Data Sharing Review

[Ian Batten]

On 17 Jul 08, at 1600, Michael Simpson wrote:
>
> you appear to be a couple of orders of magnitude up the
> informed/civilisational scale than the majority of the patients that i
> have treated over the years.


Fine.  But this is the whole problem: you want me to do things that  
don't suit my circumstances, on the grounds that they suit other  
peoples' circumstances.  A similar line of reasoning was used to me my  
a GP recently: he argued that my records need to be centralised  
because I might collapse in the street in a diabetic coma.  But I'm  
not diabetic, I pointed out.  Ah, but some people are.  Yes, but I'm  
not.  And if I were, I'd do what the man sat next to me does, which is  
have a card in my wallet containing my dosages.  Ah, but some of my  
patients don't carry wallets.  BUT I DO.  AND I'M NOT DIABETIC ANYWAY.

> i am slightly concerned that you may be *seriously* out of touch with
> the majority of our underclass.

Why is how my medical records stored related to that?   I can read  
quite long words, but many people can't.  Does that mean my doctor  
should read everything to me, in words of one syllable, on the grounds  
that there are other patients for whom that's necessary?

>
> Can i at this time extend an open invitation to you and anyone else
> that wishes to come on a tour of Easterhouse and Possil with me to see
> the sort of folk that i am designing for.

We can all show the specific circumstances of our environments.  Good  
systems will accommodate a mixed user-base.  I have a friend who works  
with deaf-blind children: her views on teaching reading are  
interesting, but have a limited applicability outside her field.



> ps #/dislocations were my raison d'etre when i was in a&e
>