Volume 1 Issue 4
Authors: Leena Puustjärvi; Juha Puustjärvi
Abstract: Continuing education and lifelong learning is becoming more and more important as the fast development of technologies requires specialized skills that need to be renewed frequently. ELearning adapts well for continued education as it can be done in parallel with other work. However, in the context of continuing professional education building, a personal curriculum is not just straightforward for the reason that there are several educational institutions that provide various courses and there are no unified ways of representing the content of the courses. We have investigated this problem in pharmacies where the building of personal curricula is dictated by regulations that are set by health care authorities. In particular, we have investigated how the educational information that is received from a variety of sources and that is in a variety of format can be managed in building personal curricula. The key idea in our developed solution is the learning object ontology, which is integrated with the pharmacy ontology. In this way the educational information can be stored in pharmacy’s knowledge base that provides sophisticated ways for accessing educational information.
Keywords: ELearning; Learning Objects; Curricula; Continued Education; Semantic Web; Taxonomies; Ontologies; OWL; RDF; Information Filtering
Authors: Claudie Meyer; Christian Bourret
Abstract: The AIDS epidemic implied a new approach in the French Healthcare System and has impulsed cooperation in Frontier areas between primary care and hospital. To vary views on the question, in an Information and Communication interdisciplinary prospect, our analysis is based on the articulation of issues in meaning, relationship, knowledge and action according to the view of F. Bernard (2006) supplemented by that of identity and power. From a methodological point of view, we use an analytical framework showing through past and present stories of actors, their positions and roles, their stakes and values, such as the quality of their relationships in a specific context (Situational and Interactionist Semiotics, A. Mucchielli, 2010). We will study the situation of two categories of stakeholders: patients and general practitioners in primary care, particularly through the emergence of a new organizational interface: the Healthcare Networks. Then, we will analyze the limitations of this solution.
Keywords: Healthcare; Networks; Frontiers; AIDS; Situations; Meaning
Authors: Kjell Terje Gundersen; Vegar Rangul; Karin De Ridder; Koenraad F. Cuypers
Abstract: Several studies illuminate positive relations between health and passive versus active cultural activities. However, current knowledge on the patterns of participation in cultural activities of adolescents in a humanistic health perspective is limited. Aims: the aim of the study was to investigate the patterns of participation in passive versus active cultural activities among adolescents out of a humanistic health perspective. Methods: junior high and high school students from two municipalities in the county of Nord-Trondelag, Norway, aged 13-18 year (n=71) completed a self-administered questionnaire. Results: five passive cultural activities ranked highest among adolescents. Active cultural activities were ranked sixth on the list. Junior high school students gave priority to the active cultural activities. High school students preferred passive cultural activities. Conclusions: out of a humanistic point of view both passive and active cultural activities should be aimed in health promotion programs.
Keywords: Adolescents; Health Promotion; BMI; Cultural Activities
Authors: Srdjan Denic; Mohamud Sheek-Hussein; M- Naim Anwar; Fathalla A. Rihan
Abstract: Mathematical models could be used to analyse dynamics of epidemic infections and create better insights into the measures that could prevent future epidemics. In this paper, we developed a basic SIR model which was fit to data from recent influenza A (H1N1) epidemic in Abu Dhabi. We estimated values for the threshold reproductive number which prevent outbreak of swine influence infection. Results suggest that vaccination of 59% of population could achieve ‘herd immunity’ and prevent spread of the disease. The results could guide future public health measures in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Keywords: Influenza A (H1N1); ODEs; Parameter Estimation Simulation; Stability; Steady States