Good at One or Good at All? Variability of Coronary and Valve Operation Outcomes Within Centers

Good Teaching : One size fits all ?

Across North America and increasingly the world, there is a move within education to adopt a constructivist view of learning and teaching. In part, the argument for this move is a reaction against teacher-centred instruction that has dominated much of education, particularly adult and higher education, for the past forty years or more. While I do not argue with the basic tenets of constructivis...

Tainted altruism: when doing some good is evaluated as worse than doing no good at all.

In four experiments, we found that the presence of self-interest in the charitable domain was seen as tainting: People evaluated efforts that realized both charitable and personal benefits as worse than analogous behaviors that produced no charitable benefit. This tainted-altruism effect was observed in a variety of contexts and extended to both moral evaluations of other agents and participant...

One good decision at the Earth Summit: to improve sanitation.

Totally Supra-Annular Mechanical Valve: to provide good hemodynamic performance and good clinical outcomes

When replacing an aortic valve with a mechanical prosthesis it is essential to make the right decision, mine was on the Bicarbon Overline valve (SORIN Group). Bicarbon Overline is a bileaflet mechanical valve designed for a Totally Supra-Annular implant. The innovative design of the valve is highlighted by curved leaflets with an 80° opening angle and an aerofoil titanium housing profile leadin...

Competition in Healthcare: Good, Bad or Ugly?

The role of competition in healthcare is much debated. Despite a wealth of international experience in relation to competition, evidence is mixed and contested and the debate about the potential role for competition is often polarised. This paper considers briefly some of the reasons for this, focusing on what is meant by “competition in healthcare” and why it is more valuable to think about th...