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Article
Publication date: 17 May 2018

Olga Mikhailova

The purpose of this paper is to address challenges and opportunities that smaller hospitals with limited resources may face when they are adopting and implementing innovative…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address challenges and opportunities that smaller hospitals with limited resources may face when they are adopting and implementing innovative technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a single case study with interviews and document analysis, this paper focuses on the recombination of resources, actors and activities during the process of technology adoption and implementation at a Danish hospital. Theoretically, it takes an interaction perspective for exploring the interplay between inner and outer networking during the innovation processes.

Findings

This study illustrates how the adoption and implementation of advanced medical technology requires significant investment, which is particularly burdensome for smaller hospitals. Constrained by limited resources, they have to develop creative combinations of resources through negotiation and embrace collaborative approaches to join and sustain themselves in the user-producer network.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the innovation field by suggesting ways in which practitioners at smaller hospitals can align with technology providers’ strategies and succeed by positioning their hospitals in relation to extended user-producer networks. This study further emphasizes the necessity of a broader discussion regarding the importance of user-producer interactions during innovation processes in health care settings.

Details

IMP Journal, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-1403

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 July 2024

Kymbat Yessenbekova

The purpose of this paper is to explore the English-speaking challenges confronted by English as Foreign Language (EFL) students in the context of Kazakhstan, a Central Asian…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the English-speaking challenges confronted by English as Foreign Language (EFL) students in the context of Kazakhstan, a Central Asian, post-Soviet nation, particularly focusing on the interrelation of English language fluency issues, psychological conditions and the influence of environmental factors.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative inquiry is firmly situated in Krashen’s second language acquisition theory. The research cohort comprises ten undergraduates from the esteemed Foreign Languages and Translation Studies Department, their narratives forming the basis for data analysis. The author conducted structured interviews with the participants.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that limited language proficiency not only hinders fluency but also initiates psychological challenges, forming a difficult cycle. Additionally, environmental elements, such as interactions with teachers and peers, have both beneficial and adverse impacts on speaking improvement. Acknowledging and tackling these complex dynamics is crucial for developing focused interventions that foster a supportive learning environment conducive to enhancing language acquisition and fluency.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of this research is that the triangulation method in the form of additional semi-structured interviews and/or observation was not used to get more in-depth data.

Practical implications

The study might be helpful for stakeholders to reflect on the English difficulties they experience and to prepare effective teaching and learning strategies. In particular, EFL teachers may need to use more speaking activities in lessons to help students overcome language barriers in speaking. EFL teachers might also adopt strategies such as not judging learners’ mistakes in the first phase of their language practices until they get used to speaking without any psychological blocks and paying additional attention to vocabulary and grammar knowledge in communicative lessons. EFL students may use the strategies to consciously evaluate their skills and not learn the speaking material by heart beforehand. In addition, university administration may organize regular speaking clubs for students in order to create an immersive environment. Moreover, they might require teachers to show up with their speaking capabilities before hiring English teachers, especially in English-related specialization departments.

Originality/value

The research indicates a lack of support and a judgmental environment, passive involvement in communicative pursuits and memorization as instrumental strategies for augmenting oral proficiency. These reasons have created difficulties in speaking English for students studying in English-specialized departments in Kazakhstan.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 September 2015

Javier A. Cepeda, Marina V. Vetrova, Alexandra I. Lyubimova, Olga S. Levina, Robert Heimer and Linda M. Niccolai

Little is known about the context of the post-release risk environment among formerly incarcerated people who inject drugs (PWID) in Russia. The purpose of this paper is to…

Abstract

Purpose

Little is known about the context of the post-release risk environment among formerly incarcerated people who inject drugs (PWID) in Russia. The purpose of this paper is to explore these challenges as they relate to reentry, relapse to injection opioid use, and overdose.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted 25 in-depth semi-structured interviews among PWID living in St Petersburg, Russia who had been incarcerated within the past two years. Participants were recruited from street outreach (n=20) and a drug treatment center (n=5).

Findings

Emergent themes related to the post-release environment included financial instability, negative interactions with police, return to a drug using community, and reuniting with drug using peers. Many respondents relapsed to opioid use immediately after release. Those whose relapse occurred weeks or months after their release expressed more motivation to resist. Alcohol or stimulant use often preceded the opioid relapse episode. Among those who overdosed, alcohol use was often reported prior to overdosing on opioids.

Practical implications

Future post-release interventions in Russia should effectively link PWID to social, medical, and harm reduction services. Particular attention should be focussed on helping former inmates find employment and overdose prevention training prior to leaving prison that should also cover the heightened risk of concomitant alcohol use.

Originality/value

In addition to describing a syndemic involving the intersection of incarceration, injection drug use, poverty, and alcohol abuse, the findings can inform future interventions to address these interrelated public health challenges within the Russian setting.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

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