Has anyone heard the just-finished Reith Lecture by Dr Atul Gawande - subject "Why doctors fail"?

[diogenes]

Interesting lecture on radio programme 4 BBC, describing and admitting the limitations of doctors' prescribing, diagnosis and treatment and asking for a rethink about how the medical profession operates. Stimulating!

[PR4NOW]

Diogenes, I've listened to several clips but the lecture is not available yet. It may be that it is delayed for those of us on the other side of the pond. I'm hopeful because it says 'available soon'. PR

[RedApple Administrator in reply to PR4NOW]

PR, It's scheduled to be repeated on Saturday evening at 10.15pm (GMT of course ). Not sure if will be available on iPlayer before then.

The transcript is already available for download though. Here's the link:

downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio4/...

[PR4NOW in reply to RedApple]

Thanks RedApple, I downloaded the transcript. I didn't realize the event actually took place in Boston at the JFK Library. I'll try and catch the Saturday 4:15 PM (for me) broadcast. PR

[Clutter in reply to RedApple]

Thanks, RA. I missed the broadcast this morning and will catch it Saturday if it's not available on iPlayer before then and I'll download the transcript now

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Clutter]

No I couldn't listen this morning either Ridiculous time to put something so interesting on! And the late Saturday night repeat isn't exactly a great time either.

[diogenes Remembering in reply to Clutter]

I got your email. Hope you are not religious. If I had been St Thomas when the resurrected Jesus came among the disciples and he insisted on touching Jesus's crucifixion wounds, I would have asked in addition " can you prove not just who you are but can you prove these wounds were not self-inflicted?" That's what I would call a real scientists demand.

[helvella Administrator in reply to RedApple]

The program is now available for download as a podcast. Look here:

bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/r...

If you wish to save it for later, right click and choose Save as, Save link as or what ever is appropriate for your browser. It is 19.2 MB so not very large at all.

They still have last year's Reith lectures available there - so probably they will be available for quite some time!

[RedApple Administrator in reply to helvella]

Thanks!

[RedApple Administrator]

Have now read the transcript. As diogenes says, it's stimulating, and I look forward to the next one. With regard to our own issues here on this forum, I think this bit resonates...

Dr J.B> asks...

"What do you think will be the pivotal moment to cause us to listen to them and give them what they want instead of what we know how to do?"

Atwul Gawande replies...

"I think that the data that we’re having is showing that the most important thing we fail to understand is that people have priorities besides just living longer. The second thing is that the most powerful way to learn about what those priorities are that people have is to ask them, and we don’t.

[PR4NOW]

I think one of my favorite statements is,

"The body is scarily intricate, unfathomable, hard to read. We are these hidden beings inside this fleshy sack of skin and we’ve spent thousands of years trying to understand what’s been going on inside."

I also like the concept of shining the light on what is going on, I'm just not sure there are enough searchlights on this planet to do an adequate job. PR

[RedApple Administrator in reply to PR4NOW]

Although no matter how many lights, there are none so blind as those who will not see.

"Now it is uncomfortable looking inside our fallibility. We have a fear of looking.

[PR4NOW in reply to RedApple]

RA, yes, exactly. I fear the lawyers have contributed to this over the last 40 years here in the US. The lawyers have taught doctors that you never, ever, say you made a mistake, if you do it will cost you. PR

[gabkad]

The next lecture is in London at the Wellcome collection. I think it's going to be on end of life care because he talked about this last week in an interview on CBC radio.

This guy gets around.

[RedApple Administrator]

I heard the second lecture today 'The Century of the System'. To quote from the BBC website:

He tells the story of how a little-known hospital in Austria managed to develop a complex yet highly effective system for dealing with victims of drowning. He says that the lesson from this dramatic narrative is that effective systems can provide major improvements in success rates for surgery and other medical procedures. Even a simple checklist - of the kind routinely used in the aviation industry - can be remarkably effective. And he argues that these systems have the power to transform care from the richest parts of the world to the poorest.

It's available online now bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04sv1s5

Transcript is here downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio4/...