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Results for “Communication Programs”

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At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Use of student-centred, computer-mediated communication to enhance the medical school curriculum.

OBJECTIVES: While it is clear that computers will play an important role in the study and practice of medicine their introduction into the curriculum remains controversial. Computer purchase has been made compulsory for incoming students. DESIGN: Members of the incoming class were allowed to purchase any computer and modem capable of using the communication program chosen by the school. No formal computer training was given. Students were encouraged to call for assistance or bring in their computers for configuration. The primary object of the system was for communication between the students and between students and faculty. SETTING: The School of Medicine of the University of New Mexico. SUBJECTS: First-year medical students. RESULTS: The vast majority of students set up their computers and connected to the system with little assistance. At the end of the first week of studies all the students were connected. Most of the students used the system on a daily basis. The greatest interest was in discussions concerning examinations with 93% of students reading these postings. The least-used aspect of the system was the exchange of learning issues from small group case discussions. Students also downloaded the curricular material provided but were discriminating in accessing this content. CONCLUSIONS: The student use of the computer as a communication tool has been a success. Students used the system in a variety of ways and by so doing also learned the basics of computer use and maintenance. The area of faculty training is often ignored but is considered crucial to the success of such a project.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed2004

[Risk perception and strategies for mass communication on dengue in the Americas].

Dengue is clearly a very serious public health problem. In the Americas the number of dengue cases has been increasing since the 1960s, and outbreaks of the disease have been occurring more frequently. Furthermore, the density of infestation with the disease vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is high in the Americas. The general strategy for preventing and controlling dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever is based on promoting behavior changes that lead to incorporating the community in controlling the disease, particularly the vector. In order to achieve this, mass communication programs on dengue should have two primary aims: converting information into practice and encouraging the community to take over prevention and control measures. The new generation of programs should be designed based on the local sanitation structure (water distribution and waste disposal) as well as information on community organizations and the roles of different family members. Furthermore, the new programs should incorporate all the following ten components: epidemiological surveillance, intersectoral actions, community participation, managing the environment and basic services, patient care, case reporting, education, using insecticides and vector control, training, and preparing for emergencies. Communication should be aimed at modifying the behavior of individuals and the community by empowering them to carry out prevention and control measures.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed2003

Hormesis and risk communication.

Hormesis has been defined as a dose-response relationship in which there is a stimulatory response at low doses, but an inhibiting response at high doses, resulting in a U- or inverted U-shaped dose response. Toxic agents that are detrimental to human health above certain threshold levels may induce positive effects at a dose that is significantly lower than the NOAEL level. In spite of the evidence for hormesis effects, the topic is still a matter of high controversy among toxicologists. Facing this ambiguity, the article raises the question: how should risk communication be arranged in a situation of high ambiguity, lack of empirical certainty about the effects, major policy dilemmas and significant equity problems? The article summarizes the main results of risk communication research and applies these results to the question of hormesis. First, it explains the main context variables that impact on the success or failure of any risk communication program. These refer to i) the levels of the risk debate, ii) the socio-political style of regulation, iii) different types of audiences, and iv) subcultural prototypes. Secondly, the paper addresses the major functions of risk communication: i) dealing with public perception; ii) gaining trust and credibility; iii) involving stakeholders in the communication process. The last section draws some conclusions for improving risk communication on issues of hormesis.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Determinants of condom use among young people in urban Cameroon.

To reduce the prevalence of reproductive health problems among adolescents, governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Cameroon are implementing youth-oriented reproductive health programs. To facilitate the design of effective programs to increase condom use, this study examines survey data on the determinants of having ever used condoms and on current condom use with regular and casual partners among unmarried young people in urban Cameroon. While most adolescents have tried condoms at least once, use remains inconsistent. Parental support, personal risk perception, and self-efficacy are found to be associated with higher levels of condom use. Youth-oriented programs seeking to increase the number of new condom users among the young should promote parental support for condom use and enhance young people's perceptions of personal risk. Programs that work to convince the young that their sexual history can put them at risk of HIV infection and that dispel the myth that HIV risk with regular partners is low may serve to increase personal risk perception. Finally, communications programs should aim to increase adolescents' self-efficacy, particularly in terms of their perceived ability to convince partners to use condoms and to use them correctly.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Effects of cognitive-communication stimulation for Alzheimer's disease patients treated with donepezil.

This randomized study evaluated the combined effect of a cognitive-communication program plus an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (donepezil; donepezil-plus-stimulation group; n = 26), as compared with donepezil alone (donepezil-only group; n = 28) in 54 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD; Mini-Mental Status Examination score of 12- 28) ranging in age from 54 to 91 years. It was hypothesized that cognitive-communication stimulation in combination with donepezil would positively affect the following: (a) relevance of discourse, (b) performance of functional abilities, (c) emotional symptoms, (d) quality of life, and (e) overall global function, as measured by caregiver and participant report and standardized measures. Cognitive-communication, neuropsychiatric, functional performance, and quality of life evaluations were conducted at baseline and Month 4, the month after the 2-month active stimulation period. Follow-up evaluations were performed at Months 8 and 12. The stimulation program consisted of 12 hr of intervention over an 8-week period and involved participant-led discussions requiring homework, interactive sessions about AD, and discussions using salient life stories. Additive effects of active stimulation with donepezil were examined in 2 ways: (1) comparing mean group performance over time and (2) evaluating change scores from baseline. A Group x Time interaction was found for the donepezil-plus-stimulation group in the emotional symptoms of apathy and irritability as compared with the donepezil-only group. Evaluation of change scores from baseline to 12 months revealed a positive effect for the donepezil-plus-stimulation group on discourse and functional abilities with a trend on apathy, irritability, and patient-reported quality of life. In sum, the research revealed benefits to the donepezil-plus-stimulation group in the areas of discourse abilities, functional abilities, emotional symptoms, and overall global performance. This study adds to growing evidence that active cognitive stimulation may slow the rate of verbal and functional decline and decrease negative emotional symptoms in AD when combined with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, indicating a need to advance research in the area of cognitive treatments. The fact that AD is a progressive brain disease should not preclude ameliorative treatment.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2002

Crisis communication. Lessons from 9/11.

The sheer enormity of last year's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon gave new meaning to the term "crisis management." Suddenly, companies near Ground Zero, as well as those more than a thousand miles away, needed a plan. Because the disasters disrupted established channels not only between businesses and customers but between businesses and employees, internal crisis-communications strategies that could be quickly implemented became a key responsibility of top management. Without these strategies, employees' trauma and confusion might have immobilized their firms and set their customers adrift. In this article, executives from a range of industries talk about how their companies, including Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer Funds, American Airlines, Verizon, the New York Times, Dell, and Starbucks, went about restoring operations and morale. From his interviews with these individuals, author and management professor Paul Argenti was able to distill a number of lessons, each of which, he says, may "serve as guideposts for any company facing a crisis that undermines its employees' composure, confidence, or concentration." His advice to senior executives includes: Maintain high levels of visibility, so that employees are certain of top management's command of the situation and concern; establish contingency communication channels and work sites; strive to keep employees focused on the business itself, because a sense of usefulness enhances morale and good morale enhances usefulness; and ensure that employees have absorbed the firm's values, which will guide them as they cope with the unpredictable. The most forward-thinking leaders realize that managing a crisis-communications program requires the same dedication and resources they give to other dimensions of their business. More important, they realize that their employees always come first.

Commerce↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hazard communication: challenges in the pharmaceutical industry.

Several of the major regulations mandating hazard communication programs around the world are reviewed and their applicability to the pharmaceutical industry is discussed. Regulation distinctions that are key to compliance activities are highlighted.

Communication↗

PubMed1989

Promoting family planning for better health: policy and programme implications.

Renewed emphasis is being given to the role of family planning health care programs. This review of the lessons learned during the past decade provides guidance to policy makers and program managers on ways to improve maternal, infant, and child health through family planning and related health and development activities. It covers policies and laws, accessibility to services, acceptability and quality of services, provision for the special needs of high-risk groups, the use of communications programs, the importance of improving the status of women and the quality of life, and the resources needed to implement such a program globally. Practical steps for integrating family planning fully into maternal and child health care are described.

Birth Intervals↗

PubMed1998

The role of media and communication in improving the use of drugs and other technologies.

Policy makers, health care providers, and the general public need valid information about the benefits and harmful effects of drugs and technologies to be able to make rational choices in their acquisition, distribution, and use. Effective communication is important for quality choices of drugs and other technologies. In effective communication, the choice of messages and media must correspond to the culture and beliefs of the target groups to make them comprehend and adopt the conclusions. Messages must be presented on a regular basis. Most regulatory agencies do not have enough resources to mount effective communication programs. Private advertising agencies and other stakeholders have definite roles. Valid knowledge must be the basis of dialogues to reduce emotional disputes among various benefit groups in society.

Advertising↗

PubMed1988

Effect of a CVIS instructional program regarding therapeutic communication on student learning and anxiety.

This quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design study explored the effect of a computer video-interactive system (CVIS) instructional program regarding therapeutic communication on senior baccalaureate nursing students' learning and anxiety as they anticipated interaction with patients in psychiatric settings. The 75 subjects were randomly divided into two groups. Group I received a basic lecture and a supplementary CVIS instructional program on therapeutic communication, while Group II received the same lecture discussion on therapeutic communication and a videotape. Two hypotheses were tested, using analyses of covariance. Hypothesis I, that Group I would score significantly higher on a therapeutic communication posttest than would Group II, was supported (P less than .001). This finding validates previous observations that computer-video interaction programs do enhance learners' application of knowledge. Hypothesis II, that Group I would evidence significantly less state anxiety at posttest than would Group II, was not supported. Although there were no significant differences for state anxiety scores between the groups at either pretest or posttest, these scores remained higher than reported normative state anxiety scores. This finding suggests that anticipated interaction with psychiatric patients is an anxiety-inducing situation for nursing students.

Anxiety↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reaching Hispanics with messages to prevent alcohol and other drug abuse.

Hispanics are often labeled a "hard-to-reach" population in the context of health communications, yet there are indicators that corporate interests increasingly are reporting successes in designing advertising and promotional campaigns targeting Hispanic markets. The authors suggest research priorities designed to promote more effective communications programming in the substance abuse field, and they identify three key target audiences: children and adolescents, women of childbearing age, and heavy-drinking men. The significance of the diversity within the Hispanic community; the opportunities to reinforce attitudes, norms, and behaviors that counter substance use; and the centrality of family are discussed as approaches to communications planning and message development.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982

A program for increasing manual signing by autistic and profoundly retarded youth within the daily environment.

A program was implemented to increase the manual signing of five profoundly retarded and four autistic youth within their daily environment. Each participant was nonvocal or minimally vocal. The program was based on modified incidental teaching strategies and was implemented by direct care personnel under supervision in an institutional setting. Specific components included rearranging the physical environment to prompt signing, altering routine staff-resident interactions to prompt, manually guide and/or reinforce signing; and conducting mini-training sessions. Additionally, staff modeled signs intermittently throughout the day. The program was sequentially implemented during two staff work shifts on each of two resident living modules. Observations conducted at four separate time periods during the day indicated that significant increases in signing occurred for all participating youth and that the increases generally maintained during follow-up checks at 5 and 17 weeks. Differential effects of the increased signing on frequency of vocalizations were noted across residents. A staff acceptability survey indicated favorable staff reports on the usefulness of signing to communicate with the youth. Results are discussed regarding the significance of manual signing for seriously developmentally disabled persons and the importance of ensuring that signing skills are used in the daily environment and not exclusively in formal training sessions. Also, areas for continued research are noted in terms of more refined analyses of client skills and subsequent progress in manual communication programs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Nonword repetition by children with cochlear implants: accuracy ratings from normal-hearing listeners.

Seventy-six children with cochlear implants completed a nonword repetition task. The children were presented with 20 nonword auditory patterns over a loud-speaker and were asked to repeat them aloud to the experimenter. The children's responses were recorded on digital audiotape and then played back to normal-hearing adult listeners to obtain accuracy ratings on a 7-point scale. The children's nonword repetition performance, as measured by these perceptual accuracy ratings, could be predicted in large part by their performance on independently collected measures of speech perception, verbal rehearsal speed, and speech production. The strongest contributing variable was speaking rate, which is widely argued to reflect verbal rehearsal speed in phonological working memory. Children who had become deaf at older ages received higher perceptual ratings. Children whose early linguistic experience and educational environments emphasized oral communication methods received higher perceptual ratings than children enrolled in total communication programs. The present findings suggest that individual differences in performance on nonword repetition are strongly related to variability observed in the component processes involved in language imitation tasks, including measures of speech perception, speech production, and especially verbal rehearsal speed in phonological working memory. In addition, onset of deafness at a later age and an educational environment emphasizing oral communication may be beneficial to the children's ability to develop the robust phonological processing skills necessary to accurately repeat novel, nonword sound patterns.

Child↗

PubMed1999

Trends in educational placement and cost-benefit considerations in children with cochlear implants.

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of cochlear implantation on the use of educational resources by profoundly hearing-impaired children and to determine trends in educational cost vs benefit. DESIGN: Retrospective study and cost-benefit analysis. SETTING: Outpatient pediatric cochlear implant program in an academic institution (The Listening Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md), in collaboration with public schools in Maryland and surrounding states. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: School-aged children with profound prelingual hearing impairment without other clearly defined disabilities. Thirty-five children with multiple-channel cochlear prostheses and a comparison group of 10 children without implants from 'total communication' programs in the Maryland public school system. INTERVENTIONS: Multiple-channel cochlear implantation and at least 1 year of a systematic auditory skill development program at the Listening Center, compared with standard educational management of children with conventional amplification. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Classroom placement and number of hours of special educational support used. RESULTS: A correlation was observed between the length of cochlear implant experience and the rate of full-time placement in mainstream classrooms (r = 0.10; P= .04). There was also a negative correlation between the length of implant experience and the number of hours of special educational support used by fully mainstreamed children (Pearson product moment correlation = -0.10; P = .03). Children with greater than 2 years of implant experience were mainstreamed at twice the rate or more of age-matched children with profound hearing loss who did not have implants. They were also placed less frequently in self-contained classrooms and used fewer hours of special education support. A cost-benefit analysis based on conservative estimates of educational expenses from kindergarten to 12th grade shows a cost savings of cochlear implantation and appropriate auditory (re)habilitation that ranges from $30000 to $200000. CONCLUSIONS: Cochlear implantation accompanied by aural (re)habilitation increases access to acoustic information of spoken language, leading to higher rates of mainstream placement in schools and lower dependence on special education support services. The cost savings that results from a decrease in the use of support services indicates an educational cost benefit of cochlear implant (re)habilitation for many children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

A virtual classroom for undergraduate periodontology: a pilot study.

The Integrated Distributed Learning Environments or virtual classrooms constitute a new promising structure in education of health care personnel. A virtual classroom was developed aiming to teach periodontology to an international group of 28 dental students using a problem-based learning (PBL) approach. The course was web-based and included synchronous and asynchronous communication, on-line libraries and multimedia material. Students were organised in 4 independent groups and each group was appointed a tutor. The results of the study indicate that one of the most positive effects students experienced was competence in using the computer. They also rated highly the use of multimedia for learning of clinical procedures. It was found that web boards and email were too slow to allow group work in the virtual classroom. Real time communication programs were found to be superior for problem discussion and hypothesis formulation. However, email and the web board played a significant role during certain steps of the PBL method. The students expressed a positive attitude for the combined use of network-based learning and problem-based education. Our present experience suggests that distance learning should be organised with a mixture of different media, allowing communication of knowledge and skills between the resources and the students, as well as cooperation between the students. Computer literacy among teachers and students is limited and should be enhanced. Finally, personal contact between the resource persons and the students before the distant learning course commences helps the learning process.

Attitude↗

PubMed2001

Pfiesteria-related educational products and information resources available to the public, health officials, and researchers.

Public and political concerns about Pfiesteria from 1997 to the present vastly exceed the attention given to other harmful algal bloom (HAB) issues in the United States. To some extent, the intense focus on Pfiesteria has served to increase attention on HABs in general. Given the strong and continuing public, political, and research interests in Pfiesteria piscicida Steidinger & Burkholder and related organisms, there is a clear need for information and resources of many different types. This article provides information on Pfiesteria-related educational products and information resources available to the general public, health officials, and researchers. These resources are compiled into five categories: reports; website resources; state outreach and communication programs; fact sheets; and training manuals and documentaries. Over the last few years there has been rapid expansion in the amount of Pfiesteria-related information available, particularly on the Internet, and it is scattered among many different sources.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Family planning knowledge, attitudes, and practices of men in Zimbabwe.

The purpose of this report is to describe knowledge, attitudes, and practices in family planning among male Zimbabweans. Understanding the role of men in inhibiting or promoting contraceptive adoption could affect the design of family planning promotion programs and program success in Zimbabwe and other African countries. Data from the 1988 Male Fertility Survey, a representative sample of 711 currently married men aged 20 and over, showed that men have a major role in the decision to use family planning methods and in determining the number of children a couple should have. Male knowledge of various family planning methods was high, as was approval and ever-use of family planning. Attitudes toward family planning information, obtaining methods, couple communication, and family size were also investigated. It was concluded that men should be included in information, education, and communication programs, without delay. Program efforts should move beyond emphasis on child spacing to stress family size limitation in order to increase contraceptive prevalence, resulting in a commensurate decline in the level of fertility.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Family planning information sources and media exposure among Zimbabwean men.

This report describes, for a sample of Zimbabwean men, sources of family planning information, media exposure, media preferences, and whether they would like to learn more about family planning methods. The data are from the 1988 Zimbabwe Male Fertility Survey, a representative sample of 711 currently married men aged 20 and over. The analysis is restricted to the 512 men whose wives were aged 49 and under at the time of the survey. The radio and personal communications, followed by posters and newspapers, are the most frequently reported sources of family planning information. The radio is considered to be the best medium for learning about family planning, followed by community-based distributors. Nearly 85 percent of respondents indicated that they would like to learn more about family planning. Information from men should be included in information, education, and communication programs in order to enhance male involvement in the family planning process.

Adult↗