I spent much of the week getting to know more about the Delphi Method that I am now planning to use. I have learned about its strengths and limitations, but no matter how much I learn about it, the one phrase that keeps going through my head is “This sounds like FUN!” I can’t wait to get started on the recruitment process. However, first I need to get through the proposal approval process. One step at a time…

References:

Bernoff, J. & Schadler, T. (2010). Empowered: Unleash your employees, energize your customers, transform your business. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.

Keeney, S., Hasson, F. & McKenna, H. (2011). The Delphi technique in nursing and health research. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

You know, I think this was my first research-induced tangent! I think my brain is tingling now!!!

References:

Chesbrough, H. (2006). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Image Credit: Found on I Can Be Right, or I Can Be Happy: The Ever-Changing Philosophy of a Recovering Control Freak

Dr. Holley (my dissertation mentor) has pointed out some issues that need to be addressed. Most notably, why would any leadership care about my study? I think that leaders should always care about how their customers (patients) and employees are communicating with each other and how they are communicating with management. Social networking presents problems for old-style corporations or organizations that have always maintained tight control over what is said within and by and about their organization. Such control is lost when social networking tools are used. However, on the potentially positive side, social networking can also open the lines of communication between patients and clinicians and between employees and management. Such openness has the potential of reducing confrontation and increasing collaboration between employees and management (Chesbrough, 2006; Levine, Locke, Searls, & Weinberger, 2001; Tapscott, & Williams, 2008). I am also planning to do some research on how social networking could affect the cost of healthcare and productivity for both patients and clinicians. I am eager to see if there is an affect.

References:

Chesbrough, H. (2006). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Levine, R. Locke, C. Searls, D. and Weinberger, D. (2001). The cluetrain manifesto: The end of business as usual. New York: Perseus Publishing.

Tapscott, D. & Williams, A.D. (2008). Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything. New York: Penguin Group.

P.S. My new word-of-the-day is winsome. I was called this by someone I work with. What do you think?

Disclaimer: I am a full time employee of Sutter Health – the parent organization of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. I work in the Human Resources Information Systems department on the Employee Intranet Team. My dissertation may include Sutter Health as one component of the study, but I will be using publically available information or information released to me through the inquiry process similar to those followed by other investigators.

Is any of the information I’ve provided so far important to my study? I don’t know yet. But it’s something to consider and keep in mind…

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center is actually a mini-system in-and-of-itself. It was created with the merger of Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, CA and Summit Medical Center in Oakland, CA. They are practically next door neighbors in the grand scheme of California. Both were members of Sutter Health and were merged into one company as a way to streamline care and reduce operating costs. “Together, Alta Bates and Summit make up the East Bay’s largest private, not-for-profit medical center with three campuses, two acute care hospitals, birthing services, and a full array of the most advanced specialty services (Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2010).”

From both the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (ABSMC) web site and the Hospital Social Network List, ABSMC is currently using Facebook and YouTube as their social networking tools. A cursory examination of these two accounts shows that each is an extension of the organization’s community outreach efforts – a “look what we’re up to” effort rather than a two way communication effort. There are listings for events and classes, but there is nothing scheduled as an online interactive event and YouTube does not offer any regular video or audio podcasts that patients can subscribe to on a daily or weekly basis. Also, there seems to be very little connectivity with the parent company’s Facebook or YouTube accounts.

One of the reasons that I chose to study how healthcare is using social media tools is because healthcare seems to be a late adopter of this new technology even though studies show that interconnectedness and communication make individuals and communities healthier (Zarbock, 2009). It will be interesting to watch and see how this organization’s use of these tools evolves over the coming months.

Does your healthcare provider use social networking tools? If yes, who are they and which tools do they use? Do you have a favorable impression of how they use social networking tools? If no, why not? I look forward to your comments and insights…

UPDATE on 11/17/2010: The above blog post was intended as a snapshot of what I see ABSMC doing right now in the social media arena. This was not intended as criticism. I know that Sutter Health, as an whole organization is adopting social networking and is learning how to use this new tool. This is one of many reasons that I enjoy working for this company.

I have spoken with Stacey Wells  and received a comment from Amy Green (see below), both from Sutter Health East Bay Region Communications Department. I welcome their feedback and am looking forward to seeing what they will be doing in the future. I do want to offer an apology to them for not letting them know ahead of time that I was doing this before I hit the publish button. While I was following the company Social Networking Policy, I should have also considered the Media Policy and reached out to them for comment and feedback. I will incorporate this into future profiles of both Sutter Health affiliates and other organizations as well. Ms. Wells and Ms. Green were both very gracious in their responses and I appreciate their assistance in this learning process for me.

References:

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. (2010). Our history and our work. Retrieved from http://www.altabatessummit.org/about/history.htmlhttp://www.altabatessummit.org/about/history.html.

Zarbock, S. (2009). Making connections: Good for PAs, and for patients. JAAPA : Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, 22(8), 8. Retrieved February 12, 2010, from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/pqdweb?did=1838471311&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=13118&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

The X-Prize Foundation – creators of the prizes for the first privately funded reusable spaceship (Ansari X Prize) and the first car to get 100 mpg (Progressive Automotive X Prize) -  are now venturing into the healthcare arena specifically in neurotechnology. This new development was reported by MSNBC.  The idea behind this series of prizes is to encourage investment in neurotechnologies that could have the affect of reversing paralysis, finding a way to overcome the body’s natrual defenses that keep out some neuro-medications, allow people to communicate with computers by thinking (rather than speaking) and other possibilities as well.

I won’t rehash the article here – though it is an extraordinary concept and could lead to astounding advances in neuromedicine! What I did want to examine is this: Is the X Prize a facet of Mass Collaboration? That is to say, are the folks running the X Prize Foundation looking for ideas and techniques from folks like you and me OR is this strictly for the neuroscientists and neurologists who study the human brain on a daily basis? Could an “ordinary person” with a perspective that the pros have not yet examined (or maybe haven’t examined closely enough) win this prize? Is there a way for someone using everyday technology or a common chemistry set to win this prize?

History is littered with technology breakthroughs that have come out of suburban garages (Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak invented the first Apple computer in Woz’s parent’s garage) or barns or bicycle shops(Orville and Wilbur Wright invented their airplane prototype in a bicycle shop). Is that what the X Prize Foundation is trying to do here? Are they trying to inspire the next Edison or Wozniak to conduct research from a non-traditional perspective and perhaps come up with something that the major pharmaceutical or medical device companies have missed? Are they encouraging some lowly radiology technician or phlebotomist to try to come up with a new technique that research professionals have overlooked or explore some area that medical grad students have missed?  Regardless of the answer, I find the prospect exciting!

What do you think of this latest addition to the X Prize Foundation? Is there any other healthcare-related area where the foundation should offer another X Prize? Please share your thoughts in the comment area below…

I want to work on my dissertation project and get back into school, but the energy and motivation are just not there. So, I thought I would reach out to all my friends on Facebook and Twitter and this blog to see if you’ve ever experienced anything like this. Have you? How did you get over or past it? Any ideas anyone? All thoughts or ideas are welcome!

Image Credit: Retrieved using Google Images from Mr. Arauz’s Blog.

Facebook Comments:

11-15-2010 – Julie Baskin: Cathy- in ref to your “energy drain” question, according to AOL this will solve (if only partially) the problem! LOL While I can’t totally vouch for this claim, I do find that some yoga routines give me energy and help focus me =-)

My Response: Thanks Julie! I’ll give it a try…

11-15-2010 – James Elliott: Have you been tested for vitamin D deficiency? My wife experienced what you have been through and her doctor tested her for vitamin D deficiency and found her drastically deficient. Vitamin D deficiency simulates many symptoms of other illnesses. Have that checked out.

My Response: I’ve had a Vitamin D deficiency in the recent past, but I take Vitamin D twice a day to combat that. I will have my MD take another look very soon. Thanks for the idea James!

Since surgery my pain levels have been minimal. I have a pretty high pain threshold and I shake off pain killers and anesthesia fairly quickly when they are necessary. However, I do know that pain can knock down your immune system, so when I have surgery or suffer an injury, I try to remember to take the prescribed pain meds as ordered. The trouble is that most of the instructions say to take the pain meds so many times each day “as needed.”  So if I don’t feel that I “need” a pain med, I don’t take it. A recent experience may change that practice for me…

A couple of days after coming home from the hospital, I took my pain medication in the morning and then, before they wore off, I laid down to take a nap. When I woke up a few hours later I didn’t have any pain, so I didn’t take any more meds. However, I was feeling run down and basically flat. I didn’t associate that feeling with pain and just tried to rest and relax. Later in the evening I did start feeling some pain around my surgery incisions (my appendectomy was done laperscopically so I have three half-inch incisions) so I took a pain pill. Forty-five minutes later I felt MUCH better all over. The flat feeling was gone and I felt completely normal!

In talking with friends and family about this experience I have learned that physical pain can manifest in a variety of ways – like my flat feeling. One person described a burn she had where she started feeling very cold even though her burn didn’t hurt. She took a pain med and the cold & shivers went away. Another friend called this type of experience “deferred pain”. This probably has to do with my high pain threshold. My body was reacting to the pain I wasn’t feeling by making me feel run-down and tired.

Have you ever experienced something like this? How did you handle it? I’d love to hear your stories…

As I look at the giraffes I could not help but wonder how anyone could doubt the Theory of Evolution in favor of “Intelligent Design”? Evolution is based on sound science and keen observation of geographical and biological evidence by thousands of scientists over hundreds of years. “Intelligent Design” is based on Judeo-Christian mythology and has no basis in scientific fact. Also, look at the photo of the giraffe at the right. What is intelligent about the design of this creature? What kind of reason would an intelligent designer have in creating this creature? What part does it play in the environment in which it lives that adds to the environment?

However, if we look at the giraffe from the evolutionary point of view…

• Giraffes have long legs to help them run from predators and to make them tall in order to make them more difficult to take down by predators that are lower to the ground.
• Giraffes have their characteristic long necks that enables them to reach higher sources of food than other animals
• The spots on the skins of giraffes provide them with natural camouflage in their savanna environment.

From the view of “Intelligent Design” the giraffe is nothing but a whimsical joke. From the evolutionary point of view the giraffe is a marvel.

I’d rather believe in the marvel than in the joke. Wouldn’t you? What is your opinion and why?

I started on my trip to Crescent City, CA on September 1st. It’s a lovely little city and I was enchanted with it. It was easy to come up with new photos every day. Today was my first full day home and I was exhausted, so I snapped a picture of my dog. I am finding that the ordinary days are going to be the hardest ones to get interesting pictures. I’ll have to be very cognizant of new and interesting compositions and ideas for venues. I’ve already started exploring. Perhaps this will be a good excuse for me to explore my own community a bit more.

You can follow my progress here. You can see my Mom’s fantastic photos here.