Category: 3. Business

A landmark international study finds that hospitals with better nurse staffing and work environments not only benefits nurses but is significantly associated with less physician burnout and job dissatisfaction. The research, published in JAMA Network Open, provides a clear solution to the global crisis of physician burnout.

A research team, led by Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR), surveyed more than 6,400 physicians and 15,000 nurses across the United States and six European countries (Belgium, England, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden). The findings show that hospitals with better nurse staffing, supportive work environments, and effective interdisciplinary teamwork had substantially lower rates of physician burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intent to leave.

“Physician burnout is a global crisis, but few actionable solutions have been identified,” said Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN, Professor of Nursing and Sociology and Founding Director, CHOPR. “Our study provides evidence that investing in nurses is a ‘two-for-one’ solution-improving both nurse and physician wellbeing while also strengthening patient care.”

Key findings include:

• In US hospitals, a modest 10% improvement in the nurse work environment including staffing adequacy was associated with a 22% reduction in physician intent to leave, a 25% reduction in physicians unwilling to recommend their hospital as a place to work, a 19% reduction in physician job dissatisfaction, and a 10% reduction in physicians experiencing high burnout.
• In European hospitals, a 10% increase in nurse staffing adequacy was linked to 20% lower physician intent to leave, 27% lower odds of not recommending their hospital, 15% lower physician job dissatisfaction, and 12% lower odds of high burnout.
• Hospitals with stronger physician-nurse teamwork consistently reported better physician outcomes.

The results come at a critical time, as both physicians and nurses face unprecedented levels of stress, burnout, and turnover. According to the study, between 20–44% of physicians surveyed reported intentions to leave their hospital positions due to dissatisfaction, and up to 45% reported high burnout.

“These findings highlight a path forward that hospital leaders can act on immediately,” said Karen B. Lasater, PhD, RN, the Jessie M. Scott Term Chair in Nursing and Health Policy, Associate Professor, and Associate Director, CHOPR. “Improving nurse staffing and creating supportive work environments are organizational reforms that are feasible, evidence-based, and capable of retaining both nurses and physicians.”

The research was conducted by the Magnet4Europe Consortium in collaboration with the U.S. Clinician Well-Being Study Consortium, with support from the National Institute of Nursing Research and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program. The full study, “Informing Hospital Physician Wellbeing Interventions in Europe and the United States: A Cross-sectional Study,” is available open access in JAMA Network Open.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Floating solar panels are emerging as a promising clean energy solution with environmental benefits, but a new study finds those effects vary significantly depending on where the systems are deployed.

Researchers from Oregon State University and the U.S. Geological Survey modeled the impact of floating solar photovoltaic systems on 11 reservoirs across six states. Their simulations showed that the systems consistently cooled surface waters and altered water temperatures at different layers within the reservoirs. However, the panels also introduced increased variability in habitat suitability for aquatic species.

“Different reservoirs are going to respond differently based on factors like depth, circulation dynamics and the fish species that are important for management,” said Evan Bredeweg, lead author of the study and a former postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State. “There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for designing these systems. It’s ecology – it’s messy.”

While the floating solar panel market is established and growing in Asia, it remains limited in the United States, mostly to small pilot projects. However, a study released earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimated that U.S. reservoirs could host enough floating solar panel systems to generate up to 1,476 terawatt-hours annually, enough to power approximately 100 million homes.

Floating solar panels offer several advantages. The cooling effect of the water can boost panel efficiency by an estimated 5 to 15%. The systems can also be integrated with existing hydroelectric and transmission infrastructure. They may also help reduce evaporation, which is especially valuable in warmer, drier climates.

However, these benefits come with questions about potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems, an area that has received limited scientific attention.

“Understanding the environmental risks and the variability in ecological responses to floating photovoltaic deployment is crucial for informing regulatory agencies and guiding sustainable energy development,” Bredeweg said.

The new study used advanced modeling techniques to assess the implications of floating solar panel deployment on entire reservoirs. Researchers examined reservoirs in Oregon, Ohio, Washington, Idaho, Tennessee and Arkansas, analyzing two-month periods in both summer and winter.

They found that changes in temperature and oxygen dynamics caused by floating solar panels can influence habitat availability for both warm-water and cold-water fish species. For instance, cooler water temperatures in summer generally benefit cold-water species, though this effect is most pronounced when panel coverage exceeds 50%.

The researchers note the need for continued research and long-term monitoring to ensure floating photovoltaic systems support clean energy goals without compromising aquatic ecosystems.

“History has shown that large-scale modifications to freshwater ecosystems, such as hydroelectric dams, can have unforeseen and lasting consequences,” Bredeweg said. 

Co-authors of the paper include Ivan Arismendi of Oregon State’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences; Sarah Henkel of the Hatfield Marine Science Center at Oregon State; and Christina Murphy of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. 

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HSBC’s board is at odds over who should progress as a candidate to become its next chair, as Europe’s largest lender tries to find a replacement for Mark Tucker following his surprise exit earlier this year. 

The bank’s leadership is struggling to agree on whether certain candidates are qualified enough to take on one of the industry’s most challenging roles, according to people familiar with the conversations, as it returns to names that have previously been rejected or declined the job. 

Board members, all of whom joined after Tucker began his tenure as chair in 2017, have differing opinions on who satisfies two crucial requirements of the role: financial services experience and in-depth knowledge of Asia. 

“There is a bit of a delay in vetting the candidates,” said a person familiar with the process. “The board can’t decide whether or not to advance candidates because there are disagreements about who fits the profile,” they added. 

HSBC has approached a number of candidates it previously discounted as pressure mounts on the bank to name a permanent chair, said two people familiar with the process. Among them is former UK chancellor George Osborne, who has emerged as a contender for the role after he was initially passed over by the board, according to two people familiar with the process.

The bank also renewed its approach to Goldman Sachs executive Kevin Sneader and HSBC’s former chief executive Stuart Gulliver. Naguib Kheraj, a former Barclays executive and chair of Goldman Sachs’ Petershill Partners, has also been considered for the role. 

HSBC said the process to appoint a new chair continued and it would provide an update “in due course”.

Osborne had advised HSBC while a partner at boutique advisory firm Robey Warshaw, including on its £1 acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank UK, said a third person with knowledge of the matter. US investment bank Evercore agreed to buy the Mayfair firm earlier this year with Osborne continuing as a senior managing director.

The former chancellor is also among the names floated for BBC director-general as well as UK ambassador to the US. Asked by the Financial Times on Monday whether he could see himself in either of those two roles or as HSBC chair, a notoriously demanding position, Osborne said: “I have absolutely no idea, as none of those things are in my gift.”

Osborne’s statecraft, which he displayed in 2016 when as chancellor he intervened on behalf of HSBC to help the bank escape US criminal charges for money laundering, is likely to help navigate competing interests across three jurisdictions.

HSBC’s key business are in Asia and the UK but its dollar clearing licence comes from the US.

However, Osborne arguably lacks enough financial services experience to run a systemically important bank.  

Gulliver, a popular figure among the bank’s top ranks, has also divided the board with some reluctant to name an insider to the role, after breaking with a 150-year old preference for internal candidates when it appointed former AIA and Prudential executive Tucker in 2017.

HSBC’s inability to find a replacement for Tucker, a hard-charging executive who resigned as chair earlier than expected, has created uncertainty for the UK’s second-largest listed company and raised eyebrows about its succession planning.

UK regulators have questioned the bank’s leadership over why it was not better prepared for Tucker’s departure and forced to take the unusual step of naming an interim chair, said two of the people. 

Tucker stepped down in September to take up the chair at Asian insurer AIA Group, leaving former KPMG executive Brendan Nelson to take over as interim chair.

Those involved in the process say part of the problem is HSBC — on the basis that Tucker was expected to stay until September next year — kicked off the search too late, which left the bank with a limited pool of candidates who have the right experience and are available to take on what is in essence a full-time job. 

Pay may also have deterred some potential candidates for the role, according to people familiar with the process. Tucker received £1.6mn in pay and benefits in 2024, far below what many of the candidates would receive for their current roles. 

Nov 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission cleared the way for Dimensional Fund Advisors to launch an exchange-traded fund share class on 13 of its existing mutual funds, according to a notice on the regulator’s website late on Monday afternoon.

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DFA had sought the green light to offer a share class option on 13 of its existing mutual funds, although an individual familiar with the application said the firm is not likely to forge ahead with all of these at once and that the first launches may not happen until early 2026.

The move will “deliver meaningful benefits to mutual fund shareholders,” said Eric Pan, president and chairman of the Investment Company Institute, an industry group.

“Share classes allow investors to choose the investment strategy that best suits their needs as a first-order consideration, and then select their ideal wrapper to access that strategy,” Gerard O’Reilly, co-CEO and co-CIO of DFA, said in a press release.

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The company wants to add 30 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of additional LNG capacity to the previously approved 28 mtpa. Plaquemines is already the second-largest LNG facility in the U.S. and last month was responsible for 22% of total exports from the country, according to data from financial firm LSEG.

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“Our decision to significantly increase the project’s permitted capacity reflects the strong market demand we continue to see and this expansion will play a vital role in meeting that demand,” Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel said in a statement.

A mere startup three years ago, Venture Global quickly became the second-largest U.S. LNG exporter with a business model that lets it export cargoes while construction and commissioning phases are still underway.

The Plaquemines expansion will be built incrementally in three phases and consist of 32 modular liquefaction trains, the company said.

Venture Global has also filed an application with the U.S. Department of Energy for the export authorizations associated with the additional planned capacity, the company said.

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