use of digital tablets eases the way to compassionate care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: A patient communication program was implemented as a response to hospitals visiting restrictive policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the program was to facilitate communication between patients and families, mainly through the use of digital tablets; thus program performance was evaluated by selecting the number of calls performed, the average call time, and the percentage of patients that used the program more than once. Methods: A communication service for hospitalized patients who did not have access to a personal electronic device or were unable to use their electronic device was launched at different MUHC hospitals. A dedicated team of re-deployed employees was available to help patients connect with their loved ones using a hospital tablet or telephone. Results: A total of 806 calls were performed between April and November 2020. Eighty one percent of the calls were performed during the non-visitors policy implementation, being video calls preferred over phone calls. The average call time was 15 min, 34% of the patients had a video call with their loved one more than once and 40% of the calls were performed in the intensive care unit. Conclusion: The patient communication program can be described as a new delivery model of compassionate care. It was effective, helped reduce patients’ isolation and met the needs of family members and caregivers during the hospital non-visitors policy directed by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux de Québec during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Forensic examination of electronic signatures: A comparative study

The writing of names or signatures has great importance due to its use in authentication, validation, and authorization of documents. Moreover, handwritten signatures present an aura of personality and make an impression on many people. But now, with the emergence of new technologies, a variety of electronic writing media such as digital tablets and pens are being used to produce writings and signatures; and the conventional way to produce the writing using pen and paper is waning. With the changing ways of writing and signature production, the means of producing forged writing or signature are also bound to change. This has brought new challenges for handwriting examiners. In the present study, a comparative analysis of electronically captured signatures with pen-paper signatures has been performed to study the effect of changes in writing media. Signature samples were taken from the same subjects on paper and electronic pads. The similarities and differences with respect to class and line quality features between both signatures were analysed. It was observed that despite differences between the signatures produced by the same author, it is still possible to establish the authorship of signatures in the case of electronic signatures.

Architecture and digital drawing tablets, bringing back human control over HAL

Architectural imagery and design are nowadays pervaded by computerization, consequently freehand drawing suffered a drastic decline. This paper reviews the advantages and drawbacks of digitalization, examines the reasons of the reborn need for freehand drawing and reports about published evidence of creativity being facilitated by hand movement. A new drawing medium is now available in the form of digital tablets. These allow freehand drawing with more ease and efficiency than on paper but hand movements and feeling are the same as in traditional drawing. Aim of this paper is to provide the basis for a proposal to merge advantages of digitalization with creativity stemming from freehand drawing by the use of modern digital drawing tablets in architecture. The preliminary results of a pilot survey carried out in 8 countries revealed that there is a widespread need for architectural academic courses of freehand drawing on digital tablets, so far not implemented. It is expected that the survey may be completed in the next few months and a wider sample may provide more detailed indications. In conclusion it is proposed that the digital tablets may be the future solution for a fruitful union between the digital and the creative imagery in architecture.

Learning to teach and play futsal using digital tablets: What knowledge do sports science students mobilize?

There is little research on the knowledge mobilized by sports science students when they learn to play a sport by learning to teach it. This study focuses on the benefits of using digital tablets to foster this learning during a university teaching module in futsal with students in the second year of a sports science bachelor’s degree. We compare the knowledge mobilized by these students during self-confrontation interviews (based on video recordings of the sessions), game situations, reciprocal coaching and debates of ideas. We then identify the nature of this knowledge and the strategies for its mobilization in context using a framework mainly based on didactics in physical education (Amade-Escot, 2006; Armour, 2011) and on pedagogical content knowledge studies (Shulman, 1986). The students were divided into two experimental conditions following the same pedagogical curriculum. The students in condition 1 used digital tablets to film themselves, tag videos and discuss the recordings. The students in condition 2 did not use tablets. The interviews were conducted twice during the teaching module: first during period 1 (beginning of the module) and then during period 2 (end of the module). The results show that students in condition 1 were more likely to mobilize shared knowledge, make decisions through cooperation and even devolve the construction of tactical reasoning and knowledge by their peers following the didactic approach of the faculty teacher as early as period 1. This promoted access to the construction and meaning of teaching and learning content. These results are discussed in light of the current challenges within educational systems and of the joint development of interactional skills for learning to cooperate and even to teach.