Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Information services Sri Lanka'
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1
Wickramasinghe, Anusha. "Bilateral air services agreements of Sri Lanka." Thesis, McGill University, 2005. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=99158.
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The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the bilateral air services agreements of Sri Lanka under the existing legal, regulatory and the infrastructural framework of civil aviation in Sri Lanka. In order to achieve this objective, this thesis is divided into following chapters, Chapter One - Deals with the history and evolution of bilateral air services agreements in the history of world civil aviation.Chapter Two - This Chapter has two sections. Section one addresses briefly the history and evolution of the air transport industry of Sri Lanka. Section two looks into the legal and regulatory framework within which the air transport industry works in Sri Lanka. Negotiation and Conclusion of bilateral air services agreements is also explained in this section.
Chapter Three - Contains a detailed analysis of the main provisions of the bilateral air services agreements concluded by Sri Lanka.
Chapter Four - The existing infrastructure and the prospects for the future is discussed in this chapter along with the challenges faced and to be faced in the future.
Finally, the findings of this research are presented with recommendations for the betterment of air transport industry of Sri Lanka.
2
Kaduruwane, Indika Ranasinghe. "An empirical investigation of health information system failure in regional Sri Lanka." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2012. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/50663/1/Indika_Kaduruwane_Thesis.pdf.
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Public health decision making is critically dependant on accurate, timely and reliable information. There is a widespread belief that most of the national and sub-national health information systems fail in providing much needed information support for evidence based health planning and interventions. This situation is more acute in developing nations where resources are either stagnant or decreasing, coupled with the situations of demographic transition and double burden of diseases. Literature abounds with publications, which provide information on misguided health interventions in developing nations, leading to failure and waste of resources. Health information system failure is widely blamed for this situation. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of comprehensive evaluations of existing national or sub-national health information systems, especially in the region of South-East Asia. This study makes an attempt to bridge this knowledge gap by evaluating a regional health information system in Sri Lanka. It explores the strengths and weaknesses of the current health information system and related causative factors in a decentralised health system and then proposes strategic recommendations for reform measures. A mix methodological and phased approach was adopted to reach the objectives. An initial self administered questionnaire survey was conducted among health managers to study their perceptions in relation to the regional health information system and its management support. The survey findings were used to establish the presence of health information system failure in the region and also as a precursor to the more in-depth case study which was followed. The sources of data for the case study were literature review, document analysis and key stake holder interviews. Health information system resources, health indicators, data sources, data management, data quality, and information dissemination were the six major components investigated. The study findings reveal that accurate, timely and reliable health information is unavailable and therefore evidence based health planning is lacking in the studied health region. Strengths and weaknesses of the current health information system were identified and strategic recommendations were formulated accordingly. It is anticipated that this research will make a significant and multi-fold contribution for health information management in developing countries. First, it will attempt to bridge an existing knowledge gap by presenting the findings of a comprehensive case study to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of a decentralised health information system in a developing country. Second, it will enrich the literature by providing an assessment tool and a research method for the evaluation of regional health information systems. Third, it will make a rewarding practical contribution by presenting valuable guidelines for improving health information systems in regional Sri Lanka.
3
Seneviaratne, Wathmanel, G. C. Gunawardene, and K. A. P. Siddhisena. "Modeling community information behaviour in rural Sri Lanka: A citizen-centred perspective." School of Communication & Information, Nanyang Technological University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/106457.
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The study presents the findings of a sample survey carried out using two sub-sample populations (Rural Communities and Information providers). The main objective of the study is to explore the Community Information Needs of rural communities in Sri Lanka and their information behaviour. Fifteen categories of basic information needs of two types (â survivalâ and â strategicâ ) were identified. The nature of community information is recognized as non-bibliographic and service-oriented. The information supply position was identified as stagnated at service points, and the dynamism of the information has deteriorated within the delivery mechanisms limited to system structure. It was possible to calculate a Channel Dependency Rate (CDR) which showed that channels appropriate to provide certain categories of information were not strong and or operating as they should be. Rural citizens were also found to encounter a range of difficulties in accessing information, and it was found that these were related to geographical, structural (socio-economic and cultural) factors and personal reasons. The study proposes Community Information Centres using e-governance strategy with One Stop Shop (OSS) model, to be established at the village level using prevailing infrastructure to bridge the information gap existing in the rural areas of Sri Lanka.
4
Muggah, Robert. "Relocation failures : comparing internal displacement and resettlement regimes in Sri Lanka." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.670037.
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Weerakkody, Vishanth. "Identifying potential barriers to business process and information systems reengineering in Sri Lanka." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.391364.
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Shaw, Judith 1957. "No magic bullet : microenterprise credit and income poverty in Sri Lanka." Monash University, Dept. of Politics, 2001. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/9168.
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Rajapaksege, Sunil G. "Information systems development and practice in organisations in Sri Lanka : an in-depth case study." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2001. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1044.
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This thesis describes an investigation of information systems development and practice in a privatised state owned enterprise (North-West Cement Company Limited or NWCL) in Sri Lanka between J95M-2000. The objectives of my study were: (1) to understand the approaches used by NWCL for information systems development; (2) to understand how these approaches relate to the organisational, socio-cultural, economic and political realities of organisations in Sri Lanka; (3) to outline a theory to better understand information systems development and practice for organisations in Sri Lanka; and (4) to make recommendations which could be used to improve information systems development and practice for organisations in Sri Lanka.
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Rathnayaka, Mudiyanselage Udara Madushantha Somarathna. "Data quality analysis in a GIS environment of OpenStreetMap geodatabase for Sri Lanka." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2019.
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The purpose of the present study is to analyze the data quality of OpenStreetMap geodatabase in a GIS environment; the case of study is a region of Sri Lanka. OpenStreetMap (OSM) is one of the most well-known crowd-sourced products, providing a global map base thanks to the mapping activity carried out by volunteers all around the world.
As the quality of collected information remains a significant concern for the geospatial information community and in geospatial data management, a qualitative and quantitative assessment of OSM data is of great importance, due to the large diffusion and adoption of this kind of volunteered geospatial information (VGI).
This study concerns the OSM dataset currently available for the Mawanella area in Sri Lanka and has been performed in an open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, QGIS. OSM vector files are the raw materials for the analysis.
The evaluation has been realized considering the main quality attributes to be maintained in a mapping product, either based on intrinsic properties and on the relationship with official databases available for the same area.
The results of the study suggest that the current quality of OSM maps in the study area is fairly good, but completeness is poor and must be improved.
9
Weereratne, Anura R., and n/a. "The Australian Freedom of Information Legislation and its applicability to Sri Lanka: an empirical study." University of Canberra. Law, 2001. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061108.115444.
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The Dissertation sets out the results of an evaluation of certain aspects of the
Commonwealth of Australia's Freedom of Information Legislation and proposals to
introduce a Freedom of Information Law in Sri Lanka. The major purpose of the study
was:
(i) to evaluate whether the Commonwealth FOI Act has
achieved the objects of Parliament - whether members of
the public could have a free access to government
information subject to important exemptions.
(ii) whether a FOI regime should be introduced to Sri Lanka
In conducting my research, I devoted three chapters to FOI in Australia including the
development of the legislation. I analysed key components of the legislation and
researched to what extent the FOI Act has achieved its objects. I devoted two chapters
towards the concept of transparency of government in Sri Lanka, the attitude of the
Courts towards the concept of the right to information and whether Sri Lanka needs a
Freedom of Information Act. In the last two chapters, I have devoted a chapter each to
the concept of translocation of laws and about an ideal FOI Act for Sri Lanka, which is an
adaptation of the Australian Act.
The individual components of the methodology incorporated:
(i) a literature survey of the Commonwealth FOI Act, Freedom of Information
in the United Nations and in the USA; and Sweden, Canada and New Zealand;
(ii) a literature survey concerning the transparency of government in Sri Lanka
(ii) interviews with a cross section Commonwealth FOI administrators and key
politicians, lawyers and a cross section of members of the press and public in
Sri Lanka; and
(iv) research of the Australian FOI legislation
The empirical data present an analysis of key features of the Commonwealth FOI Act
with particular attention to exemption clauses.
I have recommended some amendments to the FOI Act in view of the Commonwealth
Government's policy of outsourcing some of its activities and the creation of a position of
FOI Commissioner.
Finally my research indicates that Sri Lanka needs Freedom of Information legislation to
meet the challenges facing a developing country that is endeavoring to reach 'newly
developed status' early in the new millennium. Furthermore, international lenders and
donors are now requiring that developing countries like Sri Lanka seeking aid, should
show more transparency in its activities. I have drafted a Freedom of Jiformation Bill for
Sri Lanka. I have based the draft on the Australian law adapted to suit the local
conditions in Sri Lanka, which is in Appendix "G".
10
Liyanagunawardena, Tharindu Rekha. "Information communication technologies and distance education in Sri Lanka : a case study of two universities." Thesis, University of Reading, 2012. http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/32337/.
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Sri Lanka's participation rates in higher education are low and have risen only slightly in the last few decades; the number of places for higher education in the state university system only caters for around 3% of the university entrant age cohort. The literature reveals that the highly competitive global knowledge economy increasingly favours workers with high levels of education who are also lifelong learners. This lack of access to higher education for a sizable proportion of the labour force is identified as a severe impediment to Sri Lanka‟s competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. The literature also suggests that Information and Communication Technologies are increasingly relied upon in many contexts in order to deliver flexible learning, to cater especially for the needs of lifelong learners in today‟s higher educational landscape. The government of Sri Lanka invested heavily in ICTs for distance education during the period 2003-2009 in a bid to increase access to higher education; but there has been little research into the impact of this. To address this lack, this study investigated the impact of ICTs on distance education in Sri Lanka with respect to increasing access to higher education. In order to achieve this aim, the research focused on Sri Lanka‟s effort from three perspectives: policy perspective, implementation perspective and user perspective. A multiple case study research using an ethnographic approach was conducted to observe Orange Valley University‟s and Yellow Fields University‟s (pseudonymous) implementation of distance education programmes using questionnaires, qualitative interviewing and document analysis. In total, data for the analysis was collected from 129 questionnaires, 33 individual interviews and 2 group interviews. The research revealed that ICTs have indeed increased opportunities for higher education; but mainly for people of affluent families from the Western Province. Issues identified were categorized under the themes: quality assurance, location, language, digital literacies and access to resources. Recommendations were offered to tackle the identified issues in accordance with the study findings. The study also revealed the strong presence of a multifaceted digital divide in the country. In conclusion, this research has shown that iii although ICT-enabled distance education has the potential to increase access to higher education the present implementation of the system in Sri Lanka has been less than successful.
11
Russell, Steven John. "Can households afford to be ill? : the role of the health system, material resources and social networks in Sri Lanka." Thesis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (University of London), 2001. http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/682239/.
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Household ability to pay (ATP) for health care services has become a critical policy issue in developing countries because of changes to health system financing and delivery that are likely to impose higher illness cost burdens on poor households. The research presented in this thesis was driven by widespread concern about ATP among different policy actors, and by the fact that conceptual and empirical understanding of the issue remains poorly developed. The thesis uses a conceptual framework for assessing ATP that is, at its core, concerned with the implications that illness costs and related coping strategies have for household livelihoods. The main research objectives were to measure the household costs of illness, examine the types of asset (e. g. financial, social) that are mobilised to cover illness costs, and to evaluate the impact of these illness cost burdens and coping strategies on household livelihoods in the medium term. In so doing, the thesis aimed to identify factors which make households robust or vulnerable to illness costs which development agencies might support. Research was conducted in two low-income communities in Colombo, Sri Lanka. A survey of 423 households was carried out to obtain a profile of illness, treatment actions and illness costs in the two communities, and to identify case study households. The main part, of the research was to follow 16 case study households for eight months, which enabled in-depth investigation of treatment seeking behaviour, expenditure patterns, asset strategies and their impact on household livelihoods. The main findings of the research were ' that free public provision of health services protected poor households from high treatment -costs. In particular, public tertiary hospitals protected households against potentially catastrophic treatment costs associated with inpatient care. This enabled households to access treatment without adopting risky coping strategies. However, aspects of the health system failed to protect households from illness costs, and in a context of low and insecure incomes, illness costs did not have to be high to exceed daily budgets and undermine ability to meet basic food needs. Consequently, households often required additional resources to meet illness costs, and people's financial and social resources were shown to be important factors influencing ability to manage illness costs. However, the research also found that income-poor households had weak social resource endowments which forced them into riskier borrowing or asset strategies. Policy actions to support household assets are examined.
12
Gamage, Piyadasa Gallala. "Improving the quality management systems for pharmaceutical services in developing countries : a case study in Sri Lanka." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.409696.
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Gunaratne, Kodicara Asoka. "Conceptualising a model to promote "post start-up" small business growth in Sri Lanka." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Management, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2229.
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The objective of this thesis is to determine whether it is possible to improve the adequacy of support to “post start-up” small businesses in Sri Lanka by making changes to the current support regime to encourage their growth. The interest in this issue stems from (a) previous research carried out which highlights the substantially lower contribution to employment growth from the small businesses in Sri Lanka as compared to what is observed in other countries, and (b) the increasing emphasis upon stimulating the small business sector to make a significant contribution to the national economy which is apparent in recent policy proposals in the White Paper presented by the Task Force for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) development.
An examination of extant literature suggests that the understanding of the factors that influence the growth of post start-up small businesses in developing countries is limited. Knowledge is also limited on the type of support that is required to adequately address such factors. To systematically investigate the existing knowledge gaps in these areas a questionnaire survey was conducted. In-depth interviews were also carried out with small business owner-managers and key employees of organisations providing small business support.
A variety of statistical techniques were employed to analyse the responses to the questionnaire survey. Overall the results indicate that the factors influencing the growth of post start-up small businesses are highly individual in nature. Results of the study also indicate that the employment growth in post start-up small businesses is very limited. Drawing on the results of the research a conceptual model is proposed that suggests a holistic approach to the identification, evaluation and delivery of support to address the factors constraining the growth of post start-up small businesses.
14
Hagadorn, Emily Josephine. "Tamil asylees and U.S. social workers : intercultural communication in the context of refugee services." Scholarly Commons, 2004. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/592.
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Abeysekera, Ruwan. "Enhancing entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka : the provision of business development services (BDS) by microfinance institutions to support the self-sufficiency of microenterprises." Thesis, Bournemouth University, 2016. http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/24721/.
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The literature shows that microenterprises can make a significant contribution to the economies of the developing world but that such firms face considerable challenges, especially during the start-up phase. Microfinance initiatives in the form of micro credit and business development services (BDS) are recognised as helping such firms to address these challenges as the provision of finance and support in the development of key skills can facilitate start-up and foster growth. Given this context, this study investigates how microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Sri Lanka use BDS to support the aspirations of entrepreneurs and employs the lens of co-production to analyse how the parties work together to support microenterprises. For the purposes of this study, co- production is defined as the combined efforts of two parties who jointly determine the output of their collaboration. The multiple case study method was used and data were gathered by conducting 51 in-depth interviews with microfinance officers, owner managers and with an external trainer and a BDS consultant involved in the process. The findings of the study reveal that MFI counsellors and owner managers of microenterprises use BDS to co-produce generating outcomes that help them both improve their performance. The findings also reveal that a number of contextual factors, such as client selection, social mobilisation programmes, planning, performance evaluation and financial sustainability influence co-production in BDS. Moreover, the findings show that aspects of the counsellor/owner manager relationship, such as expertise, readiness, follow up by the counsellor, owner manager willingness, and counsellor-owner manager communication and interpersonal relationships enhance co- production. This study contributes to the BDS literature as there has been a dearth of studies conducted on this area. Moreover, by focusing on how contextual factors influence co- production, the study fills a gap in the co-production literature. The recommendations provide useful information to policymakers (e.g. collaboration between the government and MFIs in catering for poorer people) and practitioners (e.g. use of low cost methods such as mentoring and on the job training for counsellors), which should help inform future strategies in this field.
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Kapu, Arachchilage Nirosha D. "Linking uses of management control systems with strategic capabilities and business level strategies for organizational performance evidence from the Sri Lankan textile and apparel industry." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2010. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/369.
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This research investigates how the uses of Management Control Systems (MCS), namely, diagnostic use and interactive use, as moderating variables, influence the relationship between business (competitive) strategies (which are determined by strategic capabilities) and organizational performance. Simons’ levers of control model, Porter’s theory of generic competitive strategy and the Resource Based View (RBV) of strategy have been considered as the underpinning theories and models of the study in developing the theoretical framework and hypotheses. The theoretical framework consists of two strategic capabilities (low cost competency and uniqueness competency), two generic business strategies (cost leadership and differentiation), two uses of MCS (diagnostic and interactive) and organizational performance as the study variables leading to twelve hypotheses based upon the extant literature. In this quantitative research, five hypotheses are developed as exploratory while the other seven hypotheses are confirmatory.
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Silva, Kodikarage Nirosha Nadeeshani [Verfasser], and Tom [Akademischer Betreuer] Brökel. "The roles of absorptive capacity, technology adoption, and extension services in a local agricultural innovation system in Sri Lanka / Kodikarage Nirosha Nadeeshani Silva ; Betreuer: Tom Brökel." Hannover : Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, 2020. http://d-nb.info/1222160455/34.
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Jayasundara, Chaminda Chiran. "Developing a model for prodicting customer satisfaction in relation to service quality in University libraries in Sri Lanka." Thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/3194.
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Customer satisfaction, from the service quality perspective, has emerged as a new modus operandi for assessing customers’ perceptions and/or expectations of services in order to re-orient and regulate existing services. University library administrators in Sri Lanka, realising the necessity of complying with customer perception of high quality service, have begun to search for alternative ways to satisfy their clientele on the basis of service quality. This study therefore aims to meet this need by developing a model to assess the extent to which service quality indicators and other explanatory attributes may be used to predict customer satisfaction, from a service quality perspective. The research process used in the study was the “onion model,” which involved a combination of positivist and phenomenological inquiries that led to the use of qualitative and quantitative approaches in line with the purpose of the study, which was exploratory in nature and searched for causality. The design of the study involved two main stages: the exploratory stage and the main stage. In the exploratory stage, attributes and domain identification of service quality was carried out with a sample of 262 subjects. Based upon the exploratory study, four provisional models were constructed and tested in the main study, using a sample of 1840 subjects. The model based on the performance-only paradigm and the linearity assumption between the constructs was found to be the best parsimony model that provided for enhanced predictive performance, calibration and potential insight into attributes and domain relevance. Regarding overall satisfaction, responsiveness, supportiveness, building environment, collection and access, furniture and facilities, technology and service delivery as quality domains, involvement with the service, and knowledge of the customers as situational attributes and age, member category, university and gender as socio-demographic attributes were found to be significant. The final model may be used to design a simple measurement or monitoring process of library performance, and it may also be a useful tool for diagnosing service quality locally. This research further provides a keystone for other studies and may also stimulate the momentum of current research on service quality and/or customer satisfactionInformation Science
D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)
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Arumapperuma, Sudath. "The role of information technology in disseminating innovations in agribusiness: a comparative study of Australia and Sri Lanka." Thesis, 2008. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/1416/.
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In the wake of the rapid evolution of information technology (IT), including the internet, during the last three decades, much attention has been given to the introduction of IT to the agricultural sector, and to ensuring its adoption by farmers. Given its apparent ability to provide rich information to a large number of people, hopes have been raised about the role of IT as a tool for diffusing innovations in the agricultural sector. This thesis addresses the reality of such a role in Australia and Sri Lanka. Following the broader innovation literature, an innovations systems approach is used, and the key aspects of diffusion stressed are reach, richness and the time taken. The agricultural innovation system (AIS) is seen as a complex interactive system involving actors fulfilling eleven functions – policy, education, finance and credit, marketing, input supply, research, extension and information, logistics, processing and storage, farmers and farm organisations, and consumers. It is clear that the Australian AIS is more effective than its Sri Lankan counterpart in terms of its use of leading-edge technologies, competition in global markets with innovative products, and quick diffusion of research findings to farmers. The use of IT in agribusiness in Australia is quite advanced, although still limited in small firms. While there are many examples of the use of IT for innovation diffusion in Australian agriculture, there is little evidence that this is yet a widely used process for the spread of innovations. The situation in Sri Lanka is quite different, with low levels of computer literacy and usage in the farm sector, with technology transfer ‘across the last mile’ remaining the weakest link in the Sri Lankan AIS. But farmers often go to great efforts to obtain better information, and much attention is being given by the Government and NGOs to the development of wireless networks, telecentres and other methods for promoting IT access and knowledge diffusion in the rural sector in Sri Lanka. Given the heterogeneous nature of the actors in an AIS, together with the importance of tacit knowledge and social and peer groups factors, IT will complement existing methods of innovation diffusion for the foreseeable future, rather than substitute them. Nevertheless, IT is likely to become increasingly important in innovation diffusion in agriculture, in both developed countries and in developing economies such as Sri Lanka. In implementing policies to this end, Sri Lanka must give due attention to the complex interactions between the many players in the AIS, to the role of tacit knowledge and social actors, and to the low level of the IT literacy in the rural sector. While continuing efforts to build relevant infrastructure are essential, these must be supported by measures to strengthen communication between the actors in the AIS, by education and capability development for farmers and by the creation of suitably tailored digital information packages on key issues.
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Arumapperuma, Sudath. "The role of information technology in disseminating innovations in agribusiness a comparative study of Australia and Sri Lanka /." 2008. http://eprints.vu.edu.au/1416/1/arumapperuma.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
In the wake of the rapid evolution of information technology (IT), including the internet, during the last three decades, much attention has been given to the introduction of IT to the agricultural sector, and to ensuring its adoption by farmers. Given its apparent ability to provide rich information to a large number of people, hopes have been raised about the role of IT as a tool for diffusing innovations in the agricultural sector. This thesis addresses the reality of such a role in Australia and Sri Lanka. Following the broader innovation literature, an innovations systems approach is used, and the key aspects of diffusion stressed are reach, richness and the time taken. The agricultural innovation system (AIS) is seen as a complex interactive system involving actors fulfilling eleven functions – policy, education, finance and credit, marketing, input supply, research, extension and information, logistics, processing and storage, farmers and farm organisations, and consumers. It is clear that the Australian AIS is more effective than its Sri Lankan counterpart in terms of its use of leading-edge technologies, competition in global markets with innovative products, and quick diffusion of research findings to farmers. The use of IT in agribusiness in Australia is quite advanced, although still limited in small firms. While there are many examples of the use of IT for innovation diffusion in Australian agriculture, there is little evidence that this is yet a widely used process for the spread of innovations. The situation in Sri Lanka is quite different, with low levels of computer literacy and usage in the farm sector, with technology transfer ‘across the last mile’ remaining the weakest link in the Sri Lankan AIS. But farmers often go to great efforts to obtain better information, and much attention is being given by the Government and NGOs to the development of wireless networks, telecentres and other methods for promoting IT access and knowledge diffusion in the rural sector in Sri Lanka. Given the heterogeneous nature of the actors in an AIS, together with the importance of tacit knowledge and social and peer groups factors, IT will complement existing methods of innovation diffusion for the foreseeable future, rather than substitute them. Nevertheless, IT is likely to become increasingly important in innovation diffusion in agriculture, in both developed countries and in developing economies such as Sri Lanka. In implementing policies to this end, Sri Lanka must give due attention to the complex interactions between the many players in the AIS, to the role of tacit knowledge and social actors, and to the low level of the IT literacy in the rural sector. While continuing efforts to build relevant infrastructure are essential, these must be supported by measures to strengthen communication between the actors in the AIS, by education and capability development for farmers and by the creation of suitably tailored digital information packages on key issues.
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Jayasuriya, Dinuk Sanjaya. "Information and impatience : evidence from evaluations in two developing countries." Phd thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/151649.
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Rajapakse, Bishan Nishantha. "Improving the medical management of organophosphorus pesticide poisoning through health services research and training." Phd thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/110200.
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Organophosphorus (OP) self-poisoning is a major global public
health problem resulting in over 200,000 deaths each year with a
case fatality of 15-30%. Early medical management consists of
effective resuscitation and targeted antidote therapy.
This thesis argued that health services research and rural doctor
training could be used to improve the medical management of OP
poisoning in a resource limited rural Sri Lankan setting, where
the delivery of critical care is limited by a lack of diagnostic
tests and resuscitation skills. Research investigating the use of
AChE in guiding clinical management, and research that measured
the effectiveness of rural resuscitation training, were the two
streams of research that were the founding pillars of the thesis.
These two elements were linked together through a conceptual
framework of knowledge translation, each operating at different
points in the continuum of evidence being translated into
practice.
An AChE POC test (Test-mate ChE) was demonstrated to provide
accurate and reliable results in acute OP poisoning when compared
with a reference laboratory. A survey based analysis of
clinician’s knowledge, attitudes and practices found that most
doctors valued the test, but also surprisingly found that doctors
who were more experienced with AChE valued the test less. Low
proportions valued the test in guidance of acute poisoning
management (e.g. to direct oxime therapy and early discharge).
A systematic review highlighted a lack of supporting primary
evidence for the use of AChE in relation to oxime use and
discharge decisions. Advice on interpretation of AChE and caution
about pitfalls in measurement were also lacking. These areas need
to be addressed to optimise provision of AChE POC devices.
A train-the-trainer (TTT) model of resuscitation education was
effective in improving resuscitation knowledge and skills in
rural peripheral hospital doctors, and improvements in most
components were sustained for 12 weeks. This demonstrated the
effectiveness of using non-specialist doctors to conduct peer-led
advanced life support (ALS) training in a low resource peripheral
hospital setting, using objective knowledge and skills endpoints
according to standardized metrics.
A systematic review of resuscitation of OP poisoning found no
texts solely focused on acute initial management. An ‘OP
specific’ ALS guideline was proposed based on consistent
literature recommendations highlighting the importance of rapid
atropinisation (doubling dose regimen) to be delivered
simultaneous with immediate airway, breathing and circulation
management. Other antidotes such as oximes should not be in the
ALS guidelines.
A participatory action research approach was used to address
practical problems through close engagement with health services
and local training systems. The experience from both streams of
research showed that such strategies were integral to the
completion of the studies employed in the low resource rural
setting. The thesis demonstrated health services research and
training could be used to close the evidence-practice gap, and
may have a role in the improvement of the medical management of
OP poisoning. Future research should investigate clinical
endpoints associated with the use of AChE in guiding OP poisoning
management, the development of decision rules offering practical
guidance in measurement and interpretation of AChE, the
evaluation of OP specific ALS guidelines, and the sustainability
rural resuscitation training programs.
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Roy, Catherine. "Le recrutement des employés-cadres par les médias sociaux et son effet sur l’efficacité du recrutement international des talents : le cas de la multinationale Camso." Thèse, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1866/19394.
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