Objective: To determine the extent to which coaching over the telephone is an effective method in promoting the loss of body weight and body fat percentage. Research Methods and Procedures: Over a period of four months, in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study, 120 overweight and obese (BMI 25-35 kg/m²) adults either received telephone coaching or no coaching. In addition, each participant was randomly assigned to take a supplement or placebo daily. Body weight and body fat percentage were measured at baseline, two months, and four months. Body weight was measured on an electronic scale and body fat percentage was assessed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Participants in the coaching group each received a minimum of 10 coaching sessions, each at least one week apart. Age, gender, and supplement use were controlled statistically using partial correlation. Results: When using repeated measures ANOVA, telephone coaching had a significant and favorable effect on body weight loss over the three time periods when compared to participants who received no coaching (F = 3.9, p = 0.0216). Also, when weight changes from baseline to four months were compared, ignoring the two-month time period, those in the coaching group lost significantly more weight than their counterparts (F = 4.75, p = 0.0315). When weight changes from baseline were compared to the halfway mark (two months), telephone coaching resulted in significantly greater weight loss at the trend level (F = 3.42, p = 0.0671). However, during the second half of the study (two months compared to four months), the effect of coaching was weaker and non-significant. Controlling statistically for age, gender, and supplement use, individually and collectively, had no effect on the impact coaching had on body weight loss. Telephone coaching did not play a significant role in helping participants lose body fat percentage across the three time periods compared to those who received no coaching (F = 1.28, p = 0.2797). Similarly, baseline body fat percentage means contrasted with four-month means (F = 1.65, p = 0.2018) were not significant, and findings from the two halves of the study showed that telephone coaching did not have a significant effect on the loss of body fat percentage. Discussion: Telephone coaching is an effective and inexpensive method of helping overweight and obese adults lose body weight, but not body fat percentage, over a four-month period.

Objective: To measure the impact of an automated outbound telephone messaging system on herpes zoster (HZ) vaccinations among older adults in the community pharmacy setting. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: 16 grocery store chain community pharmacies in Georgia and Tennessee, between December 2006 and May 2007. Patients: Adults 60 years or older who filled at least one prescription at a participating study pharmacy. Intervention: A 30-second automated outbound telephone message was delivered to patient households monthly during the first week of March through May 2007. The message advertised that older adults should speak with their pharmacist about the risk for HZ and the availability of a new vaccine. Main outcome measure: HZ vaccinations based on pharmacy profile records. Results: After 3 months, 146 and 46 vaccinations were administered to older adults among the study cohort populations, translating into HZ vaccination rates of 2.60% and 0.72% at intervention and control pharmacies, respectively (odds ratio 3.69 [95% CI 2.64-5.15], P < 0.001). Conclusion: Use of an automated outbound telephone messaging tool to inform older adults about their risk for HZ and the availability of a vaccine significantly improved vaccination rates in the community pharmacy setting.

Objective: To measure the impact of an automated outbound telephone messaging system on herpes zoster (HZ) vaccinations among older adults in the community pharmacy setting. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: 16 grocery store chain community pharmacies in Georgia and Tennessee, between December 2006 and May 2007. Patients: Adults 60 years or older who filled at least one prescription at a participating study pharmacy. Intervention: A 30-second automated outbound telephone message was delivered to patient households monthly during the first week of March through May 2007. The message advertised that older adults should speak with their pharmacist about the risk for HZ and the availability of a new vaccine. Main outcome measure: HZ vaccinations based on pharmacy profile records. Results: After 3 months, 146 and 46 vaccinations were administered to older adults among the study cohort populations, translating into HZ vaccination rates of 2.60% and 0.72% at intervention and control pharmacies, respectively (odds ratio 3.69 [95% CI 2.64-5.15], P < 0.001). Conclusion: Use of an automated outbound telephone messaging tool to inform older adults about their risk for HZ and the availability of a vaccine significantly improved vaccination rates in the community pharmacy setting.

Recent advancements in Large Scale Integration Technology have made available devices, such as microprocessors, analog gates and “three state” logic, that provide the designer with a wide range of possibilities in the design of telecommunication systems. A microprocessor and analog gates are utilized in this design to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a flexible Telecommunication System. The microprocessor is programmed to control, through software, the system functions. The feasibility of systems highly adaptable to the needs of individual subscribers is thus demonstrated.

Background: Telephone counseling is constantly increasing in health care. It involves a dialogue and assessment process with the aim of examining both the subjective and objective in patients' health problems. Telephone counseling is made difficult when there is no visual contact. Patient safety can be reduced on the basis of the long call queue, which can lead to incorrect assessment due to a high work rate. Aim: To describe nurses' experiences of working with telephone counseling in somatic care. Method: A literature-based study in which ten scientific articles have been analyzed. Systematic searches for scientific articles in nursing were made in the databases CINAHL and PubMed. Articles about nurses experiences of working with telephone counseling in somatic care with a qualitative method were included. Results: The result obtained showed different experiences for the nurses, which included four main themes: difficulties in making a professional assessment, challenges in conversations with the care seeker, stress and fatigue, and deficiencies in the working environment. The main themes are supported by a total of ten subcategories. Conclusion: The nurses experienced telephone counseling difficult and challenging. Due to the lack of visual contact, it becomes more difficult to create a good quality of care for the patient. The nurses experienced various obstacles in telephone counseling, which proved to be difficult for the nurses to work patient-safety. Therefore, it is important that there is a good communication between the nurse and the patient to facilitate the work and meet the patient's needs.

The telephone industry in the United States today faces the task of meeting the needs for growth and technological improvement which our growing economy places before it. There is a constant need for growth capital, and a constant need for cooperation between company management and regulatory groups to see that the needs of the American public are adequately serves. This thesis is about the economic environment within which the industry operates, and about the legal framework within which the regulatory groups must work. It is critical of the environment, and critical of the legal framework. There is no criticism of the actions of industry management, or of the actions of regulators.

The Telephone Voice Alert is divided into six parts: the ring detector, controller, voice memory, synthesizer, speaker, and power supply subsystems. These all interact together to produce a voice signal whenever a ring signal is detected. By beginning from the system function and analyzing the components as we break the system into subsystems, we find that the trade-off between system cost and system "effectiveness" minimizes to prove Configuration A (digital voice reproduction) a more effective means. Further testing and development is necessary, however, as the design must be "fine-tuned" in order to insure proper function. / Master of Science

One of two project reports. Part B can be found at: / No abstract was provided. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)

One of two project reports. Part B can be found at: / No abstract was provided. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)

One of two project reports. Part A can be found at: http://hdl.handle.net/11375/18452 / No abstract was provided. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)