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In an attempt to enhance their effectiveness, public health institutions are making a great effort to develop online health care services targeted to all citizens. The initial acceptance of these services by patients is important but their success depends on its continued use, that is, on patients' electronic loyalty (eLoyalty). In this research, an integrated model combining the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Seddon's Model is developed to test online health care services success from a sample of 256 healthcare end users. The results obtained suggest that quality perception dimensions (i.e. information quality and system quality) are antecedents of perceptual dimensions of individual benefits (i.e., perceived usefulness and satisfaction) and of organizational impact dimensions (i.e. eLoyalty). In other words, by promoting the idea that citizens can become more aware of health care services success and respond to them, they will benefit themselves and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many companies are able to implement strategies that are critical for competitiveness through cooperation agreements and alliances with other agents. This study attempts to analyze cooperative relationships through an empirical study of agribusinesses in Murcia (Spain). The results suggest that approximately half of the agribusinesses engage in cooperative activities and that the most cooperative subsectors are those that pack and market the produce (exclusively or in addition to growing the crops). The growers subsector undertakes the fewest cooperative activities, whether with internal agents (suppliers, competitors and customers) or with external ones (research centres and associations). The main reasons for cooperation are access to new markets and overcoming commercial barriers. The most important results of cooperation are greater capacity and savings on resources. The best results are obtained by cooperating with suppliers and competitors, and to a lesser extent with associations. Cooperation with clients and research centres is not reflected in the results. Finally, since some companies do not cooperate with others, the reasons need to be analyzed, so this study determines the main threats to cooperation and proposes solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a two-year field study was carried out to analyse how satisfaction differs across the traditional and blended learning methods. Altogether, 21 courses for graduate and postgraduate engineering students were evaluated. Several variables and their relationship with student satisfaction in the first year, with all courses delivered in traditional mode, were compared with student satisfaction in the second year, which had the same courses delivered in blended mode. Results suggest that student satisfaction is greater in blended courses than in face-to-face courses. This can be explained because the levels of class attendance, motivation and collaboration with classmates were higher in blended learning than in classroom instruction. In addition, class attendance, access to teachers, collaboration with classmates and motivation were found to be leading predictors of student satisfaction in blended environments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background With the passing of time, knowledge like other resources can become obsolete. Thus, people in a healthcare system need to update their knowledge in order to keep pace with the ongoing changes in their operational environment. Information technology continually provides a great amount of new knowledge which can lead to healthcare professionals becoming overloaded with knowledge. This overloading can be alleviated by a process of unlearning which enables the professional to retain just the relevant and critical knowledge required to improve the quality of service provided by them. Objective This paper shows some of the tools and methods that Hospital-in-the-Home Units (HHUs) have used to update the physician–patient knowledge and the technology knowledge of the HHUs' personnel. Design A survey study was carried out in the HHU in Spanish health system in 2010. Setting Fifty-five doctors and 62 nurses belonging to 44 HHUs. Interventions None. Results Three hypotheses are presented and supported, which suggest that technology and physician–patient knowledge is related to the unlearning context and the unlearning context impacts positively on the quality of health services provided. Conclusion The key benefits of the unlearning context for the quality of service provided in HHUs are clear: it enables them to identify and replace poor practices and also avoids the reinvention of the wheel (e.g.: by minimizing unnecessary work caused by the use of poor methods) and it reduces costs through better productivity and efficiency (improving services to patients). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Spanish healthcare system has undergone important changes, particularly with respect to the development of new hospital services. Today, more than ever, the factors that define the nature and structured of the Spanish healthcare environment (e.g. demand, costs, system deregulation) are undergoing rapid change thus obliging hospital administrators to develop and implement flexible and adaptive strategies in order to survive in an increasingly challenging environment facing hospital management. This work examines how the existence of some learning practices is linked to knowledge transfer and how this component is linked to relational capital. These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of 54 doctors and 62 nurses belonging to 44 Hospital-in-the-Home Units. In an applied sense, the findings provide homecare practitioners with identifiable factors, which enable two learning models (conceptual and operational) and address the relevant issues by changing strategies at both the individual and organisational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the passing of time, knowledge like other resources can become obsolete. Thus, people in a healthcare system need to update their knowledge in order to keep pace with the ongoing changes in their operational environment. Information technology continually provides a great amount of new knowledge which can lead to healthcare professionals becoming overloaded with knowledge. This overloading can be alleviated by a process of unlearning which enables the professional to retain just the relevant and critical knowledge required to improve the quality of service provided by them.Objective: This paper shows some of the tools and methods that Hospital-in-the-Home Units (HHUs) have used to update the physician-patient knowledge and the technology knowledge of the HHUs' personnel.Design: A survey study was carried out in the HHU in Spanish health system in 2010.Setting: Fifty-five doctors and 62 nurses belonging to 44 HHUs.Interventions: None.Results: Three hypotheses are presented and supported, which suggest that technology and physician-patient knowledge is related to the unlearning context and the unlearning context impacts positively on the quality of health services provided.Conclusion: The key benefits of the unlearning context for the quality of service provided in HHUs are clear: it enables them to identify and replace poor practices and also avoids the reinvention of the wheel (e.g.: by minimizing unnecessary work caused by the use of poor methods) and it reduces costs through better productivity and efficiency (improving services to patients). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]