The question of how a service consumer and a service provider should collaborate with each other in a business-to-business (B2B) setting is an ongoing research issue. The concept of electronic eSourcing (eSourcing) has been proposed as an integral concept for the EU research project CrossWork. The properties of eSourcing have been explored, however, the question arises how a service consumer an...

BACKGROUND It is unclear whether the benefits that some patients derive from complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) are related to the therapies recommended or to the consultation process as some CIM provider visits are more involved than conventional medical visits. Many patients with gastrointestinal conditions seek out CIM therapies, and prior work has demonstrated that the quality of ...

During the last years a vast number of multimedia databases have been established for search and retrieval of multimedia data, due to large audiovisual storage capacities and efficient compression methods. The metadata format of such databases can be based on the MPEG-7 standard. For the successful and efficient search, a query language for the interaction between client and database is crucial...

INTRODUCTION Ensuring equitable coverage of appropriate malaria treatment remains a high priority for the Nigerian government. This study examines the health seeking behaviour, patient-provider interaction and quality of care received by febrile patients of different socio-economic status (SES) groups. METHODS A total of 1642 febrile patients and caregivers exiting public health centres, phar...

background equity of access to health and provider payment mechanism in healthcare is a worldwide debated. healthcare reforms are primarily designed to improve productivity, economic efficiency and quality of care; however, an appropriate reimbursement of healthcare providers for services offered to patients and marinating a robust payment mechanism are not elucidated yet. conclusions no single...

PURPOSE To determine if peer risk (having friends who drink or approve of drinking) modifies the effects of a computer-facilitated screening and provider brief advice (cSBA) intervention on adolescent alcohol use. METHODS We assessed the intervention effect using logistic regression modeling with generalized estimating equations on a sample of 2,092 adolescents. Effect modification by peer ri...

From a business perspective, Web services represent a new channel for the offer as well as the acquisition of business capabilities. The full automation of the interaction process between providers and consumers is a peculiarity of the Web service channel. Beyond electronic data transfer, automation extends to all aspects of business interaction. The negotiation of terms and conditions for serv...

Health care is an important lever for moderating the effects of social determinants on health. We present a model that describes the relationships among social disadvantage, health-care disparities, and health disparities. Improving access to health care and enhancing patient-provider interaction are critical pathways for reducing disparities. Increasing the diversity of the public health and h...