Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2004.

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2001.

Zugl.: Erlangen, Nürnberg, Univ., Diss., 2007

Zugl.: Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2009.

Zugl.: Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2009.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Tailoring messages is the process of customizing messages that are more relevant for the receiver, with the aim of improving the recipient’s engagement with and understanding about information in the message. Little research has been done to look at tailored messages in technical communication about healthcare technology, even though the use of technology in healthcare, and the complexity of that technology, continues to increase. Research was performed to investigate if students who plan to work in the healthcare technology field can demonstrate an understanding about tailoring messages and can tailor messages in their technical communication. A four-phase Action Research Cycle for inquiry into teaching and learning was used to modify course materials and analyze work for six assignments submitted by 14 students enrolled in Technical Communication for the Health Care Professions, TCM 38000, during the 2015 spring semester. Although TCM 38000 has always been open to students in other majors, the majority of students who take the course are in the Health Engineering Technology Management (HETM) program at Purdue’s School of Engineering and Technology on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis. Overall, the modifications made to TCM 38000 were successful in helping students begin to learn about tailoring messages and create messages tailored for a specific end-user in their technical communication developed for some course assignments. In their Reflections for a User Manual assignment, the majority of students explained that they used what they learned through course materials and discussions to reach beyond their learning and come up with techniques for tailoring messages on their own. Students used word choice, information content and role-play techniques to determine the end-user’s information needs and then to tailor messages in their manuals to address those needs. After reflecting on the results of the research, some course materials will be modified so that students can gain a deeper understanding about tailoring messages and can have more opportunities to practice writing tailored messages in course assignments. Research implications expand beyond the classroom into workplace training for organizations that have both technical and non-technical employees that must effectively communicate.

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2009

Tailored communications have been effective in increasing both recall and readership of health information. However, there is no clear evidence that tailoring is necessary or beneficial in creating behavior change. There are many possible sources for the inconsistencies in the empirical literature. This current research explores possible approaches to increase the effectiveness of message tailoring by incorporating components from the four main conceptual structures found in the literature. In the first study, the Stages of Change Model was used to segment the sample into four distinct groups (precontemplative, contemplative, action, and maintenance). The behavioral determinants for respondents in each group were then identified. The differences between the precontemplative and contemplative segment suggest that an affective message will be more effective in changing intention for precontemplative respondents and a cognitive message will be more effective for the respondents in the contemplative segment. In a second study, an experimental study was conducted to test these alternative approaches. Results show that the proposed approaches did influence males as expected. However, females did not behave in the manner expected. Possible explanations for the differences between gender, such as behavior salience and information processing styles, are discussed. Overall, support is found for the use of tailoring messages to create behavior change. / Master of Science

Maltreatment affected an estimated 794,000 children in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in 2007 (United States Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2009). The purpose of this study was to examine the risk factors of young maternal age, parents' marital status, multiple birth, preterm birth, birth defects/disability, low economic status, and parental substance abuse related to suspected maltreatment of children 3 years of age or younger from the prospective of pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs). A cross-sectional survey design, using the Tailored Design Method, was used in this study. A convenience sample consisting of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) email registry was used for this study with a response rate of 11%. The respondents represented all regions of the United States. Seventy-nine percent of the PNP's (n=363) who completed the survey had suspected child abuse or neglect within the last year in a child three years of age or younger compared to 21% of PNPs (n=96) who did not suspect child maltreatment within the past year. The prevalence of suspected child maltreatment in the study population was 2.35%. According to the model examining child risk factors and abuse, the log of the odds of a child being abused was negatively related to preterm birth (p = .036) and birth defects/disability (p = .001). Multiple birth was positively related but not significant (p = .359). There were no statistically significant child risk factors found in the logistical regression for neglect (preterm birth, p = .180; multiple births, p = .938; birth defects/disabilities, p = .234). When examining the abuse and neglect groups together, the log of the odds of a child being abused and neglected was negatively related to birth defects/disabilities (p = .030). Preterm birth (p = .364) and multiple birth (p = .298) were positively related to the abuse and neglect group but were not significant. According to the model examining parental risk factors and abuse, the log of the odds of a child being abused due to a parent characteristic was negatively related to low economic status, with the proxy being WIC eligibility (p = .001) and a history of substance abuse (p = .031). The regression for abuse indicated a positive, yet insignificant, relationship with young maternal age (p = .129) and single marital status (p = .816). The logistic regression for neglect indicated a positive significant relationship with a substance abuse history (p = .012). The regression for neglect indicated positive but insignificant relationships for young maternal age (p = .693), marital status (p = .343), and WIC eligibility (p = .106). There were no statistically significant parental risk factors found in the logistical regression for abuse and neglect together (young maternal age, p = .263; marital status, p = .523; WIC eligibility, p = .131; substance abuse, p = .985). Findings indicated that child maltreatment is suspected by PNPs in primary care settings, and that PNPs recognize signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect.

Zugl.: Paderborn, Univ., Diss. V. Figge, 2008