WEB Unit 8: Healthcare

Healthcare: Its Time to Listen

Abraham Verghese

"Modern medicine is in danger of losing a powerful, old-fashioned tool: human touch. Physician and writer Abraham Verghese describes our strange new world where patients are merely data points, and calls for a return to the traditional one-on-one physical exam" which must make time for ernest  listening. 
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Atul Gawande

You may remember Brene Brown mentioning Atul Gawande in her talk on vulnerability.

Here he is talking about the importance of working in systems.  Feel free to start at 9:30 minutes in and watch to the end. 

Things to consider:
1.  Why are checklists important? What evidence does he provide for this?
2. What does he mean when he says we need fewer cowboys and more pit crews?

​Matthew O’Reilly

​Matthew O’Reilly is a veteran emergency medical technician on Long Island, New York. In this talk, O’Reilly describes what happens next when a gravely hurt patient asks him: “Am I going to die?” (5:33 minutes)

Miriam Zoila Pérez

Miriam Zoila Pérez investigates how race and gender affect health — and the people who create spaces for healing.  She explores the complex ways our identities shape our health, especially for people of color, LGBT folks and women (12:30 minutes)

Click the button below to view or print the transcript of Ms. Perez' talk.