At present, digitalization in many industries is changing and gradually permeating in all fields of life, of which the digitalization in healthcare has gradually been recognized and entered on the stage. Covid-19 is the biggest "Black Swan Event" in recent years, disrupting the pattern of China and the world. Impacted by Industrial Digitalization Upgrade and the pandemic, the process of digital reform in the healthcare industry has been further accelerated, represented by AI + pharmaceuticals, telecare, and SaaS systems etc.. All these new digital tools and technologies have successively received large amounts of financing in the primary market, and among them, some high-quality enterprises have had successful IPO. Meanwhile, many traditional medical enterprises are also keeping pace with the times through digital transformation, which all indicate the importance of digitalization of medical enterprises. We hope to explore in this paper the factors behind the digital transformation of medical enterprises that have significantly promote the digital reform of enterprises, and whether the factors such as enterprise R&D, enterprise scale, and enterprise digitalization promotion efforts will accelerate the digitalization process. Based on this background, this paper will conduct in-depth research in this direction. First, in the chapters of Research Background and Research Significance, this paper expounds the issues studied in this paper, and points out the relative economic and social significance; and summarizes previous scholars' research in this field, including the application of digital transformation in other industries, the beneficial efforts on business development and the related factors to accelerate the digital transformation of enterprises. Then, it uses relevant theoretical analysis, such as Solow's Neoclassical Growth Model and other theories to explain the issues studied in this paper. At the same time, based on relevant theories and literature review, relevant hypotheses are being put forward. According to the current literature research, we assume that enterprise scale, enterprise R&D, and enterprise financialization level are crucial factors in promoting the process of enterprise digitization. Therefore, this paper collects relevant Annual Reports of all healthcare enterprises on the listing market which have already completed the digitalization or arecurrently undergoing digital transformation in 2020 and 2021 after this pandemic. In this paper, we use the frequency of the core word "digitalization" in the Annual Report as the Explained Variable to measure the process of digital transformation of the enterprises; concurrently, we use Enterprise R&D Level, Enterprise Scale and Enterprise Product Commercialization Level as Explanatory Variables in this paper, and complements the relevant Control Variables to construct a Panel Regression Model. Besides, the Industry Fixed-Effect and Time Fixed-Effect have been used respectively to control the relevant time trend, and the combination of both was called the "Two-Way Fixed-Effect Model". In addition, the research adopts the method of Cluster Robust Standard Error to adjust in the empirical demonstration to reduce the interference of heteroscedasticity. Finally, according to the conclusions verified by the combination of theory and empirical research in this paper, relevant policies and suggestions are included. / Business Administration/Finance

Health care guidelines provide a means of assessing the best available research evidence on a given health care topic and offering recommendations about use of specific interventions and management of patient care. Guidelines allow clinicians, patients, health administrators and policy-makers to be efficiently informed and stay up to date on alternative care options. The development of guidelines is a complex and multidisciplinary process, with a defining feature of involving a panel of experts in steps such as selecting health care questions, assessing the research evidence, making judgements about health benefits and harms, and, ultimately, formulating recommendations. Guideline methodology has advanced over the past decades, including establishment of specific steps and standards to ensure trustworthiness of guidelines. However, there remain critical research questions on how to best accomplish and reach these standards, including how to best engage panels in the steps. This thesis presents a body of research on the development and evaluation of new methods for decision-making and considering health outcomes in guidelines, prioritizing health care questions for guidelines, and evaluating the guideline development process. It includes three studies: 1) a methodological study on developing health outcome descriptors to define health outcomes considered in decision-making by guideline panels; 2) a methodological study and randomized controlled trial to evaluate specific criteria for panels to consider when prioritizing health care questions for guidelines and to judge the importance of health outcomes; and 3) an instrument development and validation study to create a tool for panel members to evaluate the appropriateness of the guideline development process they participate in. In these studies, we established a method and steps for creating health outcome descriptors with panels, aimed at achieving consistency in how health outcomes are considered throughout the guideline development process, from prioritization to formulating a recommendation on the basis of those outcomes. The structured approach and criteria evaluated for prioritization of healthcare questions informed panel deliberations and decisions about choosing questions for their guideline topics, and the proposed methods for outcome prioritization facilitated panels in informing what the critical and important outcomes were for decision-making. Finally, the instrument we developed facilitated members of guideline panels to provide their assessment of the guideline development process and identify strengths and weaknesses and areas for improvement. Our findings will allow organizations responsible for guideline development to apply the new methods with their panels and to evaluate their guideline processes to inform quality-improvement efforts. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Health care guidelines, also referred to as clinical practice or public health guidelines, involve summarizing the available research evidence on a given health care topic and issuing recommendations about the best care. Guidelines allow clinicians, patients, health administrators and policy-makers to be efficiently informed and stay up to date on alternative care options, such as the best current treatments and strategies to diagnose various diseases and health conditions. Developing a guideline is a complex and multidisciplinary process that includes involving a panel of experts, typically consisting of clinicians, patients, public health professionals and other providers or consumers of health care. The panel is involved in selecting the health care questions to address (e.g. specific treatments or diagnostic strategies to evaluate), reviewing a summary of the evidence from research studies, and making judgements about benefits and harms of alternate options or strategies. The panel then formulates recommendations that give guidance on what the best options are to use for the health condition in question. The steps and approaches to develop a guideline that is considered trustworthy have been established over the past decades, including universally accepted standards. However, there remain critical research questions on how to best reach these standards, including how to best engage guideline panels in the steps. The research work presented in this thesis focuses on proposing and evaluating new methods and approaches for guidelines panels to make decisions about health outcomes, priority health care questions for guidelines, and to evaluate the guideline development process. It includes three studies: 1) a study on creating health outcome descriptors with panels to provide a commonly accepted definition of a health outcome; 2) a study to evaluate specific criteria that panels can use to prioritize health care questions, and an approach to judge the importance of health outcomes; and 3) a study to develop a survey instrument for guideline panel members to evaluate the guideline development process they participate in. In these studies, we established an approach for creating the health outcome descriptors with panels, which helped in keeping consistency with how panels understood and considered different health outcomes throughout the guideline development process. The criteria evaluated for prioritizing healthcare questions informed panel discussions and selection of questions for their guideline topics. The proposed approach for judging the importance of health outcomes helped panels to select what the critical outcomes were for making decisions about the benefits and harms of alternate options or strategies. Finally, the survey tool we created allowed members of guideline panels to provide feedback on strengths and weaknesses and areas for improvement in the process after they participated in developing a guideline. Our findings will allow organizations responsible for guideline development to apply the new methods with their panels and to evaluate their guideline processes to inform quality-improvement efforts.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate and report teacher perceptions during a renovation project. A quantitative analysis of six demographic variables and a 24 item survey questionnaire provided information related to school renovation, school leadership, student academic achievement, and teacher morale. This phenomenological study included survey responses from 74 out of a possible 76 teachers who were present during one of the two almost identical high school renovation projects in a rural school division in Virginia. These two high schools had the same renovation timeline, floor plan, architectural design team, and construction company. Independent sample t-tests and one-way Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) were used to determine differences in teacher satisfaction, schools, or demographic variables. The first major finding found overall teacher satisfaction was minimally affected by the renovation project (satisfied 36.5%, neutral 59.5%, and dissatisfied 4%). Factors that may have affected this finding include: lapse in teacher memory due to collection of data 10 months after the completion of the project, a feeling of ambivalence by the teachers, or the fact that the principal of one of the schools was also the researcher which may have caused survey responses to be more neutral. Both males and females felt satisfied but the females were less satisfied regarding safety, cleanliness, job satisfaction, and school rating. Differences between satisfied and dissatisfied teachers involving cleanliness, considering relocating during the project, seeking a transfer to avoid another project, and room temperature were found to have significance and moderate effect sizes. The schools had differences in overall satisfaction levels with one school having more satisfied teachers versus more teachers coded as neutral at the other school. While teachers at both schools felt safe during the renovation project and odor had an effect on satisfaction, satisfaction levels were different at each school. The last finding was a difference in job satisfaction levels between the age categories of 21-25 and 26-35 which could affect teacher retention. This study also concludes the need for doctoral and principal preparation programs to include information regarding the leadership role during a renovation project and how decisions may affect teacher satisfaction. / Ed. D.

This project defines a decision support system developed to permit the user to perform a cost - benefit analysis for any military installation cited for closure, relocation, or privatization. The procedure recognizes both the economic costs and strategic benefits of a feasible solution. Though the cost estimates for a particular study may vary in magnitude, the economic portion of the model must focus on the net savings to the tax payer. Detailed cost estimates for each alternative have been developed at a level so that sensitivity analysis can be performed on any of the input parameters. Individual cost elements have been summed to yield the net cost increase / decrease to the United States tax payer. The resultant cost figures were converted to an economic score. The paper also describes a effective method to evaluate the benefits derived from implementing various alternatives. By incorporating a group participative process using multivoting and the Dunn-Rankin technique, the values resulting fro m benefits have yielded a benefits score. The Brown-Gibson model, which considers both subjective and objective measures, was used to depict the combination of economic and benefit scores to provide an overall cost - benefit score. A graphical illustrat ion of the cost - benefit tradeoffs serves as a useful tool in assessing the risk associated with a decision. The results of the analysis have supported the Department of the Navy's decision to privatize the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Indianapolis, IN. The Department of Defense is considering alternatives for many military installations, this process will facilitate those decisions. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to explore patients' perception and knowledge regarding hypertension and hypertensive guidelines on sodium intake and lifestyle modifications in a work environment in the Republic of Panama. Hypertension is important not only because of its high prevalence but also because it is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In Panama the prevalence of hypertension is about 38.7% and uncontrolled hypertension is almost 50%.This number may translate into complications for the general population. For instance 52.8% of the population has had an ischemic disease and death by ischemic disease climbed from third place to second place from 2009 to 2010. This qualitative study used an exploratory approach and semi-structured in-depth interviews to answer the research questions. A purposive sample included woman with a hypertension diagnosis, between 30 to 59 years of age, and working in a single organization. A constant comparative analysis was used to search for themes grounded in the data. Emerging themes illustrated that participants perspectives of hypertension had become their drives towards the management of their disease and throughout their daily lives constant different factors played the role of motivating or discouraging their non-pharmacological treatment. Participants had also provided a list of barriers and coping strategies which were redundant on the need of practical knowledge, obtainable goals and policy changes of their environment in order for them to keep their disease management. Further research at a population level may aid to generalize this finding and to provide a better understanding of patients' compliance to non-pharmacological treatment.

Magister Legum - LLM