A Validation Regarding Effectiveness of Scenario Graph

Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Yagita ◽  
Akira Tose ◽  
Madoka Nakajima ◽  
Sun K. Kim ◽  
Takashi Maeno

Scenario Graph is a structured mind mapping methodology that aids design teams to generate potential scenarios for new products and services while visually organizing contextual information. Since its introduction in industry and academia, the Scenario Graph has helped design teams to capture new values and behaviors of potential customers during the problem formulation stage. At the same time, the Scenario Graph, sharing a common challenge with various design methods, has faced difficulty regarding validation of its effectiveness as a design method. This paper describes a validation framework for a method in problem formulation stages and an experiment, which compare ideation results of 87 people — 43 people with the Scenario Graph method (as a test group) and 44 people with the Brainstorming (as a control group) — to solve an identical problem. While the results show no statistically significant difference in the number of ideas generated, the data reveals statistically significant differences in the quality of ideas. The test group, which used the Scenario Graph, yielded ideas that were more novel, feasible, and abstract than the control group, which used the Brainstorming, did. These metrics represent a way to measure the quality of ideas in the domain of engineering design. Our experiment confirms the hypotheses that the Scenario Graph is effective in improving the performance of idea generation sessions, which is consistent with qualitative evaluations. The lessons, gained from this experiment, provide an insight on how this method can be effectively used during the early stages of concept generation of a company’s process for product and/or service development.

2004 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 252-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tathiana Pagano ◽  
Luciana Akemi Matsutani ◽  
Elisabeth Alves Gonçalves Ferreira ◽  
Amélia Pasqual Marques ◽  
Carlos Alberto de Bragança Pereira

CONTEXT: Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by chronic, diffuse musculoskeletal pain, and by a low pain threshold at specific anatomical points. The syndrome is associated with other symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, morning stiffness and anxiety. Because of its chronic nature, it often has a negative impact on patients' quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of life and anxiety level of patients with fibromyalgia. TYPE Of STUDY: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Rheumatology outpatient service of Hospital das Clínicas (Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo). METHODS: This study evaluated 80 individuals, divided between test and control groups. The test group included 40 women with a confirmed diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The control group was composed of 40 healthy women. Three questionnaires were used: two to assess quality of life (FIQ and SF-36) and one to assess anxiety (STAI). They were applied to the individuals in both groups in a single face-to-face interview. The statistical analysis used Student's t test and Pearson's correlation test (r), with a significance level of 95%. Also, the Pearson chi-squared statistics test for homogeneity, with Yates correction, was used for comparing schooling between test and control groups. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the groups (p = 0.000), thus indicating that fibromyalgia patients have a worse quality of life and higher levels of anxiety. The correlations between the three questionnaires were high (r = 0.9). DISCUSSION: This study has confirmed the efficacy of FIQ for evaluating the impact of fibromyalgia on the quality of life. SF-36 is less specific than FIQ, although statistically significant values were obtained when analyzed separately, STAI showed lower efficacy for discriminating the test group from the control group. The test group showed worse quality of life than did the control group, which was demonstrated by both FIQ and SF-36. Even though STAI was a less efficient instrument, it presented significant results, showing that fibromyalgia patients presented higher levels of anxiety, both on the state and trait scales. Thus, patients with fibromyalgia had higher levels of tension, nervousness, preoccupation and apprehension, and higher propensity towards anxiety. CONCLUSION: The three instruments utilized showed efficiency in evaluating fibromyalgia patients. FIQ was found to be the most efficient instrument for discriminating and assessing the impact of fibromyalgia on their quality of life. It can be concluded that such patients have a worse quality of life and higher levels of anxiety.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (26_suppl) ◽  
pp. 90-90
Author(s):  
Shadan Pedramrazi

90 Background: Breast cancer is one the most prevalent cancers among Iranian women. One of the complementary therapies is reflexology. The extant paper has been provided with the objective of determining the effect of reflexology on quality of life of patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy in the breast disease center. Methods: This study is a randomized clinical trial which has been applied to 60 patients suffering from breast cancer under chemotherapy in breast diseases center, in 2012. The patients were selected randomly in three test, control and placebo groups. In test group, reflexology was implemented for 3 weeks and each session lasted half an hour. In placebo group, only relaxation techniques were implemented for 3 weeks, each session lasted 20-30 minutes. Control group received the routine therapies of breast cancer center. Results: Data were collected by standard questionnaires of EORTIC QLQ-C30.V.3 and EORTIC QLQ-BR23.V.3. The questionnaires were filled before intervention and two weeks after applying study. There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics or quality of life score of three groups, before intervention. Total score of quality of life was higher in interventional group compared to placebo group before and two weeks after intervention (p < 0.001) Results also indicated a significant difference in total score of quality of life between three test, placebo, and control groups after intervention (p < 0.001). A considerable improvement was noticed in the different aspects of quality of life in the test group compared to two other placebo and control groups. Conclusions: Reduction of pain, anxiety, nausea, and other symptoms related to cancer in patients suffering from cancer are assumed as the important cases of nursing cares focus, and precise nursing may diminish these symptoms considerably. Using reflexology in patients suffering from breast cancer may improve the quality of life as an effective method, and can be recommended for use in patients with breast cancer if it is supervised by health system personnel.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 4393
Author(s):  
Summaira Jan ◽  
Tawheed Ahmad ◽  
Saima Rashid

Background: Requirement of postoperative analgesic medication is decreased by the use of regional nerve blocks. Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is an effective way to provide postoperative analgesia in abdominal surgeries. TAP block using ropivacaine alone has not been consistently proven to be effective in alleviating pain after abdominal surgeries. The objective of the study was to compare the combination of dexmedetomidine and ropivacaine to ropivacaine alone in TAP block for abdominoplasty patients. Time to onset of post-operative pain and time interval for need of rescue analgesia were compared.Methods: Sixty ASA (American Society of Anesthesiology) grade I or II patients undergoing abdominoplasty were allocated to two groups with thirty patients in each group. In this randomized, controlled, double-blinded study, the test group received TAP block using 20 ml (100 mgs) 0.5 percent of ropivacaine mixed with 50 µg of dexmedetomidine while as Control group received TAP block with 20 ml (100 mgs) of 0.5 percent of ropivacaine alone. Patient demographics, time to initial reporting of post-operative pain, time to need of first rescue analgesia, quality of pain block and side effects were recorded.Results: Time to initial onset of pain and time to need of first rescue analgesia were significantly longer in the test group than control group. The two groups were similar in demographics and quality of pain block, with no significant difference in side effects.Conclusions: Addition of dexmedetomidine to ropivacaine for TAP block in abdominoplasty patients prolong the time to initial onset of pain and time to need for first rescue analgesia.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davood Hekmatpou ◽  
Ali Poorgharahkhan ◽  
Mahbobeh Sajjadi ◽  
Amir Javaheri

Objective:This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the “Create Sensitivity” caring model on blood glucose/ glycosylated hemoglobin and quality of life in patients with type 2 Diabetes.Methods:This study enrolled 70 patients from an educational hospital in Kurdistan, Iran. The model was implemented among the test group over a period of 3 months. Blood glucose/ glycosylated hemoglobin and patients’ quality of life were measured before and after intervention. Data were analyzed using version 21 of the statistical software SPSS.Results:After the intervention, significant differences existed between the test and control groups both in blood glucose levels (means, 146.4 ± 51.3 mg/dl and 175.6 ± 59.8 mg/dl, respectively;P=0.032) and in glycosylated hemoglobin (means, 67.89 ± 13.34 mmol/mol and 80.03 ± 17.234 mmol/mol, respectively;P= 0.002). Additionally, there was also a significant difference between the quality of life of the patients in test group (mean, 58.25 ± 5.3) and that in the control group (mean, 47.02 ± 4.5) (P= 0.0001).Conclusion:Use of this model was associated with reducing fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin and increasing the total mean of quality of life in the patients in the test group. So, the application of this model is recommended.


Author(s):  
Sakari Tolppanen ◽  
Toni Rantaniitty ◽  
Mark McDermott ◽  
Maija Aksela ◽  
Brian Hand

This study investigates how a multimodal writing lesson was received by 13 to 14-year-olds in a science class. The research addresses the following research questions (i) how does a lesson on multimodal writing effect students’ text production and use of alternative modes of representation in a science writing task, (ii) is there a gender difference in the use of multimodal writing, and (iii) how do different lesson structures affect students’ ability to use multimodal writing. The principles of effective writing-to-learn lesson were implemented and the written products of 98 science students from three different schools were analyzed. Out of these students, 54 were given a lesson on multimodal writing and 44 were in a control group. Content analysis of the data showed that a single lesson on multimodal writing did not affect students’ text production, but students in the test group used more alternative modes than students in the control group. However, this difference in quantity did not affect the quality of the end products. However, a significant difference in the use of multimodal writing was seen between genders, females outperforming males. Furthermore, some differences in lesson structures were noted, but evidence on their effect on learning is not evident. In conclusion, the findings suggest that a single lesson on multimodal writing is not enough for students to understand how to implement multimodal writing, but that good general writing skills benefit students in transferring from traditional writing to multimodal writing.


Author(s):  
Yong YANG ◽  
Yanqin JIAO ◽  
Jieqing YU ◽  
Chenxiu WANG

Background: To investigate the treatment efficacy of radioactive iodine therapy on patients after total thyroidectomy and its effect on the quality of life. Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical data of 120 thyroid cancer patients admitted to Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanchang University, Nanchang, China from February 2014 to February 2017 was performed. According to different treatment methods, they were divided into observation group of 62 cases and control group of 58 cases. Both groups were treated with total thyroidectomy. The control group was treated with anti-infection and prevention of complications after operation, the observation group with radioactive iodine therapy. Treatment efficacy, quality of life score, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and postoperative survival rate were compared between the two groups. Results: The total effective rate of treatment in the test group was 98.39%, significantly higher than 72.41% in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the fatigue score of the test group was lower, but the score in the area of emotion function and the overall health status score were higher, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the recurrent laryngeal nerve injury between the two groups of patients. The postoperative survival rate of the test group of patients was 96.77%, significantly higher than 86.21% of the control group. Conclusion: The effect of radioactive iodine therapy after total thyroidectomy is remarkable, which can significantly improve the clinical treatment efficacy and postoperative quality of life of patients, worthy of clinical application.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Nazli Zainuddin ◽  
Nurul Azira Mohd Shah ◽  
Rosdan Salim

Introduction: The role of virgin coconut oil in the treatment of allergic rhinitis is controversial. Thus, the aim of the present study is to determine the effects of virgin coconut oil ingestion, in addition to standard medications, on allergic rhinitis. We also studied the side effects of consumption of virgin coconut oil. Methods: Fifty two subjects were equally divided into test and control groups. All subjects received a daily dose of 10mg of loratadine for 28 days. The test group was given 10ml of virgin coconut oil three times a day in addition to loratadine. The symptoms of allergic rhinitis were scored at the beginning and end of the study. Results:, the symptom score were divided into nasal and non-nasal symptom scores. Sneezing score showed a significant difference, however the score was more in control group than test group, indicating that improvement in symptom was more in control group. The rest of the nasal symptom and non-nasal symptom score showed no significant difference between test and control groups. Approximately 58% of the test subjects developed side effects from consumption of virgin coconut oil, mainly gastrointestinal side effects. Conclusion: In the present study, ingestion of virgin coconut oil does not improve the overall and individual symptoms of allergic rhinitis, furthermore it has side effects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Yuriy Dumanskiy ◽  
Oleksandr Bondar ◽  
Oleksandr Tkachenko ◽  
Evhenii Stoliachuk ◽  
Vasilii Ermakov

In recent years, breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer pathology and the most common cause of disability among women in developed countries. Finding the most effective ways of interaction between the patient and the doctor creates the preconditions for the necessary analysis of the treatment process from an objective and subjective point of view. Therefore, an important indicator to be taken into account is the quality of life of a patient. To compare the indicators of a comprehensive assessment of the quality of life of patients to the adverse locally advanced forms (LA) of breast cancer before and after systemic intravenous polychemotherapy (SPCTx) and selective endolymphatic polychemotherapy (ELPCTx) in neoadjuvant mode. The study was conducted on the basis of a random analysis of outpatient cards from 112 patients with LA BC T4A-DN0-3M0 who received a comprehensive antitumor treatment on the basis of the Donetsk regional antitumor center and the University Clinic of the Odessa National Medical University from 2000 to 2017, which was proposed a questionnaire at various stages of preoperative treatment. The first (control) group consisted of 65 patients (58 %) with inoperable forms of LA BC, which was performed in neoadjuvant mode by SPCTx. The second (study group) included 47 patients (42 %) with inoperable forms of LA BC, which was performed as a neoadjuvant course ELPCTx. According to the integral indicators of quality of life and quality of health between patients in the control and study groups, there was no statistically significant difference. In a detailed analysis of the indicators of symptomatic scales, the difference between the groups did not exceed the critical. Based on the results of a study conducted among patients receiving endolymphatic chemotherapy in a neoadjuvant mode, the subjective evaluations of treatment in absolute numbers have better reference values without statistical superiority. The study of the integrative indicator of quality of life and its discrete elements is an ergonomic and economical means of heuristic assessment of the health of patients in order to further develop more rational and convenient ways of solving urgent issues of modern oncology by increasing compliance and finding a compromise between the physician and the patient.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneta Bac ◽  
Magdalena Wróbel ◽  
Katarzyna Ogrodzka-Ciechanowicz ◽  
Edyta Michalik ◽  
Anna Ścisłowska-Czarnecka

Abstract The assessment of the six-week influence of Kinesio Taping combined with a rehabilitation on selected ultrasonography measurements, the level of disability, and the quality of life in patients with rotator cuff lesions. 60 participants were randomly assigned into a taping group (KT combined with a six-week rehabilitating protocol) and a control group (only rehabilitation protocol). In all patients the following assessments were performed twice: USG, UEFI and NHP questionnaires. In the examination of the subacromial space and the subacromial bursa in the taping group, no statistical significance was observed. A statistically significant change in the thickness of the muscles was obtained only for the thickness of the infraspinatus in the taping group. A statistically significant change was obtained in the assessment of tendinopathy only for the supraspinatus muscle in both groups. Within both groups a statistically significant difference was observed in the average UEFI and NHP scores; however, the differences in the scores obtained between the groups were not statistically significant. The use of KT with a rehabilitation program did not yield statistically significantly better results in the improvement of selected shoulder region indicators, the function of the upper limb and the quality of life.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
V Houben ◽  
J.A Snoek ◽  
E Prescott ◽  
N Mikkelsen ◽  
A.E Van Der Velde ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and purpose Although participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves quality of life (QoL), participation in CR, especially among elderly, is limited. We conducted this study to assess whether mobile home-based CR (mCR) increases QoL in elderly (≥65 years old) patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) or a valvular intervention who decline participation in conventional CR. Methods It is designed as a randomised multi-centre study with two parallel arms. Randomisation assigned patients either to mCR or a control group. mCR Consisted of six months of home-based CR with telemonitoring and coaching. Control-group patients did not receive any form of CR throughout the study period. Quality of life was measured with the SF-36v2 questionnaire at 0, 6 and 12 months. Results A total of 179 patients were included in this study (90 control, 89 mCR). A flowchart of the trial is presented in Figure 1. Patients were predominantly male (81.1%). Baseline characteristics can be found in Table 1. Patients using mCR improved on physical QoL after 6 (p=0.026) and 12 (p=0.008) months. There was no difference on mental QoL for both groups (mCR 6 months p=0.563, 12 months p=0.945; control 6 months p=0.589, 12 months p=0.542). No difference existed in QoL between the mCR and control group (physical: 6 months p=0.070, 12 months p=0.150; mental: 6 months p=0.355, 12 months p=0.625). Conclusion Although there is no significant difference in QoL between the control and mCR group, mCR increases physical QoL after 6 and 12 months in elderly patients who decline participation in conventional CR. Therefore E-Health tools should be considered as an alternative for conventional CR when (elderly) patients decline to participate in conventional CR. Figure 1. Flow chart of all eligible patients Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – EU funding. Main funding source(s): European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme


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