Archive for 'WaterCooler Collaboration'
An Interview with Stuart H. Altman
Bio: Stuart H. Altman is the Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy at Brandeis University. From 2000-2002 he was Co-Chair for the Legislative Health Care Task Force for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is Chair of The Council on Health Care Economics and Policy, a private non-partisan group whose mission is to analyze important economic aspects of the U.S. health care system and to evaluate proposed changes in the system. He is also Chair of The Health Industry Read more »
Posted: December 10th, 2008 under WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: 5
Collaborative Thinking
Dr. Jerome Groopman’s recent book, How Doctors Think, applies not only to diagnosis and treatment but also to physicians’ ability to work more interdependently. He wrote that people can be true partners with physicians when they know how physicians think and what thinking errors they make.
Dr. Groopman feels that three types of thinking errors interfere with physicians’ ability to make correct assessments:
-
Anchoring: making snap judgments, seizing on only one aspect of a problem and not considering multiple possibilities; a question Read more »
Posted: October 26th, 2008 under WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: 2
Collaborative Revolution
I want to bring to your attention a summary of a new book, The Necessary Revolution, by Senge et al.
The title derives from the authors’ belief we must implement revolutionary changes rather than incrementalism to improve the way we work and live. They use examples such as Northern Sweden’s global villages that cut energy use 80% by collaborating across boundaries and using systems that connected businesses.
The authors feel that four drivers compel us toward a more regenerative economy:
-
Side-effects Read more »
Posted: October 5th, 2008 under WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: 1
Collaborative Rage
Authors and reporters share an unspoken agreement. Authors provide content. Reporters provide exposure. Most of the time, it is a symbiotic arrangement. Some times, however, word limits frustrate both of us. For the Washington Post article, Hospital Clash Puts Patients in the Middle, I provided definitions and examples of structured dialogue and appreciative inquiry in healthcare that unfortunately, never made it to the final article.
So, it should not be surprising that the one Read more »
Posted: September 28th, 2008 under WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: 1
Collaborative Indifference
I felt a little like tennis star John McEnroe as I read a comment from Dr. David Nash in Hospital Clash Puts Patients in the Middle by Dr. Manoj Jain, a special to The Washington Post, September 16, 2008:
Do conflicts between doctors and administrators harm patients? “Look at the epidemic of medical errors,” Nash said without hesitation. “Cultural strife leads to errors, and the number of errors shows the size of Read more »
Posted: September 20th, 2008 under WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: 8
Collaborative Innovation
The Olympics and party conventions give me hope that we can build on the desire to be a part of something larger than ourselves to unite and improve. Leanne Carlson defined innovation as the art and science of how we evolve for the future (Carlson LK. 2006. Innovating for the Future. The Physician Executive. 33(6):30-34). Innovation requires:
-
Focus and will
A supportive culture, celebrating learning rather than blame
Blend of structure and self-organization
Willingness to respect what appear to be contradictory polarities
Resources, including training, time, money, and Read more »
Posted: August 30th, 2008 under WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: none
Collaborative Defense
Maggie Mahar’s recent post, Surgeons and Other Physicians: A Cultural Divide, has prompted me to do something that I have never done before, defend my profession in writing.
The stories about abuse of medical students and nurses make it seem like the profession attracts only one type of personality, the tyrant.
I wrote in the comment field:
As a general surgeon, who trained at the Harvard Surgical Service affiliated with the New England Deaconess Hospital, I did not face the Read more »
Posted: August 18th, 2008 under WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: 1
Collaborative Independence
Happy Independence Day and sincere gratitude to all who are serving in the armed forces to keep us independent, as well as to their loved ones. My son, who is studying to become a naval aviator, is on a summer cruise off Cyprus, and it gives our family a different perspective on the 4th of July beyond fireworks and barbecues.
In 10 Powerful Ideas for Improving Patient Care, (ReinertsenJ, Schellekens W. 2005, 35-42), the authors Read more »
Posted: July 4th, 2008 under WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: 3
Collaborative Attitude: Remembering Tim Russert
I was moved watching Tim Russert’s memorial service yesterday. We both grew up in Buffalo and rooted for the Bills, regardless of outcome. We never met, but we share common values, including:
-
the importance of family
a sense of spiritual connectedness
optimism
a focus on communication and relationships as a central source of meaning and joy
the pleasure of story-telling
preservation of our child-like sense of curiosity and wonder
intense desire to hone our craft skills
Whenever I perform surgical coverage assignments, I start the day as I leave Read more »
Posted: June 19th, 2008 under WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: none
Nursing Collaboration
Last week, hospitals across the US celebrated National Nurses Week, which led me to recall with gratitude nurses who made a difference in my training and kept me from harming patients. What better place to start than internship?
I salute Nikki, a nurse on the 7PM to 7AM shift in the Emergency Department of a community hospital in Cambridge, MA, who had a wry sense of humor and a knack for being in the right place at the right time. During Read more »
Posted: May 14th, 2008 under Learning, WaterCooler Collaboration.
Comments: 4
