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Technical Assistance (technical + assistance)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	32%
Humanities and Social Sciences	25%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	25%
Psychology	7%
Earth and Environmental Science	7%

Selected Abstracts

An Evaluation of Client Satisfaction With Training Programs and Technical Assistance Provided by Florida's Coordinated School Health Program Office

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 9 2000
Robert M. Weiler
ABSTRACT: Client or customer satisfaction surveys assess the perceived quality of programs, products, services, and employee performance. Such assessments prove beneficial for evaluation and planning purposes. This survey examined the satisfaction of clients using the programs, services, and technical assistance provided through the Coordinated School Health Program Office (CSHPO) in the Florida Department of Education. Using the 42-item Client Satisfaction Survey, data were collected in summer 1999 from 300 of 574 clients (52.3%) who attended training sessions or sought technical assistance from CSHPO during 1996,1999. More than two-thirds (67.2%) of clients rated the training programs as "very good" or "excellent" at increasing their understanding about the concept of a coordinated school health program. Overall, 69.7% of clients rated the training programs they attended as "very good" or "excellent." Resource materials and staff effectiveness rated positively as well. Findings confirmed client satisfaction with CSHPO's training programs, technical assistance, and staff. Information obtained through the client satisfaction survey can be used by CSHPO to assist in future program planning and resource allocations. [source]

Aid and Reform in Failing States

ASIAN-PACIFIC ECONOMIC LITERATURE, Issue 1 2008
Lisa Chauvet
This paper reviews the policy implications of research on reform in failing states (Chauvet and Collier 2006, 2007a, 2007b, 2008; Chauvet et al. 2006; Chauvet et al. 2007a, 2007b). After providing a precise definition of state failure and reform in such states, we present the internal constraints impeding reform in failing states. Élite preferences and insufficient social knowledge seem to be the major constraints on reform. We find that financial aid tends to allow the ruling élite to postpone reform. Technical assistance, however, has some effectiveness in relaxing the capacity constraint to implement reform, notably right at the beginning of reform. [source]

Assessing prolonged recovery in first-episode psychosis

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2002
L. Wong
The Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) is a comprehensive, specialized treatment service for individuals residing in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne who are experiencing their first psychotic episode. A subprogramme of EPPIC, the Treatment Resistance Early Assessment Team (TREAT), has been developing a framework for the management of individuals experiencing ,prolonged recovery' in early psychosis. TREAT is a consultation team that provides technical assistance to clinicians within EPPIC, comprising senior clinicians with expertise in the biopsychosocial treatment of early psychosis and persisting positive and negative symptoms. A system has recently been set up within the TREAT framework to routinely assess clinical and functional outcomes of these clients using standardized instruments. Case managers are trained to conduct assessments at multiple timepoints over the duration of their clients' treatment at EPPIC. A summary will be presented on the current sample (n=15) and examples of clinician and client feedback reports will be illustrated. Discussion is also provided on the development of training, procedures and materials to enhance integration of clinician and client outcome measures into routine clinical practice. [source]

Reproductive health services for refugees by refugees: an example from Guinea

DISASTERS, Issue 1 2010
Anna Von Roenne
The need to involve refugees in their own reproductive health (RH) services has long been recognised, but there is a lack of published examples describing how this can be achieved collaboratively between refugee initiatives, UNHCR, bilateral development organisations and international relief agencies. This paper outlines the work, outputs and lessons learnt of the Reproductive Health Group (RHG), an organisation of Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugee midwives and laywomen providing RH services to fellow refugees in Guinea's Forest Region between 1996 and 2000. Working as part of the Guinean health system, RHG midwives and community facilitators helped make the RH services in their region the most effective in Guinea at the time. Looking at RHG's achievements, the challenges it faced and partly overcame, it is argued that refugee organisations can plan and implement RH services for refugees where UNHCR and its international partners ensure that they receive funding and technical assistance. [source]

Are aid agencies improving?

ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 52 2007
William Easterly
SUMMARY Are aid agencies improving? The record of the aid agencies over time seems to indicate weak evidence of progress in response to learning from experience, new knowledge, or changes in political climate. The few positive results are an increased sensitivity to per capita income of the recipient (although it happened long ago), a decline in the share of food aid, and a decline in aid tying. Most of the other evidence , increasing donor fragmentation, unchanged emphasis on technical assistance, little or no sign of increased selectivity with respect to policies and institutions, the adjustment lending-debt relief imbroglio , suggests an unchanged status quo, lack of response to new knowledge, and repetition of past mistakes. , William Easterly [source]

Nebraska pollution prevention project: Engineering education through technical assistance

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2003
Bruce I. Dvorak
First page of article [source]

Can America Finance Freedom?

FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS, Issue 4 2009
Assessing U.S. Democracy Promotion via Economic Statecraft
Recent discourse on U.S. efforts to promote democracy has focused on military activities; especially the strategic and normative perils of democracy promotion at the point of bayonets. This paper explores the United States' use of economic statecraft to foster democratization, with particular attention to democracy incentive and assistance strategies. Incentive approaches attempt to promote democracy from the top-down, by leveraging aid and trade privileges to persuade authoritarian leaders to implement political reform. Assistance approaches aim to induce democratization from the inside, through funding and technical assistance to state institutions, and from the bottom-up, by providing support to civil society and elections. This study finds that while top-down incentive approaches can stimulate democratic change, this strategy tends to work only when aid and trade benefits are conditional; that is, when benefits are withheld until recipient states meet rigorous democratic benchmarks. Washington has historically eschewed democratic conditionality, however, and thus can claim very few aid-induced or trade-induced democratization events. Scant evidence exists to demonstrate that inside approaches,that is, institutional aid,possesses significant capacity to induce democracy. It is the bottom-up approach,empowering the masses to compel democratic change,that has registered the greatest number of democracy promotion successes. [source]

A socioemotional intervention in a Latin American orphanage,

INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 5 2010
Robert B. McCall
A pilot intervention that emphasized training and technical assistance to promote warm, sensitive, and responsive one-on-one caregiver,child interactions primarily during feeding and bathing/changing was implemented using regular staff in a depressed orphanage for children birth to approximately 8 years of age in Latin America. Despite a variety of unanticipated irregularities in the implementation of the intervention, many beyond the researchers' control, ward environments improved; caregivers displayed more warm, sensitive, and responsive interactions with children; and children improved an average of 13.5 developmental quotient (DQ) points after 4+ months' exposure to the completed intervention. Furthermore, 82% of the children had DQs greater than 70 before the intervention, but only 27.8% did so afterward. Although the training for all caregivers was aimed at children birth to 3 years, the number of different caregivers was reduced, and technical assistance was provided only to caregivers serving children less than 3 years, younger and older children (3,8 years) improved approximately the same amount. However, children who were transitioned from a younger to an older ward during the intervention improved less than did children who remained in either a younger or an older ward, the first evidence suggesting that the common orphanage practice of periodically graduating children from one homogeneous age group to another may impede their development. The study is consistent with others that have shown that orphanages can be changed, and increases primarily in warm, sensitive, responsive caregiver,child interactions can produce improvements in children's development. Se implementó una intervención experimental piloto que enfatizaba entrenamiento y asistencia técnica con el fin de promover interacciones de uno a uno cálidas, sensibles y receptivas entre el niño y quien le presta el cuidado, usando el personal de servicio regular en un deprimente orfanato para niños recién nacidos hasta aproximadamente los 8 años de edad en América Latina. A pesar de la variedad de irregularidades no anticipadas en cuanto a la implementación de la intervención, muchas de ellas fuera del control de los investigadores, el ambiente de los pabellones mejoró; quienes prestaban el cuidado mostraron interacciones más cálidas, sensibles y receptivas con los niños; y los niños mejoraron hasta llegar a un promedio de 13.5 puntos en el cociente de desarrollo después de más de 4 meses de estar expuestos a la intervención completa. Es más, 82% de los niños tenía un cociente de desarrollo de menos de 70 antes de la intervención, pero solamente 27.8% tuvo ese resultado después de la misma. Aunque el entrenamiento para quienes prestaban el cuidado fue dirigido a niños recién nacidos hasta los 3 años de edad, y el número de diferentes prestadores de cuidado se redujo de tal manera que la asistencia técnica se les dio solamente a quienes cuidaban niños de menos de 3 años, tanto los niños más pequeños como los mayores (3-8 años) mejoraron aproximadamente la misma cantidad. Sin embargo, los niños que hicieron la transición de un pabellón para niños pequeños a uno para niños mayores durante la intervención mejoraron menos que los niños que permanecieron en el pabellón para niños pequeños o en el pabellón para niños mayores, lo cual representa la primera evidencia que sugiere que la práctica común en los orfanatos de periódicamente graduar niños de un grupo de edad homogénea y pasarlo a otro grupo pudiera impedir el desarrollo de los niños. El estudio es consistente con otros que muestran que los orfanatos pueden ser cambiados y que los incrementos primariamente en las interacciones cálidas, sensibles y receptivas entre el niño y quien le cuida pueden producir mejoras en el desarrollo de los niños. Une intervention pilote ayant mis l'accent sur la formation et l'assistance technique afin de promouvoir des interactions mode de soin-enfant personnalisées chaleureuses, sensibles et réceptives durant les repas et la bain/change ont été mises en place en utilisant un groupe d'employés habituels dans un orphelinat pauvre pour des enfants de la naissance à approximativement 8 ans en Amérique Latine. En dépit d'une variété d'irrégularités non anticipées durant la mise en application de l'intervention, beaucoup d'entre elles n'ayant pas pu être contrôlées par les chercheurs, les services de l'orphelinats ont progressé; les modes de soin ont fait preuve de plus d'interactions chaleureuses, sensibles et réceptives avec les enfants; et les enfants ont progressé d'une moyenne de 13,5 DQ points après quatre mois d'exposition et ce jusqu'à la fin de l'intervention. De plus, 82% des enfants avait des DQ inférieurs à 70 avant l'intervention, mais c'était seulement le cas de 27,8% d'entre eux après. Bien que la formation de tous les modes de soin avait eu pour but les enfants de la naissance à l'âge de trois ans, et bien que le nombre de modes de soin différents ait été réduit, et que l'assistance technique n'ait été donnée qu'aux modes de soin s'occupant des enfants de moins de trois ans, les enfants les plus jeunes et les enfants les plus vieux (3-8 ans) ont progressé à peu près de la même manière. Cependant, les enfants ayant transitionné d'un service pour les plus jeunes vers un service pour les âgés durant l'intervention ont moins progressé que les enfants étant restés soit dans un service pour les plus jeunes soit dans un service pour les plus âgés, les premières preuves suggérant que cette pratique commune dans un orphelinat de faire passer périodiquement les enfants d'une groupe d'âge homogène à un autre freine peut-être le développement. Cette étude s'accorde avec d'autres études qui montrent que les orphelinats peuvent être changés et que les augmentations avant tout dans les interactions mode de soin-enfant chaleureuses, sensibles et réceptives peuvent produire des améliorations dans le développement de l'enfant. Ein Pilot-Projekt mit Interventionscharakter und dem Ziel, durch Ausbildung und technische Unterstützung eine warme, sensible und angemessene eins-zu-eins Betreuer-Kind Interaktionen v. a. beim Füttern und Baden bzw. An- und Ausziehen zu ermöglichen, wurde innerhalb eines Waisenhauses für depressive Kindern im Alterspektrum Geburt bis ca. 8 Jahre in Lateinamerika umgesetzt. Trotz einer Vielzahl von unerwarteten Herausforderungen bei der Durchführung der Intervention, die von den Forschern nicht kontrolliert werden konnten, verbesserten sich Umweltfaktoren: Die Bezugspersonen zeigten wärmere, sensiblere und mehr angemessene Interaktionen mit den Kindern; die Kindern verbessert ihre DQ um durchschnittlich 13,5 Punkten, nachdem sie 4 oder mehr Monate an der Intervention teilnahmen. Außerdem hatte 82% der Kinder eine DQ <70 vor der Intervention, aber nur mehr 27,8% danach. Obwohl die Ausbildung für alle Pflegepersonen die mit Kindern im Alterbereich Geburt bis 3 Jahren ausgerichtet war und die Anzahl der verschiedenen Bezugspersonen reduziert wurde und technische Unterstützung nur für Pflegepersonen des o. g. Altersbereichs angeboten wurde, profitierten sowohl jüngere (0-3 Jahre) als auch ältere Kinder (3-8 Jahre) im gleichen Maße von der Intervention. Allerdings verbesserten sich die Kinder weniger, die von einer Station für jüngere Kinder auf eine Station für ältere Kinder während der Intervention wechselten. Dies weißt darauf hin, dass die gängige Praxis der altershomogenen Altersgruppen in Waisenhäusern möglicherweise deren Entwicklung behindert. Die Studie steht im Einklang mit anderen Untersuchungen, die auch aufzeigen, dass das Milieu in Waisenhäusern geändert werden kann und warme, sensible und angemessene Bezugsperson-Kind-Interaktionen zur Verbesserungen der Entwicklung von Kindern beitragen. [source]

The role of training and technical assistance in supporting the delivery of high quality services in Early Head Start

INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 1-2 2002
Tammy L. Mann
Training and technical assistance services have been an integral part of the fabric of support that Early Head Start (EHS) programs have utilized as they have worked to implement quality programs. In the same way that EHS has continued to evolve with increased program expansion, so too have the training and technical assistance support services. This article examines that nature of the early system of support and notes challenges that EHS programs faced during their first year of funding and the impact of these challenges on training and technical assistance support. The present day system is composed of a network of national and regional providers and federal staff working in partnership to support EHS programs. The nature of this network is described and recommendations for future areas of emphasis for training and technical assistance support are offered. ©2002 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source]

Installing the communities that care prevention system: implementation progress and fidelity in a randomized controlled trial

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
Rose K. Quinby
This article describes the degree to which high fidelity implementation of the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention operating system was reached during the first 18 months of intervention in 12 communities in the Community Youth Development Study, a 5-year group randomized controlled trial designed to test the efficacy of the CTC system. CTC installation in these communities included the delivery of six CTC trainings from certified CTC trainers at each site, the active involvement of locally selected and community-based CTC community coordinators, ongoing monitoring of progress using the CTC milestones and benchmarks, and proactive technical assistance and coaching. CTC implementation fidelity ratings averaged across three groups of raters show that between 89% and 100% of the CTC milestones in the first four phases of CTC implementation were "completely met" or "majority met" in the 12 intervention communities, indicating that the first four phases of the CTC system have been well implemented in the communities in this trial. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Corruption, Culture and Transferability: What Can Be Learned From Australia?

JOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2001
Peter Larmour
The Asian financial crisis is often blamed on ,corruption'. International banks and aid donors now promote technical assistance and training in corruption prevention, referring to the international best practice of Independent Commissions Against Corruption in Hong Kong or Sydney. However, it is often also argued that what counts as corruption is culturally specific, and that the incidence of petty corruption is related to low salaries. So lessons drawn from corruption prevention in Australia, for example, may not be transferable to other countries with different cultures and levels of income. This paper reflects on the experience of designing and teaching a course on corruption prevention for officials from developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It considers what counts as ,corruption', identifies different approaches towards prevention, and draws some conclusions about the transferability of Australian expertise. [source]

A Model Food Entrepreneur Assistance and Education Program: The Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION, Issue 4 2005
Michele R. Cranwell
ABSTRACT: The Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship (NECFE) is a collaborative effort between Cornell Univ. and the Univ. of Vermont. NECFE uses a multi-institutional and regional collaboration approach, with specific expertise and necessary facilities and resources, to provide technical assistance and education for businesses in the food industry. The overall goals of NECFE are to support and sustain rural businesses and promote sustainable economic development of rural communities. Through process evaluation techniques, the evaluators of NECFE identified 5 essential components of a model food entrepreneurship assistance and education center, based on NECFE's experience: (1) multi-institutional and regional collaboration, (2) expertise, (3) facilities and resources, (4) services, and (5) evaluation of the center. These components build on each other and enable NECFE to provide clients with access to current food processing technology, technical information, and education that are directly applicable to a real business. Through replication of this model, other organizations and academic institutions may establish a regional food entrepreneurship assistance and education center. [source]

Aid heterogeneity: looking at aid effectiveness from a different angle

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 8 2005
George Mavrotas
The paper uses an aid disaggregation approach to examine the impact of different aid modalities on the fiscal sector of the aid-recipient country. It uses time-series data on different types of development aid (project aid, programme aid, technical assistance and food aid) for Uganda, an important aid recipient in recent years, to estimate a model of fiscal response in the presence of aid which combines aid heterogeneity and endogenous aid. The empirical findings clearly suggest the importance of the above approach for delving deeper into aid effectiveness issues since different aid categories have different effects on key fiscal variables,an impact that could not be revealed if a single figure for aid were employed. Project and food aids appear to cause a reduction in public investment whereas programme aid and technical assistance are positively related to public investment. The same applies for government consumption. A negligible impact on government tax and non-tax revenues, and a strong displacement of government borrowing are also found. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

A General Dynamic Capability: Does it Propagate Business and Social Competencies in the Retail Food Industry?*

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 1 2006
Alfred A. Marcus
abstract Given that firms have both business and social goals, an important unanswered question is whether a general dynamic capability breeds competencies in both these areas. In studies of the US retail food industry, we find that while a general dynamic capability affects firms' competence in supply chain management (a business competency), it does not affect their competence in environmental management (a social competency). Firm mission and the extent to which firms obtain technical assistance are found to affect the acquisition of this latter competency. These findings offer insights into the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and provide lessons for corporate social responsibility. They reveal more precisely what a general dynamic capability yields and how far its reach extends, suggesting that the factors that drive competitive advantage are not the same as those that drive social responsibility. [source]

Follow-Up Comparisons of Intervention and Comparison Schools in a State Tobacco Prevention and Control Initiative

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 3 2006
Phyllis Gingiss
The intervention, which was funded through the Texas Department of State Health Services, consisted of guidance, training, technical assistance, and reimbursement of approximately $2000 per year for program expenses. Self-administered written surveys for Principals and Health Coordinators, based on the School Health Education Profile Tobacco Module, were designed for periodic assessment of the status of school programs. Surveys were sent in 2002 to intervention (n = 74) and comparison (n = 60) schools. Response to the Principal Survey was received from 109 (81%) schools, and response to the Health Coordinator Survey was received from 84 (63%) schools. Survey analysis showed that intervention schools more frequently (p , .05) reported: (1) being extremely or moderately active in student cessation support, teacher training, policy development, family involvement, and assessment of the prevention program; (2) using recommended curricula, offering more tobacco-related lessons, involving more teachers, and using more recommended teaching methods such as role-playing, simulations or practice, and peer educators; and (3) having more interest in staff development and more funding to purchase release time. Similarities across schools are provided, as well as recommendations for future planning. (J Sch Health. 2006;76(3):98-103) [source]

Using Technology to Teach Health: A Collaborative Pilot Project in Alabama

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 10 2002
Brian F. Geiger
ABSTRACT: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified six adolescent risk behaviors that contribute to chronic diseases and disorders, including poor dietary habits, sedentary lifestyle, and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. This project pilot-tested a "train-the-trainer" model to diffuse an interactive health education software program into Alabama middle schools during a school year. Developmentally appropriate content included nutrition, physical activity, and prevention of substance use. Twenty-four site facilitators selected from 18 public school systems trained 364 colleagues and 2,249 students to use the software. During a school year, facilitators created 150 student assignments; they reported increased interest among students in health instruction. An essential feature of the project involved an active partnership among the funder, state department of education, university, and public schools. Planners provided technical assistance through face-to-face interaction, distance learning, telephone and e-mail communications, and a Web site. Planners and facilitators worked together to overcome barriers to the use of technology for health instruction. [source]

An Evaluation of Client Satisfaction With Training Programs and Technical Assistance Provided by Florida's Coordinated School Health Program Office

Scaling up CBOs for second-order devolution in welfare reform

NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, Issue 4 2003
Dennis L. Poole
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 created a paradigm shift in the financing, organization, and delivery of welfare programs in the United States. The act shifted revenue and authority to states, giving them great discretion to determine the specifics of their programs. First-order devolution, combined with time limits and work requirements, set in motion a chain of events that moved Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients into the labor force and off state welfare rolls. Second-order devolution shifted revenue and authority to community-based organizations (CBOs) to help former recipients remain employed, advance to higher paying jobs, and move their families toward economic self-sufficiency. Early findings from project innovations in Texas and other states raise doubts about the capacity of these organizations to achieve these goals. State funders will need to provide ongoing technical assistance and support to "scale up" the capacity of CBOs to plan, implement, and manage local innovations in welfare reform. [source]

Assessment of Armenian local government corruption potential

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2009
Samuel Louis Coxson
Local government in many developing countries is prone to institutional and individual corruption. Using a set of questions developed for a Baseline Review of the status of procedures and practices of Armenian local governments, a general matrix was developed that may be applied to any local government in any country. The matrix looks at three broad areas where the potential for corruption has historically been high: awareness and reporting suspected corruption, procurement practices, and internal control practices and procedures. This article presents a methodology (the matrix questions) that will enable the development practitioner to rapidly assess the corruption potential and develop training or technical assistance to reduce the corruption potential. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Jump-Starting Collaboration: The ABCD Initiative and the Provision of Child Development Services through Medicaid and Collaborators

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 3 2008
Carolyn Berry
Many policy problems require governmental leaders to forge vast networks beyond their own hierarchical institutions. This essay explores the challenges of implementation in a networked institutional setting and incentives to induce coordination between agencies and promote quality implementation. It describes the national evaluation of the Assuring Better Child Health and Development program, a state-based program intended to increase and enhance the delivery of child development services for low-income children through the health care sector, using Medicaid as its primary vehicle. Using qualitative evaluation methods, the authors found that all states implemented programs that addressed their stated goals and made changes in Medicaid policies, regulations, or reimbursement mechanisms. The program catalyzed interagency cooperation and coordination. The authors conclude that even a modest level of external support and technical assistance can stimulate significant programmatic change and interorganizational linkages within public agencies to enhance provision of child development services. [source]

Preventing Local Government Fiscal Crises: The North Carolina Approach

PUBLIC BUDGETING AND FINANCE, Issue 3 2007
CHARLES K. COE
Some local governments face fiscal challenges due to mismanagement and declining economies. In particular, manufacturing states like Michigan and Ohio have been hard hit by the effects of international competition. To prevent fiscal distress from becoming a crisis, states exercise oversight over local government fiscal management. The three bond rating agencies consider the North Carolina oversight system a model. This paper discusses the North Carolina oversight system, including audit review, technical assistance, debt issuance, and power to take over the financial operations of distressed local units. [source]

Transforming the Delivery of Rural Health Care in Georgia: State Partnership Strategy for Developing Rural Health Networks

THE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 5 2003
Karen J. Minyard PhD
ABSTRACT: Since 1996, 19 networks covering 74 of the 127 rural counties in Georgia have emerged. This grassroots transformation of rural health care occurred through a series of partnerships launched by state government officials. These partnerships brought together national and state organizations to pool resources for investment in an evolving long-term strategy to develop rural health care networks. The strategy leveraged resources from partners, resulting in greater impact. Change was triggered and accelerated using an intensive, flexible technical assistance effort amplified by developmental grants to communities. These grants were made available for structural and organizational change in the community that would eventually lead to improved access and health status. Georgia's strategy for developing rural health networks consisted of 3 elements: a clear state vision and mission; investment partnerships; and proactive, flexible technical assistance. Retrospectively, it seems that the transformation occurred as a result of 5 phases of investment by state government and its partners. The first 2 phases involved data gathering as well as the provision of technical assistance to individual communities. The next 3 phases moved network development to a larger scale by working with multiple counties to create regional networks. The 5 phases represent increasing knowledge about and commitment to the vision of access to care and improved health status for rural populations. [source]

Hypothesis: Research in Otolaryngology Is Essential for Continued Improvement in Health Care,

THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 6 2002
Robert H. Mathog MD
Abstract The present report, in the form of a research proposal, is based on the hypothesis that research in otolaryngology is essential for continued improvement in health care. Examples of advances in otolaryngology as a result of research are noted, but for continued success, otolaryngology must maintain and find better ways to train clinically directed researchers. Traditional methods of training such as hands-on experience, courses in the basic principles of research, protected time, and mentoring are discussed and evaluated. Barriers to success such as age, time, and debt are noted. Potential solutions are presented with an emphasis on integration of the research and clinical training. Success of faculty will continue to depend on laboratory and financial support, technical assistance, protected time, salary equivalent to other faculty, and accessibility of research funds. For research to gain support and enthusiasm and to keep it strong and productive, cost-effectiveness and value must be recognized. [source]

Aquaculture information sources for small-scale fish farmers: the case of Ghana

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 13 2009
Kwamena K Quagrainie
Abstract The Ghana ministry of fisheries and the ministry of Agriculture provide free extension services and other technical services to fish farmers in Ghana, e.g. producing fingerlings at government-operated fish hatcheries for sale to farmers. Non-governmental organizations and universities have also provided some technical assistance to fish farmers in efforts towards the development of aquaculture in Ghana. The study identified the various sources of aquaculture information to Ghanaian fish farmers and examined the factors that affected their decision to utilize these alternative sources of information. Using choice modelling techniques, the study found that the probability of farmers seeking information on aquaculture from the Ghana government increases with literacy by about 43% more than with illiteracy and by about 34% with an increase in total size of ponds. The probability that a literate farmer will choose to obtain aquaculture information from a non-governmental organization decreased by about 10% compared with an illiterate farmer. The probability of choosing ,other sources' for aquaculture information increased by about 27% for farmers residing in Ashanti region compared with farmers in the Brong-Ahafo region but the probability of farmers seeking information from ,other sources' decreased with literacy and number of years farming. [source]

Technology for independence: a community-based resource center,

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 1 2003
Peter Blanck Ph.D.
Despite the prominence of the disability civil rights model,with its values of inclusion and empowerment,the majority of social and policy research conducted to date has not sufficiently included the perspective of persons with disabilities in the research process and as uniquely qualified researchers themselves. This article describes a new project, "Technology for Independence: A Community-Based Resource Center" (CBRC). Over a five-year period, the CBRC will attempt to enhance community and consumer-directed disability organizations to design, implement, and disseminate research that promotes access to and use of assistive technology (AT). The CBRC will use strategies such as leadership training, participatory action research, technical assistance, web- assisted training, and annual symposia. A primary goal of the CBRC is to increase the capacity of community organizations to conduct research on AT that is scientifically rigorous and relevant to disability services, policy, and law. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Therapeutic Equivalence , Clinical Issues and Statistical Methodology in Noninferiority Trials

BIOMETRICAL JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005
Axel Munk
This special issue on therapeutic equivalence contains a selection of 8 papers presented at the conference ,Therapeutic Equivalence , Clinical Issues and Statistical Methodology in Noninferiority Trials' held in Düsseldorf, December 12,13, 2003. The aim of this conference was to gather experts from academics, industry and regulatory agencies in the field of therapeutic equivalence, in particular of noninferiority trials. Originally initiated as a small workshop, it soon turned out that there is obviously strong need to discuss these challenging issues at a broader auditorium. Indeed, the feedback to this conference was overwhelming, finally more than 300 researchers participated. Hence the idea emerged to collect the results and discussions in a single journal issue. It took more than a year to finish it, and various activities in this rapidly developing area have been going on and were incorporated. We are very grateful to the Editors E. Brunner and M. Schumacher of the Biometrical Journal for their encouragement and support to publish this special issue on the occasion of this conference. Further, the technical assistance and expertise of G. Skipka and K. Thangavelu is gratefully acknowledged. We are also indebted to Peter Bauer and Stephen Senn for their discussions of the subsequent articles by Bristol, Freitag, Hauschke, Slacik-Erben, Hensen and Kaufmann, Hung, Wang and O'Neill, Lange and Freitag, Tsong and Zhang, Wellek, and last but not least we would like to thank Joachim Röhmel for his contribution to this special issue. Joachim Röhmel contributed significantly during the last three decades to various branches of biostatistical research, and in particular to the design and analysis of equivalence trials. The aim of this special issue is therefore twofold, it is also devoted to the occasion of Joachim Röhmel's retirement from BfArM in 2004. In the following we would briefly like to express our deep appreciation of his scientific work. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

English language proficiency and smoking prevalence among California's Asian Americans,

CANCER, Issue S12 2005
Hao Tang M.D., Ph.D.
Abstract The authors documented California's tobacco control initiatives for Asian Americans and the current tobacco use status among Asian subgroups and provide a discussion of the challenges ahead. The California Tobacco Control Program has employed a comprehensive approach to decrease tobacco use in Asian Americans, including ethnic-specific media campaigns, culturally competent interventions, and technical assistance and training networks. Surveillance of tobacco use among Asian Americans and the interpretation of the results have always been a challenge. Data from the 2001 The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) were analyzed to provide smoking prevalence estimates for all Asian Americans and Asian-American subgroups, including Korean, Filipino, Japanese, South Asian, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Current smoking prevalence was analyzed by gender and by English proficiency level. Cigarette smoking prevalence among Asian males in general was almost three times of that among Asian females. Korean and Vietnamese males had higher cigarette smoking prevalence rates than males in other subgroups. Although Asian females in general had low smoking prevalence rates, significant differences were found among Asian subgroups, from 1.1% (Vietnamese) to 12.7% (Japanese). Asian men who had high English proficiency were less likely to be smokers than men with lower English proficiency. Asian women with high English proficiency were more likely to be smokers than women with lower English proficiency. Smoking prevalence rates among Asian Americans in California differed significantly on the basis of ethnicity, gender, and English proficiency. English proficiency seemed to have the effect of reducing smoking prevalence rates among Asian males but had just the opposite effect among Asian females. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society. [source]