Case studies in psychotherapy training using Austria as an example

BACKGROUND Case studies(CS)are relevant for the development of theoretical and practical competencies in psychotherapy.Despite rapid progress in the development of methods and principles for establishing CS in the last three decades,research into the aims of CS,especially in training,or how CS are to be conducted is rare.AIM To elucidate the form and methodology of CS,the objectives of CS used in training institutions(TI),and if/how TIs handle therapist allegiance.Also,this preliminary investigation will suggest avenues for further research and attempt to establish certain guidelines.METHODS In order to counteract researcher bias and enlarge the question-pool,a focus group was established.The recorded and transcribed text was analyzed with Mayring’s method of qualitative content analysis,and the generated categories were formulated as questions.The resulting questionnaire with both qualitative and quantitative queries was sent out(after pre-testing)to all 39 Austrian TIs that provide professional psychotherapy training.The answers and text passages received were then also categorized with qualitative content analysis.Data analysis was discussed by a peer group consisting of three psychotherapists trained in differing schools of psychotherapeutic methods.RESULTS 94%of Austrian institutes use CS as part of their psychotherapeutic training.Understanding of the term“case study”is inconsistent and has a wide variety of interpretations.CS serve mainly:(1)For observation of training/progress in therapeutic practice and knowledge/acquisition of the theory specific to each psychotherapeutic school;(2)To improve(self-)reflection capabilities;and(3)To expand theoretical knowledge.Most of the CS written are not accessible for students nor for the research community.More than two thirds of the CS take only the position of the author into account(the client’s position is not described).15.5%of the TIs do not consider researcher or therapist allegiance at all.CONCLUSION A more precise formulation of the term case study is needed in psychotherapeutic training.The training therapists play a key function,as they exemplify and teach how to deal with distorting factors.General guidelines as to how to conduct CS in training institutions would provide more direction to students,increase scientific rigor,and enhance synergistic effects.

A decision model for decentralized autonomous organization platform selection: Three industry case studies

Context:Decentralized autonomous organizations are a new form of smart contract-based governance.Decentralized autonomous organization platforms,which support the creation of such organizations,are becoming increasingly popular,such as Aragon and Colony.Selecting the best fitting platform is challenging for organizations,as a significant number of decision criteria,such as popularity,developer availability,governance issues and consistent documentation of such platforms,should be considered.Additionally,decision-makers at the organizations are not experts in every domain,so they must continuously acquire volatile knowledge regarding such platforms.Objective:Supporting decision-makers in selecting the right decentralized autonomous organization platforms by designing an effective decision model is the main objective of this study.We aim to provide more insight into their selection process and reduce time and effort significantly by designing a decision model.Method:This study presents a decision model for the decentralized autonomous organization platform selection problem.The decision model captures knowledge regarding such platforms and concepts systematically.This model is based on an existing theoretical framework that assists software engineers with a set of multi-criteria decision-making problems in software production.Results:We conducted three industry case studies in the context of three decentralized autonomous organizations to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the decision model in assisting decision-makers.The case study participants declared that the decision model provides significantly more insight into their selection process and reduces time and effort.Conclusion:We observe in the empirical evidence from the case studies that decision-makers can make more rational,efficient,and effective decisions with the decision model.Furthermore,the reusable form of the captured knowledge regarding decentralized autonomous organization platforms can be employed by other researchers in their future investigations.

Innovations in maternal and child health:case studies from Uganda

Background:Nearly 300 children and 20 mothers die from preventable causes daily,in Uganda.Communities often identify and introduce pragmatic and lasting solutions to such challenging health problems.However,little is known of these solutions beyond their immediate surroundings.If local and pragmatic innovations were scaled-up,they could contribute to better health outcomes for larger populations.In 2017 an open call was made for local examples of community-based solutions that contribute to improving maternal and child health in Uganda.In this article,we describe three top innovative community-based solutions and their contributions to maternal health.Main text:In this study,all innovations were implemented by non-government entities.Two case studies highlight the importance of bringing reproductive health and maternal delivery services closer to populations,through providing accessible shelters and maternity waiting homes in isolated areas.The third case study focuses on bringing obstetric imaging services to lower level rural health facilities,which usually do not provide this service,through task-shifting certain sonography services to midwives.Various health system and policy relevant lessons are highlighted.Conclusions:The described case studies show how delays in access to health care by pregnant women in rural communities can be systematically removed,to improve pregnancy and delivery outcomes.Emphasis should be put on identification,capacity building and research to support the scale up of these community-based health solutions.