Sia Beng Yi, Janice Chan Pei Shan and Goh Lay Hong
Medication reconciliation is integral to every hospital. Approximately 60 percent of all hospital medication errors occur at admission, intra‐hospital transfer or discharge…
Abstract
Purpose
Medication reconciliation is integral to every hospital. Approximately 60 percent of all hospital medication errors occur at admission, intra‐hospital transfer or discharge. Effectively and consistently performing medication reconciliation at care‐interfaces continues to be a challenge. Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) averages 4,700 admissions monthly. Many patients are elderly (>65 years old) at risk from poly‐pharmacy. As part of a medication safety initiative, pharmacy staff started a medication reconciliation service in 2007, which expanded to include all patients in October 2009. This article aims to describe the TTSH medication reconciliation system and to highlight common medication errors occurring following incomplete medication reconciliation.
Design/methodology/approach
Where possible, patients admitted into TTSH are seen by pharmacy staff within 24 hours of admission. A form was created to document their medications, which is filed into the case sheets for referencing purposes. Any discrepancies in medicines are brought to doctors' attention. Patients are also counseled about changes to their medications. Errors picked up were captured in an Excel database.
Findings
The most common medication error was prescribers missing out medications. The second commonest was recording different doses and regimens. The reason was mainly due to doctors transcribing medications inaccurately.
Research limitations/implications
This is a descriptive study and no statistical tests were carried out. Data entry was done by different pharmacy staff, and not a dedicated person; hence, data might be under‐reported.
Practical implications
The findings demonstrate the importance of medication reconciliation on admission. Accurate medication reconciliation can help to reduce transcription errors and improve service quality.
Originality/value
The article highlights medication reconciliation's importance and has implications for healthcare professionals in all countries.
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Lim Wei Kheong Jimmy, Timothy Barkham, Chen Qian Ming, Lynda Lim, Jia Lin, Goh Lay Hong and Heng Wee Jin
Prolonged hospital stay in the course of management of microbial keratitis patients has been a burden to the resources of a multi‐disciplinary tertiary hospital. The paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Prolonged hospital stay in the course of management of microbial keratitis patients has been a burden to the resources of a multi‐disciplinary tertiary hospital. The paper aims to evaluate the impact of streamlining the workflow and increased cross‐disciplinary interactions on the average length of hospitalisation. It also seeks to study secondary outcomes including the average time for initiation of therapy, microbial culture positive rate, patients' satisfaction and resource savings.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors employed the model of clinical practice improvement (CPI) (New South Wales Health Department) methodology for a systematic approach to improve processes of care and service delivery. A team consisting of ophthalmologist, microbiologist, pharmacist and nursing staff was formed to brainstorm and highlight the problems. A new workflow was formulated and data were prospectively collected to evaluate and to identify areas where improvements could be made.
Findings
The average length of hospitalisation stay was reduced from 7.43 to 5.93 days with a mean difference of 1.50±0.63 days (p<0.05). The microbial keratitis culture positive rate increased from 54.6 to 73.0 per cent (p>0.05). The average time taken to initiate antibiotic eye drops after first contact with the doctor was 26.1 minutes (n=28), and 74.4 per cent of the patients surveyed were satisfied with their length of stay.
Research limitations/implications
Intervention was carried out on the top 20 per cent of areas for improvement after voting by the team members.
Practical implications
The reduction in average length of hospitalisation can be improved by strict adherence to a formulated workflow and coordinated cross‐disciplinary interactions.
Originality/value
The management protocol discussed in the paper for microbial keratitis enables more effective and efficient treatment for the inpatients. Increased cross‐discipline and nursing coordination decreases length of hospitalisation of microbial keratitis patients and achieve better care for these patients.
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Albert P.C. Chan, Y.H. Chiang, Stephen W.K. Mak, Lennon H.T. Choy and M.W.W James
Efficient manpower planning has been recognized as a critical aspect for the development of an economy. In 2001, the Works Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government (predecessor of…
Abstract
Efficient manpower planning has been recognized as a critical aspect for the development of an economy. In 2001, the Works Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government (predecessor of Environment, Transport and Works Bureau) commissioned an HKPolyU consultancy team to develop a computer‐based model to estimate the demand for different categories of construction personnel. This article presents the concept and features of the manpower demand‐forecasting model developed for the construction industry of Hong Kong. The forecasting model is formulated on the basis of the labour multiplier approach by deriving the relationship between the number of workers required and the project expenditure in the given project duration. Multipliers for 61 project types were derived for 38 labour trades using completed project data. The labour demand by occupation for each project can then be estimated by multiplying the corresponding multipliers and the estimated project expenditure. Several unique features of the model have been developed, including “normalization” and “contract cost adjustment factor”. Normalizing the labour multipliers can facilitate the prediction of occupational labour requirements at different stages of a construction project. The adjustment factor is introduced to eliminate the discrepancy between the original estimates and final contract values so as to enhance the estimation accuracy. The model can also be used to predict the number of jobs created for a given level of investment. The government can apply this model to check and compare which project types will generate most jobs before committing public money. This model could be easily adopted and adapted by foreign construction authorities while planning manpower.
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Paruchuru Manjushree, Chirra Babu Rao and Indukuri Bangar Raju
Amid rapid global urbanization, cities confront many complex challenges, including sustainability, waste management, energy consumption and resource allocation. Two emerging…
Abstract
Amid rapid global urbanization, cities confront many complex challenges, including sustainability, waste management, energy consumption and resource allocation. Two emerging paradigms – smart cities and circular economies (CEs) – have shown promise in addressing these issues. Smart cities utilize cutting-edge technologies like internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics to create interconnected, efficient urban ecosystems. Meanwhile, the CE model aims for a regenerative system focused on minimizing waste and maximizing the utilization of resources. However, these paradigms have rarely been studied in conjunction, resulting in a gap in the existing literature. This bibliometric analysis aims to bridge this gap by mapping the interdisciplinary research landscape that integrates smart cities and CEs. Specifically, the study identifies key thematic intersections, influential authors, leading academic journals and potential directions for future research. Through this analysis, we provide a comprehensive overview of the existing body of work and lay the groundwork for the evolution of this interdisciplinary domain.
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Yusuf A. Adenle, Mohammed Abdul-Rahman and Oluwole A. Soyinka
As one of the buzzwords in the present age with considerable impacts in tertiary institutions, social media use in online teaching, learning and information dissemination have…
Abstract
Purpose
As one of the buzzwords in the present age with considerable impacts in tertiary institutions, social media use in online teaching, learning and information dissemination have been extensively discussed in extant literature. This paper aims to explore the existing campus sustainability appraisal (CSA) tools to identify the length at which social media has been used, especially in environmental sustainability indicators’ selection and empirical verification.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is mainly based on a desktop study involving comprehensive review and content analysis of existing CSA tools’ documents. Webpage content analysis of selected sustainability monitoring and tracking system in higher education institutions was also conducted.
Findings
The tools' content analysis reveals insufficient utilization of social media data and platforms in campus sustainability environmental-dimension indicators selection. To bridge this identified research gap, social media user-generated content for appraising the campus-wide environmental sustainability indicators preference in tertiary institutions was proposed.
Practical implications
The adoption and modification of this study’s proposed approach by tertiary institutions, especially in sub-Saharan African countries, could help address most campus-wide environmental challenges raised, commented on and discussed on social media.
Originality/value
This study contributes to knowledge gaps by revealing the extent of social media utilization in extant tools. With the expanding utilization of different social media platforms by various tertiary institutions worldwide, their administrators' responsibility is to put these social media data into fair use.
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Ka Chi Lam and Olalekan Shamsideen Oshodi
Fluctuations in construction output has an adverse effect on the construction industry and the economy due to its strong linkage. Developing reliable and accurate predictive…
Abstract
Purpose
Fluctuations in construction output has an adverse effect on the construction industry and the economy due to its strong linkage. Developing reliable and accurate predictive models is vital to implementing effective response strategies to mitigate the impact of such fluctuations. The purpose of this paper is to compare the accuracy of two univariate forecast models, i.e. Box-Jenkins (autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA)) and Neural Network Autoregressive (NNAR).
Design/methodology/approach
Four quarterly time-series data on the construction output of Hong Kong were collected (1983Q1-2014Q4). The collected data were divided into two parts. The first part was fitted to the model, while the other was used to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the developed models.
Findings
The NNAR model can provide reliable and accurate forecast of total, private and “others” construction output for the medium term. In addition, the NNAR model outperforms the ARIMA model, in terms of accuracy.
Research limitations/implications
The applicability of the NNAR model to the construction industry of other countries could be further explored. The main limitation of artificial intelligence models is the lack of explanatory capability.
Practical implications
The NNAR model could be used as a tool for accurately predicting future patterns in construction output. This is vital for the sustained growth of the construction industry and the economy.
Originality/value
This is the first study to apply the NNAR model to construction output forecasting research.
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Hong-Wei Ying, Kang Cheng, Li-Sha Zhang, Chang-Yu Ou and Yong-Wen Yang
Deep excavation in soft clay often causes additional deformations to surroundings. Then, if deformations cannot be predicted reasonably, the adjacent buildings may be threatened…
Abstract
Purpose
Deep excavation in soft clay often causes additional deformations to surroundings. Then, if deformations cannot be predicted reasonably, the adjacent buildings may be threatened by the deep excavation. Based on the good field observations from ten deep excavations in Hangzhou, this paper aims to thoroughly investigate the characteristics of wall deflections and ground settlements induced by deep excavations.
Design/methodology/approach
On the basis of good field observation of ten deep excavations, the performances of excavations, supported by contiguous pile in Hangzhou, were studied, and also compared with other case histories.
Findings
The maximum wall deflections (dhm) rang mostly from 0.7 to 1.2 per cent He, where He is the final excavation depth, larger than those in Taipei and Shanghai. The observed maximum ground settlement in the Hangzhou cases generally ranges from 0.2 to 0.8 per cent He. Then, the settlement influence zone extends to a distance of 2.0-4.0 He from the excavation. The relatively large movements and influence zones in Hangzhou may be attributed to low stability numbers, large excavation widths and the creep effect. The excavation width is justified to have a significant influence on the wall deflection. Therefore, to establish a semi-empirical formula for predicting the maximum wall deflection, it is necessary to include the factor of excavation width.
Originality/value
The relevant literature concentrated on the characteristics of deep excavations supported by the contiguous pile wall in Hangzhou soft clay can rarely be found. Based on the ten deep excavations with good field observation in Hangzhou, the characteristics of wall deflection and ground settlements were comprehensively studied for the first time, which can provide some theoretical support for similar projects.
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The purpose of this paper is to bring a new scientific theory into practice in the hotel industry.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to bring a new scientific theory into practice in the hotel industry.
Design/methodology/approach
In‐depth open‐ended interviews were used with eight hospitality practitioners, consumers, and academic researchers.
Findings
The article lays out current practices of security and privacy measurements in the hospitality industry and points out the related limitations. More importantly, it provides insights to hotel operators on possible future applications of a new scientific invention and how it could help alleviate the limitations found in the existing security and privacy measures.
Practical implications
The paper raises the awareness of a new scientific breakthrough that sheds new lights to security and privacy strategies in hotel operations. Hotels, which are able to react quickly to gain the first‐mover‐advantage in leading the industry on the application of such technology, will certainly gain tremendous publicity, and more importantly will be the first to create a new level of confidence in the market on security and privacy strategies implemented in their daily hotel operations.
Originality/value
This paper communicates a recent scientific development and its possible applications in the hotel industry. In this way, it bridges the gap between a scientific invention and its real‐world application. It is expected to provide insights for hoteliers who are interested in technology applications.
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Allan Walker and Philip Hallinger
The purpose of this paper is to synthesize findings from five systematic reviews of research on principal leadership in East Asia contained in this special issue. The goal is to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to synthesize findings from five systematic reviews of research on principal leadership in East Asia contained in this special issue. The goal is to identify commonalities as well as differences concerning both approaches to research and the enactment of school leadership within this rapidly developing and increasingly influential region of the world.
Design/methodology/approach
The review uses thematic analysis of both structural elements and substantive findings drawn from the composite review papers.
Findings
The synthesis of the research reviews found considerable variability across the five societies in terms of the volume of work accessible to international audiences, topical foci, the conceptual and methodological sophistication, and findings. Three content patterns were discerned via the thematic analysis of the five reviews: first, influences on the principalship (incorporating personal, cultural and political sub themes); second, principal leadership practices (including qualities and styles, vision, indirect influence on student learning and shared decision making); and third, principal development (including preparation, training and professional development).
Research limitations/implications
In a broader sense, this synthesis paper seeks to assess the development of the field of applied study in East Asia over the past two decades. As such, the paper highlights implications for further building the knowledge base both in the region and globally.
Originality/value
This synthesis, as well as the five reviews, represent the first effort to mark the boundaries of knowledge about school leadership in these East Asian societies. As such, they lay a foundation for the future development of the field in the region, and in so doing also make a contribution to a more diverse global literature in the field.