tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post4932340613107821810..comments2024-03-28T23:57:50.103-05:00Comments on Bayou Renaissance Man: Even doctors are threatened by automationPeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10595089829300831372noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-70309265228402248502016-01-16T16:34:42.947-06:002016-01-16T16:34:42.947-06:00As an RN, I feel compelled to point out PAs are no...As an RN, I feel compelled to point out PAs are not "specially trained nurses." The 2 professions, while both directed toward the health of patients, are not the same. Even Nurse Practitioners and PAs, while often functioning in clinical roles that appear similar, are not the same. One difference is that NPs, unlike PAs, are not required, depending on a state's Nurse Practice Act, to function under the auspices of a physician (though they surely need collegial relationships with them for referral purposes) Admittedly, this may only be of importance to PAs and RNs...Retired Mustanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02699864696101977529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-39869649261381001182016-01-14T11:03:58.204-06:002016-01-14T11:03:58.204-06:00Captain Kirk's transponder looks pretty simila...Captain Kirk's transponder looks pretty similar to my flip phone! I-Robot put the people on lockdown, for their own safety. While I don't see artificial intelligence happening any time soon, government controlled automation (robots) in our lives is a different horror film that I can believe!Cjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04334100593630415472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-85716890607346430902016-01-13T23:46:01.207-06:002016-01-13T23:46:01.207-06:00I both agree with both libertarianm and Javahead …...I both agree with both libertarianm and Javahead … and don't.<br /><br />Most of the monitoring and tests we receive in GP's and hospitals is (excepting the 'high-end' MRI, CT, etc. types) already basic 'grunt-work'. It's the interpretation of the results you need a doctor for (and usually a specialist which your GP/Hospital doctor has to consult themselves). But, smart systems are already common in surgeries, hospitals and even in areas such as NHS Direct. All that is needed is an amalgamation of the testing and diagnostic.<br /><br />Imagine you, your spouse, or child feels unwell. You 'plug them into' a home testing kit (maybe incorporating everything from questions, basic physical signs, bloods and other fluid testing to possibly even camera/thermal 'scans' - look at SpO2 monitors development for detecting shock to see the possibilities of amalgamating such technologies). The results are fed to a 'smart system'. You get a diagnosis (probably a number with percentage probability). You take an action/give a medication, call a doctor or head to an ER/A&E. Such a system would weed out almost every minor, common ailment long before accessing the health services.<br /><br />The major impact on the health services will be … money.<br /><br />Remember, the health services in every country relies on the masses of mostly healthy individuals paying out the same (and paying unreasonably high amounts for basic services to subsidise expensive ones at that) as the unhealthy so as to subsidise and pay for their care.<br /><br />If you're managing all your minor ailments at home only needing 'catastrophic cover', much like car insurance, you'll expect/demand a major reduction in what you pay. (And even if you don't you wont be paying, as one has said, 4k for an ECG/EKG that you could have done, and had interpreted, at home very easily even now).<br /><br />That'll force a major change in healthcare delivery right there. It's a Ponzi scheme, take out the majority of suckers and it'll collapse. I suspect for the better, only the necessary will remain instead of all the excess-funded bloat.<br /><br />As for doctors? Most act effectively as nothing more than gatekeepers/middlemen – their roles would disappear overnight with such systems.<br /><br />Jut my twopennerthAblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18109723804885979128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-40292291172520038282016-01-13T20:53:46.707-06:002016-01-13T20:53:46.707-06:00Wow. It's almost like someone might think of i...Wow. It's almost like someone might think of inventing a tricorder or something. But if you have that, what did Kirk need Bones for?Rolfhttp://www.thestarscameback.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-36666467530995098742016-01-13T16:19:25.515-06:002016-01-13T16:19:25.515-06:00I'm a software engineer, and I've got to d...I'm a software engineer, and I've got to disagree with this (and Russell Newquist's claim the our own jobs are being automated away).<br /><br />Anything that's simple, repetitious, and easily quantifiable will be automated whenever it's cheaper/easier to do so than hiring someone: agreed.<br /><br />Also agreed that there are some tasks in medicine (many specifically relating to billing or standards compliance) that fall into that category. Most of medicine either falls into the categories "requires both educated judgment and human interaction" or "requires hands-on physical presence", usually both. And many (most?) hospitals here in the US are already understaffed.<br /><br />Engineering the same - most of the core tasks may be made more efficient by automation, but they still require considerable human interaction in understanding, balancing, and translating the requirements into something real. Now if you said that many technical job categories in the US are threatened by H1B visas and offshoring, you might have a point . . .Javaheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14922782424313956036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-53860888248143741842016-01-13T16:07:46.329-06:002016-01-13T16:07:46.329-06:00I'd like to see more automated vital signs rea...I'd like to see more automated vital signs reading and monitoring, especially for diabetes patients.<br /><br />As for Fitbits and other devices, I don't expect it to be too much longer before those are required in some way. Oral Roberts University is now requiring students (beginning with this year's freshmen) to wear a FitBit at all times. I'm wondering what they're going to do with the GPS data from those...Bob Muellerhttp://www.bobmuellerwriter.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-68910648161948665362016-01-13T15:56:59.971-06:002016-01-13T15:56:59.971-06:00That wearable data sensing tech needs to be availa...That wearable data sensing tech needs to be available in the ER right now. A couple years ago, I had an irregular heartbeat, (caused by an over-the-counter- cough medicine). Tied up a room for six hours, just to be connected to a max lead EKG system. That should/could be a fannypack sized unit I could have worn while sitting in the waiting room, or wondering the halls.<br />It was a Friday evening, and busy! Outside my doorway, I could see a guy on a gurney, who had been hit by a vehicle while training on his bicycle. That six hours cost me over $4k, to tie up a bed for no other reason than that was where the equipment was located.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00722792638246578812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-7306400990276527172016-01-13T14:28:29.162-06:002016-01-13T14:28:29.162-06:00PA's are not "basically, specially traine...PA's are not "basically, specially trained nurses...." The role is significantly different. An RN is focused on assessment, medications administration, and physical cares. A PA is focused on diagnostics, prescribing, and medical intervention. You don't want a PA trying to do a nurse's job, and you don't want an RN doing a PA's job.<br /><br />An RN will generally have an associate's or bachelor's of nursing. Some have added a masters degree also, but these tend to be focused more on research or administration. A PA will generally have a master's.<br /><br />Nurse Practitioners are RNs who have completed an additional master's or doctorate level program to add diagnostics, prescribing, and medical intervention to their scope of practice.<br /><br />I don't feel my job particularly threatened by the development of technology. People are bad about managing their health now, and the deficit is not from a lack of resources. Diabetics have all the resources they need to manage their health, and yet we still see people come in to the ED with blood sugars over 1000. While young, tech savvy people may manage their health with these tools, that population makes up a very small percentage of those who regularly use the health care system.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-4533762789573892472016-01-13T12:02:21.730-06:002016-01-13T12:02:21.730-06:00Engineering / Architecture as well are getting mor...Engineering / Architecture as well are getting more automated. CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) has been around quite a while, but CAD programs such as Revit are able to do a lot of the work more efficiently, making alterations on the drawings much faster. Meaning less Architects / Draftsmen / Engineers are required to do the construction documents.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-43114954166488356692016-01-13T11:27:12.831-06:002016-01-13T11:27:12.831-06:00Even software engineers are threatened by automati...Even <i>software engineers</i> are threatened by automation. It's just that most of them haven't figured out yet that they're in the process of putting themselves out of work by automating everything.Russell Newquisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07048413977001932602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-28768671934811878742016-01-13T11:20:29.905-06:002016-01-13T11:20:29.905-06:00Odd don't you think with all this technology, ...Odd don't you think with all this technology, that the only things that keep costing more is education, health care, and housing. Oh wait, that's where government interferes the most.sth_txsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-67782943517300310082016-01-13T11:08:09.560-06:002016-01-13T11:08:09.560-06:00"I wonder how well they'll work with bull..."I wonder how well they'll work with bullet holes in them, put there by infuriated calorie-addicted consumers?"<br /><br />I don't know, but hereby volunteer to help find out. :)Rev. Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588179227576383679noreply@blogger.com