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PAPERS: Tom Treasure The learning curve BMJ 2004; 329: 424 [Full text]

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For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them

Dr. Herbert H. Nehrlich   (20 August 2004)

For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them 20 August 2004
Dr. Herbert H. Nehrlich, Private Practice Bribie Island, Australia 4507 Send response to journal: Re: For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them	This article once again underlines the need for a rating system for hospitals, surgeons and practitioners in general. To the north of here, in Townsville, we had a widely publicised fiasco a few years ago, when an apparently skill-challenged cardiac surgeon discharged way too many victims, feet first. I do remember that time was not on his side because he had been at this job for quite some time. Or, perhaps he was even worse before. I understand that, in most cases, for most people, repetition of the same procedure amounts to learning and the improvement of one's skills. I noticed that when I first got to ride a bicycle. But it did not take me very long to acquire skills that were (had to be) up to the standards of my peers. We are talking hours and days here, of course. The message of this article somehow escapes me. It seems to state what my old Latin teacher (may I mention his name, he was a very nice tyrant, Werner Bauer) used to say:"Repetitio est mater studiorum". While I personally will probably never be a victim to the inexperienced hands of a greenhorn junior cardiac surgeon, (thanks to the teachings of Kilmer McCully and Uffe Ravnskov)I worry about others not so lucky. All in all, we have now learned that he who has yielded the scalpel many times makes more living friends. Competing interests: None declared