Computer availability and principals' perceptions of online surveys(*).

BACKGROUND: School-based risk behavior surveys traditionally have been administered via paper-and-pencil. This study assessed the feasibility of conducting in-class online surveys in US high schools. METHODS: A paper-and-pencil questionnaire assessing computer availability and perceptions of online surveys was mailed to a nationally representative sample of public and private high school principals in fall 2008. Completed surveys were returned by principals from 580 of 704 selected schools. Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were computed. RESULTS: Most high schools have at least 1 computer lab, most computers in computer labs are connected to the Internet, and just under half of schools with a stationary computer lab had a sufficient number of computers to accommodate an in-class online survey administration. The 2 most common problems associated with online surveys were logistics of providing enough computers for an entire class and rotating classes into computer labs. Nearly two thirds of principals preferred online to paper-and-pencil surveys when administered to 4 randomly selected classes that met at different times during the school day, but less than half reported this preference when administered to 4 randomly selected classes that met at the same time during the school day. CONCLUSION: Many schools do not have sufficient computer capacity to participate in a voluntary in-class online survey. An online survey could impose significant perceived and actual burden on schools and therefore could result in unacceptably low school participation rates. Online administration for in-class surveys of students in US high schools are not recommended.

Video lottery terminal access and gambling among high school students in Montréal.

BACKGROUND: Gambling is a risky behaviour that involves uncertain financial outcomes, can be addictive, and has been associated with strongly adverse social and public health outcomes. We wanted to assess whether socio-economic and gambling-related-opportunity environments of neighbourhoods affected the uptake of video lottery terminal (VLT) gambling among Montréal youth. METHODS: Spatial and statistical analyses were conducted to examine geographical patterns of neighbourhood socio-economic conditions, VLT sites (n=407), and high school locations (n=305) within the Montréal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). VLT concentration within high school neighbourhoods was measured to examine how the number of VLT opportunities varies according to socio-economic status of the school neighbourhood. A student survey was analyzed using logistic regression analysis to explore the role of individual (student) characteristics and environmental (neighbourhood) characteristics in predicting the VLT gambling behaviours reported among a sample (n=1206) of high school students. RESULTS: Video lottery gambling opportunities are more prevalent near schools located in socio-economically deprived neighbourhoods compared with schools located in more affluent neighbourhoods. The principal individual risk factors for VLT gambling were shown to be male sex, peer VLT-use, substance use, as well as the after-school routines of youth. INTERPRETATION: The spatial distribution of VLTs reflects local geographies of socio-economic disadvantage and may have a pronounced impact on students attending schools in lower income neighbourhoods, especially those with individual risk factors. Efforts to reduce gambling-related public health costs may want to take into account the socio-spatial distribution of gambling opportunities, particularly in the local environments that youth frequent.

Workstations speed care delivery to critically ill.

A busy intensive-care unit in the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif., has begun to put the power of workstation technology to good use in caring for the facility's sickest patients. Adam Seiver, M.D., chief of general surgery, told Computers in Healthcare that the system tracks patient information far more accurately than the manual methods used previously. Before the system, a patient's ICU records were filed away after each 48-hour period. Now a complete history of the patient's ICU stay is accessible at the beside through the duration of the episode.

Bedside terminals can improve nursing efficiency.

Today's emphasis on cost containment and quality of care is leading hospitals to widen their automation focus from assisting financial departments to improving operations. Because acute nursing care accounts for a substantial portion of a hospital's personnel and services, developing an information system that places computer terminals at patient bedsides may lead to greater efficiency, among other benefits. Bedside access to information systems can mean that data is more accurately recorded and that nurses' time is more effectively spent on clinical care rather than clerical duties.