ABSTRACT
The National Hockey League is at its apex in terms of its business success. Even a global pandemic could not slow it down. The league generates more than $5 billion annually, its revenues and media deals continue to grow, and its properties are increasing in value, innovation, and quantity. More clubs are profitable than are not, and the game of hockey is expanding globally. Business the NHL Way draws on hockey-inspired stories to show how brands, institutions, and individuals associated with the NHL have consistently survived a variety of challenges and thrived as a result of its decisions. The book explores twelve business-related scenarios from the sport of hockey and links each lesson back to business, leadership, diversity, management, and sport outcomes. Using ice hockey as an analogy for life, Norm O'Reilly and Rick Burton - leaders in the business of sports and former amateur hockey players - inform business and industry professionals on best practices to achieve strategic outcomes and career advancement. The book aims to help businesses emerge from the financial and health disruptions of the global COVID-19 pandemic that not only altered the future of hockey but threatened business sustainability in every sector. Business the NHL Way will appeal to both casual and passionate hockey fans, as well as anyone eager to follow in the footsteps of a successful professional sports organization. © University of Toronto Press 2022. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The ongoing pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 calls for rapid and cost-effective methods to accurately identify infected individuals. The vast majority of patient samples is assessed for viral RNA presence by RT-qPCR. Our biomedical research institute, in collaboration between partner hospitals and an accredited clinical diagnostic laboratory, established a diagnostic testing pipeline that has reported on more than 252,000 RT-qPCR results since its commencement at the beginning of April 2020. However, due to ongoing demand and competition for critical resources, alternative testing strategies were sought. In this work, we present a clinically-validated procedure for high-throughput SARSCoV-2 detection by RT-LAMP in 25 minutes that is robust, reliable, repeatable, sensitive, specific, and inexpensive © 2021. Buck MD et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social disruption has left many to struggle with changes to routines and feelings of uncertainty as the impact of the virus continues to unfold. Evidence suggests an increase in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress as a result. Given the well-documented association between physical activity and mental health-be it preventing the onset of depressive or anxious symptoms to minimizing the prognosis of certain conditions-we posit more emphasis be placed in health communications on physical activity as a coping strategy for Canadians. As the ramifications of COVID-19 continue, coupled with the concern of a pending second wave, identifying how Canadians are managing stress and mental health can inform the development of interventions aimed at mitigating the negative impact of COVID-19 on adults' overall wellness. Though social interactions and activities might look different right now, Canadians should be actively looking for safe ways to engage in health promoting and socializing behaviors-physical activity is one such behavior. Herein we explore how a representative sample of Canadian adults are coping with increased stress and mental health issues as a result of COVID-19 and identify a potential disconnect between considering physical activity as a strategy to support social connection and stress management and how Canadians are coping with the pandemic. Given the protective role of physical activity in supporting mental health, our perspective is that health communication efforts should focus on the mental health benefits of physical activity particularly during these uncertain times.
ABSTRACT
AimsWe developed and implemented a new Junior Doctor rota at a small DGH in London in the weeks approaching the peak of the COVID19 pandemic.In early March 2020, it became clear it would be necessary to increase junior doctor staffing in order to provide round-the-clock care for acutely unwell patients, while ensuring cover for staff sickness. Failure would result in significant strain on staff wellbeing and patient safety.MethodsWe assessed the challenge by discussing with colleagues, meeting the site medical director and joining calls with strategic leaders.Central hospital planning provided details of expected clinical need and acuity. Junior doctors were engaged in daily handover meetings and via instant messaging.We developed a rota covering all medical wards, increasing on-call and night staffing and ensuring adequate rest. We split the hospital into zones and organised colleagues into colour-coded teams. This provided team spirit and support in a difficult environment. Evident immediately were improvements in both perceptions of patient safety and morale.ResultsWe carried out a survey of colleagues. Of the approximately 60 colleagues involved, 37 responded to 21 questions. (A = Agree, SA = Strongly Agree, N = Neutral)Perceptions of safe ward staffing before and after rota introduction: 32% vs 86% (A/SA)Perceptions of safe on-call staffing before and after rota introduction: 24% vs 92% (A/SA)Adequate notice on COVID rota change: 73% (A/SA/N)Adequate consultation on COVID rota change: 92% (A/SA/N)Team-based rota pattern beneficial86% (A/SA)ConclusionsThis work identified the need for adequate consultation when changing working practices. Successful leadership requires the ability to communicate in difficult circumstances and to implement necessary change despite time pressures. The benefits of team-based work were clearly demonstrated and should be carried forward to maintain morale.