It’s the year 2020 and your hospital is at the cutting edge of technology in healthcare. It is developing particular expertise in machine learning. Staff are looking at all possible […]
Kieran Walsh
Kieran Walsh: Antibiotic resistance—a role for clinical decision support?
There have been concerns about antibiotic resistance for decades. But concerns have grown in recent years as the problem continues to get worse. Various strategies have been used to address […]
Kieran Walsh: How will we learn in the future?
I crashed a plane three times today. The first time I crashed into a tree, the second time into a river, and the third time into a bridge. But it […]
Kieran Walsh: Will efficiency trump education?
You are working in an emergency department. You see an 85-year-old man who has fallen at home. He is confused but not in any pain. He has a mild fever, […]
Kieran Walsh: How to avoid an F in your medical exams
The first time I read Richard Benson’s book on how to get an F in your exams, I was seriously worried about the future of civilization. When asked for an […]
Kieran Walsh: Bad education—too much text
John Banester (1533 -1610) was an English surgeon and educator. He learned his surgery by going to war—he went on a military expedition to the continent. On his return to England […]
Kieran Walsh: Class war—e-learning
In the early days of e-learning there was great enthusiasm, but little evidence of effectiveness. The enthusiasts said that they couldn’t wait for evidence and so went ahead anyway. When […]
Kieran Walsh: Cardiac arrests, catholic priests, and evidence-based clinical decision support
I used to work in a hospital that was run by nuns. Priests also had a role but they were very much in second place. The main job of the […]
Kieran Walsh: “Tests ain’t fair. Those that study have an unfair advantage.”
Assessment is a core component of medical education. Medical students must undergo continual examinations. Postgraduate trainees must pass their annual assessments. And fully qualified doctors must overcome the twin hurdles […]
Kieran Walsh: Can you crunch the numbers better than a medical calculator?
Medical risk calculators should not be a step towards cookbook medicine, but help to tease out patients’ thoughts and worries and prejudices […]