Showing papers on "Services computing published in 1975"

The use of an information system for community health services planning and management.

Abstract: The challenge of delivering health care on a more cost-effective and equitable basis has led to the formation of new kinds of organizations, which in turn require new kinds of management information systems. The system described in this article is used for planning resource allocation and monitoring the overall performance of Livingston Community Health Services, Inc., a rural community-owned health service designed to provide comprehensive care to a geographically defined target population. The Health Services Data System processes information on performance and productivity, effectiveness with respect to the target population, and billing and financial activities. Input consists of the results of a community census and two household surveys, patient registrations and patient services operating data, and financial data. Besides billing patients automatically, the system integrates financial, demographic, and health services utilization data to generate monthly summaries for the administrators, medical director, and community board. The article discusses several examples of these summaries, stratifying utilization by geographic location of residence, age, income, and race.

Classification and Assessment of Telecommunication Services in Broad-Band Networks

Abstract: Communication systems have become a fundamental utility for many facets of private and public life. Increasing system capabilities and advances in technology stimulate expectations of the public for new telecommunication services. Quite a variety of new services have been proposed which will have to be analyzed as to their utility, customer acceptance, and feasibility of implementation. In this paper an analytical approach is selected to assess these services by defining their communication structure and arranging them into classes corresponding to information flow, mode of information exchange, and communication pattern. Services requiring considerable technical expenditures and having a significant impact on future network configurations are pointed out. These services reqmre subscriber-individual and broad-band communication channels. For selected classes of services, a conceptual implementation in three types of networks is presented. It is recommended that several new services be implemented by using facilities of the existing public telecommunication network.

Information systems and services, user services

Abstract: The following topics were discussed: (1) data availability and distribution, (2) complete processing systems, (3) subsystems, (4) applications, (5) research for future technology, and (6) education, training opportunities, and materials. Evidence was given that remote sensing technology is being increasingly utilized. Therefore, it was concluded that a second stage of remote sensing technology should be developed.

Online Search Services in the Public Library: Project Dialib.

Abstract: Lockheed has undertaken Project DIALIB to determine whether online retrieval services could be useful to the general public, and if the public library could serve as the linking agent for these services. As part of the study, DIALOG, Lockheed's online reference retrieval system, has been made available to the public through four public libraries in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties in California. The project was inaugurated in August, 1974. For the first year, both terminals and staff training were provided free to participating Libraries. Results of an evaluation of the first year of the project indicate that DIALIB users were for the most part highly educated and asked technical questions relating to their work or study. While the service is fairly expensive, it is reaching a segment of the population that does not normally use public library reference services. The public has shown a great deal of enthusiasm for DIALIB service. In the second year of the project, users will be billed; the effects of this factor on the use of the system will be studied. The Metro-Teachers College project--a similar effort in New York City is also being studied. (Author/SL) *********************************************************************** * Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affect:, the quality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. * *********************************************************************** ONLINE SEARCH SERVICES IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARY: PROJECT DIALIB Alice E. Ahlgren Applied Communication Research Stanford, California

Engineering information needs and services

Abstract: Engineering finds an optimum solution to convert the abstract into concrete giving due weightage to all the parameters involved whether these are in scientific, technical, eco norn ic or social fields. A Good Engineer has necessarily to take into account s irn ulta ne ous ly all such pa r a rnet e r s which inf1..oence the final engineering dec i s ion , In doing this the Engineer acts as a conve r to r o f available resources into meaningful and concrete wealth in the fo r rn of goods or services··for the benefit of the society. An engineer is essentially the Manager of Man, Mat e rial s, Machinery and Money (the 5 Ms). An important input in the Mana'g errient wb.lc h.pzope r lvb ind s these 5 Ms is "iriformation" of the r ig ht kind at the right time in the right do s e., Unlike scientist whose rna in preoccupation is in the furtherance of knowledge andLn the generation of new knowledge, an eng inee r+a-ma in preocc upat ion ,i~ Inc r eat ingvrnat.e r Ia l objects or purposeful services by utilizing such available knowl edge as the eng.ine e'r might need in a given situation.

Collaboration in the field of human services: a proposed model.

Abstract: • Manuscript received March 1974. 'Regional Coordinator, Psychiatric Services Branch, Ministry of Health, Assistant Professor, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, at the time of writing. Present position, Medical Director, London Psychiatric Hospital and Director of Education, Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario. This paper represents a continuation of the work of the author in catalysing the formation of Human Services Councils. Many parts of the complete model described herein are already functioning as one such council is now an official part of the Halton County regional government structure in Ontario. The Human Services Field can be divided into five broad component parts Health, Education, Welfare, Justice and Voluntary Community Services. For some years the common cry has been: \"Coordinate, cooperate and stop the duplication, fragmentation and gaps in our service delivery by these agency fields.\" The need for this has been well documented and shall not be elaborated here (I , 2). In delineating this need, the unspoken assumption has appeared to be that those in the mental health professions know what should be done and where to do it, but are just not getting together on the problem. However, today there has also been forced