ALACA: A platform for dynamic alarm collection and alert notification in network management systems

Mobile network operators run Operations Support Systems that produce vast amounts of alarm events. These events can have different significance levels and domains and also can trigger other ones. Network operators face the challenge to identify the significance and root causes of these system problems in real time and to keep the number of remedial actions at an optimal level, so that customer satisfaction rates can be guaranteed at a reasonable cost. In this paper, we propose a scalable streaming alarm management system, referred to as Alarm Collector and Analyzer, that includes complex event processing and root cause analysis. We describe a rule mining and root cause analysis solution for alarm event correlation and analyses. The solution includes a dynamic index for matching active alarms, an algorithm for generating candidate alarm rules, a sliding window–based approach to save system resources, and a graph-based solution to identify root causes. Alarm Collector and Analyzer is used in the network operation center of a major mobile telecom provider. It helps operators to enhance the design of their alarm management systems by allowing continuous analysis of data and event streams and predict network behavior with respect to potential failures by using the results of root cause analysis. We present experimental results that provide insights on performance of real-time alarm data analytics systems. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

A descriptive, cross-sectional survey of Turkish nurses' knowledge of pressure ulcer risk, prevention, and staging

Nurses' knowledge of pressure ulcer (PU) prevention and management is an important first step in the provision of optimal care. To evaluate PU prevention/risk, staging, and wound description knowledge, a descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted among nurses working in an acute care Turkish hospital. The survey instrument was a modified and translated version of the Pieper Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Test (PUKT), and its validity and reliability were established. Nurses completed a Personal Characteristics Form, including sociodemographic information and exposure to educational presentations and information about and experience with PUs, followed by the 49-item modified PUKT which includes 33 prevention/risk items, 9 staging items, and 7 wound description items. All items are true/false questions with an I don't know option (scoring: minimum 0, maximum 49). Correct answers received 1 point and incorrect/ unknown answers received 0 points. The paper-pencil questionnaires were distributed by 2 researchers to all nurses in the participating hospital and completed by those willing to be included. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Pearson's correlation test was used to examine the relationship between quantitative variables, and mean scores were compared using the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Among the 308 participating nurses (mean age 29.5 ± 8.1 [range 19-56] years) most were women (257, 83.4%) with 7.3 ± 7.8 (range 1-36) years of experience. The mean knowledge score for the entire sample was 29.7 ± 6.7 (range 8-42). The overall percentage of correct answers was 60.6% to 61.8% for PU prevention/risk assessment, 60% for wound description, and 56.6% for PU staging. Knowledge scores were significantly (P <.05) higher for participants who attended at least 1 lecture/conference/course on PUs in the last year, read articles/books about PUs, cared for patients with PUs, or believed their patients were at risk for PU development. Most participants (180, 58.4%) scored 60% or more correct; 8 (2.6%) correctly answered 80% or more of the items. The lowest number of correct answers was for the item, "Bunny boots and gel pads relieve pressure on the heels" (22, 7.1%). The results of this study suggest education and experience caring for patients who are at risk for or have a PU affect nurses' knowledge. This study, and additional research examining nurse knowledge, will help the development of much-needed education programs. © 2018 HMP Communications. All rights reserved