AI Implementation - Ottawa Hospital

 

Ottawa Hospital AI Implementation

Summary of The Ottawa Hospital's AI Implementation

This VentureBeat article discusses how The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) is using AI technology to reduce physician burnout and improve patient care. Here are the key points:

• TOH implemented Microsoft's DAX Copilot, an ambient AI voice capture system that records physician-patient conversations and automatically generates clinical notes
• Results have been impressive: 7 minutes saved per patient encounter, 70% reduction in physician burnout, and 97% patient satisfaction
• The system helps physicians focus on patients rather than documentation, reducing after-hours paperwork
• TOH was the first Canadian hospital to pilot this technology, which integrates with the Epic electronic health record system
• Microsoft recently bundled DAX Copilot with Dragon Medical One into Microsoft Dragon Copilot, which is used by over 600,000 physicians
• TOH is also developing "digital teammates" like Sophie, an AI avatar that can interpret patient sentiment and speak multiple languages
• Future goals include having AI assist with follow-up calls to all patients and helping patients navigate the healthcare system
• The hospital's CIO, Glen Kearns, emphasizes that these technologies help maximize human resources while ensuring patients are well-supported

The article illustrates how AI is being used to address healthcare access issues and staffing shortages while maintaining quality care.

=======================

Some of my thoughts on this...

This same technology could be used with nursing care in hospitals to improve patient care.

A nurse friend thought something like this could have a huge impact on information transfer at shift change in hospital facilitating a smoother transition. She also expressed concerns about patient confidentiality.

And, when patients are transferred from one ward to another. Here's what Nurse Ute thought...

"It would also be so advantageous to have a summary of the various services/consultation notes. In my time not only did we have to read all notes in various hand-written legible/unlegible forms, we also had to ensure that medical orders written were consistent with their progress notes. A tedious, time consuming task! Nurses are legally responsible for their actions and clarity is of utmost importance."

Hand scribbled notes... scribbled by an exhausted nurse, just finishing a 12 hour shift. These are the roadmap for the new nurse on the incoming shift.

And, of course, the same technology could improve patient care in long-term care facilities and hospices.

Many, many tabs open? Digital hoarding?

So, I asked AI and here's what I learned...

Based on the sources and our conversation history, there does appear to be a connection between the behavior of keeping a large number of tabs open and the concept of "hoarding," particularly in a digital sense.

Here's what the sources suggest:

Intentional Organization (Often Leads to Chaos): People frequently keep many tabs open with the intention of organizing their work, keeping resources handy for research or projects. The idea is to have all needed information readily accessible. Before using tools like OneTab, keeping tabs open was a way to remember to come back to them later.

Digital "Filing Cabinet" Mentality: The desire to keep things for later access or for ongoing tasks can lead to an "overwhelming number of open tabs". One source explicitly describes OneTab, which is used to manage these saved tabs, as being like an "online digital file folder" or a "digital filing cabinet". This suggests the tabs themselves are being treated as temporary files or items to be kept and potentially organized.

Direct Reference to "Internet Hoarding": In the context of discussing saving large numbers of tabs, one user in the Reddit source directly uses the term "internet hoarding" to describe having accumulated "7381 tabs that I've saved over the past 5 years". This is a clear link drawn by a user between saving/keeping a vast quantity of digital items (tabs) and the term "hoarding".

Fear of Loss: The sources highlight that using OneTab helps prevent losing your stored tabs. Some alternatives to OneTab are discussed in the context of users having "lost tabs", and one user in the Reddit discussion is distraught about potentially losing thousands of saved tabs. This concern about losing tabs could be an underlying reason why someone might feel the need to keep them open in the first place – a reluctance to close them for fear they'll be lost or forgotten, which parallels aspects of physical hoarding where items are kept due to a fear of needing them later or a distress associated with discarding them.

Negative Consequences Similar to Physical Clutter: While the intention might be organization, keeping "a million tabs open" leads to "overwhelming Tab chaos", "tab clutter", and makes it difficult to find specific pages. This digital clutter also has tangible downsides like taking up significant computer memory and reducing CPU load, potentially slowing down the computer. These consequences – a lack of functional organization despite the quantity, difficulty locating items, and a negative impact on the surrounding "space" (the computer's performance) – can be seen as digital parallels to the challenges faced in physical hoarding situations.

In summary, while the sources don't delve into the clinical psychology of hoarding, they show that keeping an excessive number of tabs open is a common behavior driven by a desire to organize and retain information. This behavior is directly referred to as "internet hoarding" by at least one user. The negative outcomes (clutter, difficulty finding things) and potential underlying factors (fear of loss) associated with this digital behavior bear resemblance to aspects of physical hoarding.

 Jim Acosta is leaving CNN after nearly 18 years, following a proposed move from his 10 a.m. slot to a midnight time slot—a change he viewed as a demotion.

Acosta, known for his critical reporting on former President Donald Trump, suggested that his outspoken stance may have influenced CNN's decision. 

In his final broadcast, he urged viewers to resist lies and fear, emphasizing the importance of holding power accountable. 

Acosta plans to launch an independent venture on Substack.

For more details, you can watch his announcement:

videoJim Acosta Says He's Leaving CNNturn0search5

ChatGPT is a vast library

 Dave Winer says:

"I keep coming back to this -- ChatGPT is a vast library that comes with its own librarian. And the librarian has read and digested all of it, and can give you useful and usually exactly right summaries (despite what the critics say) in an instant. I've been using libraries my whole life, going back to when I was a child. I worked with card catalogs and non-virtual book collections. Archives of news on film. View ChatGPT on that timeline and you'll see its significance. You didn't write it, I didn't. Each of us may have contributed a little, and isn't that what we want? To help build the base of human knowledge? It gives our lives meaning. Sometimes I wonder how much value people place on themselves and so little on progress. I think we all want our lives to have meaning. Well here you go, it doesn't get more meaningful than this.#"

I love this metaphor. And I love that ChatGPT has endless patience with us.

And Dr. Scott Simmerman says about Perplexity:

"I think AI is like a college professor asked a question he is not totally qualified to answer but will do so anyway to please the student. I like how Perplexity gives its sources making it really easy to dig deeper into a subject to validate things."

Great use case for AI

This morning I stumbled on a really good, but badly written letter to Pierre Poilivre, leader of the opposition Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. It just looks like a great big lump of words.

In a couple of minutes, using Perplexity AI, I rewrote the letter to be more readable and understandable. I think I might have discovered a nice use case for AI. 

Please read to the bottom. The bullet format rewrite does the best job in my view.

What do you think?

Proposed tariff retaliation by Canada, 2025-02-02

Canada has announced a significant retaliatory tariff package targeting $155 billion worth of U.S. goods in response to former President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 25% tariffs on most Canadian imports and 10% on energy products, effective February 4, 202512571119. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlined a two-phase approach:

Immediate Retaliation ($30 billion):

• 25% tariffs take effect Tuesday, February 4, 2025, coinciding with U.S. measures.

• Targets include alcohol (bourbon, wine, beer), agricultural goods (orange juice, peanut butter, fruits/vegetables), and consumer products like perfumes, clothing, and footwear25711.

Second Phase ($125 billion):

• Additional tariffs begin 21 days later (February 25, 2025) to allow supply chains to adjust.

• Expands to household goods, furniture, sports equipment, lumber, plastics, and natural resources12719.

Key Details:

• Strategic Targeting: Products from politically sensitive U.S. states (e.g., Florida orange juice, Kentucky peanut butter) were selected to pressure Republican lawmakers2517.

• Public Mobilization: Canadians are urged to boycott U.S. goods and services, with provincial leaders like British Columbia’s David Eby removing American alcohol from government stores611.

• Economic Impact: The Bank of Canada warns a prolonged trade war could shrink GDP by 3%, risking recession37.

Context:

Trudeau framed the tariffs as a reluctant but necessary defense of Canadian interests, emphasizing that Canada “did not seek this trade war” but would not back down2511. The measures align with Mexico’s retaliatory tariffs, though no formal coordination exists510.

The U.S.-Canada trade relationship, worth $1.3 trillion annually, faces unprecedented strain, with experts warning of higher consumer prices and supply chain disruptions3718. Canada has also pledged to challenge the tariffs under USMCA dispute mechanisms1114.

History of the fax machine

The fax machine has a surprisingly long history, dating back to the 19th century. Here’s a brief timeline of its development:

1843 – The First Fax Patent

Scottish inventor Alexander Bain received a patent for an early fax-like device. It used synchronized pendulums to scan and transmit images, making it the first concept of a facsimile transmission system.

1865 – First Practical Fax System

Italian physicist Giovanni Caselli developed the pantelegraph, which could transmit handwritten messages and simple drawings over telegraph lines. It was used in France for banking and government communication.

1924 – Radio Fax (Wireless Transmission)

Richard H. Ranger of RCA developed a wireless fax system, which later played a role in transmitting news photos across continents.

1948 – Modern Fax Principles

The Bell Labs improved fax technology by developing the telephone facsimile, which used phone lines for transmission.

1964 – Xerox Introduces the First Commercial Fax Machine

Xerox introduced the Long Distance Xerography (LDX) machine, which became the foundation for modern fax technology.

1970s–1980s – Fax Becomes Mainstream

Japanese companies, including Canon, Ricoh, and Sharp, developed compact, reliable, and affordable fax machines, making them widespread in offices worldwide.

1990s – Fax Peaks with Digital Enhancements

With Group 3 fax machines, compression technologies reduced transmission time to seconds, making faxing an essential business tool.

2000s–Present – Decline with the Internet

The rise of email, PDFs, and digital signatures led to a sharp decline in fax use. However, certain industries, like healthcare and legal sectors, still rely on fax due to privacy laws and security concerns.

Despite being considered obsolete by many, fax technology persists in niche applications.