We live in the Fix-it Age. Fix something 10 times and you will be a champion 10 times over. Spend some time ruminating over the problem to discover why fixing is not required the other nine times, and you will likely be bypassed and seen as a time-waster.
Why? People are busier and the pressure is on to make hay while the sun shines. These people have become solutions focused, solutions that get results now.
In the IT world, with its strong cross-over into medicine these days, the challenge is in getting there first. No longer is there an investment in experts. Instead, the minimal viable project gets value from the market and any misjudgements can be fixed as needed. For example, medical software is delivered this way. It also explains why we see so many TGA recalls on medical devices and why they make it to the medical market before time (e.g. implantable mesh in some women, and external controllers that operate both the roller door and pacemaker).
With the exponential growth of medical knowledge, people are swamped with information and consequently struggle to be comprehensively informed about their corner of medicine. Knowing where to find things becomes important, stored by IT recall systems usually, with immediate solutions as the economic driver. We have either:
Stream curation – like Facebook but with the additional desire to ensure only quality stuff comes your way (carefully selected RSS feeds cannot cope), or
The just-in-time search – like Google search, you go looking when you need the info and not before. The relevance of what you want might be buried in smart (learn-as-you-go) algorithms.
The pace of change is visible all around us. Software is beta tested while in use, not beforehand. IT support personnel ‘Google’ for an answer and trouble-shoot from the feedback they get from around the world.
In this immediate world, it is not unusual for medical suppliers to promote ‘old’ technologies approved by a relatively slow government approval process.
The next Doctors Drum, titled Future Medicine – Playing the Change Game, will be our spirited attempt to canvas any underlying political issues for medical changes. We hope to bring many interested rural GPs into the loop using video streaming. Our major sponsor deserves a pat on the back for making it all happen (watch www.doctorsdrum.com.au for developments).
Stroke is one example of problems faced. While shaking hands in front of a stroke ambulance looks good on telly, there are probably better things to do using our limited resources to combat both the rural-urban divide and the short lead time to act, whether that be by thrombolysis or thrombectomy.
The New Year is a time for renewal for many of us. Consumers will look and demand we do things more efficiently. Primary Care has been forced by federal changes to look for efficiency around every corner but the concept may be new to many who specialise and work in State-based hospitals. Not for much longer.
The skill will be in working smarter not harder. The answer that appeals to bureaucrats but will probably not work is recording everything to prevent harm, albeit retrospectively. Why? Because people now working longer hours will make the same human errors and ‘retrospective’ is old hat.
What’s our contribution to making life easier for you?
Our revamped website comes online soon and this edition is easier to read and follow. Some doctors are sick of looking at screens all day and want the hard copy in hand. Please enjoy the snippets of news and entertainment, as well as the more in-depth features.