I love Marshall McLuhan’s description of his work in media. It explains his style and reason for writing which was strictly to understand. McLuhan referenced his written observations as probes. He popularized pre-publication before there was such as thing. I can relate to this safe-cracker approach since this is how I have often seen this site and its ... Continue Reading about Marshall McLuhan’s Safe-Cracker Approach to Writing
The Health Technology Outcomes Gap
This analysis in Health Affairs shows that EHR adoption initially results in higher patient mortality but in the long run lowers mortality. Having gone through the transition from paper to digital, it’s easy to imagine. Initially you think, ‘how do I do this?’ Then you say, ‘how did we do it with paper?’ There’s a period of adaptation that happens with new ... Continue Reading about The Health Technology Outcomes Gap
Medicine is a Profession of Response
Medicine is a profession of response. Physicians exist to respond to things. All day long my clinical work is sequence of responses to all kinds of things. Symptoms, signs, concerns, reactions, questions, findings on diagnostic studies. When my Epic inbox is empty I go home. There’s nothing to do. If things stop happening to children that need my input I’ll be out ... Continue Reading about Medicine is a Profession of Response
Within Normal Limits
If you poke around old medical records you’ll find WNL written in parts of the physical exam. Neurological: WNL. It means within normal limits. It’s the pen and ink dotphrase used through most of paper record history by physicians to indicate that the organ or system under exam was unremarkable. One of medicine’s most versatile and open-ended acronyms, within ... Continue Reading about Within Normal Limits
The Clinical Trifecta – Productivity, Quality, Satisfaction
American physicians struggle with contrasting demands of performance. It's the clinical trifecta of 21st century clinical medicine. Providers are: Required to be productive. Expected to deliver care with a high level of satisfaction. Increasingly accountable to quality metrics. The problem is that productivity can be at odds with satisfaction. ... Continue Reading about The Clinical Trifecta – Productivity, Quality, Satisfaction