Thursday, September 27, 2012

HOW TO STOP HOSPITALS FROM KILLING US



By: Marty Makary
Published: The Wall Street Journal; September 21, 2012; http://online.wsj.com
Level of Difficulty: ***
BEFORE YOU READ
-          How frequent do you imagine medical errors to be?
-          What do you base your opinion on?
-          Has anyone you know been the victim of a medical error?
-          What safeguards to you recommend to reduce medical errors?
NOTE TO THE STUDENT
Take notes as you read concerning the reasons for the problem, the effects of the problem and the solutions. You will be using these notes for the writing task.
QUESTIONS
Read carefully as far as “Online Dashboards”
  1. The purpose of comparing plane crashes and medical mistakes is to draw attention to a surprising fact. It is: .........................................................................................................
  2. A lot of doctors break the oath they take on starting the profession because of: .................
  3. How would you express the purpose of paragraph three? Use your own words.
  4. What does “this” refer to in the sentence “It doesn’t have to be this way”?
  5. Why was a famous surgeon nicknamed Doctor Hodad? Use your own words.
  6. Despite his poor operating skills, Doctor Hodad was very popular. This was due to .................
  7. Doctors’ reaction to whistle blowing is explained in detail in paragraph seven. What is the ultimate aim of doctors in acting as they do? You will need to use your own words.
Read “Online Dashboards carefully.
  1. The writer proves that success ratings are not a completely alien concept. He does this by mentioning: .......................................................................................................................
  2. The example of the New York hospitals is discussed to support the contention that ...............
Read “Safety Culture Scores” carefully.
  1. Focus on the example at the beginning of the section. The nurse had the confidence to speak up and voice her concern because that hospital probably had .................................................
  2. The two reasons why the writer prefers videos over notes are .................................................
  3. What conclusion can we draw from the example of the colonoscopy and that of hand washing?
Read “Open Notes” carefully.
  1. Select the odd one out: Open notes are advocated :
a.       So that patients can better understand the reasons for the procedures and treatment recommended.
b.      So that doctors don’t miss any information the patients provide.
c.       So that patients can have online access to doctors’ notes
d.      So that good communication between doctors and patients can be ensured.
Read “No More Gagging” carefully.
  1. The banning of the gag order will provide much greater ...................................................
  2. What are the three advantages of the above?
WRITING TASK
Use the notes you made while reading each section to write a summary of the text.
HOW TO STOP HOSPITALS KILLING US KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES
This is a brilliant little text concerning a global issue which lends itself beautifully to summary practice. I am sure there must be videos you can watch beforehand on the internet. I would also expect there to be lively discussions.
  1. Medical mistakes kill enough people each week to fill four jumbo jets.
  2. An unspoken rule: to overlook mistakes of their colleagues.
  3. Possible answer: to indicate how serious the problem is/ the gravity of the situation.
  4. It doesn’t have to miss the mark this often.
  5. Possible answer: Because he killed or otherwise injured a lot of his patients.
  6. His impeccable bedside manner.
  7. To damage (attack or harm) the whistle blower’s reputation; OR To prevent him from getting a job. To get him called to the hospital chairman’s office won’t do. We don’t know what happens there.
  8. A survey of New Yorkers that found that approximately 60% look up a restaurant’s performance ratings before going there.
  9. Every hospital should have an online informational dashboard.
  10. Good teamwork
  11. They could be used for peer based quality improvement; they are a more substansive record for future doctors.
  12. Doctors perform better when they know someone is checking their work
  13. C
  14. Transparency or dialogue
  15. The cost crisis can be addressed; safer care can be delivered; how doctors are seen by the community can be improved.

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