Many individuals experience barriers to accessing medical care, especially in rural areas. Some barriers are attitudinal and represent perceptions of quality care. Patient satisfaction and perceived need for medical care are two such attitudinal barriers related to health care utilization, yet the relationship between these variables has not been explored. Using data from an online survey, the current study examined the association between these variables, and further, whether rurality status moderated this association. Results indicated a significant correlation between patient satisfaction and perception of need. Although the overall moderation model was significant, perception of need was not significantly associated with patient satisfaction, and rurality status did not significantly moderate the relationship. However, the covariates of sexual orientation and income did significantly predict patient satisfaction. This study highlights the complex associations of patient satisfaction, as well as the importance of social determinants of health in patients’ perceptions of quality of care.

(anglicky) The diploma thesis covers the topic of supporting children within the children's crisis centers. The thesis is exploring various possibilities of provided support and psychosocial help within these facilities. The theoretical part contains description of what traumatizing events are (traumatizing stressors x stressors causing / causing trauma), and describes various options in dealing with crises within children's crisis centers and impact of those methods on the child and it's family. In the empirical part, I focus on mapping the assistance provided, using interviews with social workers, and I outline possible innovations in this area.

This study aims to analyse the information seeking behaviour of postgraduate students from Eduardo Mondlane University, Medicine Faculty, in order to extend the knowledge about the students’ interaction with study-related information as well as their perception in relation to the electronic resources available through UEM library, and the challenges they encounter seeking and retrieving information. To carry out the research, a qualitative and quantitative approach was used based on combination with the semi-structured interview and online survey as data collection instruments. The results showed that students start their searches with quite clearly defined information needs and varied seeking purposes, with emphasis on solving tasks of their master's and PhD classes, as well as to write and publish scientific articles. Students are aware of the existence of electronic resources available through the university, with emphases to the medical database HINARI. However, they prefer to use other sources freely available on the internet such as Google scholar andPubMed and they do not have the necessary skills to adopt precise strategies for information seeking. Issues such as unstable Internet connection, language barriers, difficulties in computing and use ofd atabases, and limitations on access to documents that require payments are some of the main challenges faced by the students during informationseeking.

This thesis "Community service as an opportunity to return at the labour market" deals with the topic of public services offered to receivers of jobseeker's allowance as a voluntary possibility to increase their incomes from social benefits. It focuses on the question whether community service for the long-term unemployed can be a means for their integration in the labour market. In the theoretical part different concepts of labour are introduced with emphasis being put on the importance of labour for people when it comes to their human needs, basic rights and at the same time to freedom of choice. The thesis deals with the problems of unemployment and mentions consequences of loss of a job. It introduces the development of unemployment, labour market policy and focuses on social policy in the area of support for people in material need which is connected with involvement in community service. This thesis also tries to introduce the application of community services in the Děčín region in a complex way. In the practical part the author makes a survey and compares evaluation of community services in four categories. The four categories comprise job centre employees who offer community services, organizers of community services, those who do community services and unemployed people who refuse...

Audit quality plays an important role in the public sector, especially in an emerging market. However, there is no specific concept that defines and measures the term audit quality.  There is a gap of conceptual framework in the public sector the public sector that explains the need for audit and the attributes of audit quality. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the need for audit and the attributes of audit quality perceived by middle and senior management staff in public Corporation in Liberia. This study employs a qualitatitive research methodology. We collected primary data through email interviews that consisted of 8 participants from 5 different public Corporations in Liberia. we used Thematic (Template) analysis to summarize the data collected. The findings show that auditing in Public Corporation in Liberia is needed to ensure transparency and  accountability, agency/monitoring improved internal control, and business processes, as well as confidence and assurance for stakeholders. Furthermore, middle and senior management staff perceived that auditor's independence, auditors' competence, and audit partner or manager's attention to the audit, as well as audit personnel salaries, are important attributes that influence audit quality in public corporations in Liberia.Our findings form the basis for a conceptual framework for public sector auditing in a developing country.

Peoples migration from the countryside to the cities has reorganized our movement pattern, and in our everyday lives, nature has been replaced by the city center. Research, on the other hand, shows that staying in natural areas brings a number of health benefits, both physically and mentally. Becuase of that, parks and green spaces have become increasingly noticed in today's society, especially during the Corona pandemic with its limited freedom of movement. Due to the health benefits of parks and green spaces, it is very important that people feel safe when staying in these areas. A group of people who statistically feel more insecure are women and older people. This study will focus on how older people experience security in parks and green areas. The purpose is mainly to find out which factors are perceived as safe and unsafe for older people, as well as how the experience of security affects their movement patterns. The collection of materials were made with the help of semi-structured interviews, and the results were analyzed on the basis of a thematic analysis. Initially, the respondents claim that they don’t feel any significant insecurity, but at the same time they adapt their everyday lives to avoid unsafe environments, which indicates a basic insecurity. The factors that affect the security experience are primarily linked to the need for control. The interviewees describe that they want control over the environment to feel safe. Among the most prominent factors are lighting, social presence and opportunity to orientate. In conclusion, it can also be pointed out that security is a clearly subjective experience, what is experienced as unsafe for one person does not have to be experienced in the same way by another person.

<div>Invisibility is an abstract concept captured in film, literature, and social science. It is often desired as a superpower and in fiction portrayed as something that allows self-serving behaviors otherwise prevented by visibility. However, as a social construct used to describe marginalized individuals, it is regarded as largely distressing and disadvantageous. Key to these two opposing conceptualizations is the temporariness or permanence of the invisibility—if temporary and under the control of the individual, it serves the individual’s needs and desires; if permanent, it strips the individual of a sense of meaning and worthiness. The present studies examine invisibility from both perspectives. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate the desirable aspects of temporary invisibility, but also show that people are less enamored with possessing invisibility when its occurrence is permanent or not under the control of the individual. In Study 3, employing a 3-person video telephony paradigm, I test the impact of ostracism—being ignored and excluded—for one of two motives: role prescribed, in which individuals’ roles encourage their social invisibility, and oblivious, in which status differentials render those with lower status invisible. The results show that whereas obliviously ostracized individuals take advantage of their invisibility to prematurely begin a questionnaire, they also show higher levels of personal distress. These results indicate that being unnoticed may have negative psychological impact on individuals while also affording them the opportunity to engage in self-serving, yet possibly socially undesirable, behaviors. </div>

The decreasing numbers of investments in early-stage start-ups indicate that fewer start-ups might become scale-ups and later sustainable business, affecting the eco- nomical development. Early-stage investment actors such as venture capital firms (VCs), incubators and business angels select and support investment in different ways. The VC and investment research mostly regards later-stage team and idea focused strategies. The thesis investigates what characterises and what is important for the early-stage process and selection of tenants pursued, through the investment process at the VC start-up Hidden Dreams, who combines incubator support with early stage investments. Organisational documents and previous research, presented in the frame of reference, lay the foundation for the analysis of the thesis. Research about VC selection strategies, investments, incubators, and more, paves the way of modeling a market need focused strategy combined with support. HD’s past pre-transaction processes and its current portfolio companies are analysed by the frame of reference. A model depicting the early-stage investment and support process is presented as a result, together with other findings in the analysis. The depiction explains the selection and support strategy and process by nine modules, each playing a role in the journeys of the VC and start-up. Insights about how the idea, team and market need affect the outcome of choice from the process are presented. The process becomes iteratively more characterised based on historical lessons. Since early-stage investments are considered risky, a way of minimising that risk can be seen through the combination of VC, incubator and business angel functions. The team and idea play a vital role in the process, especially the entrepreneur or advisor who contribute with market knowledge in the evaluation of market need. If the market inhibits competition the opportunity needs a hook, otherwise the initia- tors need to know why there is no competition. The team and idea plays important parts in the evaluation of market need. The idea works as initiator of the scope and to define value creation capabilities, whilst the entrepreneurial team, through the potential problem-owner, give each case market anchoring through experience and knowledge. / <p>Digital presentation</p>

Magister Chirurgiae Dentium (MChD) / AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Most children presenting to dental clinics have pain of varying intensity that usually, has been endured for long periods of time. A study done at Cardiff in the United Kingdom, found that only 15% of children that had dental pain visited the dentist. Therefore, understanding the motivations of patients in seeking health care is vital to the quality of life in the family and community and to the success of any oral health planning process. This study explored factors influencing the time between the initial pain experience and definitive dental treatment, that is, the time lapse. It assessed how factors such as pain, individual and community characteristics affect the timing of dental visits. METHOD: Parents or guardians accompanying children visiting two community dental clinics in Guguletu and Mitchells Plain in the Western Cape were asked to indicate how factors such as severity and duration of pain, efficacy of self-treatment, and impact on parents affected the decision to seek treatment. A total of one hundred and twenty six parents were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The English questionnaire was translated into Xhosa and Afrikaans and used with the help of interpreters when necessary. Children attending these community dental clinics for treatment on a particular morning were included in the study sample. Children up to thirteen years of age (primary, mixed, and early permanent dentition) comprised the study sample. Only children that had a dental problem were included in the study. Children that were not accompanied by a parent or guardian were excluded. RESULTS: Close to half the children (43 - 45%) had never been to the dentist before. Parents from Mitchells Plain knew earlier of their children's dental problems (most knew14 days before visit) than those from Guguletu where most knew within the last 7 days. However, Guguletu children were presented to the dentist sooner after the painful experience (69.2% within 7 days) than Mitchells Plain where only 48.3% were presented within the same period. It was found that for these communities, the distance from the clinic, the mode of transport, and the fares charged greatly influenced dental attendance. Most families lived within 3km, and walked (more prevalent in Guguletu) or rode a taxi (more prevalent in Mitchells Plain). With taxi the most prevalent mode of transport, money was an important factor of dental attendance. Long queues at the clinic and waiting long for appointments, were cited by parents as the major hindrances to attendance. While a worsening of pain, loss of sleep and sensitivity to chewing hastened dental attendance, parental work commitment and the child's school delayed it. Most families (79%) tried some treatment at home prior to the dental visit. The remedies offered such as Disprin®, direct placement of crushed Disprin® and Panado® were a concern because they were potentially harmful. Both communities were in the low socio-economic class with Guguletu consistently the poorer of the two. They both had disrupted family life as reflected by the low rates of married parents. CONCLUSION: In the presence of pain Guguletu children were presented to the dentist sooner than those of Mitchells Plain. Accessibility of the clinics was a real concern especially in Guguletu. There was rampant inappropriate use of medications such as aspirin and antibiotics. The greatest impact of the child's pain on the parents was on affected sleep. The non-regular attendance pattern of the children closely followed that of the parents.

Who is the nostalgia-prone person? The 'sociality view' sees an individual who frequently recalls meaningful memories rich in social content. The 'maladaptation view' sees an emotionally unstable, neurotic individual. In four studies, we integrated these contrasting views. We hypothesized that the link between neuroticism and nostalgia proneness arises because (a) neuroticism is associated with the need to belong and (b) the need to belong triggers nostalgia, with its abundant social content. Consistent with this hypothesis, Studies 1-2 found that the correlation between neuroticism and nostalgia proneness was eliminated when controlling for the need to belong. The need to belong predicted increased nostalgia proneness, above and beyond neuroticism. Specifically, Study 2 revealed that a deficit-reduction (rather than growth) belongingness orientation predicted increased nostalgia proneness. When the role of this deficit-reduction belongingness orientation was controlled, the positive correlation between neuroticism and nostalgia disappeared. Studies 3-4 showed that experimental inductions of a belongingness deficit augmented nostalgia, providing support for its compensatory role.