Abstract
Time is integral to emergency medicine, but the importance of time is over-rated. Media promotes a focus on time over suffering. Terms such as the ‘golden hour’ and ‘time is muscle’ are embedded into our language, but is language that corrupts thought. Time-based metrics for ED quality measures focus on speed over accuracy, reflecting another inverted U curve in our system of care. We often fail to understand the importance of heterogeneity, and the heterogeneity of treatment effect, for example, sicker patients are more likely to benefit from the intervention, whereas less sick patients do not benefit but are more likely to be harmed. This highlights the importance of nuanced judgements. We need to get into the Goldilocks zone of the ‘just right’ balance between speed and accuracy. This essay challenges us to focus more on the suffering human subject, rather than on time-based metrics that reflect our hope bias.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 730-732 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | EMA - Emergency Medicine Australasia |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2017 |
Fingerprint
Cite this
}
The time paradox of emergency medicine : Another inverted U curve. / Fatovich, Daniel M.
In: EMA - Emergency Medicine Australasia, Vol. 29, No. 6, 01.12.2017, p. 730-732.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - The time paradox of emergency medicine
T2 - Another inverted U curve
AU - Fatovich, Daniel M.
PY - 2017/12/1
Y1 - 2017/12/1
N2 - Time is integral to emergency medicine, but the importance of time is over-rated. Media promotes a focus on time over suffering. Terms such as the ‘golden hour’ and ‘time is muscle’ are embedded into our language, but is language that corrupts thought. Time-based metrics for ED quality measures focus on speed over accuracy, reflecting another inverted U curve in our system of care. We often fail to understand the importance of heterogeneity, and the heterogeneity of treatment effect, for example, sicker patients are more likely to benefit from the intervention, whereas less sick patients do not benefit but are more likely to be harmed. This highlights the importance of nuanced judgements. We need to get into the Goldilocks zone of the ‘just right’ balance between speed and accuracy. This essay challenges us to focus more on the suffering human subject, rather than on time-based metrics that reflect our hope bias.
AB - Time is integral to emergency medicine, but the importance of time is over-rated. Media promotes a focus on time over suffering. Terms such as the ‘golden hour’ and ‘time is muscle’ are embedded into our language, but is language that corrupts thought. Time-based metrics for ED quality measures focus on speed over accuracy, reflecting another inverted U curve in our system of care. We often fail to understand the importance of heterogeneity, and the heterogeneity of treatment effect, for example, sicker patients are more likely to benefit from the intervention, whereas less sick patients do not benefit but are more likely to be harmed. This highlights the importance of nuanced judgements. We need to get into the Goldilocks zone of the ‘just right’ balance between speed and accuracy. This essay challenges us to focus more on the suffering human subject, rather than on time-based metrics that reflect our hope bias.
KW - quality
KW - time
KW - time to intervention
KW - unintended consequences
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85035018782&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1742-6723.12847
DO - 10.1111/1742-6723.12847
M3 - Article
VL - 29
SP - 730
EP - 732
JO - Emergency Medicine
JF - Emergency Medicine
SN - 1742-6723
IS - 6
ER -