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- All Subjects: 19765
- Creators: Kroelinger, Michael D.
Social media sites focusing on health-related topics are rapidly gaining popularity among online health consumers, also known as "e-patients". The increasing adoption of social media by e-patients and their demand for reliable health information has prompted several health care organizations (HCOs) to establish their social media presence. HCOs are using social media to connect with current and potential e-patients, and improve patient education and overall quality of care. A significant benefit for HCOs in using social media could potentially be the improvement of their quality of care, as perceived by patients. Perceived quality of care is a key determinant of patients' experience and satisfaction with health care services, and has been a major focus of research. However, there is very little research on the relationship between patients' online social media experience and their perceived quality of care. The objective of this research was to evaluate e-patients' online experience with an HCO's social media sites and examine its impact on their perceived quality of care. Research methodology included a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data for this study was collected from Mayo Clinic's social media sites through an online survey. Descriptive statistics were used to identify basic demographic profiles of e-patients. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between online experience and perceived quality of care. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results showed a positive relationship between online experience and perceived quality of care. Qualitative data provided information about e-patients' attitudes and expectations from healthcare social media. Overall, results yielded insights on design and management of social media sites for e-patients, and integration of these online applications in the health care delivery process. This study is of value to HCOs, health communicators and social media designers, and will also serve as a foundation for subsequent studies in the area of health care social media.
Results revealed that lighting can affect four aspects of the overall dining experience; atmosphere, service, sociality, and food. This research revealed a new perspective when looking at the impact of lighting in a certain context, beyond the atmosphere perception. The results of qualitative data and quantitative data were combined and produced two main reference tables for lighting at upscale restaurant setting; lighting characteristics and approaches, and lighting fixtures. These two tables operate as guidelines for successful lighting practices in upscale restaurants. This research demonstrates the applicability of the ‘DineLight’ instrument to reveal new insights regarding the upscale dining experience, contributing not just to research in the area of lighting design, but also providing practical applications for restaurateurs and others in this industry.
This research aims at developing such a methodology for generating cost effective net zero energy solutions for school buildings. The Department of Energy (DOE) prototype primary school, meant to serve as the starting baseline, was modeled in the building energy simulation software eQUEST and made compliant with the requirement of ASHRAE 90.1-2007. Commonly used efficiency measures, for which credible initial cost and maintenance data were available, were selected as the parametric design set. An initial sensitivity analysis was conducted by using the Morris Method to rank the efficiency measures in terms of their importance and interaction strengths. A sequential search technique was adopted to search the solution space and identify combinations that lie near the Pareto-optimal front; this allowed various minimum cost design solutions to be identified corresponding to different energy savings levels.
Based on the results of this study, it was found that the cost optimal combination of measures over the 30 year analysis span resulted in an annual energy cost reduction of 47%, while net zero site energy conditions were achieved by the addition of a 435 kW photovoltaic generation system that covered 73% of the roof area. The simple payback period for the additional technology required to achieve NZE conditions was calculated to be 26.3 years and carried a 37.4% premium over the initial building construction cost. The study identifies future work in how to automate this computationally conservative search technique so that it can provide practical feedback to the building designer during all stages of the design process.