Balancing COVID-19 preparedness and ‘business as usual’ in hospitals: lessons from executives in China, Norway and the UK

BackgroundDuring the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals were forced to cancel or postpone non-COVID-19 care. With new outbreaks emerging, hospitals are now figuring out how to balance preparedness for future COVID-19 waves with their elective and regular services. This report discusses how four hospital systems deal with these dual responsibilities in China, Norway and the UK.ReflectionsBased on the experiences and combined reflections of hospital executives, we have formulated five strategic and leadership lessons for hospitals as they manage these dual responsibilities. (1) Redesign organisation to separate COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 services both within and across hospitals. (2) Expand virtual care strategies to improve access. (3) Use data-driven models to allocate resources across COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 units. (4) Invest in programmes to promote frontline staff well-being. (5) Secure financial support to continue to deliver on the dual responsibilities.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic gives rise to leadership challenges that have fuelled organisational change and new approaches to healthcare delivery. Leading hospitals during the pandemic is a balancing act—providing care for both patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19, while at the same time preparing for the next waves of the pandemic.

Management of burns

Anesthetists have dual responsibilities when encountered with burns patients; they are often called to share the initial management in Emergency Department in view of their expertise in IV access and airway management, in the ICU for further management including ventilation, and in OR as patients with burns are regular visitors there.

The Impact of Dual Role Teaching Principals in Small Schools

Teaching principals exist in small schools. These principals have classroom responsibilities, administration duties, and educational instructor duties simultaneously. There are still some uncertainties on the dual role of school principals in small schools due to the lack of studies in this area. It is well-known that principals’ instructional leadership practices are an imperative predictor to the success of small schools. Following this concern, the dual responsibilities taken by principals in small schools must be understood comprehensively. This paper discusses the excellent role of teaching principals in small schools. The objective of this qualitative research is to determine the dimensions of principal’s teaching practices that influence the transformation of ordinary small schools into excellent small schools. Three principals in excellent small schools were interviewed and the themes that emerged from the interviews were matched with the dimensions drawn from the instructional leadership model used in this study. The results suggested that although a dual role teaching principal seemed to be burdened with responsibilities, the principals interviewed took the roles positively and excelled as instructional leaders. The teaching principals interviewed stated that their dual role increased their abilities in providing instructional leadership from many dimensions. The outcomes of this study may assist district school superintendents and preparatory program personnel in developing the right knowledge and in constructing a framework to support teaching principals in small schools in fulfilling their dual responsibilities.

Enzymatic synthesis of PEG–poly(amine-co-thioether esters) as highly efficient pH and ROS dual-responsive nanocarriers for anticancer drug delivery

Novel multifunctional drug nanocarriers with pH and ROS dual-responsibilities were developed using enzymatically synthesized materials.

Party Representatives’ Adaptation to Election Results: Dyadic Responsiveness Revisited

Politicians’ dual responsibilities to respect their party and also be responsive to their constituents is surprisingly lacking in studies of representation. How do politicians—especially those who function in strong-party systems—individually respond to their constituents’ preferences? We make use of an original, large-scale survey of politicians and the recent success of the Sweden Democrats in the elections in Sweden to show that important adaptation takes place within the party structure. Individual politicians are responsive to signals about voters’ preferences, and they act on these signals by internally lobbying their party leaders to change the party’s positions in the direction of their constituents’ preferences. These results provide a rationale for why niche parties invest in elections even if they are unlikely to enter government: Their electoral successes can cause change in other parties. The results also add a new angle to the discussion of how anti-immigration parties affect mainstream parties, a hotly debated issue in many advanced democracies.