Lisa Craiut

Technology transfer (TT) is a mechanism designed to accurately make knowledge, innovations, and advancements available to the general population. TT is conducted through scientific papers, educational and governmental initiatives, and the commercialization of technology. The TT process per se is complex, involving many stakeholders and factors that can impact implementation. Feasibility studies are needed to assess the types of technology that can be transferred, the economic options to be chosen, and to stimulate the receptive part, making understandable the whole transfer flow. Furthermore, TT involves a dynamic mechanism that has advanced with the development of technology, with different linear, non-linear, and alternative models being proposed and scientifically validated, and with the possibility of addressing different perceptions of the factors involved. The international TT level, as well as the level of innovation in the economic context, differs from nation to nation. The need for this paper is based on the lack of a comprehensive detailed presentation of the TT infrastructural concept, approached in a novel and in-depth way by assessing international TT, technology flow, technology distribution and expansion, collaborative networks, TT centers and TT models, regional operational programs etc., all of which are related to national/international legislation and sustainable development. The deficit of representation and implementation of this concept in Romania was also covered, the assessment providing the current status and suggesting the need to develop and optimize the implementation of TT in this country.

Technology transfer (TT) is a complex process that considers various components and variables. The mechanisms underlying innovation and TT have led to the development of applications in a context of sustainable development, framing an expanding area of research in terms of bibliometric quantity, quality, and structural indicators in recent years. Although there is considerable academic interest in TT in the context of sustainable development, there has not been a recent analysis of the literature in the field to assess its relevance in terms of scientific impact, citations, and other information prior to the literature search/publication process. Therefore, the present paper conducts a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer to assess research performance and to perform a scientific mapping of the most relevant literature in the field included in the Web of Science (W.o.S.) database. Furthermore, 39,958 manuscripts published between 1976 and 2022 have been systematically assessed in terms of influential indicators, citations, and publication trends. Major contributors in the field include the United States, China, and England, while the most prolific journals include Sustainability, Environmental Science & Technology, and Applied Energy. This study contributes to the scientific literature by providing a significant theoretical reference for the potential application of TT in the context of sustainable development through statistical analysis and interpretation of the bibliometric data obtained.

Patient satisfaction represents an essential indicator in assessing healthcare quality, as it is an extensive source of information regarding the healthcare provider’s ability to meet patients’ expectations and is a key predictor of patients’ behavioral approaches. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of satisfaction of patients who have been admitted for inpatient hospitalization in two public hospitals located in the North-West of Romania, during two different periods of administration/management of healthcare services, in the context of an ongoing decentralization process of public healthcare services (initiated in 2010). An exploratory study was conducted in the period of April–December 2021, based on a patient satisfaction survey, through which the quality of in-hospital services was evaluated at present and up until 2010, by the hospitalized patients in both periods. In total, 208 survey responses were validated and analyzed. The chi-square test and t-test were used for statistical processing. The results of the survey revealed that the percentage of patients that evaluated the inpatient experience as excellent was significantly higher during the period when hospitals were administered by local authorities than during the period of centralized administration (68.27% vs. 28.37%; p < 0.001), both in medical care as well as in hospital hotel services (71.63 vs. 29.81%), respectively (56.25 vs. 27.40; p < 0.001). The results obtained from this survey indicate that the decentralization of hospital units has had a positive effect on the quality of inpatient medical services and highlight the need for formulating and finalizing a policy aimed at developing and enhancing medical services.