The Marriage of Content & Medicine

Medical SmartphoneA few weeks ago I penned an article “The Marriage of Content & Technology in 2013 & Beyond” discussing the wonders and advancements of technology and content available through mobile devices.  While watching Rock Center with Brian Williams the other night, I was amazed at how medical innovation and digital content are becoming espoused.  The episode featured Dr. Eric Topol, a leading cardiologist and geneticist, who has made major headlines on the medical frontier and for the future of wireless medicine.  Let’s take a closer look at how digital content and innovative medicine are walking down the aisle for your health’s sake.

Dr. Topol, the revered Director of the Scripps Translational Institute is leveraging our content consumption with technology in one of the most innovative ways seen in this decade.  The esteemed author of “The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care” believes that we don’t need to go to a physicians office quite as much as we do by integrating important health monitoring through our appendages – our wireless devices!  Thanks to Dr. Topol, we now have:

  • real-time EKG’s with continuous heart rhythm monitoring;
  • wireless heart failure monitoring;
  • genetic sequencing, wireless biosensors;
  • high-resolution mobile ultrasound imaging; as well as
  • the first continuous non-invasive blood pressure monitoring device (which also captures all vital signs).

Digital Mobile Vitals MonitorWhile this level of medical technology is intriguing enough, what’s I noticed off the bat is how medical content is both utilized and displayed on these devices. Thanks to the partnership between Dr. Topol and Sotera Wireless, the Visi Mobile device pictured right, has revolutionized modern medicine and with patient-t0-physician communication. A patients real-time health status is translated into digital content and is then conveyed wirelessly to their physician. Visually, this cutting-edge device reflects patients vital signs with great vibrancy of color and in an easy-to-read, large font and column format.  As such, you can tell these innovators are clearly targeting exactly who their consuming audience would be:

  • those with serious health conditions,
  • probably age 65 & over,
  • those who live alone, or
  • may be visually impaired.

Sotera also wanted the device’s interface to allow for easy setup, controlled data management and an uncomplicated user experience.  This is reflected in the short, direct commands making the content data easy to comprehend while simple to control and navigate screen-to-screen regardless of age.

Global Bright IdeaThanks to Dr. Topol, his passion for medicine and undying love of technology, the wireless future of innovative medicine is looking brighter every day.  It continues to reflect that content is indeed king, boundless in evolution and utilization. And based on this amazing wireless invention, we can count on continued wedded bliss between content and medicine for years to come.

 

Cognizant Colleague Communication

Last week’s blog http://bit.ly/RxWTOk definitely caused successive waves of emotions regarding client communication and the rocky waters one can hit if misunderstood.  Now this week I want to focus on the pitfalls of not being cognizant of gaps in communication with your colleagues.  When life imitates art, reality reflects what had previously been expressed in that art (or literature, real life drama, etc). As I’m finding out more recently than ever, so does an experience lay the foundation for writing these blogs & learning how to do somethings better as you go along.  If we’re not cognizant of what we’re conveying or implying to a colleague, we can misinterpret key points, directives and pertinent goals of a project. And that doesn’t just affect the working relationship but also goes to heart of productivity (or lack thereof) and the trust a client puts in you to get the task/project completed.  And I’m sure we all know from last weeks blog how detrimental that can be!

Tomato – Tomahto?
If I say the sky is blue and you say yes, it’s Robin’s Egg, are we going to split hairs over which is accurate or engage in the debate of semantics (the meaning/interpretation of words or groups of words within a certain context commonly used in order to win some form of argument)? There’s nothing wrong with individual expression, however lapses in correct communication with your colleagues can cause not just frustration but a host of other issues.  Some of which might include:
*Lack of Productivity    *Missed Deadlines    *Delays in the internal workflow system    *Disintegration of team morale & cohesiveness    *Stressful work environment
And I’m sure there is a bevy of many more.  It’s an “if / then” , “cause/effect” kind of issue.  Recently I had a situation where a client colleague  gave me some documents and wanted them converted to another format.  I thought we were on the same page, but the simple misunderstanding of “what it is vs. what I want it to be” caused longer hours, more resources and impacted the financial investment into the project.  A frustrating lesson to learn but nevertheless, it’s in my handbook now!
Tone Can Be Everything
One of the valuable lessons my father instilled in me from almost birth is that it’s not just what you say but HOW you say it that makes the difference.  Yes, I know you all have probably heard that a thousand times but as I was writing this blog, I thought about how that same motto holds true in business.  Whether its in a meeting, over the phone or responding to an email and/or text; HOW you say something will certainly determine WHAT people hear when you speak and/or write.   If your tone is biting, snippy or inpatient, that can determine the “joy” your colleague will have when needing to collaborate with you or fulfilling a directive.  Body language also plays an important part here as well.  A hand on the hip, an audible sigh or a rolled eye can easily cause a “in one ear & out of the other” effect.
That’s Not What I Said! 
Last week I talked about the regurgitation method or otherwise known as rephrasing.  When having a conversation, try to fully engage &  listen to what others are saying.  Then rephrase and repeat back to them what you believe were their important points.  For the time it takes to do this, it will certainly be time well  spent rather than going back on multiple occasions for clarification.
Not On Their Dime
If you are not concise regarding the instructions on how to complete a particular task, you might waste valuable time and have to go back for a do-over. That could also cause an unexpected financial impact on the project from the clients wallet.  So it behooves us all to make sure that what we are conveying to one another is accurate such as confirming the plan of action, workflow timeframes and completion dates.  

In conclusion, better communication leads to a more productive workplace, which in turn increases a company’s revenue.  If the company is doing well, that means clients are happy and possibly you & your colleague(s) can enjoy the financial fruits of your labors.  So let’s all try to be a little more cognizant of our colleague communication so that fruit stays ripe & abundant for  both the workplace and financial harvest.