Uncertified absence from work and the Big Five:an examination of absence records and future absence intentions

Uncertified absence from work has traditionally been difficult to link to personality. The present paper argues that personality is best conceptualized as influencing an individual’s intention to be absent from work because of reasons that are within their control. This was investigated in an employed community sample of 128 individuals. These individuals used a self-report measure to express their future intentions to be absent from work as a result of several reasons. These reasons for absence were categorized as “being absent because of external pressure or commitment” (ABCo) and “being absence by choice” (ABCh). The Big Five personality factors were found to be unrelated to objective uncertified absence records and unrelated to ABCo. Three of the Big Five were related to ABCh. Agreeableness was negatively related to ABCh whereas Extraversion and Openness demonstrated a positive correlation. It was concluded that the results should be viewed tentatively, but that this study may provide a useful framework for conceptualizing the association of personality with uncertified absence.

Control of antibiotic prescribing in UK NHS hosptials. Available in 2 volumes.

This thesis is an evaluation of practices to control antibiotic prescribing in UK NHS hospitals. Within the past ten years there has been increasing international concern about escalating antibiotic resistance, and the UK has issued several policy documents for pmdent antibiotic prescribing. Chief Pharmacists in 253 UK NHS hospitals were surveyed about the availability and nature of documents to control antibiotic prescribing (formularies, policies and guidelines), and the role of pharmacists and medical microbiologists in monitoring prescribers' compliance with the recommendations of such documents. Although 235 hospitals had at least one document, only 60% had both an antibiotic formulary and guidelines, and only about one-half planned an annual revision of document(s). Pharmacists were reported as mostly checking antibiotic prescribing on every ward whilst medical microbiologists mostly visited selected units only. Response to a similar questionnaire was obtained from the Chief Medical Microbiologists in 131 UK NHS hospitals. Comparisons of the questionnaires indicated areas of apparent disagreement about the roles of pharmacists and medical microbiologists. Eighty three paired-responses received from pharmacists and medical microbiologists in the same hospital revealed poor agreement and awareness about controls. A total of 205 institutional prescribing guidelines were analysed for recommendations for the empirical antibiotic prescribing of Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP). Variation was observed in recommendations and agreement with national guidance from the British Thoracic Society (BTS). A questionnaire was subsequently sent to 235 Chief Pharmacists to investigate their awareness of this new guidance from the BTS, and subsequent revision of institutional guidelines. Documents had been revised in only about one-half of hospitals where pharmacists were aware of the new guidance. An audit of empirical antibiotic prescribing practices for CAP was performed at one hospital. Although problems were experienced with retrieval of medical records, diagnostic criteria were poorly recorded, and only 57% of prescribing for non-severe CAP was compliant with institutional guidelines. A survey of clinicians at the same hospital identified that almost one-half used the institutional guidelines and most found them useful. However, areas for improvement concernmg awareness of the guidelines and ease of access were identified. It is important that hospitals are equipped to react to changes in the hospital environment including frequent movement of junior doctors between institutions, the employment of specialist "infectious diseases pharmacists" and the increasing benefits offered by information technology. Recommendations for policy have been suggested.

Ecological studies on river pollution control

This collection of papers records a series of studies, carried out over a period of some 50 years, on two aspects of river pollution control - the prevention of pollution by sewage biological filtration and the monitoring of river pollution by biological surveillance. The earlier studies were carried out to develop methods of controlling flies which bred in the filters and caused serious nuisance and possible public health hazard, when they dispersed to surrounding villages. Although the application of insecticides proved effective as an alleviate measure, because it resulted in only a temporary disturbance of the ecological balance, it was considered ecologically unsound as a long-term solution. Subsequent investigations showed that the fly populations in filters were largely determined by the amount of food available to the grazing larval stage in the form of filter film. It was also established that the winter deterioration in filter performance was due to the excessive accumulation of film. Subsequent investigations were therefore carried out to determine the factors responsible for the accumulation of film in different types of filter. Methods of filtration which were considered to control film accumulation by increasing the flushing action of the sewage, were found to control fungal film by creating nutrient limiting conditions. In some filters increasing the hydraulic flushing reduced the grazing fauna population in the surface layers and resulted in an increase in film. The results of these investigations were successfully applied in modifying filters and in the design of a Double Filtration process. These studies on biological filters lead to the conclusion that they should be designed and operated as ecological systems and not merely as hydraulic ones. Studies on the effects of sewage effluents on Birmingham streams confirmed the findings of earlier workers justifying their claim for using biological methods for detecting and assessing river pollution. Further ecological studies showed the sensitivity of benthic riffle communities to organic pollution. Using experimental channels and laboratory studies the different environmental conditions associated with organic pollution were investigated. The degree and duration of the oxygen depletion during the dark hours were found to be a critical factor. The relative tolerance of different taxa to other pollutants, such as ammonia, differed. Although colonisation samplers proved of value in sampling difficult sites, the invertebrate data generated were not suitable for processing as any of the commonly used biotic indexes. Several of the papers, which were written by request for presentation at conferences etc., presented the biological viewpoint on river pollution and water quality issues at the time and advocated the use of biological methods. The information and experiences gained in these investigations was used as the "domain expert" in the development of artificial intelligence systems for use in the biological surveillance of river water quality.

Budgeting, budgetary control and management information in the highways departments

The need for an adequate information system for the Highways Departments in the United Kingdom has been recognised by the report of a committee presented to the Minister of Transport in 1970, (The Marshall Report). This research aims to present a comprehensive information system on a sound theoretical basis which should enable the different levels of management to execute their work adequately. The suggested system presented in this research covers the different functions of the Highways Department, and presents a suggested solution for problems which may occur during the planning and controlling of work in the different locations of the Highways Department. The information system consists of:- 1. A coding system covering the cost units, cost centres and cost elements. 2. Cost accounting records for the cost units and cost centres. 3. A budgeting and budgetary control system covering, the different planning methods and procedures which are required for preparing the capital expenditure budget, the improvement and maintenance operation flexible budgets and programme of work, the plant budget, the administration budget, and the purchasing budget. 4. A reporting system which ensures that the different levels of management are receiving relevant and timely information. 5. The flow of documents which covers the relationship between the prime documents, the cost accounting records, budgets, reports and their relation to the different sections and offices within the department. A comprehensive cost units, cost centres, and cost elements codes together with a number of examples demonstrating the results of the survey, and examples of the application and procedures of the suggested information system have been illustrated separately as appendices. The emphasis is on the information required for internal control by management personnel within the County Council.