The Fall of Perseverance and Rise of Indomitable Spirit within Taekwon-Do during COVID-19

Background. Taekwon-Do, a South Korean martial art and combat sport teaches hundreds of physical skills through a stratified curriculum. The highest learning objectives of Taekwon-Do are, however, its five tenets (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-con-trol, and indomitable spirit). Unlike the physical aspects of Taekwon-Do practice, there are no direct assessment tools that can determine if a student has acquired and utilized the tenets. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic may provide a unique opportunity to assess the acquisition of some of the tenets of Taekwon-Do. Problem and Aim. This study aims to provide an indirect method of assessing students' adoption of some of Taekwon-Do's tenets by understanding how these ideals may enable Taekwon-Do practitioners to overcome physical and emotional challenges in their daily lives. Methods. The research methodology utilizes an autoethnographic research design that correlates the author's application of the tenets of Taekwon-Do to his mental and spiritual health successes after suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic and life-altering physical injuries. Results. COVID-19, like the author's injuries, provides an indirect and qualitative assessment opportunity for two tenets of Taek-wondo (perseverance and indomitable spirit). Conclusion. While indirect assessment is a viable and established pedagogical means of assessment, quantitative measurement tools may be more persuasive to prove the effectiveness of the tenets of Taekwon-Do.

Perceptions of the Virtual Interview Process: A National Survey of Rhinology Fellowship Directors

Introduction: To limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep faculty and applicants safe, many otolaryngology subspecialties conducted their fellowship interviews via a virtual format, including within the field of rhinology. Given the novel virtual format of interviews during the 2021 rhinology interview cycle, our study looked to determine how virtual interviews compared with in-person interviews from the perspective of rhinology fellowship directors. Method(s): A web-based anonymous survey was developed consisting of 15 questions. Electronic letters were sent to all fellowship directors participating in the 2021 rhinology match requesting their participation. Fourteen of the 15 questions from our survey were based on a 5-point Likert-type scale, with 1 representing strong disagree and 5 representing strongly agree;there was 1 one open-ended question. Result(s): Overall, 70% of rhinology fellowship directors responded. Fellowship directors were divided on whether they were satisfied with the virtual interview but overall felt the process was convenient (74%). Most (74%) reported that virtual interviews did not allow them to sufficiently display their program. In addition, 70% felt that the virtual interview process did not allow them to establish rapport with applicants and also to determine who would be the best fit for their program (70%). Most also reported placing more emphasis on applicants' curriculum vitae and letters of recommendation. Overall, 65% said they would not plan to offer virtual interviews in the future despite similar or better match results. Conclusion(s): While virtual interviews result in notable cost reductions and increased convenience to programs and applicants, fellowship directors were mixed in their level of satisfaction with the overall process. This was primarily related to the perceived inability to accurately reflect their program remotely and also an increased difficulty evaluating applicants via a virtual format. These limitations led to most fellowship directors not planning to offer virtual interviews in the future despite similar match results to when conducting traditional interviews.

Running a paediatric ambulatory sleep service in a pandemic and beyond

Introduction: In response to COVID-19, re-establishing safe elective services was prioritised in the UK. Here we assess the impact on face-to-face hospital attendance, cost, and efficiency of implementing a virtual sleep clinic (intervention one) to screen for children requiring level 3 ambulatory sleep studies, using newly implemented ENT-UK guidelines (intervention two) for investigation of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). The objectives are (1) to compare the proportion of children attending sleep clinic for investigation of OSA symptoms undertaking a sleep study before and after implementation of the interventions;(2) to compare clinic cancellations and first-time success rates of sleep studies before and after intervention. Materials and Methods: We compared retrospective data from children aged 3 months to 16 years referred to sleep clinic by ENT for the investigation of OSA over the 3-months immediately following intervention (1st June 2020 - 1st September 2020) to the same period in the previous year before intervention (1st June 2019 - 1st September 2019). Data was collected on the following parameters: Patient demographics, number of children attending sleep clinic, number of children undergoing sleep studies, diagnostic outcomes, number of appointment cancellations and number of first-time sleep study failures. Results: The proportion of children seen by the paediatric sleep-disordered-breathing service was less post-intervention;49% (29/59) of patients had ambulatory sleep studies post-intervention, compared to 88% (73/83) pre-intervention (P < 0.001). The trends in diagnosed OSA severity were similar pre- and post-intervention (P = 0.002), with the exception of an increase in the proportion of children diagnosed with moderate OSA post-intervention (most diagnosed clinically). The mean age of children in the pre- and post-intervention groups was similar. The mean age of children having a sleep study to diagnose OSA was lower than those diagnosed clinically in both groups. The proportion of children whose sleep clinic appointments were cancelled by parents was greater before intervention (13% [12/95]) than after intervention (5% [3/62]). The first-time failure rate of ambulatory sleep studies was lower after intervention (7% [2/29]) compared to before intervention (10% [7/73]). Overall, implementing a virtual sleep clinic to screen for children requiring a sleep study for the diagnosis of OSA using ENT-UK guidance led to a reduction of 39% in the proportion of children requiring face-to-face attendance for a sleep study. Conclusions: The similar spread of diagnosed OSA severity before and after intervention and the higher proportion of children diagnosed clinically post-intervention across all diagnostic severities suggests clinical diagnosis of OSA is accurate in eligible children. As well as improved patient safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are cost-efficiency benefits of reduced face-to-face attendance. We evidenced further cost-efficiency benefits with reduced clinic cancellations and sleep study failure rates. These results have implications for the wider sleep community and other diagnostic services in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Acknowledgements: Simone Millership, ESNEFT, assisted in data collection

The show must go on: the strategy and spectacle of Dana White's efforts to promote UFC 249 during the coronavirus pandemic. (Special Issue: Sport and the coronavirus crisis.)

While most professional sports quickly postponed their seasons due to COVID- 19, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) took a decidedly contrarian approach as president Dana White continued to promote UFC 249 until pressure forced its cancelation on April 9, 2020. Drawing from work on sport and spectacle and the media as well as sport management scholarship on crisis management, the authors provide a commentary on the mediated spectacle of White's (eventually successful) efforts to promote UFC 249 during the pandemic. Drawing from numerous media sources, they discuss how White sought to control the public narrative in several key ways. The authors further explore how White decried the seriousness of the pandemic while centralizing the UFC's place in the U.S. sporting landscape. Finally, the authors discuss how White's efforts might both help and hinder the UFC as a mainstream sports promotion.