Necesidades de información sobre medicamentos y salud pública en médicos de un hospital mexicano / Information needs about drugs and public health among doctors from a Mexican hospital

El objetivo de esta investigación fue identificar las necesidades de información sobre medicamentos y salud pública en los médicos de un hospital mexicano. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y transversal mediante una encuesta validada por expertos y por estudio piloto a 112 médicos en el año 2016. Los participantes fueron seleccionados por muestreo aleatorio simple de un hospital público de segundo nivel en Nayarit, México. Las variables estudiadas fueron: necesidades de información, comportamiento informativo y el nivel de satisfacción. El 66,4 por ciento de los médicos necesitaban información relacionada con el tratamiento farmacológico de sus pacientes y el 63,3 por ciento de los médicos tuvo necesidades sobre datos poblacionales. Las revistas médicas fueron la vía preferida para obtener información (70,4 por ciento) y al mismo tiempo obtuvieron la puntuación más alta de satisfacción. El 89,5 por ciento no consultaba bases de datos o repositorios, y el motivo más común para no hacerlo fue por carecer de computadora e Internet en el lugar de trabajo (62,4 por ciento). El 76,8 por ciento consideró que sus necesidades de información estaban insatisfechas con los recursos y servicios proporcionados por el hospital. El estado actual de la gestión de la información de los médicos entrevistados pone en riesgo su actualización profesional, disminuye la posibilidad de prescribir tratamientos racionales y de tomar decisiones eficientes(AU)

The purpose of the study was to identify the information needs about drugs and public health among doctors from a Mexican hospital. A descriptive cross-sectional analysis was conducted in the year 2016 which was based on an expert validated survey and a pilot study of 112 doctors. Participants were selected by simple random sampling at a secondary hospital in Nayarit, Mexico. The variables analyzed were information needs, information behavior and satisfaction level. Of the doctors surveyed, 66.4 percent needed information related to the drug treatment of their patients, whereas 63.3 percent needed population data. Medical journals were the favorite source of information (70.4 percent) and obtained the highest satisfaction score. 89.5 percent of respondents did not consult any database or repository, and the most common reason was they did not have a computer with Internet access at the workplace (62.4 percent). 76.8 percent considered that their information needs were not satisfied by the resources and services available at the hospital. The current information management status of the doctors interviewed poses a risk to their professional updating, reducing the possibility of prescribing rational treatments and taking efficient decisions(AU)

Sistema informático para un cuadro de mando integral del control interno como apoyo a la gestión de la información hospitalaria / Information system for an integrated internal control panel in support of hospital information management

En Cuba se ha identificado la necesidad de dominar y de introducir en la práctica las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones y de lograr una cultura digital como una de las características imprescindibles para los hospitales, lo cual sigue constituyendo un reto con múltiples aristas, enfoques y puntos de vistas. En este sentido se destaca el control interno como un motor de gestión de la información. Este trabajo tuvo como objetivo desarrollar un sistema informático para la automatización del cuadro de mando integral como herramienta de control interno en entidades hospitalarias, que contribuya a la gestión de la información en ciencias de la salud. Se programó un software mediante el entorno de desarrollo integrado Embarcadero Delphi, el cual utilizó Object Pascal como lenguaje de programación. Para el proceso de elaboración del sistema informático se empleó la metodología SCRUM, con una la lista de productos que consiste en el conjunto de requerimientos funcionales y no funcionales que debe satisfacer la aplicación. Se logró el desarrollo del software MULTI-CONTROL-INTERNO, con una ventana principal que incluye un menú contextual para acceder a todas las ventanas de la aplicación e introducir los valores de las variables necesarias para calcular los indicadores y gráficos dinámicos de cada una de las perspectivas del cuadro de mando integral, y se obtuvo el diseño de las estrategias para la mejora del sistema sanitario según la gestión de la información en el hospital a través de los índices de cumplimiento de los objetivos, la eficacia, la eficiencia y los componentes del control interno. El sistema informativo en entidades hospitalarias cubanas es hoy un acápite pendiente por la dinámica del entorno sanitario(AU)

The purpose of the study was to develop an information system for the automation of the integrated control panel as an internal control tool in hospitals, thus contributing to health information management. A software application was programmed in the Embarcadero Delphi integrated development environment, using Object Pascal as programming language. Development of the information system was based on SCRUM methodology, with a list of products consisting in the set of functional and non-functional requirements to be met by the application. The software Multi-internal-control was thus developed, with a main window which includes a context menu to access all the windows in the application and enter the values of variables required to estimate the dynamic charts and indicators of each of the perspectives on the integrated control panel, obtaining the design of strategies for the improvement of the healthcare system according to the information management procedure in place at the hospital, through goal achievement indices, efficacy, efficiency and internal control components. The information system at Cuban hospital institutions is still a pending item due to the dynamics of the healthcare environment(AU)

Real-Time Tracking of COVID-19 Rumors Using Community-Based Methods in Côte d'Ivoire.

Global misinformation and information overload have characterized the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Rumors are unverified pieces of information spreading online or person-to-person that reduce trust in health authorities and create barriers to protective practices. Risk communication and community engagement can increase transparency, build trust, and stop the spread of rumors. Building on previous work on Ebola and Zika viruses using Global Health Security Agenda systems strengthening support, the U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Breakthrough ACTION project developed a process and technology for systematically collecting, analyzing, and addressing COVID-19 rumors in real-time in Côte d'Ivoire. Rumors were submitted through community-based contributors and collected from callers to the national hotlines and then processed on a cloud-hosted database built on the open-source software District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2). Hotline teleoperators and data managers coded rumors in near-real-time according to behavioral theory frameworks within DHIS2 and visualized the findings on custom dashboards. The analysis and response were done in full collaboration with the Government of Côte d'Ivoire and implementing partners to ensure a timely and coordinated response. The system captured both widespread rumors consistent with misinformation in other settings, such as suspicions about case counts and the belief that masks were deliberately contaminated, as well as very localized beliefs related to specific influencers. The qualitative findings provided rapid insights on circulating beliefs, enabling risk communicators to nuance and tailor messaging around COVID-19.

Outreach marketing may be a successful strategy for NHS libraries.

This dissertation study investigates the ways that NHS libraries are currently marketing their services within their organisation and was submitted as part of the MA Library and Information Management at the University of Sheffield in 2019. This paper presents the findings from twelve semi-structured interviews carried out with NHS library managers in the East of England to identify the most and least successful methods, and in comparison with that which is currently in the general marketing literature. The study found that outreach marketing was the most effective and that librarians are currently conducting marketing to the best of their ability, but they lack time and funding to be able to make the most of their promotional campaigns. F.J.

Developing trustworthy recommendations as part of an urgent response (1-2 weeks): a GRADE concept paper.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to propose an approach for developing trustworthy recommendations as part of urgent responses (1-2 week) in the clinical, public health, and health systems fields. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a review of the literature, outlined a draft approach, refined the concept through iterative discussions, a workshop by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation Rapid Guidelines project group, and obtained feedback from the larger Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation working group. RESULTS: A request for developing recommendations within 2 week is the usual trigger for an urgent response. Although the approach builds on the general principles of trustworthy guideline development, we highlight the following steps: (1) assess the level of urgency; (2) assess feasibility; (3) set up the organizational logistics; (4) specify the question(s); (5) collect the information needed; (6) assess the adequacy of identified information; (7) develop the recommendations using one of the 4 potential approaches: adopt existing recommendations, adapt existing recommendations, develop new recommendations using existing adequate systematic review, or develop new recommendations using expert panel input; and (8) consider an updating plan. CONCLUSION: An urgent response for developing recommendations requires building a cohesive, skilled, and highly motivated multidisciplinary team with the necessary clinical, scientific, and methodological expertise; adapting to shifting needs; complying with the principles of transparency; and properly managing conflicts of interest.

A gestão da informação como ferramenta para o compliance: uma perspectiva preliminar no contexto da diminuição de riscos e aumento de competitividade nas organizações brasileiras do setor da saúde / La gestión de la información como herramienta de cumplimiento: una perspectiva preliminar en el contexto de la reducción de riesgos y la mayor competitividad en las organizaciones del sector brasileño de la salud / Information management as a tool for compliance: a preliminary perspective in the context of risk reduction and increased competitiveness in brazilian health sector organizations

A implementação de programas de compliance vem sendo cada vez mais difundida nos ambientes organizacionais, se destacando o compliance, com vistas a estar em conformidade com as questões jurídicas, aumentando a eficiência e minimizando os riscos. O objetivo do presente artigo situa-se na análise da difusão do compliance a partir da perspectiva na gestão da informação, bem como seu impacto nos aspectos jurídicos no Brasil, e com isso, refletir sobre as vantagens da adoção desses mecanismos como forma de ganho de competitividade. Dessa maneira, a presente pesquisa realizou um levantamento bibliográfico com o objetivo de realizar uma análise preliminar da gestão da informação enquanto ferramenta organizacional no contexto da saúde. Também foi analisado como o processo de compliance pode fazer uso da informação gerida com o intuito de diminuir o risco e aumentar a competitividade no contexto das organizações que possuem a saúde como área fim. Ressalta-se que se trata de uma pesquisa de caráter preliminar, que buscou chamar a atenção das organizações brasileiras do setor da saúde quanto ao uso da gestão da informação como ferramenta para o compliance. Sendo assim, concluiu-se preliminarmente que a prática do compliance, alinhada ao uso estratégico da informação, pode ser fundamental para a minimização de riscos e aumento da competitividade, especialmente pelo ganho de confiabilidade de ambiente, pautado na integridade e na segurança de investimentos(AU)

La implementación de programas de compliance (cumplimiento normativo) se ha generalizado cada vez más en entornos organizacionales, con miras a cumplir con los problemas legales, aumentar la eficiencia y minimizar los riesgos. El objetivo de este artículo es determinar la difusión del compliance desde la perspectiva de la gestión de la información, así como su impacto en los aspectos legales en Brasil, y con eso, reflexionar sobre las ventajas de adoptar estos mecanismos como una forma de obtener competitividade. En la presente investigación realizó una encuesta bibliográfica con el fin de realizar un análisis preliminar de la gestión de la información como herramienta organizativa en el contexto de la salud. También se analizó cómo el proceso de compliance puede hacer uso de la información administrada para reducir el riesgo y aumentar la competitividad en el contexto de las organizaciones que tienen la salud como área final. Esta es una investigación preliminar, que intenta atraer la atención de las organizaciones brasileñas del sector de la salud en cuanto al uso de la gestión de la información como herramienta para el compliance. Por lo tanto, se concluyó preliminarmente que la práctica del compliance, alineada con el uso estratégico de la información, puede ser fundamental para minimizar los riesgos y aumentar la competitividad, especialmente por la ganancia en la confiabilidad del entorno basada en la integridad y la seguridad de las inversiones(AU)

The implementation of compliance programs has been increasingly widespread in organizational environments, highlighting compliance, with a view to being in compliance with legal issues, increasing efficiency and minimizing risks. The objective of this article is to analyze the diffusion of compliance from the perspective of information management, as well as its impact on legal aspects in Brazil, and with that, to reflect on the advantages of adopting these mechanisms as a way of gaining competitiveness. In this way, the present research carried out a bibliographic survey with the objective of carrying out a preliminary analysis of information management as an organizational tool in the context of health. It was also analyzed how the compliance process can make use of managed information in order to reduce risk and increase competitiveness in the context of organizations that have health as an end area. It should be noted that this is a preliminary research, which sought to draw the attention of Brazilian organizations in the health sector regarding the use of information management as a tool for compliance. Therefore, it was preliminarily concluded that the practice of compliance, in line with the strategic use of information, can be fundamental to minimize risks and increase competitiveness, especially due to the gain in the reliability of the environment based on the integrity and security of investments(AU)

Researchers' And Medical Student' Experience in Reference Management Software in a Low-Income Country.

INTRODUCTION: Although the use of Reference Management Software (RMS) is increasing in developed countries, they seem to be unknown and less used in low-income countries. AIM: To discover the major trends in the use of RMS among researchers and Ph.D. students in Tunisia, as a low-income country. METHODS: A hardcopy survey was filled out by researchers and Ph.D. students during an educational seminar at the faculty of medicine of Sfax in 2016 with the aim to collect qualitative data to determine the participants' knowledge and use of RMS. RESULTS: The survey collected 121 participants, among them, 53.7% know RMS. Mendeley proved to be the best-known software (41.5%), followed by Zotero (35.3%) and Endnote (23%). Training sessions in RMS were taken by 5% of participants. Among the 121 participants, 26.5%of them use RMS., Mendeley was the most used (46.9%), followed by EndNote (28.1%) and Zotero (25%). The most commonly popular feature in RMS is inserting citations (66.9%). Therefore, the analysis, of the reasons behind the choice of RMS proves that the software was used because it is convenient (38.4%),  most known (38.4%),  easy (30.7%), or suggested by colleagues (30.7%). The free and open-source software was preferred by 81% of the participants. g. However, 50.4% ignore the fact that Zotero is free. Several types and sources of captured citations were unknown by 53.8% and 59% of the rest of the participants. CONCLUSION: The results clearly show that the lack of awareness about RMS in Tunisia is due to the absence of a formal training. As a result, the need for such training is highly important for researchers to be able to benefit from the different advantages of RMS while conducting their academic medical education.

The use of mind mapping in health education in extended care for children with caries.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application of mind mapping-based health education in extended care for children with caries. METHODS: This was a prospective study of 159 eligible children with caries. Participants were randomly assigned to an observation group and a control group, and received extended health education and guidance. Patients in the observation group received health education with mind mapping. In the third month after the first visit, a questionnaire survey was conducted to assess knowledge of extended caries diagnosis and treatment in children and their parents. Children also underwent a bacterial plaque test. RESULTS: Caries knowledge was significantly greater in the observation group than in the control group. There was no significant between-group difference in debris index on the bacterial plaque test. The observation group had a significantly greater number of follow-up visits in 12 months than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Mind mapping was effective in the implementation of extended care. Mind mapping information was more accessible to children and their parents, increasing their compliance with health education. Thus, mind mapping is an appropriate health education tool for use in extended care for children with caries.

Recommendation via Collaborative Autoregressive Flows.

Although it is one of the most widely used methods in recommender systems, Collaborative Filtering (CF) still has difficulties in modeling non-linear user-item interactions. Complementary to this, recently developed deep generative model variants (e.g., Variational Autoencoder (VAE)) allowing Bayesian inference and approximation of the variational posterior distributions in these models, have achieved promising performance improvement in many areas. However, the choices of variation distribution - e.g., the popular diagonal-covariance Gaussians - are insufficient to recover the true distributions, often resulting in biased maximum likelihood estimates of the model parameters. Aiming at more tractable and expressive variational families, in this work we extend the flow-based generative model to CF for modeling implicit feedbacks. We present the Collaborative Autoregressive Flows (CAF) for the recommender system, transforming a simple initial density into more complex ones via a sequence of invertible transformations, until a desired level of complexity is attained. CAF is a non-linear probabilistic approach allowing uncertainty representation and exact tractability of latent-variable inference in item recommendations. Compared to the agnostic-presumed prior approximation used in existing deep generative recommendation approaches, CAF is more effective in estimating the probabilistic posterior and achieves better recommendation accuracy. We conducted extensive experimental evaluations demonstrating that CAF can capture more effective representation of latent factors, resulting in a substantial gain on recommendation compared to the state-of-the-art approaches.

Variational approximation error in non-negative matrix factorization.

Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is a knowledge discovery method that is used in many fields. Variational inference and Gibbs sampling methods for it are also well-known. However, the variational approximation error has not been clarified yet, because NMF is not statistically regular and the prior distribution used in variational Bayesian NMF (VBNMF) has zero or divergence points. In this paper, using algebraic geometrical methods, we theoretically analyze the difference in negative log evidence (a.k.a. free energy) between VBNMF and Bayesian NMF, i.e., the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the variational posterior and the true posterior. We derive an upper bound for the learning coefficient (a.k.a. the real log canonical threshold) in Bayesian NMF. By using the upper bound, we find a lower bound for the approximation error, asymptotically. The result quantitatively shows how well the VBNMF algorithm can approximate Bayesian NMF; the lower bound depends on the hyperparameters and the true non-negative rank. A numerical experiment demonstrates the theoretical result.

Gestores de referencias como herramientas del día a día. Zotero / Reference managers as day-to-day tools. Zotero

Los gestores de referencias son herramientas surgidas en los años ochenta para facilitar la labor de citación y referencia en los textos académicos. Con los años, han aparecido nuevos gestores que incluyen nuevas funcionalidades, como localizar referencias en Internet, su descarga y almacenamiento, gestión, adición de información de cada referencia, e incluso algunos van más allá y facilitan la visibilidad y comunicación entre los investigadores. En este artículo nos centramos en los gestores de carácter gratuito, más concretamente en Zotero, explicando sus características, instalación y uso, y se hace una breve comparación con Mendeley. Los gestores de referencias son herramientas muy útiles e indispensables hoy en día que ahorran mucho tiempo y preocupaciones a cualquier persona que necesite presentar un trabajo académico o publicar un artículo

Reference managers are tools that appeared in the 1980s to facilitate the work of citation and reference in academic texts. Over the years, new reference managers have appeared that include new functionalities, such as locating references on the internet, downloading and storing them, managing and adding information to each reference, and some even go beyond this and facilitate visibility and communication among researchers. In this article we focus on free managers, more specifically Zotero, explaining their characteristics, installation and use, and making a brief comparison with Mendeley. Reference managers are very useful and indispensable tools today that save a lot of time and worries for anyone who needs to present an academic paper or publish an article

¿Cómo responder a nuestras preguntas de investigación de forma específica y no morir en el intento? Parte X: ¿Dónde y cómo busco información científica fiable y de calidad? / How to answer our research questions specifically and not die trying? Part X: where and how do i look for reliable and quality scientific information?

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Electronic Lab Notebooks and Experimental Design Assistants.

Documentation of experiments is essential for best research practice and ensures scientific transparency and data integrity. Traditionally, the paper lab notebook (pLN) has been employed for documentation of experimental procedures, but over the course of the last decades, the introduction of electronic tools has changed the research landscape and the way that work is performed. Nowadays, almost all data acquisition, analysis, presentation and archiving are done with electronic tools. The use of electronic tools provides many new possibilities, as well as challenges, particularly with respect to documentation and data quality. One of the biggest hurdles is the management of data on different devices with a substantial amount of metadata. Transparency and integrity have to be ensured and must be reflected in documentation within LNs. With this in mind, electronic LNs (eLN) were introduced to make documentation of experiments more straightforward, with the development of enhanced functionality leading gradually to their more widespread use. This chapter gives a general overview of eLNs in the scientific environment with a focus on the advantages of supporting quality and transparency of the research. It provides guidance on adopting an eLN and gives an example on how to set up unique Study-IDs in labs in order to maintain and enhance best practices. Overall, the chapter highlights the central role of eLNs in supporting the documentation and reproducibility of experiments.

Exploring the research culture in the health information management profession in Australia.

BACKGROUND: Research is an important activity that informs knowledge and practice. The research culture within the Australian Health Information Management (HIM) profession has not been previously reported. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the perceptions of HIM practitioners about research in their role to establish if there is a research culture in the Australian HIM profession. METHOD: An online survey was distributed to the HIM community using a snowball recruitment strategy. RESULTS: Of the 149 respondents, more than half (54%) identified they possessed research skills from prior education, whilst 40% considered they had a strong knowledgebase in conducting research. However, only a quarter of respondents indicated that they should undertake research in their role. Barriers to undertaking research included recognition, organisational support and time. DISCUSSION: The findings from this study reflected other studies within clinical workforces. The lack of recognition and support to incorporate research into practitioner roles has implications for the profession and its body of knowledge. CONCLUSION: Advocating for research to be incorporated into practitioner roles is required to inform knowledge and practice. Increased professional development opportunities may create a stronger research culture within the HIM profession in Australia and strengthen the position of the profession within health.

Cloud-based services for electronic civil registration and vital statistics systems.

This paper examines the hosting options for electronic civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems, particularly the use of data centers versus cloud-based solutions. A data center is a facility that houses computer systems and associated hardware and software components, such as network and storage systems, power supplies, environment controls, and security devices. An alternative to using a data center is cloud-based hosting, which is a virtual data center hosted by a public cloud provider. The cloud is used on a pay-as-you-go basis and does not require purchasing and maintaining of hardware for data centers. It also provides more flexibility for continuous innovation in line with evolving information and communications technology.

The mutual benefit and varied roles of librarians in supporting health care document management.

Tracey Pratchett considers the emerging role for libraries in facilitating document management practices within NHS organisations and reflects on her experience of supporting this work at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Cloud designs and deployment models: a systematic mapping study.

BACKGROUND: Cloud computing is a unique paradigm that is aggregating resources available from cloud service providers for use by customers on demand and pay per use basis. There is a Cloud federation that integrates the four primary Cloud models and the Cloud aggregator that integrates multiple computing services. A systematic mapping study provides an overview of work done in a particular field of interest and identifies gaps for further research. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this paper was to conduct a study of deployment and designs models for Cloud using a systematic mapping process. The methodology involves examining core aspect of the field of study using the research, contribution and topic facets. RESULTS: The results obtained indicated that there were more publications on solution proposals, which constituted 41.98% of papers relating to design and deployment models on the Cloud. Out of this, 5.34% was on security, 1.5% on privacy, 6.11% on configuration, 7.63% on implementation, 11.45% on service deployment, and 9.92% of the solution proposal was on design. The results obtained will be useful for further studies by the academia and industry in this broad topic that was examined.

[Notes on networks, the State, and public policies]. / Notas sobre redes, Estado e políticas públicas.

This article briefly presents and analyzes the use of social network analysis as a method for studying public policies. Widely disseminated since the 1970s, network analysis allows the study of policies with simultaneous consideration for the various stakeholders that influence policymaking. The pluralistic matrix of the policy networks literature and the difference with the premises of relational sociology hinder the use of the approach for cases like Brazil, marked by the multiplicity of state and civil society actors with various types of links, especially informal ones. These specificities can be solved by linking the categories developed recently as the relational fabric for the state and governance, as long as properly integrated into the analysis. The resulting conceptual framework is a powerful tool for understanding the influence of relational patterns on the production of public policies.

Esse artigo apresenta sucintamente e problematiza a utilização da análise de redes sociais como método para a investigação de políticas públicas. Amplamente disseminada a partir dos anos 1970, a análise de redes permite o estudo das políticas com a consideração simultânea dos vários atores que influenciam a produção de políticas. A matriz pluralista da literatura de policy networks, entretanto, a distancia das premissas da sociologia relacional e dificulta a utilização da perspectiva para casos como o brasileiro, marcado pela multiplicidade de atores estatais e societais conectados por diversos tipos de vínculo, com destaque para os informais. Essas particularidades podem ser solucionadas com a articulação de categorias desenvolvidas recentemente como tecido relacional do Estado e governança, desde que devidamente integradas à análise. O quadro conceitual resultante representa uma ferramenta poderosa para a compreensão da influência de padrões relacionais sobre a produção de políticas públicas.

Este artículo presenta sucintamente y problematiza la utilización del análisis de redes sociales como método para la investigación de políticas públicas. Ampliamente difundido a partir de los años 1970, el análisis de redes permite el estudio de políticas con la consideración simultánea de los varios actores que influencian la producción de políticas. La matriz pluralista de la literatura sobre policy networks, no obstante, la aleja de las premisas de la sociología relacional y dificulta su utilización para casos como el brasileño, marcado por la multiplicidad de actores estatales y societarios interrelacionados por diversos tipos de vínculos, destacando los informales. Estas particularidades se pueden solucionar con la coordinación de categorías desarrolladas recientemente como el tejido relacional del estado y su gobernanza, siempre que estén debidamente integrados en el análisis. El marco conceptual resultante representa una poderosa herramienta para la comprensión de la influencia de patrones relacionales en la generación de políticas públicas.