Katherine Brown and Laura Jenkinson
A notable number of young people self-harm, with only a minority receiving professional support. Evidence suggests that therapy can help recovery from self-harm, but little is…
Abstract
Purpose
A notable number of young people self-harm, with only a minority receiving professional support. Evidence suggests that therapy can help recovery from self-harm, but little is known about the experiences of those who self-harm and participate in therapy delivered via videoconferencing.
Design/methodology/approach
Risk assessments were examined for evidence of self-harm and used to identify two groups for analysis: young people who had self-harmed in the past six months and those who had not. A mixed methods analysis was then conducted to examine process and outcome data for these two groups. Data included a number of sessions attended, late-cancelled and missed without notice; and patient-reported outcome measure scores (Young Person-Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation and Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale). End-of-treatment reports were subsequently analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
Those with current self-harm risk appeared to start therapy with lower well-being. No notable differences in progress were found between groups on quantitative outcomes. There was greater reporting of poorer clinical outcomes in the reports of those with current self-harm risk, including two unique types of barriers to effective therapy: “general difficulties” (e.g. poor well-being limiting engagement, specific components of therapy being challenging) and “CBT was not preferred”.
Originality/value
Lower baseline well-being could explain the greater ongoing care needs and lower well-being post-therapy among those with current self-harm risk, despite both groups appearing to make similar levels of therapeutic progress quantitatively. Recent self-harm does not appear to reduce the utility of videoconferencing cognitive behavioural therapy; however, clients’ individual needs should be carefully considered.
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Roberta Guglielmetti Mugion, Flaminia Musella, Laura Di Pietro and Martina Toni
The linkage between internal and external satisfaction is an understudied topic in the service field. This study aims to address this gap by proposing an original research model…
Abstract
Purpose
The linkage between internal and external satisfaction is an understudied topic in the service field. This study aims to address this gap by proposing an original research model, the service excellence chain (SEC), that connects the internal and external perspectives by conjoining performance-excellence models and the service-profit-chain approach. Theoretical assumptions and quantitative measures are proposed by using advanced statistical techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
The SEC is investigated through an empirical study in the healthcare sector, focusing on an Italian hospital and involving two of its core units. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. First, internal and external customer satisfaction were separately tested through structural equation modeling. The linkage between internal and external satisfaction is then proposed by mathematically defining a synthetic index, the internal and external customer satisfaction index (IEGSI), modeled through Bayesian networks (BNs) and object-oriented BNs to provide an overall measure able to predict organizational improvement.
Findings
The distinct measured models show good internal validity and adequate fit both for patients' and employees' perspectives. The IEGSI allows rigorously connecting internal and external satisfaction by developing conjoint scenarios for organizational improvement.
Originality/value
This study proposes the SEC model as an innovative way to connect internal and external satisfaction. The findings can be useful both for private and public organizations and may provide several useful insights for healthcare managers as well as for policy-makers in relation to developing strategies for improving service quality.
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Amy Leigh Rathbone, Laura Clarry and Julie Prescott
The purpose of this study was to develop a model of skilful surfing to aid understanding of how best to seek health information, online and offline, during pregnancy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to develop a model of skilful surfing to aid understanding of how best to seek health information, online and offline, during pregnancy.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used an observational, descriptive design, using a purpose written questionnaire, factor analysis and structural equation modelling.
Findings
Analysis resulted in the factor loading of five components: online health information seeking behaviour, normalisation, offline support, trust and data saturation. These components were included as latent variables in an SEM to evaluate the credibility, and subsequently confirm the viability of the theory of skilful surfing.
Originality/value
To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to successfully model and define what it is to skilfully surf health information online whilst pregnant, with empirical and theoretical underpinnings.
Marco De Marco, Paolo Fantozzi, Claudio Fornaro, Luigi Laura and Antonio Miloso
The purpose of this study is to show that the use of CAM (cognitive analytics management) methodology is a valid tool to describe new technology implementations for businesses.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to show that the use of CAM (cognitive analytics management) methodology is a valid tool to describe new technology implementations for businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
Starting from a dataset of recipes, we were able to describe consumers through a variant of the RFM (recency, frequency and monetary value) model. It has been possible to categorize the customers into clusters and to measure their profitability thanks to the customer lifetime value (CLV).
Findings
After comparing two machine learning algorithms, we found out that self-organizing map better classifies the customer base of the retailer. The algorithm was able to extract three clusters that were described as personas using the values of the customer lifetime value and the scores of the variant of the RFM model.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this methodology are strictly applicable to the retailer which provided the data.
Practical implications
Even though, this methodology can produce useful information for designing promotional strategies and improving the relationship between company and customers.
Social implications
Customer segmentation is an essential part of the marketing process. Improving further segmentation methods allow even small and medium companies to effectively target customers to better deliver to society the value they offer.
Originality/value
This paper shows the application of CAM methodology to guide the implementation and the adoption of a new customer segmentation algorithm based on the CLV.
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Flaminia Musella, Roberta Guglielmetti Mugion, Hendry Raharjo and Laura Di Pietro
This paper aims to holistically reconcile internal and external customer satisfaction using probabilistic graphical models. The models are useful not only in the identification of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to holistically reconcile internal and external customer satisfaction using probabilistic graphical models. The models are useful not only in the identification of the most sensitive factors for the creation of both internal and external customer satisfaction but also in the generation of improvement scenarios in a probabilistic way.
Design/methodology/approach
Standard Bayesian networks and object-oriented Bayesian networks are used to build probabilistic graphical models for internal and external customers. For each ward, the model is used to evaluate satisfaction drivers by category, and scenarios for the improvement of overall satisfaction variables are developed. A global model that is based on an object-oriented network is modularly built to provide a holistic view of internal and external satisfaction. The linkage is created by building a global index of internal and external satisfaction based on a linear combination. The model parameters are derived from survey data from an Italian hospital.
Findings
The results that were achieved with the Bayesian networks are consistent with the results of previous research, and they were obtained by using a partial least squares path modelling tool. The variable ‘Experience’ is the most relevant internal factor for the improvement of overall patient satisfaction. To improve overall employee satisfaction, the variable ‘Product/service results’ is the most important. Finally, for a given target of overall internal and external satisfaction, external satisfaction is more sensitive to improvement than internal satisfaction.
Originality/value
The novelty of the paper lies in the efforts to link internal and external satisfaction based on a probabilistic expert system that can generate improvement scenarios. From an academic viewpoint, this study moves the service profit chain theory (Heskett et al., 1994) forward by delivering operational guidelines for jointly managing the factors that affect internal and external customer satisfaction in service organizations using a holistic approach.
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Frederic Ponsignon, Andi Smart and Laura Phillips
The purpose of this paper is to provide novel theoretical insight into service delivery system (SDS) design. To do so, this paper adopts a customer journey perspective, using it…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide novel theoretical insight into service delivery system (SDS) design. To do so, this paper adopts a customer journey perspective, using it as a frame to explore dimensions of experience quality that inform design requirements.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilises UK Patient Opinion data to analyse the stories of 200 cancer patients. Using a critical incident technique, 1,207 attributes of experience quality are generated and classified into 17 quality dimensions across five stages of the customer (patient) journey.
Findings
Analysis reveals both similarity and difference in dimensions of experience quality across the patient journey: seven dimensions are common to all five journey stages, from receiving diagnosis to end of life care; ten dimensions were found to vary, present in one or several of the stages but not in all.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations include a lack of representativity of the story sample and the impossibility to verify the factual occurrence of the stories.
Practical implications
Adopting a patient journey perspective can improve the practitioner understanding of the design requirements of SDS in healthcare. The results of the study can be applied by managers to configure SDS that achieve a higher quality of patient care throughout the patient journey.
Originality/value
This paper extends existing literature on SDS design by adopting a customer journey perspective, revealing heterogeneity in experience quality across the customer journey currently unaccounted for in SDS design frameworks. Specifically, the findings challenge homogeneity in extant SDS design frameworks, evidencing the need for multiple, stage-specific SDS design requirements.
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Abstract
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THE announcement that Mr. James Wilkie, M.A., will be President of the Library Association for 1951 is gratifying, He has been for some years the honoured Secretary of the…
Abstract
THE announcement that Mr. James Wilkie, M.A., will be President of the Library Association for 1951 is gratifying, He has been for some years the honoured Secretary of the Carnegie Trust and before that was the officer at the Ministry of Education most nearly concerned with the public library. For many years now he has been a familiar figure at library conferences, and his geniality, Strong sense of humour and excellent speaking, have won him the esteem of librarians and others concerned with libraries. He almost invariably attends the meetings of the National Central Library. It is, therefore, appropriate that he should preside over the Library Association, which owes so much to him and the Trust he serves and in many activities represents. We wish him a pleasant year of office and can surely promise him the loyalty of librarians.
The Library Association of Ireland issued last month the first number of An Leabharlann, their new official journal. The title, for those of us who do not speak the language of…
Abstract
The Library Association of Ireland issued last month the first number of An Leabharlann, their new official journal. The title, for those of us who do not speak the language of Erin, means The Library. It is an extremely interesting venture which will be followed by librarians on the mainland with sympathetic curiosity. In particular our readers would be interested in the first of a series of articles by Father Stephen J. Brown, S.J., on Book Selection. The worthy Father lectures on this subject at University College, Dublin, in the Library School. It is mainly concerned with what should not be selected, and deals in vigorous fashion with the menace of much of current published stuff. No doubt Father Brown will follow with something more constructive. Mr. T. E. Gay, Chairman of the Association, discusses the need for a survey of Irish libraries and their resources. We agree that it is necessary. The Net Books Agreement, the Council, Notes from the Provinces, and an article in Erse—which we honestly believe that most of our Irish friends can read—and an excellent broadcast talk on the Library and the Student by Miss Christina Keogh, the accomplished Librarian of the Irish Central Library, make up a quite attractive first number. A list of broadcast talks given by members of the Association is included.