Digitalization - sweeping into every part of life

Some days back I went to see a doctor in a famous chain of a clinic in my neighborhood. Generally my experience here have been good as they try to cater to customer's(read patients) pain points which they face in bigger hospitals. Doctors here listen to patients, give them sufficient time, explain diagnosis and finally do not suggest too many unnecessary medicines or test.

Coming back to this visit, it was little different in terms of how doctor was writing the prescription. Clinic has introduced a new software to have the digital prescription. First doctor examines and starts entering the symptoms from the drop down menu or in various columns. Next was the diagnosis which was also entered from the drop down menu. Next came the medicines and tests, again all from the menu. Although there was space provided to add something other then what menu provides. Then the prescription is printed and signed by the doctor. In the next visit, doctor just pulls all clinical history from the system.

It was my first experience with such system and this led me thinking that every corner of our life is getting affected by digitalization. But every digitalization process does not always mean its best for all, it has its own drawbacks too. For this particular case I feel:

- For patients 

1. Digital prescription is a better read option than doctor's handwriting. I could not read most of the doctor's writings.

2. The personal touch which patient gets when doctor writes the prescription while talking to patient has gone low in this case. 

- For doctor

1. There is lot of training required for the doctor's to get used to such system. Specially for experienced doctors who have been writing prescription for long time, learning new system at  advance age might be little difficult. I don't know if all doctors are computer savy.

2. Do they also loose the personal touch which they feel when they write the prescription ?

3. It is more time consuming than writing directly on the paper. 

4. It does have an advantage by giving hints to doctor on the procedure of diagnosis bringing in the standardization. 

- For clinic 

1. Digital form of prescription helps in tracking the case or in general to keep a record. 

2. Lots of data analysis can happen with information available in system. 

3. Conserves paper to an extent only as prescription given to patient still needs to be printed. 

I know digitalization is the way forward and definitely helps the clinic but how about patient or the doctor, how will they adapt to such change, what are your views?

Is there any other solution which can cater to all parties involved ?

Sportsmanship spirit of life

2 weeks back we saw the end of the biggest sport festival RIO Olympic 2016. We saw great legends like Micheal Phel, Usain Bolt perform and win various medals, saw records getting broken, saw sportsmen getting emotional after winning first medal for their country, saw various sportsmen just losing by less than a milli second. Above all these, we observed traits of true sportsmanship in each and every participant. To highlight a few, when American Abbey D’Agostino convinced and helped New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin to complete 5KM race after she got hurt in her leg and fell down.  Another example, of Chinese player Sun Yanan who played against the Vinesh Phogat in 48kg freestyle wrestling where Vinesh got hurt badly and the match was stopped in middle. Sun Yanan did not celebrate her victory and also carried Vinesh’s bag when she was taken on stretcher out of the stadium. There are various such examples which can be observed in the history of Olympic or for that matter any sport event. Other than the 3 medal awarded for the best 3 performers, there is a 4^th type of medal awarded for showcasing true sportsmanship that was awarded to Abbey D’Agostino and Nikki Hamblin.

In the corporate world too, various traits of the sportsmanship can be inculcated to improve the culture and over all team work. I have few things which comes to top of my mind

1. Be a team player: In any team sports, team goal is what’s there in each player’s mind. They keep their personal goals behind that of the team. Similarly, while working in the team, each one should collaborate, respect each other, put personal goals behind and work for the team.

2. Give your best shot: In any sport, everyone gives their 200% so as to respect each other’s effort and together reach their goal of winning. Similarly, in a team one should give their best possible effort, else it would be disrespecting the others. In various sport, person compete with themselves only, they try to do better than they did last time. If similar traits are shown by each in improving their quality of work better than yesterday, it will make the team progress faster.

3. Discipline: Sports require person to be very disciplined with respect to the exercise routine, rules and regulations of the game, respecting each other’s time. In corporate life too such discipline is must. One should not take each other’s time for granted and respect each day’s work.

4. Celebrate the accomplishments: Sports team celebrate victory in different ways. Each milestone achieved at work place should also be celebrated. This helps to keep a check on the moral of the team. Another important aspect to remember in winning times is to never lose the humility because winning does not mean one is the best, there is always a scope for improvement.

5. Learn from the loss: Team when loses in any sport, they do not sit back and get depressed about it. But they take loss, ponder upon their mistake and come back in a new improved version. Similarly, in corporate world when team loses, they should look back on where they went wrong, what could have been done better. There is no time to get demotivated and waste but to come back with more experience and motivation.

Thus playing a sport does not only tell us about the sport and its rules, but it teaches us far more important lessons of life. As a kid we indulge in various sports, but as kids grow up, not many of them continue with those sports. They get trapped in the vicious circle of study->result->study. I don’t think studies in any way can be compromised, but playing some sport will not only help in keeping fit mentally and physically but also make them fit to face other races of life.  

Play sport not only to make a career out of it but to inculcate it in one’s career of life.