Taking Down the Fences that Divide Us

Innovation in healthcare requires new ways to think about interdisciplinary solutions.Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform and John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article.During the 10 years we have worked together, John and I have written often about the power of words liketransformation, optimism, cynicism, and misdiagnosis. Another word that needs more attention is “interdisciplinary.” It’s been uttered so many times in science, medicine, and technology that it’s lost much of its impact.  We all give lip service to the idea, but many aren ’t willing or able to do the hard work required to make it a reality, and one that fosters innovation and better patient care.Examples of the dangers of focusing too narrowly on one discipline are all around us. The disconnect between technology and medicine becomes obvious when you take a closer look at the invention of blue light emitting diodes (LEDs), for instance, for which Isamu Aksaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuti Nakamura won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014. While this technology reinvented the way we light own homes, providing a practical source of bright, energy-saving light, the researchers failed to take into account the health effects of their invention. Had they been encouraged to embrace an interdisciplinary mindset, they might have considered the neurological consequences of being exposed to too much blue light. Certain...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - Category: Information Technology Source Type: blogs