Lightning goes to ground

I respect and admire Lucien Engelen, the spirit behind the REshape Center for Innovation at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, so when he recently posted an article entitled, "10 TED talks that change(d) healthcare," I was intrigued.  Who doesn't love TED talks, after all?But then I concluded that he was off base.Not because the talks aren't great.  They are great.  They are stimulating, well presented, thoughtful, and challenging.But they have not changed health care.  Look through the talks and see what's imagined in them. Now, compare them to what's happening on the ground in most places.(By most places, I am talking about the economically developed countries.)What we see in those countries is the presence of two inexorable forces.  One force comprises underlying demographic factors.  The old are living to an ever-older age and are putting unprecedented demands on the health care system as we take care of their chronic and acute illnesses.  Meanwhile, the next generation (the Baby Boomers) have entered the age of hospitalization, compounded by an extremely high level of entitlement.  ("I hurt my knee playing soccer.  I need to be able to play as soon as possible.  I demand an MRI and arthroscopic surgery to repair that rip.") And, finally, the next generation is characterized by a sedentary lifestyle, which has and will lead to obesity, diabetes, and the sequelae of those diseases.Meanwhile, in the face ...
Source: Running a hospital - Category: Health Managers Source Type: blogs