Background To evaluate the effect of a stand-alone mobile and web-based educational intervention (eHealth tool) compared to usual preparation of a first orthopedic consultation of patients with hip... Show moreBackground To evaluate the effect of a stand-alone mobile and web-based educational intervention (eHealth tool) compared to usual preparation of a first orthopedic consultation of patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) on patients' satisfaction. Methods A two-armed randomized controlled trial involving 286 patients with (suspicion of) hip or knee OA, randomly allocated to either receiving an educational eHealth tool to prepare their upcoming consultation (n = 144) or usual care (n = 142). Satisfaction with the consultation on three subscales (range 1-4) of the Consumer Quality Index (CQI - primary outcome) and knowledge (assessed using 22 statements on OA, range 0-22), treatment beliefs (assessed by the Treatment beliefs in OsteoArthritis questionnaire, range 1-5), assessment of patient's involvement in consultation by the surgeon (assessed on a 5-point Likert scale) and patient satisfaction with the outcome of the consultation (numeric rating scale), were assessed. Results No differences between groups were observed on the 3 subscales of the CQI (group difference (95% CI): communication 0.009 (- 0.10, 0.12), conduct - 0.02 (- 0.12, 0.07) and information provision 0.02 (- 0.18, 0.21)). Between group differences (95% CI) were in favor of the intervention group for knowledge (1.4 (0.6, 2.2)), negative beliefs regarding physical activities (- 0.19 (- 0.37, - 0.002) and pain medication (- 0.30 (- 0.49, - 0.01)). We found no differences on other secondary outcomes. Conclusions An educational eHealth tool to prepare a first orthopedic consultation for hip or knee OA does not result in higher patient satisfaction with the consultation, but it does influence cognitions about osteoarthritis. Show less
Walsh, B.M.; Plank, S. van der; Behrens, P.A. 2017
Consultation is the predominant method of community engagement in infrastructure development. Therefore, understanding stakeholder interactions within consultation is critical to acquiring a... Show moreConsultation is the predominant method of community engagement in infrastructure development. Therefore, understanding stakeholder interactions within consultation is critical to acquiring a social licence to operate. While previous research has focused on the factors which contribute to this social licence, little work has been conducted on how mining company consultation strategies influence perception formation. We explore how stakeholder expectations and experience of consultation impact perceptions of proposed mining projects. We undertook a case study of a proposed, large-scale, mineral sands mine in rural Australia using an open and closed-question questionnaire (n =32) and semi-structured interviews (n =20). We find that there are multiple, diverging understandings of the purpose of consultation both within and between stakeholder groups. The community experience of consultation drove negative perceptions of the proposed mine due to procedural and personal factors. We find several overlaps with the renewable energy (RE) literature, including: calls for two-way communication, (mis)trust of professional stakeholders, and the need for consistent and well-timed consultation. Other factors are not as common in the RE literature, and may be more specific to mining, such as stakeholder disenfranchisement misunderstood as apathy, calls for community involvement in agenda setting, the need for careful selection of company representatives, and the importance of meeting stakeholder expectations of consultation. Show less
The key objective of this research is to design a consultation model for the legislative process in fiscal matters. When tax laws are being drafted, such a model can be used as a tool to select... Show moreThe key objective of this research is to design a consultation model for the legislative process in fiscal matters. When tax laws are being drafted, such a model can be used as a tool to select the best possible consultation variant and the suitable stakeholders. I have analyzed six consultation methods with the aim of providing a framework for selecting the most effective one(s). I have described the structure and possible variants of each of these six methods and I have explained their strengths and weaknesses. Of fiscal stakeholder groups that may be consulted there are seven: taxpayers; tax consultants and their professional organizations; interest groups; academics; judges and the National Ombudsman; foreign authorities; and internal stakeholders. I have identified the consultation purposes to which the various stakeholder groups can usefully contribute as well as the considerations underlying the choice whether or not to consult a particular stakeholder group. As the manner in which a consultation procedure is executed can be a decisive success factor, the key stages of a sound consultation procedure and the considerations underlying them are also an integral part of this research. Show less
