Happy Sunday to 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh, who lost all movement beneath his shoulders in a 2016 accident. That’s not why we’re writing about him though.

Two days ago, Neuralink shared a video of Noland (who received its brain-computer chip implant a few months ago) playing chess on his computer with his mind. He described it as “using the force on a cursor.” This is huge for two reasons:

1. Neuralink’s device transmits data wirelessly (so it can move around and not be restricted by wires). AKA the force.

2. The chip allows some multi-tasking (for ex. playing chess telekinetically while speaking about surgery) like how a normal brain works.

Now here’s the weekend roundup! (6 minute read)

Guess What I Saw Today

These stories are sourced from Postcall readers as well as across the internet. Have a riveting tale of your own? Send us your best “Guess What I Saw Today” from the OR, ED, or clinic (anonymized, obviously).

Four ways to use AI 🤓

You’ve heard a lot about generative AI, but you might be wondering: how do I actually use it? We’ve got the answer - here’s a round up of the different ways early adopter physicians are trying new things with this new tech:

1. Administrative Tasks: Paperwork can lead to burnout — so leave it to the bots. AI can automate tasks like email responses, and prescription renewals, which account for 15-30% of healthcare costs. For those who have used Epic’s EHR, Microsoft plans to integrate generative AI into it soon to resolve these tasks.

2. Medical Training Simulations: Traditional training involves pre-programmed scenarios, which are restrictive. AI, on the other hand, can quickly generate patient cases and adapt in real time responding to the decisions the trainees make. This creates a more challenging and authentic learning experience. For example: the University of Michigan built a generative AI healthcare model that can produce various scenarios for simulating sepsis treatment.

3. High-Quality Medical Imaging: A team of bioengineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have developed a technique that uses image post-processing to rapidly convert low-dose CT scans to images of superior quality (basically turning poor-quality scans into high-resolution medical images with great details), which can then be presented to radiologists.

4. Ambient Clinical Documentation: You’ve probably heard this one before, but we’ll tell you again: you can record (with consent) your patient visits, which are then transformed into simple, color-coded notes. No more long charting sessions after each visit. A great way to try is our partner Heidi, which has a free AI scribe.

But before you start replacing your team with robots:

1. Watch out for bias: If the training data for a model doesn't represent the usecase properly, it can translate to biases against various groups (as Postcall previously covered). Or prompt transformation altering the output to just be plain incorrect, in Google’s case.

2. Lack of regulation. Despite ethical concerns, there are no laws yet governing AI use, and some Colleges have stated that physicians using AI scribes should proceed with caution and understand the risks involved.

Mastering Delegation

Time management is tough for all of us, at all stages of our careers. So for part three of our delegation tip series, we’ll focus on the importance of outsourcing and delegating tasks as a team leader.

This week’s tips:

• Divide and Conquer (Part Deux): Especially when you have a new clinical practice, hammering down team dynamics can be crucial. Dividing tasks among team members fosters camaraderie and a sense of belonging, while also reducing overall workload and stress. For example, having your administrative staff create and distribute clinical/informational brochures and handouts can reduce unnecessary phone calls (basic patient inquiries & logistics). Delegation = streamlined operations + staff engagement.

• Discuss Amongst Yourselves: By leading monthly feedback sessions with your clinical team, you can identify and address "weak links" hindering productivity. Use the Theory of Constraints to pinpoint key limiting factors: 1) Identify the constraint; 2) optimize it; 3) sync pace with it; 4) improve it; 5) find the next one.

And now, our delegation tip series has come to an end. So remember to harness those delegation powers so that you, too, can become a time-saving hero!

Speed Reads 🚤 

1: 🚑 Medical school graduates are getting back into emergency medicine after it became “the embodiment of professional burnout” during the pandemic. Although grads are still gravitating towards higher paying specialities, 95.5% of the 3,026 emergency resident positions were filled during this year’s Match Day, an all time high from two years ago!

2: 💸 The electronic system for filing returns directly to the IRS is now available in 12 states. Direct File is a free online tool that taxpayers who have “very simple W-2s and claim a standard deduction” can use if they’re eligible. This marks the first time Americans can electronically file a tax return with the IRS.

3: 🧍Ever wonder what it would look like, if you could see only the blood vessels in a human body? (NSFW. Also, there are unresolved questions of ethics and sourcing for the exhibit pictured).

4: 🌑 As the solar eclipse approaches the American Astronomical Society (AAS) is warning folks that fake and counterfeit solar eclipse glasses are on the rise in North America. Want to know if yours are the real deal? Put them on either indoors our outside and look through them, if you can’t see anything then you know they’re legit.

5:👣 Despite the CDC’s report that maternal mortality rate is 32.9 deaths per 100,000 births in the US, a new study has shown that it’s much lower (around 10 deaths/100k births). What’s causing the difference? We seem to have been counting all deaths of pregnant women in maternal mortality even if the deaths were unrelated to medical issues (e.g. a car crash). 

🕹️ Game ⛳️

Let’s see how well your weekend brain is functioning.

First question: What is the name of the newest album by Ariana Grande, with a single charting at #1 this week?

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