Background: Many community-dwelling older adults experience limitations in (instrumental) activities of daily living, resulting in the need for homecare services. Whereas services should ideally aim at maintaining independence, homecare staff often take over activities, thereby undermining older adults’ self-care skills and jeopardizing their ability to continue living at home. Reablement is an innovative care approach aimed at optimizing independence. The reablement training program ‘Stay Active at Home’ for homecare staff was designed to support the implementation of reablement in the delivery of homecare services. This study evaluated the implementation, mechanisms of impact and context of the program. Methods: We conducted a process evaluation alongside a 12-month cluster randomized controlled trial, using an embedded mixed-methods design. One hundred fifty-four homecare staff members (23 nurses, 34 nurse assistants, 8 nurse aides and 89 domestic workers) from five working areas received the program. Data on the implementation (reach, dose, fidelity, adaptations and acceptability), possible mechanisms of impact (homecare staff's knowledge, attitude, skills and support) and context were collected using logbooks, registration forms, checklists, log data and focus group interviews with homecare staff (n = 23) and program trainers (n=4). Results: The program was largely implemented as intended. Homecare staff's average compliance to the program meetings was 73.4%; staff members accepted the program, and particularly valued its practical elements and team approach. They experienced positive changes in their knowledge, attitude and skills about reablement, and perceived social and organizational support from colleagues and team managers to implement reablement. However, the extent to which homecare staff implemented reablement in practice, varied. Perceived facilitators included digital care plans, the organization’s lump sum funding and newly referred clients. Perceived barriers included resistance to change from clients or their social network, complex care situations, time pressure and staff shortages. Conclusions: The program was feasible to implement in the Dutch homecare setting, and was perceived as useful in daily practice. Nevertheless, integrating reablement into homecare staff's working practices remained challenging due to various personal and contextual factors. Future implementation of the program may benefit from minor program adaptations and a more stimulating work environment.
The decomposition of a body is influenced by burial conditions, making it crucial to understand the impact of different conditions for accurate grave detection. Geophysical techniques using drones have gained popularity in locating clandestine graves, offering non-invasive methods for detecting surface and subsurface irregularities. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is an effective technology for identifying potential grave locations without disturbance. This research aimed to prototype a drone system integrating GPR to assist in grave localization and to develop software for data management. Initial experiments compared GPR with other technologies, demonstrating its valuable applicability. It is suitable for various decomposition stages and soil types, although certain soil compositions have limitations. The research used the DJI M600 Pro drone and a drone-based GPR system enhanced by the real-time kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS) for precision and autonomy. Tests with simulated graves and cadavers validated the system’s performance, evaluating optimal altitude, speed, and obstacle avoidance techniques. Furthermore, global and local planning algorithms ensured efficient and obstacle-free flight paths. The results highlighted the potential of the drone-based GPR system in locating clandestine graves while minimizing disturbance, contributing to the development of effective tools for forensic investigations and crime scene analysis.
MULTIFILE
Binnen het MKB wordt in meer of mindere mate gebruik gemaakt van product configuratoren, informatietools waarmee producten klantgericht geconfigureerd kunnen worden uit aanwezige bouwstenen. Product configuratoren structureren het overleg met de klant. De verkregen informatie wordt, na orderacceptatie, gebruikt in het informatiesysteem van het bedrijf waarmee inkoop, productie en aflevering bestuurd wordt. Dankzij product configuratoren kunnen bedrijven beter en sneller producten aanbieden aan klanten, inclusief haalbare levertijden. Diverse bedrijven die een product configurator hebben aangeschaft, merken dat het niet eenvoudig is om de configurator goed in te zetten. Specifieke klanteisen kunnen het gebruik van de configurator frustreren. Ook is het moeilijk om de consequenties van productinnovaties eenvoudig te verwerken in de product configurator. Een kleine verandering vraagt vaak om veel veranderingen in de het systeem. Een beter gebruik van de product configurator lijkt te vragen om een meer modulaire productarchitectuur waar variaties in modules opgevangen kunnen worden. Dit wordt zowel in de literatuur als door de deelnemende bedrijven in dit KIEM project genoemd. In dit KIEM project onderzoeken we hoe informatie die opgeslagen wordt in de product configurator, en informatie over het gebruik van de product configurator gebruikt kan worden als input voor het productinnovatieproces. Deze vraag is afkomstig van de bedrijven die meedoen met dit onderzoek. De vraag sluit ook aan bij eerder onderzoek vanuit het Lectoraat Lean/World Class Performance waarin de ontwikkeling van productarchitectuur centraal stond. Met de opgedane kennis wordt de basis gelegd voor relevant vervolgonderzoek naar de link tussen procesintegratie (i.c. het gebruik van een product configurator) en productinnovatie.
