Today, Nat Sims and Patrick Burdon gave a talk at University of Toronto on new technologies to improve patient safety. Nat is widely credited with introducing the concept (and the implementation) of "smart" infusion pumps that use drug libraries to reduce the chances of certain kinds of medication administration errors. Much of Nat's talk simply supported conclusions that I had reached by other means already, but I was particularly interested in his account of the history of the development of infusion pumps, which seems to account for some of the divergences in practices between the UK and North America. More details when I've checked my facts! Patrick focused on new neuroimaging techniques for managing anaesthesia (making sure the patient is properly sedated, but not so sedated that they won't recover full consciousness in a timely way). I won't pretend that I followed all the details, but it was a great reminder of how quickly medical science is advancing.
Then for a coffee with Kate Sellen. We have so many interests in common it is amazing that we hadn't met before: distributed cognition, situation awareness, human error, interactive medical devices and, in particular, the challenge of designing healthcare technologies that are not just 'usable' but that really fit their context of use. But I guess it illustrates one challenge of interdisciplinary working: that there are so many places one might publish, and events one might go to, that it's quite easy to move in the same 'space' without ever colliding. So to speak.
On the walk back, following my current strategy of taking a different route every time, I encountered the OCAD Design building. I have never seen a structure quite like it: a dalmatian-spotted box apparently standing over the top of a normal-looking building, on gangly stilts. The structural engineers must have had fun translating the artistic concept into a workable building!
Just around the corner, there was a very classical, colonial-looking building that is a complete contrast in style and culture... and almost certainly function too.
As you can see, Toronto is a little snowy, but not dramatically or debilitatingly so today.
Then for a coffee with Kate Sellen. We have so many interests in common it is amazing that we hadn't met before: distributed cognition, situation awareness, human error, interactive medical devices and, in particular, the challenge of designing healthcare technologies that are not just 'usable' but that really fit their context of use. But I guess it illustrates one challenge of interdisciplinary working: that there are so many places one might publish, and events one might go to, that it's quite easy to move in the same 'space' without ever colliding. So to speak.
Just around the corner, there was a very classical, colonial-looking building that is a complete contrast in style and culture... and almost certainly function too.As you can see, Toronto is a little snowy, but not dramatically or debilitatingly so today.
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