The aim the thesis was to investigate, the prevalence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS). Moreover, we examine symptom severity and different levels of distress and describe how different symptoms from the lower urinary tract affect the self-assessed health, sadness, happiness and the quality of life in men. The studies are based on two data collections. In the first data collection, all men aged 40 – 80 years (n=2571) living in the Swedish community received a postal questionnaire. Twelve months later, 504 men who had earlier reported LUTS and 504 who had not reported symptoms were asked to complete the DAN-PSS and the SF-36 questionnaires. The overall prevalence of LUTS was 24%. Post-micturition dribbling (21%) was the most frequent symptom, and stress incontinence (2%) was the least frequent symptom. Urge incontinence, stress incontinence and “other” incontinence cause a high level of distress, even if the symptoms do not occur very often. Men experiencing mild, moderate or severe urge, stress or “other incontinence” had lower mean scores for all of the eight dimensions measured by the SF-36 than men without the same symptoms. Men experiencing a moderate/severe degree of weak stream or nocturia reported a poorer quality of life in all dimensions compared to men with a mild level of the same symptoms. The total burden of moderate/severe LUTS is related to self-assessed health, sadness and happiness. For each of the 12 specific LUTS, men with mild, moderate or severe symptoms had lower scores for self-assessed health and happiness, and higher scores for self-assessed sadness, than men without the same symptoms. In conclusions, one of every four men reports LUTS. Urinary incontinence causes high level of distress even to men who experience this symptom rarely. LUTS have a negative impact on quality of life, health, sadness and happiness.

Objectives The aim of this thesis was to assess the importance of general practitioners (GP) and patient related factors for the GPs’ decision to sick certify or not to sick certify the patients. Study population and methods The data were obtained from a cross-sectional questionnaire study of GP-patient consultations. 65 GPs responded to one questionnaire about themselves and one questionnaire about each of the altogether 642 consultations. The patients responded to a questionnaire about themselves and the consultation, altogether 521 consultations. Various combinations of the three questionnaires were used in the four papers on which this thesis is based. Results Among GPs, long experience of family medicine and working part-time were significant determinants for issuing more sick leave certificates. Complaints perceived as clearly somatic by the physician decreased the chance of sick certifications, and complaints resulting in severe limitation of occupational work capacity, as assessed by the patient as well as the physician, increased the chance of sick certification, as did appointments for loco-motor complaints. Among work related factors, high ‘authority over decisions’ and high ‘social support’ were associated with reduced sickness certification probability. Worrying about illness or injury risks from work increased sickness certification. GPs and their patients took a fairly similar view to statements on health related and insurance system related matters. GPs’ opinions seem to have a greater impact than patients’ on the GPs’ decision to sickness certify a patient or not. Conclusions A number of patient and GP related factors were associated with the probability of getting sick certified. The patient’s own judgement of impaired work ability was important for sickness certification, but a shared judgement and decision between the GP and the patient appears probable in most cases. / Försäkringsmedicin

In Canada, the duty to consult doctrine has been articulated as a legal remedy to address the potential infringement of Aboriginal and treaty rights by the Crown. The political dimension and implications of this legal duty on the evolving federal relationship between First Nations and the provincial Crown concerning lands and resources have yet to be fully explored. This research presents the argument that the duty to consult jurisprudence and the new relationship policy in British Columbia are moving towards the articulation of a treaty federalism relationship between the Crown and First Nations. The implications of these findings are then analyzed within the Saskatchewan policy environment, and a potential consultation framework is offered for this province. Crucial linkages between duty to consult jurisprudence and Aboriginal governance, and their implications for policy are highlighted, which contribute to further understanding the complex relationship between First Nations and the Crown in Canada on land and resources.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

In Canada, the duty to consult doctrine has been articulated as a legal remedy to address the potential infringement of Aboriginal and treaty rights by the Crown. The political dimension and implications of this legal duty on the evolving federal relationship between First Nations and the provincial Crown concerning lands and resources have yet to be fully explored. This research presents the argument that the duty to consult jurisprudence and the new relationship policy in British Columbia are moving towards the articulation of a treaty federalism relationship between the Crown and First Nations. The implications of these findings are then analyzed within the Saskatchewan policy environment, and a potential consultation framework is offered for this province. Crucial linkages between duty to consult jurisprudence and Aboriginal governance, and their implications for policy are highlighted, which contribute to further understanding the complex relationship between First Nations and the Crown in Canada on land and resources.

Assignments and organizations working with exposed women are more and more common in the Swedish society. Both authorities and nonprofit organizations are working actively to strengthen women’s position in the labor market through incentives and other measures. The study shows that the work with exposed women takes place in cooperation between the parties involved. The purpose of this qualitative study was to look into how the professionals were working with exposed women, in different types of organizations. The study focuses on highlighting techniques, qualifications, approaches and cooperation partners within organizations working with exposed women. The study has been related to the Swedish Social law, related reports, Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Constructivist counseling. The study shows that the professionals working with exposed women are using the Motivational Interviewing method and have a Constructivist approach. The study also shows that response when meeting exposed women, education, experience, knowledge of exposed women's vulnerability, and knowledge of women's options in the society are important qualifications. Finally the relevance between the conclusions of the study and the profession of educational counseling and career counseling are discussed. / Uppdrag och verksamheter som arbetar med utsatta kvinnor är alltmer vanligt i det svenska samhället. Både myndigheter och ideella organisationer arbetar aktivt för att öka de utsatta kvinnornas ställning på arbetsmarknaden. Arbetet är utformat genom varierande insatser och åtgärder. Studien visar att arbetet med de utsatta kvinnorna sker i samverkan mellan de inblandade parterna. Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att undersöka de professionella som arbetar med utsatta kvinnor i verksamheter, angående deras arbetsätt. Studien fokuserar på att lyfta fram metoder, kompetenser, förhållningssätt och samarbetspartners inom verksamheter för utsatta kvinnor. Undersökningen har relaterats till Socialtjänstlagen, anknytande rapporter, Motiverande samtal (MI) och den konstruktivistiska vägledningen. Studien visar att intervjupersonerna som arbetar med utsatta kvinnor arbetar utifrån samtalsmetoden MI och har ett konstruktivistiskt förhållningssätt. Vidare visar studien att bemötande, utbildning, erfarenheter, kunskap om kvinnors utsatthet samt kunskap om kvinnors valmöjligheter är viktiga kompetenser. Avslutningsvis diskuteras slutsatsernas relevans för studie- och yrkesvägledarprofessionen.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 47-06, page: 3552. Adviser: T. Robert Harris. Includes bibliographical references.

This research seeks to connect the philosophical focus of the agency-structure debate with the practice of management through a comparative study of organisational decision-making in situations involving stakeholder consultation. Set in the context of decision-making following an airport master plan consultation, the study considers how the stakeholder framework can be integrated within institutional theory using institutional logics as a theoretical link between these two literatures. This thesis, which adopts a critical realist perspective, takes a comparative case approach of four airports, each owned in different ways. Interviews with airport managers are supplemented by discussions with stakeholders and industry experts. Two sets of a priori themes were identified from the literature. The first focuses on the institutional logics prevailing in the field and their influence on managers as they make decisions. The second considers four decision-making strategies managers might employ in this situation. Findings centre on the causal powers acting upon airport managers as they make their decisions. Whilst normative isomorphic pressure enables stakeholder consultation, the coercive pressure on the decision-making process deriving from English planning law, the adversarial and oscillating nature of Central Government policy, and a mimetic response to the nature of local authority development plans constrain the actions of airport managers. Indeed, the current bureaucratic form of capitalism limits stakeholder contribution to final master plans. This research makes four main contributions: Firstly, reflecting upon the agency-structure debate from a critical realist perspective has facilitated development of a model integrating the stakeholder framework within institutional theory. Secondly, it improves our understanding of how stakeholder contribution is managed in master planning. Thirdly, the study adds to the growing body of work that employs a critical realist perspective. Lastly, since reconciling conflicting stakeholder opinions may well be of vital importance to the future of the UK’s airport infrastructure, this work has practical significance for airport managers, government policy-makers and stakeholders as they strive to formulate worthwhile airport consultations.

No description available.

Integrated model for evaluation of consulting services quality have been created having analysed scientific literature. This model was tested practically by evaluating the quality of seminars.