Introduction to health information exchange

To support health care and public health in managing the array of information available about patients and populations, health systems have adopted a variety of information and communications technologies (ICT). Examples include electronic health record systems that document patient symptoms, diseases, and medications as well as health care processes. Yet, many ICT systems operate as islands unto themselves, unable to connect or share information with other ICT systems. Such fragmentation of data and information is an impediment to achieving the goal of efficient, coordinated health care delivery. It was further a major challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic when information was rapidly needed yet challenging to access. Health information exchange (HIE) seeks to address the challenges of connecting disparate ICT systems, enabling information to be available when and where it is needed by clinicians, administrators, and public health authorities. This chapter robustly defines HIE, including its core components and various forms. This chapter further discusses the role of HIE in supporting care delivery and public health. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Racism in the Times of COVID-19: Angos, Dirty, Undisciplined, and Vendors in Quito, Ecuador

This chapter brings attention to the ways in which street and market vendors were racialized and targeted by authorities and police during and after the COVID-19 quarantine in Quito, Ecuador. This took place as vendors insisted on occupying streets and public spaces to find a livelihood amidst quarantine prohibitions and declining economic conditions. This study uses social media analysis and interviews to identify how and why authorities, the media, and a section of the population understood vendor indiscipline as the result of class and cultural difference while obscuring colonial racial logics and structural inequality. The study data show that authorities and the public identify vendors as less educated, less cultured, less civilized, and as more Indigenous. Simultaneously, racist comments used to describe vendors included "angos, " a Kichwa word that means resilience and flexibility. In the context of the COVID-19 quarantine, this term was used to describe bodies inherently more resistant to COVID-19, and also as bodies more likely to spread it. This study argues that angos and other terms discussed respond to colonial racial logics that date back to the nineteenth-century, linking race, vulnerability, and hygiene. Thus racialized bodies are seen as out of place and as contaminating public spaces. Such understandings are deeply engrained in people's consciousness, not only justifying the use of force against street and market vendors, but also denying the double vulnerability vendors face on a daily basis. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Environmental hygiene in outdoor food markets in Africa: a scoping review

Outdoor food markets represent important locations where foodborne illnesses and other infectious diseases can spread. Countries in Africa face particular challenges given the importance of these markets in food supply and low rates of access to safely managed water and sanitation. We undertook a scoping review of evidence related to disease transmission in food markets in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and identified 46 papers for data extraction and synthesis. Vendor behaviour or awareness was reported in the majority of papers and about half reported on market infrastructure. Fewer studies have been reported on regulatory environments or food contamination. Studies on water supply, sanitation and handwashing facilities focused on the presence of services and did not evaluate quality, thus conclusions cannot be drawn on service adequacy. Studies of vendor behaviour were primarily based on self-reporting and subject to bias. Most studies reported high levels of vendor awareness of the need for hygiene, but where observations were also conducted, these showed lower levels of behaviours in practice. Our findings suggest that there are limited studies on environmental hygiene in outdoor food markets and this is an area warranting further research, including into the quality of services and addressing methodological weaknesses.

Changes in Cargo Movement due to the Effects of COVID-19

This study analyses and discusses how the unique cargo movements in Japan and changes in the social environment during the COVID-19 pandemic have affected social life. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, cargo movements in Japan have undergone significant changes. This study analyses cargo movements in Japan by showing correlation coefficients to indicate the extent to which each industry was affected by the spread of the new coronavirus to infected persons. The heightened awareness of the pandemic caused by the state of emergency led to the closure of many stores and a decline in outbound shipments. Although the volume of incoming shipments increased, the volume of outgoing shipments did not. As a result, warehouse vacancy rates declined. Therefore, the study revealed that distribution centers in Japan are becoming more self-sufficient, and cloud-based logistics information systems are becoming more widely used. © 2023 Kuninori Suzuki et al., published by Sciendo.

Supply chain considerations in digital strategies, e-procurement and CRM

While supply chain disruptions are a drastic example of changes businesses must react to, being flexible and reactive will prove beneficial for companies. While being able to react to such disruptions is important, it is even more vital for supply chains to be proactive in a Covid-19 reality. Companies need to be adapting to changes in how customer relationships are maintained within digital supply chain (DSC) platforms. With more and more people working remotely, companies must still ensure their customer relationships are being maintained. This is one example of a supply chain challenge that this paper looks to unfold. By highlight the importance of digital platforms in e-procurement, increased technology and transparency are vital to successful companies, either B2C, B2B. Companies who are willing to learn and adapt become more competitive. The paper briefly dives into SAP Ariba and Jaggaer, and their role in aiding e-procurement and CRM. Copyright © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Global multi-center and multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging study of obsessive-compulsive disorder: Harmonization and monitoring of protocols in healthy volunteers and phantoms.

OBJECTIVES: We describe the harmonized MRI acquisition and quality assessment of an ongoing global OCD study, with the aim to translate representative, well-powered neuroimaging findings in neuropsychiatric research to worldwide populations. METHODS: We report on T1-weighted structural MRI, resting-state functional MRI, and multi-shell diffusion-weighted imaging of 140 healthy participants (28 per site), two traveling controls, and regular phantom scans. RESULTS: Human image quality measures (IQMs) and outcome measures showed smaller within-site variation than between-site variation. Outcome measures were less variable than IQMs, especially for the traveling controls. Phantom IQMs were stable regarding geometry, SNR, and mean diffusivity, while fMRI fluctuation was more variable between sites. CONCLUSIONS: Variation in IQMs persists, even for an a priori harmonized data acquisition protocol, but after pre-processing they have less of an impact on the outcome measures. Continuous monitoring IQMs per site is valuable to detect potential artifacts and outliers. The inclusion of both cases and healthy participants at each site remains mandatory.

Striving for a new normal after the Covid-19 pandemic: taking small businesses at Bangsaen Beach as an example

The Covid-19 pandemic interrupted Bangsaen Beach activities and disturbed livelihoods of small business operators. Before the pandemic, Bangsaen tourism experienced issues of beach quality degradation due to overcrowding, competitive vending, and lack of diversification. After the pandemic, the municipality imposed new regulations, reset zones to safeguard the public health, and jump-started the economy. The changing regulations created conflicts with vendors on zoning rearrangements and reduced sales. The author conducted a survey to investigate the beach activities, the local small business operations, and the local authority's regulation changes. The survey results indicated that Bangsaen needs alternative attractions to complement its beach activities and to help cope with traffic congestion. The results also find out the social disparity in the demography of the vendors, which calls for attention to gender aspects and inclusive facets in the social infrastructure development strategy. This study suggests that vendors collaborate collectively with the local government to challenge the appropriation of beach spaces and to create innovative tactics. In addition, destination management organizations need to strive for better collaboration with small business operators to help them adapt to the change and enter the formal economy.

The moderating role of vendor managed inventory on the bullwhip effect in the COVID-19 pandemic

The study sought to determine the role of vendor-managed inventory and form postponement in mitigating against the bullwhip effect in the bakery industry. The bullwhip effect is referred to as demand distortions along the upstream supply chain that is caused by variances between supply and demand. The bullwhip effect was conceptualized by its indicators that are overstocking, obsolescence, and inventory holding costs. A survey of conveniently chosen 100 bakeries was conducted in the city of Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. The informants for individual bakeries were competent bookkeepers or qualified accountants. A factorial MANOVA and follow-up ANOVAs using the Bonferroni method were conducted. The study indicated statistically significant main effects and interaction effects for all the factors and concluded that all the indicators of the bullwhip effect can be mitigated if bakery businesses pursued either or both of the vendor-management inventory and the form postponement strategies. The managerial implications of this study were that bakery businesses can avoid the consequences of the bullwhip effect through investing in plant and equipment that enables form postponement, and strengthen the widely practiced vendor-management strategy.

Factors Affecting Intention to Use a New Human Resource Information System at One of the Small and Medium Enterprises in Indonesia

This study aims to analyze factors affecting the intention to use a new human resource information system at PT. XYZ. PT. XYZ is a small-medium enterprise located in Jakarta, Indonesia. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company switched from a manual to an electronic human resource information system. The sample of this study is all employees of PT. XYZ. The questionnaires were distributed directly to 36 employees of PT. XYZ. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that owner and technology vendor support significantly influence the intention to use a new human resource information system. The novelty of this research is combining the technology acceptance model theory, the technology-organization-environment framework, and the yale communication model. © 2022 IEEE.

Recession-Tackling Tools and Strategies

The fact that we are talking about how to survive recession for the second time in two years is a timely reminder that we must not take our clients or our businesses for granted. This article describes the key aspects of your business to think about and some simple marketing plans to put in place that will help you to win customers and survive this current storm in the best financial shape possible.

Covid-19 Integrated Inventory Model with Lead Time and Ordering Cost Reduction Using Linear Case Function

COVID 19's social distancing limits health and economic driven demand shift are predicted to close a number of small companies and Entrepreneurial endeavours, although there is little or no early evidence of their effects. This paper shows the large impact on small business during COVID 19, the inventory policy is developed for an item with stock level a demand rate that is dependent on storage time and a holding cost that is based on storage time. The main contribution of this study is that the integrated total cost of the suppliers and consumers integrated system is analysed by adopting linear type ordering cost reduction act dependent on lead time. An algorithm procedure for finding the optimal solution is developed. The mathematical model is solved analytically by minimizing the integrated total cost and the numerical examples are given to illustrate the results.

Manager and vendor perceptions of farmers’ markets’ impacts on communities: evidence from Michigan

Purpose>The purposes of this paper are to: (1) characterize farmers’ market manager and vendor perceptions of the economic, social and environmental impact markets have on their local communities;and (2) how those impacts are tracked and communicated to market actors and the local community.Design/methodology/approach>Twenty-nine semistructured interviews were conducted with market managers and vendors across four farmers’ markets within Michigan. The interviews were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis.Findings>Managers and vendors report economic and social and environmental benefits associated with the presence of a farmers' market, consistent with the existing literature. Metrics are tracked to estimate market impact, particularly economic and social benefits. Market managers reported uncertainty about how best to use data internally, and there are gaps in communicating market impacts with vendors. Most data are used for external reporting, to statewide organizations or for grant evaluation. Respondents reported data fatigue and unwillingness among vendors to share personal business information due to concerns about privacy relative to the perceived benefits of sharing data.Practical implications>Additional resources are needed for markets, specifically market managers, to better utilize the data they collect for internal versus external purposes.Originality/value>Metric collection and reporting are a nascent development among markets. Understanding how market actors are utilizing these tools will provide guidance to improve future efforts at impact measurement.

Hybrid Fuzzy and Data-Driven Robust Optimization for Resilience and Sustainable Health Care Supply Chain with Vendor-Managed Inventory Approach

One of the problems that government managers deal with are medical inventory management in COVID-19 conditions. Based on this situation, the best strategy for managing and reducing inventory costs can be Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) policy in the recent decade. Therefore, a hybrid fuzzy and data-driven robust optimization for Resilience and Sustainable Health Care Supply Chain (RSHCSC) with VMI approach is appropriate for improving the inventory management system and tackling uncertainty and disruption in this situation. Three RSHCSC models are suggested using hybrid fuzzy and data-driven robust optimization with a stochastic programming approach. The first model is average and mean absolute function, the second model is Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR), the third model is Minimax model, and the final model is the traditional inventory model. Each of the proposed models has advantages and disadvantages that depend on the conservative level of decision-maker. Sensitivity analysis is done on essential parameters like fuzzy cut, confidence level, robust and resilience coefficient, and size models. The results show that increasing fuzzy cut, confidence level, robustification coefficient, resiliency coefficient, and CVaR confidence level amount of costs grows. The Minimax function is suitable for conservative decision-makers.

No one left behind: risk communication to the street vendors during COVID-19 social distancing

Purpose>COVID-19 presents a serious and unprecedented challenge around the globe. Street vendors are the most vulnerable group during this pandemic regarding livelihood loss and contagion risk. This research aims to examine the roles of risk communication work in enhancing COVID-19 risk perceptions and adoption of COVID-19 preventive behaviors among street vendors.Design/methodology/approach>The data were collected from the street vendors in urban Vietnam. A binary probit model was used for analyzing the relationships among exposure to risk communication, risk perception and adoption of preventive behaviors.Findings>The analysis reveals the outreach of risk communication work to the street vendors. A rather large proportion of the respondents perceive high risks associated with COVID-19. All respondents adopt COVID-19 preventive behaviors;however, the proportion of regular adoption is moderate and even very low for most behaviors. Their frequent exposure to risk communication significantly raises their risk perceptions and encourages their regular adoption of preventive behaviors, particularly regarding the measures that are affordable and less detrimental to their livelihood.Originality/value>This research is among the first attempts to examine risk communication to the vulnerable group, how they perceive risks and the extent to which they adopt preventive behaviors during a public health crisis. This research draws some implications for risk communication and social welfare policies to obtain sustainable development goals.

Online Planning and Management of Design Coordination Tasks with BIM: Challenges and Opportunities

While cloud-based collaborative building design processes have become commonplace, colocated meetings remain a central and integral part of the management of such processes in the construction industry. The restrictions on colocated meetings due to the Covid-19 pandemic have therefore created challenges for the management of building design. This study sought to develop an alternative method for design coordination in a cloud-based Building Information Modeling (BIM) environment, which reduces the need for such meetings. This was also seen as an opportunity to improve the way design coordination is currently managed in the construction industry, by changing several practices that for a long time have been assumed to be the default choice. It was found that online design coordination requires a more structured and formal approach and the definition of design tasks at a much higher level of detail or granularity than is currently common. There is consequently a need for a systematic process and supporting tools to correctly plan and effectively control the execution of a larger number of individual design tasks. A suitable method has been defined for online design coordination, which incorporates tools such as resource leveling and four-dimensional BIM that have not previously been used in this context. The method was successfully implemented in a real project, highlighting its feasibility and the ability to reduce the need for colocated meetings, while at the same time improving the design process. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Management in Engineering is the property of American Society of Civil Engineers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The healthcare supply location-inventory-routing problem: A robust approach

Motivated by a real-world healthcare supply case of a medical implant company, this paper studies a supply network configuration problem that integrates warehouse selections for vendor managed inventory (VMI), inventory policy, and delivery routing optimization together. The problem is a variant of the classic location-inventory-routing problem (LIRP) with both deterministic demand and uncertain demand, where multi-product, multi-period, multi-type delivery, delivery time limit and VMI are considered. Two types of delivery are used: one is the scheduled bulk delivery to the VMI warehouses and the other is direct shipping for hospitals. To address the problem, first, a deterministic MILP model is presented for the integrated LIRP. Then, to deal with the uncertainty in demand, we propose a robust optimization model and transform it into a tractable linear equivalent formulation. Further, considering the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the demand and delivery time, a new robust model is proposed to account for this special situation. Numerical experiments are conducted to verify the advantage of the proposed robust optimization models. The sensitivity analysis provides some interesting managerial insights, and a real-world case of medical implant supply configuration with 78 hospitals is solved.

Impact of the new street vendor regulation on poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihood during COVID-19 in China

During the last fifty years, the informal economy played a significant role in economic development globally. Due to the high potential for creating job opportunities and generating incomes, the informal economy was highly accepted by most nations, and many policymakers pay close attention to promote the development of the informal economy. The informal economy range is extensive, and street vending is a critical manifestation of urban poverty. Street vending is a simple way to generate income for low- income households by investing in small capital. Since an ongoing "National Sanitary City" campaign was started in 1989, the Chinese government has been strict on the street vendors because unregistered street vendors are almost doubled than the registered ones in China. Chinese street vendors confronting severe policy restrictions from the government because they were defined as negative impacts on city appearance and distribution to disorder. In 2020, the Coronavirus epidemic outbreak hit the global economy, especially China's very early affected country. The epidemic outbreak increased the unemployment rate, slumped manufacturing activities and service industries. Therefore, after years of cracking down on street vendors, the Chinese government now allows them back on the streets to give its COVID ravaged economy a boost. It is effective at turning unemployed Chinese people into self- employed workers during the COVID outbreak. As local policies gradually take shape, that benefit the unemployed and revitalizes the economy. © Peter Lang GmbH Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften Berlin 2021. All rights reserved.

Legal Matters: The Legal Context of Health Informatics in Global Pandemics.

Law and regulation have not received much attention as part of the context shaping and being shaped by health informatics. Telemedicine, data, devices and software, and electronic health records (EHRs) are examples of how technologies are affected by privacy, intellectual property protections, and other law and regulation.

Virtual Mega-Meetings: Here to Stay?

Among the paradigms changed by the COVID-19 pandemic is the traditional academic and educational conference. In the vein of turning lemons into lemonade, many organizations and individuals have discovered ways that this public health necessitated change can be transformed into a boon to both participants and organizations. However, the question of whether this shift becomes permanent, or a component of the future of academic and educational meetings remains to be seen, and likely will depend on the solution to some of the challenges that have not been sweetened by the shift. This editorial draws on experience with a limited scope of virtual meetings in two different disciplines to make the case that the Virtual Mega-Conference is likely to continue to be a part of life in the years ahead.

While flattening the curve and raising the line, Africa should not forget street vending practices.

Street vending practices are common in Africa and cater to a large portion of the continent's population. Since the identification of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Africa, various governments have implemented measures to control the spread of infection. These measures may have an adverse effect on street vending practices. This paper demonstrates the extent to which COVID-19 measures of control and prevention affects street vending practices in Africa and how it can be remedied. There has been reduced economic growth and increased hunger among individuals involved in street vending practices due to the prohibitions put in place by governments. Measures directed at curbing the spread of the virus inadvertently affect street vending practices and vendors. Current and future pandemic response plans should reflect the integration of measures directed at reducing potential hardship and a further economic set back for individuals involved in street vending practices.