YOUR HOSPITAL IS
@psirides
Thu June 16th
Florence
Nightingale
from ‘Notes on
Hospitals’
1863
#FloNi
IconsfromTheNounProject
ZOE
X
X
X
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43
WATERBOARDING THE CRITICALLY ILL
When all you have is a hammer
Everything you see is a nail.
HOSPITAL

SYSTEMS
“Hospitals are horrible places, like prisons.
When you go to prison you’re given a
number. Your clothes are taken away &
you’re made to wear a uniform. Then
you’re put in a confined space, not allowed
to leave & have to obey orders. Finally
you’re subjected to a rectal exam.
What’s the difference?”
Henry Marsh
Hospitals systems developed in the
17th century are completely
inappropriate for 21st century
clinical practice
SOD VS MOD
ORTHOPOD
Hammer
Jesus Thor
Bob
The
Builder
God
Complex
Desire
To Help
People
ED
ICU
Operating
Theatres
In-Patient
Wards
SILO FAILURE
Healthcare is grouped by silos
•Professional silos
•Geographic silos
•The solar-powered silo
SILOS ARE NOT BUILT AROUND PATIENTS
“There’s no such thing
as the ‘surgical’ patient;
there is only a medical
patient with a scar”
Rinaldo
Bellomo
Why do hospital systems
only make staff call for
help when the patient is
already dead?
M
E
T
You can’t die
without
passing
through MET-
World Mortality
% Dead
*data extrapolated from current trends
How People Die
Murray et al, BMJ 2008
METDECISIONTREE
1 in 3 will have treatment
limited by the MET
1 in 4 will die during this
hospital admission
1 in 5 will be admitted to a
critical care area
The treatment
for dying is
probably not
CPR
Be a patient in
your own hospital
Q: WHY DO DOCTORS &
NURSES IGNORE WARNING
SIGNS BUT PILOTS DON’T?
A: THE PILOT IS
ALSO ON THE
PLANE
@psirides
wellingtonicu.com
AlliconstakenfromTheNounProject

The Problem with Hospital Systems: Alex Psirides