Will Algorithms Replace Doctors? Not So Elementary, Watson.
Are doctors necessary? Just how far might the automation of medicine go? These are questions posed by Jonathon Cohn in his article “The Robot Will See You Now” recently published in the Atlantic magazine and online. The article is about the computer Watson – yep, the...
Diagnostic Error is Most Common, Costly, and Dangerous Medical Mistake
We hear about so-called "never events" such as wrong-side surgery or lethal drug overdoses in the media quite a bit. However, according to a recent study in BMJ Quality & Safety , Tehrani and colleagues found that "diagnostic errors appear to be the most common,...
Quality in Medical Decision Making: Cost, Error, and Bias
How do we define quality in medical decisions? Missed diagnoses make headlines commonly. Yet there is a pervasive conflict among insurers, patients, and physicians when it comes to health care quality, testing, and cost. Perhaps the root of this problem is that we do...
Scope of Practice Laws – Expertise or Economics?
An article entitled "Stiff resistance: Docs fight encroachment in turf war with nurses" from ModernHealthcare.com today discusses expanding scope of practice laws for nurses, citing a few key phrases that warrant a closer look. "Physician groups continue to resist...
Boston Marathon Bombing
Yesterday’s awful tragedy in Boston was devastating, and really hit close to home for me, having lived there, and worked at MGH, and cheered the marathon in past years. This event brings to mind the important concept of the second victim. In addition to the lives lost...
SAMBA Annual Meeting 2013, Phoenix AZ
The Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia meeting at the Camelback Inn in Phoenix was a treat! Beautiful setting, delicious food. I taught two workshops on simulation for MOCA (Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology), with the aim of preparing board certified...
Running the LA Marathon!
I enjoyed being back in sunny LA to cheer for my husband, who was a first-time marathoner in this amazing event. It was great to reconnect with some UCLA colleagues too.
Food for Thought
Had breakfast with Peter Ubel, an amazing behavioral scientist at Duke. Do you know him? You should. Conversation with this expert on bioethics and behavioral economics is truly thought provoking. We discussed all kinds of topics, from healthcare reimbursement...
Visiting Professor at Yale
Not many places have as much tradition and history as Yale University. It was a true honor to be invited to visit their Department of Anesthesiology as a Visiting Professor, and give Grand Rounds. I spoke about cognitive errors in anesthesiology, and how cognitive...
International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare 2013
This year's IMSH was in Florida, a perfect place to be in January! I led a workshop on simulation debriefing and cognitive errors. I had a great team of faculty, including Rebecca Minehart. M.D. (MGH) and Christine Park, M.D. (Northwestern), both incredible simulation...
Robertazzi Panel at the PGA in New York
I had the enormous honor of being selected for the Robertazzi Panel to open the PostGraduate Assembly in Anesthesiology, hosted by the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists. This panel consisted of true stars - Drs. David Birnbach, Karen Domino, and Avery Tung -...
American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting 2012
This year's meeting is just packed! First, I'm exciting to represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill! I left UCLA in June to join the faculty here at UNC, but haven't been active very long because my husband and I welcomed a baby girl in August. She's...
The Physician as a “Second Victim”
Today, my colleagues Dr. Judi Turner and Dr. Anahat Dhillon (UCLA) joined me to give a workshop at the Society for Education in Anesthesia Fall Meeting on the aftermath of perioperative catastrophe and the concept of the physician as a second victim. The idea of...