The goal of this work is to detect the basic characteristics of the development of the southern border between Spain and Portugal.This trans-border area is described and analyzed comparing the region of Algarve, in The conclusions show that those indicators related to national governance systems are of utmost importance in the cluster classification. Furthermore, those municipalities with higher development levels are also less sustainable from the environmental point of viewthis is probably due to the fact that tourism supports the fragile socio-economic systems in many of such regions. Significantly, the clustering tendencies show that the Portuguese municipalities are tourism oriented (or less tourism oriented) and the Spanish ones are agribusiness (or less agribusiness oriented). Lastly, such geographic structures seem to have its roots in long term paths of development.
The total analytical process ranges from the time when tests are requested until the results are finally delivered to physicians, and is classically divided into three different stages: preanalytical, analytical and post-analytical. From these different stages, the preanalytical phase is probably the most complex as it involves different professionals and is also the stage at which the highest number of failures or mistakes may occur [1]. Several authors have developed a number of strategies such as auditing of errors in the laboratory, the use of automatic equipment to help avoid mistakes related to identification and delivery of sample tubes, and the implementation of questionnaires regarding sample collection [2 -5].As far as we know, the opinions of professionals involved in the preanalytical phase have not been taken into account in any study. The strengths, weakness, opportunity and threats (SWOT) analysis, which is used for evaluation of healthcare strategies, can be a valuable tool at analyzing the influence of the organizational system on this issue [6].This study was aimed at understanding the perspective on preanalytical errors from the point of view of the professionals involved in the preanalytical process. A significant contribution of their specialized knowledge and experience in day-to-day practice for identifying these kinds of mistakes, and their most frequent causes, was expected.We carried out a descriptive study with a qualitative and phenomenological approach.Data were collected from two multidisciplinary focus groups; each group included laboratory physicians, nurses and laboratory technicians who are the professionals involved in the preanalytical phase at our hospital. Data were subsequently organized according to a SWOT structure, which enabled us to perform an internal diagnosis for present issues (strengths and weaknesses) and an external evaluation with a strategic approach (threats and opportunities) [7].Initial categories used to structure these data were those of a regular SWOT. Participants acted as representatives of their respective professional groups and their contributions provided their perspectives on each of the stages in the preanalytical phase. Topics for each of the SWOT areas emerged from the common features found in the overlapping participants ' contributions. Average age, professional experience and distribution of gender were similar in both groups. Sessions lasted for 40 and 43 min, respectively, and they were audio-recorded for their subsequent transcription. Categorization analysis was carried out without computer support.Strengths of the system arise from organizational aspects such as the existence of work protocols and guidelines, the future unification of the system for test requests (nowadays, both manual and computerized), and the web connection between laboratory and primary care. Other strength-related aspects described by the participants referred to staff ' s professionalism and implication.
Este artículo muestra una variedad de posibles soluciones ante las dificultades que los científicos sociales pueden encontrarse en la investigación cuantitativa con poblaciones elusivas. Estas dificultades son de dos tipos: epistemológicas y técnicas. Desde el punto de vista epistemológico, se subraya la necesidad de adaptación de la investigación a las características de la población objeto de estudio, pues la elusividad de la población no puede considerarse un obstáculo insalvable. Esta flexibilidad se muestra más constructiva, en términos de consecución de objetivos de investigación, que un posicionamiento más rígido o tradicional, más apegado a modelos preestablecidos. Desde el punto de vista técnico, se muestran las soluciones ante cada dificultad encontrada en el curso de un estudio de caso: la población turístico-residencial del destino Costa Blanca en el Levante español. Estas soluciones se demuestran, finalmente, como adecuadas, al contrastar los resultados con encuestas oficiales tipo panel realizadas de forma tradicional en origen.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.