Service Context (service + context)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Understanding service context: development of a service pro forma to describe and measure elderly peoples' community and intermediate care services

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 5 2009
Susan A. Nancarrow PhD
Abstract The purpose of this paper was to develop a pro forma which classifies the components of service delivery and organization which may impact on the outcomes of elderly peoples' community and intermediate care services. The resulting analytic template provides a basis for comparison between services and may help guide service commissioning and development. A qualitative approach was used in which key evaluations and reports were selected on the basis that they described elderly peoples' community and intermediate care services. These were analysed systematically using a qualitative (template) approach to draw out the key themes used to describe services. Themes were then structured hierarchically into an analytic template. Seventeen key documents were analysed. The initial coding framework classified 334 themes describing intermediate care services. These items were then clustered into 78 categories, which were reduced to 17 subcategories, then six overall groupings to describe the services, namely; (1) context; (2) reason for the service; (3) service-users; (4) access to the service; (5) service structure; and (6) the organization of care. The resulting analytic template has been developed into a ,service pro forma' which can be used as a basis to describe and compare a range of services. We propose that all service evaluations should describe, in detail, their context in a comparable way, so that other services can learn from and/or apply the findings from these studies. [source]


Consumer sophistication and the role of emotion on satisfaction judgments within credence services

JOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 6 2007
Tony Garry
Evidence which demonstrates a link between the affective dimension and satisfaction in a tangible product based context is well documented. However, when placed in a credence service context the role of Affect becomes more complex. Previous research in this field has assumed consumer homogeneity when there is increasing evidence of consumer heterogeneity. This research attempts to address this by examining affective reactions to service encounters between two groups of respondents, one with the ability to make performance assessments about the service and one without. Findings suggest consumers of differing sophistication will vary in the way they form expectation and performance assessments about the technical, functional and affective components of credence services and that consumer sophistication may have a moderating influence on affective reactions evoked. This in turn has implications for the design and delivery of service offerings within such contexts. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


,Care': Moral concept or merely an organisational suffix?

JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2008
J. Clapton
Abstract Background Over recent decades, a couple of interesting trends have occurred in regard to human services practices in Australia. First, there has been a significant shift from practices that previously have intentionally responded to emerging and continuing human need within communities to practices that are now managed within a context of managerialism and influenced by market forces. Second, in such a changing context, increasingly, organisations have added the suffix ,care' to their organisational name. One is therefore left to consider why this latter change has occurred, and how is care being considered, particularly in organisations supporting people with intellectual disability (ID). Method A conceptual-theoretical analysis is undertaken to explore the characteristics of human services that embrace managerialism. The moral constructions of personhood in regard to people with ID within this service context are investigated; and the implications of how care is practised are considered. Results An immoral-amoral binary of personhood within an underpinning neo-liberal context is identified and analysed. Further analysis reveals a more insidious independent,dependent binary for people with an ID linked to a dominating Ethic of Normalcy. This latter binary suggests that care seemingly becomes neither ethically relevant nor legitimate for people with ID in managerialist service contexts. Conclusions Ethical transformation in regard to care is needed for contemporary human services practice for people with ID. The underpinning Ethic of Normalcy is challenged for an Ethic of Engagement; whereby a deep understanding of care as a moral concept needs to be at the core of practice, rather than merely attached in an organisational name. [source]


Customer perceptions of justice in service transactions: the effects of strong and weak ties

JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 7 2001
Robert L. Holbrook Jr
This research used a justice perspective to investigate the effects of outcome favorability, opportunity for voice, and interpersonal treatment in a service context. Results suggest that all three variables influenced customer reactions to bank loan decisions. Weak-tie customers were more sensitive to outcome favorability than strong-tie customers. Strong-tie customers were more sensitive to opportunity for voice than weak-tie customers. Implications for improving customer reactions to service transactions are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Views on nurse prescribing: a survey of community mental health nurses in the Republic of Ireland

JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 1 2009
J. WELLS phd rpn
A nurse prescribing scheme has recently been implemented within the Republic of Ireland. This paper reports on the views of community mental health nurses on nurse prescribing just prior to the implementation of the scheme. Data were gathered through a 13-item questionnaire administered to 103 members of the Association of Community Mental Health Nurses in Ireland. Results indicated a distinct difference of view between male and female community mental health nurses, with female nurses having greater reservations towards the desirability of nurse prescribing in relation to educational preparation and impact on professional relationships. Overall, only 17% of respondents favoured being supervised in their prescribing practice by their consultant psychiatrist. The paper concludes that there is ambivalence towards prescribing in this important group of nurses which may need to be taken into account if nurse prescribing is to be successfully implemented within the Irish mental health service context. [source]


Presentations of psychosis with violence: variations in different jurisdictions.

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 5 2008
A comparison of patients with psychosis in the high security hospitals of Scotland, England
Background International literature is consistent on there being a significant relationship between psychosis and violence, less so on its extent and nature, but two main presentational types are increasingly recognized. In one, people are unremarkable before onset of illness and psychotic symptoms commonly drive violence; in the other, psychosis is preceded by childhood conduct problems, associated with personality disorder, and psychotic symptoms seem less relevant. Aims To explore the extent to which variations in aspects of social and service context in different jurisdictions affect presentational type among people admitted to high security hospitals. Hypotheses There will be differences between jurisdictions in proportions of patients with pure psychosis or with psychosis and antecedent personality disorder, but symptom drive to violence will be more common in the pure psychosis group regardless of social, legal and service context. Method Independently conducted record studies were used to compare high security hospital patients with psychosis in Scotland and England, all resident between 25 August 1992 and 13 August 1993. Results The cohorts were similar in offence histories, predominance of schizophrenia, age at first hospitalization for psychosis and first high security hospitalization. More Scottish patients had co-morbid substance misuse diagnoses and/or personality disorder than patients in England. Psychotic symptom drive to the index offence was, however, four times more likely in the pure psychosis groups, regardless of sex, ethnic group or country. Scottish patients spent less time in high security after the index act. Conclusions Our hypotheses were sustained. Knowledge about lifestyle before onset of psychosis is important for interpreting literature on how psychotic symptoms relate to violence. This may also influence longer term outcome, although the shorter length of secure hospital stay in Scotland was perhaps affected more by greater availability of open ,step-down' beds. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Primary mental health workers in child and adolescent mental health services

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2004
Wendy Macdonald BSc PhD
Background., The interface between primary care and specialist services is increasingly seen as crucial in the effective management of child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) problems. In the United Kingdom, a new role of primary mental health worker (PMHW), has been established in order to achieve effective collaboration across the interface through the provision of clinical care in primary care settings and by improving the skills and confidence of primary care staff. However, little is known about the development of this innovative role in service contexts. Issues raised during the early stages of implementation may have important implications for the preparation and development of professionals who undertake the role. Aims., The aim of this paper is to report on a study that examined key issues in implementation of the PMHW role in six health authorities in England. Methods., Case study evaluation was conducted, using thematic analysis of 75 qualitative interviews with key stakeholders from different professions (e.g. PMHWs, general practitioners, health visitors, psychiatrists and service managers) and representing different sectors (primary care, specialist services and community child health services). Findings., The study identified three models of organization (outreach, primary care-based and teams). Each was associated with different advantages and disadvantages in its effects on referral rates to specialist services and the development of effective working relationships with primary care providers. Problems associated with accommodation and effective integration of PMHWs with specialist services, and tensions caused by the two different roles that PMHWs could undertake (direct clinical care vs. consultation-liaison) were common across all sites. Conclusions., The PMHW role is an important development that may go some way towards realizing the potential of primary care services in CAMH. The implementation of new roles and models of working in primary care is complex, but may be facilitated by effective planning with primary care providers, clear goals for staff, and a long-term perspective on service development. [source]


Black-White Differences in Tipping of Various Service Providers,

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 11 2004
Michael Lynn
Data from a national telephone survey revealed 4 general patterns in the tipping behaviors of Blacks and Whites. First, Blacks appear more likely than Whites to stiff commonly encountered service providers, but not less commonly encountered ones. Second, Blacks appear more likely than Whites to leave flat tip amounts to service providers who are commonly tipped a percentage of the bill, but not to service providers who are more rarely tipped a percentage of the bill. Third, Black percentage tippers leave a smaller average percentage of the bill than do White percentage tippers across many service contexts. Finally, Black flat tippers leave larger average dollar tips than do White flat tippers across many service contexts. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed briefly. [source]


,Care': Moral concept or merely an organisational suffix?

JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2008
J. Clapton
Abstract Background Over recent decades, a couple of interesting trends have occurred in regard to human services practices in Australia. First, there has been a significant shift from practices that previously have intentionally responded to emerging and continuing human need within communities to practices that are now managed within a context of managerialism and influenced by market forces. Second, in such a changing context, increasingly, organisations have added the suffix ,care' to their organisational name. One is therefore left to consider why this latter change has occurred, and how is care being considered, particularly in organisations supporting people with intellectual disability (ID). Method A conceptual-theoretical analysis is undertaken to explore the characteristics of human services that embrace managerialism. The moral constructions of personhood in regard to people with ID within this service context are investigated; and the implications of how care is practised are considered. Results An immoral-amoral binary of personhood within an underpinning neo-liberal context is identified and analysed. Further analysis reveals a more insidious independent,dependent binary for people with an ID linked to a dominating Ethic of Normalcy. This latter binary suggests that care seemingly becomes neither ethically relevant nor legitimate for people with ID in managerialist service contexts. Conclusions Ethical transformation in regard to care is needed for contemporary human services practice for people with ID. The underpinning Ethic of Normalcy is challenged for an Ethic of Engagement; whereby a deep understanding of care as a moral concept needs to be at the core of practice, rather than merely attached in an organisational name. [source]


Design conditions for learning in community service contexts

JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 4 2001
Caroline A. Bartel
In this study, we investigated team-based community service projects as action learning initiatives designed to facilitate two learning outcomes: community learning (knowledge of social, cultural, or economic issues) and personal learning (self-awareness of managerial attitudes and abilities). We developed hypotheses to predict critical input conditions for action learning that promote community and personal learning. We tested these hypotheses with data collected from 381 MBA students and their team leaders who participated in a variety of community service projects. Results demonstrated that design conditions (task characteristics, social interactions, and affective responses) influenced community and personal learning differently. We supplemented survey results with interview and observational data from a subset of participants and conclude with a discussion of the theoretical implications for action learning and practical recommendations for designing community service programs. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]