Simplexity

A blog by Lawrence Rosenberg, MD, PhD, President and CEO of CIUSSS West-Central Montreal

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The evolution of health care: an infinite game

March 3, 2020

In our quest to improve the quality of health care and social services, we shouldn’t play with a win-or-lose mindset. That’s among the key messages in a new book, The Infinite Game: How to Lead in the 21st Century, by one of my preferred authors, Simon Sinek.

As Mr. Sinek sees it, we’re all players—whether we realize it or not—in two kinds of games: finite and infinite. The former has a clear set of agreed-upon rules, involving two or more competing individuals, teams or groups. Soccer, football and hockey are all examples of finite games that have a rule book, and a clear beginning and end.

Infinite games are the opposite, since there is no outright winner or loser. Instead, the goal is simply to stay in the game, and play as well as possible. Public-sector institutions and politics—and yes, even marriage!—can be considered types of infinite games, where the aim isn’t to vanquish those around you (regardless of what your spouse may say). Rather, the goal is to evolve and adapt, so that the game can continue to be played.

Much the same is true for health care. As providers of this service, we must resist the impulse to see ourselves as participating in some sort of competition—unless, of course, we see illness, suffering and death as our opponents. If we adopt the point of view that we’re locked in some sort of struggle, we risk diverting our attention from our primary objective: user-centred care. The real point of our infinite game is to change—or hold strong—as the circumstances dictate.

For this reason, whenever I speak about the changes in health care that confront us today, and when I advocate for taking greater advantage of digital technology, it isn’t because I’m looking to “win” at the game of health care. As CEO, I’m determined to ensure that we have the capacity to find better ways of providing personalized care—at the right time and in the right place—to those who need it.

With this in mind, I brought together a group of 30 knowledgeable individuals from in and around our CIUSSS in late January to discuss the future of health care and to explore ways of adapting and transforming, as best we can, to meet the challenges that await us in the short and long term.

Below, I’ve shared my opening remarks from that day, which I hope you’ll take the time to watch.

Since our game has no end, we’re always in the process of recruiting new players, developing innovative strategies and preparing ourselves to score the next goal.  The game itself may never be won, but it does have its champions—not the least of which are the brave patients and other healthcare users who fight their way through physical, mental and emotional adversity, while relying upon us for our ongoing support.

1985

January 6, 2020

Nearly 35 years ago, in one of the most remote regions of Canada, I looked down at an 11-year old girl and realized she was probably going to die.

A few months earlier, as my surgical residency came to an end, a colleague had suggested that I take a trip to Iqaluit—then known as Frobisher Bay, over 2,000 kilometres north of Montreal—because he thought it would be a good place for me to get away and study for my Royal College exams. At the same time, I could handle whatever surgical cases came up.

When I agreed, I didn’t realize this trip would shape my impending career as a doctor, and would end up affecting my entire life and future relationships.

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Putting promises into practice

November 15, 2019

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, “You’re only as good as your word.”

Our standing pledge at CIUSSS West-Central Montreal is that we will never stop looking for new ways to safeguard the well-being of those who rely on us for health care and social services. Now I’m happy to tell you how we’re, once again, putting promises into practice.

In my April 2017 blog post, I described a recent trip to Yale New Haven Health, where I learned about the organization’s daily patient safety report. Five days a week, managers from numerous sites come together to trade information, insights and opinions about major quality and safety occurrences, such as accidents and similar incidents, that had taken place during the previous 24 hours.

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Large or small, renovations inevitably cause headaches and ultimately bring satisfaction

July 22, 2019

A few years ago, I renovated my kitchen—and not without a certain amount of trepidation. If you’ve ever been through the process (or something comparable), you’ve felt the nervousness that comes in dealing with the dust, the disorder, the displacement and an array of logistical headaches. Can the job be put off yet again? Yes, but there comes a time when you just have to face the music. My own kitchen had seen many years of use (it was after all, the original 60 year old kitchen), which is why the paint had started to fade, the appliances weren’t working as well, and the configuration that had once seemed so perfectly designed now felt flawed.

The same goes for the healthcare and social services facilities in our CIUSSS. Of course, there’s a big difference in scale, but there’s no escaping the fact that our institutions, like our homes, become dated. Actually, in most cases, the CIUSSS’s facilities age much more quickly, given the constant flow of people into and out of these buildings.

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Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg
Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, President and CEO of CIUSSS West-Central Montreal.

Reflections about the healthcare world.

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What I’ve been reading lately

What To Expect From Digital Health In 2018?

Trend-spotting with facts instead of a crystal ball.

Taking the Pulse of Health Care Transformation
Revealing insights from a survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review.

How Technologies Shape The Future Of Medical Conferences
Doctors may be adept at taking adventage of new technology, but they can fall behind in failing to use digital technology effectively in their own conferences.

Is There A Doctor In My Pocket?
Advances in medical technology can be painfully slow, but signs point to an imminent digital revolution in health care.

Do we really need more hospital beds?
Hallway medicine has been the shameful norm in many hospitals for years, but the problem won’t disappear simply by adding more beds, temporary or permanent.

Why And How Should We Define Digital Health?
Digital health is a cultural transformation of traditional healthcare through disruptive technologies.

Mes lectures récentes

What To Expect From Digital Health In 2018?
Utiliser les faits, plutôt qu’une boule de cristal, pour cerner les tendances en matière de soins de santé.

Taking the Pulse of Health Care Transformation
Cet ouvrage dévoile les données provenant d’un sondage effectué par le magazine Harvard Business Review.

How Technologies Shape The Future Of Medical Conferences
Bien que les médecins soient partisans de tirer parti de la nouvelle technologie, ils peuvent tarder à utiliser la technologie numérique efficacement lors leurs propres conférences.

Y a-t-il un docteur dans ma poche?
Les progrès en technologie médicale peuvent être d’une lenteur désespérante, mais des indices indiquent l’imminence d’une révolution numérique dans les soins de santé.

A-t-on vraiment besoin de plus de lits d’hôpital?
La médecine de couloir est tristement devenue la norme dans de nombreux hôpitaux, mais le problème ne sera pas réglé en ajoutant plus de lits, qu’ils soient temporaires ou permanents.

Pourquoi et comment devrait-on définir la santé numérique?
La santé numérique est un bouleversement des soins de santé traditionnels par la technologie.

Recent Posts

  • The evolution of health care: an infinite game March 3, 2020
  • 1985 January 6, 2020
  • Putting promises into practice November 15, 2019
  • Large or small, renovations inevitably cause headaches and ultimately bring satisfaction July 22, 2019
  • The fourth industrial revolution June 6, 2019

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