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This research seeks to determine what factors and combinations of banking features drive the choice of a financial service provider. Two studies have been devised to explore the research question. The initial study, uses factor analysis and logistic regression to examine the importance of perceived cost, convenience, and relational trust in the choice of a financial services provider. An additional study uses choice-based conjoint analysis to conduct an exploratory study to identify combinations of banking features that potential customers perceive as most attractive. The study simulates real-world buying situations that ask research participants to trade one financial services attribute for another. Results from the first study suggest that a consumer’s choice of banks, prepaid cards, online lending, and the US Postal Service for financial services is associated with a preference for convenience while relational trust and perceived cost drives the choice of “street” AFS providers. In the second study, results from the choice-based conjoint analysis suggest that fees are significantly more important than convenience and level of customer contact across all categorical variables (age, gender, race/ethnicity, employment, income, and education). Additionally, in-person customer service contact is considered more important than convenience. Understanding these factors, optimal combinations and proportions, and trade-offs through the eyes of the consumer, may be of value to both policy makers and industry officials alike when grappling with options to strengthen financial inclusion. / Business Administration/Strategic Management

The AIMS of this study are to: (1) Explore the perceptions and experiences of diabetes consultations from the perspectives of Pakistani patients, health professionals and interpreters (when one was involved). (2) Identify the processes and mechanisms which hinder or foster effective communication between healthcare professionals and their patients. (3) Provide recommendations for ways in which communication can be improved between healthcare professionals and their Pakistani patients STUDY DESIGN: A prospective qualitative study was developed, comprising three sequential components; namely: In-depth interviews with patients prior to a diabetes consultation; observation of the consultation; and, in-depth interviews with patients, health professionals and interpreters (when one was involved) following the consultation. Data were collected in the form of 10 detailed case studies. Each case study involved a Pakistani patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), their practitioner (s) involved in the consultation and an interpreter (if one was used). SAMPLE: Five male and five female Pakistani with T2DM (aged 41-80 years), 12 practitioners (some patients consulted with two people) and three interpreters (two professional and one lay) were recruited through health services and personal contacts within Edinburgh’s Pakistani community. Individual case studies were thematically analysed before all the case studies were compared/contrasted to identify cross-cutting themes. FINDINGS: Alongside language, a range of barriers and issues were identified which impacted upon communication between patients and health professionals in the consultations observed. Because of previous experiences of attending consultations in the UK and also in Pakistan, patients tended to come to their diabetes consultations with limited expectations; namely, to have their medication reviewed and receive test results. Consequently, patients tended not to raise health concerns and other issues unless they perceived these to be directly relevant to the consultation. In some cases, this resulted in patients not disclosing important information relating to their diabetes management and led to health professionals making inappropriate treatment recommendations. The routine and predictable nature of these diabetes review consultations meant that patients could be passive, offer very little information and ‘get by’ in their consultations; for instance, by offering responses after guessing what the professional was asking. As a result, some health professionals were unaware of patients’ poor English and of how little they had understood during the consultation. Health professionals found it difficult to establish understanding and rapport with patients who adopted a passive role in their consultations. This hindered them from identifying, and appropriately addressing, gaps in patients’ diabetes knowledge and any concerns they may have had. Interpreters did not always address the language barrier and edited and misinterpreted information. This is partly because they struggled to interpret medical terminology. However, this research also revealed how interpreters can experience dilemmas and role conflicts by virtue of being members of the same closely-knit Pakistani community as the patients they interpret for. Some of the barriers identified during this study also arose because patients tended to see different professionals at every visit which discouraged patient-provider relationships from being established. CONCLUSION: Patients would benefit from receiving ‘continuity in care’ and education and training on how to use their consultations more effectively. Providers would also benefit from education and training on more effective ways to communicate with these patients.

BACKGROUND: Now considered a cornerstone of healthcare, patient-provider communication has long been studied and analyzed. Medical associations such as the Joint Commission and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) have strongly endorsed for physicians to exercise patient-focused communication, a practice that involves showing empathy, involving patients in medical care decisions, eliciting concerns, and educating patients on treatment options (Joint Commission, 2016; AAOS, 2017). A lack of patient-provider communication has previously been identified as a significant factor in adverse medical outcomes occurring within hospitals (Khan et al., 2017). Bridging the communication disparity between patients and providers is crucial to improving overall patient outcome. Primary care providers are especially essential to improving overall patient outcome because they serve as the first point of contact for many patients accessing the healthcare system. While there is much literature on the importance of effective patient-provider communication, few studies provide technology-based tools that can enhance this establishment of communication. Human Papillomavirus is presently the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) nationwide with 79 million Americans currently infected (CDC, 2017). Approximately 42,700 HPV-attributable cancers are diagnosed in the United States annually, and HPV is believed to be responsible for over 90% of cervical cancer cases (CDC, 2018). The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) currently recommends three preventative HPV vaccines. Despite high rates of infection, HPV vaccination rates nationwide remain low as coverage of the HPV vaccine falls behind that of coverage for required vaccines like the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) (Reagan-Steiner, 2016). Previous studies have sought to address factors that affect decisions to vaccinate children. An analyzation of the National Immunization Survey of Teens has identified that parents’ belief that the HPV was not necessary as a main factor (Darden et al., 2013). As a result, there is a gap needed to be filled by providers to educate parents on the importance of the HPV vaccine. PURPOSE: The current study sought to determine the effectiveness of a web-based mobile health education program called Wheel of Wellness (WoW) on patient-provider communication, to assess the viability and impact of WoW to increase HPV vaccination rates in age eligible children (boys and girls aged 9-17) and to augment awareness about the benefits of HPV vaccination in both these children and their guardians. RESEARCH METHOD AND DESIGN: As of August 2018, twenty-seven parents of children between the ages of 9 and 17 years of age within the Pediatrics and Adolescent departments of Boston Medical Center (BMC) have been recruited. Parents enrolled in the WoW program to compile a list of concerns to be shown to a provider during their child’s appointment. Participants were asked questions to determine initial knowledge on the HPV vaccine, and their opinions on the HPV vaccine. Following their appointment, participants completed a questionnaire to assess opinions on the WoW program in facilitating communication with their provider on the HPV vaccine and related cancers. Seven physicians were interviewed to assess their views on the WoW program in facilitating communication with their patients on the HPV vaccine and related cancers. RESULTS: Initial stages of this study found that views on the effectiveness of the WoW program in facilitating patient and provider communication on the different aspects of HPV vaccination and affecting parents’ decisions to vaccinate their children were mixed by both patients and their providers. Based on the WoW feedback collected from parents, the system was widely acceptable in terms of ease in usage and with the majority of parents (92%) reporting that the WoW website is helpful for communicating their health concerns with their provider. However, the majority of providers reported having never been presented the WoW system and expressed views that WoW was inefficient as it was a parallel system to existing workflow. This study determined that of the 12 participants who had one dose of the vaccine prior to enrollment, 75% of these participants completed the HPV vaccine series during the study. CONCLUSION: Based on the initiation and completion statistics reported, this shows great potential for the use of the BNI coupled with the WoW system to help improve rates of initiation and completion of HPV vaccination going forward as the intervention may have helped encourage parents to either initiate vaccination or complete their child’s previously started series. Further studies should explore ways of empowering patients to facilitate more communication with their providers and improvements to technology to enhance provider recommendation in order to promote an increase in HPV vaccine completion. / 2021-06-17T00:00:00Z

The provider-role continues to be strongly linked to ideas of manhood even in the era where family and work roles have changed. This is mainly because society continues to esteem notions of hegemonic masculinities that reduce men to a single role of providing. Such a discourse is problematic however, especially during the quandary of unemployment that South Africa finds itself. With this in mind, men find themselves battling not only with the stigma arising from their inability to perform manhood (providing) but also with the harsh labour market that refuses them the means to perform this role. As a consequence, men suffer often undiagnosed depression leading to suicide, harmful behaviour and loss of hope for a better future. Through the qualitative research approach, this study adopted the Social Identity Theory, the Eco-systems Approach as well as the Functionalism Theory towards exploring the effects of strong identification with the idea of man as provider on the psychosocial wellbeing of black men during unemployment. Individual interviews were conducted with twenty-two young men aged between 18 and 35 from Soweto as well as three social workers who were previously placed as student social workers with the Ipelegeng Youth Leadership and Development Programme. Through the use of the thematic content analysis, this study found that young men identified with the provider role and therefore participated in informal work under hazardous conditions in order to fulfil this role. Where the men failed to fulfil the provider role, communities often ridiculed and shamed them leading them to feeling stressed and depressed. The study also found that the young men were not utilising psychosocial services; owing to the notions of traditional masculinities; general lack of services and perceived ineffectiveness of programs. This report thus concludes that interventions that are tailored to tackle men’s problems should be developed and be made widely available, being stringently cognisant of contextual cultural dynamics however.

In the United States, children must be vaccinated in order to attend school, although parents also have the right to request a vaccine exemption. The type of vaccine exemption varies by state but can include exemption for religious, philosophical, medical, and temporary medical reasons. The purpose of this research was to identify the use of provider signature requirements and fees in states during the vaccine exemption process. A questionnaire was sent to immunization managers in the 50 United States, District of Columbia, the United States Indian Health Service, and eight United States territories. The managers were asked if their states required a provider, or other individual, to sign the exemption form prior to granting a vaccine exemption. If a provider signature was required to validate the vaccine exemption form, immunization managers were then asked to identify what type of provider was allowed to sign the form. Immunization managers also reported on whether parents needed to pay a fee in order to obtain a vaccine exemption. A provider signature was most frequently required on medical vaccine exemption forms. For religious exemptions, only two states required a signature from a religious leader. Three states allowed a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, and naturopath to sign philosophical vaccine exemption forms. For medical and temporary medical vaccine exemption forms, the majority of states allowed a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant to sign the form. Only one state, Utah, confirmed that a fee was required to obtain religious or philosophical vaccine exemptions. With the hope of reducing vaccine exemption rates, some states employ various obstacles to obtaining and validating a vaccine exemption form, such as requiring a provider signature or charging a fee to process the exemption form. Surprisingly, only a few states required a provider signature on religious and philosophical exemption forms and only one state reported charging a fee to obtain a vaccine exemption form. Identifying these data provides opportunities to further study the effectiveness of various vaccine exemption obstacles.

The purpose of this study is to explore Filipino service care providers’ experience of compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is a common experience among health care professionals and can contribute to feelings of hopelessness and adverse behaviors in caring for patients. In California, there are a large number of Filipinos who are employed as care providers for older adults; however, there is limited research available regarding Filipino workers in the United States. This study took on a qualitative design that utilized face-to-face interviews to gain more insight into Filipino service care providers’ experience of compassion fatigue in relation to their employment. Factors that were explored in interviews were exposure to terminally ill individuals, coping and self-care strategies, and working environments. The results of this study indicated participants appeared to experience compassion satisfaction, rather than compassion fatigue. Furthermore, recommendations for future research were discussed. These recommendations included the need to explore experiences of compassion satisfaction in this population and to look into the experience of Filipino service care providers who were born in the United States, rather than in the Philippines, to determine whether Filipino cultural values of caring can act as a buffer against the effects of compassion fatigue.

This research investigates how the nature and scope of vocational education and training (VET) in Victoria has changed as a result of legislation passed in 1990 to enable privately owned Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to provide government accredited training. An interpretive paradigm and multiple data gathering techniques have been applied. These included the examination of primary historical and economic documents which demonstrated why the VET system changed in Australia and quantifiable statistics which illustrated how the system changed over the period covered; from 1990/1 to 2002/3. Semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample of 21 RTOs assisted in exploring the impact of the entry of privately owned RTOs into the Victorian training market. The wide experience and in-depth knowledge of the VET sector by the researcher acted as an underpinning device. The evidence from my interviews illustrated how the privately owned RTOs in my sample provided relevant, customised and contextualised training, differentiated their services to ensure they met client needs, responded rapidly to changes in demand and exhibited considerable adaptability in their arrangements for training delivery. This adaptability extended, amongst other things, to the location, timing and mode of delivery. It became apparent that the increased diversity found, had unintended consequences. These included an increase in the perceived complexity of the VET sector for those working within it and adversely affecting the extent to which national consistency has been achieved.

As a part of the Tourist Information Provider (TIP) system, this project focuses on creating a photo gallery service in the TIP system, which allows users to share, browse and categorize their photos. The core of this project is to provide users a location-based photo browsing. The system provides photos which are taken in the current user's location. We considered privacy control on photos that users uploaded. A photo owner is able to sign an access level to each of their photos and permit different users to access them. We also considered reusing resources. The system allows a user to use an URL of a photo in the system in stead of uploading the photo from the local computer. The system also provides a URL of each photo in order to use the photo on other web places, e.g., Blogs. We use tags and photo metadata Eixf to categorize photos.

<p>Title: The Influence of Culture and the Level of Acculturation on the Perceptions of Service Quality. A Study of Thai – born Customer Segment in the Swedish Banking Industry in Sweden</p><p>Problem Statement: How important is the customers’ ethnic background, culture and level of acculturation when choosing a provider of financial services?</p><p>Purpose: The main purpose of this research is to find out how a service company can measure Thai customer satisfaction and which factors to consider in order to improve their service qualities with respects to cultural dimensions.</p><p>Theory and Method: The research is based on the quantitative approach in the form of questionnaires. The structure is developed in accordance to the Service Quality Gap of measuring Thai customer satisfaction by comparing their expectation and perception of service during and after service approach.</p><p>Conclusion: From elaborate results of the distributed questionnaires, Thai customers are flexible and have integrated into the Swedish culture; therefore the current level of bank service approach is appropriate to their needs.</p> / Tobias Eltebrandt