Implications and Recommendations. There is evidence globally that DFS can improve financial inclusion, and financial inclusion can improve financial protection against the costs of health care. The more mature the DFS market, the greater the opportunity for health applications. Since the evolution of DFS in the MENA region is early stage, countries need to first help increase financial inclusion. The research and synthesis for this report was conducted in 2019 and early 2020, prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. DFS are a potentially powerful tool to help mitigate negative effects of the crisis. At the same time, the momentum for DFS expansion could be slowed as economies retrench during the protracted lockdown. The COVID-19 pandemic is thus both a barrier to and an opportunity for DFS to meet the financial needs of underserved populations. To support the dual objectives of financial inclusion and financial protection, we have organized our recommendations into two categories: recommendations to advance DFS in the region and recommendations focused on the health sector. A third set of recommendations is tailored to the COVID-19 response. These recommendations are intended to support private sector engagement with DFS stakeholders in support of national efforts toward self-reliance. Recommendations to strengthen financial inclusion • Support DFS regulatory reform through cross-border exchanges and technical assistance: The Central Banks of Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco have updated their banking regulations to encourage innovative applications to lower barriers to access. USAID should promote peer learning for regulators grappling with similar reforms in countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, and Lebanon through study tours, regional working groups, or online communities of practice. Consultants with expertise can share best practices and model language on particular topics such as cross-border remittances, biometric IDs, and consumer dispute resolution. • Invest in consumer education for improved financial literacy: To improve knowledge about DFS benefits and build demand for financial services, USAID should support financial literacy campaigns and skill-building courses. The need to increase awareness and technology skills for underserved populations exists across the region. USAID can leverage its initiatives in other sectors to engage local leaders, project teams, and community partners in financial education efforts through rural public service points such as schools or...
Implications and Recommendations. Public health officials have identified the need for advancing electronic reporting of reportable conditions for years through various initiatives. Utilizing existing systems of electronic reporting and adding additional layers of analysis can enhance electronic reporting efforts. The additional recommended layer is, to include the process of evaluation of the completeness of LOINC® trigger codes in the RCTC for Jurisdiction reportable conditions (Chlamydia, Pertussis, Salmonellosis, and Gonorrhea) by comparing them against codes currently in use by reference labs, public health labs, and clinical labs. The eCR initiative is an ongoing project and the RCTC volume will go up gradually as each reportable condition is added. The recommendation for future efforts would be to incorporate the evaluation and validation of all trigger codes (listed in RCTC guidelines) for reportable conditions. Future projects should include public health labs, and more clinical labs in addition to the national reference laboratories included in this study. The validation process is not a one-time effort, it should be an ongoing process, and since the use of LOINC® codes will continue to increase, it means each institution needs a process to maintain their local LOINC® mappings. The reference laboratories often conduct rare tests that hospital clinical labs do not conduct so there will always be new LOINC® codes to be included. For example now there is a new test for Xxxx virus that might have new LOINC® codes assigned along with SNOMED-CT and ICD-10 to it. The recommendation is to keep the RCTC and eCR flexible and up-to-date to accommodate the LOINC® codes used for upcoming new lab tests. Since the study could not validate the public health lab and clinical lab trigger codes, extending this research would be beneficial for to examine the completeness of trigger codes. The study recommendation from a process standpoint is that the LOINC® codes should be an integral part of EHR - Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) portal to facilitate the triggering of the first case encounter. Other recommendations would be to map local codes used by clinical laboratories for lab results reporting to SNOMED codes to facilitate trigger coding at the EHR. The study was conducted on smaller dataset (1080 records) for 4 piloted reportable conditions, and the study was still able to find significant findings in discrepancies between LOINC® codes used within 4 national reference labs and clinica...
Implications and Recommendations. Introduction Intimate partner violence is a global issue that affects many women and men around the world, and is linked to increased risk of acquiring HIV. This study is among the first to examine how spatial tools can be useful in understanding the geographic intersections of IPV and HIV. Additionally, it goes further to briefly examine the distribution of community-based HIV and IPV integrative support services in relation to HIV and IPV high-prevalence areas.
Implications and Recommendations. Given the currency of the research topic in Kazakhstan as it concerns one of the major subjects, “History of Kazakhstan” in the school curriculum and as critical thinking is one of the most commonly discussed educational competencies in contemporary times, the research findings have contributed to current knowledge and understanding of the implementation of the History curriculum integrating critical thinking and particularly of school teachers’ perception about it and factors that influence its implementation. Additionally, the research provides new insight into the relationship between enacted curriculum and planned curriculum in the history curriculum. It is the first study conducted to identify the teachers’ conceptualization of the planned and enacted curricula in the history curriculum in the country. As alignment between the two is crucial, the research identified major misalignments and shed light on issues concerning textbooks and official curriculum documents. My study highlights several implications and recommendations for educational policymakers and schools. While politicians may acknowledge that teachers play a crucial role in the implementation of the curriculum, they should also evaluate the gap between teachers and the professional body that creates the educational curriculum. They might profit from applying the study's findings to simplify the process of adopting the new history curriculum. Most teachers participating in my study do not have a comprehensive understanding of the nature and function of critical thinking in the historical subject matter. By setting up professional development courses that are specifically focused on this aspect of the new curriculum and critical thinking skills or by publishing more and better methodology and teaching guides and handbooks with effective implementation guidelines and instructions on the embedding of critical thinking skills, policymakers can assist teachers in greater understanding how to integrate critical thinking in the history subject. The availability of additional teaching resources, such as lesson plans and teacher manuals, may also be advantageous to teachers, as according to my findings, there appears to be a lack of resources and methodological materials which become a hindrance for teachers. Moreover, in order to make the curriculum of History of Kazakhstan more relevant to the academic level of mainstream pupils, policymakers may also need to make significant changes to the conten...
Implications and Recommendations. Although incidence of HIV infection and deaths among persons living with HIV has been decreasing, disparities among those infected continue to persist (NYCDOHMH, 2013a). In order to continue the trend of declining new HIV infections and death related to late diagnosis, we must continue to strive to increase testing and speedy linkage to care. This entails continuous efforts to educate and encourage people to get tested. Early testing and diagnosis is crucial as it improves health outcomes of individuals living with HIV Staten Island continues to see markedly lower testing rates when compared to the rest of NYC. In 2011, Staten Island reported the fewest number of HIV diagnoses but the highest proportion of concurrent HIV/AIDS diagnoses (34.9%) when compared to the other NYC boroughs (NYCDOHMH, 2012). It the highest percentage of residents of the five NYC boroughs that have never been tested (55.6%) and low provision of testing as only 18.9% reported being tested in the past 12 months (NYCDOHM, 2013b). The survey measured HIV testing two ways. The first was by asking if the respondent has ever been tested. The second asked when the most recent test was if they had responded that they had been tested previously. According to the results of this community-level survey, 85% reported having received an HIV at least once. Of those who reported having tested, 63% reported testing within the last 12 months. There are a number of reasons that could account for the differences between Staten Island’s borough wide testing data and that of the Status Check Project. As stated previously in the limitations, there was a possibility that respondents may have been exposed to other prevention programs in the area in an apparently higher prevalence of testing in the survey sample. Considering that the target population the survey sample that was drawn is considered high-risk for HIV infection, it is possible that they may have already been exposed to different other programs serving the area and of prevention messaging recommendation for testing. Another possible reason is that the borough wide data is not comparable to the specific population that was surveyed. Borough estimates may also play a role. The borough estimate regarding testing may be incorrect and testing is actually higher than reported for Staten Island. The implication of this possibility is that CHASI’s prevention work is not necessary as the testing prevalence is already high. The borough estimate and the e...
Implications and Recommendations. This study shows that there is a definite need for additional research on alternative tobacco products outside of cigarettes. The unknown effects of these products could be putting millions of people at risk, especially with the increase in popularity of all of these products. This study can lay the foundation for strategies in research, interventions, and tobacco cessation programs. This will give the public health field a chance to develop preventative health tactics from the results of future research. It is the duty of the public health field to educate the public about the benefits or risks that come with using one or more of these products. This study or similar studies should be conducted around the country to gauge the varying knowledge and attitudes of providers outside of Georgia and the southeast region of the United States. The culture here is very different than that of the Pacific Northwest, for example. In addition, it would be interesting to see the opinions of providers in the states and regions where marijuana is not legal. This could offer a great incite into what they have seen in their patient populations. Also, introducing focus groups to these types of studies could offer a great dialogue between healthcare providers. It would also be an asset if more nurses, physician’s assistants, and other allied health providers are included in future studies because sometimes they spend more time and interact more with the patients. Different perspectives can offer a lot to tobacco studies. Another recommendation is to introduce longitudinal studies with people who are using these products either consistently or occasionally to monitor the health effects. The results of these types of studies could inform the healthcare community on how to address this issue and if there will be adverse health effects. Leaving the healthcare providers in the dark about the subject is not an option.
Implications and Recommendations. Intensive recruitment techniques and a combination of tailored strategies may have the potential for reaching women who have traditionally been difficult to reach. Patient barriers may be overcome with the implementation of well-designed interventions that are based on the characteristics of the particular patient and provider populations. Further research may be needed to understand the effect of time on persistence of an intervention’s impact. SPC can be a powerful and versatile tool for managing changes in healthcare through quality improvement. The capability to control, improve and design processes, and then to monitor the effects of this work on results is needed to improve performance. Measurement alone may not be sufficient (reference). In addition to its role in helping to manage and improve healthcare processes, SPC can help clinicians and patients understand and improve the patient’s health when directly applied to health indicators. While quality improvement efforts may enhance healthcare, the financial environment in which these programs are being implemented should be understood in order to successfully sustain quality improvement efforts. Tables
Implications and Recommendations. Behavioral science research should focus on performing a comprehensive assessment of differences between differing trajectories of smoking when conducting formative research. Furthermore, behavioral scientists should use research on differences between individuals representing varying trajectories of smoking to develop tailored interventions to each group that can assist in the transition of smoking to cessation. Future research on this topic should focus on recruiting larger samples from multiple sites in the U.S. in order to obtain participants that would be representative of the U.S. college student population. Furthermore, future research should explore other methods of recruitment, such as in-person, telephone, or recruitment through university administrators, that may result in higher response rates. Lastly, future research should aim to examine different trajectories of smoking among nontraditional young adult populations such as non-college student populations that may have less access to tobacco-related health education. REFERENCES ACHA. (2008). American College Health Association: National College Health Assessment Spring 2007 Reference Group Data Report (Abridged). Journal of American College Health, 56(5), 469-479. doi:10.3200/XXXX.56.5.469-480 ACHA. (2009). American College Health Association: National College Health Assessment Spring 2008 Reference Group Data Report (Abridged). Journal of American College Health, 57(5), 477-488. Retrieved from xxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxx.xxx/docs/JACH_March_2009_SP08_Ref_Grp.pdf Xxxxxxxxx, X. (1999). Nicotine metabolism variability and nicotine addiction. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 1 Suppl 2, S59-62; discussion S69-70. doi:10.1080/14622299050011821 Xxxxxxxxx, X., & Xxxxxxx, L. A. (1999). Smoke constituent exposure and stage of change in black and white women cigarette smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 24(1), 115-120. doi:10.1016/S0306-4603(98)00031-8 Xxxxxxxxx, X., & Xxxxxxx, B. E. (2004). Menthol pharmacology and its potential impact on cigarette smoking behavior. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 6 Suppl 1, S17-28. doi:10.1080/14622200310001649469 Xxxxxx, X., & Xxxx, X. X. (2004). Convergent and concurrent validity of the Contemplation Ladder and XXXXX xxxxxx. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 73(3), 301-306. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2003.11.005 Xx, L. C., Xxxx, X. X., Xxxxx, X. X., Xxxxx, X. X., Xxxxxx, X. X., Xxx, X., et al. (2009). Symptoms of cough and shortness of breath among occasional young adult smokers. Nicotine & T...
Implications and Recommendations. Maternal health characteristics and mental disorders have long been assessed, and results have consistently shown these characteristics are linked to these disorders. Specifically, multiple studies have shown an increased risk for symptoms of psychopathology in children who were born with low or very low birth weights.2,40,41 Additionally, Xxxxxxxxx et al. found in a population-based prospective cohort study that maternal pre-pregnancy obesity was linked to child inattention symptoms in Sweden.42 Further, an Australian-based birth cohort study found that there was a robust association between increased risk of alcohol use disorders and early weaning.43 Even breastfeeding has been associated with low levels of conduct disorder symptoms.33 Few published studies were found in the literature assessing breastfeeding and ADHD specifically, but of those that were uncovered, they all had dissimilar results to the present analysis. Xxxxxx et al. used population-based cohort data to assess the association between breastfeeding and attention behavior in 400 young children (aged 4) in Spain. This study found breastfeeding to be associated with a lower risk of developing ADHD symptoms (relative risk of 0.56; 95% confidence interval 0.37-0.85 for 12-20 weeks of breastfeeding).34 Xxxxxx et al. controlled for birth weight, maternal social class, education level and smoking habits, all which were associated with duration of breastfeeding. The study type, the age of participants as well as the number of children included in the study may contribute to the differences in results from the present study. Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx et al. studied breastfeeding and ADHD symptoms in 100 children 4 to 11 years of age in Poland in a case-control study. The results indicate that a short duration of breastfeeding may be considered a risk factor for developing ADHD symptoms as the duration of breastfeeding was significantly greater in the in the control group (0.55 years) as compared with those that had ADHD symptoms (0.44 years; p<0.04).35 Additionally, 60% compared with 32.5% of children with ADHD and without ADHD, respectively, were breastfed for less than 3 months (p<0.05). Even though the population for this study was only 100 children, it evaluated children slightly older than the present study, which may contribute to the differing results. While breastfeeding has been linked to many health benefits in children, no published studies conducted in the U.S. have evaluated the relationship bet...
Implications and Recommendations. As discussed above, the prevailing perception about teacherpreneurship being a business activity only may negatively influence teachers and further development of this educational activity in Kazakhstan and the CIS region. It may deprive teachers of other crucial aspects of the entrepreneurial approach, such as introducing innovative solutions in education, piloting educational projects, facilitating teacher agency, and collaborating with outside agencies, including corporate, governmental, and non-governmental sectors. Moreover, it may form a wrong attitude in the society and professional community towards teacherpreneurs as being money-chasers or financially-driven educators. Therefore, it is very important that teachers, educators and other members of the teaching community must understand the professional benefits and opportunities that teacherpreneurship can offer for finding innovative local solutions to educational problems. However, the fact that study participants have a positive attitude toward engaging in teacherpreneurship gives the opportunities for further development. It increases the chances of the success of projects and reforms aimed at developing teacherpreneurship, which could motivate educators and decision-makers to pay attention to that concept and deeper study the nature of teacherpreneurship, tools that could be used for its development and values that underlie it. Nevertheless, being involved in teacherpreneurial activities only in the format of selling and buying educational products may narrow the practice of teacherpreneurship to its entrepreneurial side. Moreover, if teachers do not expand their understanding of teacherpreneurship, develop their teacherpreneurial skills, and improve collaboration with other teacher-sellers and customers, the teacherpreneurship phenomenon may remain obscure and unpopular approach in education field. Taking into account the research findings and possible implications I would recommend to take the following steps:
