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- Title
- REDUCING NON-URGENT UTILIZATION OF THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT BY SELF-PAY PATIENTS: ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF A COMMUNITY-WIDE PROVIDER NETWORK.
- Creator
-
van Caulil, Karen, Liberman, Aaron, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a coordinated and comprehensive system of care for the uninsured changed the behavior of the uninsured by decreasing non-urgent utilization of the emergency departments within a large, urban county. The literature on emergency department trends and interventions designed to decrease "inappropriate" or non-urgent use of the emergency departments was reviewed and links to relevant theoretical concepts were identified. Utilization data from six...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine whether a coordinated and comprehensive system of care for the uninsured changed the behavior of the uninsured by decreasing non-urgent utilization of the emergency departments within a large, urban county. The literature on emergency department trends and interventions designed to decrease "inappropriate" or non-urgent use of the emergency departments was reviewed and links to relevant theoretical concepts were identified. Utilization data from six emergency departments and six federally qualified health centers were evaluated. Secondary data over a three-year time period were abstracted from patient and organizational records at the hospitals and federally qualified health centers. The utilization data from the emergency departments and health centers were compared. The analysis revealed a significant change in the number of non-urgent visits by self-pay patients at the emergency departments when the health centers expanded. A 32.2 percent decrease in utilization of the emergency departments by self-pay patients was found. Non-parametric tests demonstrated significant differences in the population seen at the emergency departments and the clinics over the three-year study period. Regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in non-urgent, self-pay visits at the emergency departments as a result of the increase in self-pay visits at the federally qualified health centers. Further analysis includes forecasting the impact of future federally qualified health centers on emergency department utilization. Recommendations for future research include evaluation of the increased numbers of non-urgent transports from the local emergency medical system by self-pay patients as well as the design of a pilot study to look at the effectiveness of transporting these patients to the federally qualified health centers for care instead of to the local emergency departments.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000436, ucf:46393
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000436
- Title
- OPTIMIZATION MODELS FOR EMERGENCY RELIEF SHELTER PLANNING FOR ANTICIPATED HURRICANE EVENTS.
- Creator
-
Sharawi, Abeer, Geiger, Christopher, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Natural disasters, specifically hurricanes, can cause catastrophic loss of life and property. In recent years, the United States has endured significant losses due to a series of devastating hurricanes (e.g., Hurricanes Charley and Ivan in 2004, and Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005). Several Federal authorities report that there are weaknesses in the emergency and disaster planning and response models that are currently employed in practice, thus creating a need for better decision models...
Show moreNatural disasters, specifically hurricanes, can cause catastrophic loss of life and property. In recent years, the United States has endured significant losses due to a series of devastating hurricanes (e.g., Hurricanes Charley and Ivan in 2004, and Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005). Several Federal authorities report that there are weaknesses in the emergency and disaster planning and response models that are currently employed in practice, thus creating a need for better decision models in emergency situations. The current models not only lack fast communication with emergency responders and the public, but are also inadequate for advising the pre-positioning of supplies at emergency shelters before the storm's impact. The problem of emergency evacuation relief shelter planning during anticipated hurricane events is addressed in this research. The shelter planning problem is modeled as a joint location-allocation-inventory problem, where the number and location of shelter facilities must be identified. In addition, the evacuating citizens must be assigned to the designated shelter facilities, and the amount of emergency supply inventory to pre-position at each facility must be determined. The objective is to minimize total emergency evacuation costs, which is equal to the combined facility opening and preparation cost, evacuee transportation cost and emergency supply inventory cost. A review of the emergency evacuation planning literature reveals that this class of problems has not been largely addressed to date. First, the emergency evacuation relief sheltering problem is formulated under deterministic conditions as a mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP) model. For three different evacuation scenarios, the proposed MINLP model yields a plan that identifies the locations of relief shelters for evacuees, the assignment of evacuees to those shelters and the amount of emergency supplies to stockpile in advance of an anticipated hurricane. The MINLP model is then used (with minor modifications) to explore the idea of equally distributing the evacuees across the open shelters. The results for the three different scenarios indicate that a balanced utilization of the open shelters is achieved with little increase in the total evacuation cost. Next, the MINLP is enhanced to consider the stochastic characteristics of both hurricane strength and projected trajectory, which can directly influence the storm's behavior. The hurricane's strength is based on its hurricane category according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Its trajectory is represented as a Markov chain, where the storm's path is modeled as transitions among states (i.e., coordinate locations) within a spherical coordinate system. A specific hurricane that made landfall in the state of Florida is used as a test case for the model. Finally, the stochastic model is employed within a robust optimization strategy, where several probable hurricane behavioral scenarios are solved. Then, a single, robust evacuation sheltering plan that provides the best results, not only in terms of maximum deviation of total evacuation cost across the likely scenarios, but also in terms of maximum deviation of unmet evacuee demand at the shelter locations, is generated. The practical value of this robust plan is quite significant. This plan should accommodate unexpected changes in the behavior of an approaching storm to a reasonable degree with minimal negative impact to the total evacuation cost and the fulfillment of evacuee demand at the shelter locations. Most importantly, the re-allocation and re-mobilization of emergency personnel and supplies are not required, which can cause confusion and potentially increase the response time of responders to the hurricane emergency. The computational results show the promise of this research and usefulness of the proposed models. This work is an initial step in addressing the simultaneous identification of shelter locations, assignment of citizens to those shelters, and determination of a policy for stockpiling emergency supplies in advance of a hurricane. Both the location-allocation problem and the inventory problem have been extensively and individually studied by researchers as well as practitioners. However, this joint location-allocation-inventory problem is a difficult problem to solve, especially in the presence of stochastic storm behavior. The proposed models, even in the deterministic case, are a significant step beyond the current state-of-the-art in the area of emergency and disaster planning.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001938, ucf:47446
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001938
- Title
- MEDIA INFLUENCE ON RISKY DRIVING BEHAVIORS AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND EMERGING ADULTS.
- Creator
-
Silberman, Kelly, Wright, Chrysalis, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Within the last few decades there has been an abundant increase in the amount of violent video games and movies shown within the media. Many of these violent video games and movies include reckless driving behaviors or certain car scenarios that engross the viewer into wishing to imitate the actions they see on the screen. With that being said, majority of these viewers are adolescents or emerging adults who are beginning to drive and are prone to replicating what they see as adequate driving...
Show moreWithin the last few decades there has been an abundant increase in the amount of violent video games and movies shown within the media. Many of these violent video games and movies include reckless driving behaviors or certain car scenarios that engross the viewer into wishing to imitate the actions they see on the screen. With that being said, majority of these viewers are adolescents or emerging adults who are beginning to drive and are prone to replicating what they see as adequate driving behaviors. The intent of this thesis is to indicate whether or not the amount of risky driving behaviors an adolescent or emerging adult is exposed to, the more likely they are to replicate these scenarios. Through the UCF Sona system participants answered questions related to risky driving behaviors, safety habits, and how often they viewed or played certain video games and movies. Overall, the results of the study indicate that participants exposed to risky driving behaviors in the media replicate these actions themselves. Further research and results should be taken into effect in order to raise awareness among adolescents and emerging adults who are at their early stages of driving.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFH0004680, ucf:45282
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004680
- Title
- DETERMINING COMMON PATTERNS OF GASTROINTESTINAL HEALTH IN EMERGING ADULTS: A LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS APPROACH.
- Creator
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Vivier, Helize, Cassisi, Jeffrey E., University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Emerging adulthood is often-overlooked in current gastrointestinal (GI) health research; however, epidemiological evidence suggests that GI disorders are increasing in this population. The purpose of this study was to first define common GI symptom subgroups within emerging adults and then to characterize these group differences with key biopsychosocial factors encompassing diet, depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as physical and social functioning related to quality of life. A total of...
Show moreEmerging adulthood is often-overlooked in current gastrointestinal (GI) health research; however, epidemiological evidence suggests that GI disorders are increasing in this population. The purpose of this study was to first define common GI symptom subgroups within emerging adults and then to characterize these group differences with key biopsychosocial factors encompassing diet, depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as physical and social functioning related to quality of life. A total of 956 emerging adults from a southeastern US university were surveyed on GI symptoms, psychosocial factors, and demographics. Latent class analysis uncovered three statistically significant GI symptom patterns within the sample identified by the degree of severity: Normal (n=649), Mild (n=257), and Moderate (n=50). This study demonstrated that significant impairment in GI functioning emerges at much earlier ages that are commonly assumed. In addition, these GI symptom levels were associated with important biopsychosocial factors. Assessing GI functioning in emerging adults may provide important insights into understanding the development of FGIDs.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFH2000461, ucf:45919
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000461
- Title
- EVALUATING INTERVENTIONS TO MITIGATE COMPASSION FATIGUE AMONG AT-RISK NURSING POPULATIONS.
- Creator
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Derayunan, Emily R, Andrews, Diane, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This thesis examined the experience of compassion fatigue in nurses through analysis of research studies conducted within the past ten years. A literature review was completed using CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases. Efficacy of current management strategies and interventions was evaluated. Findings indicate that educating nurses working in high-risk units improves self-recognition and lowers compassion fatigue levels. Institutional factors such as a lack of...
Show moreThis thesis examined the experience of compassion fatigue in nurses through analysis of research studies conducted within the past ten years. A literature review was completed using CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases. Efficacy of current management strategies and interventions was evaluated. Findings indicate that educating nurses working in high-risk units improves self-recognition and lowers compassion fatigue levels. Institutional factors such as a lack of managerial support and organizational commitment contribute to the experience of compassion fatigue. An organization's involvement in maximizing compassion satisfaction through meaningful recognition of nurses' contributions to care and implementation of organizational prevention programs minimizes the risk of developing compassion fatigue. Once self-recognition by nurses and organizations participation level in mitigating compassion fatigue is addressed, interventions can be implemented to attenuate the experience of compassion fatigue. Resiliency programs and mindfulness-based interventions were efficacious in mitigating compassion fatigue.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFH2000469, ucf:45723
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000469
- Title
- THE IMPACT OF MEDIA ON ATTITUDES TOWARD WOMEN AND SEXUAL ATTITUDES IN EMERGING ADULTS.
- Creator
-
Patrick, Melissa, Wright, Chrysalis, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between exposure to media variables and emerging adults' attitudes toward women and sex. Previous research indicated that exposure to media variables can influence the thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes of those exposed. The current study examined how age at exposure to media variables impacted attitudes about sex and attitudes toward women. Six-hundred and ninety four college students were given a questionnaire containing an...
Show moreThe purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between exposure to media variables and emerging adults' attitudes toward women and sex. Previous research indicated that exposure to media variables can influence the thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes of those exposed. The current study examined how age at exposure to media variables impacted attitudes about sex and attitudes toward women. Six-hundred and ninety four college students were given a questionnaire containing an attitudes toward women scale, a sexual attitudes scale, and a media viewing questionnaire. ANOVAS and linear regressions were performed on the data and results for the study were significant. Results indicated that age of media exposure impacted sexual attitudes and attitudes toward women.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004521, ucf:45171
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004521
- Title
- An Index to Measure Efficiency of Hospital Networks for Mass Casualty Disasters.
- Creator
-
Bull Torres, Maria, Sepulveda, Jose, Sala-Diakanda, Serge, Geiger, Christopher, Kapucu, Naim, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Disaster events have emphasized the importance of healthcare response activities due to the large number of victims. For instance, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, in 2005, and the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001, left thousands of wounded people. In those disasters, although hospitals had disaster plans established for more than a decade, their plans were not efficient enough to handle the chaos produced by the hurricane and terrorist attacks....
Show moreDisaster events have emphasized the importance of healthcare response activities due to the large number of victims. For instance, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, in 2005, and the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001, left thousands of wounded people. In those disasters, although hospitals had disaster plans established for more than a decade, their plans were not efficient enough to handle the chaos produced by the hurricane and terrorist attacks. Thus, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) suggested collaborative planning among hospitals that provide services to a contiguous geographic area during mass casualty disasters. However, the JCAHO does not specify a methodology to determine which hospitals should be included into these cooperative plans. As a result, the problem of selecting the right hospitals to include in exercises and drills at the county level is a common topic in the current preparedness stages. This study proposes an efficiency index to determine the efficient response of cooperative-networks among hospitals before an occurrence of mass casualty disaster. The index built in this research combines operations research techniques, and the prediction of this index used statistical analysis. The consecutive application of three different techniques: network optimization, data envelopment analysis (DEA), and regression analysis allowed to obtain a regression equation to predict efficiency in predefined hospital networks for mass casualty disasters. In order to apply the proposed methodology for creating an efficiency index, we selected the Orlando area, and we defined three disaster sizes. Then, we designed networks considering two perspectives, hub-hospital and hub-disaster networks. In both optimization network models the objective function pursued to: reduce the travel distance and the emergency department (ED) waiting time in hospitals, increase the number of services offered by hospitals in the network, and offer specialized assistance to children. The hospital network optimization generated information for 75 hospital networks in Orlando. The DEA analyzed these 75 hospital networks, or decision making units (DMU's), to estimate their comparative efficiency. Two DEAs were performed in this study. As an output variable for each DMU, the DEA-1 considered the number of survivors allocated in less than a 40 miles range. As the input variables, the DEA-1 included: (i) The number of beds available in the network; (ii) The number of hospitals available in the network; and (iii) The number of services offered by hospitals in the network. This DEA-1 allowed the assignment of an efficiency value to each of the 75 hospital networks. As output variables for each DMU, the DEA-2 considered the number of survivors allocated in less than a 40 miles range and an index for ED waiting time in the network. The input variables included in DEA-2 are (i) The number of beds available in the network; (ii) The number of hospitals available in the network; and (iii) The number of services offered by hospitals in the network. These DEA allowed the assignment of an efficiency value to each of the 75 hospital networks. This efficiency index should allow emergency planners and hospital managers to assess which hospitals should be associated in a cooperative network in order to transfer survivors. Furthermore, JCAHO could use this index to evaluate the cooperating emergency hospitals' plans.However, DEA is a complex methodology that requires significant data gathering and handling. Thus, we studied whether a simpler regression analysis would substantially yield the same results. DEA-1 can be predicted using two regression analyses, which concluded that the average distances between hospitals and the disaster locations, and the size of the disaster explain the efficiency of the hospital network. DEA-2 can be predicted using three regressions, which included size of the disaster, number of hospitals, average distance, and average ED waiting time, as predictors of hospital network efficiency. The models generated for DEA-1 and DEA-2 had a mean absolute percent error (MAPE) around 10%. Thus, the indexes developed through the regression analysis make easier the estimation of the efficiency in predefined hospital networks, generating suitable predictors of the efficiency as determined by the DEA analysis. In conclusion, network optimization, DEA, and regressions analyses can be combined to create an index of efficiency to measure the performance of predefined-hospital networks in a mass casualty disaster, validating the hypothesis of this research.Although the methodology can be applied to any county or city, the regressions proposed for predicting the efficiency of hospital network estimated by DEA can be applied only if the city studied has the same characteristics of the Orlando area. These conditions include the following: (i) networks must have a rate of services lager than 0.76; (ii) the number of survivors must be less than 47% of the bed capacity EDs of the area studied; (iii) all hospitals in the network must have ED and they must be located in less than 48 miles range from the disaster sites, and (iv) EDs should not have more than 60 minutes of waiting time.The proposed methodology, in special the efficiency index, support the operational objectives of the 2012 ESF#8 for Florida State to handle risk and response capabilities conducting and participating in training and exercises to test and improve plans and procedures in the health response.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004524, ucf:49290
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004524
- Title
- Stressors Experienced by Emergency Department Registered Nurses at the Bedside: A Phenomenological Study.
- Creator
-
Heglund, Stephen, Wink, Diane, Andrews, Diane, Leuner, Jean, Malvey, Donna, Chase, Susan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The Emergency Department (ED) as a workplace for the Registered Nurse (RN) is a stressful environment. Reasons are thought to include interactions with other members of the interdisciplinary team as well as the situations associated with the environment of the ED such as trauma, death, sadness, joy and the general unpredictability of each moment. Studies have documented general health care workplace stress and its influence on staff, but a very limited number of studies have concentrated on...
Show moreThe Emergency Department (ED) as a workplace for the Registered Nurse (RN) is a stressful environment. Reasons are thought to include interactions with other members of the interdisciplinary team as well as the situations associated with the environment of the ED such as trauma, death, sadness, joy and the general unpredictability of each moment. Studies have documented general health care workplace stress and its influence on staff, but a very limited number of studies have concentrated on the ED. No widely published studies have identified stressors from the perspective of the ED RN.This dissertation is an interpretive phenomenological study that seeks to understand the experience of being an ED RN through the exploration of the perceptions of stress as lived by individuals who practice their art and science in this unique setting. Materials for evaluation and thematic identification were obtained through personal interviews of practicing nurses. The stories told by the participants communicated what each individual found to be negatively stressful as well as what each found to be positively stressful.Conclusions based on the findings of this work suggest a need for the ED RN to be able to depend on the presence of several factors in order to be able to function with as little distress as possible. The optimal ED environment for the RN is posited to be supportive of the individual goals of the RN, provide adequate resources and foster a communicative interdisciplinary environment. Recommendations are made to improve resource management and interdisciplinary relations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004384, ucf:49408
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004384
- Title
- THE EFFECTS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIPON EMPLOYEESÂÂÂÂÂÂ' PERCEIVED LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESSIN PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS: FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY CASE.
- Creator
-
KARACA, HASAN, KAPUCU, NAIM, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As the capacity of public leaders to bring about change is increasingly questioned, public agencies have come under pressure to transform and innovate. More research is needed to identify how leaders who promote innovation, creativity, and adaptability affect the performance of public organizations. Constant improvement of organizations and individuals encourages leaders to innovate, evaluate risks as opportunities, and tackle the status quo. This raises the significance of how...
Show moreAs the capacity of public leaders to bring about change is increasingly questioned, public agencies have come under pressure to transform and innovate. More research is needed to identify how leaders who promote innovation, creativity, and adaptability affect the performance of public organizations. Constant improvement of organizations and individuals encourages leaders to innovate, evaluate risks as opportunities, and tackle the status quo. This raises the significance of how transformational leadership contributes to organizational performance and reacts to public agenciesÂÂÂÂÂÂ' environment, and how it might reorganize them. The present study examines the relationship between transformational leadership behaviors and perceived leadership effectiveness in public organizations, particularly Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The study specifically focuses on FEMA as an independent agency and as an agency under the Department of Homeland Security. It also measures transformational leadership behaviors and explores how they relate to public employeesÂÂÂÂÂÂ' perceptions of leadership effectiveness as reported by the 2002, 2006, and 2008 Federal Human Capital Surveys (FHCS). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the construct validity for the perceived leadership effectiveness measurement model. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the study hypotheses. This study has found that transformational leadership behaviorsÂÂÂÂÂÂ--idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and inspirational motivationÂÂÂÂÂÂ-- all have a significant relationship with perceived leadership effectiveness. Each dimension of transformational leadership has a positive effect on employeesÂÂÂÂÂÂ' perceptions of leadership effectiveness, with intellectual stimulation having the highest effect. The standardized regression weights of exogenous variables are: .24 for idealized influence, .48 for intellectual stimulation, and .29 for inspirational motivation. Overall, these predictor variables accounted for 86% of the variance in perceived leadership effectiveness. Findings of the study reveals several organizational, managerial, and policy implications relating to increasing the effects of transformational leadership behaviors on employeesÂÂÂÂÂÂ' perceived leadership effectiveness and organizational performance. The study points out the significance of communication and information sharing, and providing sufficient opportunities to do a better job in public organizations. The findings also confirm that the leaders are required to obtain inspirational motivation behaviors and use them to give a feeling of personal empowerment to the employees.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003397, ucf:48421
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003397
- Title
- EMERGENCY EVACUATION ROUTE PLANNING CONSIDERING HUMAN BEHAVIOR DURING SHORT- AND NO-NOTICE EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
- Creator
-
Kittirattanapaiboon, Suebpong, Geiger, Christopher, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Throughout United States and world history, disasters have caused not only significant loss of life, property but also enormous financial loss. The tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004 is a telling example of the devastation that can occur unexpectedly. This unexpected natural event never happened before in this area. In addition, there was a lack of an emergency response plan for events of that magnitude. Therefore, this event resulted not only in a natural catastrophe for the people...
Show moreThroughout United States and world history, disasters have caused not only significant loss of life, property but also enormous financial loss. The tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004 is a telling example of the devastation that can occur unexpectedly. This unexpected natural event never happened before in this area. In addition, there was a lack of an emergency response plan for events of that magnitude. Therefore, this event resulted not only in a natural catastrophe for the people of South and Southeast Asia, but it is also considered one of the greatest natural disasters in world history. After the giant wave dissipated, there were more than 230,000 people dead and more than US$10 billion in property damage and loss. Another significant event was the terrorist incident on September 11, 2001 (commonly referred to as 9/11) in United States. This event was unexpected and an unnatural, i.e., man-made event. It resulted in approximately 3,000 lives lost and about US$21 billion in property damage. These and other unexpected (or unanticipated) events give emergency management officials short- or no-notice to prevent or respond to the situation. These and other facts motivate the need for better emergency evacuation route planning (EERP) approaches in order to minimize the loss of human lives and property in short- or no-notice emergency situations. This research considers aspects of evacuation routing that have received little attention in research and, more importantly, in practice. Previous EERP models only either consider unidirectional evacuee flow from the source of a hazard to destinations of safety or unidirectional emergency first responder flow to the hazard source. However, in real-life emergency situations, these heterogeneous, incompatible flows occur simultaneously over a bi-directional capacitated lane-based travel network, especially in short- and no-notice emergencies. After presenting a review of the work related to the multiple flow EERP problem, mathematical formulations are presented for the EERP problem where the objective for each problem is to identify an evacuation routing plan (i.e., a traffic flow schedule) that maximizes evacuee and responder flow and minimizes network clearance time of both types of flow. In addition, we integrate the general human response behavior flow pattern, where the cumulative flow behavior follows different degrees of an S-shaped curve depending upon the level of the evacuation order. We extend the analysis to consider potential traffic flow conflicts between the two types of flow under these conditions. A conflict occurs when flow of different types occupy a roadway segment at the same time. Further, with different degrees of flow movement flow for both evacuee and responder flow, the identification of points of flow congestion on the roadway segments that occur within the transportation network is investigated.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002645, ucf:48229
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002645
- Title
- Organizational Complexity, Emergency Management Plan Adequacy, and Nursing Home Resiliency: A Contingency Perspective.
- Creator
-
Boyce, Cherie, Wan, Thomas, Zhang, Ning, Oetjen, Reid, Rivera, Fernando, Kapucu, Naim, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Some social and organizational behavior scientists measure resiliency through anecdotal qualitative research, i.e. personality analyses and stories of life experience. Empirical evidence remains limited for identifying measurable indicators of resiliency. Therefore, a testable contingency model was needed to clarify resiliency factors pertinent to organizational performance. Two essential resiliency factors were: 1) a written plan and 2) affiliation with a disaster network.This contingency...
Show moreSome social and organizational behavior scientists measure resiliency through anecdotal qualitative research, i.e. personality analyses and stories of life experience. Empirical evidence remains limited for identifying measurable indicators of resiliency. Therefore, a testable contingency model was needed to clarify resiliency factors pertinent to organizational performance. Two essential resiliency factors were: 1) a written plan and 2) affiliation with a disaster network.This contingency study demonstrated a quantifiable, correlational effect between organizational complexity, disaster plan adequacy and organizational resiliency. The unit of analysis, the skilled nursing facility proved vulnerable, therefore justifying the need for a written emergency management plan and affiliation with a disaster network. The main purpose of this research was to verify the significance of emergency management plans within a contingency framework of complexity theory, resource dependency, systems theory, and network theory. Distinct sample moments quantified causal relationships between organizational complexity (A), plan adequacy (B) and resiliency (C). Primary and secondary research data were collected from within the context of public health and emergency management sectors within the State of Florida.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005929, ucf:50842
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005929
- Title
- Assessment of Instructional Presentation For Emergency Evacuation Assistive Technology.
- Creator
-
Boyce, Michael, Smither, Janan, Joseph, Dana, Hancock, Peter, Bowers, Clint, Wilson, Darren, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
It is often the case that emergency first responders are well equipped and trained to deal with a situation that involves evacuation of someone with a physical disability. However, emergency responders are not always the first line of defense, or they may be otherwise occupied with assisting others. This research examined the effects of instructions for emergency stair travel devices on untrained or novice users. It was hypothesized that through redesign of the evacuation instructions,...
Show moreIt is often the case that emergency first responders are well equipped and trained to deal with a situation that involves evacuation of someone with a physical disability. However, emergency responders are not always the first line of defense, or they may be otherwise occupied with assisting others. This research examined the effects of instructions for emergency stair travel devices on untrained or novice users. It was hypothesized that through redesign of the evacuation instructions, untrained individuals would be able to successfully prepare an evacuation chair and secure someone with a disability more effectively and efficiently. A pre-post study design was used with an instructional redesign occurring as the manipulation between phases. There was an improved subjective understanding and improved performance metrics, such as reduced time on task and a reduction of the number of instructional glances, across three evacuation chairs when using the redesigned instruction sets. The study demonstrated that visual instruction style can account for a significant portion of explained variance in the operation of emergency stair travel devices. It also showed that improvements in instruction style can reduce time on task across device type and age group. The study failed to demonstrate that there was a performance decrement for older adults in comparison to younger adults because of the cognitive slowing of older adult information processing abilities. Results from this study can be used to support future iterations of the Emergency Stair Travel Device Standard (RESNA ED-1) to ensure that instructional design is standardized and optimized for the best performance possible.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005136, ucf:50694
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005136
- Title
- Dialectics of Microbudget Cinema.
- Creator
-
Ajdinovic, Milos, Stoeckl, Ula, Watson, Keri, Peters, Philip, Danker, Elizabeth, Perez, Jonathan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Magic Kingdom is a feature-length, microbudget motion picture, produced, (")written("), directed, and edited by Milos Ajdinovic as a part of the University of Central Florida's Masters in Fine Arts program in Digital Entrepreneurial Cinema. Its narrative is a product of the collective improvisation between a group of collaborators (-) Chealsea Anagnoson, Henry Gibson, Mikaela Duffy and Marcus Nieves (-) moderated by Milos Ajdinovic. This written dissertation is an attempt to document the...
Show moreMagic Kingdom is a feature-length, microbudget motion picture, produced, (")written("), directed, and edited by Milos Ajdinovic as a part of the University of Central Florida's Masters in Fine Arts program in Digital Entrepreneurial Cinema. Its narrative is a product of the collective improvisation between a group of collaborators (-) Chealsea Anagnoson, Henry Gibson, Mikaela Duffy and Marcus Nieves (-) moderated by Milos Ajdinovic. This written dissertation is an attempt to document the concepts and processes that surrounded the production of this film.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006849, ucf:51787
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006849
- Title
- Influence of Personal and State Level Variables on Perception of State Emergency Management Network Resilience In 47 States.
- Creator
-
Jennison, Victoria, Wan, Thomas, Zhang, Ning, Ramirez, Bernardo, Kapucu, Naim, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Emergency management coordination in the United States has fallen victim to over a century of strategies to organize, reorganize, consolidate, or decentralize disaster preparedness, planning and response. Regardless of the agency in charge at the federal level, individual citizens have been responsible for their own well-being immediately after any disaster or emergency event for more than 100 years because it takes time to mobilize and deliver aid. The system most often charged with managing...
Show moreEmergency management coordination in the United States has fallen victim to over a century of strategies to organize, reorganize, consolidate, or decentralize disaster preparedness, planning and response. Regardless of the agency in charge at the federal level, individual citizens have been responsible for their own well-being immediately after any disaster or emergency event for more than 100 years because it takes time to mobilize and deliver aid. The system most often charged with managing that mobilization during an emergency event that exceeds the response capacity of local public safety agencies is the state emergency management network. Many entities in a state emergency management network have different responsibilities during disaster states vs. non-disaster states. Regardless of their role and function, entities need to be able to exchange resources and information with each other, often under time, economic, or other constraints during disasters. This resource exchange generates trust, an essential element of a resilient network. Resilient networks suffer fewer negative impacts from disaster related loss and are more likely to retain collective capacity to respond and help communities recover.The purpose of this study is to explore the ability of individual and state level attributes to explain variability in perception of network resilience. One-hundred fifty one state emergency management agency employees were surveyed regarding their perception of 5 constructs of network resilience (rapidity, redundancy, relationships, resourcefulness, and robustness) and individual level attributes. State level indicators from FEMA, NEMA, American Human Development Index, and Social Vulnerability Index were also analyzed. Overall, it was found that the individual attribute of perception of network integrity had the most influence on perception of network resilience, followed by perception of community resilience and state level attributes including disaster experience, state well-being, and number of full time state emergency management agency employees. These findings can improve network resilience by informing state emergency management network development activity. Networks that increase member opportunities to develop relationships of resource and information exchange will increase their resilience. That increased network resilience impacts community resilience because, as Winston Churchill's wise words during World War II reconstruction advise, (")We shape our communities and then they shape us(").?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005812, ucf:50040
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005812
- Title
- APPRECIATING THE GOLDEN HOUR: A COMPARATIVE INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY.
- Creator
-
Tachon, Taylor, Heglund, Stephen, Covelli, Maureen, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Within the health care, many medical professionals know about the critical time restraints for provisions of care within their discipline, but do not know the term "The Golden Hour". The Golden Hour is a term indicating the universal time restraint found within every area of health care and more specifically, every area of nursing. The term and concept represented by it should be recognized to better the outcomes of our patients. Although the Golden Hour typically indicates a 60-minute period...
Show moreWithin the health care, many medical professionals know about the critical time restraints for provisions of care within their discipline, but do not know the term "The Golden Hour". The Golden Hour is a term indicating the universal time restraint found within every area of health care and more specifically, every area of nursing. The term and concept represented by it should be recognized to better the outcomes of our patients. Although the Golden Hour typically indicates a 60-minute period of time, various settings recognize shorter and longer periods during which specific actions must be taken to assure positive patient outcomes. To meet this aim, this thesis will review studies related to outcomes as associated with time critical interventions that could be categorized by "The Golden Hour". To meet the goal, a search of CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and ScienceDirect databases was conducted. Findings of the search revealed that while the term is not widely used, the concept of time sensitive care is found in many areas of Health Care and, specifically, within multiple sub-disciplines of nursing.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000314, ucf:45846
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000314
- Title
- FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE NEGATIVE AND UNHEALTHY PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN THE ED RN.
- Creator
-
Nieves, Ariana M, Heglund, Stephen, Dever, Kimberly, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The emergency department is a stressful environment. Emergency department registered nurses (ED RNs) are at an increased risk of development of negative and unhealthy psychological conditions due to their frequent exposure to stress and traumatic events. These conditions include post-traumatic stress disorder, compassion fatigue, and burnout syndrome, which are already known to be common in the emergency department registered nurse population. It is important to understand the factors that...
Show moreThe emergency department is a stressful environment. Emergency department registered nurses (ED RNs) are at an increased risk of development of negative and unhealthy psychological conditions due to their frequent exposure to stress and traumatic events. These conditions include post-traumatic stress disorder, compassion fatigue, and burnout syndrome, which are already known to be common in the emergency department registered nurse population. It is important to understand the factors that influence the development of these psychological conditions in order to provide better education to nurses regarding prevention of the development of these psychological conditions. This literature review aimed to identify articles that examined the factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, compassion fatigue, and burnout syndrome. Databases searched included but were not limited to CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. The determinants discussed in this paper include personality traits, social support, coping style, workplace violence, work environment, internal perceptions held by the nurse, and external perceptions held by the patient. Limited research exists regarding the factors influencing the development of compassion fatigue in the ED RN.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFH2000462, ucf:45745
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000462
- Title
- BARRIERS AFFECTING COMPLIANCE WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EARLY GOAL DIRECTED THERAPY IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
- Creator
-
Castro, Ivan, Blackwell, Christopher, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Early Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT) has been thoroughly researched and clinically supported to be effective at lowering morbidity and mortality associated with severe sepsis and septic shock. Due to the strengths of its efficacy, it has been integrated as an essential component of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. However, very few studies have explored the barriers that affect compliance of the protocol in actual practice. The purpose of this study was to synthesize current research findings...
Show moreEarly Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT) has been thoroughly researched and clinically supported to be effective at lowering morbidity and mortality associated with severe sepsis and septic shock. Due to the strengths of its efficacy, it has been integrated as an essential component of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. However, very few studies have explored the barriers that affect compliance of the protocol in actual practice. The purpose of this study was to synthesize current research findings regarding nursing barriers associated with EGDT. This research was limited to studies performed in the United States between 2003-2012, with patients at least 18 years old, and with data obtained from studies conducted within emergency departments (EDs) only. These findings may serve to help increase the compliance rate with the protocol among nurses in the ED. Findings indicated that compliance rates were mostly affected by two major barriers: 1) Lack of knowledge regarding the presentation and management of sepsis and septic shock, and 2)Lack of resources in the ED to perform the protocol to its full potential. Limitations of the review noted were that most research studies used were in major academic hospitals which limited the generalizability of the findings to other hospital settings. Nursing education should emphasize early recognition and aggressive treatment of sepsis. Future research should focus on addressing the most efficient ways to educate nurses on sepsis presentation and management and the ways these can be implemented in practice.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004420, ucf:45095
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004420
- Title
- EMERGING AND DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION, AND DIFFUSION IN FLORIDAÂÂ'S ELEVEN STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM INSTITUTIONS.
- Creator
-
Bradford, Deborah, Cintron, Rosa, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of the study was to understand and appreciate the methodologies and procedures used in determining the extent to which an information technology (IT) organization within the eleven member State University Systems (SUS) of Florida planned, implemented, and diffused emerging educational technologies. Key findings found how critical it was that flexibility be given during the planning stages and not rely on standardized models which may or may not be of use any longer. Research also...
Show moreThe purpose of the study was to understand and appreciate the methodologies and procedures used in determining the extent to which an information technology (IT) organization within the eleven member State University Systems (SUS) of Florida planned, implemented, and diffused emerging educational technologies. Key findings found how critical it was that flexibility be given during the planning stages and not rely on standardized models which may or may not be of use any longer. Research also found that the SUS institutions have to be prepared to organize and preserve the deluge of digital data if they intended to remain relevant as a ÂÂ"towerÂÂ" of knowledge transmissions. The literature found that institutions of higher education needed to keep abreast of the new technologies, new pedagogies, and never before open-access concepts because authors found these ideas were converging and producing an unprecedented period of innovation in learning. Furthermore, the implications of perpetual connectivity to information, peers, and teachers garnered a great deal of attention among educational technologists. However, those implications had not been gauged, especially in FloridaÂÂ's SUS institutions. A survey of those institutions regarding how technologies were planned for, implemented logically, and thoroughly diffused, along with lessons learned could potentially save resources and ensure FloridaÂÂ's institutions continue to be on higher learningÂÂ's forefront.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0002989, ucf:47932
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002989
- Title
- The Use of Crisis Communication Strategies to Build Community Resilience: Evidence from Emergency Managers.
- Creator
-
Haupt, Brittany, Kapucu, Naim, Knox, Claire, Emrich, Christopher, Sellnow, Timothy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As public administration evolved to encompass a strong focus on supporting safe growth and development for communities, the role and responsibilities of government became increasingly complex with aspects of emergency management becoming quintessential. The ability to assess resilience plays a strong role in understanding the capability of a community to face a range of threats. Additionally, issues with communication uncovered the need to understand how administrators collect, disseminate,...
Show moreAs public administration evolved to encompass a strong focus on supporting safe growth and development for communities, the role and responsibilities of government became increasingly complex with aspects of emergency management becoming quintessential. The ability to assess resilience plays a strong role in understanding the capability of a community to face a range of threats. Additionally, issues with communication uncovered the need to understand how administrators collect, disseminate, and adapt critical information through understanding crisis type and local community needs. This dissertation discusses the connection between public administration and emergency management, the evolution of crisis communication and strategies, resilience and its measurement, along with Situational Crisis Communication Theory. This study conducted an online-survey of county, and county-equivalent, emergency managers across the United States. Results of Structural Equation Modeling included statistically significant relationships between Crisis Type and Local Community Needs on Crisis Communication Strategies as well as between strategies onto Community Resilience. Comparative analysis with the Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities showed stark contrast in perceived resilience capacity. Follow-up, semi-structured interviews were conducted with voluntary respondents and analyzed via axial, deductive coding. Comparing quantitative and qualitative analysis highlighted the importance of county characteristics, critical relationships, overcoming obstacles, need for learning and adaptation, and importance of communication.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007013, ucf:52046
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007013
- Title
- Threatening Instructions During a Hurricane Influence Risk Perceptions: The Case of Fear Appeals and Changing Hurricane Projections.
- Creator
-
Whitmer, Daphne, Sims, Valerie, Chin, Matthew, Bowers, Clint, Kapucu, Naim, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The goal of this research was to examine the effectiveness of persuasive language in the protective action recommendation of an emergency warning, which instructs people how to prepare and stay safe. Study 1 was a pilot study, which suggested that participants were able to make distinctions between hurricane categories. In study 2, the presence of fear language and second-person personal pronouns (i.e., (")you(")) in a recommendation was manipulated. Overall, fear language was more...
Show moreThe goal of this research was to examine the effectiveness of persuasive language in the protective action recommendation of an emergency warning, which instructs people how to prepare and stay safe. Study 1 was a pilot study, which suggested that participants were able to make distinctions between hurricane categories. In study 2, the presence of fear language and second-person personal pronouns (i.e., (")you(")) in a recommendation was manipulated. Overall, fear language was more influential than a pronoun on risk perceptions. To understand how context influences risk perceptions, participants in study 3 made decisions after each piece of information received. The severity of the hurricane increased, decreased, or stayed the same before decision point 2 and a recommendation containing fear or neutral language was presented before decision point 3. Those who read the fear message were more likely to be in the danger control process than those in the neutral language condition, which suggested that the fear message emphasized threat but did not diminish participants' perception of efficacy. Behavioral compliance with the warning was high in all conditions. In terms of change in perceived threat from decision point 2 to 3, participants in the decrease condition who read the fear appeal had the largest increase in perceived threat. In contrast, the hurricane increasing in intensity may be fear provoking enough that a fear appeal does not enhance risk perceptions. When examining individual differences, high Need for Cognition women had the largest increase in perceived message persuasiveness in the decrease and increase conditions.Phrasing guidelines for emergency management are discussed, along with the theoretical contributions of using social psychological methodology to examine emergency warnings. While individual differences are important predictors of warning interpretation, future research needs to reconcile the conundrum of emergency management's current limitations regarding individualized warnings.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007554, ucf:52611
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007554
