Intensive Care depends on sophisticated life support technology. Effective management of device-supported patients is complex, involving the interpretation of many variables, comparative evaluation of numerous therapy options, and control of various patient-management parameters. Raw data, when taken literally, can lead to the wrong interpretation of the patient. We propose a system which processes raw data in real-time for intelligent alarming and analyses historical data for summarisation and patient state assessment. This will utilise a temporal expert system which incorporates associational reasoning. Using continuous physiological data from monitors, patient history and times of therapy administration, our research consists of applying three consecutive processes: <I>filtering </I>which is used to remove noise in the physiological data; <I>interval identification </I>which generates temporal intervals from the filtered data points which have abstractions relating to their direction of change (i.e. increasing, decreasing and steady); and <I>interpretation</I> which performs summarisation and patient state-assessments from a historical point of view and intelligent alarming from a real-time point of view. Using the temporal intervals, interpretation involves differentiating between events which are clinically insignificant and events which are clinically significant. We need to identify and remove clinically insignificant events (e.g. line flushes, blood samples etc.). Similarly, we need to identify clinically significant events i.e. clinical conditions (e.g. hypovolaemia, pulmonary haemorrhage etc.) and the outcome of therapies - this will utilise the patient history and times of therapy administration. Inherent in this process is the <I>trend template </I>which is used to represent events. Trend templates support temporal reasoning, knowledge to differentiate between events and taxonomical knowledge. Algorithms which are analogous to the way clinicians identify events use these trend templates.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第20507号 / 情博第635号 / 新制||情||110(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科社会情報学専攻 / (主査)教授 石田 亨, 教授 矢守 克也, 教授 吉川 正俊 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DGAM

This study examined supports that facilitate teacher data use in schools. The purpose of this work was to extend the base of knowledge of general supports for teacher data use, leadership supports for teacher data use, and technology supports for teacher data use. Three research questions guided the study to determine those supports necessary for teachers to be successful in data use: (a) What general data supports exist for teacher data use in schools, (b) what leadership supports exist for teacher data use in schools, and (c) what technology supports exist for teacher data use in schools? A qualitative and quantitative data collection process with a single-case study approach included individual interviews, focus groups, and a survey instrument. The data from these components were coded, analyzed, and organized into themes and implications by implementing the 6-step constant-comparative model. This mixed methods process provided a thorough evaluation of findings to answer the research questions. Two implications were found during the study. First, structures and systems for data use must be intentional in order to support teacher data use in schools. Contributing to the intentionality is time for collaboration; professional development to build teacher capacity; and clearly aligned district vision, mission, and goals. Second, technology support in the classroom is integral to effective data use by teachers. This support manifests in hardware support and personnel support. Hardware includes having the appropriate system that maintains the students, timely access to data and a user-friendly format. Personnel support refers to the integration of technology into teaching and learning, teacher-to-teacher support, and an alleviation of distrust through positive interaction with data. Further analysis revealed implications for practice, including the importance of creating structures and developing a plan for data use. / text

Many academic institutions are tasked with trying to improve the usability of their online educational support technologies such as ePortfolios, intelligent websites, and other interface technology to make them as efficient as possible to meet the requirements of their end users. This is particularly important for the academic institutions during times and situations when they may not have a live human presence available to respond to various inquiries from their end users about the technology. The challenges of an academic institution in making its ePortfolios viable can cost itself, its end users, as well as its other stakeholders, money, time, and confidence in the technology. This study is about usability testing for improving the user-interface for ePortfolios. This is a qualitative study using the think-aloud protocol (TAP) for data collection and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) for data analysis.

In this study, a three phase Sequential Mixed Method Design was utilized to test a research based model explaining the relationships between technology integration and the factors affecting it. In the first phase, interviews were conducted with 20 elementary school teachers to identify the most common factors affecting elementary teachers&rsquo / use of technologies. The qualitative findings then guided the development of a survey instrument in the second phase. In the last phase, this survey was administered to 1080 classroom teachers in Ankara. In this phase, a path analytical approach was utilized to investigate the direct and indirect effects of teaching experience, computer use in years, principal support, colleague support, technology competency, teachers&rsquo / attitude and belief towards using technology and lack of time on technology integration to elementary school settings. Our findings indicated that technology integration is a complex process affected by many factors and these factors are highly related to each other. Within all factors, teachers&rsquo / technology competency has the largest direct effect on technology integration. Also, principal support, computer use in years, colleague support and teachers&rsquo / attitude and belief have important influences on technology integration. The technology integration model developed in this study provides a valuable tool for both policy makers and school principals to design and develop some strategies to bring success about integrating technologies in school environments. It will help the school principals in developing a vision and plan, indicating how technology will be integrated to the lessons and how the teachers are expected to use technologies.

This study focuses on the implementation of Learning Management System (LMS) in the higher education sector in Iraq. Its aim is to develop a policy adoption framework for LMS implementation by scientifically investigating LMS adoption using a model that combines the principles of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework. The research methodology comprises of seven stages that adopts the interpretive paradigm and a mixed-methods research design. A case study design is used to investigate LMS integration in the University of Al-Qadisiyah. A TAM-TOE questionnaire is developed for the academic staff of the University of Al-Qadisiyah, in which the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of LMS are analysed in the case organisation. The technological, organisational, and environmental aspects of LMS implementation are also examined. The survey received valid responses from 283 academic staff. In-depth semi-structured interviews of 8 academics, administrative staff and IT personnel contributed to the qualitative data. The survey respondents are selected using stratified sampling whilst purposive sampling is used to select the interview participants. The questionnaire data was analysed using correlation analysis, whilst thematic analysis is used for the interview data. The study identifies the barriers to LMS implementation as: Lack of or limited teachers’ training, lack of commitment to constructivist pedagogy, lack of experience to use the new technology, lack of technical support, and lack of appropriate educational software. These results feed into the policy framework design. The contribution to research knowledge includes the creation of a new adoption model derived from TAM and TOE to examine the LMS implementation barriers in a war recovering economy like Iraq. This approach the integration of academic users’ acceptance with macro-level factors like government support. The results lease to the development of the LMS policy framework to guide policy makers to prioritise their limited LMS investments. The novelty of the work is the bringing together the considerations of the individual users and the socio-economic context.

Patient decision support technology provides increasingly more opportunitiesto support disease self-management in the healthcare setting. However, it doescome with a disruptive impact on the health provision between health providerand patient. Recent work on the climate that they are introduced in in TheNetherlands, though, is lacking. Health professionals’ perceptions are informedby that adoption climate, but also shape it in turn. This study explores thethoughts, beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of those Dutch healthprofessionals. It explores the perceptions on the adoption climate that isprojected or experienced for patient decision support technology in healthcare.The deployed qualitative approach is based on theory on the adoption space,complemented with an interaction model for e-health implementation. Ittargets both the health professionals’ beliefs on this technology, as theirprojections of the larger adoption climate. The health professionals consist ofgeneral practitioners, medical researchers, pharmacists, chronic pain therapists,nurses, and medical specialists. The analysis circles in on the value of healthprofessional interaction and the hindering force that is encountered inestablished mechanisms and health infrastructure. It furthermore proposes aset of guidelines for developments in patient decision support technology thatboth guides it as well as protects the current healthcare from downsides. Thestudy contributes in providing a first exploration of different healthprofessionals’ perceptions on the apparent adoption climate for patientdecision support technology in The Netherlands. The outcomes and guidelinescan furthermore serve future studies to expand on.

Syfte – Denna studies syfte var att öka kunskapen om tjänstekvalitet inom branschen för platsbaserad beslutsstödjande teknologi. Det har därmed undersökts vilka förväntningar som finns på tjänsten och hur de står sig emot de faktiska upplevelserna. De forskningsfrågor som har besvarats är:  FF1: Hur kan kunders förväntningar på platsbaserad beslutsstödjande teknologi beskrivas? FF2: Hur kan kunders upplevelser av platsbaserad beslutsstödjande teknologi beskrivas? FF3: Hur kan DT barriärer och dess påverkan på tjänstekvaliteten karaktäriseras?  Metod – Studien har genomförts i form av en multipel fallstudie på kunder som implementerat platsbaserad beslutsstödjande teknologi. Inledningsvis genomfördes en litteraturstudie för att finna och sammanfatta den forskning som tidigare har utförts inom området. Baserat på denna utformning framtogs en teoretisk referensram, som i sin tur låg till grund för intervjuguiden som nyttjades under insamlandet av primärdata. Sex semistrukturerade intervjuer hölls med företag som implementerat platsbaserad beslutsstödjande teknologi. Vidare ingick den insamlade primärdatan i en tematisk analys som identifierade mönster i respondenternas svar; vilka ligger till grund för studiens resultat.  Resultat – Studien har funnit att kunder som implementerat platsbaserad beslutstödjande teknologi har liknande förväntningar och upplevelser oavsett bransch. De upplever att deras förväntningar är uppfyllda för samtliga dimensioner förutom design. Lägst förväntningar har de på nöje medan bekvämlighet, funktionalitet och förtroende är de dimensioner som de har högst förväntningar på. Gällande digitala transformationsbarriärer visar studien att kunder som implementerat platsbaserad beslutstödjande teknologi generellt sett har en hög acceptans mot digitala lösningar, en organisationskultur som värderar säkerhet högt samt främjar risktagande för innovationer.  Praktiska implikationer – Studiens praktiska implikationer riktar sig till mjukvaruföretag som erbjuder platsbaserad beslutsstödjande teknologi. Studien bidrar med nya kunskaper om vilka förväntningar och upplevelser kunder har av tjänsten och de företag som erbjuder den. Företag inom denna bransch gavs därmed insikter om hur de på bästa sätt kan sälja in sin tjänst till nya kunder. Studien fann också att platsbaserad beslutstödjande teknologi har störst värde hos företag som opererar under jord med stora underjordiska system, en organisationskultur som främjar risktagande med avseende på innovationer och värderar säkerheten mycket högt samt en hög digital mognad i form av kompetens, teknik och acceptans.  Teoretiska implikationer – Studien indikerar att de företag som väljer att investera i platsbaserad beslutsstödjande teknologi har liknande förutsättningar gällande digital mognad och arbetsplatsutformning. Kunderna uppger även liknande mål, organisationskultur och incitament till köp. Kunderna värderar bekvämlighet, funktionalitet och försäkran högst, medan säkerhet, anpassningsbarhet och design värderas lägre. Dimensionen nöje saknar relevans för kunderna när det kommer till denna tjänst. Denna studie bidrar således med nya insikter om hur tjänstekvalitén kan beskrivas för platsbaserad beslutsstödjande teknologi samt vilken effekt digitala transformationsbarriärer har på den. / Purpose - The aim of this study was to increase knowledge about service quality in the industry for location-based decision support technology. Thus, the expectations from the technology have been compared to the actual experience. The following research questions was answered:  FF1: How can customers' expectations of location-based decision support technology be described? FF2: How can customers' experiences of location-based decision support technology be described? FF3: How can DT barriers and their impact on service quality be characterized?  Method - The study was conducted in the form of a multiple case study on customers of site- based decision support technology. Initially, a literature study was conducted to find and summarize the research that have previously been conducted in the field. Based on this design, a theoretical frame of reference was developed, which in turn formed the basis for the interview guide that was used during the collection of primary data. Six semi-structured interviews were held with companies that have implemented location-based decision support technology. Furthermore, the collected primary data was included in a thematic analysis that identified patterns in the respondents' responses, which formed the basis for the results of the study.  Results - The study found that customers of location-based decision support technology have similar expectations and experiences regardless of industry. They feel that their expectations are met for all dimensions except design. They have the lowest expectations for pleasure, while comfort, functionality and trust are the dimensions they have the highest expectations for. Regarding digital transformation barriers, the study shows that customers of location-based decision support technology generally have a high acceptance of digital solutions, an organizational culture that values security highly and promotes risk-taking for innovations.  Practical implications - The study's practical implications embraces software companies that offer location-based decision support technology. The study contributes with new knowledge about what expectations and experiences customers have of the service and the companies that delivering them. Companies in this industry were thus given insights on how they can best sell their service to new customers. The study also found that location-based decision support technology has the greatest value in companies operating underground with large underground systems, an organizational culture that promotes risk-taking in terms of innovations and values safety very highly and a high digital maturity in terms of competence, technology and acceptance.  Theoretical implications - The study indicates that companies that choose to invest in location-based decision support technology have similar conditions regarding digital maturity and workplace design. Customers also show similarities in terms of goals, organizational culture and incentives for purchasing. Customers value convenience, functionality and assurance the most, while safety, adaptability and design are valued lower. The pleasure dimension is irrelevant to customers when it comes to this service. This study thus contributes with new insights on how the quality of service can be described for location-based decision- supporting technology and what effect digital transformation barriers have on it.

In a time where the implementation of technical solutions has become common in the audit industry, the auditor's way of performing judgments of a company's financial reports has changed. The purpose of this essay is to, based on the Technology Dominance Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), contribute knowledge about the consequences of digitization in the auditing industry, specifically on the role of the auditor and its professional judgment. In addition, the paper examines the effects that digitization has on the required skills in today's digital audit environment. In the essay, a deductive research approach is used, and a qualitative method is applied in the form of semi-structured interviews with authorized auditors in Sweden. The essay shows that the implementation of digital tools challenges today's auditors to develop professional judgment in high-risk areas. The process of extracting and transforming audit evidence into appropriate digital formats has also been shown to result in an improved judgment capability. However, the paper could not show any differences in whether the use of digital tools can dominate professional judgment among authorized auditors. Furthermore, the paper identifies some of the qualifications that may be in demand as a result of the implementation of digital audit tools.