all districts with a substantial range from US $15.48-38.09 per CYP across districts. Direct service cost was estimated at US $2.96 per CYP. The cost per CYP was slightly sensitive to the commodity cost of the injectable contraceptives and the number of CHWs. The capacity of each CHW, measured by the number of injections sold, was a key input that drove the cost per CYP of this model. With a direct service cost of US $2.96 per CYP, this study demonstrates the potential cost of community-based social marketing programs of injectable contraceptives. The findings suggest that the cost of social marketing of contraceptives in rural communities is comparable to other delivery mechanisms with regards to CYP, but further research is needed to determine the full impact and cost-effectiveness for women and communities beyond what is measured in CYP. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICES IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL WORK WITH LARGE FAMILIES

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Юлія Ібрагім

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The development of social services in the field of social work with large families is analyzed and their basic functions are defined in the article. The necessity of implementation of the system of guaranteed social and educational support to families depending on the type of large families, which would be provided by governmental and nongovernmental organizations, including public organizations are considered and analyzed. The statistical data on the number and proportion of large families in Ukraine in general and namely in Kharkiv region are provided. The principle of subsidiarity, which is the basis of the full development of the state and is based on the redistribution of responsibility for the formation of family welfare from the state to the family, and receipt of primary social and pedagogical support of public organizations in case you are unable to solve certain problems is disclosed. The article also presents practical experience in providing social and educational support by public organization Association of large families “AMMA”” in Kharkiv.

A blueprint for community benefit. A CHA-AAHA (Catholic Health Association-American Association of Homes for the Aging) document helps long-term care providers plan for and implement needed services.

Science.gov (United States)

Forschner, B; Trocchio, J

1993-05-01

A collaborative effort of the Catholic Health Association (CHA) and the American Association of Homes for the Aging, The Social Accountability Program: Continuing the Community Benefit Tradition of Not-for-Profit Homes and Services for the Aging helps long-term care organizations plan and report community benefit activities. The program takes long-term care providers through five sequential tasks: reaffirming commitment to the elderly and others in the community; developing a community service plan; developing and providing community services; reporting community services; and evaluating the community service role. To help organizations reaffirm commitment, the Social Accountability Program presents a process facilities can use to review their historical roots and purposes and evaluate whether current policies and procedures are consistent with the organizational philosophy. Once this step is completed, providers can develop a community service plan by identifying target populations and the services they need. For facilities developing and implementing such services, the program suggests ways of measuring and monitoring them for budgetary purposes. Once they have implemented services, not-for-profit healthcare organizations must account for their impact on the community. The Social Accountability Program lists elements to be included in community service reports. It also provides guidelines for evaluating these services' effectiveness and the organization's overall community benefit role.

Preserving Social Justice Identities: Learning from One Pre-Service Literacy Teacher

Science.gov (United States)

Ticknor, Anne Swenson

2014-01-01

Identities that include social justice stances are important for pre-service teachers to adopt in teacher education so they may meet the needs of "all" future students. However, maintaining a social justice identity can be difficult when pre-service teachers are confronted with an evaluator without a social justice stance. This article…

Keeley's journey: from service user to service provider.

Science.gov (United States)

Cassinello, Keeley; Bramley, Sally

2012-01-01

This paper presents the vocational journey of a young British woman, Keeley, who changed her career aspirations to become a mental health worker following an episode of significant mental health difficulties. Keeley's story illustrates the application of the locally developed WORKS framework in conceptualising and supporting Keeley's vocational recovery. A narrative approach highlights the partnerships that developed between Keeley, the Occupational Therapist, Sally, and the User Support and Employment Service. The WORKS framework supported Keeley and Sally to collaboratively develop a successful employment pathway. Strategies, including attention to Keeley's view of her capabilities and aspirations, volunteer placements, support of peers, employer engagement and planning for sustainable employment, assisted Keeley to establish her chosen career. Keeley's journey highlights the leadership role that mental health services can assume by providing paid work for people with experience of mental health difficulties.

Quality of services and quality of life from service providers' perspectives: analysis with focus groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenaro, C; Vega, V; Flores, N; Cruz, M

2013-06-01

Concepts such as support, quality of life and quality of services are customary in services for people with intellectual disabilities. The identification of the different ways of conceiving, prioritising and implementing these concepts by service providers can help to drive changes to achieve better personal outcomes for this population. The current study aims to identify service providers' perceptions regarding the quality of life of their clients and the quality of services they provide. It also aims to identify similarities and differences of appraisals among professionals, and to identify associations between supports, quality of life and quality of services. Data were collected from 22 service providers who attended three focus groups (professionals, direct support staff, and managers) from whom 424 comments were analysed. Service providers were asked about the required support for users, the meaning of quality of life for those users, and about features that should characterise quality services. Thematic analysis was employed and transcripts of the sessions were coded according to the dimensions of models on supports, quality of life and quality of services. Chi-squared tests were utilised to test for potential differences among groups. Each professional group has its own priorities concerning required supports. Among the organisation different and potentially conflicting perceptions regarding the meaning of experiencing quality of life coexist. Concerning quality of services, only managers mentioned personal outcomes. Finally, institutionalisation has a negative impact on supports, quality of life and quality of services. It is necessary to move beyond a shared awareness of the negative impact of institutionalisation towards the transformation of services in search of personal quality outcomes. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, MENCAP & IASSID.

Attitudes towards people with depression and schizophrenia among social service workers in Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Kamilla Bjørkøe; Vendsborg, Per; Hjorthøj, Carsten; Nordentoft, Merete

2017-04-01

Mental health-related stigma is a major public health issue, and is an obstacle to the possibility for successful treatment, recovery, and reintegration. To examine attitudes towards mental illness among employees in the social services. The study design was part of a large randomized trial, and data presented in this study are baseline data from this trial. Respondents completed a baseline questionnaire to assess the respondents' attitudes. A significant difference was found between employees' personal attitudes towards depression and schizophrenia. The same significant difference was found in the employees' perceived attitudes. Furthermore, a significant difference was found between the employees' personal and perceived attitudes. A significant difference was found between the respondents wish for social distance towards depression and schizophrenia in all cases, except regarding the willingness to provide a job at one's own workplace. Employees in the social services are comparable to the general public concerning attitudes towards mental illness. The results indicate that the employees in social services could have great use of gaining more knowledge about mental illness and ways in which to recognize a mental illness, in order to be able to offer the right kind of help and reduce the treatment gap concerning people suffering from mental illness.

A Service Delivery Model for Addressing Activity and Social Participation Needs of People Living with HIV

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Gayle Restall

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Occupational therapy can contribute to the health and well-being of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV who are experiencing health consequences of living long term with this disease. However, there are no comprehensive rehabilitation service delivery models to guide this emerging area of practice. The purpose of this study was to obtain critical feedback about a service delivery model to address the activity and social participation needs of people living with HIV. Method: We developed a service delivery model from a synthesis of the literature. Using a qualitative research design, we conducted individual and focus group interviews with 35 informants from diverse backgrounds and involvement in HIV-related research, service provision, and policymaking to provide critical feedback about the model. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using inductive qualitative methods. Results: The informants identified the strengths and limitations of the model and supports and barriers to its implementation. They highlighted the importance of principle-based services, increasing resources for service navigation, building capacity of rehabilitation services to address the needs of people with HIV, and increasing research and program evaluation targeted to achieving activity and social participation outcomes. Conclusions: The model provides a framework for occupational therapists to design and evaluate services for this population.

Social determinants of immunization services uptake in developing ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Twenty-six articles were reviewed. Results: seventeen Key Determinants were identified with frequencies in brackets: caregivers' social status (25); caregivers' knowledge on immunization (22); access to immunization services and information (20); health workers' knowledge attitude and practice (12); social influence and ...

Integrating HIV & AIDS education in pre-service mathematics education for social justice

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Linda van Laren

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Since 1999, many South African education policy documents have mandated integration of HIV & AIDS education in learning areas/disciplines. Policy document research has shown that although South African politicians and managers have produced volumes of eloquent and compelling legislation regarding provision for HIV & AIDS education, little of this is translated into action. The impact of HIV & AIDS permeates the social, economic and political arenas in South Africa. Integration of HIV & AIDS education across disciplines can serve as a strategy to further the ideals of social justice. This paper focuses on how integration in the teaching and learning of Mathematics Education provides opportunities to take action for social justice. The inquiry explores the following question: How can the myth that there is 'nothing we can do' about HIV & AIDS, which is linked to social justice issues, be addressed through integration of HIV & AIDS education in Mathematics pre-service teacher education? Drawing on self-study, the work of a Mathematics teacher educator who worked with pre-service teachers to integrate HIV & AIDS education at a higher education institution is described. By considering integration of HIV & AIDS education in Mathematics Education and taking action it is possible to develop strategies which directly relate to social justice.

Integrating Social Services and Home-Based Primary Care for High-Risk Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Feinglass, Joe; Norman, Greg; Golden, Robyn L; Muramatsu, Naoko; Gelder, Michael; Cornwell, Thomas

2018-04-01

There is a consensus that our current hospital-intensive approach to care is deeply flawed. This review article describes the research evidence for developing a better system of care for high-cost, high-risk patients. It reviews the evidence that home-centered care and integration of health care with social services are the cornerstones of a more humane and efficient system. The article describes the strengths and weaknesses of research evaluating the effects of social services in addressing social determinants of health, and how social support is critical to successful acute care transition programs. It reviews the history of incorporating social services into care management, and the prospects that recent payment reforms and regulatory initiatives can succeed in stimulating the financial integration of social services into new care coordination initiatives. The article reviews the literature on home-based primary care for the chronically ill and disabled, and suggests that it is the emergence of this care modality that holds the greatest promise for delivery system reform. In the hope of stimulating further discussion and debate, the authors summarize existing viewpoints on how a home-centered system, which integrates social and medical services, might emerge in the next few years.

Cost Calculation Model for Logistics Service Providers

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Zoltán Bokor

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The exact calculation of logistics costs has become a real challenge in logistics and supply chain management. It is essential to gain reliable and accurate costing information to attain efficient resource allocation within the logistics service provider companies. Traditional costing approaches, however, may not be sufficient to reach this aim in case of complex and heterogeneous logistics service structures. So this paper intends to explore the ways of improving the cost calculation regimes of logistics service providers and show how to adopt the multi-level full cost allocation technique in logistics practice. After determining the methodological framework, a sample cost calculation scheme is developed and tested by using estimated input data. Based on the theoretical findings and the experiences of the pilot project it can be concluded that the improved costing model contributes to making logistics costing more accurate and transparent. Moreover, the relations between costs and performances also become more visible, which enhances the effectiveness of logistics planning and controlling significantly

Healthcare services consumer behavior in the light of social norms influence

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Daniel Adrian GÂRDAN

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Healthcare services consumers’ behavior represents an multidimensional concept, that implies the cumulative effects of different factors. The process of consumption is very different and complex in the case of healthcare services due to the nature of the needs and consumption motivations on one hand and because of the complexity of the services itself on the other hand. Amongst the factors that are influencing the consumer’s behaviour, the social ones represent a particular type. In the case of healthcare services this is because the social interactions of the patients can contribute to their own perception regarding the post consumption satisfaction, or can influence the buying decision in the first place. The influence of social factors can be analysed on multiple layers – from the effect of the affiliation and adhesion groups to the effect of social norms and regulations.

KEY FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS FOR MAPPING AND ASSESSING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: PREDICTABILITY OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICE PROVIDERS AT SCALES FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL.

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G. Zurlini

2014-04-01

Full Text Available How an apparent static and ordered landscape condition in social ecological landscapes (SELs, can be made sustainable in terms of maintenance and improvement of the provision of ecosystem services (ESs in face of unpredictable disturbance and change? Our contribution to the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services (MAES working group is to advance some recommendations on how to approach the dynamic analysis of complex adaptive systems to improve ecosystem resilience, habitat connectivity and the delivery of ESs. We show exemplary cases where we utilize the NDVI provided by remote sensing to evaluate land cover transformations and processes and ES provisioning. We focus on NDVI because it allows the supply of information on net primary production, i.e., the energetic foundation of nearly all ecosystems and that provides the basis of most of ESs. The use of spectral entropy, and nonlinear analysis of spatial temporal dynamics to investigate trajectory predictability of SELs provide very useful insight into the dynamics of SELs and can assist in the characterization of the links between land cover patterns with ecological processes to support more reliable assessments and accountings of ESs.

Use of social audits to examine unofficial payments in government health services: experience in South Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Paredes-Solís, Sergio; Andersson, Neil; Ledogar, Robert J; Cockcroft, Anne

2011-12-21

Unofficial payments in health services around the world are widespread and as varied as the health systems in which they occur. We reviewed the main lessons from social audits of petty corruption in health services in South Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan), Africa (Uganda and South Africa) and Europe (Baltic States). The social audits varied in purpose and scope. All covered representative sample communities and involved household interviews, focus group discussions, institutional reviews of health facilities, interviews with service providers and discussions with health authorities. Most audits questioned households about views on health services, perceived corruption in the services, and use of government and other health services. Questions to service users asked about making official and unofficial payments, amounts paid, service delivery indicators, and satisfaction with the service. Contextual differences between the countries affected the forms of petty corruption and factors related to it. Most households in all countries held negative views about government health services and many perceived these services as corrupt. There was little evidence that better off service users were more likely to make an unofficial payment, or that making such a payment was associated with better or quicker service; those who paid unofficially to health care workers were not more satisfied with the service. In South Asia, where we conducted repeated social audits, only a minority of households chose to use government health services and their use declined over time in favour of other providers. Focus groups indicated that reasons for avoiding government health services included the need to pay for supposedly free services and the non-availability of medicines in facilities, often perceived as due to diversion of the supplied medicines. Unofficial expenses for medical care represent a disproportionate cost for vulnerable families; the very people who need to make use of supposedly

Use of social audits to examine unofficial payments in government health services: experience in South Asia, Africa, and Europe

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Paredes-Solís Sergio

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Unofficial payments in health services around the world are widespread and as varied as the health systems in which they occur. We reviewed the main lessons from social audits of petty corruption in health services in South Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Africa (Uganda and South Africa and Europe (Baltic States. Methods The social audits varied in purpose and scope. All covered representative sample communities and involved household interviews, focus group discussions, institutional reviews of health facilities, interviews with service providers and discussions with health authorities. Most audits questioned households about views on health services, perceived corruption in the services, and use of government and other health services. Questions to service users asked about making official and unofficial payments, amounts paid, service delivery indicators, and satisfaction with the service. Results Contextual differences between the countries affected the forms of petty corruption and factors related to it. Most households in all countries held negative views about government health services and many perceived these services as corrupt. There was little evidence that better off service users were more likely to make an unofficial payment, or that making such a payment was associated with better or quicker service; those who paid unofficially to health care workers were not more satisfied with the service. In South Asia, where we conducted repeated social audits, only a minority of households chose to use government health services and their use declined over time in favour of other providers. Focus groups indicated that reasons for avoiding government health services included the need to pay for supposedly free services and the non-availability of medicines in facilities, often perceived as due to diversion of the supplied medicines. Conclusions Unofficial expenses for medical care represent a disproportionate cost for

Early abortion services in the United States: a provider survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Benson, Janie; Clark, Kathryn Andersen; Gerhardt, Ann; Randall, Lynne; Dudley, Susan

2003-04-01

The objective of this study was to describe the availability of early surgical and medical abortion among members of the National Abortion Federation (NAF) and to identify factors affecting the integration of early abortion services into current services. Telephone interviews were conducted with staff at 113 Planned Parenthood affiliates and independent abortion providers between February and April 2000, prior to FDA approval of mifepristone. Early abortion services were available at 59% of sites, and establishing services was less difficult than or about what was anticipated. Sites generally found it easier to begin offering early surgical abortion than early medical abortion. Physician participation was found to be critical to implementing early services. At sites where some but not all providers offered early abortion, variations in service availability resulted. Given the option of reconsidering early services, virtually all sites would make the same decision again. These data suggest that developing mentoring relationships between experienced early abortion providers/sites and those not offering early services, and training physicians and other staff, are likely to be effective approaches to expanding service availability.

Health service providers in Somalia: their readiness to provide malaria case-management.

Science.gov (United States)

Noor, Abdisalan M; Rage, Ismail A; Moonen, Bruno; Snow, Robert W

2009-05-13

Studies have highlighted the inadequacies of the public health sector in sub-Saharan African countries in providing appropriate malaria case management. The readiness of the public health sector to provide malaria case-management in Somalia, a country where there has been no functioning central government for almost two decades, was investigated. Three districts were purposively sampled in each of the two self-declared states of Puntland and Somaliland and the south-central region of Somalia, in April-November 2007. A survey and mapping of all public and private health service providers was undertaken. Information was recorded on services provided, types of anti-malarial drugs used and stock, numbers and qualifications of staff, sources of financial support and presence of malaria diagnostic services, new treatment guidelines and job aides for malaria case-management. All settlements were mapped and a semi-quantitative approach was used to estimate their population size. Distances from settlements to public health services were computed. There were 45 public health facilities, 227 public health professionals, and 194 private pharmacies for approximately 0.6 million people in the three districts. The median distance to public health facilities was 6 km. 62.3% of public health facilities prescribed the nationally recommended anti-malarial drug and 37.7% prescribed chloroquine as first-line therapy. 66.7% of public facilities did not have in stock the recommended first-line malaria therapy. Diagnosis of malaria using rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) or microscopy was performed routinely in over 90% of the recommended public facilities but only 50% of these had RDT in stock at the time of survey. National treatment guidelines were available in 31.3% of public health facilities recommended by the national strategy. Only 8.8% of the private pharmacies prescribed artesunate plus sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine, while 53.1% prescribed chloroquine as first-line therapy. 31.4% of

Health service providers in Somalia: their readiness to provide malaria case-management

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Moonen Bruno

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Studies have highlighted the inadequacies of the public health sector in sub-Saharan African countries in providing appropriate malaria case management. The readiness of the public health sector to provide malaria case-management in Somalia, a country where there has been no functioning central government for almost two decades, was investigated. Methods Three districts were purposively sampled in each of the two self-declared states of Puntland and Somaliland and the south-central region of Somalia, in April-November 2007. A survey and mapping of all public and private health service providers was undertaken. Information was recorded on services provided, types of anti-malarial drugs used and stock, numbers and qualifications of staff, sources of financial support and presence of malaria diagnostic services, new treatment guidelines and job aides for malaria case-management. All settlements were mapped and a semi-quantitative approach was used to estimate their population size. Distances from settlements to public health services were computed. Results There were 45 public health facilities, 227 public health professionals, and 194 private pharmacies for approximately 0.6 million people in the three districts. The median distance to public health facilities was 6 km. 62.3% of public health facilities prescribed the nationally recommended anti-malarial drug and 37.7% prescribed chloroquine as first-line therapy. 66.7% of public facilities did not have in stock the recommended first-line malaria therapy. Diagnosis of malaria using rapid diagnostic tests (RDT or microscopy was performed routinely in over 90% of the recommended public facilities but only 50% of these had RDT in stock at the time of survey. National treatment guidelines were available in 31.3% of public health facilities recommended by the national strategy. Only 8.8% of the private pharmacies prescribed artesunate plus sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine, while 53

Improving Educational Outcomes by Providing Educational Services through Mobile Technology

OpenAIRE

Hosam Farouk El-Sofany

2013-01-01

The use of Computers, Networks, and Internet has successfully enabled educational institutions to provide their students and instructors with various online educational services. With the recent developments in M-learning and mobile technology, further possibilities are emerging to provide such services through mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs. By providing the educational services using wireless and mobile technologies, the educational institutions can potentially bring great co...

Establishing and Scaling-Up Clinical Social Franchise Networks: Lessons Learned From Marie Stopes International and Population Services International

Science.gov (United States)

Thurston, Sarah; Chakraborty, Nirali M; Hayes, Brendan; Mackay, Anna; Moon, Pierre

2015-01-01

In many low- and middle-income countries, a majority of people seek health care from the private sector. However, fragmentation, poor economies of scale, inadequate financing, political opposition, a bias toward curative services, and weak regulatory and quality control systems pose serious challenges for the private sector. Social franchising addresses a number of these challenges by organizing small, independent health care businesses into quality-assured networks. Global franchisors Marie Stopes International (MSI) and Population Services International (PSI) have rapidly scaled their family planning social franchising programs in recent years, jointly delivering over 10.8 million couple-years of protection (CYPs) in 2014—up 26% from 8.6 million CYPs just 1 year prior. Drawing on experience across MSI’s 17 and PSI’s 25 social franchise networks across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, this article documents the organizations’ operational approaches, challenges faced, and solutions implemented. The organizations provide intensive capacity building and support for private-sector providers, including clinical training, branding, monitoring quality of franchised services, and commodity support. In addition, franchising programs engage providers and clients through behavior change communication (BCC) and demand generation activities to raise awareness and to attract clients, and they implement initiatives to ensure services are affordable for the lowest-income clients. Social franchise programs offer the private sector a collective platform to better engage government in health policy advocacy and for integrating into new public health care financing and procurement mechanisms. The future of social franchising will require developing approaches to scale-up and sustain the model cost-effectively, selectively integrating other health services into the franchise package, and being responsive to evolving health care financing approaches with the

Developing integrated health and social care services for older persons in Europe

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Kai Leichsenring

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This paper is to distribute first results of the EU Fifth Framework Project ‘Providing integrated health and social care for older persons—issues, problems and solutions’ (PROCARE—http://www.euro.centre.org/procare/. The project's first phase was to identify different approaches to integration as well as structural, organisational, economic and social-cultural factors and actors that constitute integrated and sustainable care systems. It also served to retrieve a number of experiences, model ways of working and demonstration projects in the participating countries which are currently being analysed in order to learn from success—or failure—and to develop policy recommendations for the local, national and European level. Theory: The paper draws on existing definitions of integrated care in various countries and by various scholars. Given the context of an international comparative study it tries to avoid providing a single, ready-made definition but underlines the role of social care as part and parcel of this type of integrated care in the participating countries. Methods: The paper is based on national reports from researchers representing ten organisations (university institutes, consultancy firms, research institutes, the public and the NGO sector from 9 European countries: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. Literature reviews made intensive use of grey literature and evaluation studies in the context of at least five model ways of working in each country. Results: As a result of the cross-national overview an attempt to classify different approaches and definitions is made and indicators of relative importance of the different instruments used in integrating health and social care services are provided. Conclusions: The cross-national overview shows that issues concerning co-ordination and integration of services are high on the agenda in most countries. Depending on

Social Services programs for social inclusion through employment: facing challenges of transverslity, multidimensionality and creation of job opportunities

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Lucía Martínez-Virto

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In a context without employment and with high labour precarity it is necessary to rethink the activation commitments linked to the inclusion policies of social services. The main goal of this paper is to debate about the limitations, potentialities and differences in terms of inclusion capacity, about 9 socio labour programs of social services. The analysis identifies three key outcomes: the need of collaboration between social services and employment departments, the importance of creating employment opportunities for people at risk of social exclusion and guaranty the multidimensionality of the intervention. Especially in a context of high unemployment and low quality jobs. These results highlight the need to reconsider the care system that, in line of European recommendations, must focus on social investment policies.

Socio-cultural valuation of ecosystem services in a transhumance social-ecological network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oteros-Rozas, E.; Martín-López, B.; González, J.A.

2014-01-01

the importance of 34 ecosystem services (10 provisioning, 12 regulating, and 12 cultural) for both social and personal well-being. Overall, the ecosystem services considered to be the most important for social well-being were fire prevention, air purification and livestock. Most of the ecosystem services...

Waqf as a Tool for Rendering Social Welfare Services in the Social Entrepreneurship Context

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Md. Mahmudul Alam

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of Islamic entrepreneurship centers on ensuring community well-being as the priority, which is one of the important objectives (Maqasid of the Islamic Shari’ah. Historically, waqf played a significant role in the Islamic economic system, particularly in rendering exemplary welfare services in the areas of healthcare, education, social welfare, environmental, and other community-based programs. However, only a few success stories in recent history have institutionally utilized the properties of waqf under proper management to achieve its substantial objectives. This study uses the literature review as basis to analyze the reasons behind the successful utilization of waqf as an effective tool to ensure social welfare services in the past, as well as how this model can be replicated by considering current contexts. This study will assist Islamic valuecentric entrepreneurs, regulatory authorities, investors, and researchers to gain an overall insight into the potentials of waqf as a tool for rendering commendable social welfare services.

Homeless health needs: shelter and health service provider perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauff, Alicia J; Secor-Turner, Molly

2014-01-01

The effects of homelessness on health are well documented, although less is known about the challenges of health care delivery from the perspective of service providers. Using data from a larger health needs assessment, the purpose of this study was to describe homeless health care needs and barriers to access utilizing qualitative data collected from shelter staff (n = 10) and health service staff (n = 14). Shelter staff members described many unmet health needs and barriers to health care access, and discussed needs for other supportive services in the area. Health service providers also described multiple health and service needs, and the need for a recuperative care setting for this population. Although a variety of resources are currently available for homeless health service delivery, barriers to access and gaps in care still exist. Recommendations for program planning are discussed and examined in the context of contributing factors and health care reform.

Improving Educational Outcomes by Providing Educational Services through Mobile Technology

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Hosam Farouk El-Sofany

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The use of Computers, Networks, and Internet has successfully enabled educational institutions to provide their students and instructors with various online educational services. With the recent developments in M-learning and mobile technology, further possibilities are emerging to provide such services through mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs. By providing the educational services using wireless and mobile technologies, the educational institutions can potentially bring great convenience to those off-campus students who do not always have time to find Internet enabled computers to get the important educational information from their academic institutions. With the mobile or M-educational services, both the students and the instructors can access the services anytime and anywhere they want. This paper discusses those M-educational services that can be moved to the mobile platform and then presents the system prototype and architecture that integrate these services into the mobile technology platform. The paper will conclude with a description of the formative evaluation of the system prototype.

Establishing and Scaling-Up Clinical Social Franchise Networks: Lessons Learned From Marie Stopes International and Population Services International.

Science.gov (United States)

Thurston, Sarah; Chakraborty, Nirali M; Hayes, Brendan; Mackay, Anna; Moon, Pierre

2015-06-17

In many low- and middle-income countries, a majority of people seek health care from the private sector. However, fragmentation, poor economies of scale, inadequate financing, political opposition, a bias toward curative services, and weak regulatory and quality control systems pose serious challenges for the private sector. Social franchising addresses a number of these challenges by organizing small, independent health care businesses into quality-assured networks. Global franchisors Marie Stopes International (MSI) and Population Services International (PSI) have rapidly scaled their family planning social franchising programs in recent years, jointly delivering over 10.8 million couple-years of protection (CYPs) in 2014-up 26% from 8.6 million CYPs just 1 year prior. Drawing on experience across MSI's 17 and PSI's 25 social franchise networks across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, this article documents the organizations' operational approaches, challenges faced, and solutions implemented. The organizations provide intensive capacity building and support for private-sector providers, including clinical training, branding, monitoring quality of franchised services, and commodity support. In addition, franchising programs engage providers and clients through behavior change communication (BCC) and demand generation activities to raise awareness and to attract clients, and they implement initiatives to ensure services are affordable for the lowest-income clients. Social franchise programs offer the private sector a collective platform to better engage government in health policy advocacy and for integrating into new public health care financing and procurement mechanisms. The future of social franchising will require developing approaches to scale-up and sustain the model cost-effectively, selectively integrating other health services into the franchise package, and being responsive to evolving health care financing approaches with the potential

Marketing in the business activity of logistics service providers

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Marcin Świtała

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Background: This article is a discussion on the role of marketing in the activity of logistics service providers. The strong competition and changing purchasing preferences should motivate the transport, forwarding and logistics sector managers to apply the marketing approach in practice. Methods: Results of direct research, conducted among a targeted group of 100 companies from the transport, forwarding and logistics sector, constitute the source basis. The sample group was divided into three categories of logistics providers: 2PL, 3PL and 4PL. The statistical analysis was based on three different non-parametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-square and V Kramer.  Results and conclusions:  Currently, marketing does not play a key role in the activity of logistics services providers. The prevailing opinion is that importance of marketing in the company is average. The respondents have assessed in a similar way their activity compared to the activities of the competition. However, it was found that with the increase of the level of specialization (2PL-4PL, the awareness of impact of marketing on the logistics services sector also increased. The logistics services providers, who offer a wide range of logistics services, asses their competitive position in a better light.  

A Risk Analysis of Social Networking Services for a Small Enterprise: A Case Study of Conclave

OpenAIRE

Soebhektie, Sabrina

2016-01-01

In the millenials era, social networking services have been a fundamental elements in peo-ple’s lives, as social networking sites are able to connect people, help them get updates from around the globe, and also makes their lives easier by providing other functions. As a new startup company in Indonesia, Conclave has been using social media as core tools for their business activities. Nevertheless, despite the advantages of using social networking sites, the-se also may have security breache...

Service Learning and the Development of Social Responsibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Scott D.; Bozeman, Marci

This essay presents the findings of a study employing a developmental approach to student acquisition of social responsibility. Professors at seven collegiate institutions of differing types who teach service-learning courses were asked if they would be willing to include their students in a study of social responsibility development through…

The bases and keys for the future of the social work and services / Fundamentos y claves para el futuro de de los servicios sociales y el trabajo social

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Antonio Gutiérrez Resa

2009-10-01

Full Text Available The actual values emerging from the Social Services and the Social Work treat to make compatible the Public Services Field with those which the Market offers. However, without the State Guarantee which to look after universality and local proximity, so after the quality of the Social Services and Social Work, it is the Market which treat to resolve the management of the human being. In the future the bases and keys of the Social Services and Social Work have to require, at least, from the Beneficiaries listening and participation, the same way as relation contents.

Examining Clinicians' Experiences Providing Sexual Health Services for LGBTQ Youth: Considering Social and Structural Determinants of Health in Clinical Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, R. E.; Shoveller, J. A.; Carson, A. M.; Contreras-Whitney, J. G.

2014-01-01

Although barriers related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth's experiences accessing sexual health services have been examined in detail, research into the experiences and perceptions of clinicians providing these services has been conspicuously absent. The aim of this article is to explore the perceptions and…

Atención en salud a mujeres en situación de desplazamiento: Una mirada desde los prestadores de servicios sociales y de salud Attention in health to women in displacement situation: A glance from the social and health services providers

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Gloria Margarita Alcaraz López

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Objetivo principal: Conocer, desde la mirada de los prestadores de servicios sociales y de salud, la atención en salud a las mujeres en situación de desplazamiento. Metodología: Estudio cualitativo entre abril y agosto de 2008. Se realizaron 12 entrevistas semiestructuradas a prestadores de servicios sociales y de salud, que atienden a la población desplazada en el ámbito local, regional, nacional. Resultados principales: Las mujeres son percibidas por los prestadores de servicios con su salud alterada y con gran sufrimiento. Este deterioro en salud, se inicia desde el momento mismo del acto violento y continúa en la ciudad de asentamiento. Hay un vacío en la atención en salud, siendo la remisión a otras instituciones, el acto por excelencia que caracteriza la atención. No hay coordinación entre las instituciones para prestar una atención en salud, y no se dispone de estadísticas locales de la atención en salud en esta población, que les permita orientar su manejo integral. Conclusión principal: Estas mujeres son vulneradas en su salud por parte de actores armados y son vulneradas en su derecho a la atención en salud, debido a la brecha entre la ley sobre la atención en salud y su real implementación.Objective: To know, from the glance of the social and health services providers, the attention in health to the women in displacement situation. Methods: Qualitative study between April and August of 2008. 12 semistructured interviews to social and health services providers that take care of the displaced population in the local scope, regional, national were realized. Results: The women are perceived by the social and health services providers with their altered health and great suffering. This deterioration in health begins from the same moment of the violent act and continues in the city of establishment. There is an emptiness in the attention in health, being the remission to other institutions, the act par excellence that

Effects of librarian-provided services in healthcare settings: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Perrier, Laure; Farrell, Ann; Ayala, A Patricia; Lightfoot, David; Kenny, Tim; Aaronson, Ellen; Allee, Nancy; Brigham, Tara; Connor, Elizabeth; Constantinescu, Teodora; Muellenbach, Joanne; Epstein, Helen-Ann Brown; Weiss, Ardis

2014-01-01

To assess the effects of librarian-provided services in healthcare settings on patient, healthcare provider, and researcher outcomes. Medline, CINAHL, ERIC, LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception to June 2013. Studies involving librarian-provided services for patients encountering the healthcare system, healthcare providers, or researchers were eligible for inclusion. All librarian-provided services in healthcare settings were considered as an intervention, including hospitals, primary care settings, or public health clinics. Twenty-five articles fulfilled our eligibility criteria, including 22 primary publications and three companion reports. The majority of studies (15/22 primary publications) examined librarians providing instruction in literature searching to healthcare trainees, and measured literature searching proficiency. Other studies analyzed librarian-provided literature searching services and instruction in question formulation as well as the impact of librarian-provided services on patient length of stay in hospital. No studies were found that investigated librarians providing direct services to researchers or patients in healthcare settings. Librarian-provided services directed to participants in training programs (eg, students, residents) improve skills in searching the literature to facilitate the integration of research evidence into clinical decision-making. Services provided to clinicians were shown to be effective in saving time for health professionals and providing relevant information for decision-making. Two studies indicated patient length of stay was reduced when clinicians requested literature searches related to a patient's case. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Customer satisfaction surveys: Methodological recommendations for financial service providers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đorđić Marko

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This methodological article investigates practical challenges that emerge when conducting customer satisfaction surveys (CSS for financial service providers such as banks, insurance or leasing companies, and so forth. It displays methodological recommendations in reference with: (a survey design, (b sampling, (c survey method, (d questionnaire design, and (e data acquisition. Article provides appropriate explanations that usage of: two-stage survey design, SRS method, large samples, and rigorous fieldwork preparation can enhance the overall quality of CSS in financial services. Proposed methodological recommendations can primarily be applied to the primary quantitative marketing research in retail financial services. However, majority of them can be successfully applied when conducting primary quantitative marketing research in corporate financial services as well. .

Social Filters in Assessing Higher Education Services Market

Science.gov (United States)

Shkurkin, Anatoly; Lutsenko, Ekaterina; Bazhenova, Natalia; Bazhenov, Ruslan; Bogachenko, Natalia

2016-01-01

The main goal of this work is to reveal social filters in the system of assessing the higher education services market. On the basis of the institutional interpretation of market relations, mechanisms and features of asymmetries formation in the educational services market are investigated. The role of the institutional environment ensuring…

29 CFR 779.388 - Exemption provided for food or beverage service employees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Exemption provided for food or beverage service employees... Service Establishments Restaurants and Establishments Providing Food and Beverage Service § 779.388 Exemption provided for food or beverage service employees. (a) A special exemption is provided in section 13...

Determinants of farmers' choice for veterinary service providers in Nepal Mountains.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamichhane, Dirga Kumar; Shrestha, Sabina

2012-08-01

This study was aimed to analyze factors that affect farmers' choice for major actors of veterinary service providers in village areas of Kaski district of Nepal, with the objective of identifying choice-specific attributes which could be addressed for improving the penetration of professional veterinary services in village areas. The information was obtained from 125 farmers using a structured questionnaire. A proportional hazard model was used for data analysis because of its ability to accommodate the attributes of both the chooser and the choice simultaneously. The results showed that village animal health workers (VAHWs) were the most preferred service providers followed by veterinarians and mid-level technicians. The farmers' age and education level had a significant but inverse relationship with the probability of choosing any of the three service providers. From our study, we found that the main choice-specific attributes with a significant impact on the choice probability was the distance to the preferred service provider. Since there was a high preference for VAHW, this suggests the possibility of poorly trained service providers dominating veterinary service market in village areas of Kaski district. Hence, the efforts put forward in the legalization of VAHW system in Nepal should first address the constraints that obstruct the accessibility of professional veterinary service providers in village areas.

Sustainable leadership in a Thai healthcare services provider.

Science.gov (United States)

Kantabutra, Sooksan

2011-01-01

Rhineland leadership practices contrast sharply with the prevailing Anglo/US business model of short-term maximization of profitability, and are said to lead to greater corporate sustainability, at least in highly developed economies. However, the applicability of Rhineland leadership to less developed economies has not yet been demonstrated. This paper sets out to compare the business practices of a social enterprise that delivers healthcare services in Thailand and Avery's 19 sustainable leadership practices derived from Rhineland enterprises. Adopting a case study approach, multi-data collection methods included non-participant observations made during visits to the enterprise, and reference to internal and published documentation and information. Semi-structured interview sessions were held with many stakeholders, including top management, staff, patients and a former consultant. In the Thai healthcare organization studied, evidence was found for compliance with 15 of Avery's 19 sustainable leadership elements, but to varying degrees. The elements were grouped into six core sets of practices: adopting a long-term perspective, staff development, organizational culture, innovation, social responsibility, and ethical behavior. One element was found to be not applicable, and no evidence was found for conformity with Rhineland principles on the remaining three sustainable practices. The paper concludes that Avery's 19 Rhineland practices provide a useful framework for evaluating the corporate sustainability of this Thai enterprise. Healthcare enterprises in Thailand and possibly in other Asian countries that wish to sustain their organizational success could adopt Avery's 19 Sustainable Leadership Grid elements to examine their leadership practices, and adjust them to become more sustainable. The relevance of Rhineland sustainable leadership principles to enterprises in less developed economies remains to be investigated. This study attempts to uncover this unknown.

Dynamics of Public Service Motivation: Attraction, Selection, and Socialization in the Production and Regulation of Social Services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Anne Mette

2014-01-01

The literature on public service motivation (PSM) has typically focused on the relationship between this motivation and public/private sector of employment, while the character of the work being performed has been neglected. Through panel surveys with pre- and post-entry measures of PSM among...... that the PSM profiles of social work students predict their preference for one of the two types of work tasks, but do not predict first employment in the preferred job. Conversely, post-entry shifts in social workers’ PSM profiles result from a complex interplay between influences from both work task...

European practices of providing of efficiency of self-organizations institutions of population in the context of public services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. V. Serohina

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The research revealed that European countries devote sufficient attention to ensuring the effectiveness of the institutions of self-organization in the context of their public services. The most common areas where they operate are a system of health, education and assistance during emergencies. The study showed that in the development of public services, there were significant transformations in terms of subject-provider. Historically it was confessional organizations working on a voluntary basis, and linked their activity with the realization of Christian mission. Subsequently, when there had been formation of a «welfare state», the state took over responsibility for the area of public services. In favor of institutions of self-organization has been a change in the system when it became clear that they are best in the provide public services, especially in the social sphere, because they are the demonstrating of social needs. The main mechanisms of cooperation between institutions of self-organization and the public sector are, first, subsidies for statutory activities of the organization. Another mechanism is delegating services or outsourcing and in this case contracts mostly are for one year with possibility of further extension. In addition there is auxiliary element of providing of effectiveness institutions of self-organization, it consists in deprivation of their donors from taxes. Although institutions of self-organization are financed mainly by public authorities, they remain independent, because they have opportunity of funding from other sources. German experience showed that the starting point in the system of public services is the understanding of the necessity of paying taxes as acknowledgment of the rights of all members of society. That is why every taxpayer expects to receive public services at the appropriate level. This unwritten rule contributes to a very high level of provision of public services through an adequate

25 CFR 20.318 - What case management responsibilities does the social services worker have?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What case management responsibilities does the social... HUMAN SERVICES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND SOCIAL SERVICES PROGRAMS Direct Assistance Employment Requirements § 20.318 What case management responsibilities does the social services worker have? In working...

75 FR 19986 - Revision of Agency Information Collection for Financial Assistance and Social Services

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-16

... Financial Assistance and Social Services AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice of... assistance under 25 CFR part 20 to eligible Indians when comparable financial assistance or social services.... Specifically, the application form was revised to include all Financial Assistance and Social Service...

Social networks and trade of services: modelling interregional flows with spatial and network autocorrelation effects

Science.gov (United States)

de la Mata, Tamara; Llano, Carlos

2013-07-01

Recent literature on border effect has fostered research on informal barriers to trade and the role played by network dependencies. In relation to social networks, it has been shown that intensity of trade in goods is positively correlated with migration flows between pairs of countries/regions. In this article, we investigate whether such a relation also holds for interregional trade of services. We also consider whether interregional trade flows in services linked with tourism exhibit spatial and/or social network dependence. Conventional empirical gravity models assume the magnitude of bilateral flows between regions is independent of flows to/from regions located nearby in space, or flows to/from regions related through social/cultural/ethic network connections. With this aim, we provide estimates from a set of gravity models showing evidence of statistically significant spatial and network (demographic) dependence in the bilateral flows of the trade of services considered. The analysis has been applied to the Spanish intra- and interregional monetary flows of services from the accommodation, restaurants and travel agencies for the period 2000-2009, using alternative datasets for the migration stocks and definitions of network effects.

25 CFR 20.404 - What information is contained in a social services assessment?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What information is contained in a social services assessment? 20.404 Section 20.404 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND SOCIAL SERVICES PROGRAMS Services to Children, Elderly, and Families § 20.404 What...

Service Learning and Its Influenced to Pre-Service Teachers: Social Responsibility and Self-Efficacy Study

Science.gov (United States)

Prasertsang, Parichart; Nuangchalerm, Prasart; Pumipuntu, Chaloey

2013-01-01

The purpose of the research was to study pre-service teachers on social responsibility and self-efficacy through service learning. The mixed methodology included two major procedures (i) the actual use of a developed service learning instructional model by means of action research principles and qualitative research and (ii) the study into the…

Identifying barriers and improving communication between cancer service providers and Aboriginal patients and their families: the perspective of service providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahid, Shaouli; Durey, Angela; Bessarab, Dawn; Aoun, Samar M; Thompson, Sandra C

2013-11-04

Aboriginal Australians experience poorer outcomes from cancer compared to the non-Aboriginal population. Some progress has been made in understanding Aboriginal Australians' perspectives about cancer and their experiences with cancer services. However, little is known of cancer service providers' (CSPs) thoughts and perceptions regarding Aboriginal patients and their experiences providing optimal cancer care to Aboriginal people. Communication between Aboriginal patients and non-Aboriginal health service providers has been identified as an impediment to good Aboriginal health outcomes. This paper reports on CSPs' views about the factors impairing communication and offers practical strategies for promoting effective communication with Aboriginal patients in Western Australia (WA). A qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 62 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal CSPs from across WA was conducted between March 2006-September 2007 and April-October 2011. CSPs were asked to share their experiences with Aboriginal patients and families experiencing cancer. Thematic analysis was carried out. Our analysis was primarily underpinned by the socio-ecological model, but concepts of Whiteness and privilege, and cultural security also guided our analysis. CSPs' lack of knowledge about the needs of Aboriginal people with cancer and Aboriginal patients' limited understanding of the Western medical system were identified as the two major impediments to communication. For effective patient-provider communication, attention is needed to language, communication style, knowledge and use of medical terminology and cross-cultural differences in the concept of time. Aboriginal marginalization within mainstream society and Aboriginal people's distrust of the health system were also key issues impacting on communication. Potential solutions to effective Aboriginal patient-provider communication included recruiting more Aboriginal staff, providing appropriate cultural training for CSPs

A Study on Librarian Service Providers' Awareness and Perceptions of Library Services for the Disabled

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Younghee Noh

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to improve library promotional marketing for the disabled by identifying requirements of public library disability services. This study aimed to investigate librarian service providers' awareness of library programs for the disabled in order to prepare a systematic plan for promoting such library services. Research methods used are a literature analysis and survey. First, the ratio of respondents with experience promoting activities and services for the disabled was less than 50%. Second, regarding methods for promoting library disability services, the respondents used library homepages, press releases, library user guides, library newsletters, and library pamphlets in that order. Third, when asked what kind of PR media the library disability service providers had experience with and how often they use it, library boards and banners were the most common response. Fourth, suggested improvements to the current design and content of PR materials included: clearer word choice (or greater understandability, more detailed descriptions, simpler layouts, and more interesting or eye-catching content in that order. Fifth, the library disability services which are in the most need of public relations were guide information for library disability services, Library and Information Service (DOI services and search services, using alternative materials and the library collection, and aiding the information search. Overall, when evaluating the promotion of disability services in Korea, the library's public relations for disabled services needs to improve because currently neither librarians nor the disabled community they are targeting has frequent or quality experience with it. Thus, the policy department for the library disability services must develop a variety of promotional strategies adjusted for each type of the disability and distribute PR materials to service providers individually, making sure to utilize effective PR

Single Mothers' Experiences with Pregnancy and Child Rearing in Korea: Discrepancy between Social Services/Policies and Single Mothers' Needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung-Eun; Lee, Jin Yong; Lee, Sang Hyung

2018-05-10

This study aims to explore single mothers’ experiences with social services/policies for their independent living and to identify gaps between these experiences and the needs of single mothers. A focus group discussion was performed to collect data. Seven single mothers discussed their experiences in significant periods of their lives: pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. Findings from the qualitative thematic analysis show discrepancies between the direction of social services/policies and single mothers’ needs, in terms of difficulties in healthcare, childcare, housing, employment, and income security. To the single mothers in this study, the social safety net is not inclusive, compared to that which is available to two-parent families or adoptive families. It is necessary to intervene in current blind spots of services/policies for single mothers, and to provide a social safety net to strengthen single mothers’ self-reliance and their children’s social security in the long term.

Saving our criminal justice system: the efficacy of a collaborative social service.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamatani, Hide; Spjeldnes, Solveig

2011-01-01

On a typical day in 2008, 776,573 individuals were behind bars in nearly 3,500 U.S. jails. Yet the potential benefits of social services in achieving lower recidivism rates and successful reintegration are understudied in jail populations. This three-year study investigated the effects of collaboration-based in-jail services and postrelease transitional services provided by the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative (ACJC). The results included a significantly lower recidivism rate among inmate participants, similar service benefits across racial groups, and successful reintegration into community life among a large majority of participants. At 12 months postrelease, participants had a 50 percent lower recidivism rate than members of the matched comparison group, who were unexposed to the intervention, and multiple indicators showed successful reintegration. This reduced rate would save the county an estimated $5.3 million annually, largely due to increased public safety and lower victimization costs. Data sources included the ACJ's historical inmate data sets from the pre-ACJC and post-ACJC intervention periods, three postrelease face-to-face survey interviews, and focus group sessions with former inmate participants and the study interviewers.The critical importance of social workers in rehabilitative efforts with jail inmates is discussed along with recommendations and implications for policy, practice, and research.

Forging New Service Paths: Institutional Approaches to Providing Research Data Management Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Regina Raboin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: This paper describes three different institutional experiences in developing research data management programs and services, challenges/opportunities and lessons learned.Overview: This paper is based on the Librarian Panel Discussion during the 4th Annual University of Massachusetts and New England Region e-Science Symposium. Librarians representing large public and private research universities presented an overview of service models developed at their respective organizations to bring support for data management and eScience to their communities. The approaches described include two library-based, integrated service models and one collaboratively-staffed, center-based service model.Results: Three institutions describe their experiences in creating the organizational capacity for research data management support services. Although each institutional approach is unique, common challenges include garnering administrative support, managing the integration of services with new or existing staff structures, and continuing to meet researchers needs as they evolve.Conclusions: There is no one way to provide research data management services, but any staff position, committee, or formalized center reflects an overarching organizational commitment to data management support.

Opportunities for Pharmacists and Student Pharmacists to Provide Clinical Preventive Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie A. DiPietro Mager

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Pharmacists and student pharmacists can play an important role in providing clinical preventive services as specified by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF. The USPSTF guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services for the general population. The purpose of this paper is to provide information to pharmacists and student pharmacists developing and implementing preventive health care services. Examples of successful pharmacy-based programs are also provided. Pharmacists and student pharmacists can provide preventive health care interventions by conducting screenings, providing education, and making referrals. Conflict of Interest We declare no conflicts of interest or financial interests that the authors or members of their immediate families have in any product or service discussed in the manuscript, including grants (pending or received, employment, gifts, stock holdings or options, honoraria, consultancies, expert testimony, patents and royalties   Type: Idea Paper

The Roles of Individual and Organizational Factors in Burnout among Community-Based Mental Health Service Providers

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Amy E.; Albanese, Brian J.; Shapiro, Nicole M.; Aarons, Gregory A.

2014-01-01

Public sector mental health care providers are at high risk for burnout which negatively affects not only provider well-being but also the quality of services for clients and the functioning of organizations. This study examines the influence of demographics, work characteristic, and organizational variables on levels of burnout among child and adolescent mental health service providers operating within a public sector mental health service system. Additionally, given the dearth of research examining differences in burnout levels among mental health sub-disciplines (e.g., social work, psychology, marital and family therapy) and mental health programs (e.g., outpatient, day treatment, Wraparound, case management), analyses were conducted to compare levels of burnout among multiple mental health disciplines and program types. Surveys were completed by 285 providers across 49 mental health programs in a large urban public mental health system. Variables representing dimensions of organizational climate and transformational leadership accounted for the greatest amount of variance in provider reported burnout. Analyses demonstrated significantly lower levels of depersonalization among Wraparound providers compared to traditional case managers. Age was the only demographic variable related to burnout. Additionally, no significant effects were found for provider discipline or for agency tenure and caseload size. Results suggest the need to consider organizational development strategies aimed at creating more functional and less stressful climates and increasing levels of transformational leadership behaviors in order to reduce levels of burnout among clinicians working in public mental health settings for youth and families. PMID:24564442

25 CFR 171.305 - Will BIA provide leaching service to me?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Will BIA provide leaching service to me? 171.305 Section... OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE Water Use § 171.305 Will BIA provide leaching service to me? (a) We may provide you leaching service if: (1) You submit a written plan that documents how soil salinity limits your...

Service user integration into social work education: lessons learned from nordic participatory action projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Angelin, Anna

2015-01-01

Service users have lacked substantial influence, access, and participation in social work education in Norway and Sweden. In this article the author presents comparative analyses of two participatory projects that have developed and implemented practices that integrate service users into academic social work education and empower service users. The Norwegian HUSK project and the Social Work as Mobilization and Entrepreneurship course, also known as the "Mobilization course," at Lund University in Sweden demonstrate collaboration between research, social work education, and service users. The conclusions focus on the importance of the empowering processes by including recognition and dialogue, co-learning in practice, and the use of neutral venues to ensure effective user participation. The inclusion of service users in social work education can improve both practice and education.

Machine Learning for Social Services: A Study of Prenatal Case Management in Illinois.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Ian; Nolan, Laura B; Brown, Rashida R; Khan, Romana; van der Boor, Paul; Harris, Daniel G; Ghani, Rayid

2017-06-01

To evaluate the positive predictive value of machine learning algorithms for early assessment of adverse birth risk among pregnant women as a means of improving the allocation of social services. We used administrative data for 6457 women collected by the Illinois Department of Human Services from July 2014 to May 2015 to develop a machine learning model for adverse birth prediction and improve upon the existing paper-based risk assessment. We compared different models and determined the strongest predictors of adverse birth outcomes using positive predictive value as the metric for selection. Machine learning algorithms performed similarly, outperforming the current paper-based risk assessment by up to 36%; a refined paper-based assessment outperformed the current assessment by up to 22%. We estimate that these improvements will allow 100 to 170 additional high-risk pregnant women screened for program eligibility each year to receive services that would have otherwise been unobtainable. Our analysis exhibits the potential for machine learning to move government agencies toward a more data-informed approach to evaluating risk and providing social services. Overall, such efforts will improve the efficiency of allocating resource-intensive interventions.

Study on Construction of Forestry Socialized Service Systems Based on Barnard's Organizational Structure Theory

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WANG Can-fu; CHENG Xiao-qiu

2011-01-01

Construction of forestry socialized service systems is the important content for reform of collective forestry tenure systems.Based on the necessity, possibility and problem of construction of forestry socialized service system, according to Barnard's Organizational Structure theory, the path and countermeasure of forestry socialized service system in China are discussed.

Commercial Building Loads Providing Ancillary Services in PJM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MacDonald, Jason; Kiliccote, Sila; Boch, Jim; Chen, Jonathan; Nawy, Robert

2014-06-27

The adoption of low carbon energy technologies such as variable renewable energy and electric vehicles, coupled with the efficacy of energy efficiency to reduce traditional base load has increased the uncertainty inherent in the net load shape. Handling this variability with slower, traditional resources leads to inefficient system dispatch, and in some cases may compromise reliability. Grid operators are looking to future energy technologies, such as automated demand response (DR), to provide capacity-based reliability services as the need for these services increase. While DR resources are expected to have the flexibility characteristics operators are looking for, demonstrations are necessary to build confidence in their capabilities. Additionally, building owners are uncertain of the monetary value and operational burden of providing these services. To address this, the present study demonstrates the ability of demand response resources providing two ancillary services in the PJM territory, synchronous reserve and regulation, using an OpenADR 2.0b signaling architecture. The loads under control include HVAC and lighting at a big box retail store and variable frequency fan loads. The study examines performance characteristics of the resource: the speed of response, communications latencies in the architecture, and accuracy of response. It also examines the frequency and duration of events and the value in the marketplace which can be used to examine if the opportunity is sufficient to entice building owners to participate.

A Social Learning Management System Supporting Feedback for Incorrect Answers Based on Social Network Services

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Jiseong; Kim, Jeong-Dong; Na, Hong-Seok; Baik, Doo-Kwon

2016-01-01

In this research, we propose a Social Learning Management System (SLMS) enabling real-time and reliable feedback for incorrect answers by learners using a social network service (SNS). The proposed system increases the accuracy of learners' assessment results by using a confidence scale and a variety of social feedback that is created and shared…

Using cultural-historical activity theory to analyze social service practices evolving from the Norwegian HUSK projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Foot, Kirsten

2015-01-01

The HUSK projects catalyzed innovation in the practices of providing social services that could yield useful insights both within and outside of Norway if analyzed in these two ways: (a) retrospective analysis of the development of individual HUSK projects in light of their cultural-historical contexts, and (b) comparative analysis of the efforts to advance multi-sector collaboration in some of the HUSK projects. Such analyses require a practice-based research approach that takes into account culture and history. In this article the author explains how cultural-historical activity theory provides such an approach, illustrated via several HUSK cases. The author suggests five questions for future analyses of the HUSK projects and argues that insights gleaned from such analyses could contribute significantly to research on-and the provision of-social services.

Social capital, collective efficacy and the provision of services and amenities by municipalities.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waverijn, G.; Groenewegen, P.P.; Klerk, M. de

2017-01-01

Differential provision of local services and amenities has been proposed as a mechanism behind the relationship between social capital and health. The aim of this study was to investigate whether social capital and collective efficacy are related to the provision of social support services and

The financial value of services provided by a rural community health fair.

Science.gov (United States)

Dulin, Mary Katherine; Olive, Kenneth E; Florence, Joseph A; Sliger, Carolyn

2006-11-01

There has been little discussion in the literature regarding the financial value of the services provided to the participants in health fairs. This article examines the financial value of preventive services provided through a community health fair in an economically depressed area of southwest Virginia. Current Procedural Terminology codes were assigned to the services provided in order to estimate costs participants might incur for such services. An average 50-year-old man would have paid up to $320 to obtain commonly recommended preventive services available free at the fair. An average 50-year-old woman would have paid up to $495. Overall, over $58,000 in services were provided through the health fair. This community health fair provided preventive services that many participants otherwise might have found to be cost-prohibitive.

Techno-Economic Analysis of BEV Service Providers Offering Battery Swapping Services

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neubauer, J. S.; Pesaran, A.

2013-01-01

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) offer the potential to reduce both oil imports and greenhouse gas emissions, but high upfront costs, battery-limited vehicle range, and concern over high battery replacement costs may discourage potential buyers. A subscription model in which a service provider owns the battery and supplies access to battery swapping infrastructure could reduce upfront and replacement costs for batteries with a predictable monthly fee, while expanding BEV range. Assessing the costs and benefits of such a proposal are complicated by many factors, including customer drive patterns, the amount of required infrastructure, battery life, etc. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has applied its Battery Ownership Model to compare the economics and utility of BEV battery swapping service plan options to more traditional direct ownership options. Our evaluation process followed four steps: (1) identifying drive patterns best suited to battery swapping service plans, (2) modeling service usage statistics for the selected drive patterns, (3) calculating the cost-of-service plan options, and (4) evaluating the economics of individual drivers under realistically priced service plans. A service plan option can be more cost-effective than direct ownership for drivers who wish to operate a BEV as their primary vehicle where alternative options for travel beyond the single-charge range are expensive, and a full-coverage-yet-cost-effective regional infrastructure network can be deployed. However, when assumed cost of gasoline, tax structure, and absence of purchase incentives are factored in, our calculations show the service plan BEV is rarely more cost-effective than direct ownership of a conventional vehicle.

Maternity Care Services Provided by Family Physicians in Rural Hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Richard A

The purpose of this study was to describe how many rural family physicians (FPs) and other types of providers currently provide maternity care services, and the requirements to obtain privileges. Chief executive officers of rural hospitals were purposively sampled in 15 geographically diverse states with significant rural areas in 2013 to 2014. Questions were asked about the provision of maternity care services, the physicians who perform them, and qualifications required to obtain maternity care privileges. Analysis used descriptive statistics, with comparisons between the states, community rurality, and hospital size. The overall response rate was 51.2% (437/854). Among all identified hospitals, 44.9% provided maternity care services, which varied considerably by state (range, 17-83%; P maternity care, a mean of 271 babies were delivered per year, 27% by cesarean delivery. A mean of 7.0 FPs had privileges in these hospitals, of which 2.8 provided maternity care and 1.8 performed cesarean deliveries. The percentage of FPs who provide maternity care (mean, 48%; range, 10-69%; P maternity care who are FPs (mean, 63%; range, 10-88%; P maternity care services in US rural hospitals, including cesarean deliveries. Some family medicine residencies should continue to train their residents to provide these services to keep replenishing this valuable workforce. © Copyright 2017 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Preliminary construction of a service provider--informed domestic violence research agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Christine E; Welch, Metoka L

2010-12-01

This article presents the results of a statewide survey of domestic violence (DV) service providers that focused on the needs, background characteristics, and opinions of service providers related to research. The survey included an examination of service providers' motivation for working in the field, research background and training, and perceptions of research as well as the topics they believe are important for researchers to study, the resources they consult to learn about DV, and their suggestions to help researchers learn more about the nature of their work. The results are integrated into a preliminary agenda for future DV research that accounts for the needs and insight of service providers.

Framing the future: sme logistics service providers and scenario planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stef Weijers; Reinder Pieters; Allan Woodburn; Hans-Heinrich Glöckner

2013-01-01

In recent years, the transport industry has encountered numerous challenges. It experienced strong growth, but also many uncertainties. In many cases, logistics service providers were forced to change their strategy. So, the question for logistics service providers arises “how to deal best with

Using visual stimuli to explore the social perceptions of ecosystem services in cultural landscapes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

López-Santiago, César A.; Oteros-Rozas, Elisa; Martín-López, Berta

2014-01-01

, which are used for herd migration, represent the most outstanding feature of these landscapes. We used visually based landscape interpretation to evaluate social perceptions of ecosystem services provided by the Conquense Drove Road transhumance landscape in Spain. Face-to-face questionnaires (N = 314...... perceptions of 16 ecosystem services supplied by these two landscapes. These 16 services were divided into 3 types: provisioning, such as the production of food and water; regulating, such as the control of climate and disease; and cultural, such as spiritual and recreational benefits. We also identified...... ecosystem services tended to be related to forests. All three types of ecosystem services were more perceived by respondents when a drove road was present in each landscape. However, differences in the visual perception of ecosystem services supply and preference for transhumance landscapes emerged...

Rich Country, Poor People: the challenges of providing psychiatric services in the public and the private sectors in Papua New Guinea.

Science.gov (United States)

Muga, Florence

2015-12-01

To describe some of the challenges in the provision of psychiatric services in Papua New Guinea. Many of the challenges faced when providing mental health care are not clinical in nature, but rather a combination of social, cultural, economic and infrastructural factors that hinder the adequate provision of, and access to, psychiatric services in Papua New Guinea. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Community aging initiatives and social capital: developing theories of change in the context of NORC Supportive Service Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenfield, Emily A

2014-03-01

This study aimed to develop theory on how Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) Supportive Service Programs potentially transform social relationships within communities to promote aging in place. Data were analyzed from semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 lead agencies representing 15 NORC programs in New Jersey. Results indicated that professionals seek to infuse capital within three domains of relationships: lead agency staff's relationships with older adults, formal service providers' relationships with each other, and older adults' relationships with each other. This social capital potentially enhances the amount of community-based services and supports within a residential area, as well as their accessibility, appropriateness, responsiveness, and coherence.

Accessibility and equity of health and social care services: exploring the views and experiences of Bangladeshi carers in South Wales, UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Merrell, Joy; Kinsella, Faye; Murphy, Fiona; Philpin, Sue; Ali, Amina

2006-05-01

There is a paucity of information regarding the extent and nature of caring provided by minority ethnic communities. The proportion of older people from these communities will dramatically increase in the next 20 years, which will be accompanied by increasing health and social care needs and an increased demand for carers. A qualitative, exploratory study was conducted to identify the health and social care needs of informal carers, who were caring for a dependent adult from a Bangladeshi community in South Wales, UK. This paper focuses on Bangladeshi carers' access to formal support services provided by the statutory, private and voluntary sectors to assist them with their caring responsibilities. The findings are based on data collected using face-to-face, focused interviews with 20 Bangladeshi carers. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit the sample. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The dimensions of accessibility and equity of quality of care were drawn upon to aid understanding of the findings. Bangladeshi carers faced a number of barriers in accessing health and social service provision, which impeded uptake of these services. Additionally, there was evidence of inequity in service provision. Recommendations for improving the accessibility of health and social care services are proposed, which may assist in promoting more equitable services for carers from the Bangladeshi community.

Determinants of Behavioral Intention to Use South Korean Airline Services: Effects of Service Quality and Corporate Social Responsibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eunil Park

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Since the introduction of corporate social responsibility (CSR, it has become an important duty of companies and organizations. In addition, academic and industry researchers have attempted to explore the effects of corporate social responsibility on firm performance. To this end, this study examined how corporate social responsibility and service quality are notably associated with customer satisfaction and behavioral intention to use by employing a structural equation modeling method. A research model with nine constructs was introduced and the findings revealed that economic, social, and environmental responsibility, as well as in-flight service quality, significantly determined customer satisfaction, while there were notable connections between customer satisfaction and behavioral intention to use. However, service quality at airports did not have a significant effect on satisfaction. The practical and theoretical implications of the current study are discussed.

Where's the Justice in Service-Learning? Institutionalizing Service-Learning from a Social Justice Perspective at a Jesuit University

Science.gov (United States)

Cuban, Sondra; Anderson, Jeffrey B.

2007-01-01

We attempt to answer "where" the social justice is in service-learning by probing "what" it is, "how" it looks in the process of being institutionalized at a Jesuit university, and "why" it is important. We develop themes about institutionalizing service-learning from a social justice perspective. Our themes were developed through an analysis of…

A GIS application for assessing, mapping, and quantifying the social values of ecosystem services

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrouse, Benson C.; Clement, Jessica M.; Semmens, Darius J.

2011-01-01

As human pressures on ecosystems continue to increase, research involving the effective incorporation of social values information into the context of comprehensive ecosystem services assessments is becoming more important. Including quantified, spatially explicit social value metrics in such assessments will improve the analysis of relative tradeoffs among ecosystem services. This paper describes a GIS application, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES), developed to assess, map, and quantify the perceived social values of ecosystem services by deriving a non-monetary Value Index from responses to a public attitude and preference survey. SolVES calculates and maps the Value Index for social values held by various survey subgroups, as distinguished by their attitudes regarding ecosystem use. Index values can be compared within and among survey subgroups to explore the effect of social contexts on the valuation of ecosystem services. Index values can also be correlated and regressed against landscape metrics SolVES calculates from various environmental data layers. Coefficients derived through these analyses were applied to their corresponding data layers to generate a predicted social value map. This map compared favorably with other SolVES output and led to the addition of a predictive mapping function to SolVES for value transfer to areas where survey data are unavailable. A more robust application is being developed as a public domain tool for decision makers and researchers to map social values of ecosystem services and to facilitate discussions among diverse stakeholders involving relative tradeoffs among different ecosystem services in a variety of physical and social contexts.

Career Practitioners' Conceptions of Social Media in Career Services

Science.gov (United States)

Kettunen, Jaana; Vuorinen, Raimo; Sampson, James P., Jr.

2013-01-01

This article reports the outcomes of a study, undertaken from a phenomenographic perspective, of career practitioners' conceptions of social media usage in career services. Fifteen Finnish career practitioners--representing comprehensive, secondary and higher education as well as public employment services--were interviewed in focus groups. The…

Opinion Mining for User Generated Design By Social Networking Service and Japanese Manga

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anak Agung Gede Dharma

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The growth of Social Networking Service (SNS has created a new potential in marketing. While users communicate and interact via SNS, the list of their conversation, which is called casual data can be used to determine their needs or aspirations. SNS can be very useful for product/service developers, especially when developing new ideas or simply evaluating the feasibility of their existing products/services. Furthermore, SNS provides a unique system that enables expressive and two-way communication between its users. SNS is known for its effectiveness in delivering fresh news and information, thus it can be used as promotional media. Although several online services that utilize SNS and casual data have been provided, the purpose of those services is still unclear and ineffective. In those services, users were only asked for their opinions without receiving sufficient feedbacks. Therefore, to solve these problems we propose an innovative way of utilizing SNS and casual data in designing user generated design. In our proposed system, users can directly contribute to the product/service development process in an interesting way. We designed an online service, which allows users to posts manga that describes their original idea. While contributing to the product/service development, they can also benefit from expressing their hobbies and receiving feedbacks from other users.

Opinion Mining for User Generated Design by Social Networking Service and Japanese Manga

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anak Agung Gede Dharma

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The growth of Social Networking Service (SNS has created a new potential in marketing. While users communicate and interact via SNS, the list of their conversation, which is called casual data can be used to determine their needs or aspirations. SNS can be very useful for product/service developers, especially when developing new ideas or simply evaluating the feasibility of their existing products/services. Furthermore, SNS provides a unique system that enables expressive and two-way communication between its users. SNS is known for its effectiveness in delivering fresh news and information, thus it can be used as promotional media. Although several online services that utilize SNS and casual data have been provided, the purpose of those services is still unclear and ineffective. In those services, users were only asked for their opinions without receiving sufficient feedbacks. Therefore, to solve these problems we propose an innovative way of utilizing SNS and casual data in designing user generated design XE "user generated design" . In our proposed system, users can directly contribute to the product/service development process in an interesting way. We designed an online service, which allows users to posts manga that describes their original idea. While contributing to the product/service development, they can also benefit from expressing their hobbies and receiving feedbacks from other users.

Does social marketing provide a framework for changing healthcare practice?

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Zoë Slote; Clarkson, Peter John

2009-07-01

We argue that social marketing can be used as a generic framework for analysing barriers to the take-up of clinical guidelines, and planning interventions which seek to enable this change. We reviewed the literature on take-up of clinical guidelines, in particular barriers and enablers to change; social marketing principles and social marketing applied to healthcare. We then applied the social marketing framework to analyse the literature and to consider implications for future guideline policy to assess its feasibility and accessibility. There is sizeable extant literature on healthcare practitioners' non-compliance with clinical guidelines. This is an international problem common to a number of settings. The reasons for poor levels of take up appear to be well understood, but not addressed adequately in practice. Applying a social marketing framework brings new insights to the problem." We show that a social marketing framework provides a useful solution-focused framework for systematically understanding barriers to individual behaviour change and designing interventions accordingly. Whether the social marketing framework provides an effective means of bringing about behaviour change remains an empirical question which has still to be tested in practice. The analysis presented here provides strong motivation to begin such testing.

Public service in the age of social network media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjarvard, Stig

2018-01-01

This chapter addresses how, and to what extent, public service obligations and institutions may be redefined and extended to facilitate information flows and public deliberation using social network media as a remedy for democratic deficiencies of both older mass media and newer forms of network...... media. I make a case for three public service functions that have particular importance in social network media: curation, moderation, and monitoring. Building on a critique of the individualistic perspective underlying both cyber-optimist and -pessimist accounts of the potentials of social network...... media, an alternative and institutional perspective based on mediatization theory is introduced. I focus on the ongoing restructuring of societal spheres through which strategic and sociable forms of communication are challenging deliberative forms of communication. Based on recent studies on public...

More than a device: today's medical technology companies provide value through service.

Science.gov (United States)

McCoy, Fred

2003-01-01

When physicians implant cardiac rhythm management devices, they establish a long-term relationship with those devices and with the manufacturers of those devices. The therapeutic value that each device will provide to its patient is enhanced throughout the life of the device by the services that the manufacturer provides. Services are provided prior to, during and long after implantation. Services include physician and allied health professional training, quality assurance programs, therapy outreach initiatives, on site technical support during device implantation and follow-up, technical service expertise and customer service support. The costs of these services are substantial. When assessed on a per device basis, the service costs may actually exceed the costs of manufacture. Further, the costs of these services are rising. Over the past five years, the number of implanted cardiac rhythm management devices has doubled. Industry field forces have tripled in size. Clearly, industry is dedicated to providing service as a critical element in achieving excellent patient outcomes.

The Net Neutrality Debate: Analysis of economic implications of net neutrality on internet service providers, content providers and internet users

OpenAIRE

Møinichen, Jørgen

2014-01-01

This thesis studies the economic implications of a transition from a neutral to a non-neutral network. A mathematical model with an end to end ecosystem is developed, which includes a backbone internet service provider that provides connectivity for the content providers. The model also includes internet users that pay an access internet service provider for connectivity to interact with the content providers, advertisers that pay the content providers, and access internet service providers t...

Incorporating elements of social franchising in government health services improves the quality of infant and young child feeding counselling services at commune health centres in Vietnam.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Phuong H; Kim, Sunny S; Keithly, Sarah C; Hajeebhoy, Nemat; Tran, Lan M; Ruel, Marie T; Rawat, Rahul; Menon, Purnima

2014-12-01

Although social franchising has been shown to enhance the quality of reproductive health services in developing countries, its effect on nutrition services remains unexamined. This study assessed the effects of incorporating elements of social franchising on shaping the quality of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) counselling facilities and services in Vietnam. Process-related data collected 12 months after the launch of the first franchises were used to compare randomly assigned Alive & Thrive-supported health facilities (AT-F, n = 20) with standard facilities (SF, n = 12) across three dimensions of service quality: 'structure', 'process' and 'outcome' that capture the quality of facilities, service delivery, and client perceptions and use, respectively. Data collection included facility assessments (n = 32), staff surveys (n = 96), counselling observations (n = 137), client exit interviews (n = 137) and in-depth interviews with mothers (n = 48). Structure: AT-F were more likely to have an unshared, well-equipped room for nutrition counselling than SF (65.0% vs 10.0%). Compared with SF providers, AT-F staff had better IYCF knowledge (mean score 9.9 vs 8.8, range 0-11 for breastfeeding; mean score 3.6 vs 3.2, range 0-4 for complementary feeding). AT-F providers also demonstrated significantly better interpersonal communication skills (score 9.6 vs 5.1, range 0-13) and offered more comprehensive counselling sessions. Overall utilization of franchises was low (10%). A higher proportion of pregnant women utilized franchise services (48.9%), compared with mothers with children 6-23.9 months (1.4%). There was no quantitative difference in client satisfaction with counselling services between AT-F and SF, but franchise users praised the AT-F for problem solving related to child feeding. Incorporating elements of social franchising significantly enhances the quality of IYCF counselling services within government primary healthcare facilities, particularly their

Factors influencing business of mobile telecommunication service providers in Vietnam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ha Thanh Hai

2018-05-01

Full Text Available According to the Ministry of Information and Communications in Vietnam, as of November 2015, the number of mobile subscribers is over 120 million ones, accounting for over 86% of the total number of telephone subscribers. With a total population of over 92 million Vietnam citizens, a stable national economy and a large populations of young consumers in the country, mobile communication industries still have a huge potentials for future development. Telecommunication service providers in Vietnam are facing fierce competition. Subscribers are expecting OTT (Over the Top applications, good quality service and handset subsidy. This study investigated whether legal frameworks, OTT applications, quality of service and handset subsidy are important components of mobile telecommunication service in Vietnam. This study used quantitative method to distribute surveys to mobile subscribers. Findings found that all four factors significantly influence mobile business in Vietnam. Thus, telecommunication service providers in Vietnam must continuously innovate to enhance operational competitiveness, improve business efficiency, expand business scale, and improve its position in the market in order to ensure sustainable development. Moreover, Vietnamese government needs to develop a legal framework to help mobile telecommunication service providers enhance the common interests and benefits of the entire society.

Ethical challenges in the use of social service robots for elderly people.

Science.gov (United States)

Körtner, T

2016-06-01

Socially assistive robots are increasingly discussed as solutions in care and domestic use for the support of senior adults; however, this raises ethical questions which hitherto have not been considered or were not predictable. The most important questions are those of privacy and data protection, safety and responsibility as well as involvement of vulnerable persons and deception. Consequently, the ethical principles of nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy and fairness should be transposed to robotics. Clear answers and solutions are not yet available for every ethical challenge in robotics; however, the development of ethical guidelines for deployment of robots and research in the field of social service robots (SSR) are essential steps in order to embed ethics into dealing with socially assistive robots. This article provides some practical suggestions on this issue from a robotics project.

The roles of individual and organizational factors in burnout among community-based mental health service providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Amy E; Albanese, Brian J; Shapiro, Nicole M; Aarons, Gregory A

2014-02-01

Public-sector mental health care providers are at high risk for burnout, which negatively affects not only provider well-being but also the quality of services for clients and the functioning of organizations. This study examines the influence of demographics, work characteristic, and organizational variables on levels of burnout among child and adolescent mental health service providers operating within a public-sector mental health service system. Additionally, given the dearth of research examining differences in burnout levels among mental health subdisciplines (e.g., social work, psychology, marital and family therapy) and mental health programs (e.g., outpatient, day treatment, wraparound, case management), analyses were conducted to compare levels of burnout among multiple mental health disciplines and program types. Surveys were completed by 285 providers across 49 mental health programs in a large urban public mental health system. Variables representing dimensions of organizational climate and transformational leadership accounted for the greatest amount of variance in provider reported burnout. Analyses demonstrated significantly lower levels of depersonalization among wraparound providers compared to traditional case managers. Age was the only demographic variable related to burnout. Additionally, no significant effects were found for provider discipline or for agency tenure and caseload size. Results suggest the need to consider organizational development strategies aimed at creating more functional and less stressful climates and increasing levels of transformational leadership behaviors in order to reduce levels of burnout among clinicians working in public mental health settings for youth and families. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Eliciting Provider and Patient Perspectives on New Obesity Management Services in a Team-Based Primary Care Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Royall, Dawna; Brauer, Paula; Atta-Konadu, Edwoba; Dwyer, John J M; Edwards, A Michelle; Hussey, Tracy; Kates, Nick

2017-09-01

Both providers and patients may have important insights to inform the development of obesity prevention and management services in Canadian primary care settings. In this formative study, insights for new obesity management services were sought from both providers and patients in 1 progressive citywide organization (150 physicians, team services, separate offices). Seven focus groups with interprofessional health providers (n = 56) and 4 focus groups with patients (n = 34) were conducted. Two clinical vignettes (adult, child) were used to focus discussion. Four analysts coded for descriptive content and interpretative themes on possible tools and care processes using NVivo. Participants identified numerous strategies for care processes, most of which could be categorized into 1 or more of 11 themes: 6 directed at clinical care of patients (raising awareness, screening, clinical care, skill building, ongoing support, and social/peer support) and 5 directed at the organization (coordination/collaboration, creating awareness among health professionals, adding new expertise to the team, marketing, and lobbying/advocacy). The approach was successful in generating an extensive list of diverse activities to be considered for implementation studies. Both patients and providers identified that multiple strategies and systems approaches will be needed to address obesity management in primary care.

Health organizations providing and seeking social support: a Twitter-based content analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rui, Jian Raymond; Chen, Yixin; Damiano, Amanda

2013-09-01

Providing and seeking social support are important aspects of social exchange. New communication technologies, especially social network sites (SNSs), facilitate the process of support exchange. An increasing number of health organizations are using SNSs. However, how they provide and seek social support via SNSs has yet to garner academic attention. This study examined the types of social support provided and sought by health organizations on Twitter. A content analysis was conducted on 1,500 tweets sent by a random sample of 58 health organizations within 2 months. Findings indicate that providing informational and emotional support, as well as seeking instrumental support, were the main types of social support exchanged by health organizations through Twitter. This study provides a typology for studying social support exchanges by health organizations, and recommends strategies for health organizations regarding the effective use of Twitter.

Evaluation of poison information services provided by a new poison information center.

Science.gov (United States)

Churi, Shobha; Abraham, Lovin; Ramesh, M; Narahari, M G

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the nature and quality of services provided by poison information center established at a tertiary-care teaching hospital, Mysore. This was a prospective observational study. The poison information center was officially established in September 2010 and began its functioning thereafter. The center is equipped with required resources and facility (e.g., text books, Poisindex, Drugdex, toll free telephone service, internet and online services) to provide poison information services. The poison information services provided by the center were recorded in documentation forms. The documentation form consists of numerous sections to collect information on: (a) Type of population (children, adult, elderly or pregnant) (b) poisoning agents (c) route of exposure (d) type of poisoning (intentional, accidental or environmental) (e) demographic details of patient (age, gender and bodyweight) (f) enquirer details (background, place of call and mode of request) (g) category and purpose of query and (h) details of provided service (information provided, mode of provision, time taken to provide information and references consulted). The nature and quality of poison information services provided was assessed using a quality assessment checklist developed in accordance with DSE/World Health Organization guidelines. Chi-Square test (χ(2)). A total of 419 queries were received by the center. A majority (n = 333; 79.5%) of the queries were asked by the doctors to provide optimal care (n = 400; 95.5%). Most of the queries were received during ward rounds (n = 201; 48.0%), followed by direct access (n = 147; 35.1%). The poison information services were predominantly provided through verbal communication (n = 352; 84.0%). Upon receipt of queries, the required service was provided immediately (n = 103; 24.6%) or within 10-20 min (n = 296; 70.6%). The queries were mainly related to intentional poisoning (n = 258; 64.5%), followed by accidental poisoning

Cloud Service Provider Methods for Managing Insider Threats: Analysis Phase 1

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-01

of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-145 (NIST SP 800-145) defines three types of cloud services : Software as a Service ( SaaS ...among these three models. NIST SP 800-145 describes the three service models as follows: SaaS —The capability provided to the consumer is to use the...Cloud Service Provider Methods for Managing Insider Threats: Analysis Phase I Greg Porter November 2013 TECHNICAL NOTE CMU/SEI-2013-TN-020

Relation de service, rapport social de service. Quelle grille d’analyse ? Analysing service relationships and service-based social relationships Relación de servicio, vínculo social de servicio. ¿Qué modelo analítico?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guillaume Tiffon

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Le débat Employé par E. Hughes et W. F. Whyte, puis théorisé par E. Goffman dans Asiles, le concept de « relation de service » est progressivement devenu incontournable dans les recherches sur les services, que ce soit en sociologie, sous l’impulsion d’I. Joseph, ou dans les sciences sociales en général – économie, ergonomie, gestion, etc. Son usage n’est pourtant pas neutre : renvoyant aux échanges qui se nouent entre personnels de contact et destinataires du service, il donne lieu à des ana...

Effectiveness of a Social Marketing Campaign Promoting Use of a Sexual Health Text Service by Teens.

Science.gov (United States)

Willoughby, Jessica Fitts

2015-01-01

Sexual health text message services are becoming an increasingly popular way to provide adolescents with accurate sexual health information, but promotion of such services is often limited. This study uses three quantitative methods (service use data, a text message-based questionnaire, and an in-school online survey) to assess the effectiveness of an in-school social marketing campaign promoting a sexual health text message service that connects teens directly with a health educator. The 3-month campaign was associated with increased service use, but use was still relatively low. Follow-up qualitative work that included focus groups and interviews found a number of barriers to use. Teens indicated they did not have sexual health questions, did not think of the service, or were unsure how to use it. Teens also brought up additional barriers such as concern over parents seeing the messages. Implications for text message service providers and health educators are discussed.

The potential for multi-disciplinary primary health care services to take action on the social determinants of health: actions and constraints.

Science.gov (United States)

Baum, Frances E; Legge, David G; Freeman, Toby; Lawless, Angela; Labonté, Ronald; Jolley, Gwyneth M

2013-05-10

The Commission on the Social Determinants of Health and the World Health Organization have called for action to address the social determinants of health. This paper considers the extent to which primary health care services in Australia are able to respond to this call. We report on interview data from an empirical study of primary health care centres in Adelaide and Alice Springs, Australia. Sixty-eight interviews were held with staff and managers at six case study primary health care services, regional health executives, and departmental funders to explore how their work responded to the social determinants of health and the dilemmas in doing so. The six case study sites included an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation, a sexual health non-government organisation, and four services funded and managed by the South Australian government. While respondents varied in the extent to which they exhibited an understanding of social determinants most were reflexive about the constraints on their ability to take action. Services' responses to social determinants included delivering services in a way that takes account of the limitations individuals face from their life circumstances, and physical spaces in the primary health care services being designed to do more than simply deliver services to individuals. The services also undertake advocacy for policies that create healthier communities but note barriers to them doing this work. Our findings suggest that primary health care workers are required to transverse "dilemmatic space" in their work. The absence of systematic supportive policy, frameworks and structure means that it is hard for PHC services to act on the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health's recommendations. Our study does, however, provide evidence of the potential for PHC services to be more responsive to social determinants given more support and by building alliances with communities and social movements. Further research on the value

Frontline police employees’ social construction of client service

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Karel Stanz

2007-07-01

Full Text Available The social construction of frontline employees’ client service plays a major role in organisational success. This study illuminated why frontline personnel are reluctant to accept organisational change which is in line with new policing philosophies. Applying modernist qualitative methodology, and particularly grounded theory within a case study design a ‘process satisfaction model’ was developed with the aim to improve employee satisfaction with internal processes and ultimately service delivery. This model may be used for change in the South African Police Service SAPS and other government departments.

Social Networking Services in E-Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Peter; Rothe, Hannes

2016-01-01

This paper is a report on the findings of a study conducted on the use of the social networking service NING in a cross-location e-learning setting named "Net Economy." We describe how we implemented NING as a fundamental part of the setting through a special phase concept and team building approach. With the help of user statistics, we…

Health provider responsiveness to social accountability initiatives in low- and middle-income countries: a realist review.

Science.gov (United States)

Lodenstein, Elsbet; Dieleman, Marjolein; Gerretsen, Barend; Broerse, Jacqueline E W

2017-02-01

Social accountability in the health sector has been promoted as a strategy to improve the quality and performance of health providers in low- and middle-income countries. Whether improvements occur, however, depends on the willingness and ability of health providers to respond to societal pressure for better care. This article uses a realist approach to review cases of collective citizen action and advocacy with the aim to identify key mechanisms of provider responsiveness. Purposeful searches for cases were combined with a systematic search in four databases. To be included in the review, the initiatives needed to describe at least one outcome at the level of frontline service provision. Some 37 social accountability initiatives in 15 countries met these criteria. Using a realist approach, retroductive analysis and triangulation of methods and sources were performed to construct Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations that explain potential pathways to provider responsiveness. The findings suggest that health provider receptivity to citizens' demands for better health care is mediated by health providers' perceptions of the legitimacy of citizen groups and by the extent to which citizen groups provide personal and professional support to health providers. Some citizen groups activated political or formal bureaucratic accountability channels but the effect on provider responsiveness of such strategies was more mixed. Favourable contexts for health provider responsiveness comprise socio-political contexts in which providers self-identify as activists, health system contexts in which health providers depend on citizens' expertise and capacities, and health system contexts where providers have the self-perceived ability to change the system in which they operate. Rather than providing recipes for successful social accountability initiatives, the synthesis proposes a programme theory that can support reflections on the theories of change underpinning social

Developing Library GIS Services for Humanities and Social Science: An Action Research Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Ningning; Fosmire, Michael; Branch, Benjamin Dewayne

2017-01-01

In the academic libraries' efforts to support digital humanities and social science, GIS service plays an important role. However, there is no general service model existing about how libraries can develop GIS services to best engage with digital humanities and social science. In this study, we adopted the action research method to develop and…

Quality of Services and Quality of Life from Service Providers' Perspectives: Analysis with Focus Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Jenaro, C.; Vega, V.; Flores, N.; Cruz, M.

2013-01-01

Background: Concepts such as support, quality of life and quality of services are customary in services for people with intellectual disabilities. The identification of the different ways of conceiving, prioritising and implementing these concepts by service providers can help to drive changes to achieve better personal outcomes for this…

System and Method for Providing a Climate Data Persistence Service

Science.gov (United States)

Schnase, John L. (Inventor); Ripley, III, William David (Inventor); Duffy, Daniel Q. (Inventor); Thompson, John H. (Inventor); Strong, Savannah L. (Inventor); McInerney, Mark (Inventor); Sinno, Scott (Inventor); Tamkin, Glenn S. (Inventor); Nadeau, Denis (Inventor)

2018-01-01

A system, method and computer-readable storage devices for providing a climate data persistence service. A system configured to provide the service can include a climate data server that performs data and metadata storage and management functions for climate data objects, a compute-storage platform that provides the resources needed to support a climate data server, provisioning software that allows climate data server instances to be deployed as virtual climate data servers in a cloud computing environment, and a service interface, wherein persistence service capabilities are invoked by software applications running on a client device. The climate data objects can be in various formats, such as International Organization for Standards (ISO) Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model Submission Information Packages, Archive Information Packages, and Dissemination Information Packages. The climate data server can enable scalable, federated storage, management, discovery, and access, and can be tailored for particular use cases.

Declarativity and efficiency in providing services of general economic interest. Empirical study regarding the relation between heating costs and budget constraints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dumitru Miron

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Defined by each country separately, according to real options, circumstances and traditions, the services of general economic interest have an objective purpose in ensuring protection and security for population. The services of general economic interest involve both public and economic services and show characteristics of both fields, reflecting the capabilities of communities to organize, regulate and provide them. Considering the accessibility to the essential service of general economic interest of providing household heating, as an undeniable condition of consumer protection, an analysis has been made in this field, with reference to the concrete manner of providing these services. The goal of this endeavor was to emphasize the actual conditionalities induced by the budget constraints of households while ensuring the universality of the access to the essential heating service. The empirical study is based on a survey of 55 households in sector 2 of Bucharest that have access to gas heating systems, while they have different revenues and equipments. The processing of the gathered data allowed the procurement of certain indicators that explain how household revenues determine the access to the heating services and how the deficiencies of the insurance system of these services deepen the social polarization and increase the weightings of those living at the limit of subsistence.

Identifying barriers and improving communication between cancer service providers and Aboriginal patients and their families: the perspective of service providers

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Aboriginal Australians experience poorer outcomes from cancer compared to the non-Aboriginal population. Some progress has been made in understanding Aboriginal Australians’ perspectives about cancer and their experiences with cancer services. However, little is known of cancer service providers’ (CSPs) thoughts and perceptions regarding Aboriginal patients and their experiences providing optimal cancer care to Aboriginal people. Communication between Aboriginal patients and non-Aboriginal health service providers has been identified as an impediment to good Aboriginal health outcomes. This paper reports on CSPs’ views about the factors impairing communication and offers practical strategies for promoting effective communication with Aboriginal patients in Western Australia (WA). Methods A qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 62 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal CSPs from across WA was conducted between March 2006 - September 2007 and April-October 2011. CSPs were asked to share their experiences with Aboriginal patients and families experiencing cancer. Thematic analysis was carried out. Our analysis was primarily underpinned by the socio-ecological model, but concepts of Whiteness and privilege, and cultural security also guided our analysis. Results CSPs’ lack of knowledge about the needs of Aboriginal people with cancer and Aboriginal patients’ limited understanding of the Western medical system were identified as the two major impediments to communication. For effective patient–provider communication, attention is needed to language, communication style, knowledge and use of medical terminology and cross-cultural differences in the concept of time. Aboriginal marginalization within mainstream society and Aboriginal people’s distrust of the health system were also key issues impacting on communication. Potential solutions to effective Aboriginal patient-provider communication included recruiting more Aboriginal staff

Fourth-year dental students' perceived barriers to providing tobacco intervention services.

Science.gov (United States)

Pendharkar, Bhagyashree; Levy, Steven M; McQuistan, Michelle R; Qian, Fang; Squier, Christopher A; Slach, Nancy A; Aquilino, Mary L

2010-10-01

In order to facilitate effective tobacco cessation services within dental school clinics, it is necessary to understand the perceived barriers encountered by dental students while providing these services. The aim of this study was to identify which factors fourth-year dental students perceive to be associated with barriers to providing tobacco intervention services. A written survey was developed and completed by incoming fourth-year dental students (a convenience sample of seventy students) at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 2008. The survey assessed the perceived barriers to providing tobacco intervention services and related factors. Descriptive, bivariate, and linear regression analyses were conducted. The response rate was 97 percent. The most frequently reported barriers were patients' resistance to tobacco intervention services (96 percent), inadequate time available for tobacco intervention services (96 percent), and forgetting to give tobacco intervention advice (91 percent). The following variables were significantly (p<0.05) related to greater perceived barriers in providing tobacco intervention services: lower "adequacy of tobacco intervention curriculum coverage of specific topics covered over the previous three years" and greater "perceived importance of incorporating objective structured clinical examination teaching method for learning tobacco intervention." Students probably could benefit from additional didactic training, but most important may be enhanced clinical experiences and faculty reinforcement to facilitate effective practical student learning and adaptation for future delivery of intervention services in private practice settings.

Somatic Experiencing Treatment with Social Service Workers Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Science.gov (United States)

Leitch, M. Laurie; Vanslyke, Jan; Allen, Marisa

2009-01-01

In a disaster, social service workers are often survivors themselves. This study examines whether somatic intervention using a brief (one to two session) stabilization model now called the Trauma Resiliency Model[TM] (TRM), which uses the skills of Somatic Experiencing[R] (SE), can reduce the postdisaster symptoms of social service workers…

From Cascade to Bottom-Up Ecosystem Services Model: How Does Social Cohesion Emerge from Urban Agriculture?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Petit-Boix

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Given the expansion of urban agriculture (UA, we need to understand how this system provides ecosystem services, including foundational societal needs such as social cohesion, i.e., people’s willingness to cooperate with one another. Although social cohesion in UA has been documented, there is no framework for its emergence and how it can be modeled within a sustainability framework. In this study, we address this literature gap by showing how the popular cascade ecosystem services model can be modified to include social structures. We then transform the cascade model into a bottom-up causal framework for UA. In this bottom-up framework, basic biophysical (e.g., land availability and social (e.g., leadership ecosystem structures and processes lead to human activities (e.g., learning that can foster specific human attitudes and feelings (e.g., trust. These attitudes and feelings, when aggregated (e.g., social network, generate an ecosystem value of social cohesion. These cause-effect relationships can support the development of causality pathways in social life cycle assessment (S-LCA and further our understanding of the mechanisms behind social impacts and benefits. The framework also supports UA studies by showing the sustainability of UA as an emergent food supplier in cities.

Flood warnings in coastal areas: how do social and behavioural patterns influence alert services?

Science.gov (United States)

Pescaroli, G.; Magni, M.

2015-01-01

Many studies discuss the economic and technical aspects of flood warnings. Less attention has been given to the social and psychological patterns that affect alert services. In particular, the literature focuses on warnings activated in river basins or marine environments without providing clear evidence of relevance to Mediterranean coastal areas, even though these are subjected to growing flood risk related to climate change. This paper is a first attempt to bridge this gap. Our research develops an in- depth analysis of the village of Cesenatico on the Adriatic Sea coast. Here the municipality adopted two complementary warning systems: a siren and an alert via Short Message Service (SMS). The analysis focuses on a survey conducted in 2011 and 2012 with 228 participants. The relationships between social and behavioural variables and warning services are investigated, and so are flood preparedness and information dissemination. Qualitative evidence from informal interviews is used to support the understanding of key responses. The conclusions show how different social and behavioural patterns can influence the effectiveness and use of warning systems, regardless of the technology adopted and the structural mitigation measures implemented. Education, training and accountability are seen to be critical elements for improvement. Finally, the statistical output is used to suggest new questions and new directions for research.

Transforming Health Care Service Delivery and Provider Selection

OpenAIRE

Reiner, Bruce I.

2011-01-01

Commoditization pressures in medicine have risked transforming service provider selection from “survival of the fittest” to “survival of the cheapest.” Quality- and safety-oriented mandates by the Institute of Medicine have led to the creation of a number of data-driven quality-centric initiatives including Pay for Performance and Evidence-Based Medicine. A synergistic approach to creating quantitative accountability in medical service delivery is through the creation of consumer-oriented per...

Mapping ecosystem services provided by benthic habitats in the European North Atlantic Ocean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibon eGalparsoro

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Mapping and assessing the ecosystem services provided by benthic habitats are a highly valuable source of information for understanding their current and potential benefits to society. The main objective of this investigation is to assess and map the ecosystem services provided by benthic habitats of the European North Atlantic Ocean, in the context of Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES programme, the European Biodiversity Strategy and the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In total, 62 habitats have been analysed in relation to 12 ecosystem services over 1.7 million km2. Results indicated that more than 90% of the mapped area provides biodiversity maintenance and food provision services; meanwhile grounds providing reproduction and nursery services are limited to half of the mapped area. Benthic habitats generally provide more services closer to shore than offshore and in shallower waters. This gradient is likely to be explained by difficult access (i.e. distance and depth and lack of scientific knowledge for most of the services provided by distant benthic habitats. This research has provided a first assessment of the benthic ecosystem services at Atlantic European scale, with the provision of ecosystem services maps and their general spatial distribution patterns. Related to the objectives of this research, the conclusions are: (i benthic habitats provide a diverse set of ecosystem services, being the food provision and biodiversity maintenance services the ones that are more extensively represented. In addition, other regulating and cultural services are provided in a more limited area; and (ii the ecosystem services assessment categories are significantly related to the distance to the coast and with depth (higher near the coast and in shallow waters.