Pretty tired all day. Mo came, also Jimmy, Edwin, and Eduardo from work. Tried to get the new laptop configured to dial into NetZero, but no joy. We talked about what’s going on at work, and how there was more work around than we have people for – no surprise! Looks like ATOS will finally come to the Volpe Center. Also appears that the kafuffle over RSAM is over and FSAIC has been persuaded to accept it. Watch this space!
Had my IT this evening – the anticipation is worse than the execution. Afterwards listened to music. My new SONY MDR-NC6 headphones work well and listened to some Xmas music – a capella, etc.
Thinking more about system safety in medicine — it’s clear that it applies, but I mentioned that cost is not as much a factor as it is in aviation. That cannot be true. Look at medicine, as it’s practiced across the world, not as safely as it could be. Also domestically, where there is a wide range of health care services where money is very much a factor. How do you choose healthcare for an ailing dependent or an aging parent? How cost effective is system safety at this level? To determine this requires checking up, not only at the local level but also at the state level. I imagine some data is collected, but how much is useful from a system safety perspective I can’t tell. I had written a paper a while back attempting to map types of PM to the various stages of the Reason model, so that even if you are not measuring all areas, you can at least get some perspective. Should probably dust this off and see if it works for medicine. I know from my mother that the UK has an extensive “Carer” system. I would be interested to find out how this is monitored and regulated.
Ann Aylward asks, how come my name is spelled “Doutch,” when the rest of the family spells it “Douch?” The answer is that Mo got tired of being addressed as Mrs. Douche al the times – wouldn’t you be. The name is not a particularly historic name anyway, and there are lots of Doutches around the world, so I changed it legally when I became a US citizen. Also, I can write Xmas cards as coming from the “Doutches” rather than the “Douches.” Makes sense, don’t you think