Suchergebnisse

One of the basic paradoxes of research on space and international politics is the rapid and undisputed success of the Soviet state in space, and the continuous and seemingly infinite lag in American efforts in the development of space technology and military applications in space. While democratic government is generally credited with being the most important source of the limited achievements of Americans in space, Walter A. McDougall argues in his work, ...the Heavens and the Earth, that democracy also played a crucial role in limiting the militarization of space. In contrast to the American case, the form of the Soviet state has allowed for progress of an unprecedented nature given the relative backward na ture of Soviet technology, at the conclusion of World War II. This the critical problem in McDougall's ...the Heavens and the Earth, and flies in the face of President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. Democracy seems to be of little relevance in this case. This review provides a summary description of McDougall's work, the delineation of his central argument, and a critical examination of the broader implications for understanding discussions of the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the study of space and international politics more generally.

Quality and performance improvement initiatives are driving significant changes in the United States healthcare system. In anticipation of the full implementation of national health reform over the next several years, the pace of these changes has been increasing. The goals of these quality initiatives mirror the National Quality Strategy's three aims which developed out of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's triple aim of improving the patient care experience, improving the population's health, and reducing healthcare costs. Projects are underway across the United States to achieve these aims. In this article, Chief Nursing Officers of three of the nation's largest healthcare systems, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Kaiser Permanente, and Ascension Health, have outlined their organizations' quality and performance improvement initiatives. Their forward-thinking projects broadly address several aspects of healthcare, including reduction of hospital-acquired conditions, patient engagement, and the integration of mobile technologies and other informatics solutions to improve clinical workflows and increase registered nurses' access to knowledge resources. The article then offers a brief analysis and conclusion of these three exemplars. The projects span the information systems life cycle: some are well established and continuing to improve, others have been recently implemented, and still others planned for implementation in the near future.