Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'BA. Use and impact of information'

El trabajo de tesis estudia la conformación de diferentes niveles de accesos sociales y comunicativos en el marco del proyecto de Sociedad d ella Información, haciendo hincapié en las políticas europeas y contrastándolas con indicadores socioeconómicos y con las directrices que, sobre el mismo proyecto, formulan países latinoamericanos.
La tesis doctoral elucida los procesos de concentración y convergencia de industrias de la comunicación y la información, como procesos críticos de un abordaje analítico enmarcado en los estudios de economía política de la comunicación.
La construcción de un modo de desarrollo en el que aparecen las tecnologías de información y comunicación como elementos centrales (centralidad que se verifica en la estructuración de las sociedades nombradas como "informacionales") es parte medular de la tesis doctoral, que también presenta el análisis de contenido de los principales documentos de la Comisión Europea y de la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico (OCDE) en la última década del Siglo XX.
The thesis object is to study the different levels of social and communicative access with the Information Society as a framework. Thus, the thesis empathises the european policies of the Information Society project, and the thesis work contrasts this policies with socioeconomic indicators, as well as the main directives of Latin American countries in the same field.
The thesis focuses on the concentration and convergence processes localised at the information and communication industries, due to the critical impact of these two processes in the economic structure of contemporaneous societies.
The conceptual framework of the thesis is linked to the political economy of communications studies. The thesis also presents the content analysis of the main documents produced by the European Commission and the OECD.

The study aims to see whether there are differences in the nature and patterns of computer usage for communicating research between disciplines in the social sciences in Brazil and, if so, whether they can be related to factors which can affect the process of communication. The theory embedded in the research model states that pressures that accompany the introduction of information technologies into a university environment are significant factors in the use of such technologies. These pressures produce differences in the communication process itself. Furthermore, there may also be a relationship between individual factors and the use of IT for communication. The research data were collected via a survey using two instruments. Firstly, mailed questionnaires were sent to 760 academic researchers in sociology and economics in Brazil, working in post-graduate programmes. A response rate of 64.1 percent was achieved. Secondly, 36 interviews were carried out with a sample of the most productive researchers in the two subjects studied. The interview sample included both respondents and non-respondents to the questionnaire. A small sample of 11 British academic researchers was included in the interview survey, in order to allow comparisons and see whether Brazilian academics lag behind IT front-runners. Data collected revealed that there is an impact of computer usage on the scholarly communication process, especially in terms of informal communication. Such an impact can be related to changes in the social interactions that underlie knowledge creation among researchers, and also relates to differences in patterns and processes of computer usage between the chosen disciplines. Formal communication has experienced a gradually growing impact by electronic media on the well-established print environment, with the likely co-existence of the two media for some time to come. The results obtained showed that Brazilian researchers do not lag behind the British ones. Not many differences, but most similarities were found between economists and sociologists in both Brazil and the UK.

This thesis conceptualises Use for IS (Information Systems) success. While Use in this study describes the extent to which an IS is incorporated into the user’s processes or tasks, success of an IS is the measure of the degree to which the person using the system is better off. For IS success, the conceptualisation of Use offers new perspectives on describing and measuring Use. We test the philosophies of the conceptualisation using empirical evidence in an Enterprise Systems (ES) context. Results from the empirical analysis contribute insights to the existing body of knowledge on the role of Use and demonstrate Use as an important factor and measure of IS success. System Use is a central theme in IS research. For instance, Use is regarded as an important dimension of IS success. Despite its recognition, the Use dimension of IS success reportedly suffers from an all too simplistic definition, misconception, poor specification of its complex nature, and an inadequacy of measurement approaches (Bokhari 2005; DeLone and McLean 2003; Zigurs 1993). Given the above, Burton-Jones and Straub (2006) urge scholars to revisit the concept of system Use, consider a stronger theoretical treatment, and submit the construct to further validation in its intended nomological net. On those considerations, this study re-conceptualises Use for IS success. The new conceptualisation adopts a work-process system-centric lens and draws upon the characteristics of modern system types, key user groups and their information needs, and the incorporation of IS in work processes. With these characteristics, the definition of Use and how it may be measured is systematically established. Use is conceptualised as a second-order measurement construct determined by three sub-dimensions: attitude of its users, depth, and amount of Use. The construct is positioned in a modified IS success research model, in an attempt to demonstrate its central role in determining IS success in an ES setting. A two-stage mixed-methods research design—incorporating a sequential explanatory strategy—was adopted to collect empirical data and to test the research model. The first empirical investigation involved an experiment and a survey of ES end users at a leading tertiary education institute in Australia. The second, a qualitative investigation, involved a series of interviews with real-world operational managers in large Indian private-sector companies to canvass their day-to-day experiences with ES. The research strategy adopted has a stronger quantitative leaning. The survey analysis results demonstrate the aptness of Use as an antecedent and a consequence of IS success, and furthermore, as a mediator between the quality of IS and the impacts of IS on individuals. Qualitative data analysis on the other hand, is used to derive a framework for classifying the diversity of ES Use behaviour. The qualitative results establish that workers Use IS in their context to orientate, negotiate, or innovate. The implications are twofold. For research, this study contributes to cumulative IS success knowledge an approach for defining, contextualising, measuring, and validating Use. For practice, research findings not only provide insights for educators when incorporating ES for higher education, but also demonstrate how operational managers incorporate ES into their work practices. Research findings leave the way open for future, larger-scale research into how industry practitioners interact with an ES to complete their work in varied organisational environments.

Knowledge of how local changes in runoff generation propagate through the stream network to create impacts downstream at the larger catchment scale is lacking. This issue needs to be urgently addressed, particularly as many organisations involved in flood risk management favour interventions that manage runoff at source. To enable research into propagation of catchment flood runoff and its impacts, a new modelling approach has been developed. The catchment is discretised into the component hillslopes/fields, which are connected to a dense dendritic stream network. Runoff generated from the landscape units is represented as packets of water, which are tracked through the stream network using a numerical solution of the non-inertial form of the Saint Venant equations. The packets carry information, including the volume, location and time of runoff generation. To recover the information, the packets travelling past particular downstream points in the network are interrogated. The recovered information can be used in many ways. For example, it is possible to create spatial maps, showing the source locations and intensities of runoff contributing to the catchment hydrograph peak, or to break down the hydrograph into contributing hydrographs, one per sub-catchment or per area undergoing change. The importance of this novel approach is that it explicitly links the local scale, at which landscape adaptation measures are implemented, and the catchment scale, where impact occurs. An application of this type is demonstrated for the Eden Catchment, UK, providing novel and informative visual representations of spatial runoff generation and propagation.

In this project, a range of characteristics describing farmers as decision-makers and details of their land holdings are integrated within a Geographic Information System (GIS) and used to predict overall farm response to defined policy scenarios, for a study area in the upland fringe of Grampian Region. Agriculture has undergone considerable adjustments over the past 40 years, characterised by the processes of intensification and specialisation of farming systems. These changes have been essentially policy-driven, although the precise interaction of policy, technological and macro-economic forces are not entirely understood. Further to this, rural areas are subject to an increasing range of consumption demands which has stimulated a new range of land-use policy schemes, and constraints, on farmers and landowners. From a position of assured government support which was enjoyed by the majority of farmers until the mid-1980s, the policy situation has developed into one of uncertainty and some confusion over the requirements and responsibilities placed on individual farmers. This research links spatial, behavioural and economic elements which combine to condition farm-level response to policy change. The complexity of individuals' decision environments, coupled with the diversity of individuals' values, objectives and resources is immense. The focus is on individual farms, and the implications of change at the individual level in developing a model of farm-level response to policy and market shifts.

The domestication of IT has been a major socio-technical trend during the last decade and yet there is more to be known about the ways it has been adopted and used by working age women (16-59) carers and the impacts it has in practical terms on their lives. The main aim of this research was to investigate women carers' perceptions of use and impact of IT in their daily lives, and so to understand the extent of their empowerment and advancement and their contribution to an inclusive Information Society. Existing literature, including quantitative studies, has thrown light on the impact of domestic technologies and telephony on women's lives. The research, however, evolved from single view of merely concentrating on women as sole carers to appreciating men carers and hence the 'role of caring' came to fore as the main theme in relation to the use of IT alongside other domestic technologies. This study builds on previous work, using qualitative methods to inquire deeply into life experiences of a small number of carers in their access to and use of IT, within the broader context of their home life and duties. Fieldwork research was conducted through interviews with nine participants - six women and three men in caring positions - in their homes or university. The interviewing process was semi-structured, but was also cumulative. Each interview was followed by transcription and initial data processing (before the next interview was conducted). The collected data were encoded using the grounded theory approach, with the aid of Nvivo - a data management software tool for qualitative data analysis. The analysis produced conceptualisations of participants' use of both domestic and information technology in their daily lives. Cognitive mapping was used to bring out some of the important threads in the thinking of participants as shown in the transcriptions. An emergent theory grounded in the data was the main outcome of this research. The study contributes to the understanding of the reasons behind different ways that carers use IT and the impact it has on their lives. It also extends sociotechnical analysis into the domestic context, viewing that context itself against the background of the information society. Key findings include:- 1) Participants' use of IT differs according to occupation, income and family structure. 2) Personal qualities and self-perception have an influence in shaping carers' use of IT, while self-perceptions are likely to change as they become more proficient in the use of IT. 3) Use of IT can open up new economic and social opportunities for the participants, but may not necessarily do so, depending on their personal qualities and their perceptions of themselves and hence the ways they use the technology. 4) There was no consistent view among the participants about what could count as technology or about different types of technologies, nor any clear distinction made between domestic technology and information technology when applied in domestic situation. 5) The adoption of IT in the domestic context is a sociotechnical process, but one which does not exactly conform to the sociotechnical model of organisations.

Background: The use of mobile devices for learning has been on the increase due to the availability of affordable data and free WiFi networks across institutions of higher learning. However, very few studies seek to understand if there is any impact that these devices have on a student's overall learning experience particularly from a developing country's perspective. Objectives: This research study determines the positive and negative impacts smartphone use has on a student's learning experience and whether this leads to overall satisfaction with mobile learning. Methods/Approach: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through an online survey that was distributed via email to a student body from the sample. Statistica software was used to analyse the quantitative data while Nvivo software was used to analyse the qualitative data. Results: With over 400 responses, we found evidence for some, but not all hypothesized positive and negative impacts. Additionally, there was very strong support for how these impacts contribute to the overall satisfaction of using a smartphone for learning, explaining more than 60% of the variance. Conclusions: We found that the overall positive satisfaction leads to differentiated, continued uses of the smartphone for learning.

An increasing number of patients actively seek health information from the internet. Patients value the internet for health; however evidence suggests that health professionals perceive it as a challenge to their role. This study aims to investigate patients' use of the internet in primary care and to investigate the association between socio-economic status and internet use. Patients (n=851) attending two general practices in South Wales were surveyed about use of the internet for health in Phase 1. In Phase 2 interviews were conducted with a sample of these patients (n=50) and practice staff (n=10) to explore their views about patients' use of the internet and its impact on primary care. In the final phase, an on-line discussion forum with relevant stakeholders (n=73) explored views about the current and future role of the internet for patient information. Patients accessed their doctor significantly more for information about health in comparison to any other source. The internet was also highly valued, with 52% of study participants having used it for health information. Generally, primary care patients used the internet to complement rather than replace - information received by their doctor. There were differences amongst patients according to age, gender and socio-economic status in internet access, variety of health information used, and reliance on health professionals. Most health internet users acknowledged that their decision making was more informed and autonomous. A more patient-centred approach to consultations is advocated in the form of partnership with health professionals. This has yet to be realised in primary care, partly due to reluctance by patients and partly due to the current constraints on primary care consultations. This study shows that the internet is clearly an agent of change, which is shifting the way patients interact with health professionals in primary care. Patients would prefer to use the internet in partnership with health professionals, yet this need is currently not met within a primary care environment. It is important that patients and health professionals receive adequate training in using the internet for health information to make best use of this resource in the future.

The present research work is an exploratory study that aims to investigate the impact of Big Data Customer Analytics Use (BDCAUse) in customer relationship management (CRM) by providing a comprehensive overview of the main factors that can affect BDCAUse in the organizations andhow this use affects the information quality. The influence of BDCAUse could bring benefits and increase the competitive advantage for the companies. More precisely, this study analysed if customer orientation and big data analytics culture would improve the use of big data customer analytics in the organization, and if this would, in turn, enhance the quality of the information, thus the customer knowledge, get into more insights about the customer behaviour and answer the right needs of its customers. Using an online survey, respondents from different business units in different organizations and companies were invited to participate. The author received 20 responses of which 18 were considered valid. The data was analysed using the SPSS tool and SmartPLS to analyse the consistency of the measures used and to test the suggested research model.  The results show that customer orientation and big data analytics culture are key to influence the use of big data customer analytics to be able to gather information quality and improve the CRM performance in the organization. The main limitations of the research work consisted of collecting data with a relatively very small sample, although these were designed as an exploratory study to test first identified factors that could affect big data customer analytics use. A recommendation for future research would be to run the study with a larger sample size to analyse the research model and check again the reliability of the measures and the validity of the results. Keywords: Big Data Customer Analytics Use, Customer Orientation, Big Data Analytics Culture, Information Quality, Customer Relationship Management Performance

INTRODUCTION The deployment of new health care models based on the coordination between different levels is a priority at European level to manage the dysfunctions generated by health and social impact of chronic diseases. The transfer of complexity from specialized health care in general hospital-based, to primary care professionals is one of the central elements of change in the health model. This involves the redesign of clinical processes and preparing the workforce for the new environment. The potential of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as a facilitator element of collaboration between levels of care and greater patient accessibility, have an important role in the deployment and coordination of Integrated Care Services (ICS) that configure the new health model. In this context, the transfer of specialized diagnostic interventions to primary care is a highly relevant area in the change process. The central hypothesis of this thesis is the transfer of functional testing from specialized to primary care within a coordinated care scenario will improve the efficiency of delivery of care and will generate cross-fertilization between levels of care. The general hypothesis is that extensive deployment of different, well-articulated ICS-ICTs covering the entire spectrum of severity of chronic patients generates efficiencies at a system level. This PhD thesis focuses on functional testing and specifically addresses forced spirometry as a use case. This PhD thesis aims to identify the key factors that seem to modulate success of the transfer of forced spirometry (FS) testing to primary care and to other non-specialized professionals and to explore the deployment of services with potential for scalability. The thesis is structured around four specific objectives: OBJECTIVE 1 – TRANSFERABILITY OF FS TO PRIMARY CARE AND PHARMACY OFFICES The first objective is to assess the deployment of the transfer of FS in two scenarios, each with different purposes. The first manuscript analyzes the sustainability of a service to ensure high-quality forced spirometry in primary care. The two other manuscripts under Objective 1 examine the potential of transferability to pharmacy offices, to generate a COPD case-finding program. In the first study "Telemedicine Enhances Quality of Forced Spirometry in Primary Care" efficacy was demonstrated over time (12 m) for quality control of the FS performed by non specialist in five Spanish regions. It was shown that remote collaboration between primary care and specialists has a sustained positive effect on the quality of the FS performed by non-expert personnel. A significant difference between the intervention group (71.5% high quality FS) and the control group (59.5% high quality FS) during the 12 months of the study (p <0.001) was observed. The research generated valuable information to plan properly scalability of the program at regional level, and facilitate the redesign of the role of diagnostic tests in the management of chronic patients in an environment of integrated care. Studies 2 “Early detection of COPD in customers of urban community pharmacies: a pilot-study” and 3 “Spirometry in community-pharmacies: a novel strategy to reduce COPD underdiagnosis”. Results clearly indicate the potential of the community pharmacy as a health partner in close collaboration with primary care. Note that both studies only provide information about feasibility. The efficiency analysis is planned as an activity beyond this thesis, under the EU Project Synergy-COPD and the Master Plan for Respiratory Diseases (PDMAR) of the Department of Health of the Generalitat de Catalunya. OBJECTIVE 2 - ASSESSMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR SCALABILITY AT REGIONAL LEVEL Within objective 2, we performed two clusters of studies. The first two (manuscripts 4 and 5) “Survey about the use of Lung Function Testing in Public Hospitals in Catalonia in 2009” and “Estudio de la función pulmonar básica en los centros de atención primaria de Cataluña” analyze the status and needs of FS testing in Catalonia. The second cluster includes two studies (manuscripts 6 and 7) “Design of a basic training program to get quality spirometry” and “HERMES Spirometry: the European Spirometry Driving Licence” with specific proposals for training programs for deployment in Catalonia and at a European level. All these studies were performed directly under the auspices of the Catalan Master Plan of Respiratory Diseases. OBJETIVE 3 - TECHNOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTIONS In this PhD thesis, two areas were identified in which specific technological contributions were needed to ensure the success of the deployment. Firstly, “Technical Requirements of Spirometers in the Strategy for Guaranteeing the Access to Quality Spirometry” the design and production of a FS-CDA for structured data transfer using the protocol HL7 and Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) with the R2 standard supporting interoperability across healthcare tiers (manuscript 8) and, secondly, “Improving quality control of forced spirometry: a new algorithm for automatic evaluation” the development of an automatic tool (algorithm) for remote FS quality control (manuscript 9). The results of the validation with 778 spirometric curves indicated that the sensitivity and specificity of the algorithm was of 96.1 and 94.9%, respectively. The validation of the algorithm provided a second technology element necessary for scalability transfer program of FS to primary care and community pharmacies. The algorithm has been integrated in the ICT management platform for chronic patients. The clinical validation process will be within the EU project Synergy-COPD and scalability in Catalonia plan will materialize in the short term under the PDMAR. CONCLUSIONS 1. The potential for transferability of Forced Spirometry testing to Primary Care was demonstrated by the effectiveness of the web-based collaborative tool that showed sustainable enhancement of high-quality testing performed by non-specialized professionals (manuscript 1). 2. The feasibility of having pharmacy offices play a complementary role to primary care in early diagnosis of chronic respiratory disorders has been proven. Moreover, the potential of pharmacy offices in a future COPD case-finding program has been identified and will be developed beyond this PhD thesis (manuscripts 2 & 3). 3. The lung function testing map in Catalonia was drawn up and requirements for the deployment of high-quality FS within a coordinated care scenario were identified (manuscripts 4 & 5). 4. Conventional and novel coaching strategies to be further developed and integrated into the ICT-supported platform were analyzed (manuscripts 6 & 7) 5. Technological contributions to health system interoperability aimed at facilitating adoption of a high quality FS service supported by ICT were developed and validated, namely: Clinical Document Architecture and an algorithm for automatic assessment of FS quality.
INTRODUCCIÓ El desplegament de nous models de salut basats en la coordinació entre nivells assistencials constitueixen una prioritat a nivell europeu davant la necessitat de gestionar les disfuncions generades per l’elevat impacte sanitari i social de les malalties cròniques. La transferència de la complexitat des de l’atenció sanitària especialitzada, en general de base hospitalària, a professionals d’Atenció Primària constitueix un dels elements centrals del canvi en el model de salut. Això implica el redisseny de processos clínics i la preparació del personal sanitari pel nou entorn. L’ús eficient del potencial que ofereixen les Tecnologies de la Informació i la Comunicació (TIC), com a element facilitador de la col•laboració entre nivells assistencials i d’una major accessi­bilitat del pacient, té un rol important en el desplegament i l’articulació dels Serveis d’Atenció Integrada (SAI) que configuren el nou model de salut. En aquest context, la transferència de les intervencions diagnòstiques especialitzades a l’atenció primària constitueix un àrea molt rellevant en el procés de canvi. L’hipòtesi central de la present tesi doctoral és que la transferència de determinades proves diagnòstiques a l’atenció primària genera eficiències a nivell del sistema de salut. Els diferents estudis realitzats en la tesi es centren en l’espirometria forçada (EF), seleccionada, per les seves característiques, com una prova de concepte. Els objectius generals són explorar aquells fac­tors que s’han identificat com a claus en la modulació del procés de la transferència de l’EF, així com definir estratègies per a la seva escalabilitat regional. La tesi s’estructura en base a 3 objectius específics: OBJECTIU 1 - ANÀLISI DE LA TRANSFERÈNCIA DE LA EF A ATENCIÓ PRIMÀRIA I A OFICINES DE FARMÀCIA. En el primer estudi “Telemedicine enhances Quality of Forced Spirometry in Primary Care” es va demostrar l’eficàcia en el temps (12 m) d’un servei centralitzat pel control de qualitat de l’EF efectuada per professionals no especialitzats de tres regions espanyoles. Es va demostrar que la col•laboració remota entre professionals de primària i especialistes de funció pulmonar tenen un efecte positiu sostingut sobre la qualitat de l’EF realitzada per personal no expert. Es va observar una diferència significativa entre el grup d’intervenció (71.5% EF d’alta qualitat) i el grup control (59.5% EF d’alta qualitat) durant els 12 mesos de l’estudi (p<0.001). La investigació va generar informació valuosa per planejar de forma adient l’escalabilitat del programa a nivell regional. Els resultats d’aquest estudi, junt amb altres apartats de la tesi i d’altres investigacions en curs, facilitaran el redisseny del rol de les proves diagnòstiques en la gestió dels pacients crònics en un entorn d’atenció integrada. Els estudis 2 (Early detection of COPD in customers of urban community pharmacies: a pilot­study) i 3 (Spirometry in community-pharmacies: a novel strategy to reduce COPD underdiag­nosis) de la tesi responen de forma afirmativa a la següent pregunta: Poden les oficines de farmàcia tenir un rol rellevant en un programa de detecció de casos de MPOC? Els resultats són clarament indicatius del potencial de les oficines de farmàcia com a agent sanitari en estreta col•laboració amb Atenció Primària. Cal senyalar que amdos estudis sola­ment aporten informació sobre factibilitat. L’anàlisi d’eficiència es planeja com a una activitat més enllà d’aquesta tesi doctoral, en el marc del projecte EU Synergy-COPD i del Pla Director de Malalties de l’Aparell Respiratori (PDMAR) del Departament de Salut de la Generalitat de Catalunya. OBJECTIU 2 – AVALUACIÓ DE REQUERIMENTS PER A L’ESCALABILITAT REGIONAL A NIVELL DE CATALUNYA En els estudis 4 (Encuesta de utilización de la función pulmonar en los hospitales públicos de Cataluña en 2009) y 5 (Estudio de la función pulmonar básica en los centros de atención pri­maria de Cataluña. Atención Primaria) s’analitzà la situació i necessitats futures de les proves de funció pulmonar a Catalunya a nivell hospitalari i extra-hospitalari en el marc del PDMAR. Els resultats obtinguts confirmen la necessitat de desplegar l’EF a l’Atenció Primària i d’incrementar l’homogeneïtat territorial en el que respecta a l’accés a les proves de funció pul­monar per a pacients i professionals. Es confirma la necessitat del programa de transferència de l’EF plantejat en la tesi doctoral. En un segon grup d’estudis en el Objectiu 2 de la tesi, efectuats en el marc del PDMAR, s‘analitzaren les necessitats i estratègies pel que fa a l’entrenament dels professionals no es­pecialitzats tant en l’àmbit català, estudi 6 (Disseny d’un programa de formació basic para aconseguir espirometries de qualitat), com a nivell europeu, estudi 7 (HERMES Spirometry: the European Spirometry Driving Licence). OBJECTIU 3 – CONTRIBUCIONS TECNOLÒGIQUES A L’ESCALABILITAT L’estudi 8 (Requerimientos técnicos de los espirómetros en la estrategia para garantizar el acceso a una espirometría de calidad) va aportar un element essencial per assegurar l’interoperabilitat de les dades de l’EF al assegurar l’estandardització de la transferència d’informació utilitzant el protocol HL7 v3 i CDA (Clinical Document Architecture) amb estàndard R2. Efectuat amb el suport de l’Oficina d’Estàndards i Interoperabilitat del Departament de Salut de la Generalitat de Catalunya dins el Pla de Digitalizació de la Imatge Mèdica. L’estàndard de transferència de l’EF ha estat ja adoptat per alguns fabricants d’equips de medició i és un requeriment per als concursos públics a nivell regional. A més, a l’estudi 9 (Clinical Decision Support System to Enhance Quality Control of Forced Spi­rometry) es va generar i validar un algoritme per el control automàtic de la qualitat de l’EF. Els resultats de la validació amb 778 corbes espiromètriques varen indicar que la sensibilitat i especificitat de l’algoritme era del 96.1 i 94.9%, respectivament. La validació de l’algoritme aportà un segon element tecnològic necessari per a l’escalabilitat del programa de transfer­ència de l’EF a Atenció Primària i a les oficines de farmàcia. L’algoritme ha estat integrat a la plataforma TIC de gestió de malalts crònics. La validació del procés clínic s’efectuarà dins del projecte EU Synergy-COPD i el pla d’escalabilitat a Catalunya es materialitzarà a curt termini en el marc del PDMAR. CONCLUSIONS 1. Es demostra el potencial de transferibilitat de l’EF a Atenció Primària amb el suport d’una aplicació web de treball col•laboratiu que va facilitar un augment significatiu i sostenible de la qualitat de les proves efectuades per personal no especialitzat (manuscrit 1). 2. Es verificà la factibilitat del rol de les oficines de farmàcia per a la detecció de casos de MPOC en un programa coordinat amb Atenció Primària. Les oficines de Farmàcia podrien tenir un rol complementari a l’Atenció Primària en el diagnòstic de MPOC oculta. El desenvolupament i validació del programa es completarà una vegada finalitzada la present tesi doctoral (manuscrits 2 i 3). 3. L’elaboració del mapa de proves de funció pulmonar a Catalunya va permetre la identifi­cació dels requeriments per a l’escalabilitat regional del programa de transferència de l’EF en el marc d’un model de atenció integrada (manuscrits 4 i 5). 4. Es va verificar el rol essencial de les estratègies d’entrenament dels professionals no espe­cialitzats com a component essencial d’un programa de transferència d’EF de qualitat a l’ Atenció Primària (manuscrits 6 i 7). 5. Es van efectuar dos contribucions tecnològiques rellevants per assegurar la interoperabilitat de l’EF a nivell del sistema de salut: l’elaboració del CDA (manuscrit 8) i el desenvolupament i validació d’un algoritme per l’avaluació automàtica de la qualitat de l’EF (manuscrit 9).
INTRODUCCIÓN El despliegue de nuevos modelos de salud basados en la coordinación entre niveles asisten­ciales constituye una prioridad a nivel Europeo ante la necesidad de gestionar las disfunciones generadas por elevado impacto sanitario y social de las enfermedades crónicas. La transferencia de complejidad desde la atención sanitaria especializada, en general de base hospitalaria, a profesionales de Atención Primaria, constituye uno de los elementos centrales del cambio en el modelo de salud. Ello implica el rediseño de procesos clínicos y la preparación del personal sanitario para el nuevo entorno. El uso eficiente del potencial que ofrecen las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC), como elemento facilitador de la colaboración entre niveles asistenciales y de una mayor accesibilidad del paciente, tiene un papel importante en el despliegue y articulación de los Servicios de Atención Integrada (SAI) que configuran el nuevo modelo de salud. En este con­texto, la transferencia de las intervenciones diagnósticas especializadas a la atención primaria constituye un área muy relevante en el proceso de cambio. La hipótesis central de la presente tesis doctoral es que la transferencia de determinadas pruebas diagnósticas a la atención primaria genera eficiencias a nivel del sistema de salud. Los dife­rentes estudios realizados en la tesis se centran en la espirometría forzada (EF), seleccionada, por sus características, como una prueba de concepto. Los objetivos generales son explorar aquellos factores que se han identificado como claves en la modulación del proceso de la transferencia de la EF, así como definir estrategias para su escalabilidad regional. La tesis se estructura en base a 3 objetivos específicos: OBJETIVO 1 - ANÁLISIS DE LA TRANSFERENCIA DE LA EF A ATENCIÓN PRIMARIA Y A OFICINAS DE FARMACIA. En el primer estudio “Telemedicine enhances Quality of Forced Spirometry in Primary Care” se demostró la eficacia en el tiempo (12 m) de un servicio centralizado para control de calidad de la EF efectuada por profesionales no especializados de tres regiones españolas. Se demostró que la colaboración remota entre profesionales de primaria y especialistas de función pulmonar tiene un efecto positivo sostenido sobre la calidad de la EF realizada por personal no experto. Se observó una diferencia significativa entre el grupo intervención (71.5% EF de alta calidad) y el grupo control (59.5% EF de alta calidad) durante los 12 meses del estudio (p<0.001). La investigación generó información valiosa para planear de forma adecuada la escalabilidad del programa a nivel regional. Los resultados de este estudio, junto con otros apartados de la tesis y otras investigaciones en curso, facilitarán el rediseño del papel de las pruebas diagnósticas en la gestión de los pacientes crónicos en un entorno de atención integrada. Los estudios 2 (Early detection of COPD in customers of urban community pharmacies: a pilot­study) y 3 (Spirometry in community-pharmacies: a novel strategy to reduce COPD underdiag­nosis) de la tesis responden de forma afirmativa a la siguiente pregunta: Pueden las oficinas de farmacia tener un papel relevante en un programa de detección de casos de EPOC? Los resultados son claramente indicativos del potencial de las oficinas de farmacia como agente sanitario en estrecha colaboración con Atención Primaria. Cabe señalar que ambos estudios solo aportan información sobre factibilidad. El análisis de eficiencia se planea como una actividad más allá de esta tesis doctoral, en el marco del proyecto EU Synergy-COPD y del Plan Director de Enfermedades de Aparato Respiratorio (PDMAR) del Departamento de Salud de la Generalitat de Catalunya. OBJETIVO 2 – EVALUACIÓN DE REQUERIMIENTOS PARA LA ESCALABILIDAD REGIONAL A NIVEL DE CATALUNYA En los estudios 4 (Encuesta de utilización de la función pulmonar en los hospitales públicos de Cataluña en 2009) y 5 (Estudio de la función pulmonar básica en los centros de atención primaria de Cataluña. Atención Primaria) se analizó la situación y necesidades futuras de las pruebas de función pulmonar en Catalunya a nivel hospitalario y extra-hospitalario en el marco del PDMAR. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la necesidad de desplegar la EF en Atención Primaria y de incrementar la homogeneidad territorial en lo que respecta al acceso a las pruebas de función pulmonar para pacientes y profesionales. Se confirma la necesidad del programa de transferencia de la EF planteado en la tesis doctoral. En un segundo grupo de estudios en el Objetivo 2 de la tesis, efectuados en el marco del PDMAR, se analizaron las necesidades y estrategias en lo que respecta al entrenamiento de profesionales no especializados tanto en el ámbito catalán, estudio 6 (Diseño de un programa de formación básico para conseguir espirometrías de calidad), como a nivel Europeo, estudio 7 (HERMES Spirometry: the European Spirometry Driving Licence). OBJETIVO 3 – CONTRIBUCIONES TECNOLÓGICAS A LA ESCALABILIDAD El estudio 8 (Requerimientos técnicos de los espirómetros en la estrategia para garantizar el ac­ceso a una espirometría de calidad) aportó un elemento esencial para asegurar la interopera­bilidad de los datos de EF al asegurar la estandarización de la transferencia de información uti­lizando el protocolo HL7 v3 y CDA (Clinical Document Architecture) con estándar R2. Efectuado con el soporte de la Oficina de Estándares e Interoperabilidad del Departament de Salut de la Generalitat de Catalunya dentro del Plan de Digitalización de la Imagen Médica. El estándar de transferencia de la EF ha sido ya adoptado por algunos fabricantes de equipos de medición y es un requerimiento para los concursos públicos a nivel regional. Además, en el estudio 9 (Clinical Decision Support System to Enhance Quality Control of Forced Spirometry) se generó y validó un algoritmo para el control automático de la calidad de la EF. Los resultados de la validación con 778 curvas espirométricas indicaron que la sensibilidad y especificidad del algoritmo era del 96.1 y 94.9%, respectivamente. La validación del algoritmo aportó un segundo elemento tecnológico necesario para la escalabilidad del programa de transferencia de la EF a Atención Primaria y a oficinas de farmacia. El algoritmo ha sido inte­grado a la plataforma TIC de gestión de pacientes crónicos. La validación del proceso clínico se efectuará dentro del proyecto EU Synergy-COPD y el plan de escalabilidad en Catalunya se materializará a corto plazo en el marco del PDMAR. CONCLUSIONES 1. Se demostró el potencial de transferibilidad de la EF a Atención Primaria con el soporte de una aplicación web de trabajo colaborativo que facilitó un aumento significativo y sostenible de la calidad de las pruebas efectuadas por personal no especializado (manuscrito 1). 2. Se verificó la factibilidad del rol de las oficinas de farmacia para la detección de casos de EPOC en un programa coordinado con Atención Primaria. Las oficinas de Farmacia podrían tener un rol complementario a la Atención Primaria en el diagnóstico de EPOC oculta. El desarrollo y validación del programa se completará una vez finalizada la presente tesis doc­toral (manuscritos 2 y 3). 3. La elaboración del mapa de pruebas de función pulmonar en Catalunya permitió la identi­ficación de los requerimientos para la escalabilidad regional del programa de transferencia de la EF en el marco de un modelo de atención integrada (manuscritos 4 y 5). 4. Se verificó el papel esencial de las estrategias de entrenamiento de profesionales no espe­cializados como componente esencial de un programa de transferencia de EF de calidad a Atención Primaria (manuscritos 6 y 7). 5. Se efectuaron dos contribuciones tecnológicas relevantes para asegurar la interoperabi­lidad de la EF a nivel del sistema de salud: la elaboración del CDA (manuscrito 8) y el desarrollo y validación de un algoritmo para la evaluación automática de la calidad de la EF (manuscrito 9).

Models of the need-driven information search and the information appraisal process were formed from a comprehensive literature review of factors affecting perceived credibility and trust in online information. The social component of online credibility has not, to date, been thoroughly researched. This component s impact on the development of the perceived credibility of online information was examined in two experiments. In the first experiment, the impact of positive, mixed, and negative social feedback on the development of the perceived credibility of a web page was evaluated. In the second experiment, the effect of social feedback on credibility was examined under two levels of motivation for information use to investigate whether social feedback becomes less important as motivation to obtain quality information increases. The results of Experiment 1 suggest that type of feedback can influence perceived web page credibility. Pages with negative audience feedback received the lowest credibility ratings, while pages with positive audience feedback received the highest credibility ratings. Pages with mixed or no audience feedback received higher credibility ratings than pages with negative feedback, but lower credibility ratings than pages with positive feedback. In Experiment 2, high motivation did not impact the number of web page elements participants reported that they used to determine credibility. High motivation for information use also did not reduce the impact of audience feedback on perceived credibility.
Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Sciences
Psychology PhD

Do we know whether the use of geographic information systems (GIS) in law enforcement agencies increases police performance? This study examines the impact of GIS use to police performance outcomes in cities and counties of the U.S. between 2000 and 2007. Current research uses computerized mapping conceptualization to operationalize its measurement. Second, the police performance methodological context is used to measure the organizational impact of GIS. Finally, a new theoretical framework, information technology capacity that combines organizational, environmental and managerial factors to explain IT applications, is used to encompass most relevant dimensions of the subject matter. Findings indicate that the use of GIS in police agencies increased sharply between 2003 and 2007. Additionally, the contribution of GIS use on police performance was found to be statistically significant, but in the opposite direction. Overall, results of the present study indicate significant links between crime rate (DV) and independent variables (IV) in law enforcement agencies. IVs are having a professional form of government andfull time specialized crime analysis personnel, police strength, the use of GIS, population, being located in the Northeast and West regions, poverty, having encouraged SARA type projects and a community policing unit.

This study applied social disruption as a concept that highlights factors responsible for the breakdown of social relationships in societies. Social disruption has many forms, however, the focus in this study was on strikes, which create constant social disruption in Nigerian public universities and could have serious impact on students' information behavior. Two universities – Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and Imo State University Owerri (IMSU) – were chosen for the study, and data was obtained through an online survey across sample of approximately 250 participants from the two selected public universities in Nigeria. The study applied the principle of least effort theory and the model of information search process to investigate the research questions of this dissertation which were: (1) what kinds of information do university students in Nigeria seek, and to what extent do strikes have implications on their information behavior?; (2) how do Nigerian students perceive the impact of strikes on their information source location and information resource usage?; (3) to what extent can information and communication technology (ICT) minimize the impact of strikes on students' information behavior?; and (4) how can universities in Nigeria prevent strikes from impacting students' information behavior? t-Tests were applied to test the hypotheses. Findings suggested that strikes negatively impacted students information behavior in certain areas of information needs, information use and information sources.

Social endorsements are user-generated endorsements of products or services, such as “likes” and personal collections, in an online social platform. We examine the effect of prior social endorsements on subsequent users’ tendency to endorse or examine a product in a social shopping context, where a social platform connect consumers and enable a collaborative shopping experience. This research consists of two parts. In part I, we identify two ways prior social endorsements can affect subsequent user behavior: as a crowd endorsement, which is an aggregate number of endorsements a product receives for anyone who comes across the product, and as a friend endorsement, which is an endorsement with the endorser’s identity delivered only to the endorser’s friends or followers. Using a panel data of 1656 products on a leading social shopping platform, we quantify the relationship between crowd and friend endorsements and subsequent examination (“click”) and endorsement (“like”) of the products, noting that examination is a private behavior while endorsement is a public behavior. Our results are consistent with the identity signaling theory where identity-conscious consumers converge with the aspiration group (the followers) in their public behavior (e.g. endorsement) and diverge from the avoidance groups (the crowd). We also find differences between public and private behaviors. Moreover, the symbolic nature of social shopping platform trumps the traditional dichotomy of symbolic/functional product attributes. Part II of this study seeks to clarify the underlying mechanism through lab experiments. We hypothesize that consumers’ evaluative attitude, specifically the value-expressive type, moderates the relationship between crowd and friend endorsements and a focal user’s product choice. Our initial results of the second study show support for this idea in the cases when the product choice is not obvious.

The use and success of Information Systems (IS) is becoming increasingly reliant on users. Therefore, this study sought to develop and test a construct around the notion of User Capital, which this research defines as the attributes possessed by an individual that enable them to use an IS to perform tasks. User Capital was formed by the dimensions of self-regulation, competence, mastery orientation, and attitude. To test the construct a largely quantitative field study approach was adopted. User Capital was found to be a significant driver of effective use and a key construct in the examination of IS success.

The study of export information use is in its infancy stage since the export information literature has tended to focus on acquisition rather than use issues. The objectives were thus the development of reliable and valid measures of export information use, and the assessment or antecedents and impact on export performance. After reviewing the literature, an exploratory study of export decision-makers was undertaken. The results suggested the existence of two types of export information use: instrumental/conceptual and symbolic. A mail questionnaire was developed on the basis of both the literature review (Chapter Two) and the exploratory study (Chapter Three). The research instrument was pretested. For the main mail survey, a sample of 198 cases was achieved. Established measure development procedures were employed for producing scales of use of information acquired via different types of sources. In addition, measures of export information acquisition, intra-organisational use (reflecting extent of use) and export performance were developed to enhance the analysis. Finally, an overall model of export information use was tested via a series of multiple regression and moderated regression approaches. The antecedents to export information use examined in this study encompassed company size, export experience, export structure, export dependence, and export complexity, acquisition from different types of sources, awareness of export information sources, information intensity, over-acquisition, overload and environmental turbulence. Some of these variables were found to be directly related to export information use while others were linked to use through acquisition. Intra-organisational use of export information was found to have a positive link with export performance, as did instrumental/conceptual use of export market intelligence information. Instrumental/conceptual use of both export marketing research and export assistance information were found to be negatively related to export performance.

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are increasingly being used in healthcare organizations. However, there are few factors influencing the physician adoption rate of EMRs. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the meaningful use incentives, and the type of specialty practices in relationship to the physician use of EMRs. Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) were analyzed to how meaningful use incentives and the type of physician practices affect the physician use of EMRs. The Chi-Square test and ANOVA test have been use to examine the hypothesis, and the association was found to be statistically significant.

Thesis (M.S. in Information Technology Management) Naval Postgraduate School, Sept. 2000.
Thesis advisor(s): Osmundson, John; Buddenberg, Rex. Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-212). Also available online.

Today, flexibility is widely concemed as the key capability an organisation should possess due to the fast change of business and technology environment (Haeckel 1999; Golden and Powell 2000). Business is fundamentally concerned with and driven by changes. It requires flexibility to quickly respond to new conditions, to absorb sudden shocks and to accommodate diversity and heterogeneity. All of these demands, in turn, feed through to the computer-systems that modem organisations rely upon (CBDi Forum 2001). The attainment of information system flexibility is becoming an essential requirement for the business (Golden and Powell 2000; Behrsin et al 1994). Despite ITAS has been developed to achieve great flexibility and functionality in order to provide more agile and more effective solution for the businesses, it is also Widely subject to criticism for its inflexibility and rigidity (Allen and Boynton 1991; Avison et al 1995; Davenport 2000). This research addresses the IS flexibility issue and studies "how organisations adapt their ISs/ESs to accommodate ongoing business changes" A model of tactical ES adaptation for ongoing business changes has been developed from three organisations' ES post-implementation experience. This model depicts a complicated decision making process for ES adaptation to support ongoing business changes and attain flexibility. It demonstrates the dynamic relationship among emerging business needs, adaptation tactics, adaptation activities, performance and resource measurement, and risk evaluation.

Abstract The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has earmarked 27 billion dollars to promote the adoption of Health Information Technologies (HIT) in the US, and to gain access to these funds, providers must document “Meaningful Use” during the care process. While individual HIT use according to lean measures, including meaningful use, is prevalent in the IS literature, few studies have incorporated rich measures to account for the task, the technology, and the user in a team context. This dissertation conceptualizes Team Deep Structure Use of Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) as an IT- enabled coordination mechanism, and Relational Coordination as the inherent ability of clinical teams to coordinate care spontaneously using informal, relationship based mechanisms. IT-enabled and Relational Coordination mechanisms are each evaluated across five maximally different patient conditions to simultaneously examine their impact on our outcome measure, Patient Satisfaction with the clinical care team. The extant literature has established a deep understanding of IT adoption shortly after implementation, yet the literature is silent on the antecedents of IT use according to rich measures well after the shake down phase, a period in which the majority of organizations operate. We incorporate the Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) constructs of Faithfulness of Appropriation, and Consensus on Appropriation as the focal antecedents of Deep Structure Use of the clinical system by team members. To our knowledge, no prior research has linked these two AST constructs to clinical outcomes through the incorporation of a rich use mediator such as Deep Structure Use of a Health IT. To test our model, we relied on survey responses from 555 physicians, nurses and mid-levels which had cared for 261 patients across five patient conditions, ranging from vaginal birth, to organ transplant, as well as pneumonia, knee/hip replacement and cardiovascular surgery. Our results confirm that the Adaptive Structuration constructs of Faithfulness of Appropriation and Consensus on Appropriation, generate positive and statistically significant path coefficients predicting Team Deep Structure Use of CPOE. We also report differential effects on Patient Satisfaction with the care team resulting from technology use. Results range from a significant positive path coefficient (.285) associated with higher Team Deep Structure Use on combined Pneumonia and Organ Transplant teams, to a significant negative path coefficient (-.174) on cardiovascular surgery teams. As expected, Pneumonia, Organ Transplant and Cardiovascular Surgery teams all reported positive effects on Patient Satisfaction with the care team as a result of higher Relational Coordination scores. For teams caring for patient conditions consistently associated with a shorter length of stay, including vaginal birth and knee/hip replacement, higher reported use of IT- enabled, or Relational Coordination mechanisms, did not result in a significant increase in Patient Satisfaction. This dissertation contributes to the growing Health IT literature, and has practical implications for clinicians, hospital administrators and Health IT professionals. This dissertation is the first to operationalize a rich measure of use of an HIT by clinical teams, and to simultaneously measure the impact of IT enabled and Relational Coordination mechanisms on Patient Satisfaction. Secondly, through the introduction of Adaptive Structuration constructs, our model establishes a methodology for predicting rich, nuanced use in teams well after the initial shake down phase associated with recent HIT implementation. Through the juxtaposition of the impact of IT-enabled and Relational Coordination mechanisms across patient conditions, practitioners can design interventions and adjust the level of resources applied to process improvement accordingly.

This thesis investigates the attitudes of human resource professionals towards human resource information systems (HRIS) in order to better understand their enablers and effects on individuals and organisations. Focusing on factors influencing HRIS acceptance, the study identifies key dimensions relating to HRIS benefits specifically perceived usefulness and user satisfaction, organisational, social, and technical drivers of acceptance, and the consequences of satisfaction with HRIS for organisational behaviour. Drawing mainly on the theory of reasoned action TRA, the technology acceptance model and the DeLoan & McLean success model, a comprehensive multidimensional model is suggested. Data were collected from companies in the Libyan oil, gas and banking sectors and multivariate analysis was used to test the proposed theoretical framework. The findings show that top management support has a significant impact on perceived usefulness and satisfaction with HRIS. Furthermore, information quality, HRIS flexibility, ease of use, and IT staff support have considerable impacts on satisfaction with HRIS via perceived usefulness. Findings also show that social influence and the number of strategic applications also have a significant influence on user satisfaction. User satisfaction has the strongest impact on affective commitment compared to continuance and normative commitment. The study contributes in two ways. In terms of theoretical value, this study extends and develops theory of technology acceptance by relating social interactions, organisational support, and number of HRIS applications in terms of routine and strategic contexts and organisational behaviour. Second, it expands the technology acceptance model to examine and explain the perceptions and attitudes of HR professionals towards HRIS. There is also a practical contribution as Libya is a developing country characterised by a lack of understanding about technology adoption and the impact of technology on human resources activities. The findings inform top management, HR professionals and IT staff about the current practice of HRIS in a Libyan environment highlighting the variables (enablers and barriers) which can enhance or impede individual and organizational performance.

In recent times, there has been a rapid increase in technological initiatives to promote electronic commerce. Delivery of services via the Internet or other remote computing technology now represents the trend for most organizations. In keeping with market trends, the banking industry in Jamaica and other countries worldwide have also adapted a variety of technological initiatives to enhance the delivery of services to remote customers. As these trends continue, there is heightened interest in information systems (IS) research to understand the factors that motivate or encourage individuals to use these technologies. This situation exists because interactions in these environments are significantly different from the traditional face to face settings. The original Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has long been studied, modified, and extended by IS researchers as a classical model for understanding individual's intention to use (IU) an IS. According to TAM, IU an IS is based on two constructs: perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU). Researchers have identified other factors such as trust (TRST) and computer self-efficacy (CSE) that impact an individual's IU an IS. In this predictive study, the researcher examined the integration of TRST and CSE into TAM and their overall impact on customers' intentions to use banking information systems (BIS) in Jamaica. A 32-item Web-based survey instrument was used to collect data from 374 customers of three major banks in Jamaica. A revised TAM model was proposed and SPSS's AMOS 7.0 statistical package was used to perform data analysis and model fit testing based on structural equation modeling (SEM). Results showed that while CSE did not significantly predict TRST and PEOU, it significantly predicted PU. Additionally, TRST significantly predicted both PEOU and PU, and PEOU positively predicted PU and attitude (ATT) towards BIS. Furthermore, PU was a significant predictor of ATT and IU, and ATT significantly impacted IU. The findings also revealed that only TRST varied significantly across males and females and the original TAM had a slightly better fit than the revised TAM. The research laid the foundation for future exploratory studies of TAM in specialized contexts such as BIS in Jamaica.

This research investigated the management of information in the Center for Research and Management of Fishery Resources in Southeast and South Coast (CEPSUL) by studying the use of sources of information fishing. In the conceptual basis, it was the management and flow of information, sources of information and the process of using sources of information and contextualized the fishing. The methodology was used: a qualitative approach, the case study strategy, data collection instruments: a literature review, the documentary surveys and interview script, the research subjects were 11 federal public servants; was used the technique content analysis to analyze the data; and the study was limited to the analysis of management and information flows in the CEPSUL. Was carried out a mapping of sources of information in the fishing sector, and identified 309 sources. In the profile of civil servants in the CEPSUL was found a qualified team, 81.8% aged over 45 years, to all undergraduate courses and 81.8% with postgraduate studies. And they work on average 15 years in this environment. The most widely used source of information is the co-worker. By analyzing, considering the sources grouped according to a classification, sources of information impersonal and electronic are the most used. The source of information used to update the servers is the Internet. Analyzing from the viewpoint of clustering, sources impersonal electronics are most often used to update itself. On the criteria of choice and quality of sources of information, the most widely used is ease of access, then the speed and reliability. The perceived quality of sources of information is mainly associated with the reliability, safety, fidelity and veracity of it. In cases of use of sources of information and information culture, it was perceived how is complex and need to better organize the information, both internally and externally. And the promotion of incremental innovations can be the driving force of the actions taken by each sector and also be used as a mediator in environmental issues. In the use of information technology and communication are pointed several benefits, including: the speed and agility in information processing; information can be produced locally with global assessment; to cooperate in the planning stages to execution of projects; and to increase interaction and exchange of documents / files. Regarding the usability of information technology and communication, it was concluded: the functions in the cell, only the phonebook is used by all; all respondents use Google Maps and have more than one email account active; 81 9% of respondents use more than 6 hours a computer daily; 54.5% of respondents are more than six hours each day connected with the browser open; all respondents use the Internet daily; all participants use the Internet to communicate informally; all respondents participating or have participated in virtual discussion forum.

Scientific research is a "râison d´etre" of universities, and the visibility and impact of that research are key factors in determining the quality and prestige of an institution. This study analyzes the scientific production of the researchers of the University of Huelva (Spain) between 2000 and 2010 from the articles indexed in the main databases such as WoS (Web of Science) and Scopus, among others.

Two chapter of a Degree Thesis that examinates usage statistics of some electronic remote resources at the Library of the Unoversity of Milano Bicocca, comparing them with two surveys on professors and researchers of the same University.

The purpose of this Master’s Thesis is to provide an overview of the scientific activity of the National Cardiovascular Research Center (CNIC) during its first ten years of scientific production (2002-2011), through the analysis of their publications. The main aim of the work here presented is to conduct a statistical study using several bibliometric indicators. The main idea is to observe the growth of scientific production in a new center, and recognize, should they exists, the differences between the publications of the basic research departments and those of the applied research departments. In terms of methodology, the publications are analyzed using the following indicators: production, impact, visibility and collaboration. The study is conducted at three levels: at center level, at department level and at laboratory level. The bibliometric sources used are the Web of Science and Journal Citation Reports. After applying these indicators we can assert that the CNIC has grown as much in production, as in productivity, in citations and in collaborations. In addition some differences have been shown between basic and applied research departments.

Describes the state of the art of altmetrics, defined as the study, creation and use of measures related to user interaction with diverse research products through the Social Web – views, downloads, citations, reuse, sharing, tagging, comments, among others. To understand the context where altmetrics arises, we explore the Social Web’s specificities and potentials, and the characteristics of scientific communication. Besides being another step on the evolution of metric studies of information, altmetrics also presents itself as a reaction to the crisis in the current model of scientific publication and evaluation. Through an exploratory search in national and international sources we were able to identify the scientific literature about altmetrics, analysing the authors involved, its concepts, the proposals and trends around the theme, basing our reflection about the development of altmetrics and the acceptance of alternative metrics as tools for scientific evaluation. We note that altmetrics is an expanding area, and its methods complement traditional metrics contributing to a more complete understanding of scientific communication, its actors, processes, products and impacts.

This study delineates the globalized context of the present time, where Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) can be understood as opportunities of citizenship for excluded groups who find themselves at the margins of local and global human development in the era of information, such as the communities in the districts of São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras and Milho Verde in the Vale do Jequitinhonha, Minas Gerais — one of the poorest regions in the country. As a major goal, this study intended to identify how information originating from the telecenters of the Rede Rural de Telecentros Comunitários, of the NGO Gemas da Terra, has contributed to the social inclusion of these communities; to analyze the project for installing a telecenter for the communities studied; to verify any actions aimed at the integration of those who attend the telecenters with the other people of the community, to prevent a possible concentration of opinions and alienation between the two groups; and to point out results of the actions undertaken by the communities and their consequent practical influence on the daily life of local society. The methodology includes a document analysis of the Guia Gemas da Terra de Telecentros Rurais, non-participant observation at the telecenters, and semi-structured interviews with the users, volunteers, and representatives of the community organizations of the regions studied, where the dissemination and the use of the ICTs have been regarded by the communities as important supporters for improving conditions of life of the population by increasing opportunities for information, work, income, education, and leisure. Among the conclusions reached by this study, it was noted that the greatest social contribution of the pilot project of the NGO Gemas da Terra was to show the communities involved in the project the potential that the Internet offers to these districts, especially to the common people. Nevertheless, from the results obtained by this study, it became evident that the long way to be covered by informational inclusion toward the effective contribution of social questions in marginalized and integrated groups in the information era, was not totally explicit in the area studied.

In the last few years knowledge and information management has become increasingly important in the sector of health services. Written in line with the public health board, this thesis is concerned with identifying the current state of the exposure to knowledge and information, defining a target state and developing a catalogue of measures which could improve the current state. After a review of the literature in the specific area of knowledge management in the health sector and the structure of the whole public health sector, the analysis of the current state was started. The empirical part is based on information which is extracted from qualitative interviews. A total of six public health doctors and two members of department 6 – health, family and sports have been interviewed. The findings of the as-is analysis suggested four main problems, and consequently the target state was defined. In order to achieve the target state seven measures were recommended. These measures were selected according to the criteria of simple and cost-effective implementation. On the basis of the conclusions drawn from this thesis, the concrete results of the project were outlined and the benefits as well as new and open questions for the public health board were explained.

This research presents the process carried out for the design, implementation and evaluation of a formative proposal in teaching literacy Informational mediated by a virtual learning environment, as a pilot course to students of the Inter-American School Librarianship at the University of Antioquia. To achieve the development of this pilot continue the different phases that implies the instructional model PR-ADDIE, having as the theoretical and conceptual framework: the different positions regarding the Information Literacy (INFOLIT) as concept, before which this investigation presents a proposal of definition, the different models of behavior informational and an integrative proposal of the same, and likewise for the case of the models, norms-standard of Information Literacy. As framework contextual, is a compilation and analysis of 35 Web sites or platforms on which at different places in the world are developing successful programs of Information Literacy. All this process is interrelated in a cross way with them contribute theoreticians and methodological that implies to assume as guide for this investigation the Activity Theory and the Action Mediated. Chapter 5: Types and levels of interactivity for online Information Literacy. Relationship Information Literacy and Activity Theory - Action Mediated. Research project: “Design, implementation and evaluation of a formative proposed in Information Literacy by a virtual learning environment at the university level. Case Inter-American School Librarianship, University of Antioquia”

This work presents, firstly, a review of the literature on the relationships between television and education, particularly in the field of education for a critical and active view of the medium. Secondly, it offers a curricular package entitled “Opening the Magic Box”, aimed at secondary education students for the education of viewers in the classroom. The third part of the study centres on design evaluation by experts and the experimentation of the didactic programme in the context of seven classrooms in seven schools in the province of Huelva by means of quantitative and qualitative analysis strategies.

Initially the current reality of scientific publications for the area Social Sciences and Humanities in Argentina sector and its contrast with the regional and international context is analyzed ; establishing a direct relationship with the different models of assessment. Through an exploratory - descriptive study are evaluated , based on selected indicators , publications offered in digital format belonging to public universities in Argentina . The results describe weaknesses and absence of the sector, allowing boardings necessary to reflect on that channel a process of improvement. Finally possible lines of action to continue and deepen this research are proposed.

This paper focuses in the study and use of alternative metrics of academic impact based on online tools and activities that became known as altmetrics, or in Portuguese, altmetria. Impact assessment of the scientific output has been the subject of constant discussion in the academic community. However, traditional indicators of measuring the impact of scientific journals and articles have been subject to important criticisms about its validity and timeliness, and together with a scenario of increased use of electronic media in scientific communication, led the academic community to seek and develop alternative ways to measure, evaluate and legitimize this scientific output. To fulfill the need to better understand the context and implications of altmetrics in the evaluation of academic output, especially in the context of the Brazilian academic community, this work presents basic concepts about alternative metrics and their application, focusing on the work of librarians and other professionals involved with scientific communication, such as researchers, scientific publishers and academic managers. The work describes the main tools available to capture and generate altmetrics, as well as national and international initiatives underway with a view to developing policies for the use of alternative metrics. The main product of this research is presented as a practical guide on how to use altmetrics, focused on the role of librarians and other professionals related to scientific communication.

The thesis object is to study the different levels of social and communicative access with the Information Society as a framework. Thus, the thesis empathises the european policies of the Information Society project, and the thesis work contrasts this policies with socioeconomic indicators, as well as the main directives of Latin American countries in the same field. The thesis focuses on the concentration and convergence processes localised at the information and communication industries, due to the critical impact of these two processes in the economic structure of contemporaneous societies. The conceptual framework of the thesis is linked to the political economy of communications studies. The thesis also presents the content analysis of the main documents produced by the European Commission and the OECD.

This project aims to identify the main lines of research developed at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, a Higher Education Institution in Mexico. The authors of these research areas will be invited to participate in the development of an open access electronic platform that will allow locating and disseminating the institutional scientific production such as theses, articles, conferences and patents, among others. After this phase, the authors will be invited to participate in Communities of Practice for the creation of multidisciplinary groups with the goal of identifying new research areas addressed to solve local needs in the region.

Electronic publications have allowed the exchange of scientific documentation and access increasingly faster and potentially easy to scientific knowledge. This has generated another way of understanding scientific communication. Open Access (Open Access) 1 is one of those forms of expression linked science initiatives or projects that promote access favorezcen and open, free and unrestricted access to the papers published by the scientific community. The OA has become in a short time, an alternative option for the publication and dissemination of research results international scientific community. This medium offers many advantages over the traditional system of scientific publication in journals kept by commercial publishers, providing a channel for the publication of research results: faster, because it favors the immediate visibility of publications; cheaper, because it allows universities and research centers have access to more sources, more complete, because it can, not only query results but also the data on which they were based, and transparent, because it allows institutions of a better way to control the results of their research. The OA has generated significant discussion and action nuclei around institutional and financial support to open access publications on the Internet. The concept of "Open Access" not only has to do with accessibility to scientific literature, but also with the idea of ​​eliminating the requirement to transfer the copyright of the published articles, which facilitates greater and more rapid international dissemination. From this concept increasingly common, there are many initiatives with the premise of providing access to scientific publications electronically. Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a publisher of open access different scientific journals, all with a license that your articles can be reproduced, distributed and transformed to create new works even commercially. Access to the articles is free and therefore requires no subscription, but the economic model on which is to pay to publish. The first journal that published the publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS) PLoS Biology was in October 2003, from this year onwards the publication has shown a remarkable growth equated with other scientific publications with great experience in the area