Thomas Goetz: It's time to redesign medical data

www.ted.com Your medical chart: it's hard to access, impossible to read -- and full of information that could make you healthier if you just knew how to use it. At TEDMED, Thomas Goetz looks at medical data, making a bold call to redesign it and get more insight from it.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at www.ted.com/translate.

[@DavidSabine]

Cool Learning Circle at 5:44

[@SoundMusicVideo]

Jake Shimabukuro plays "Bohemian Rhapsody" and this new video are now in my top favorites ! love is guys

[@MaBuSt]

@AmusingYeti it becomes more and more important the older you get. As your gum lines recede then more space is available for food to be stuck and more opportunity for gum infection and canaries forming between your teeth... which is a huge pain in the ass compared to a normal cavity.

[@Paulginz]

@bersaba Blood tests cost at least tens of dollars. Printing an additional summary page in colour costs a few cents at most.

[@Shadowstray]

The speed limit thing works until someone attaches a board and starts keeping a high score.

[@natetube7998]

Brilliant! Ah, the beauty of simplicity.

[@t3tsuyaguy1]

Um.....I work with lab results every day. "All that other junk" is vital. It is were we see how the pt is trending, it is how we engage in preventative care. Increasing the accessibility of the data is a great idea. I'm with him there. Miscasting swaths of the data as useless, because you don't understand it, is reprehensible.

[@PeterKahnCitizenKahn]

@SEThatered Agreed. How many other forms or web pages offer data without fore thought. From bug reports to credit card bills the method of presentation has major impacts on how people react.

[@SEThatered]

Totally agree with this guy. And it's valid not only for medicine, but for many others as well. It doesn't take that much time to make it understandable.

[@tioedong]

the real problem is that we docs have to "document" every little trivial fact to get paid, so who has time to think or to find the real information that we need to know. The system rewards paper work that is reviewed by the bureaucrats, but not talking to patients.

[@LordOfTheObvious]

I always try to read my medical information. And ever after i Google 80% of the text i still don't understand anything. That's why I hope this possibility for change is actually used.

[@Arcessitor]

Oh, a talk that isn't an absolute waste of time. Joy.

[@iAMsoBEAST1]

Really wish they did do this

[@IdoloR]

Clever idea.

[@XxDollarBill]

OMG its Dougy Houser.... That was my very first thought.

[@henleythecat]

@enlightenedone676 Interesting, I have some experience with genetic counselors (talk to them about my HHT). I'm not sure that the same concept can be extended to all branches of medicine, but it would be an interesting adjunct to the communications systems this guy is talking about.

[@DRSelkirk]

Yes! we need more graphic design jobs!

[@Melki]

need to apply that to terms and conditions as well. Thumbs up for more user friendly terms and conditions.

[@SEThatered]

@citizenkahn1 Also it seems to me unfair that designers or architects are obligated to expain their concepts. Where's health is much bigger issue than a poor design. Also this "explanatory issue" could create new workplaces as well.

[@Baden1]

This makes good sense. A good read is "The End of Illness: by David Agus. A must read!

[@GrimSoul66]

Fucking eh, I like this talk. I like the way he starts off with something everyone can comprehend (brushing and flawsing) then teaching us that we can integrate that into other things in our life.

[@solojam]

@YoLninYo amen

[@solojam]

Makes you wonder about the current system and WHY its so inefficient.

[@yufeihuang3243]

Just out of curiosity, is there any statistical information regarding the effectiveness that redesigning medical data has brought to the public?

[@ShereeseMaynard]

An oldie but goodie #Healthcare #Telemedicine

[@VeemanLTTE]

@XxDollarBill Exactly

[@johnworth001]

superb. people are capable, they can be trusted to understand their data. just design it so they can read it.

[@opnasd]

Understanding partially is worse than not understanding at all. Because in the first case, there are actions.In the drug facts it may write, this drug prevents blood clothing. But there are hundred different mechanisms for that that only medical education can give you the total understanding. (Sorry for my english)

[@SuperCuriouss]

I agree with revolutionizing data presentation. But what about the reaction to bad news.. and so overwhelmed they can't get to the end of the report. No biggie, i know.

[@MrCattlehunter]

@HDvideosaregood So you think that if something HAS an effect, but you don't tell the patient, it will work as some sort of anti-placebo and end up having no effect? Brilliant notion. If only there was some obvious flaw... but I can't think of any!

[@TrishanPanch]

This is painfully basic.

[@1966human]

Man you just cant change people that cant change

[@josephk87171]

@HDvideosaregood ignorance is bless?

[@2014andon]

*stands up and goes to brush teeth*

[@TomBouthillet]

You took a very good talk and blew it with your comment about doctors not understanding lab values. You came across like a righteous policy wonk. News flash: you don't have all the answers bud. A color coded lab values page isn't new. I get one at my annual physical every year.

[@Sonnekki]

The speaker's arrogance is a big turn-off. You're not going to sway your audience by riding a high horse and screaming "God forbid doctors print things in color LOL". Yes, it feels good in the moment, but you won't inspire people that way.