Comments

There's something to be said for the (future) luxury of just "beaming" from place to place, or for the interim, SST at Mach 1.5. It's coming!

I like the old Zen adage: No one need go anywhere else. We are, in fact, already there.

We had a real sloppy snow here in VT today - wish it would get a bit colder.

Posted by carbonboy at January 23, 2006 10:01 PM

Hpe you enjoyed your stay in Australia, Tom!

And you new Powerbook is serving you well.

I needed new glasses after your ppt slide show - that red/green after effect really spun out my rods and cones!

Now, some new info of the horrors of US medical care:

http://www.wftv.com/print/6253589/detail.html

Woman enters Florida hospital to give birth; gets infected; leaves hospital sans arms and legs amputated due to infection, claims hospital... sheesh.. have a look, and the resulting legal battle brewing

Les

Posted by Les Posen at January 23, 2006 10:51 PM

Are transcripts of the presentations available somewhere? Thanks; Leo

Posted by Leo Romero at January 23, 2006 11:29 PM

Hi Tom

You asked for feedback about the slides. ‘All you need to know’ – superb!

‘Toward Health (Care) Excellence’ – even better – and I would add to following 10 top of the head, totally subjective thoughts for your consideration – happy to elaborate separately if you want – sorry if it is too rambling! - Answers on a post card please but I feel better for the rant!

1 The importance of listening. I have found a wonderful reference about the power of listening on the part of the clinician. It is an awesome yet simple half a page of text I read last week and I intend to use it in talks and workshops for health care clinicians. It illustrate perfectly that soft is hard and hard is soft!

2 How come, if we are serious about prevention rather than treatment, we have the Pareto effect – 20% of investment in primary care and 80% in acute or hospital care? We know 80% of healthcare actually takes place in primary care!

3 When people become ill the first port of call is family and friends. Second it is the local pharmacist. Third it is the family doctor and if you are really unlucky FOURTH is the hospital. That is not to decry hospitals. It is just to illustrate that most of the time most people are NOT in acute care facilities. Where I worked we had a population of 250,000 and we had about 1000 hospital beds. That means on every day of the year 249000 people ARE NOT in hospital

4 Don’t get me wrong I want the best hospital care when I need it like everyone else but hey lets get some proportion into this argument. Home care and care outside hospital is where the actions is.

5 If you need more evidence. In the UK Diabetes sufferers spend 3 hours per year with a clinician – this mean they spend 8733 hours per year without clinicians
In other words for over 99% of the time they are alone in dealing with their illness – along with their family of course - Who is the expert?

6 In the UK it is estimated that the Government is saving at least 35 billion pounds every year because family carers are providing care free of charge – Who are the Experts?

7 In any case hospitals are not healthy places to be in. It is good to see you rattling the cage about ‘killing fields’ etc. Yes of course you will be criticised for emotive language. I say “Keep on saying it Tom” We kill less people in the UK – simply because our population is less than yours of course.

8 I realise now more than ever after leaving the National Health Service how far we have to go. The UK National Health Service employs over one million people. I am very proud of it and feel privileged to have spent such a huge part of my life (35 years) working in the NHS. Many of my best friends still work in the NHS. But quite honestly we are still struggling with basics like ‘Listen to the patient.’ Patients are the experts. Listen to family carer (I believe you call them ‘care givers’ in the States) – They too are experts. Most of all go out of your way as health professionals to ask patient to tell you their stories. Then imagine it is the experience your Mom just had. Ask yourself seriously if you would be happy that your Mom just had that experience. The wonders of IT in healthcare should be welcomed with open arms and embraced. We should be dragged screaming into the 21st Century in healthcare BUT before that lets get the basics right about listening to patients for God sake!

9 Harry Cayton is the Department of Health’s Director for Patient and Public Involvement. I am fortunate enough to be a friend of Harry. He has a three line mantra that he always uses in speeches – I think all staff in health services would do well to write them on a piece of paper and read them every now and then

1 Trust me - I’m a patient
2 Nothing about me without me
3 Tell me the truth

10 One of the greatest influences on me was Dr Dev Chakraborti in King’s Lynn Norfolk who I had the pleasure of working with for three years in the field of Learning Disability. Dev said when I first met him that he asked only two things of the manager – first to keep an OPEN MIND about people with a learning disability and second to SPEND TIME with people with a learning disability – FANTASTIC ADVICE that I have taken with me to every job I have ever been in.

Posted by Trevor Gay at January 24, 2006 4:24 AM

Jack Snow [former Ram USA football] dies of staph infection! Fear in getting a recent colonoscopy with IV required due to possible infection in the clinic - notice staff coughing too much - minimal sanitizing ...

Presentation looks fabulous as usual - the rock and roll travel lifestyle continues - maybe join the Stones in Detroit [who's idea was Detroit in winter?!] for the Superbowl [go 'Hawks].

Posted by Sean at January 24, 2006 11:13 AM

Dubai planned groesses within the guest range, with the oil is in 30-50 years past those must now see you other markets to open. We as Europeans must superior whether we in the middle east to invest not be supposed for the future. Old Europe is a dead Mrs. that to me already before 20 years a Netherlands buyer reported. beautiful greets from Austria, and sorry for my bad English!

Posted by Manuel at January 29, 2006 9:05 PM