{"id":334,"date":"2013-02-24T18:09:02","date_gmt":"2013-02-24T17:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/adc-archimedes\/?p=334"},"modified":"2013-02-27T14:45:33","modified_gmt":"2013-02-27T13:45:33","slug":"how-do-you-improve-services-for-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/adc\/2013\/02\/24\/how-do-you-improve-services-for-children\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you improve services for Children"},"content":{"rendered":"

A paediatric tweeter, @kunbab<\/a>\u00a0(named with permission) working at intern\/SHO level remarked on their frustration with the process of improving things in a workplace.<\/p>\n

They’d done something very simple; their patient had needed a referral, and so they’d emailed this referral to the\u00a0relevant\u00a0consultant. \u00a0However, when their boss heard about this, the boss insisted on a paper based referral also. \u00a0The howl of frustration of @DrRanj\u00a0was genuine. \u00a0Why, he asked, (and I paraphrase) do I need to revert to using such an archaic mechanism of communication when email is so much better?<\/p>\n

I could see at least two of the sides here.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, I got my first email account in 1995, which, while not at the birth of the internet, was pretty soon after the toddling period. \u00a0It’s hard to remember what a delight it was to get email in those days, and how terribly modern it felt. \u00a0Now, 18 years later, it has become all things; a way of getting spam, a way for people to efficiently and rapidly transfer the responsibility for their problems and anxieties to you, a helpful way to share information in an\u00a0asynchronous\u00a0way. \u00a0I couldn’t be without email, but I’m not quite sure how to live with it either…<\/p>\n

Emailing referrals, then, makes perfect sense. \u00a0It is at least as reliable as any paper based system, faster, more direct, allows easier clarification. \u00a0Nearly every other form of communication has moved over to the electronic side – I hardly ever get a “memo” any more – so why not referrals?<\/p>\n

The other side? \u00a0Well, this is where I’m part of the problem. \u00a0To describe this I need to tell you about how I handle patient test results. \u00a0I warn you, this will appear seriously irrational – but I would be surprised if you all have totally rational systems.<\/p>\n