Ugh, a he-cession? How about a we-correction?

Like this wasn’t coming?

For years, the world has been witnessing a quiet but monumental shift of power from men to women. Today, the Great Recession has turned what was an evolutionary shift into a revolutionary one. The consequence will be not only a mortal blow to the macho men’s club called finance capitalism that got the world into the current economic catastrophe; it will be a collective crisis for millions and millions of working men around the globe.

First, we’re all better for it.  Second adapt.  Don’t cry.  Work together.  Though far from perfect, health care may even provide a good model for other industries to follow as women make up 70% of medical and health services managers, 75% healthcare practitioner and technical occupations, and 89% of health care support roles (pdf).  The number of female physicians and surgeons is low (31%); however, female medical school matriculants were 48% of the total in 2007-2008 (pdf).

The trouble with naming products

Patient kiosks are hot in health care right now. The expectation, among others, is that they will improve registration process flow. Checking in at the airport using a kiosk is easy; it would be nice to have a similar experience in a health care setting. While the new technology is far from refined, expect the proliferation of such devices to continue.

That’s not really the point of this post, however. The branding of such products is.

medGadget reports on the latest entry to the patient kiosk market: SUKIT.

The device hails from Japan and while I’m not real sure on Japanese/English pronunciation translation, it becomes obvious that some component of the branding was lossed in translation. If you haven’t picked up what I’m putting down yet: take SUKIT, insert a C after the U and before the K, throw a space between the K and the I, and how is that pronounced? SUCK IT.

Oops.

From the press release:

This electronic healthcare information system, the first practical application of the kiosk terminal, allows doctors, hospitals and other caregivers to provide their patients with easy access to all types of useful information regarding health and medicine, while at the same time creating an interactive communication channel. For example, patients can use the kiosk terminal to research the contra-indications and side effects of specific medicines, to find out new medical products and services available on the market, or to set up a medical appointment.

The company’s explanation of the product doesn’t provide anything Earth shattering either. The last thing I want to do is explore drug interactions and check out new products and services available on the market from the discomfort of a kiosk. Isn’t that what a personal computer and a home internet connection are for?

Improving understanding through theater

Interactive theater “is a presentational style that breaks the “fourth wall” separating performer and audience both physically and verbally.”

It can be used, among other purposes, to invoke dialog, serve an educational purpose, and provide a therapeutic setting.

Several cancer survivors from the James Cancer Hospital are using interactive theater to better understand and become more comfortable with cancer experiences.

From The Columbus Dispatch:

Sharing such stories — and hearing the students react sensitively with laughter, groans or applause; or noting their silent appreciation — helped [a participant] become more comfortable with herself and “better define” her experience, she said.

The cancer survivors, along with collaborating theater students, will perform in front of a sold-out crowd this week.  Such a great idea. The power of this approach lies in the words of instructor Robin Post:

“We knew next to nothing about cancer, and they knew next to nothing about performance,” Post said. “Because everyone was very open to learning from each other, it became a powerful experience for both sides.”

Interaction aids understanding for all involved.

“Take two Matisses and call me in the morning”

Creativity is king.

From Dan Pink:

American medical schools, those bastions of left-brain muscle-flexing, continue their march toward whole-mindedness. Yesterday’s Boston Globe reports that Harvard Medical School has followed the lead of places like Mount Sinai Medical College and begun taking its students to art museums. The goal: To improve young physicians’ observation and diagnostic skills.

This isn’t about the artsy-fartsy or touchy-feely. It’s about dollars and cents — and sometimes life and death. As The Globe notes:

“A study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine show[ed] that after completing the class, [the Harvard] students’ ability to make accurate observations increased 38 percent. When shown artwork and photos of patients, students were more likely to notice features such as a patient’s eyes being asymmetrical or a tiny, healed sore on an index finger. Observations by a control group of students who did not take the class did not change.”

For more insight into the power of right-brain thinking, pick up a copy of A Whole New Mind.

If it looks, feels, sounds like a hotel…it’s a hospital

A new hospital in the Henry Ford Health System has taken hotealthcare to the ultimate:

In addition to national-class clinical services, the 300-bed hospital is to offer amenities ranging from homelike private rooms with couches where relatives can sleep comfortably overnight to relaxing in-room whirlpool tubs for mothers in labor.

Wellness services include health coaches, holistic therapies and personal trainers — part of an emerging national trend to help people control or prevent chronic conditions that lead to expensive hospital stays.

But one of the hospital’s most innovative elements is its culinary program, which involves a trio of partners: prominent metro Detroit restaurateur Matt Prentice, the nationally known culinary department at Schoolcraft College in Livonia and Chef’s Garden, an elite organic farm in Ohio that sells exclusively to America’s most famous restaurants.

Here is the best part from System President and Chief Executive Officer Nancy Schlichting:

But those customer-oriented features and services won’t cost consumers more or raise health care costs.