Monday, March 9, 2020

Tips for Concentration in Homework Preparation

Tips for Concentration in Homework Preparation No Distraction Homework: Tips on How to Make It Work Like it or not, but homework still makes an inevitable part of school routine and students have to deal with it. Sometimes inspiration comes fast, and it is possible to accomplish tasks relatively easy and without procrastination. But on most days, homework just won’t let you handle it by evading your efforts through numerous distractions and temptations, not to mention fatigue. Is there any medicine against this disease that will end your fighting with parents over homework and will relieve your guilt about not doing it right now? Well, unfortunately, no one has invented the pill to cure this trouble yet, but there is another way to alleviate your struggles. It can be named not medicine but procedures and routines that you can develop – and easily set yourself into working mood every day. But what if nothing helps at all? Then we welcome you to our site where experts in various academic fields can provide assistance and write assignments of every possible kind. So one way or another, we’re going to pull you through this daily drudgery. Getting into the Mood First of all, you should attune your mind to tasks at hand, and the rest will follow. Once you learn to persuade yourself to work and learn what ways of motivation and scheduling work for you, stick to them. Basically, you have to hit two major goals: weed out distractions and bring in your natural capacities that will boost productivity. These goals consist of several small and clear steps (you do them or learn them once and then set up a routine): Observe closely what exactly distracts you; Give yourself moments of thinking chaos; Set priorities and stick to them; Use your levels of energy; Put devices far away (if you cannot turn them off for some reason); Give yourself breaks; No multitasking; Reward yourself for accomplishing tasks. Now a bit more details about every step. To get rid of distraction you should know what they are. Dedicate some time during your homework sessions to noticing and recording what annoys you or pushes you off your track. If at home, it is TV speaking loud, parents talking, siblings playing games? If you work in a library, is it someone texting, pushing chairs, using messengers in loud mode? At home, you can ask your parents and siblings to keep quiet or close the doors, in a library the only thing you can do is use headphones with relaxing sound to keep distractions off. Thinking chaos follows us everywhere, it is a state of mind when your thoughts race around and concern everything at once. Keeping focus is hard, but it is a valuable skill. You can switch between focusing on tasks and giving yourself a moment of thinking chaos, and so keep the balance. You cannot avoid this chaos, but you can keep it at bay. Setting priorities is a commonplace (but valuable one): begin with more important and end with less important things. The energy level is usually high at the beginning of work or at some point not far from this beginning. You warm up your mind, focus, get the grip of the tasks and go. So plan the hardest parts for this energy peak, and go easier on yourself towards the end of the working session. Yes, devices are enemies of homework. You may tell yourself that you need them to ask friends about something related to school, but let’s face it: you just want to browse and chat. No way. Keep devices in other room and work. If you desperately need to change focus, try reading pages from a different assignment, or looking in the window. But no gadgets, please. It is directly linked to breaks in work. Do some exercise, get out of the house, talk to mom, but do not touch gadgets. They will not let you go back to work. Yes, it is better to do one thing at a time. If you try to combat your homework all at once, like reading textbooks for one class, writing a paper for another, and repeating stuff for a test for yet one more class, you will fail at everything. So do it one by one. This is a foolproof strategy. Yes. Rewards. Keep yourself motivated not by guilt but by positive stimuli. Have a snack, cuddle with a pet or find some other way to reward yourself when you have completed yet another task. Environment for Work Is a Key Not everything depends on your willpower, though. Place and time of your work matter as much. It is easy to say – make yourself a comfortable room, but not everyone has a room to oneself, it’s true. But you can work out a place where you feel comfortable and have access to computer and supplies like books, pens and paper, and where most distractions are removed. It can be your bed, a table in your room or in the kitchen, or even a floor nest complete with a bean bag. Just have this spot, and know that this is your sacred working cave. Have enough light and no loud noise. Sit comfortably, but not too sloppily (otherwise you will fall asleep). Time is also important. Of course, it is not possible to sit down to homework at fixed hours every day because you have other extracurricular activities, but keeping at least an approximate schedule is also good. If you know that you start doing it at about 6 or 7 p.m. every day, then you get in the right mental track even before you arrive home or pull out your books and handouts. So, proper place, time, change of activities and small incentives will work wonders. 7 Steps to Homework Without Procrastination Now some more tips on how to move to homework matters and proceed without extreme stress. Make a habit of your homework. Do not skip days and do not do it at a different time every day. Keep it scheduled and regular, and like with everything else, the habit to do homework will set in in 21 days. Keep a calendar crossing out these three weeks day by day – it is also a kind of motivation. Plan ahead. Yes, keep track of weekly assignments and distribute your time and efforts so that you did not face one more paper to write when you assumed you were done with homework. Rule our distractions and annoying factors. As discussed, put away gadgets and mute noise. Stick to your study place. It motivates and helps you stay focused. Divide large assignments into steps. It is especially important with large projects that will not fit into one evening of work. Keep track of such assignments and schedule how you will accomplish them bit by bit every day. Today you research and copy articles and read chapters. Tomorrow you outline, pick sources and compile rough reference list. The day after tomorrow you write the first draft. Then edict and complete the final reference list. Otherwise, you can panic facing such an assignment on the eve of the deadline, and you can get too relaxed if the deadline is far. Eat this frog in small servings, but every day, and you will finish it without many efforts. Do not hesitate to change the order of work if you get stuck on a single task. If you feel bored to death, change activities. Take some other subject, have a break. Boredom is as unproductive as distractions. Let yourself get some rest, make small breaks. Your mind needs to relax from time to time to give it this opportunity. Even complex equipment does not work all the time and requires switching off or standby mode to cool down and reboot. You need rest too, just do not make it too long and do not get drowning in the virtual world. We hope that we covered all the major points that can keep you focused on work. Apply them one by one, and you will get into a routine of doing homework. But if urgent or not so urgent help is needed – mind, we are always here for you with our writing services. Just let us know you need them.

Friday, February 21, 2020

The advantages of using Electronic Medical Records Essay

The advantages of using Electronic Medical Records - Essay Example The advantages of using Electronic Medical Records The implementation of EMR although will require initial investments, it will prove to be beneficial in the long run. The costs for maintaining paper records will be eliminated. Moreover, the plans for implementing EMR will be provided and required changes that have to be undertaken shall be discussed. Last but not the least, a fact sheet will be developed that will include generally and frequently asked questions for the colleagues to familiarize the concept of portable EMR. Overview In this world of technologies, where organizations from all industries are implementing modern technologies to simplify the work practices, medical institutions are not far behind. The record maintenance of patient information has become an important and common phenomenon in all medical organizations and institutions. It enables institutions for providing effective advice to the patients regarding any medical emergencies. Traditionally, institutions maintained records of the patients manually through files. However, this practice is not efficient while maintaining the records for a longer period of time. The files are prone to damages or being mismanaged due to mishandling or human carelessness. Thus, the need of maintaining patient information through electronic mediums has evolved and organizations have started to implement strategies for adopting the practices. EMR is a modern concept for protecting the information of the patients which enabled institutions for having access for a longer period of time. ... In addition, it provided the flexibility of switching vendors and accessing EMRs from various places. Thus, EMRs were made portable through Core Data Sets (CDs) and flash drives that could easily be carried and remains with the patients every time and everywhere (OntarioMD Practice IT Operations, 2011). Development American Nursing Informatics Association (ANIA) is a non-profit organization which deals in social welfare and well being of the people. The members of the organization have recognized the importance of maintaining the records of the patient information who have been assisted for treatments without their personal expenses. Furthermore, as the association deals with funds from various sources, information regarding the spending in treatment of patients should be maintained efficiently and for a longer period of time (American Nursing Informatics Association, 2012). The vendor associated with ANIA in providing and maintenance of the computer systems had stopped its dealings due to business failure. Therefore, the members recognized the urgency for contracting with a new systems vendor in providing efficient services. Therefore, portability of EMRs evolved as a necessary task in order to protect the patient information in case of any replacement or malfunctioning (American Nursing Informatics Association, 2012). In accordance with the HITECH Act proposed in 2009, all medical practitioners and organizations in the healthcare industry are required to implement various changes in order to maintain Electronic Health Records (EHR) or EMR of patients in the prescribed format. Although many organizations or practitioners objected due to the time and costs involved in the transitional phase, 48.3%

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Case Study Example This desk is responsible for giving out news reports, press release, handling media, approvals for advertisements, etc. The one window operation of interacting with media is what has been identified as a successful strategy by various marketing gurus. Consider the example of Barclays; the bank has a single media management window policy, whereby, the department is responsible for handling media related issues from press release to press conferences, from giving an employment ad in the newspaper to a product ad, everything from any department has to come to this media desk, and from there, it gets dispersed to the media. This not just ensures consistency of media management practices but also ensures that there is no misquotation of any management word in the media, since everything channelizes through this department, the statements prior to appearing in media are well modified to ensure that it complies with the given set of rules of the media desk. Another classical example is that of the FMCG firms like Unilever and P&G; if observed closely, it can be seen that the vacancy ads of these firms are highly standardized no matter which job it is for. Additionally, the product advertisements are also very standardized for the fact that the points that they should cover, the disclaimers, etc. This clearly indicates that the firm has a specialized advertising desk that is responsible for ensuring that certain particular ingredients are present in all ads that are given out by the respective firms. For any newer firm entering a particular business, it should be known media is a tremendous resource if utilized appropriately. Its utilization truly depends on how it is tackled by the firm. A business should establish a media desk whereby it is responsible for tackling all media affairs. As mentioned in the example of Barclays, a specialized media desk is effective for businesses because they create a relationship with media activities and their constant

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Functions of the Digestive System

Functions of the Digestive System Healthcare Support John Fenton PART A: Identify the parts of the Digestive System on the diagram overleaf(see Diagram 1) Explain the function of each part of the Digestive System identified in the diagram above ? Introduction: The branch of medicine focused on the digestive system is Gastroenterology. The digestive system is a set of organs that work on food and drink to break them down into substances the body can absorb so that our body can grow, repair itself, have energy to live life. The Digestive system also gets rid of the waste that the body cannot use. Some organs have a direct input into the breakdown of food where others have an indirect input in the breakdown. The digestive system is made up of 2 parts the alimentary canal is made up of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestines, and large intestines. In addition to the alimentary canal, there are several important Accessory organs that help your body to digest food they are teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. Mouth is where food and drink enter the body and it has many parts that aid in breaking up the food. The teeth which there is 32 of them made up of incisors canine and molars which cut and tear the food breaking it into smaller pieces (mechanical digestion) the tongue moisten the food with mucus and the saliva glands secrete saliva to help break it up into a pulp and amylase work on starch to break it down.so as the food leaves the mouth to go down the throat(pharynx) it is formed into a bolus or pulp which makes swallowing easier. At the top of the larynx there is a flap called the epiglottis which prevents food going towards the lungs but instead letting into the esophagus. Esophagus or windpipe is a muscular tube connecting the throat to the stomach this foodpipe forces the food down to the stomach using muscular waves called peristalsis and along with mucus from the esophagus. At the end of the esophagus there is the cardiac sphincter that allows the bolus into the stomach but prevents the food going back up the esophagus. Stomach: It is C shaped bag that hold food until it is ready to go into the small intestine. The stomach release hydrochloric acid which aid digestion but kills bacteria. The stomach mixes and churns the food with the help of the wave like muscles(peristalsis) and enzymes help to chemically break down the food when food leaves the stomach through the pyloric sphincter it is creamy and is called chime. Small Intestine: It is 7 metre long and it is like a coiled hose and is made up of 3 parts the duodenum, jejunum ileum 90% of the digestion both chemical and mechanical takes place here and some absorption into the bloodstream .The liver produces bile and sends it to the gall bladder and then empties the bile into the duodenum and pancreatic juices are also go into the duodenum in order to help in the breakdown of food. There is villa in the walls of the small intestine which makes absorption into the bloodstream possible. Large Intestine: is a long, thick tube about 2 Â ½ inches in diameter and about 5 feet long. It wraps around the small intestine. It has 3 parts ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon. The large intestine receives undigested food from the small intestine and reabsorbs water back into the bloodstream from the faeces. Some undigested carbohydrates cannot be absorbed and form part of the waste that needs to leave the body. There are bacteria in the large intestine which make important substance called vitamin K. Faeces in the large intestine exit the body through the anal canal. The liver is the largest gland in the body it is soft and reddish and brown in colour. It is not considered as a direct part of the digestive system. It produces bile that aids in digestion by breaking down material and help creating waste products that will later need to be eliminated from the body. It destroys harmful bacteria that come from the digestive tract and it stores important vitamins that is in the food The gall bladder is a pear shaped sac attached by the cystic and bile ducts to the liver, stores bile which is made by the liver in a concentrated form until it is needed. the lining has many folds.it secretes the bile when it is needed.it is a thick liquid. The Pancreas is a greyish pink gland organ shaped like a fish it is connected to the duodenum at its tail. The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine to complete the chemical digestion. The cells of the pancreas are divided into the islets of Langerhans(which produce insulin glucagon) help regulate the sugars in the blood pancreatic juice help to breakdown food. The juices contain lipose, amylase, trysin. Appendix: Is between the small and large intestine it a thin tube 4inches long, it is not known what its function is but it is suggested that it stores good bacteria. Rectum: Is 12cm long it is always empty except when it receives the contents of the colon(faeces) which it stores until it is excreted from the body through the anus. Anus:This is where the faeces leave the body it contains 2 muscles one involuntarily and the other voluntarily which means faeces can be held inside until the person is ready to excrete. The functions of the digestive system. are now complete they are ingestion, digestion, propulsion, absorption and elimination.(Course Notes (2015) (Tucker, 2012) Outline the composition of Proteins, Fats and Carbohydrates, and explain how each of them are digested and absorbed by the body? Introduction; All the food we eat needs to be broken down by the body in order for the body to be able to use it. Our diet has to be balanced in order that our body received the correct nutrients necessary for it to be maintained and for our bodies to function properly. The food pyramid outlines the components necessary for balanced healthy diet. See diagram below that helps us to understand the foods that contain Proteins Carbohydrates and fats and how they are beneficial to the body. (Course Notes (2015) (Tucker, 2012) Type Source Function Digested by Body Absorbed by the body Proteins eg Beans,fish,Cheese, Chicken, Meat Repair Maintain Body (Building blocks) Source of Energy for body Create some Hormones eg Insulin Stores Moves Molecules Creates Antibodies to prevent infection Important Enzymes The Enzymes Pepsin from Pancreas/Stomach/Small Intestine. As Amino Acids Fats eg Chocolate,milk,Butter, Olive Oil,Nuts. Provides Vitamins A,D,E,K. Insulates the body sustains body Temperature. Turns Fat into Energy Lipase Enzymes breakdown fat in small intestine Fatty Acids Glycerol Carbohydrates eg Potatoes, Cereal,bread Main Source of fuel. Easily used by the body for Energy. Stored in some Organs for use later. Important in Intestine and helps in waste Elimination Pancreatic Amylase works on Carbohydrates in the Duodenum As Monosaccharides PART B: Draw a diagram of a typical cell, and state the function of each of it’s Organelles.(See Diagram 2) Introduction: The cell is the smallest living unit there are 50 trillion cells in the human body that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Cells vary in shape and size and each part in a cell has a job to do which contribute to the function of the cell. A group of similar cells working together form tissue and a number of tissues make up an organ and a number of organs make up an organ system like the digestive system and when these systems work together the result is an individual with all system working together. Below is outlined the main components of an animal cell. Cell Membrane: Regulates and controls transport in(food Oxygen) and out(CO2 Waste) of the cell and also provides a boundary around the cell. Cytoplasm is a gel like material that lies between the cell membrane and the nucleus, contains water and nutrients and protects the cell. Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum: It has bumpy tissue and produces and moves proteins and hormones around the cell. Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum: making and distributing molecules depending on the type of cell with a smooth surface. Ribsomes: They are a circle shape and they build protein from amino acids for the cell. Golgi Body: It gathers simple molecules makes them into more complex molecules then packages them into vesicles and then either holds onto the material or sends it out of the cell. Mitochondria: The Powerhouse of the cell as they provide the energy for the cell. The DNA is also found here.it breaks down food and it releases energy to the cell. ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) is produced here and it powers the cells processes. Neuclear Membrane: holds substances inside the Nucleus allows material in and out between nucleus and cytoplasm.it is a protection layer for the nucleus. Neuleous:The main parts are DNA,RNA and proteins, the main function is helping in making ribosomes. Nucleus is a fibrous material, it is the control centre of the cell. It contains chromosomes with the DNA and materials leave the nucleus through the pores. Lysosomes: The disposal system of the cell, they breakdown complex proteins into simplier structures.it digests waste material and helps repair damage to the cell. Cilla: Is a hair like structure on the cell membrane moves substances along the surface of the cell and also helps to move the cell.(Course Notes (2015). Classify tissues into the four main groups; epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous, give an example of each ? (Table format will suffice) Introduction: The study of tissue is called histology. Tissues are the collection of cells with a similar structure and function. When the tissues work together they form into an organ. There are 4 types mentioned in table below. (Tucker, 2012) Type: Function: Example: Epithelial Tissue – covers body surfaces lines hollow organs Absorbs/Protects/Secretes/Filters Skin,Lines of organs body cavities ducts in glands,Intestines Connective Tissue – connects all other tissue in the body Gives support Rigidity to the body. Transports Oxygen Co2 in the body. Provide a cushion where bones meet Connecting Supporting other tissues Helps retain heat in the body Protects against disease Stretch Recoil Outer Protection of Organs Bones Cartilage Blood Areolar Adipose Lymphoid Yellow Elastic White Fibrous Muscle Tissue – bound together in bundles made up of water, proteins, fats,mineral salts, glycogen Mechanical digestion Body Movement Moves blood, food and waste through organs of body Smooth-Organ Walls –Involuntarily(not straited) Skeletal –Arms Legs – Voluntarily(striated) Cardiac – Heart Wall – Involuntarily (striated) Nervous Tissue made up of neurons neuralgia Controls transmit the impulses between the body organs via the neurons which are nerve cells Brain,Spinal Cord Nerves Explain the difference between benign and malignant tumours ? Benign Tumours: are not cancerous but are a mass of tissue that grow in an uncontrolled way but they can be removed. They do not spread to any other parts of the body and can be quite painful. Malignant Tumours: they are cancerous and they include cells that grow out of control and they often invade other cells and spread to other parts of the body. When a malignant tumour is removed there is a possibility that cancer will reappear in another part of the body for example a malignant tumour in the pancreas may reappear in the liver.(Course Notes (2015). PART C: Label the urinary system using the diagram overleaf. (See diagram 3) Explain the structure and function of each element of the Urinary System ? (5 marks) Introduction to Urinary System: Theurinary systemhelps get rid of waste product called urea from the body, which is produced when certain foods are broken down. The whole system includes two kidneys, two ureters, the bladder, two sphincter muscles and the urethra. Urine produced by the kidneys travels down the ureters to the bladder, and leaves the body through the urethra. The kidney is bean shaped and 11cm long. 25% of the blood that is in circulation goes through the kidneys there are 2 of them and they are reddish brown in colour it is made up of cortex on the outside and the medulla on the inside. Each kidney has on its surface more than a million twisted tubes called nephrons. The function of the kidneys is to filter out waste and toxins, reabsorb nutrients such as glucose and protein and then excrete waste. It is also responsible for osmoregulation which balances water and salts in the blood., Ureter carries urine from the kidney to the bladder and when there is fluid in them it makes the urine flow towards the bladder like the kidney there are 2 of them one attached to each kidney. The walls are thick and are able to contract they are situated between the kidneys and the bladder. Bladder it is a muscular sac like organ situated between ureter and urethra.it can expand when urine goes into it and then contract when urine leaves it. Its function is to store urine and send a message to the brain when it needs to be emptied. Urethra is a narrow tube longer in men that women its function is to take urine from the body to the outside but also takes semen to outside in men.(Course Notes (2015). Draw the structure of a Nephron and explain how it produces urine Diagram 4 ? (Google Images) There are over 2 million nephrons in the kidneys of an adult. (Tucker, 2012) There are a several structures that make up the nephron. The Glomerulus are tiny capillaries that look like a ball of wool and act as sieve where the blood is filtered. The glomerulus is surrounded by the Bowman’s Capsule. The Bowman’s capsule absorbs the material that is filtered from the glomerulus. As a result of the filtration process useful substances flow into the Tubule and from there they are reabsorbed into the bloodstream.The remaining substances in the tubule and any water that is useful is absorbed into the bloodstream. The material that is leftover is 95% water and cannot be used by the body it is called urine and this needs to be eliminated from the body. The urine moves from the tubule to the ureter. see diagram attached on separate sheet Name and explain three diseases / disorders which affect the urinary system ? Kidney Stones: The medical name for stones in the kidneys is Nephrolithiasis. It occurs when a solid mass of material forms together within the renal pelvis, bladder or ureters, After the Kidney stone has formed it will try to pass out in the urine but because of its size it will not be able to do so and this can cause severe pain in the abdomen or groin. There are several procedures to remove or break them down. Depending on the size will determine the treatment required if they are small your GP can give you medication that will reduce the kidney stone in size and then allow them to be passed out in the urine if they are much larger surgery may be required. This condition happens more frequently in men than in women. Urethritis:Is the swelling of the urethra resulting in a very painful discharge of urine sometimes caused by infection. There is 2 types of urethritis Gonococcal and nonspecific urethritis and this is caused by a big number of bacteria, yeast or chlamydia, it is diagnosed by sending a sample of a discharge from the urethra to the lab. Treatment will depend on the cause and appropriate antibiotics would clear the problem. Pyelonephritis is a bacterial or viral infection of the kidney and it can spread if not treated. People most at risk for pyelonephritis are those who have a bladder infection or a problem in the urinary tract. the possible symptoms are painful urination, groin pain, nausea and fever. In most cases the bacterial infection can be treated by antibiotics, it can be diagnosed in a variety of different ways through analysis of a urine sample and looking for the presence of white blood cells and bacteria, and through Ultrasound. http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/kidney-disease/pyelonephritis-kidney-infection/Pages/index.aspx#1 Bibliography/References Tucker, L., 2012. An Introductory Guide to Anatomy Physiology. 4th ed. London: EMS Publishing. John FentonPage 1

Monday, January 20, 2020

The Life of Socrates :: Ancient Rome Roman History

The Life of Socrates I. Socrates The most interesting and influential thinker in the fifth century was Socrates, whose dedication to careful reasoning transformed the entire enterprise. Since he sought genuine knowledge rather than mere victory over an opponent, He familiarized himself with the rhetoric and dialectics of the Sophists, the speculations of the Lonian philosophers, and the general culture of Periclean Athens. Socrates employed the same logical tricks developed by the Sophists to a new purpose, the pursuit of truth. Thus, his willingness to call everything into question and his determination to accept nothing less than an adequate account of the nature of things make him the first clear exponent of critical philosophy. Although he was well known during his own time for his conversational skills and public teaching, Socrates wrote nothing, so we are dependent upon his students (especially Kenophon and Plato) for any detailed knowledge of his methods and results. The trouble is that Plato was himself a philosopher who often injected his own theories into the dialogues he presented to the world as discussions between Socrates and other famous figures of the day. Nevertheless, it is usually assumed that at least the early dialogues of Plato provide a (fairly) accurate representation of Socrates himself. Socrates profoundly affected Western philosophy through his influence on Plato. Born in Athens, the son of Sophroniscus, a sculptor, and Phaenarete, a midwife, he received the regular elementary education in literature, music, and gymnastics. Initially, Socrates followed the craft of his father; according to a former tradition, he executed a statue group of the three Graces, which stood at the entrance to the Acropolis until the 2nd century AD. In the Peloponnesian War with Sparta he served as an infantryman with conspicuous bravery at the battles of Potidaea in 432-430BC, Delium in 424BC, and Amphipolis in 422BC. Socrates believed in the superiority of argument over writing and therefore spent the greater part of his mature life in the marketplace and public places of Athens, engaging in dialogue and argument with anyone who would listen or who would submit to interrogation. Socrates was reportedly unattractive in appearance and short of stature but was also extremely hardy and self-controlled. He enjoyed life immensely and achieved social popularity because of his ready wit and a keen sense of humor that was completely devoid of satire or cynicism. II. Attitude Toward Politics Socrates attitude toward politics was obedient, but generally steered clear of politics, restrained by what he believed to be divine warning.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Health Care Interface Design Essay

This paper is mainly discussing about the user interface design problems faced by the healthcare professionals in the healthcare industry with the applications in their handheld devices that assist them in dealing with daily routine work. The authors attempt to identify and address the key problems from the previous researches. To tackle these issues, a mobile user interface (UI) framework is reviewed as the basis for discussion and suggestion for improving future interface design for healthcare. The discussion also includes case study on the interface design of an existing medical applications available on iPhone as the example of evaluation. 1 Introduction In the dynamic healthcare industry, healthcare professionals are expected to be highly mobile, ready and on-the-go. Accessing instant medical information at work is required almost all the time. Instead of carrying bulky laptops around the workplace, most healthcare professionals are carrying with them handheld devices of either the Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or smart phone nowadays. The applications commonly used by the healthcare professionals are those that enable them to have access to patients’ information, drugs information and administrative functions (Honeybourne et al, 2006). In order to keep them competent at workplace, usability of the mobile application is of vital important in ensuring that information can be retrieved by the healthcare professionals instantly at all conditions. In view of this, the objective of this paper is to understand the difficulties faced by this group of people with their mobile application and to provide insightful solutions to th ese problems in the context of user interface design. 2 Healthcare Interface Design Healthcare interface design is one of the important aspects many researchers are focusing on over the past decades. It is increasingly supported by multiple technologies including human computer interaction and media interactive design to improve the efficiency and quality. Generally, IT has the potential to provide healthcare professionals with faster access to patient information mainly by electronic healthcare records (EHCR) and medical knowledge resources (Volsko, 2004). These functions are normally associated with the use of stationary computers but also available on mobile technology such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), which can be used in a more flexible way than the stationary computers. A PDA is a small handheld computer popular for calendar and note functions (Lundby, 2002) but nowadays, PDAs are also employed in various medical applications, as well as in business and education environments (Volsko, 2004). A PDA allows large volumes of updated information to be stored in the pocket. It is the substitution or complement to laptops because it works as efficiently as a wireless mobile device that implies reading and computing data including images in a hospital environment. With connection to a computer it allows regular backups, data transfer and software downloads (Huffstutler, Wyatt & Wright, 2002). Different healthcare professionals have used the PDA to a various extent for different tasks, such as accessing patient records, writing prescriptions, billing, performing medical computations, e-mail, accessing the internet and medical textbooks (Miller, Beattie & Butt, 2003). 3 Problem Statements Although the latest PDAs and handheld mobile devices have increasing capabilities in getting information, there are still several issues affecting the user’s ability to access and use the information. Based on the studies by other researchers, the key issues are identified and addressed as follows: 3.1 Only Part of Screen is used to Show Information. Several studies done by researchers, who involved in healthcare PDA interface design, found that most of the healthcare professionals are not happy with the interface when it comes to display of information. Internet-based information or database information is usually delivered though web browsers of PDA. If only part of the screen is used to display information, users are unable to view the full information. Typically, the medical information is delivered inside one display window on the handheld device. Only part of the information is seen as it squeezed with other elements, for example, navigation buttons, menu, and etc. to fit into the window. Most of the browsers in the computer are able to switch to full screen display and this function enable users to hide the unwanted toolbars temporary while increasing screen space for information display. However, this was not available on the browser of handheld device. 3.2 Scrolling is Not Good Design for Healthcare Interface Design On top of that, research shows that most of the users do not like the scrolling button. Especially for users of healthcare information, they all agreed with the suggestion that scrolling should be avoided or at least minimized. In some interface design researches (e.g. Albers & Kim, 2001); researchers propose dragging the content presented on a screen as another solution for this problem. But this way has been proved that users are still not comfortable in other studies. As mentioned in previous research papers, healthcare information in the PDA devices should be able to use visualization and interactivity and minimize amount of text as much as possible on a screen. Scrolling is obviously not function for this purpose. Usually, information of healthcare for learning is better to be designed in the way of representation, so that the information can be delivered only in one screen. Lots of experiences feedback has shown t hat large amounts of information can be organized and effectively presented in this way. 3.3 Switching between Portrait and Landscape Mode Switching between portrait and landscape mode is functionality that traditionally has been available as tailored functionality in specific applications, where the developers have found it useful. At least on the PocketPC platform, using only landscape mode as an alternative to portrait used to be quite common in games, but applications supporting both have been rare – at least for the application as such, it is more common for special features like showing a picture in full screen mode. During the last years, switching between landscape and portrait has become standard functionality in the operating system of most platforms (including Windows Mobile, Symbian S60v3 and v5, iPhone/iPod Touch ) and all included applications support the switching. Also, some devices supporting these platforms use landscape mode as standard when the built-in HW keyboard is used. This facilitates having a larger keyboard than models using platforms only offering portrait mode. 3.4 Handheld Devices is Harmful to Eyesight In the recent reports, users are concern with their handheld devices will have harmful impact to their eyesight, if users use the devices to search complex information, e.g. patient historic data, frequently and in long time. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (Spencer, 2006) stated that the impact of a small screen device might have serious impact on an individual’s eyesight. In this article, author described a case study, which can be used to prove that a person who uses PDA devices would be affected especially in eyesight. 3.5 Lack of Short Contacts and Task Centeredness A healthcare handheld device usually assists and supports a user in his or her activities, e.g., searching patient information, scheduling time for doctors, looking for relevant medicine information and so on. Most of handheld devices for healthcare do not provide the function, which is to plan user’s tasks simultaneously. The short contact with device is useful and usually short in terms of time (e.g., reviewing the tasks and timetables, computing the amount of medicine, viewing the professional introduction from remote doctors, or making a personal note). Considering this useful function, many healthcare interface users demand to have this way, which is provided short contacts and task centeredness in a simple action on a small screen. Healthcare information plays a significant role, which is supplements for user’s intelligence and supports their needs of rapid and convenience information retrieval way using the functions of the device at hand. Portability ensures dat abases or information is always available to access and provides support at anytime and anywhere whenever needed. 3.6 Lack of Rapid Interaction One of the healthcare interface design purpose is the information and database materials should be provided through visualization and interactivity and the devices can deliver all necessary information with a single screen. Some interactive elements are necessary, for example, hot-spots and button. Those elements would be integrated in a learning object should provide immediate feedback to the learner. Rapid interactions, such as moving a button, should result in immediate updates on the screen according to a user’s action. This is useful for healthcare information users, as they would change elements frequently but they don’t have enough time to modify every single element, which is affected by this change. Other alternative is the ability for customization services or functions for design interactive method to communicate with their handheld devices. They want to move or redesign the buttons, arrows and sliders depending on their needs. 4 Mobile User Interface Design In this section, the mobile user interface design guideline that has been identified will be addressed accordingly. The guideline that has been selected will be used in the subsequent section to resolve the common problems faced by the healthcare professionals with their current mobile applications (Zafar, 2009). 4.1 Learnability The mobile device should provide easy and simple interface for users when they firstly use the application. To define simple interface is where the application should only provide limited functions in the application to allow users to achieve the goal easily. Complex system will require users to explore and study each features provided in the application will eventually turn the users off. 4.2 Efficiency Efficiency in this context refers to the number of steps that required for user to accomplish the goal. Key task should be as direct as possible, key features are preferable to be available on the first page when the application is launched without wasting unnecessary time. 4.3 Memorability The user interface should be easy to use every time the users interact with the application. With simple and easy interface, user has higher tendency to use the application repeatedly, as memorability is related to the frequency of the users utilize the application. 4.4 Error Recovery Ideally, a perfect interface shall not allow mistakes, but in reality that there is always bug and errors for the applications. Therefore, application should be able to recovery from the error and return to the latest operation that has performed by the user to reduce data loss and damage to increase the confident of the users towards the application. 4.5 Simplicity Although the interface design should be easy and simple for all the usual task, nevertheless less common task need to be possible as well to provide a complete solution for the users. However, unnecessary functions should be avoided to reduce complexity. Lastly, visual design and layout should be uncluttered to attract users for re-using it. 4.6 Mapping The expectation of users towards the application is very important, the application should provide feedback and return result base on the action made by the users. As each feature / function should map the expectation of the users. 4.7 Visibility In term of the visibility perspective, important information should be visible at the application, while less important information can be display in the features or to be selected if necessary to reduce complexity of the interface at the glance for the users. But ultimately, understanding the users goal is crucial as that will determine the information / contents to be displayed in the main screen when the application is launched. 4.8 Feedback Being able to prompt appropriate feedback to the users so that users will be aware that the application is executing the action is important. By providing proper feedback, users will not tend to repeat the command or waiting if the application is running. 4.9 Consistency By satisfying users’ expectations towards the application, likewise functions should be displayed and acted in the consistent and systematic way across the application. There should not be many changes when users select each features of the application. 4.10 Satisfaction Ultimately, overall satisfaction of the users towards the application is the keynote. An application is successful if it is used repeatedly with good feedback from users and users are comfortable with each features provided in the application.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Review Of Michael Caton Jones And Central Station Directed...

Ludovica Bernabei Professor Prapopoulos ENC 1101 5 December 2016 THE LOSS OF CHILDHOOD DUE TO TRAUMAS The actions, emotions, and distorted memories of children may be the result of the interpretation of a subconscious mind aspiring to accept past experiences. Children register circumstances in an imprecise and unclear manner due to the sensibility and the naà ¯vetà © of their mind which may cause significant repercussions in their lives. The mind of children struggles to elaborate lived or witnessed traumatic experiences, which can result in a forced growth of the child in adulthood with various reactions such as restlessness, agitation, and fear of abandonment. Films such as This Boy’s Life directed by Michael Caton-Jones and Central Station directed by Walter Salles portray a journey of self-discovery of characters who faced challenging and tragic experiences throughout their childhood. Reactions to events people experience are unique and subjective to each individual being strictly related to the mind’s interpretation of the eve nt, therefore children define and defy simply based upon the child’s level of comprehension from lived or observed experiences. Francine Cournos, author of â€Å"The Trauma Of Profound Childhood Loss: A Personal And Professional Perspective† examines the relationship between childhood loss and trauma symptoms, having experienced family bereavement and being placed into foster care. â€Å"Evidence Based Trauma Treatment For Children And Youth† is an article