Objective: To determine the dental treatment needs of Canadians and how they are distributed. Methods: A secondary analysis of data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey was undertaken. Weights were applied to make the data nationally representative. Bivariate and multivariate regressions were used to identify predictors of need. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated to compare self-reported and clinically determined needs. Results: Of the 34.2% who required dental treatment, most needed restorative (20.4%) and preventive (13.7%) care. The strongest predictors of need were having poor oral health, reporting a self-perceived need for treatment and visiting the dentist infrequently. A discrepancy was found between clinical and self-reported needs. Conclusions: Roughly 12 million Canadians have unmet dental needs. A number of factors are predictive of having unmet dental conditions. Program and policymakers now have information by which to assess if their programs match the dental needs of Canadians.

Background: No spine-specific educational tool has been developed using input from all relevant stakeholders, including patients. Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the information needs of lumbar microdiscectomy patients. Methods: Qualitative methods with thematic analysis was used. Focus groups were conducted with: 1) preoperative microdiscectomy patients; 2) postoperative microdiscectomy patients; 3) spine surgeons; 4) spine fellows; 5) orthopaedic surgery residents; 6) anesthesiologists; 7) surgeons’ administrative assistants; and, 8) preoperative assessment team. Results: Major information needs were related to: anesthesia, surgical procedure details and postoperative course. Patients desire information on postoperative course much more than surgeons perceive. Desired attributes of information tools as well as patient factors that influence the extent of information shared by surgeons were determined. Information resources should be given to patients as soon as they are deemed surgical candidates. Conclusions: Microdiscectomy patients desire more information than currently provided to them – in particular postoperative-related information.

This was a two part study. Part one was a retrospective chart review to ascertain the prevalence and predictors of peri-operative complications in PWD receiving their dental care under general anesthesia (GA). Part two was a prospective survey of parents/caregivers regarding their satisfaction with the service as well as to ascertain the prevalence of post-operative symptoms incurred by patients. In Part 1, the prevalence of complications in PWD was 4 times higher than the 6% stated in the literature for the general population. Time under GA, and no previous history of dental care under GA were significantly related to complications. In Part 2, 100% of patients experienced post-operative symptoms; nonetheless, 92.7% of parents/caregivers were satisfied with the service provided. There prevalence of complications in the PWD in this study was high. Prior to treatment under GA, adequate pre-operative medical evaluations must be completed and time under GA minimized.

Objective: Evaluation of surgical quality ensures consistency of care and facilitates improvements in the quality of care delivered. Methods: An overview of surgical quality measurement is presented. A system for monitoring thoracic morbidity and mortality (TM&M) at the Ottawa Hospital is introduced and evaluated. Results of a needs assessment survey on the involvement in thoracic surgical research and quality improvement initiatives are presented. Results: Structure, process, and outcomes reflect different viewpoints on how to evaluate surgical quality. The feasibility of the TM&M system is evaluated using descriptive and univariate statistics, while its inter-rater reliability is assessed amongst the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons. Conclusions: Outcomes have been fundamental in the evaluation of surgical quality. TM&M classification system advocates for a practice of continuous quality improvement and provides standardized and reliable feedback on surgical outcomes. Results of the needs assessment have built a strong foundation of knowledge on prospective ways to enhance the monitoring of surgical quality.

Syfte – Syftet med denna studie är att mäta förväntningar och behov hos deltagare vid ett kommande idrottsevent i Sverige, Öppna Svenska Mästerskapen Triathlon – långdistans (SM). Design/metod/tillvägagångssätt – Mätningen utfördes med hjälp utav två mätinstrument, SERVQUAL för att mäta deltagarnas förväntningar och Kano för att mäta deltagarnas behov. En webbenkät utformades där 103 respondenter svarade. Resultat – Studiens resultat påvisar ett övervägande högt värde av servicekvalitet vid tidigare triathlonevenemang men även höga förväntningar på det kommande tävlingsevenemanget (SM). Resultatet visar därtill att determinanterna materiella ting, tjänstvillighet och empati summerande kan ses som outtalade behov och därav som attraktiva kvaliteter. Determinanterna tillförlitlighet och försäkran kan ses som uttalade behov och kan därav fungera som konkurrensfördelar mot andra tävlingsevenemang. Originalitet/värde – Studiens värde visar sig i hur företag och andra organisationer kan erhålla information och kunskap om sina kunder gällande mätandet av förväntningar och behov för att i framtiden använda detta till att skapa mervärde till sina tjänster. Nyckelord – Mätning, förväntningar, behov, SERVQUAL, Kano / Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to measure expectations and needs of participants at a upcoming triathlon sporting event in Sweden called Öppna Svenska Mästerskapen Triathlon – långdistans (SM). Design/methodology/approach – The measurement was made with the help of two measuring instruments, SERVQUAL for measuring the participants expectations and Kano for measuring the participants needs. An online survey was utilized with a total of 103 respondents. Findings – Results showed an overall high value of service quality at earlier triathlon events but also high expectations on the upcoming event (SM). Results showed that the determinants tangibles, responsiveness and empathy could be seen as summing unspoken needs and thereby as attractive qualities. The determinants reliability and assurance could be seen as spoken needs and which the organizer of the sporting event could use to compete against other organizers. Originality/value – The paper’s importance is demonstrated by how companies and organizers could obtain information and knowledge of the customers regarding measuring expectations and needs in order to create value-added services in the future. Keywords – Measure, expectations, needs, SERVQUAL, Kano

This case study examines how upper secondary schools in a municipality in the northern parts of Sweden structure their special pedagogy with students who have ADHD and dyslexia, students’ and parents’ experiences of this, and what regulates the schools management in this particular aspect. The results show that all the schools have special pedagogues and other support staff employed, though in varied extent. Furthermore, the resources are distributed differently from school to school. The focus, however, is always around communication between the concerned parties. Unfortunately, their good efforts to reach all students have not been successful. Not every special needs student have received the support they are entitled to. Students, as well as parents, have pointed out the shortages that they have experienced in communication, support and information about what rights they have, both as special needs students and as just students in a Swedish upper secondary school. Many of our informants have pointed out the teachers’ ignorance as one reason for the disappointment regarding the support from the schools.

Lack of motivation is a substantial productivity cost for organisations and business in generally work under the assumption that pay predicts performance. Satisfaction of the basic psychological needs has in research demonstrated a positive relationship with a better performance (i.e. Baard et al., 2004). If this is the case in the complex nature of sales work, with its primary focus on goals set (sales target) is yet to be decided. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the basic psychological needs, health and sales performance. The results emanating from this study on 252 sales people goes against previous research on performance as no significant relationships were found between the basic psychological needs and sales performance. However the study provides a strong empirical confirmation of the proposition that the basic psychological needs play an important role for health. Overall the results suggest that goal-setting (i.e. sales target) has significant consequences in shaping salespeople's cognitive aspect of motivation, putting the basic psychological needs behind and may result in impaired health.

Sammanfattning   Bakgrund: Sjuksköterskor har till uppgift att informera anhöriga med hänsyn till tidpunkt, form och innehåll. Anhöriga har behov av att få information från sjuksköterskor. Studier visar att behovet av information inte tillfredsställs och att anhöriga lider i ovisshet och väntan.   Syfte: Beskriva anhörigas upplevelser av att bli informerade av sjuksköterskor.   Metod: En litteraturöversikt enligt Friberg (2006) har gjorts och baserats på nio vetenskapliga artiklar. Likheter i resultaten delades efter innehåll in i teman.   Resultat: Anhöriga vill bli informerade på vardagligt språk, med få medicinska termer och informationen ska vara rak, sanningsenlig och patientnära. De vill inte behöva vänta på att få information, de vill få den kontinuerligt och inte riskera att få motsägelsefull information. Förmedlad information ska syfta till att anhöriga får förståelse för situationen den närstående befinner sig i, utvecklar tillit till sjuksköterskorna och blir delaktiga i vården av den närstående. Dessutom bör förmedlad information lämna utrymme för realistiskt hopp.    Diskussion: Det händer att sjuksköterskor talar i medicinsk jargong med varandra och då anpassar de inte språket efter de anhörigas förförståelse av sjukvården. Sjuksköterskor bör, således, väga sina ord med större omsorg. Anhöriga söker information från andra källor, vilket ställer högre krav på sjuksköterskor att uppdatera och anpassa sig efter dagens snabba informationsflöde. För att möta anhörigas vilja till delaktighet kan familjeronder öka informationsöverföringen. Anhöriga får där möta människor från olika professioner och ta vara på deras kunskaper om den närstående och på så sätt skapa sig en egen bild över situationen.   Nyckelord: Anhöriga, behov, information, sjuksköterskor

This Bachelor thesis is a study of collective political violence in the context of the Chechen conflict which continues to this present day. The information gathered and analysed as well as the frameworks used in the analysis are taken from numerous academic texts written on the subjects of Chechnya, Terrorism and theories on conflict and conflict resolution. The Chechen conflict is a decade long intra-state conflict which has its roots in a separatist movement for secession following the breakup of the Soviet Union. The dynamics of the conflict has evolved throughout the years, maintaining many of its fundamental elements whilst at the same time transforming as new actors and dimensions emerge. Following an abductive approach, the analytical frameworks of John Burton and Ted Gurr as well as a theoretical perspective derived from Bruce Hoffman’s understanding of terrorism, have been used to recontextualise to information gathered through the selected academic texts relevant to the conflict. The aim of this recontextualisation is to attempt to identify hidden mechanisms that could be responsible for the occurrence of collective political violence in the context of Chechnya. Numerous deprivations of the Chechen people’s basic human needs can potentially lead to frustration being perceived through a sense of shared group interest identity. Elites can then use this identity to mobilize the discontented masses in order to obtain political power for themselves whilst achieving the goals of the group they claim to represent. Russia’s Counterterrorism strategy does not seek to address these grievances and therefore violence is likely to continue to occur.

This dissertation presents the algorithm, methodology, modeling, and system development of a GIS-enabled multi-year pavement rehabilitation needs analysis system which can perform multi-year network-level pavement rehabilitation needs analysis subject to funding availability, minimum performance requirements, and balancing constraints. The system links network-level analysis results directly with project-level maintenance plans and, therefore, can generate not only network-level results but also detailed project-level rehabilitation plans, such as when to treat, where to treat and what treatment method to use. The system first utilizes the current and historical project level pavement condition evaluation information stored in the central Oracle database to forecast future project performance ratings and distresses, to determine appropriate treatment methods and costs, and to calculate life-cycle cost effectiveness ratios for all the projects in the pavement network. Based on this information, a methodology was developed to perform various network-level analyses to determine multi-year funding requirements to meet various prescribed pavement performance requirements and to determine optimum pavement rehabilitation plans subject to funding availability and other requirements, such as balancing funding distribution or future pavement performance among Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Engineering Districts or State Congressional Districts. The system integrates graphical information on GIS maps with information in the central Oracle database and the needs analysis results seamlessly so that engineers can perform interactive map-based multi-year what-if needs analysis directly on the maps using the framework and methodology presented in this dissertation. Several case studies using the actual historical pavement condition evaluation data from the GDOT are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the system. The dissertation concludes with a summary of major conclusions and recommendations for future research. Besides linking network-level analysis results directly with project-level maintenance plans, the following major advantages of the system are also recognized: GIS technology is fully utilized in the system. The system is one of the first pavement needs analysis systems that allows an engineer to perform interactive map-based what-if scenario analyses on multi-year pavement needs analysis. The system allows the rehabilitation plans to balance pavement rehabilitation costs and performances among different political jurisdictions. The system can perform various types of analyses to develop multi-year rehabilitation plans subject to various budget and performance constraints together with the balancing constraints. Although the system was developed for GDOT, with slight modifications, the system can be used by engineers in other transportation agencies to perform the same analyses.