Aphasia websites: An examination of their quality and communicative accessibility

Background: Studies have examined Internet use as a source of information by various populations, however no study has examined the quality and accessibility of websites for people with aphasia, or their use of such sites. Aims: This study aimed to describe the quality, communicative accessibility, and readability of a sample of aphasia websites and to determine whether sites preferred by people with aphasia were those rated highly on measures of accessibility and quality. The perceptions of people with aphasia regarding the accessibility of the sites were compared with those of speech pathologists. The relationship between the quality and communicative accessibility of websites was analysed. Factors that may influence use of the Internet by people with aphasia and speech pathologists were explored. Methods & Procedures: Tools for measuring quality and communicative accessibility were developed and a sample of five websites was selected. Two participant groups (18 speech pathologists and 6 people with aphasia) assessed aphasia websites in terms of communicative accessibility. Speech pathologists also rated website quality. Spearman's rho was used to determine levels of agreement between variables. Outcomes & Results: People with aphasia and speech pathologists showed minimal agreement on their perceptions of communicative accessibility. However, when the preferences of websites (Aphasia Help and Speakability) were of a very high standard. There was a weak relationship between quality and communicative accessibility, however it was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Accessible websites are not necessarily of high quality, and quality websites are not guaranteed to be easily accessible. People with aphasia did not agree with speech pathologists as to what makes a good aphasia website. Therefore, people with aphasia should be involved in the design of aphasia websites since they are often the intended users. If Internet use by people with aphasia increases in line with other health populations, speech pathologist need to have the skills and confidence to recommend appropriate sites to their clients.

Knowledge, perceptions and expectations of nurses in e-health: results of a survey in a children's hospital

We surveyed all nurses working at a tertiary paediatric hospital (except casual staff and those who were on leave) from 27 hospital departments. A total of 365 questionnaires were distributed. There were 40 questions in six sections: demographic details, knowledge of e-health, relevance of e-health to nursing profession, computing skills, Internet use and access to e-health education. A total of 253 surveys were completed (69%). Most respondents reported that that they had never had e-health education of any sort (87%) and their e-health knowledge and skills were low (71%). However, 11% of nurses reported some exposure to e-health through their work. Over half (56%) of respondents indicated that e-health was important, very important or critical for health professions while 26% were not sure. The lack of education and training was considered by most respondents (71%) to be the main barrier to adopting e-health. While nurses seemed to have moderate awareness of the potential benefits of e-health, their practical skills and knowledge of the topic were very limited.

SAÚDE MENTAL DE INTERNAUTAS UNIVERSITÁRIOS

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a saúde mental de internautas universitários. Trata-se de uma pesquisa com delineamento transversal e quantitativa. Participaram deste estudo 150 usuários de internet, dos gêneros, masculino e feminino, com idade entre 17 e 53 anos, estudantes universitários de diversos cursos de graduação da faculdade de saúde, de um único campus, de uma universidade privada, localizada na cidade de São Bernardo do Campo, na região metropolitana de São Paulo. A amostra foi selecionada por critério de conveniência, porém considerou-se a amostragem por cotas para melhor representatividade da população estudada. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o Questionário de Morbidade Psiquiátrica para Adultos (QMPA) e um questionário complementar desenvolvido para caracterização da amostra. Após coleta, os dados foram lançados e tratados estatisticamente. Os resultados mostraram prevalência de saúde mental em 58% dos internautas universitários. Entre os participantes que apresentaram sintomas de morbidade psiquiátrica (42%) prevaleceram os sintomas de exaltação do humor, ansiedade, somatização, irritabilidade e depressão, sintomas comumente referidos como transtornos psiquiátricos menores. Dos internautas estudados 55% foram considerados usuários pesados por utilizarem a internet acima de 60 horas mensais. A média de horas de acesso à internet apresentou correlação com os sintomas de morbidade psiquiátrica avaliados. Contudo estes sintomas de morbidade psiquiátrica não apresentaram diferenciação entre tipo de usuário (pesado e leve), em ambos os casos prevaleceram a avaliação de saúde mental. As horas de acesso à internet foram consideradas um dos indícios do uso patológico da internet, porém insuficiente para estabelecer qualquer diagnóstico. O uso patológico da internet mostrou-se presente em 57% dos internautas, por utilizarem a internet em detrimento de outros aspectos de suas vidas. Os sintomas de morbidade psiquiátrica apresentaram correlações positivas e significativas com as questões sobre o uso patológico da internet. Os resultados desta pesquisa sugerem que o uso patológico da internet revela-se como um novo campo de expressão de morbidades psiquiátricas já conhecidas. Deste modo, a internet não se mostra como um fator de risco para saúde mental de seus usuários. Ela seria um amplificador, uma ferramenta que facilitaria a expressão de tais comportamentos patológicos, que são provenientes de transtornos já existentes, assim como a utilização de diversas outras práticas sociais, que podem se tornar patológicas pela manifestação de diferentes transtornos do indivíduo.

Through the kaleidoscope: media consumption patterns in the participatory cross-media era

The paper aims to identify actual media audiences of different mass- and non-mass media types through identifying those audience clusters consuming not different but differentiable media mixes. A major concern of the study is to highlight the transformation of mass media audiences when technology, digitalization and participation behaviors are able to reshape traditional audience forms and media diets, which may directly affect the traditional media value chain and in turn the thinking and decision making of media managers. Through such a kaleidoscope the authors examined media use and consumption patterns using an online self-reported questionnaire. They developed different media consumer clusters as well as media consumption mixes. Based on the results of the study the authors can state that internet use is today’s main base of media consumption, and as such it is becoming the real mass media, replacing television. However this “new” media has a completely different structure, being more fragmented with smaller audience reach. At the same time, television is keeping its audience. However, there are emerging segments self-reporting non- or light television viewing. This is how the question of the viewer-television relation among different television viewer clusters evolves. At the same time only gaming exhibited demographic differentiation of audiences based on gender.

The adoption of retail electronic commerce: An empirical investigation

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the adoption of retail electronic commerce (REC). REC is a business transaction which takes place over the Internet between a casual consumer and a firm. The consumer has no long-term relationship with the firm, orders a good or service, and pays with a credit card. To date, most REC applications have not been profitable. To build profitable REC applications a better understanding of the system's users is required. ^ The research model hypothesizes that the level of REC buying is dependent upon the Buying Characteristics of Internet Use and Search Experience plus the Channel Characteristics of Beliefs About Internet Vendors and Beliefs About Internet Security. The effect of these factors is modified by Time. Additional research questions ask about the different types of REC buyers, the differences between these groups, and how these groups evolved over time. ^ To answer these research questions I analyzed publicly available data collected over a three-year period by the Georgia Institute of Technology Graphics and Visualization Unit over the Internet. Findings indicate the model best predicts Number of Purchases in a future period, and that Buyer Characteristics are most important to this determination. Further, this model is evolving over Time making Buyer Characteristics predict Number of Purchases better in more recent survey administrations. Buyers clustered into five groups based on level of buying and move through various levels and buy increasing Number of Purchases over time. ^ This is the first large scale research project to investigate the evolution of REC. This implications are significant. Practitioners with casual consumer customers need to deploy a finely tuned REC strategy, understand their buyers, capitalize on the company reputation on the Internet, install an Internet-compatible infrastructure, and web-enable order-entry/inventory/fulliment/shipping applications. Researchers might wish to expand on the Buyer Characteristics of the model and/or explore alternative dependent variables. Further, alternative theories such as Population Ecology or Transaction Cost Economics might further illuminate this new I.S. research domain. ^

The adoption of retail electronic commerce: an empirical investigation

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the adoption of retail electronic commerce (REC). REC is a business transaction which takes place over the Internet between a casual consumer and a firm. The consumer has no long-term relationship with the firm, orders a good or service, and pays with a credit card. To date, most REC applications have not been profitable. To build profitable REC applications a better understanding of the system's users is required. The research model hypothesizes that the level of REC buying is dependent upon the Buying Characteristics of Internet Use and Search Experience plus the Channel Characteristics of Beliefs About Internet Vendors and Beliefs About Internet Security. The effect of these factors is modified by Time. Additional research questions ask about the different types of REC buyers, the differences between these groups, and how these groups evolved over time. To answer these research questions I analyzed publically available data collected over a three-year period by the Georgia Institute of Technology Graphics and Visualization Unit over the Internet. Findings indicate the model best predicts Number of Purchases in a future period, and that Buyer Characteristics are most important to this determination. Further, this model is evolving over Time making Buyer Characteristics predict Number of Purchases better in more recent survey administrations. Buyers clustered into five groups based on level of buying and move through various levels and buy increasing Number of Purchases over time. This is the first large scale research project to investigate the evolution of REC. This implications are significant. Practitioners with casual consumer customers need to deploy a finely tuned REC strategy, understand their buyers, capitalize on the company reputation on the Internet, install an Internet-compatible infrastructure, and web-enable order-entry/inventory/fulfillment/ shipping applications. Researchers might wish to expand on the Buyer Characteristics of the model and/or explore alternative dependent variables. Further, alternative theories such as Population Ecology or Transaction Cost Economics might further illuminate this new I.S. research domain.

Utilizing ICT to prevent loneliness and social isolation of the elderly. A literature review

Ageing of the population is a worldwide phenomenon. Numerous ICT-based solutions have been developed for elderly care but mainly connected to the physiological and nursing aspects in services for the elderly. Social work is a profession that should pay attention to the comprehensive wellbeing and social needs of the elderly. Many people experience loneliness and depression in their old age, either as a result of living alone or due to a lack of close family ties and reduced connections with their culture of origin, which results in an inability to participate actively in community activities (Singh & Misra, 2009). Participation in society would enhance the quality of life. With the development of information technology, the use of technology in social work practice has risen dramatically. The aim of this literature review is to map out the state of the art of knowledge about the usage of ICT in elderly care and to figure out research-based knowledge about the usability of ICT for the prevention of loneliness and social isolation of elderly people. The data for the current research comes from the core collection of the Web of Science and the data searching was performed using Boolean? The searching resulted in 216 published English articles. After going through the topics and abstracts, 34 articles were selected for the data analysis that is based on a multi approach framework. The analysis of the research approach is categorized according to some aspects of using ICT by older adults from the adoption of ICT to the impact of usage, and the social services for them. This literature review focused on the function of communication by excluding the applications that mainly relate to physical nursing. The results show that the so-called ‘digital divide’ still exists, but the older adults have the willingness to learn and utilise ICT in daily life, especially for communication. The data shows that the usage of ICT can prevent the loneliness and social isolation of older adults, and they are eager for technical support in using ICT. The results of data analysis on theoretical frames and concepts show that this research field applies different theoretical frames from various scientific fields, while a social work approach is lacking. However, a synergic frame of applied theories will be suggested from the perspective of social work.

Digitizing dissent: cyborg politics and fluid networks in contemporary Cuban activism

Communication technologies shape how political activist networks are produced and maintain themselves. In Cuba, despite ideologically and physically oppressive practices by the state, a severe lack of Internet access, and extensive government surveillance, a small network of bloggers and cyberactivists has achieved international visibility and recognition for its critiques of the Cuban government. This qualitative study examines the blogger collective known as Voces Cubanas in Havana, Cuba in 2012, advancing a new approach to the study of transnational activism and the role of technology in the construction of political narrative. Voces Cubanas is analyzed as a network of connections between human and non-human actors that produces and sustains powerful political alliances. Voces Cubanas and its allies work collectively to co-produce contentious political discourses, confronting the dominant ideologies and knowledges produced by the Cuban state. Transnational alliances, the act of translation, and a host of unexpected and improvised technologies play central roles in the production of these narratives, indicating new breed of cyborg sociopolitical action reliant upon fluid and flexible networks and the act of writing. 

Digital accessibility challenges: the impact of locality, usability and technology

Abstract: It is estimated that 1 in 5 will, at some point in their lives, experience a long-term illness or disability that will impact their day to day lives. Access to digital information and technologies can be life changing and a necessity to fully participate in education, work and society. Specialist assistive technologies, such as screen readers, have been available for many years and are now built-into operating systems and devices. In addition, web accessibility standards have been compiled and published since the advent of the World Wide Web over two decades ago. However, internet use by people with disabilities continues to lag significantly behind those with no disability and use of assistive technologies remains lower than should be the case with tools often abandoned. In this seminar we will talk about our work to identify digital accessibility challenges; the barriers experienced by those with disabilities and how computer scientists can play a part in removing obstacles to access and ease of use. We will discuss some of our projects focussing on: • Development of assistive technologies for niche groups of users, • improving accessibility standards to cover a wider range of disabilities, • creating accessibility training resources for developers and stakeholders • embedding accessibility practice within development projects.

Étude communicationnelle des pratiques culturelles au Québec: analyses des enquêtes ministérielles (1979-2009). Facteurs et prédicteurs, générations et cycles de vie, et découpages territoriaux

Cette thèse porte sur les pratiques culturelles des Québécois et des Québécoises et, plus spécifiquement dans un premier temps, sur les facteurs qui les influencent. Elle traite ensuite des comparaisons entre les individus selon les générations et les cycles de vie. Finalement, elle porte sur les découpages territoriaux régionaux sur le plan des pratiques culturelles et sur les questions liées au territoire. Tous les résultats sont tirés des enquêtes sur les pratiques culturelles au Québec menées à tous les cinq ans depuis 1979 par les ministères en charge de la culture. Les deux principaux référents théoriques sont la théorie de la légitimité de Bourdieu et la figure de l’omnivore de Peterson. Dans la première partie, cette thèse a cherché à savoir si les usages d’Internet sont associés à une ouverture culturelle ou à un confinement. Les résultats montrent que l’âge, la scolarité et les usages culturels que l’on fait d’Internet sont des prédicteurs importants des visites des lieux culturels et des sorties au spectacle. Les modèles qui incluent les usages d’Internet et des variables sociodémographiques sont plus performants que ceux ne considérant que ces dernières. Dans la deuxième partie, les quasi-cohortes à l’étude ont été comparées afin de voir si leurs comportements culturels diffèrent selon les cycles de vie et si leur parcours culturel a varié dans le temps. Finalement, la diversification des pratiques des quasi-cohortes a été étudiée afin d’estimer si elles deviennent plus omnivores avec le temps et d’une quasi-cohorte à l’autre. Le modèle explicatif créé affiche des différences dans le parcours culturel selon les cycles de vie, de même qu’au fil du temps. Il met également en lumière des différences d’une génération à l’autre, de même que des différences entre les générations lorsqu’elles traversent un même cycle de vie. À la différence de ceux de Peterson (2004), les résultats ne permettent pas de conclure que les quasi-cohortes plus âgées sont plus omnivores qu’avant ni que les jeunes sont plus omnivores que leurs aînés. La troisième partie de ce travail avait un objectif comparatif : il s’agissait de voir si les régions administratives du Québec, lorsqu’elles sont étudiées sous l’angle des pratiques culturelles, se regroupent conformément à la typologie des espaces culturels régionaux développée par Harvey et Fortin (1995) sur la base de l’offre culturelle. Les résultats montrent que les regroupements ne sont pas toujours conformes à la typologie et que les pratiques sont très hétérogènes, ce qui permet difficilement d’établir une constance dans les regroupements. Aussi semble-t-il indiqué de fonder la comparaison des territoires sur la prise en compte de l’objet (p. ex. offre ou pratique culturelle), de l’échelle territoriale (p. ex. bibliothèque municipale ou musée national) et de la nature du produit ou de la pratique (p. ex. mobile ou immobile). En conclusion, la pertinence d’élargir l’horizon des pratiques culturelles mesurées dans les enquêtes et d’y inclure des phénomènes transcendants, comme les valeurs, les contraintes et la motivation a été remise en question. À titre d’exemple, l’étude de la motivation pourrait permettre de préciser la figure de l’omnivore au Québec. Il est également apparu pertinent de poursuivre la réflexion en étudiant la manière dont les pratiques culturelles sont consommées afin de voir si, et comment, le cas échéant, s’opère la distinction.

Physician choice making and characteristics associated with using physician-rating websites: cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, physician-rating websites have been gaining attention in scientific literature and in the media. However, little knowledge is available about the awareness and the impact of using such sites on health care professionals. It also remains unclear what key predictors are associated with the knowledge and the use of physician-rating websites. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the current level of awareness and use of physician-rating websites in Germany and to determine their impact on physician choice making and the key predictors which are associated with the knowledge and the use of physician-rating websites. METHODS: This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. An online panel was consulted in January 2013. A questionnaire was developed containing 28 questions; a pretest was carried out to assess the comprehension of the questionnaire. Several sociodemographic (eg, age, gender, health insurance status, Internet use) and 2 health-related independent variables (ie, health status and health care utilization) were included. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and t tests. Binary multivariate logistic regression models were performed for elaborating the characteristics of physician-rating website users. Results from the logistic regression are presented for both the observed and weighted sample. RESULTS: In total, 1505 respondents (mean age 43.73 years, SD 14.39; 857/1505, 57.25% female) completed our survey. Of all respondents, 32.09% (483/1505) heard of physician-rating websites and 25.32% (381/1505) already had used a website when searching for a physician. Furthermore, 11.03% (166/1505) had already posted a rating on a physician-rating website. Approximately 65.35% (249/381) consulted a particular physician based on the ratings shown on the websites; in contrast, 52.23% (199/381) had not consulted a particular physician because of the publicly reported ratings. Significantly higher likelihoods for being aware of the websites could be demonstrated for female participants (P<.001), those who were widowed (P=.01), covered by statutory health insurance (P=.02), and with higher health care utilization (P<.001). Health care utilization was significantly associated with all dependent variables in our multivariate logistic regression models (P<.001). Furthermore, significantly higher scores could be shown for health insurance status in the unweighted and Internet use in the weighted models. CONCLUSIONS: Neither health policy makers nor physicians should underestimate the influence of physician-rating websites. They already play an important role in providing information to help patients decide on an appropriate physician. Assuming there will be a rising level of public awareness, the influence of their use will increase well into the future. Future studies should assess the impact of physician-rating websites under experimental conditions and investigate whether physician-rating websites have the potential to reflect the quality of care offered by health care providers.

HTML5 no contexto de desenvolvimento e implementação de plataformas móveis com interfaces tácteis

Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Desenvolvimento de Software e Sistemas Interativos, realizada sob a orientação científica do Doutor Pedro Nuno Moreira da Silva, Professor Adjunto da Unidade Técnico-Científica de Informática do Departamento da Escola Superior de Tecnologia do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco.

Diagnóstico de la relación entre el uso excesivo de las TICs y síntomas depresivos y ansiedad en estudiantes de medicina, Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador

Se trata de un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal entre estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Cuenca1, para determinar la magnitud del uso excesivo de Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TICs), su variación en función de la edad, sexo, estado civil y la carrera; así como su asociación con síntomas depresivos y de ansiedad. En el cuestionario previamente validado que fue aplicado a muestra aleatoria por conglomerados de 333 estudiantes, se integraron preguntas de información demográfica, test de uso excesivo de TICs y de síntomas depresivos y de ansiedad. El concepto de Riesgo Relativo y su Intervalo de Confianza al 95% fue utilizado para el análisis estadístico. Los resultados nos revelan que la edad promedio de la muestra de la población fue de 22 años, 37,2% con uso excesivo de TICs, el 18,3% presentan síntomas depresivos y 39,8% de ansiedad. Entre las variables asociadas de manera significativa con el uso excesivo de TICs están: la edad menor de 19 años (RR 2,04; IC 95% 1,31-3,20), el género masculino (RR 1,36; IC 95% 1,03-1,80) y la carrera de Tecnología Médica (RR 1,83; IC 95% 1,28-2,63). El uso excesivo de las TICs no está asociado con el estado civil. Sin embargo, el análisis estadístico nos muestra la existencia de una correlación positiva entre el uso excesivo de las TICs y la frecuencia de estudiantes con síntomas depresivos (RR 1,88; IC 95% 1,45-2,44) y de ansiedad (RR 2,61; IC 95% 1,64-4,15).