Samantha Dorney-Smith, Emma Thomson, Nigel Hewett, Stan Burridge and Zana Khan
The purpose of this paper is to review the history and current state of provision of homeless medical respite services in the UK, drawing first on the international context. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the history and current state of provision of homeless medical respite services in the UK, drawing first on the international context. The paper then articulates the need for medical respite services in the UK, and profiles some success stories. The paper then outlines the considerable challenges that currently exist in the UK, considers why some other services have failed and proffers some solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is primarily a literature review, but also offers original analysis of data and interviews, and presents new ideas from the authors. All authors have considerable experience of assessing the need for and delivering homeless medical respite services.
Findings
The paper builds on previous published information regarding need, and articulates the human rights argument for commissioning care. The paper also discusses the current complex commissioning arena, and suggests solutions.
Research limitations/implications
The literature review was not a systematic review, but was conducted by authors with considerable experience in the field. Patient data quoted are on two limited cohorts of patients, but broadly relevant. Interviews with stakeholders regarding medical respite challenges have been fairly extensive, but may not be comprehensive.
Practical implications
This paper will support those who are thinking of undertaking a needs assessment for medical respite, or commissioning a new medical respite service, to understand the key issues involved.
Social implications
This paper challenges the existing status quo regarding the need for a “cost-saving” rationale to set up these services.
Originality/value
This paper aims to be the definitive paper for anyone wishing to get an overview of this topic.
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Zana Khan, Philip Haine and Samantha Dorney-Smith
Homeless people experience extreme health inequalities and high rates of morbidity and mortality (Aldridge et al., 2017). Use of primary care services are low, while emergency…
Abstract
Purpose
Homeless people experience extreme health inequalities and high rates of morbidity and mortality (Aldridge et al., 2017). Use of primary care services are low, while emergency healthcare use is high (Mathie, 2012; Homeless Link, 2014). Duration of admission has been estimated to be three times longer for homeless patients who often experience poor hospital discharge arrangements (Mathie, 2012; Homeless Link, 2014). This reflects ongoing and unaddressed care and housing needs (Blackburn et al., 2017). The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reveals how GPs employed in secondary care, as part of Pathway teams, support improved health and housing outcomes and safe transfer of care into community services. It draws on published literature on role of GPs in working with excluded groups, personal experience of working as a GP in secondary care, structured interviews with Pathway GPs and routine data collected by the team to highlight key outcomes.
Findings
The expertise of GPs is highlighted and includes holistic assessment, management of multimorbidity or “tri-morbidity” – the combination of addictions problems, mental illness and physical health (Homeless Link, 2014; Stringfellow et al., 2015) and research and teaching.
Originality/value
The role of the GP in the care of patients with complex needs is more visible in primary care. This paper demonstrates some of the ways in which in-reach GPs play an important role in the care of multiply excluded groups attending and admitted to secondary care settings.
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Zana Khan, Sophie Koehne, Philip Haine and Samantha Dorney-Smith
The purpose of this paper is to describe the delivery of the first clinically led, inter-professional Pathway Homeless team in a mental health trust, within the King’s Health…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the delivery of the first clinically led, inter-professional Pathway Homeless team in a mental health trust, within the King’s Health Partners hospitals in South London. The Kings Health Partners Pathway Homeless teams have been operating since January 2014 at Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GStT) and Kings College Hospital and expanded to the South London and Maudsley in 2015 as a charitable pilot, now continuing with short-term funding.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper outlines how the team delivered its key aim of improving health and housing outcomes for inpatients. It details the service development and integration within a mental health trust incorporating the experience of its sister teams at Kings and GStT. It goes on to show how the service works across multiple hospital sites and is embedded within the Trust’s management structures.
Findings
Innovations including the transitional arrangements for patients’ post-discharge are described. In the first three years of operation the team saw 237 patients. Improved housing status was achieved in 74 per cent of patients with reduced use of unscheduled care after discharge. Early analysis suggests a statistically significant reduction in bed days and reduced use of unscheduled care.
Originality/value
The paper suggests that this model serves as an example of person centred, value-based health that is focused on improving care and outcomes for homeless inpatients in mental health settings, with the potential to be rolled-out nationally to other mental health Trusts.
Zana Khan, Sophie Park and Georgia Black
This article aims to present a systematic review and synthesis of evidence on the experiences, role and use of IPE in IH fields by using a meta-ethnographic approach including key…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to present a systematic review and synthesis of evidence on the experiences, role and use of IPE in IH fields by using a meta-ethnographic approach including key concepts, reciprocal and refutational translation and lines of argument. Inclusion health (IH) practice suggests that the needs of excluded groups are more effectively addressed through collaborative working. Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs when two or more professions engage in shared practice and learning, resulting in improved collaboration and quality of care. Studies on IPE to train staff in fields relating to IH exist, but without a settled consensus on the best approaches/activities to foster inclusive practice.
Design/methodology/approach
This synthesis is underpinned by a meta-ethnographic approach. It provides explicit stages of data collection and interpretation, while providing space to engage with emerging themes and concepts iteratively (reflecting on author experiences) and inductively (reasoning and interpretation). This study made use of electronic databases and journals for English language peer reviewed articles between 2000 and 2020. Of the 2217 articles, 19 papers were included. The lead author and reviewer completed the review process and a second reviewer reviewed 10% at each stage. The quality was assessed using a modified CASP checklist. Iterative analysis involved PPI and staff stakeholders.
Findings
A total of 16 concepts embedded in 19 papers provide insight into the nature of IPE in IH (IH) for staff. It was found that IPE in IH covers a broad group of practitioners and is a complex activity involving individual and organisation readiness, practical and pedagogical factors, influenced by setting, method, curriculum, lived experience, reflection and a learner-driven approach. Barriers to design, implementation and translation into practice were also found to exist.
Practical implications
Most studies used a combination of core learning and group work. Educational modes include mentoring or coaching, reflective practice, immersive learning and people lived experience of exclusion involved in or facilitation thematically centred in trauma-informed informed care, cultural competence, communities of practice and service learning. The aim of these methods was to promote collaboration through identifying shared experiences, problems and tensions and critical reflection of services and organisations. Such transformative learning is reported to challenge stigma, discrimination and misinformation and promote collective empowerment to address social injustice through human connection. Effective models of IPE re-instated the therapeutic relationship and alliances between patients and staff.
Social implications
This review also calls for the development of health and care workers’ professionalism in relation to their own reflexivity, establishing anti-racist curricula, challenge stigma and ensuring clinicians are aware of and able to negotiate tension and difference identified within the consultation and between themselves. Apart from developing generalist skills, this analysis suggests that IPE in IH may be able to challenge stigma and discrimination towards IH groups by destabilising existing norms and siloed working with the aim of achieving robust interprofessional practice.
Originality/value
IPE in IH is a complex activity affected by individual and organisation readiness, setting, experiential, practical and pedagogical factors. Models of teaching are focused on re-instating the therapeutic relationship. There are no systematic reviews in this field and previously there was no settled consensus on the best approaches and learning activities to foster inclusive and collaborative practice.
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Bojan Matkovski, Stanislav Zekić, Žana Jurjević and Danilo Đokić
The purpose of this paper is to determine if the agribusiness sector can be an initiator of export on the emerging markets. For this aim, we analyzed export opportunities for the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine if the agribusiness sector can be an initiator of export on the emerging markets. For this aim, we analyzed export opportunities for the region of Vojvodina, the region in Serbia with the most potential for agribusiness.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses the Comparative Advantage Index and the Index of Intra-industrial Integration to determine the region's level of comparative advantage and the market's level of integration on the main emerging markets.
Findings
The results show that this region has the most competitive advantages in crop production – primarily in cereals and industrial plants – but the situation is not favorable for livestock production. Because of this, comparative advantage should be used as a factor for the growth of competitiveness in the sectors for which crop products are the raw material base. At the same time, agricultural policy measures should encourage more intensive agricultural production, which could create a better foundation for progress in the food industry.
Research limitations/implications
Data collected on foreign trade at the level of statistical regions is not always reliable. Also, regional and local characteristics are specific to each country, so the ability to generalize conclusions is limited.
Practical implications
This paper provides a useful review of the agri-food sector's competitiveness and determines which agri-food segments have competitive advantages. It is essential for policymakers to identify what determinants improve or degrade the competitiveness of the region's agri-food sector.
Originality/value
Since there are a limited number of studies analyzing trends of competitiveness for the region's agri-food sector, the paper will contribute to filling this gap. Furthermore, the framework is conceptually innovative in identifying the determinants that create export opportunities for the region on the international market.
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Bestoon Abdulmaged Othman, Amran Harun, Nuno Marques De Almeida and Zana Majed Sadq
With growing mobility in a globalized world and an estimate of more than 300 million people going on religious pilgrimages every year, various researchers have been focusing on…
Abstract
Purpose
With growing mobility in a globalized world and an estimate of more than 300 million people going on religious pilgrimages every year, various researchers have been focusing on pilgrimage-driven travel services. In this context and within the Islamic religious tradition, the “Umrah” is used as a case study in this paper. In addition, this study also investigated the effects of Umrah SMM (promotion, place, people, product, price, process, physical evidence, marketing communication and after sale service) on customer satisfaction and loyalty toward Umrah travel agents in “Malaysia.”
Design/methodology/approach
Convenience sampling technique at four international airports in “Malaysia” was used to obtain data from Umrah travelers who had used Umrah services at least once. A total of 384 usable questionnaires were collected from this study and the data were analyzed using the partial least square.
Findings
The result indicated that the marketing mix has a significant positive effect on customer loyalty through customer satisfaction both directly and indirectly. This study will be of interest to the Umrah travel industry, for Malaysia and all the other countries, in understanding how marketing mix strategies are essential in maintaining a long-term relationship with customers.
Originality/value
The literature on Umrah travel services revealed that the traditional service marketing mix (SMM) of 7P’s is inadequate. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap and examine an innovative service marketing mix strategy for “Umrah Service” including marketing communication and after sales service. It investigates the effects of enhanced Umrah SMM on customer satisfaction and loyalty towards Umrah travel agents in “Malaysia”.
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David Kimera and Fillemon Nduvu Nangolo
The purpose of this paper is to review maintenance practices, tools and parameters for marine mechanical systems that can be classified as plant, machinery and equipment (PME). It…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review maintenance practices, tools and parameters for marine mechanical systems that can be classified as plant, machinery and equipment (PME). It provides an insight for the maintenance crew on which maintenance parameters and practices are critical for a given PME systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The review paper characterizes the various maintenance parameters and maintenance practices used onshore and offshore for PME and identifies the possible gaps.
Findings
A variety of maintenance techniques are being used in the marine industry such as corrective maintenance, preventive maintenance and condition-based maintenance. As marine vehicles (MV) get older, the most important maintenance parameters become maintenance costs, reliability and safety. Maintenance models that have been developed in line with marine mechanical systems have been validated using a single system, whose outcome could be different if another PME system is used for validation.
Research limitations/implications
There is a limited literature on MV maintenance parameters and maintenance characterization regarding mechanical systems. The maintenance practices or strategies of marine mechanical systems should be based on maintenance parameters that suit the marine industry for a given PME.
Originality/value
Based on the available literature, the paper provides a variety of maintenance framework, parameters and practices for marine mechanical systems. The paper further gives an insight on what maintenance parameters, strategies and platforms are given preference in the shipping industry.
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Bülent Doğan, Yavuz Selim Balcioglu and Meral Elçi
This study aims to elucidate the dynamics of social media discourse during global health events, specifically investigating how users across different platforms perceive, react to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to elucidate the dynamics of social media discourse during global health events, specifically investigating how users across different platforms perceive, react to and engage with information concerning such crises.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach was employed, combining both quantitative and qualitative data collection. Initially, thematic analysis was applied to a data set of social media posts across four major platforms over a 12-month period. This was followed by sentiment analysis to discern the predominant emotions embedded within these communications. Statistical tools were used to validate findings, ensuring robustness in the results.
Findings
The results showcased discernible thematic and emotional disparities across platforms. While some platforms leaned toward factual information dissemination, others were rife with user sentiments, anecdotes and personal experiences. Overall, a global sense of concern was evident, but the ways in which this concern manifested varied significantly between platforms.
Research limitations/implications
The primary limitation is the potential non-representativeness of the sample, as only four major social media platforms were considered. Future studies might expand the scope to include emerging platforms or non-English language platforms. Additionally, the rapidly evolving nature of social media discourse implies that findings might be time-bound, necessitating periodic follow-up studies.
Practical implications
Understanding the nature of discourse on various platforms can guide health organizations, policymakers and communicators in tailoring their messages. Recognizing where factual information is required, versus where sentiment and personal stories resonate, can enhance the efficacy of public health communication strategies.
Social implications
The study underscores the societal reliance on social media for information during crises. Recognizing the different ways in which communities engage with, and are influenced by, platform-specific discourse can help in fostering a more informed and empathetic society, better equipped to handle global challenges.
Originality/value
This research is among the first to offer a comprehensive, cross-platform analysis of social media discourse during a global health event. By comparing user engagement across platforms, it provides unique insights into the multifaceted nature of public sentiment and information dissemination during crises.
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Winfred Yaokumah, Boasiako B. Omane-Antwi and Kwame Okwabi Asante-Offei
Strategic information systems planning (SISP) has been identified as a key strategy underpinning an effective utilization of information systems (IS) to achieve the core…
Abstract
Purpose
Strategic information systems planning (SISP) has been identified as a key strategy underpinning an effective utilization of information systems (IS) to achieve the core objectives of an organization. This study aims at identifying, ranking and prioritizing factors that IS and business executives consider critical for the success of IS projects.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a qualitative research approach with a 3-round Delphi process to get experts' opinions on critical success factors (CSFs) necessary for successful SISP. A forty-two panel of experts was selected using defined criteria. Quantitative analyses of the data were performed using Kendall's coefficient of concordance and chi-square to obtain a consensus among the experts.
Findings
The findings revealed the top managers' understanding of strategic priorities, aligning IS strategies with the organizational strategic plan and availability of internal resources to deliver IS services as the first three key CSFs of SISP. Other highly ranked CSFs were the management's understanding of the role of IS and the need to educate top management on the importance of IT in supporting the business strategy.
Originality/value
The CSFs factors obtained in this study would lay a foundation for future research and could be incorporated into a new theoretical model of IS planning.
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Sabiha Barour, Abdesselam Zergua, Farid Bouziadi and Waleed Abed Jasim
This paper aims to develop a non-linear finite element model predicting the response of externally strengthened beams under a three-point flexure test.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop a non-linear finite element model predicting the response of externally strengthened beams under a three-point flexure test.
Design/methodology/approach
The ANSYS software is used for modeling. SOILD65, LINK180, SHELL181 and SOLID185 elements are used, respectively, to model concrete, steel reinforcement, polymer and steel plate support. A parametric study was carried out. The effects of compressive strength, Young’s modulus, layers number and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer thickness on beam behavior are analyzed. A comparative study between the non-linear finite element and analytical models, including the ACI 440.2 R-08 model, and experimental data is also carried out.
Findings
A comparative study of the non-linear finite element results with analytical models, including the ACI 440.2 R-08 model and experimental data for different parameters, shows that the strengthened beams possessed better resistance to cracks. In general, the finite element model’s results are in good agreement with the experimental test data.
Practical implications
This model will predict the strengthened beams behavior and can describe the beams physical conditions, yielding the results that can be interpreted in the structural study context without using a laboratory testing.
Originality/value
On the basis of the results, a good match is found between the model results and experimental data at all stages of loading the tested samples. Crack models obtained in the non-linear finite element model in the beams are also presented. The submitted finite element model can be used to predict the behavior of the reinforced concrete beam. Also, the comparative study between an analytical model proposed by of current code of ACI 440.2 R-08 and finite element analysis is investigated.