I've been thinking about human attention recently. I was on the phone recently with a marketing professional. He had been reading 33 charts in preparation for an interview. So I took advantage of the moment and asked him if he had any advice. “Write longer posts,” he said. “Why?” I asked. “Long-form writing lends authority. You know, gravitas.” As it turns ... Continue Reading about Human Attention is the New Limit, Not Space
Texting and the Legislation of Attention
Last month Texas made it illegal to text and drive. Texting at a stop light is fine. Talking on a phone is fine. Hands free talking is okay except in a school zone. The legality of mascara application at 55 mph remains unclear. While we can outlaw the transmission of electronic messages we still have our wrists, dashboards, GPS devices, pagers, and the next ambient ... Continue Reading about Texting and the Legislation of Attention
Attention and Mindfulness | Some curated readings
Constant access to handheld technology continues to force a discussion about attention and mindfulness. Not new, necessarily, but increasingly important. I’ve been digging into attention and presence recently. Here are a few interesting bits I discovered this week. Links are on the blue subheading. How I Got My Attention Back | Backchannel In a meandering piece on ... Continue Reading about Attention and Mindfulness | Some curated readings
Pokemon Go and Medical Mindfulness
Hospital workers are caught up in the Pokemon Go craze and it's begun to raise concerns. Between rooming patients it seems there's just enough time to snag a Vaporeon. Some health care facilities have shut it down amidst concerns that selfies and snapshots risk the transmission of PHI. While Pokemon Go raises new challenges around privacy, the greater challenge ... Continue Reading about Pokemon Go and Medical Mindfulness
Distracted Doctoring
This review by John Halamka is worth a read. He discusses the emerging phenomenon of distracted doctoring – physicians preoccupied with technology at the expense of patient care. The review was followed closely by a New York Times piece on the same subject. We’re experiencing a crisis of information. Our channels of input have crossed wires and messages ... Continue Reading about Distracted Doctoring
iPhone Attribution Error – When Patients Think the Doctor is Texting
This post from nurse blogger SaraBethRN is important. She recounts an experience where she referenced her iPhone for a lab value and was accused of texting on the job. This has happened to me on a couple of occasions. It’s the iPhone attribution error: If you’re looking at your iPhone, you must be goofing off. We sometimes associate phone use with those who are ... Continue Reading about iPhone Attribution Error – When Patients Think the Doctor is Texting