Electronic clinical records: having the right data to navigate through the perfect storm

U.S. health care is converting from paper to digital information management. This conversion has passed the tipping point and is showing evidence of the benefits. Yet effective clinical information systems for dentistry have barely begun to be adopted. Dentistry is changing and the new practice models will require digital information management, as there is increasing pressure for evidence-based practice, continuity of care and demonstration of the quality of care resulting from these models.

The ethics of corporate social responsibility

Corporations as well as individual professionals have an ethical obligation to help those in need. There is a sound tradition in American business for companies including social outreach as part of business strategy. This approach works best when corporations and community and professional experts work in partnership. Henry Schein's Corporate Social Responsibility program contributes expertise, logistics, connections, and funds to these partnerships in the United States and worldwide.

Practice transition with intelligence and grace

Viable practices change with the professional and personal needs of dentists and with trends in society. There is no single way for transitioning out of practice--concluding a direct sale, remaining as an associate, and even purchasing a new practice to better match one's more mature lifestyle and practiced preferences. Changing ratios of dentists to patients currently favor a seller's market and emergence of corporate models provide new options. An analysis is given of the Canadian practice market. Planning advice is also offered.

Factors influencing behavior guidance: a survey of practicing pediatric dentists

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing behavior guidance technique utilization among practicing pediatric dentists and explore potential barriers to the incorporation of previously unused techniques.

METHODS

The data for this study were obtained from a web-based survey containing 15 multiple choice questions concerning the practitioners' past, current, and anticipated future behavior guidance technique utilization.

RESULTS

Most respondents received hands-on training in 10 of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry behavior guidance techniques. The type of training was associated with the practitioners' level of comfort using a given technique upon graduation and with the current frequency of technique utilization. Residency type impacted hands-on behavior guidance training, with 39 percent of respondents reporting no intravenous sedation training. The type of practice was associated with the frequency of behavior guidance technique utilization, as was graduation decade. Currently practicing dentists cited legal concerns, parental acceptance to change, and limited resources as perceived obstacles in the incorporation of new techniques.

CONCLUSIONS

Behavior guidance technique selection and utilization among practicing pediatric dentists was influenced by multiple factors, including advanced education training, residency type, graduation decade, and practice type. Obstacles to the incorporation of previously unused techniques appear to be multifactorial.

[Collaboration between Fukushimura Brain Bank,based in a private geriatric hospital and a national/international network]

Fukushimura Brain Bank (FBB) was established in 1994, and to date, has accumulated 477 fresh frozen brain tissue samples. Our brain bank is based in Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Toyohashi in Japan. At the time of its foundation, the institute could not establish working relationships with clinicopathological investigators and others engaged in basic neuroscience research. At this stage, we received the assistance of Yokohama City University in setting up standards for neuropathological diagnosis as well as the aid of Chiba University in establishing a method for Vancouver style snap-frozen sampling of brain tissue. However, both systems require considerable manpower and time. We now plan to introduce several improvements in these systems. At its inception, the Brain Bank operated without financial support from grants or foundation funding and was managed only as a hospital expense. However, since 1998, we have collaborated with researchers from several institutes, and the results of our labors have been presented at congresses, in journal publications and in foundation reports. In 2004, we obtained the status required to apply for a grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. Fukushimura Hospital is a geriatric institution that specializes in dementia. There are no other hospitals or nursing homes in the Toyohashi area that specialize in this field. Half of our patients have Alzheimer's disease,and a number of them have enormous plaques and huge neurofibrillary tangles patient for over 10 years. In general,private geriatric hospitals that care for such patients with severe AD lack the systems required for performing autopsies. Research carried out with animal models are not comparable with neuropathological and biochemical investigations using human tissues,and in terms of the quality,the range and size of our collection at FBB is unique. In the future,we intend to expand our network in order to share samples of interest,and to optimize the network by establishing similar sampling protocols and diagnostic standards. It is with great pleasure that we at the FBB look forward to our collaboration with the Comprehensive Brain Science.

Toxicity potentials from waste cellular phones, and a waste management policy integrating consumer, corporate, and government responsibilities

Cellular phones have high environmental impact potentials because of their heavy metal content and current consumer attitudes toward purchasing new phones with higher functionality and neglecting to return waste phones into proper take-back systems. This study evaluates human health and ecological toxicity potentials from waste cellular phones; highlights consumer, corporate, and government responsibilities for effective waste management; and identifies key elements needed for an effective waste management strategy. The toxicity potentials are evaluated by using heavy metal content, respective characterization factors, and a pathway and impact model for heavy metals that considers end-of-life disposal in landfills or by incineration. Cancer potentials derive primarily from Pb and As; non-cancer potentials primarily from Cu and Pb; and ecotoxicity potentials primarily from Cu and Hg. These results are not completely in agreement with previous work in which leachability thresholds were the metric used to establish priority, thereby indicating the need for multiple or revised metrics. The triple bottom line of consumer, corporate, and government responsibilities is emphasized in terms of consumer attitudes, design for environment (DfE), and establishment and implementation of waste management systems including recycling streams, respectively. The key strategic elements for effective waste management include environmental taxation and a deposit-refund system to motivate consumer responsibility, which is linked and integrated with corporate and government responsibilities. The results of this study can contribute to DfE and waste management policy for cellular phones.

Corporate psychopathy: Talking the walk

There is a very large literature on the important role of psychopathy in the criminal justice system. We know much less about corporate psychopathy and its implications, in large part because of the difficulty in obtaining the active cooperation of business organizations. This has left us with only a few small-sample studies, anecdotes, and speculation. In this study, we had a unique opportunity to examine psychopathy and its correlates in a sample of 203 corporate professionals selected by their companies to participate in management development programs. The correlates included demographic and status variables, as well as in-house 360 degrees assessments and performance ratings. The prevalence of psychopathic traits-as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and a Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL: SV) "equivalent"-was higher than that found in community samples. The results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that the underlying latent structure of psychopathy in our corporate sample was consistent with that model found in community and offender studies. Psychopathy was positively associated with in-house ratings of charisma/presentation style (creativity, good strategic thinking and communication skills) but negatively associated with ratings of responsibility/performance (being a team player, management skills, and overall accomplishments).

Strategies for competitiveness and sustainability: adaptation of a Brazilian subsidiary of a Swedish multinational corporation

The competitiveness, in terms of macro and micro levels of an enterprise, is often dictated by its capacity to innovate, ability to respond to the needs of the market, and resilience to challenges from competition. This paper reviews the literature on the adaptation of research and development (R&D) units in subsidiaries of multinational corporations. It focuses mainly on the impact of the technological dynamic on sustainability performance of the Brazilian subsidiary of the Swedish multinational Ericsson. Through a conceptual framework, it explores information and communication technologies (ICT) towards a transversal and comprehensive vision of levels of innovation and sustainability.

Corporate financial decision-makers' perceptions of workplace safety

This study, through a random national survey, explored how senior financial executives or managers (those who determined high-level budget, resource allocation, and corporate priorities) of medium-to-large companies perceive important workplace safety issues. The three top-rated safety priorities in resource allocation reported by the participants (overexertion, repetitive motion, and bodily reaction) were consistent with the top three perceived causes of workers' compensation losses. The greatest single safety concerns reported were overexertion, repetitive motion, highway accidents, falling on the same level and bodily reaction. A majority of participants believed that the indirect costs associated with workplace injury were higher than the direct costs. Our participants believed that money spent improving workplace safety would have significant returns. The perceived top benefits of an effective workplace safety program were increased productivity, reduced cost, retention, and increased satisfaction among employees. The perceived most important safety modification was safety training. The top reasons senior financial executives gave for believing their safety programs were better than those at other companies were that their companies paid more attention to and emphasized safety, they had better classes and training focused on safety, and they had teams/individuals focused specifically on safety.

Changing self-perception: success in independent living for individuals with chronic mental illness

Rates of rehospitalization of individuals with serious and persistent mental illness were compared prior to and after they were moved into 4-bed corporate foster homes. Results showed a significant drop in the number of rehospitalizations and in the total number of days hospitalized after moving into a 4-bed home. The data suggest that living in a 4-bed home-like environment may result in significantly fewer and shorter hospitalizations for these types of mentally ill individuals.