Manual de procedimentos - apoio na gestão da mudança: Trabalho de Projecto

A aproximação dos serviços às populações e a melhoria dos serviços prestados na administração pública leva a que estas organizações tenham de estar constantemente a alterar a sua forma de agir para se conseguirem adequar ao meio onde estão inseridas. É, portanto, necessário um processo de mudança devidamente organizado e gerido. As organizações públicas sentiram a necessidade de adotar sistemas de informação e de controlo de gestão adequados de forma a melhorar as tomadas de decisões, introduzir a avaliação de desempenho e aumentar os índices de eficiência, eficácia e qualidade dos serviços públicos. No entanto, qualquer processo de mudança, por mais necessário e bem preparado que seja, enfrenta sempre resistência, seja ela a nível individual, seja a nível organizacional. É necessário saber gerir estas mudanças, para tal toma-se importante a constituição de uma boa equipa orientadora da mudança, com capacidade de liderança, necessária para uma melhor aceitação por parte dos funcionários envolvidos. Não menos importante é a medição da performance que visa produzir informação relevante para a melhoria da gestão e das tomadas de decisões, contribuindo assim para uma melhoria global dos resultados. O Balanced Scorecard pode ser a ferramenta ideal para trazer inovação aos serviços públicos. Assim, este trabalho de projeto consiste, depois de uma análise às reformas que tem vindo a ocorrer na administração pública bem como aos modelos e ferramentas existentes para a avaliação do desempenho do sector público, na elaboração de um Manual de Procedimentos, que servirá de base na reorganização dos Serviços da Divisão Administrativa da Câmara Municipal de Tomar que se encontra numa fase de mudança, manual esse que servirá também para melhoria do desempenho dos Serviços e para uma possível implementação do Balanced Scorecard. ABSTRACT: The alignment of services to citizens and improve services in public administration means that these organizations have to constantly change their ways if they can adapt to the environment where they operate. It is therefore a necessary process of change properly organized and managed. Public organizations have felt the need for information systems and monitoring of appropriate management to improve decision making, introduce the evaluation of performance and increasing levels of efficiency, effectiveness and quality of public services. However, any process of change, however necessary and well-prepared it is, always face resistance, either individually or at the organizational level. You must know how to manage these changes, for such it is important to set up a good team guiding change, and leadership skills necessary for better acceptance by the employees involved. No less important is the measurement of performance that aims to produce relevant information for improved management and decision making, thus contributing to an overall improvement in results. The Balanced Scorecard can be an ideal tool to bring innovation to public services. Thus, this study design is, after a review of the reforms that have been taking place in public administration and the existing models and tools for evaluating the performance of the public sector, development of a Procedures Manual, which is basic the reorganization of the Administrative Services Division of the City Council to take in a phase of change, that this manual will also serve to improve the performance of services and a possible implementation of the Balanced Scorecard.

Effects of rainfall on water quality in six sequentially disposed fishponds with continuous water flow

O estudo foi efetuado durante o período de chuva (dezembro-fevereiro) em seis viveiros de produção semi-intensiva de peixes, a fim de avaliar o efeito da chuva na qualidade da água de viveiros que apresentam fluxo contínuo de água, a qual é passada de um viveiro para outro sem tratamento prévio. Foram amostrados oito pontos de coleta nas saídas dos viveiros. O viveiro P1 (próximo à nascente) apresentou as menores concentrações físicas e químicas da água e as maiores no viveiro P4 (considerado um ponto crítico recebendo material alóctone proveniente de outros viveiros e do escoamento do setor de criação de rãs). A disposição seqüencial dos viveiros estudados promoveu aumento nas concentrações dos nutrientes, clorofila-a e condutividade. As chuvas características desta época do ano aumentaram o fluxo de água nos viveiros e conseqüentemente, carreando material particulado e dissolvido de um viveiro para outro e, promovendo um aumento das variáveis limnológicas em direção do P3 ao P6. Os resultados sugerem que a chuva no período de estudo afetou positivamente a qualidade da água dos viveiros estudados, porém, como os sistemas analisados estão dispostos em distribuição seqüencial e escoamento constante da água de viveiros e tanques paralelos sem tratamento prévio, cuidados devem ser averiguados para que o aumento do fluxo de água provocado pelas chuvas não tenha efeito adverso nos viveiros estudados.

A systemic approach to incorporate the highest levels of FHB resistance with agronomic merit and quality in wheat.

2016

Hospital Staff Perceptions of Health Promotion Activities in Public Hospitals

The aim of this study was to determine the level of staff support for health promotion activities in Queensland public hospitals.

Barriers to health promotion activities in public hospitals

Despite the central role hospitals have in the health care system, relatively few health promotion activities are conducted in Australian public hospitals. This study investigated the types of obstacles that were perceived to inhibit health promotion activities in hospitals. A questionnaire for self-completion was sent to medical superintendents in all public hospitals in Queensland and 112 questionnaires were returned (92.6 per cent response rate). The results indicated that lack of finance, lack of interest by relevant others, and needs (for appropriate programs, training and patient receptivity) were the barriers reported by superintendents. The barriers of 'interest' and 'needs' were related to a lack of written policies in some areas, but not directly to levels of other health promotion activities being conducted in the hospitals. Success in facilitating health promotion programs in hospitals will need to include a change in the environment, in particular the views of medical superintendents. The combination of attitude change and the availability of a motivated person (such as a health promotion officer) to lead the activities may be needed in order to produce an increase in the level of health promotion in public hospitals. Article in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 20(5):500-4 · November 1996

Ten Year Study on Water Flushing Times and Water Quality in Southern Taylor Slough, Everglades National Park, FL

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of wetland restoration on the water balance, flushing time, and water chemistry of southern Taylor Slough, a major water way in Everglades National Park. Water balance and flushing time equations were calculated on a monthly time step from 2001 – 2011. Water chemistry of major ions and nutrients were analyzed and correlated with water flushing times. Results showed that evapotranspiration followed by water volume had the greatest influence on flushing time. The flushing times varied between 3 and 78 days, with longer times observed between October and December, and the shorter times between March and May. Ion concentrations at the coastal areas decreased with increased flushing times. Increased surface water inflow that resulted from restoration projects and water management changes were productive in the rainy season and should result in increased flushing times and decreased ion concentrations in Taylor Slough.

Climate, Land Use and Hydrologic Sensitivities of Stormwater Quantity and Quality in Complex Coastal Urban Watersheds

The study analyzed hydro-climatic and land use sensitivities of stormwater runoff and quality in the complex coastal urban watershed of Miami River Basin, Florida by developing a Storm Water Management Model (EPA SWMM 5). Regression-based empirical models were also developed to explain stream water quality in relation to internal (land uses and hydrology) and external (upstream contribution, seawater) sources and drivers in six highly urbanized canal basins of Southeast Florida. Stormwater runoff and quality were most sensitive to rainfall, imperviousness, and conversion of open lands/parks to residential, commercial and industrial areas. In-stream dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus in the watersheds were dictated by internal stressors while external stressors were dominant for total nitrogen and specific conductance. The research findings and tools will be useful for proactive monitoring and management of storm runoff and urban stream water quality under the changing climate and environment in South Florida and around the world.

Natural ventilation and indoor air quality in educational buildings: experimental assessment and improvement strategies

Indoor environmental conditions in classrooms, in particular temperature and indoor air quality, influence students’ health, attitude and performance. In recent years, several studies regarding indoor environmental quality of classrooms were published and natural ventilation proved to have great potential, particularly in southern European climate. This research aimed to evaluate indoor environmental conditions in eight schools and to assess their improvement potential by simple natural ventilation strategies. Temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration were measured in 32 classrooms. Ventilation performance of the classrooms was characterized using two techniques, first by fan pressurization measurements of the envelope airtightness and later by tracer gas measurements of the air change rate assuming different envelope conditions. A total of 110 tracer gas measurements were made and the results validated ventilation protocols that were tested afterward. The results of the ventilation protocol implementation were encouraging and, overall, a decrease on the CO2 concentration was observed without modifying the comfort conditions. Nevertheless, additional measurements must be performed for winter conditions.

Quality in palliative care from the patient perspective : Instrument development, perceptions of care received and the importance of care

The overall aim was to investigate the quality of palliative care from the patient perspective, to adapt and psychometrically evaluate the Quality from Patients’ Perspective instrument specific to palliative care (QPP-PC) and investigate the relationship between the combination of person- and organization-related conditions and patients’ perceptions of care quality. Methods: In the systematic literature review (I), 23 studies from 6 databases and reference lists in 2014 were synthesized by integrative thematic analysis. The quantitative studies (II–IV) had cross-sectional designs including 191 patients (73% RR) from hospice inpatient care, hospice day care, palliative units in nursing homes and home care in 2013–2014. A modified version of QPP was used. Additionally, person- and organization-related conditions were assessed. Psychometric evaluation, descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Main findings: Patients’ preferences for palliative care included living a meaningful life and responsive healthcare personnel, care environment and organization of care (I). The QPP-PC was developed, comprising 12 factors (49 items), 3 single items and 4 dimensions: medical–technical competence, physical–technical conditions, identity–oriented approach, and socio-cultural atmosphere (II). QPP-PC measured patients’ perceived reality (PR) and subjective importance (SI) of care quality. PR differed across settings, but SI did not (III). All settings exhibited areas of strength and for improvement (II, III). Person-related conditions seemed to be related to SI, and person- and organization-related conditions to PR, explaining 18–30 and 22-29% respectively of the variance (IV). Conclusions: The patient perspective of care quality (SI and PR) should be integrated into daily care and improvement initiatives in palliative care. The QPP-PC can measure patients’ perceptions of care quality. Registered nurses and other healthcare personnel need awareness of person- and organization-related conditions to provide high-quality person-centred care.