Continuous state DEC-MDPs are critical for agent teams in domains involving resources such as time, but scaling them up is a significant challenge. To meet this challenge, we first introduce a novel continuous-time DEC-MDP model that exploits transition independence in domains with temporal constraints. More importantly, we present a new locally optimal algorithm called SPAC. Compared to the be...

The volume of blood sampled for blood culture determines its sensitivity. We measured low mean blood volumes in submitted aerobic (8.38 ± 3.88 ml) and anaerobic (7.16 ± 3.83 ml) blood culture bottles. Educational seminars were held for phlebotomy teams, and renewed measurements thereafter revealed significantly higher blood volumes in submitted aerobic (9.77 ± 4.42 ml) and anaerobic (8.30 ± 3.6...

according to the changing business, nowadays teams are cornerstones of successful organizations, in addition, with the developments and technological innovations in communication and information, virtual teams are playing more critical role in today's business. on this basis, determining factors which affect virtual team's performance are important to both scholars and practitioners. ...

Organisations want to influence the productivity of their development teams. There are a variety of methods available for teams to use for its development purposes, this study focuses on the agile development methodology. Currently there is no knowledge to which extent elements of agile development influence productivity. This research project identified influences on productivity by means of a...

AIM To develop a model for high reliability in health care quality and patient safety. BACKGROUND A high-reliability health organization (HRO) has measurable near perfect performance in quality and safety. High reliability is necessary in health care where the consequences of error are high and the frequency is low. KEY ISSUES Despite a decade of intense focus on quality and safety since a ...

discrimination can have negative effects on sport teams' performance. identification of processes, contexts and contributing factors of discrimination can be a useful method to improve sport teams' performance. the aim of this study was to design a model of discrimination in sport teams which was conducted through qualitative research method with an exploratory-fundamental nature. dat...

Although approximately 95% of US newborns are now screened for hearing loss at birth, more than half of those who do not pass the screen lack a documented diagnosis. In an effort to improve the quality of the follow-up process, teams from 8 states participated in a breakthrough-series learning collaborative. Teams were trained in the Model for Improvement, a quality-improvement approach that en...

Evidence from many sources relates the quality of team work and team functioning to the quality of care. In short, being cared for by teams that function well, rather than those that do not, improves the quality of care and reduces the risk of both complications and death. If team working were a ‘drug’ it would be prescribed prophylactically to all patients on entry to any healthcare system. Th...

BACKGROUND Interdisciplinary teamwork (ITW) is deemed necessary for quality cancer care practices. Nevertheless, variation in ITW intensity among cancer teams is understudied, and quantitative evidence of the effect of different ITW intensities among cancer teams on patients' perceived experience of care is limited. This study aims to compare patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) of canc...