CLINICAL WIRELESS
Tech Agoraphobia ("What Possible Information Could You Get From a Handheld that Would Help You Admit a Patient?")
This was the show stopper for me. Recently, I was at a Wi-Fi company seeking to develop its medical vertical market, and I was talking to the exec about the necessity for tech companies to understand the particular needs of intern/residents and other healthcare staff before delving into this market. It's my style these days to use a typical scenario, demonstrating how handhelds are now being used, and can be further optimized for use in a hospital setting. I began to tell a story about an intern in the ER admitting a patient, when I was stopped with this rhetorical question. (Considering that in this current climate, there might be, however small the possibility, a patient walking into the ER with non-pathognomonic signs or symptoms related to an exposure to some toxin released during a terrorist attempt, or the SARS virus, it's even harder to understand this response.)
Up to this point, we had been conversing about the state of wi-fi and 3G networks, blogging, mass media will some minor disagreement, but generally connecting with one another. Now this rebuff. After thinking about this, I remember reading a thread on one medical listserv where they were discussing why on TV programs you never see housestaff writing progress notes. I can't comment any further because I don't watch these shows, but I think the art of the diagnostic method and patient management is generally unknown to the public. But getting back to the question, the exec didn't realize he lost the opportunity to derive the most benefit from this meeting. I've been taking call for the past two years as a surgical resident with one of the many duties being admitting patients including trauma patients coming into the ER, some of who would need ICU care.
"The street finds its own use for things." The famous William Gibson quote. "The innovation only begins in earnest once a new invention leaves the production line and falls into the hands of consumers," Cory Doctorow writes in his piece for the O'Reilly Network in the context of digital rights management. Some tech companies fear the encounter with those who are expected to not only make their technology work but also produce a decent ROI. In a sense, these companies are agoraphobic "which in it's original sense means a fear of the marketplace." Another Gibson observation which prompted me to write this piece.
I'll finish by emphasizing that this is not my original idea and credit has to be given to Chris Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger who gave this type of thinking a persona in the form of Cluetrain. I added my name as a signatory to their web once I read their manifesto, and felt I wanted to support this meme (defined).
Anyway, the execs who want entry into this market should first stop by their local hospital after midnight and bring along a box of soft drinks, fruit and yogurt for the residents. This will help them admit patients. Then, at a better time, sit down and ask them how they think technology can make their lives easier. They're the ones who will make your product/service what it isn't yet, but should be.
10:01:31 AM 
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