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A simple but dependable electronic device, Con-Dis, has been developed to gain reliable information on elderly persons' perceptions of their well-being. The device has been tested and proven to be technically functional and dependable. It was tested in two care homes for the elderly and two private homes to evaluate whether it provided reliable information about the service quality. This report illustrates the practical usage of the device and shows its efficiency in gathering reliable service quality information from the focus group. The results suggest that Con-Dis is suitable for measuring the perceived service quality and seems to reduce the risk of too-positive evaluations.

Background: A simple but countable electronic device has been developed to gain reliable information on elderly patients' perceived well-being. The device has been tested and proven to be technically functional and countable. It was now tested in two care homes for the elderly and two private homes to evaluate if it provided solid information about the well-being of elderly persons. This report illustrates the practical usage of the device and shows its efficiency in gathering solid well-being information from the focus group. Methods: The test arrangement was carried out by assigning a group of volunteers (n = 10) in care homes for the elderly for two weeks. The time period was long enough to collect a sufficient amount of information to evaluate the perceived well-being of the test subjects. Perceived wellbeing was assessed by using a Con-Dis device and by filling out an attached questionnaire-RAI-at the same time. RAI consisted of questions concerning mood, pain and quality of life. A standardised RAVA questionnaire with 12 questions concerning test subject's health was also answered once during the two-week time period by each test subject. After the test period the data obtained by Con-Dis was compared with the findings collected using questionnaires. Results: A statistically significant correlation was found between perceived well-being (measured by Con-Dis) and questionnaire-based mood (r = 0,66, Pearson Correlation Coefficient) and quality of life (r = 0,68). No statistically significant correlation was found between perceived well-being and pain (r = 0,28). Technical functionality and feasibility of Con-Dis were good during the test period. Some problems arose because the test subjects were elderly and some in poor physical condition. Conclusion: On the basis of the collected results, the Con-Dis device presented information on the test subjects' perceived well-being that appeared to correlate with certain aspects of their health status. The test subjects' mood and quality of life but not pain had a statistically significant association with the perceived well-being level measured by Con-Dis.

This report illustrates the technical design for the monitoring system of well- being and demonstrates its feasibility in elderly people. The Con-Dis device consists of three buttons with a happy, neutral or unhappy face, each describing the mood of the patient. The functionality of the device was tested on 5 test persons who were asked to demonstrate their state of

Background: Hospital research administration is expected to provide improved work efficiency and service delivery in the upcoming years. Meanwhile, resources to support scientific research are dwindling, as is the amount of research support personnel. The aim of the study was to investigate the research admission's user needs, their opinions on the state of today's scientific research and also to assess its future development needs and find out whether a customer-oriented management philosophy such as Lean Thinking could be implemented in the research administration setting to enhance work processes and services. Methods: In this study, thematic interviews were used as a method. Kuopio University Hospital researchers (n = 7) and research administration personnel (n = 11) were interviewed. The interviews were carried out by one researcher and lasted on average approximately 60 minutes per interviewee. Results: The interviews revealed that several issues, such as bureaucracy, decreased attitudes towards research, lack of transparency and face-to-face customer service by the research administration, have hindered and complicated research work and service delivery. The study addressed a need for a comprehensive, linear, efficiency-and quality-oriented, user-focused management philosophy. Conclusions: The results of the study support implementation of a customer-oriented management philosophy into the research administration to improve its work processes and service delivery. Although Lean Thinking remains untested in the research administration setting, its fundamentals and strengths seem to answer many needs of the research administration.

Dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Science in Technology to be presented with due permission of the School of Science and Technology for public examination and debate in Auditorium S4 at Helsinki Aalto University (Espoo, Finland) on the 8th of October, 2010, at 12 noon.

Hospitals will be expected to work more efficiently in the upcoming years due to several factors, one of which is aging population groups. Meanwhile, healthcare resources are dwindling, as is the amount of available personnel. This paper examines interviews and questionnaires that were conducted to assess the experiences and effects of Lean implementation in two university hospitals. Several factors, such as emphasis on the participatory, user-centric design approach and integrating Lean as an integral part of the operational facility design process in both target hospitals have proven to be beneficial. This study delivers promising evidence from the two university hospitals, which supports the implementation of Lean in the healthcare sector for improving facility design and work processes.

Introduction.Old hospitals may promote inefficient patient care processes and safety. A new, functionally planned hospital presents a chance to create an environment that supports streamlined, patient-centered healthcare processes and adapts to users’ needs. This study depicts the phases of a facility planning project for pregnant women and newborn care processes (beginning of life process) at Turku University Hospital.Materials and Methods.Project design reports and meeting documents were utilized to assess the beginning of life process as well as the work processes of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.Results.The main elements of the facility design (FD) project included rigorous preparation for the FD phase, functional planning throughout the FD process, and setting key values: (1) family-centered care, (2) Lean thinking and Lean tools as the framework for the FD process, (3) safety, and (4) cooperation.Conclusions.A well-prepared FD project with sufficient insight into functio...

Tässä hankkeessa korostui se, että sairaalan johdon tulee viedä eteenpäin yhtä aikaa strategisesti tärkeitä sairaalan tutkimusja hoitoprosesseja ja sairaaloiden tilojen uudistamista toimintojen tarpeiden lähtökohdista. Osallistuva suunnittelu, jossa sairaalan henkilöstö on tiiviisti mukana työprosessien ja tilojen kehittämisessä, on tutkitusti eduksi hankkeiden läpiviennissä ja hyvän lopputuloksen varmistamiseksi. Sujuvilla työprosesseilla sekä terveellisillä ja turvallisilla työtiloilla kyetään edistämään terveydenhuoltohenkilöstön työhyvinvointia ja työn tuottavuutta. TUTKIMUSHANKEEEN LOPPURAPORTTI T e L e a n -h a n k k e e n lo p p u ra p o rtti

Aging people are forced to steadily extend their working-lives since the old-age dependency ratio will rise considerably in the near future. Meanwhile, social and healthcare resources will become increasingly scarce, although the need for healthcare and rehabilitation services is bound to increase. The aim of this study was to examine rehabilitation professionals’ experiences related to eHealth and technology in the rehabilitation process in the North Savo region. The research was carried out as a part of the European Social Fund (ESF) funded project ”Expertise and Business Network for  Rehabilitation Services in Northern Savo”. 30 rehabilitation workers were interviewed (67% women) in 2020. The participants were aged 24-60 years and their job titles were e.g. doctors, physiotherapists, practical nurses and community sector representatives. The interviews were carried out using a semi-structured format. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using the inductive cont...

We analyzed the effectiveness of sheltered housing and the quality of life of service users with the ASCOT-INT4 service user measure. We evaluated the suitability of the measure and the associations between service user characteristics, service quality and the unweighted SCRQoL and effectiveness. Our findings from interview surveys (N = 101) indicated that the service was more effective for clients with higher care needs and better SCRQoL was predicted by the satisfaction with the treatment received. The results show that good basic services were provided to but there were some shortcomings in the implementation of meaningful social relations and activities.

This is a follow-up study to a previous experiment that evaluated the feasibility of a simple monitoring device, Con-Dis, in assessing perceived well-being (PWB) among elderly people. Additionally, in the present study Con-Dis was used at the same time as blood pressure and heart rate monitors and pedometers to see the possible correlation between PWB, blood pressure, heart rate, and time spent on outdoor activity. The Con-Dis device proved technically functional, feasible, and informative throughout the four-week follow-up test period among elderly test subjects. In addition, PWB (measured by Con-Dis) appeared to correlate with mood, QoL, and time spent on outdoor activity.