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Determinants of household electricity consumption measured by smart meters found by the authors in a scoping review were analyzed for the example of Germany utilizing the 2018 Survey of Income and Expenditure. All variables identified in the scoping review were covered in the survey (number and type of appliances, sociodemographic, and dwelling-related aspects). One can therefore use this large representative data set to test these relationships for German households. Expenditure on electricity is considered an indicator of household electricity consumption. The determinants show weak to moderate correlations with energy expenditure in bivariate analyses. The multivariate analysis shows effects of household-specific, dwelling-related, and appliance-specific factors. Models considering only one aspect overestimate this effect. Thus, all three aspects should be considered simultaneously when explaining residential electricity consumption. The largest effects are found for electricity as the main energy source for heating, the number of household members, as well as their presence at home. While household structure plays an important part in explaining residential energy consumption, dwelling and appliance-related aspects influence it as well. The latter aspects may be influenced by appropriate policy measures.
Background:
People with aphasia (PWA) often have a reduced quality of life. Nevertheless, there are currently only a few specific services that respond to this problem. Hence, there is a pressing need for action to improve participation and well-being of people with aphasia. An adapted social network could be a solution. Well-being could be increased by exchanging experiences with peers in a similar situation. Moreover, comprehensive digital coverage would also be possible in rural and underserved areas. This digital social network should be adapted to the specific needs of PWA. Therefore, a participatory, agile process with the involvement of the target group should be adopted.
Aim:
The aim is to develop and evaluate a social media platform as a smartphone app to support the social integration of PWA and to improve their quality of life. In addition to the digital exchange, face-to-face meetings between PWA should be stimulated.
Design:
The study will be conducted in a randomised pretest-posttest control group design with follow-up testing. The participants will be randomly assigned to the experimental intervention (36 participants) or the control intervention (36 participants). The primary outcome is quality of life, measured with the SAQOL-39. At all measurement times, psychological well-being is recorded with the help of two measuring instruments (GHQ-12 & DISCs). The secondary outcome is the recording of social contacts and activities as well as associated emotions, registered in a structured diary. In addition, communication skills (measured with the CPIB) and social support (recorded with the F-SozU) will be examined.
Method:
During the first project phase, a user-centred, agile development process will be adopted to design the app. The target group will be involved in the app development in a participatory manner. A workshop is planned for the users of the app. In the second phase, the usability and user-friendliness of the app will first be evaluated in a feasibility study. Subsequently, in the main study, the app will then be tested by the target group for 4 months.
Discussion:
The app developed in the research project is the first social network that is tailored to the needs and capabilities of PWA. It aims to enable better exchange between PWA to improve social participation and quality of life.
Abstract Background Most medical students are in contact with the pharmaceutical or medical device industry during their studies. Medical schools play an important role in protecting students from undue commercial influence and educating them about pharmaceutical marketing practices. Such influence has been shown to affect later prescribing behaviour with potential adverse effects for patient care. While in North America, many medical schools formulated and implemented conflicts of interest (COI) policies, only few such institutional policies have been reported in Germany. We aimed to analyze the quantity and quality of policies and curricula on COI at medical schools across Germany. Methods We collected relevant COI policies and teaching activities by conducting a search of the websites of all 38 German medical schools using standardized keywords for COI policies and teaching. Further, we surveyed all medical schools’ dean’s offices and adapted a scoring system for obtained results with 13 categories based on prior similar studies. Results We identified relevant policies for one medical school via the web-search. The response rate of the deans’ survey was 16 of 38 (42.1%). In total, we identified COI-related policies for 2 of 38 (5.3%) German medical schools, yet no policy was sufficient to address all COI-related categories that were assessed in this study. The maximum score achieved was 12 of 26. 36 (94.7%) schools scored 0. No medical school reported curricular teaching on COI. Conclusion Our results indicate a low level of action by medical schools to protect students from undue commercial influence. No participating dean was aware of any curriculum or instruction on COI at their respective school. The German Medical Students Association and international counterparts have called for a stronger focus on COI in the classroom. We conclude that for German medical schools there is still a long way to go.