Talking metric to patients about the sacrosanct personal dimensions is key. If the medical community, for the sake of patient safety, agreed to communicate in SI units we'd be in great shape.
On Feb 1, 2008 12:47 AM, Paul Trusten <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > A hospital going fully metric must do so on a cultural basis. The > changeover has to be on the basis of total metric awareness. There is > enough "awareness" going on at my hospital already. For example, one nursing > unit's name was changed from "telemetry" to "progressive care" to more > accurately describe the type of care. So, everyone throughout the facility > has had to start using, or at least become familiar with, this new name. The > same thing must be done with measurement. Only kilogram scales and meter > scales should be used to weigh and measure patients, and only kilograms and > meters should be stated, either verbally or in writing, in the hospital. > Patients should be made familiar with their SI weight and height. All this > might come to pass one day, but someone is going to have to suffer or die > before it happens. > > Paul > > > Remek Kocz wrote: > > Paul, I couldn't agree more. Someone will make a pounds/kg conversion > error on a drug with a narrow therapeutic index, and a patient will die. > > And even if every hospital goes fully metric, you will still be up against > the primary care offices that for the most part do everything in pounds, > inches, and fluid ounces. The problem begins in medical school where it's > still a mixture of units. One culprit in particular that stands out is one > of the "bibles" of health care, Mosby's Guide to Physical Examination. It's > a comprehensive book that every doctor will come across, but it's just chock > full of bizarre decisions on units. Sometimes metric stands alone, > sometimes it's first, sometimes last, and sometimes absent. On an occasion, > the conversions from customary units to metric units are completely > erroneous. > > Metric in health care is a very broad subject. Much could be done, but > very little is happening. Maybe when I have some time, I'll write more > about it. > > Remek > > On Jan 31, 2008 10:58 PM, Paul Trusten <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Over the years, a few people have asked me if a Mars Orbiter-type, or > > Gimli-type, event could occur in U.S. healthcare. The answer is yes. > > It will happen due to a confusion between pounds and kilograms of patient > > body weight/mass. Such a sentinel event is required in order to make the > > all-metric hospital culture into a JCAHO national patient safety goal. They > > won't take my word for it. > > > > Paul > > > > > > > > Walter Meier wrote: > > > > Thanks, Pat. > > > > I've read several accounts of this event in the past, but as you said, > > this one is truly the best. Hairraising, in fact. And this one does a far > > better job of expalining what went wrong with the calculations. The real > > problem lay with the fuel density calculations, not with the calibration of > > the dripsticks, as the Avweb story reported. Still, it was the confusion > > caused by the simultaneous use of two systems of measurement that nearly led > > to disaster, and I'm sad to see that little has changed in the 25 years > > since. > > > > Cheers, > > > > Walter > > > > On Jan 31, 2008 3:21 PM, Pat Naughtin < > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Dear Walter, > > > The best story that I have read on the Gimli Glider is that by Wade > > > H. Nelson at: > > > > > > http://www.wadenelson.com/gimli.html > > > > > > It is very well written. > > > > > > Cheers, > > > > > > Pat Naughtin > > > > > > PO Box 305 Belmont 3216, > > > Geelong, Australia > > > Phone: 61 3 5241 2008 > > > > > > Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has > > > helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern > > > metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save > > > thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for their > > > businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many different trades, > > > crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial and government > > > metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA. Pat's clients include > > > the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST, and the metric associations > > > of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See > > > http://www.metricationmatters.com/ <http://www.metricationmatters.com/>for > > > more metrication information, contact Pat at > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] or subscribe to the free '*Metrication > > > matters*' newsletter at http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter/ > > > > > > On 2008/02/01, at 3:25 AM, Walter Meier wrote: > > > > > > Greetings all: > > > > > > The NASA incident on Mars is the one most often remembered for the > > > danger of using multiple systems of measurement, but this one is also > > > truly > > > remarkable. Today they're retiring an airplane that under most > > > circumstances > > > would have been written off many years ago, so I thought it would be a > > > good > > > occasion to remember the feat. > > > > > > http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/1043-full.html#197052 > > > > > > Cheers, > > > > > > Walter > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Paul Trusten, R.Ph. > > Acting Secretary > > The Pharmacy Alliance > > Midland TX 79707-2872 USA > > +1(432)528-7724mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL > > PROTECTED]>http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePharmacyAlliance > > > > > > > > -- > Paul Trusten, R.Ph. > Acting Secretary > The Pharmacy Alliance > Midland TX 79707-2872 USA > +1(432)528-7724mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL > PROTECTED]>http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePharmacyAlliance > > >
