The attitudes of health care staff to information technology: a comprehensive review of the research literature

Objectives: What does the publicly available literature tell us about the attitudes of health care staff to the development of information technology in practice, including the factors which influence them and the factors which may be used to change these attitudes? Methods: Twelve databases were searched for literature published between 2000 and 2005 that identified research related to information technology (IT), health professionals and attitude. English language studies were included which described primary research relating to the attitudes of one or more health care staff groups towards IT. Letters, personal viewpoints, reflections and opinion pieces were not included. Results: Complex factors contribute to the formation of attitudes towards IT. Many of the issues identified were around the flexibility of the systems and whether they were ‘fit for purpose’, along with the confidence and experience of the IT users. The literature suggests that attitudes of practitioners are a significant factor in the acceptance and efficiency of use of IT in practice. The literature also suggested that education and training was a factor for encouraging the use of IT systems. Conclusions: A range of key issues, such as the need for flexibility and usability, appropriate education and training and the need for the software to be ‘fit for purpose’, showed that organizations need to plan carefully when proposing the introduction of IT‐based systems into work practices. The studies reviewed did suggest that attitudes of health care professionals can be a significant factor in the acceptance and efficiency of use of IT in practice. Further qualitative and quantitative research is needed into the approaches that have most effect on the attitudes of health care staff towards IT.     

Influential Players in Twitter Networks of Libraries at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

This study presents an analysis of Twitter networks from academic libraries housed in medium-sized, primarily undergraduate universities. Previous investigations on this topic have used networks of followers, i.e. attention, to show that accounts associated with a library's home institution are the prime influencers in library Twitter networks. That is, they are in key positions to disseminate library-related information. The library itself was found to be positioned to contribute to the institution-wide conversation as well. Networks of followers, however, are susceptible to unwanted influence from inactive users. The present study utilizes networks constructed from tweeting behavior to identify influencers. These networks are, thus, insensitive to inactive followers. The results are compared to those of the previously published follower networks. The behavior networks are significantly smaller and contain far fewer interactions than the follower networks; however, institutional accounts are found to be the principal influencers in these networks as well. Additionally, the social network analysis allows for the quantification of relationship strengths. The closest relationships are between library/institutional and library/student accounts. The former demonstrates that the libraries are active participants in the university-wide exchanges on Twitter and the institutional accounts often include the libraries in their messages.     

Collaborate and Innovate: The Impact of Academic Librarians on the Commercialization of University Technology

The University of Arizona Library, in collaboration with the campus commercialization unit, created a partnership that contributes to the early development of inventions in the commercialization pipeline. The library-commercialization business-intelligence workgroup was incorporated into the overall campus commercialization business-development workflow in 2014 and is comprised of librarians and commercialization professionals working together to provide insight and decision support for development of commercialization strategies for inventions emerging from university research that aligns with market drivers. These efforts are recognized by university leadership as critical to the strategic plan of the university. This article discusses the impact of the workgroup and how the group of librarians contributed to the development of new companies, new licenses, and financial impact of economic development at a large land-grant university and larger community.     

All the Polling (Data) That’s Fit to Print? An Analysis of Online News Coverage of 2016 Primary Polls

As U.S. news outlets grapple with the challenges of delivering news in a digital era, journalists cover elections with tighter deadlines and fewer resources. Consequently, we are seeing an explosion in coverage of polls, which require little original reporting and attract readers through their “horse race” appeal. As the number of polls increases, news professionals are culling data from a wider spectrum of sources that vary in methodology and credibility. What remains unclear is how effective the news media are in providing polling context in their online coverage that is less limited by the space and time constraints of more traditional mediums. Utilizing the 2016 U.S. primaries, this exploratory study examines online news articles focused on polls to evaluate the quality of digital coverage across national news outlets.

Keywords: Campaigns and Elections; Content Analysis; Journalism; News Media; Political Communication     

Effects of Supervisor Social Influence,Nonverbal Immediacy,and Biological Sex on Subordinates' Perceptions of Job Satisfaction,Liking, and Supervisor Credibility

This study investigated the impact of supervisor biological sex, power use, and nonverbal immediacy on subordinates' satisfaction, liking for the supervisor, and perceptions of the supervisors' credibility. After viewing video scenarios of male and female supervisors engaging in nonverbally immediate (or nonimmediate) and prosocial (or antisocial) power use, subordinates reported perceptions of satisfaction, affect, and credibility. Results of the 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design indicated significant main effects for supervisor prosocial power and nonverbal immediacy. Although there were interaction effects, the variance accounted for was minimal. Supervisor prosocial power use and nonverbal immediacy were positively and significantly related to subordinates' self-reported satisfaction, liking for the supervisor, and work enjoyment. Supervisor biological sex did not show a relationship to any of the criterion variables. This study demonstrates that supervisors should maintain nonverbal immediacy and frame prosocial-type messages to preserve their credibility in the workplace.     

Welfare regimes and educational inequality: a cross‐national exploration

Research on welfare state regimes and research on educational policy share a common concern for the reduction of social inequality. On one hand, welfare state research is typically designed within a comparative approach where scholars investigate similarities and differences in social institutions across selected countries. On the other hand, the basic model of educational policy research is usually country specific and seldom identifies why and how we are to understand cross‐national differences pertaining to social inequality. The goal of the research is to bridge these two areas by testing socio‐economic gradients and educational outcomes among 15 industrialised countries (using 2003 PISA data) from a welfare state perspective. Results support Esping‐Andersen's ‘three worlds’ typology in that the level of between‐school educational inequality is the highest in conservative welfare states and is the lowest in social‐democratic countries.     

Hypermediating the Game Interface: The Alienation Effect in Violent Videogames and the Problem of Serious Play

This article looks at the practices of customization in violent urban videogames (such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas) that create “hypermediated” interfaces. Drawing from Bolter and Grusin's theory of hypermediation (which stands in contrast to immediate and immersive interfaces), this study looks at gaming practices that resist immediacy and instead focus on the disjunctions and contrasts created by forming avatars that starkly juxtapose their surroundings. Such an approach offers gamers the ability to create a space of cultural critique while simultaneously interrogating the term “serious game” because this category creates false binary oppositions between serious–trivial and serious–play.     

Extending the Empathic Communication Model of Burnout: Incorporating Individual Differences to Learn More about Workplace Emotion,Communicative Responsiveness,and Burnout

This field study contributes to the literature on emotional communication in the human-services industry. Specifically, this study extends the empathic communication model of burnout by incorporating individual differences to predict workplace emotion and communicative responsiveness. This extension has important implications for both research and knowledge on responsiveness, burnout, and workplace practices. A questionnaire filled out by 159 caregivers from a moderately sized human-services agency explored the role of self-monitoring and emotional intelligence in enhancing caregiver performance. Results indicate that those caregivers who can control their expressive behavior and manage their moods to maintain a sense of optimism are in a better position to respond emotionally and communicatively to distressed clients and resist job burnout.