Medication management reviews for people from the former Yugoslavia now resident in Australia

Aim: The objective of this prospective study was to conduct medication management reviews (MMR) in people from a non-English speaking background (NESB) (Bosnian/Serbian/ Croatian, from former Yugoslavia, currently residing in Australia) in their native language in order to identify medication-related problems (needs analysis) and implement appropriate therapeutic interventions, in collaboration with their general practitioners (GPs). Methods: Twenty-five participants entered the study. Each was interviewed and medication-related issues were identified by the health care team. Results: Various interventions (over 150 for the whole group, an average of 6 per participant), based on actual and potentia medication-related problems, were designed to improve the use of medicines. The MMRs introduced effective changes into the participants' health care. Psychological (e.g., feeling depressed) and sociological factors (e.g., costs of medicines, not understanding labels written in English) were identified having significant impacts on medication management. Conclusions: These data confirmed there are avoidable medication-related problems in people from a NESB. GPs and pharmacists working in health care teams with a trained interpreter could greatly improve medication use through regular review and a team approach to problem identification and solving.

Evaluating the role of speech-language pathology with patients with communication disability in the acute hospital setting using the ICF

The practice of speech-language pathology in the acute care hospital setting has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Speech-language pathologists now routinely assess and manage patients with dysphagia as well as patients with acquired communication disorders. In practice, clinicians have tended to direct their limited resources toward the assessment and management of patients with dysphagia before addressing the needs of patients with acquired communication disorders. This practice has resulted in a decline in speech-language pathology services for patients with communication disorders and has led some clinicians to question the role of the speech-language pathologist in the acute care hospital setting. This article continues this discussion by evaluating the role of the speech-language pathologist in the acute care hospital setting within the context of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF; WHO, 2001). It argues that by adopting the ICF, speech-language pathologists have a sound rationale for broadening their role to identify the communication needs of all hospital inpatients who experience communication difficulties in the acute care hospital setting.

Effects of neurosurgical management of Parkinson's disease on speech characteristics and oromotor function

The present study examined the effects of neurosurgical management of Parkinson's disease (PD), including the procedures of pallidotomy, thalamotomy, and deep-brain stimulation (DBS) on perceptual speech characteristics, speech,, intelligibility and oromotor function in a group of 22 participants with PD. The surgical participant group was compared with a group of 25 non-neurologically impaired individuals matched for age and sex. In addition, the study investigated 16 participants with PD who did not undergo neurosurgical management to control for disease progression. Results revealed that neurosurgical intervention did not significantly change the surgical participants' perceptual speech dimensions or oromotor function despite significant postoperative improvements in ratings of general motor function and disease severity. Reasons why neurosurgical intervention resulted in dissimilar outcomes with respect to participants' perceptual speech dimensions and general motor function are proposed.

Language outcomes subsequent to treatment of brainstem tumour in childhood

While the occurrence and management of brainstem tumours in children would not traditionally indicate potential direct structural impact on classical language centres, recent theories have implicated some involvement of the brainstem in a functional language and cognitive neural loop between the cerebellum and the cerebral hemispheres. Thus, the present paper explored the impact of treatment for brainstem tumour on the general and high-level language abilities of six children treated for brainstem tumour, in addition to phonological awareness skills. Group analysis revealed that children treated for brainstem tumour demonstrated intact language and phonological awareness abilities in comparison to an age- and gender-matched control group. Individual analysis revealed only one of six children treated for brainstem tumour revealed evidence of language disturbances, with an additional child demonstrating an isolated mildly reduced score on one phonological awareness task. Language deficits identified in a child treated with a combination of both radiotherapy and chemotherapy were noted in the high-level language area of lexical generation. Findings highlighted that no overt language disturbances were evident in children treated for brainstem tumour. However, further analysis into higher-level language skills in the present study indicated that both general and high-level language abilities require long-term monitoring in this population.

A core vocabulary approach for management of inconsistent speech disorder

Developmental speech disorder is accounted for by theories derived from psychology, psycholinguistics, linguistics and medicine, with researchers developing assessment protocols that reflect their theoretical perspective. How theory and data analyses lead to different therapy approaches, however, is sometimes unclear. Here, we present a case management plan for a 7 year old boy with unintelligible speech. Assessment data were analysed to address seven case management questions regarding need for intervention, service delivery, differential diagnosis, intervention goals, generalization of therapeutic gains, discharge criteria and evaluation of efficacy. Jarrod was diagnosed as having inconsistent speech disorder that required intervention. He pronounced 88% of words differently when asked to name each word in the 25 word inconsistency test of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology three times, each trial separated by another activity. Other standardized assessments supported the diagnosis of inconsistent speech disorder that, according to previous research, is associated with a deficit in phonological assembly. Core vocabulary intervention was chosen as the most appropriate therapy technique. Its nature and a possible protocol for implementation is described.

User-centred ontology learning for knowledge management

Automatic ontology building is a vital issue in many fields where they are currently built manually. This paper presents a user-centred methodology for ontology construction based on the use of Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing. In our approach, the user selects a corpus of texts and sketches a preliminary ontology (or selects an existing one) for a domain with a preliminary vocabulary associated to the elements in the ontology (lexicalisations). Examples of sentences involving such lexicalisation (e.g. ISA relation) in the corpus are automatically retrieved by the system. Retrieved examples are validated by the user and used by an adaptive Information Extraction system to generate patterns that discover other lexicalisations of the same objects in the ontology, possibly identifying new concepts or relations. New instances are added to the existing ontology or used to tune it. This process is repeated until a satisfactory ontology is obtained. The methodology largely automates the ontology construction process and the output is an ontology with an associated trained leaner to be used for further ontology modifications.

Knowledge acquisition for knowledge management: position paper

With this paper, we propose a set of techniques to largely automate the process of KA, by using technologies based on Information Extraction (IE) , Information Retrieval and Natural Language Processing. We aim to reduce all the impeding factors mention above and thereby contribute to the wider utility of the knowledge management tools. In particular we intend to reduce the introspection of knowledge engineers or the extended elicitations of knowledge from experts by extensive textual analysis using a variety of methods and tools, as texts are largely available and in them - we believe - lies most of an organization's memory.

Challenges for expatriate managers:an exploration of cross-cultural management, adjustment, and training issues faced by Anglo-American managers in Hong Kong

This field work study furthers understanding about expatriate management, in particular, the nature of cross-cultural management in Hong Kong involving Anglo-American expatriate and Chinese host national managers, the important features of adjustment for expatriates living and working there, and the type of training which will assist them to adjust and to work successfully in this Asian environment. Qualitative and quantitative data on each issue was gathered during in-depth interviews in Hong Kong, using structured interview schedules, with 39 expatriate and 31 host national managers drawn from a cross-section of functional areas and organizations. Despite the adoption of Western technology and the influence of Western business practices, micro-level management in Hong Kong retains a cultural specificity which is consistent with the norms and values of Chinese culture. There are differences in how expatriates and host nationals define their social roles, and Hong Kong's recent colonial history appears to influence cross-cultural interpersonal interactions. The inability of the spouse and/or family to adapt to Hong Kong is identified as a major reason for expatriate assignments to fail, though the causes have less to do with living away from family and friends, than with Hong Kong's highly urbanized environment and the heavy demands of work. Culture shock is not identified as a major problem, but in Hong Kong micro-level social factors require greater adjustment than macro-level societal factors. The adjustment of expatriate managers is facilitated by a strong orientation towards career development and hard work, possession of technical/professional expertise, and a willingness to engage in a process of continuous 'active learning' with respect to the host national society and culture. A four-part model of manager training suitable for Hong Kong is derived from the study data. It consists of a pre-departure briefing, post-arrival cross-cultural training, language training in basic Cantonese and in how to communicate more effectively in English with non-native speakers, and the assignment of a mentor to newly arrived expatriate managers.

The language of business interviewing:a study in cross-cultural communication

The study examines the concept of cultural determinism in relation to the business interview, analysing differences in language use between English, French and West German native speakers. The approach is multi- and inter-disciplinary combining linguistic and business research methodologies. An analytical model based on pragmatic and speech act theory is developed to analyse language use in telephone market research interviews. The model aims to evaluate behavioural differences between English, French and West German respondents in the interview situation. The empirical research is based on a telephone survey of industrial managers, conducted in the three countries in the national language of each country. The telephone interviews are transcribed and compared across languages to discover how managers from each country use different language functions to reply to questions and requests. These differences are assessed in terms of specific cultural parameters: politeness, self-assuredness and fullness of response. Empirical and descriptive studies of national character are compared with the survey results, providing the basis for an evaluation of the relationship between management culture and national culture on a contrastive and comparative cross-cultural basis. The project conclusions focus on the implications of the findings both for business interviewing and for language teaching.

The management of stress amongst professional carers within a social services department

This thesis considers four broad areas:(i) ANALYSIS OF THE STRESS FIELD.(a) research studies, relevant to the British Social Services considering the cultural setting, and the rigor with which they were conducted; (b) models of stress, specifically examining the theoretical soundness and practical application of the Medical, Engineering and Transactional models;(c) organisational models of stress relating specifically to human service organisations.(ii) QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES.(a) the appropriate application of each respective methodology and the particular usefulness of qualitative research designs; (b) the relevance of understanding the language and terminology associated with the subject area prior to the implementation of survey methods; (iii) FIELDWORK.(a) Phase 1. By use of focus groups, in-depth interviews and diary keeping amongst a small range of teams and managers, the Researcher develops a basic conceptual framework of stress within a Social Services context. In addition a small scale personality inventory was administered to participants.(b) Phase 2. This consisted of three key elements: 6 case studies in which the Researcher implements and appraises the impact of a range of intervention strategies designed to assist teams and their managers in dealing more effectively with stress; the administration of a large scale survey to all the field social work teams within the Social Services Department; an analysis of the user role within the stress process by way of two focus groups.(iv) THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT.

Technology for enabling : the implications for management science of a hermeneutics of distinction

One way of describing this thesis, is to state that it attempts to explicate the context within which an application of Stafford Beer's Viable System Model (VSM) makes cybernetic sense. The thesis will attempt to explain how such a context is presently not clearly ennunciated, and why such a lack hinders communications of the model together with its consequent effective take-up by the student or practitioner. The epistemological grounding of the VSM will be described as concerning the ontology of the individuals who apply it and give witness to its application. In describing a particular grounding for the Viable System Model, I am instantiating a methodology which I call a `hermeneutics of distinction'. The final two chapters explicate such a methodology, and consider the implications for the design of a computer system. This thesis is grounded in contemporary insights into the nervous system, and research into the biology of language and cognition. Its conclusions emerge from a synthesis of the twin discourses of Stafford Beer and Humberto Maturana.