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1 – 10 of over 2000Oscar Y. Moreno Rocha, Paula Pinto, Maria C. Consuegra, Sebastian Cifuentes and Jorge H. Ulloa
This study aims to facilitate access to vascular disease screening for low-income individuals living in remote and conflict areas based on the results of a pilot trial in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to facilitate access to vascular disease screening for low-income individuals living in remote and conflict areas based on the results of a pilot trial in Colombia. Also, to increase the amount of diagnosis training of vascular surgery (VS) in civilians.
Design/methodology/approach
The operation method includes five stages: strategy development and adjustment; translation of the strategy into a real-world setting; operation logistics planning; strategy analysis and adoption. The operation plan worked efficiently in this study’s sample. It demonstrated high sensibility, efficiency and safety in a real-world setting.
Findings
The authors developed and implemented a flow model operating plan for screening vascular pathologies in low-income patients pro bono without proper access to vascular health care. A total of 140 patients from rural areas in Colombia were recruited to a controlled screening session where they underwent serial noninvasive ultrasound assessments conducted by health professionals of different training stages in VS.
Research limitations/implications
The plan was designed to be implemented in remote, conflict areas with limited access to VS care. Vascular injuries are critically important and common among civilians and military forces in regions with active armed conflicts. As this strategy can be modified and adapted to different medical specialties and geographic areas, the authors recommend checking the related legislation and legal aspects of the intended areas where we will implement this tool.
Practical implications
Different sub-specialties can implement the described method to be translated into significant areas of medicine, as the authors can adjust the deployment and execution for the assessment in peripheral areas, conflict zones and other public health crises that require a faster response. This is necessary, as the amount of training to which VS trainees are exposed is low. A simulated exercise offers a novel opportunity to enhance their current diagnostic skills using ultrasound in a controlled environment.
Social implications
Evaluating and assessing patients with limited access to vascular medicine and other specialties can decrease the burden of vascular disease and related complications and increase the number of treatments available for remote communities.
Originality/value
It is essential to assess the most significant number of patients and treat them according to their triage designation. This management is similar to assessment in remote areas without access to a proper VS consult. The authors were able to determine, classify and redirect to therapeutic interventions the patients with positive findings in remote areas with a fast deployment methodology in VS.
Plain language summary
Access to health care is limited due to multiple barriers and the assessment and response, especially in peripheral areas that require a highly skilled team of medical professionals and related equipment. The authors tested a novel mobile assessment tool for remote and conflict areas in a rural zone of Colombia.
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Thomas Mashilo Modiba and Collence Takaingenhamo Chisita
The study aims to draw lessons from other countries and propose a framework for developing smart libraries in transformation in South Africa. The framework will be useful to…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to draw lessons from other countries and propose a framework for developing smart libraries in transformation in South Africa. The framework will be useful to policymakers and scholars in library and information science.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a qualitative approach based on a systematic literature review and the researchers’ experience concerning the transformation of smart libraries in South Africa. The researchers selected databases to access full-text, abstract or full-text linking facilities. The researchers generated the study’s literature review using keywords derived from themes. The keywords used include “smart libraries,” “functions of smart libraries” and “smart library infrastructure,” based on the objectives of the study.
Findings
The findings reveal that developing smart libraries in South Africa is feasible, but all stakeholders must cooperate and collaborate to create smart libraries. The findings of this study show that South Africa can draw lessons from other countries on the way forward in developing smart libraries. The results indicate that lack of funding, digital infrastructure and technical skills are among the factors inhibiting the development of smart libraries.
Originality/value
The issue of smart libraries has become a key on the agenda on a global scale, and South Africa is no exception to such developments. This study proposes a framework for developing smart libraries based on lessons learned within and outside South Africa.
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P.V. Vijesh and Perumal Ganesan
This study aims to explore various skills of library professionals working in management institutions of Kerala State, India.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore various skills of library professionals working in management institutions of Kerala State, India.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey method was used by distributing online questionnaire as a data collection tool. The questionnaires were distributed to the library professionals working in management institutions in Kerala State, India.
Findings
The study’s results revealed that the library professionals were competent with managerial, communication and interpersonal skills. Conversely, they were lacking skills in statements such as institutional repository, web 2.0 and social networks. Their familiarity level with reference management tools, research and academic ethics, electronic publishing and management of open-access resources, were also not satisfactory. They need knowledge of other ICT skills such as designing and maintaining in-house databases, video conferencing tools, advanced troubleshooting creating and managing metadata, handling RFID technology and knowledge in solving issues while organizing webinars. Based on the findings, the study has suggested some recommendations which will enable the government/institutions to take appropriate measures to improve their skills.
Practical implications
This study will enable the policymakers to identify in which area the library professionals are weak and develop a strategy and framework for increasing the level of their skills.
Originality/value
This study provides the views of the library professionals working in management institutions in India and warrants the library professionals to enhance their skills, especially on research ethics and publications and ICT skills.
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Rachel King, Clare Carolan and Steve Robertson
The purpose of this study is to explore the sustainability of innovations introduced during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in remote and rural primary care…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the sustainability of innovations introduced during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in remote and rural primary care advanced clinical practice.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology includes an exploratory qualitative study of eight key stakeholders from Scottish remote and rural primary care advanced practice (three policymakers and five advanced practitioners). Data were collected using semi-structured interviews during 2022 and analysed thematically.
Findings
Advanced practice in remote and rural primary care is characterised by a shortage of doctors, close-knit communities and a broad scope of practice. Covid-19 catalysed changes in the delivery of healthcare. Innovations which participants wanted to sustain include hybrid working, triage, online training and development, and increased inter-professional support networks.
Practical implications
Findings provide valuable insights into how best to support remote and rural advanced practice which may have implications for retaining healthcare professionals. They also identified useful innovations which could benefit from further investment.
Originality/value
Given current healthcare workforce pressures, identifying and sustaining innovations which will support and retain staff are imperative. Hybrid consultations and online access to training, development and support should be sustained to support the remote and rural advanced practice workforce. Further research should explore the sustainability of innovations introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic in other care contexts.
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Joseph K. Nwankpa and Yazan F. Roumani
This study aims to explore the effects of remote work on employee productivity and innovation and how these effects are moderated by knowledge sharing and digital business…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the effects of remote work on employee productivity and innovation and how these effects are moderated by knowledge sharing and digital business intensity.
Design/methodology/approach
The study draws on survey data from a random sample of 231 remote workers across the USA. The analysis and empirical validation of the research model used partial least square.
Findings
The results demonstrate a positive association between remote work and employee productivity. In addition, the findings present empirical support for hitherto anecdotal evidence regarding the impact of remote work on innovation. In particular, the study notes that knowledge sharing and digital business intensity amplified the positive relationship between remote work and employee productivity. The results further revealed that the positive link between remote work and innovation was stronger in the presence of knowledge sharing.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the ongoing inquiry into remote work by drawing on the knowledge-based view as an underlying lens to understand the consequence of remote work. Identifying knowledge sharing and digital business intensity as moderators of the linkage between remote work and employee productivity is an important contribution, especially when researchers and practitioners are trying to understand the business value of working remotely. Furthermore, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to identify knowledge sharing as a key mechanism that strengthens innovation outcomes in a remote work environment.
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Urmila Jagadeeswari Itam and Uma Warrier
Teleworking, working from home and flexible work have gained popularity over the last few years. A shift in policies and practices in the workplace is required owing to the…
Abstract
Purpose
Teleworking, working from home and flexible work have gained popularity over the last few years. A shift in policies and practices in the workplace is required owing to the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating current trends in work-from-everywhere (WFE) research. This article presents a systematic literature review of WFE research from 1990 to early 2023 to understand the transformation of the field.
Design/methodology/approach
The Web of Science database was used to conduct this review based on rigorous bibliometric and network analysis techniques. The prominence of the research studied using SPAR-4-SLR and a collection of bibliometric techniques on selected journal articles, reviews and early access articles. Performance and keyword co-occurrence analysis form the premise of cluster analysis. The content analysis of recently published papers revealed the driving and restraining forces that help define and operationalize the concept of WFE.
Findings
The major findings indicate that the five established and accelerated trends from cluster analysis are COVID-19 and the pandemic, telework(ing), remote working, work from home and well-being and productivity. Driving and restraining forces identified through content analysis include technological breakthroughs, work–life integration challenges, inequality in the distribution of jobs, gender, shifts in industry and sector preferences, upskilling and reskilling and many more have been published post-COVID in the restraining forces category of WFE.
Practical implications
A key contribution of this pioneering study of “work from everywhere” is the linking of the bibliometric trends of the past three decades to the influencing and restraining factors during the pandemic. This study illustrates how WFE could be perceived differently post-COVID, which is of great concern to practitioners and future researchers.
Originality/value
A wide range of publications on WFE and multiple synonyms can create confusion if a systematic and effective system does not classify and associate them. This study uses both bibliometric and scientometric analyses in the context of WFE using systematic literature review (SLR) methods.
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Rodolfo Canelón, Christian Carrasco and Felipe Rivera
It is well known in the mining industry that the increase in failures and breakdowns is due mainly to a poor maintenance policy for the equipment, in addition to the difficult…
Abstract
Purpose
It is well known in the mining industry that the increase in failures and breakdowns is due mainly to a poor maintenance policy for the equipment, in addition to the difficult access that specialized personnel have to combat the breakdown, which translates into more machine downtime. For this reason, this study aims to propose a remote assistance model for diagnosing and repairing critical breakdowns in mining industry trucks using augmented reality techniques and data analytics with a quality approach that considerably reduces response times, thus optimizing human resources.
Design/methodology/approach
In this work, the six-phase CRIPS-DM methodology is used. Initially, the problem of fault diagnosis in trucks used in the extraction of material in the mining industry is addressed. The authors then propose a model under study that seeks a real-time connection between a service technician attending the truck at the mine site and a specialist located at a remote location, considering the data transmission requirements and the machine's characterization.
Findings
It is considered that the theoretical results obtained in the development of this study are satisfactory from the business point of view since, in the first instance, it fulfills specific objectives related to the telecare process. On the other hand, from the data mining point of view, the results manage to comply with the theoretical aspects of the establishment of failure prediction models through the application of the CRISP-DM methodology. All of the above opens the possibility of developing prediction models through machine learning and establishing the best model for the objective of failure prediction.
Originality/value
The original contribution of this work is the proposal of the design of a remote assistance model for diagnosing and repairing critical failures in the mining industry, considering augmented reality and data analytics. Furthermore, the integration of remote assistance, the characterization of the CAEX, their maintenance information and the failure prediction models allow the establishment of a quality-based model since the database with which the learning machine will work is constantly updated.
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Cleide Gisele Ribeiro, Plinio dos Santos Ramos, Raimundo Nonato Bechara, Juliano Machado de Oliveira, Erika Bicalho de Almeida, Soraida Sozzi Miguel, Djalma Rabelo Ricardo and Rodrigo Guerra de Oliveira
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant disruption in the educational systems worldwide. Some institutions opted for emergency remote education due to the need to cancel…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant disruption in the educational systems worldwide. Some institutions opted for emergency remote education due to the need to cancel in-person activities. The aims of this paper were to evaluate the use of asynchronous methodology in health sciences education, determine whether asynchronous methodology was sacrificing overall student satisfaction, and investigate whether satisfaction improved as the program develops.
Design/methodology/approach
Initially, there was phase 1 that corresponded to four weeks of activities. Each professor produced a video lesson, and after each video lesson, a weekly educational activity was made available. Next, phase 2 was implemented using the same methodology, however lasting six weeks. Three questionnaires were developed, and a Likert scale was administered to verify the students’ level of satisfaction. Data were analyzed using frequency distributions, mean values, standard deviation and confidence interval. The normality of the sum data (total of the questionnaires) was tested using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.
Findings
Although the students pointed out that the asynchronous methodology facilitated access to the content and considered this methodology satisfactory, they expressed a reduced level of satisfaction regarding emergency remote education in general when data from the first weeks were compared to those of the previous weeks. It is clear that students became increasingly discouraged and tired over time, which motivated the institution to shift into a combination of synchronous and asynchronous methodology to improve student learning.
Originality/value
Teaching in the field of health care encompasses difficult competencies that sometimes are impossible to be learned remotely, so there is a need to examine and evaluate properly the remote education in this area. With careful planning, educational institutions can evaluate their experiences during the pandemic, allowing those involved to highlight strengths and identify weaknesses to better prepare for future needs to improve remote education.
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Tuğçe Karayel, Bahadır Aktaş and Adem Akbıyık
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cyber hygiene practices of remote workers.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cyber hygiene practices of remote workers.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper used two instruments: first, the Cyber Hygiene Inventory scale, which measures users’ information and computer security behaviors; second, the Recsem Inventory, developed within this paper’s context, to evaluate the cybersecurity measures adopted by organizations for remote workers. It was conducted on remote workers to examine their information security practices. The instrument was administered to a sample of 442 employees reached via the LinkedIn platform. Analyses were performed with SPSS v26, Python programming language and Seaborn library.
Findings
The findings indicate a significant correlation between the security measures implemented by companies and their employees’ cyber hygiene practices. A sector comparison revealed a significant difference in cyber hygiene levels between public and private sector workers.
Research limitations/implications
This paper aims to provide policymakers with suggestions for enhancing the cyber hygiene of remote workers to facilitate compliance with corporate security protocols.
Originality/value
This paper’s conclusions highlight the importance of companies increasing their cybersecurity investments as remote work becomes more prevalent. This should consider not only corporate-level factors but also employees' information and computer security behaviors.
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Prinka Dogra, Aubid Hussain Parrey, Bhawna and Umair Akram
This study aims to integrate the social cognitive theory and flow theory to examine how e-skills self-efficacy (ESSE) and trust-building self-efficacy (TBSE) impact work-related…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to integrate the social cognitive theory and flow theory to examine how e-skills self-efficacy (ESSE) and trust-building self-efficacy (TBSE) impact work-related flow in remote work. It also explores how work-related flow (WOLF) mediates the connection between these factors and employee resilience (ER) in the context of the growing shift toward remote work.
Design/methodology/approach
The study tested an empirical mediation model with 535 remote workers from Indian organizations that adopted remote work either before or during the pandemic. Hypotheses were tested using Hayes’ PROCESS macro.
Findings
The study confirmed the direct influence of ESSE and TBSE on WOLF. Moreover, a mediation analysis demonstrated that WOLF significantly mediates the association linking ESSE, TBSE and ER.
Practical implications
This study, evaluating experienced remote employees in the quaternary sector, offers data-driven insights for informed organizational decisions. These findings aims to guide HR and training departments in formulating recruitment and training strategies, emphasizing digital skill development to enhance knowledge and skills effectively.
Originality/value
This study highlights the need for remote workers and organizations to be aware of the challenges of remote work. It is among the first to explore the link between ESSE, TBSE and ER, addressing psychological factor, i.e. WOLF, often overlooked in organizational contexts.
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