"Well don't come in here!"
WTF, NPR?
16 hours ago
Monday, 15 September 2014
Monday, 8 September 2014
Busy
DZ is old enough to remember when being gay was illegal in this country. If you were convicted of being homosexual you could be sent to prison, where you would be incarcerated with a whole load of guys with a lot of time on their hands and no access to female company.
Although this is now no longer illegal in this country, or most other western nations, the sad fact is that being gay is still illegal in about 70 countries, some of whom have the death penalty for this "offence."
Egypt is one country which criminalizes gays, as has been highlighted in this article today. The Egyptian public prosecutors are pursuing a group of men because, they say, releasing film of a gay wedding "would anger god".
Really? Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't he supposed to be all powerful, all seeing etc? If he was really that pissed off about it wouldn't he be able to do something about it himself? Perhaps he's too busy with other things I suppose.
Although this is now no longer illegal in this country, or most other western nations, the sad fact is that being gay is still illegal in about 70 countries, some of whom have the death penalty for this "offence."
Egypt is one country which criminalizes gays, as has been highlighted in this article today. The Egyptian public prosecutors are pursuing a group of men because, they say, releasing film of a gay wedding "would anger god".
Really? Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't he supposed to be all powerful, all seeing etc? If he was really that pissed off about it wouldn't he be able to do something about it himself? Perhaps he's too busy with other things I suppose.
Friday, 5 September 2014
Quote
"nothing with a pair of testicles attached to it can ever be truly beautiful,"
Daily Mash
Certainly true in DZ' case
Daily Mash
Certainly true in DZ' case
Thursday, 4 September 2014
Safety
Previous posts on this blog have highlighted the gradual erosion of clinical autonomy endured by the medical profession. The rise of guidelines, protocols, trust formularies etc that has taken away the professionalism from doctors and turned them into box ticking technicians.
Since I have been doing some agency work I have seen that this continues to a staggering degree. Micromanagement is rife and rigid control is the norm. I recently worked at a place where the management dictated what needles are used for various mundane and common procedures.
Many of these rules are introduced in the cause of risk management. The needle rules start with the premise that medical professionals can't be trusted with sharp objects!
What they have failed to take into account is a phenomenon first described in the field of motoring. I've been unable to find the reference, but I remember reading a study that showed that, if you increase the safety features within a car, the driver tends to drive less safely. Seatbelts, airbags and the like increase the driver's feeling of confidence and security, and he consequently drives faster, and takes more risks.
In the clinical setting, clinicians who work with sharps that have safety features to reduce the likelihood of needlestick injuries are unlikely to develop the level of care and discipline in their handling of sharps that my generation learned, and in the long run there is no improvement in safety as the one cancels out the other.
As an illustration of the principal I quote Jeremy Clarkson.
"If you want people to drive more safely you have to get rid of seatbelts, airbags and all the other things that make things safer for the driver, and replace them with a six inch spike on the steering wheel pointing towards the driver's chest. Now that would make you drive fucking carefully, wouldn't it!"
Since I have been doing some agency work I have seen that this continues to a staggering degree. Micromanagement is rife and rigid control is the norm. I recently worked at a place where the management dictated what needles are used for various mundane and common procedures.
Many of these rules are introduced in the cause of risk management. The needle rules start with the premise that medical professionals can't be trusted with sharp objects!
What they have failed to take into account is a phenomenon first described in the field of motoring. I've been unable to find the reference, but I remember reading a study that showed that, if you increase the safety features within a car, the driver tends to drive less safely. Seatbelts, airbags and the like increase the driver's feeling of confidence and security, and he consequently drives faster, and takes more risks.
In the clinical setting, clinicians who work with sharps that have safety features to reduce the likelihood of needlestick injuries are unlikely to develop the level of care and discipline in their handling of sharps that my generation learned, and in the long run there is no improvement in safety as the one cancels out the other.
As an illustration of the principal I quote Jeremy Clarkson.
"If you want people to drive more safely you have to get rid of seatbelts, airbags and all the other things that make things safer for the driver, and replace them with a six inch spike on the steering wheel pointing towards the driver's chest. Now that would make you drive fucking carefully, wouldn't it!"
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