Getting Our Acts Together

Influenza: getting our attention.

Influenza has become an increasingly frequent topic in the news and medical literature. Although the 1918 influenza pandemic killed more people than died during the first World War, for much of the 20th century, the disease was considered of interest primarily during the winter months, as emergency departments and hospitals filled with sick patients. Less than a decade ago, few pediatricians in...

Metastatic spinal cord compression as an oncology emergency: getting our act together.

BACKGROUND Metastatic spinal cord compression is a dreaded complication of cancer affecting 5-10% of patients requiring urgent treatment. A clinical practice improvement project was carried out to review and fine tune the clinical pathway for the acute management of patients with metastatic spinal cord compression. OBJECTIVE To improve the quality of care for metastatic spinal cord compressio...

Working together for our children's future.

Our annual reports to parents will be sent home next Tuesday. There will be an opportunity for you as parents to come and speak with the current class teachers the following Monday 18 th July (3.30 until 4.30 pm should you wish to discuss the report further). All children will move up to their new classes on Monday 18 th July as part of our transition week. A letter outlining the staffing, clas...

Getting Out of Our Conceptual Ruts

The human tendency to think recurring thoughts limits our theories and research. This article presents four sets of strategies that may be useful for generating new perspectives on familiar research problems: playing with ideas, considering contexts, probing and tinkering with assumptions, and clarifying and systematizing the conceptual frame. In 1879, Sir Francis Galton published an article de...

Are we getting our money's worth?