Advancing Pediatric Care: The virtualKIDS Experience in Nursing-Led Audio-Visual Clinical Services
Advancing Pediatric Care: The virtualKIDS Experience in Nursing-Led Audio-Visual Clinical Services

The Sydney Children’s Hospital Network is located in New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia. It is comprised of two children’s hospitals that forms one of the largest children’s hospital networks in the country. Our network recognised the need to develop virtual care as an integral part of providing specialist paediatric care to the children and adolescents within our state.  As a result, the virtualKIDS service was proposed in 2020 and launched in June 2021. COVID-19 further accelerated the establishment of this service.

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Editor's Picks, ResearchMoazzma Arshadpediatric care, COVID-19, Healthcare
The Role of Optimism in Mitigating Workplace Mistreatment Effects
The Role of Optimism in Mitigating Workplace Mistreatment Effects

In contemporary workplaces characterized by teamwork and flattened hierarchies, mistreatment experiences often happen in interactions with peers. One common manifestation of such mistreatment is peer interpersonal injustice, which entails breaches of dignity, respect, and propriety at work. This can range from unfriendly behavior to insulting remarks from colleagues.

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Research, Editor's PicksRachel WolfeOptimism, Workplace culture, Interpersonal conflict, Workplace mistreatment
Black Households Are More Burdened by Vehicle Ownership than White Households
Black Households Are More Burdened by Vehicle Ownership than White Households

Today I spent 65% of my monthly income to get my car’s exhaust replaced. This is not shocking, unheard of, or even rare. The United States has been built to accommodate the automobile. In doing so, we have accomplished what transportation historian Peter Norton describes as normalizing the abnormal. It is expected that every American adult own a personal vehicle, and thus it is normal for Americans to allocate more than 15% of their total annual spending toward cars.

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ResearchWehida Niazitransportation, Vehicle, inequity
Improving Job Satisfaction and Belonging Through Flexible Work and Leadership Cohorts
Improving Job Satisfaction and Belonging Through Flexible Work and Leadership Cohorts

Four years into the new world of “flexible work,” many employers are still seeking a balance between employee’s desire for flexibility and the need for collaboration, connection, and job effectiveness on teams. In the wake of higher staff turnover rates and prominent calls for continued flexibility at a small university, finding the right equilibrium between in-person work and employees’ demand for continued remote work options was imperative. This study first evaluated the connection between flexible work and job satisfaction. Not surprising were the results that employees with flexibility had greater job satisfaction (88% of respondents) than their non-flexible peers (68% of respondents).

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ResearchWehida Niaziflexible work, job satisfaction, remote work
I’d like accessibility analysis to help us shape the future”: Transportation practitioners and accessibility measurement
I’d like accessibility analysis to help us shape the future”: Transportation practitioners and accessibility measurement

Transportation affects peoples’ day-to-day lives in myriad ways, including the ability to get where they need to go, the economic wellbeing of individuals and communities, physical and mental health, and the health of the local environment and planet. Transportation agencies are becoming increasingly interested in measuring accessibility, or the ease with which people can reach desired destinations. In part, the concept is attractive because it reflects the primary purpose of a transportation system—to connect people to the opportunities they value.

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ResearchWehida Niazimobility, transportation, accessibility
When Do Users Prefer Voice-Controlled Systems in Vehicles? A Survey of Chinese Drivers
When Do Users Prefer Voice-Controlled Systems in Vehicles? A Survey of Chinese Drivers

We find that drivers’ choice of the interaction modality is associated with the driving scenarios. Specifically, drivers prefer voice-controlled systems (VCS) when they are driving alone, driving on highways, and driving in an environment with high traffic complexity. Further, drivers have different preferences of interaction modalities for different tasks: when tasks are more distracting and more time-demanding, drivers prefer VCS over manual interactions

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ResearchRachel WolfeVehicle, Voice-controlled systems, China, Driving
The Metaverse in the Workplace: Possibilities and Implications for Human Resource Development
The Metaverse in the Workplace: Possibilities and Implications for Human Resource Development

Recently, the term "metaverse" has emerged as a buzzword, representing a virtual universe beyond our physical reality. Powered by technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), the metaverse offers users immersive experiences in digital realms. While some hail it as a revolutionary force with the potential to transform work and education, others remain skeptical, questioning its longevity and practicality. Nevertheless, as more individuals and organizations embrace the metaverse, there's a pressing need to dissect its intricacies, explore its applications, and assess its implications, especially in the realm of workplace learning.

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Editor's Picks, ResearchMoazzma Arshadmultiverse, virtual reality, human resources
Traumatic brain injury in women: Time to think about mental health before a pregnancy
Traumatic brain injury in women: Time to think about mental health before a pregnancy

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common cause of disability, affecting about 2.5% of North Americans. Although one-third of people with TBI are female, most TBI research is focused on high-risk groups that are primarily male, like veterans and professional athletes. This means that the consequences of TBI most relevant to women and those assigned female at birth, like the impact of TBI on mental health around the time of pregnancy, have received little attention.

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ResearchWehida NiaziMental health, pregnancy, brain injury
How Artificial Intelligence Can Help in Quickly Translating Published Research in Real-World Practice and Policymaking?
How Artificial Intelligence Can Help in Quickly Translating Published Research in Real-World Practice and Policymaking?

Published research needs to be used in real-world practice for making a meaningful difference in lives of patients, families, health care professionals, and other individuals whom the research affects. We know from research that it could take about 15 to 17 years for the published research to make it into real-world practice and policymaking, and about 85% of the research is never used in practice. A new scientific field called implementation science deals with designing innovative and effective behavior change methods and techniques for accelerating the transfer of high-quality published research in practice and policymaking.

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Editor's Picks, ResearchMoazzma ArshadAI, artificial intelligence
Starting Your Day with Dread or Excitement? The Effects of Meeting Scheduling Cadences
Starting Your Day with Dread or Excitement? The Effects of Meeting Scheduling Cadences

Work meetings are necessary for collaboration, communication, brainstorming, decision-making, and so on. While researchers have explored many aspects of workplace meetings, current research has yet to consider the broader concept of scheduling cadences (e.g., how meetings are dispersed throughout the day). We propose that, depending on these scheduling cadences, meetings can function as an interruption by disrupting workflow and diminishing employee productivity levels while increasing feelings of fatigue.

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Research, Editor's PicksRachel WolfeWorkplace, Meetings, employees, Workload
Psychological Contracts at Different Levels: The Cross-Level and Comparative Multilevel Effects of Team Psychological Contract Fulfillment
Psychological Contracts at Different Levels: The Cross-Level and Comparative Multilevel Effects of Team Psychological Contract Fulfillment

How much compensation should I receive for my daily tasks, how many days off per year can I expect, what should be my regular work schedule, and other employment commitments are common components of formal written employment contracts. Written contracts play a crucial role in the employer-employee relationship by clearly defining key aspects of the job and providing a framework for resolving potential disputes. However, written contracts often fail to encompass all the promises and responsibilities inherent in an employment agreement.

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Editor's Picks, ResearchMoazzma Arshadpsychology, workplace, employees
Do risk-taking cyclists have different socio-demographic characteristics?
Do risk-taking cyclists have different socio-demographic characteristics?

Cycling as a mode of transport, especially in cities, is becoming increasingly promoted and popular. It is associated with several benefits, such as improved health, reduced air pollution and congestion in urban areas, while being a relatively low-cost mode of transport. However, cyclists are one of the most vulnerable types of road users. In Europe, they are the only mode of transport where the number of fatalities has not fallen over the last decade.

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ResearchWehida Niazicycling, transportation, road safety
Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence Empowered People Analytics: A Novel Framework Towards Sustainability
Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence Empowered People Analytics: A Novel Framework Towards Sustainability

In today’s data-driven world, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and People Analytics are shaping how organizations understand and manage their workforce. But what do these terms really mean, and how do they impact our workplaces? Let’s break it down in simple terms.

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ResearchRachel Wolfeartificial intelligence, workforce, AI in work, people analytics, human resources
Health professionals can apply the 3C Model of Vaccine Hesitancy to support RSV vaccination among older adults
Health professionals can apply the 3C Model of Vaccine Hesitancy to support RSV vaccination among older adults

In 2023, two vaccines were approved for use in Canada for the prevention of lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in people aged 60 years and older; however, their uptake may be hindered by vaccine fatigue, hesitancy, and persisting misconceptions that RSV is largely a concern among children. While hospitalization rates due to RSV are highest among children under the age of 1 year, mortality rates are highest among older adults. Reaching this population with safe and effective vaccines will save lives.

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Editor's Picks, ResearchRachel Wolfevaccines, Canadian health, respiratory syncytial virus, vaccinations
Brief mental health support for Ontario healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Brief mental health support for Ontario healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Remember the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic? Businesses shut down, we were told to stay away from other humans, and people were dying from a disease we did not know or understand. Now imagine that on top of that, you were a healthcare worker (HCW). You perhaps worked in a hospital – one of the businesses that did not shut down, maybe even directly with patients infected with COVID-19. Vaccines to protect against COVID-19 did not exist, personal protective equipment was not always available, you could not access your coping strategies the way you normally would, and you were working long hours, with increased possibility of getting COVID-19 yourself. Would that have impacted your mental health?

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Editor's Picks, ResearchMoazzma ArshadMental health, COVID-19
Are Functional Disorders Driven By Underlying Psychological Distress?
Are Functional Disorders Driven By Underlying Psychological Distress?

An intriguing discussion is going on in one corner of the world of clinical neuropsychiatry that has implications that are important for how a very common group of disorders are understood and, therefore, treated. ‘Functional disorders’ are conditions where physical symptoms and signs, after very thorough assessment, cannot be attributed to a general medical condition. Individuals with these conditions make up about 22% of all people presenting for primary medical care, and over 30% in some neurology clinics. The matter of debate is whether we know enough to attribute causation of these conditions to underlying psychological distress, or whether we should take an agnostic approach to causation.

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ResearchWehida Niazipsychology, neurology, Mental health
Informal Workers in the Global South and the Global Labor Movement
Informal Workers in the Global South and the Global Labor Movement

Today, among many Marxists and labor scholars in the Global North, the largest segments of the world’s workforce is, amazingly, rarely considered or conceptualized as part of the working class. The segment of the workers I´m referring to is the world’s informal workers, especially the informal workers in the Global South and in Africa.

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ResearchRachel Wolfecapitalism, labor movement, South America, Africa, class-consciousness