Introduction To support shared decision-making in care networks of people with dementia, an interactive web tool for people with dementia, informal caregivers, case managers and other professional caregivers is being developed. This study aims to identify user requirements for such a tool. Design and Methods A multiple method study with an iterative, participatory design was conducted. Data col...

Distributed systems are conveniently described, constructed and managed in terms of their software structure or architecture. However few current platforms exploit the architectural view. This paper outlines current work on the provision of an architectural methodology and graphical support tool, the System Architect’s Assistant, for the design and engineering of distributed systems. The tool s...

Handwriting in computer environments satisfies many requirements that are necessary to support creative activities, as it is easy to use, natural, flexible, and informal. This article proposes a tool to support creative activities using handwriting. The tool has the following features: (1) It is targeted for use in processing diagrams with logical structures. (2) It provides a handwriting input...

This study examined whether formal care services delivered to frail older people's homes in France and Israel substitute for or complement informal support. The two countries have comparable family welfare systems but many historical, cultural and religious differences. Data for the respondents aged 75 or more years at the first wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHA...

This report describes the organisation of the Belgian long-term care system. It can be characterised as a mixed system, with extensive public care provision and the substantial support of informal care provided mainly within the family. While the current volume and quality of services appears to be adequate, the future increase in the number of dependent elderly persons over the next two decade...

BACKGROUND Previous research showed that deprived individuals are less likely to attend breast screening and those providing intense amounts of informal care tend to be more deprived than non-caregivers. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between informal caregiving and uptake of breast screening and to determine if socio-economic gradients in screening attendance were explai...

Background: Informal payments in the health sector of many developing countries are considered as a major impediment to health care reforms. Informal payments are a form of systemic fraud and have adverse effects on the performance of the health system. In this study, the frequency and extent of informal payments as well as the determinants of these payments were investigated in general hospita...