RE: Redefining ‘health’ for the 21st Century
Hi @agmoore, thank you so much for your comment.
Heaven knows, something will always be found at the bottom of a test tube that might warrant 'looking into'
This is a great way of putting it. The trick here is to untie the health gains from the profit motive (a spectacularly hard thing to do!). Right now (with the NHS in the UK) healthcare professionals are the best way to do this, however there workload is high and often only allows for around a 10-15 minutes consultation. Private might be different. I have some friends that do research into the incentive present in the different systems, I’ll no doubt look into it at some point.
…gentle blog
Ha, yes, exactly what I’m aiming for!
Thank you for your kind words, I have your microgrid post open on one of my ‘to read’ tabs at the moment, also one of my interests (if a grid goes down it’s a massive public health issue!)
I think an ideal model for healthcare delivery can be found in Cleveland Clinic. It resembles the NHS in some ways but doesn't seem to have the severe budgetary constraints. All the physicians work on salary, so there is no incentive to do "more". And yet, the Clinic always rates at or near the top in US healthcare centers. Recently Cleveland published a paper about changing the healthcare model for the 21st century. You may be familiar with the Cleveland model and have a critique. I just briefly glanced at this 'new direction' paper and like the way the hospital is responding to patients' wishes.
I'm a great supporter of NHS, but think (from what I've read) the system is being strangled by budget constraints. We have the same tug and pull in this country.
As for being gentle-- I look for that in doctors, and bloggers :)
I'm not aware of the Cleveland model, but from what you say I'd agree that this has all the basic ingredients for a good health system. I'll take a look, thanks!
Yeah, its the same story as in the post, ageing population puts a lot of pressure on the system. We're very short of nurses at the moment, its a worry.
I think I'm part of that aging population--but I do my best not to overuse the system. Sometimes the consumer has to decide when to say "no". Thanks for your thoughtful reply.