Suchergebnisse

"Kiwiana is an essential guide for both New Zealanders and overseas visitors, identifying and celebrating some of the more colourful and durable aspects of this countrys popular culture. Known as Kiwiana, these are characterful objects and customs that define the New Zealand way of life. They have become distinctive to this country, frequently illustrating a response to its climate, geography and location in the southwest corner of the Pacific. Some of these examples of Kiwiana had their origins in the nineteenth century and others emerged more recently, while most reflected the development of a local ingenuity, an uncanny ability to make do. With the growth of international travel and trade in the late twentieth century, many distinctive features of the New Zealand way of life became increasingly vulnerable in the face of overseas influences. This collection therefore celebrates some of the more hardy examples of Kiwiana, those classics that have endured over the years, while also acknowledging a nostalgia for the recent past, a period recalled with amusement and affection. At the same time, these so-called icons of Kiwiana will be of interest to overseas visitors, representing a quirky and colourful resource unique to New Zealand, and is priced as an ideal keepsake from their visit."--Publishers description

Over the past twenty years or so, there has been a debate that basically asks "…whether the informal sector should really be seen as a marginalized, 'survival' sector, which mops up excess or entrenched workers, or as a vibrant, entrepreneurial part of the economy which can stimulate economic growth and job creation." (African Union 2008). This paper argues the latter. Further, this paper argues that employment in the informal sector is no longer a journey, but has become the destination of many. If the aim is to create jobs and reduce poverty, the informal sector must be included in the debate. Indeed, this paper recommends that the debate about the advantages of formal sector vs. the informal sector needs to end. Governments need to unequivocally recognize and admit the importance of the informal sector and finds ways to encourage its growth. They also need, at the same time, to decide how to strengthen the formal sector and extend benefits to those in the informal sector, while removing barriers to the formal sector to allow more to participate. Specifically, there are at least five major areas where changes need to be made: 1) Establish an enabling environment and supportive regulatory framework, 2) Provide access to appropriate training, 3) Improve basic facilities and amenities and infrastructure, 4) Increase ability to obtain property title and access to credit, and 5) Improve national databases and establish uniform standards.

Purpose: An emerging body of research involves observational studies in which survival analysis is applied to data obtained from primary care electronic health records (EHRs). This systematic review of these studies examined the utility of using this approach. Method: An electronic literature search of the Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases was conducted. Search terms and exclusion criteria were chosen to select studies where survival analysis was applied to the data extracted wholly from EHRs used in primary care medical practice. Results: A total of 46 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review were examined. All were published within the past decade (2005–2014) with a majority ( n = 26, 57%) being published between 2012 and 2014. Even though citation rates varied from nil to 628, over half ( n = 27, 59%) of the studies were cited 10 times or more. The median number of subjects was 18,042 with five studies including over 1,000,000 patients. Of the included studies, 35 (76%) were published in specialty journals and 11 (24%) in general medical journals. The many conditions studied largely corresponded well with conditions important to general practice. Conclusion: Survival analysis applied to primary care electronic medical data is a research approach that has been frequently used in recent times. The utility of this approach was demonstrated by the ability to produce research with large numbers of subjects, across a wide range of conditions and with the potential of a high impact. Importantly, primary care data were thus available to inform primary care practice.

Background: Electronic medical data (EMD) from electronic health records of general practice computer systems have enormous research potential, yet many variables are unreliable. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare selected data variables from general practice EMD with a reliable, representative national dataset (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH)) in order to validate their use for primary care research. Method: EMD variables were compared with encounter data from the nationally representative BEACH program using χ2 tests and robust 95% confidence intervals to test their validity (measure what they reportedly measure). The variables focused on for this study were patient age, sex, smoking status and medications prescribed at the visit. Results: The EMD sample from six general practices in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, yielded data on 196,515 patient encounters. Details of 90,553 encounters were recorded in the 2013 BEACH dataset from 924 general practitioners. No significant differences in patient age ( p = 0.36) or sex ( p = 0.39) were found. EMD had a lower rate of current smokers and higher average scripts per visit, but similar prescribing distribution patterns. Conclusion: Validating EMD variables offers avenues for improving primary care delivery and measuring outcomes of care to inform clinical practice and health policy.

Background: Electronic medical records are increasingly used for research with limited external validation of their data. Objective: This study investigates the validity of electronic medical data (EMD) for estimating diabetes prevalence in general practitioner (GP) patients by comparing EMD with national Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) data. Method: A "decision tree" was created using inclusion/exclusion of pre-agreed variables to determine the probability of diabetes in absence of diagnostic label, including diagnoses (coded/free-text diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose), diabetic annual cycle of care (DACC), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) > 6.5%, and prescription (metformin, other diabetes medications). Via SQL query, cases were identified in EMD of five Illawarra and Southern Practice Network practices (30,007 active patients; from 2 years to January 2015). Patient-based Supplementary Analysis of Nominated Data (SAND) sub-studies from BEACH investigating diabetes prevalence (1172 GPs; 35,162 patients; November 2012 to February 2015) were comparison data. SAND results were adjusted for number of GP encounters per year, per patient, and then age–sex standardised to match age–sex distribution of EMD patients. Cluster-adjusted 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for both datasets. Results: EMD diabetes prevalence (T1 and/or T2) was 6.5% (95% CI: 4.1–8.9). Following age–sex standardisation, SAND prevalence, not significantly different, was 6.7% (95% CI: 6.3–7.1). Extracting only coded diagnosis missed 13.0% of probable cases, subsequently identified through the presence of metformin/other diabetes medications (*without other indicator variables) (6.1%), free-text diabetes label (3.8%), HbA1c result* (1.6%), DACC* (1.3%), and diabetes medications* (0.2%). Discussion: While complex, proxy variables can improve usefulness of EMD for research. Without their consideration, EMD results should be interpreted with caution. Conclusion: Enforceable, transparent data linkages in EMRs would resolve many problems with identification of diagnoses. Ongoing data quality improvement remains essential.

This document, aimed at EU policy makers, comprises the third of three documents of a Framework for implementing Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for an ageing society. It presents the benefits of implementing RRI in industry in the area of ICT for an ageing society and recommendations for implementation. The document is based on extensive consultation with international representatives from research, industry and civil society. It consists of a set of recommendations and procedures for the facilitation of RRI in industry. More information can be found at the project site: http://www.responsible-industry.eu/activities/framework-for-implementing-rri