Dr. Kalkut on feeling spleens, fearful patients & design

One of the most eye-opening moments at GE’s healthymagination showcase this week was the story told by Dr. Gary Eric Kalkut, Chief Medical Officer at Montefiore Medical Center. One of the guest panelists in the “Health by Design” forum, Dr. Kalkut described his days making rounds as a Boston University medical student with a senior doctor, who taught him how to “feel spleens” and “hear murmurs” — but also how to understand the real fear and anxiety patients experience. As he says in the video, shot during the panel discussion, “For me, design… is about addressing those concerns that patients, families, and frankly staff have, about all those issues that come up: What is this machine? You told me we were going at 3 o’clock — it’s 7 o’clock and I haven’t gone for my test yet. Somehow, every stage of the way, from the bedside, to the hallway, to the common areas – all through the hospital — the environment needs to address those patient issues.”

Dr. Gary Eric Kalkut, Chief Medical Officer at Montefiore Medical Center, describes his eye-opening experiences as a young doctor that helped him understand patient anxieties - and the role design can play in addressing them.

Learn more about the discussion and the panel, which also included Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture & Design at the Museum of Modern Art; the Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Nicholas LaRusso; Professor Bruce Nussbaum of Parsons The New School for Design; and Bob Schwartz, General Manager of Global Design for GE Healthcare, in these stories from the showcase:

* “Prof. Bruce Nussbaum on design, tech & emotion”
* “Pediatric design turns scary MRIs into ‘Adventures’”
* “At the showcase: Health by design and window tweets”

Read other stories filed from the new healthymagination technology showcase:
* “Using tech to help make a better diagnosis the 1st time”
* “Developing Health: A clinic grows in Brooklyn”
* “Dr. Gaynor: Individualizing cancer therapies is the goal”
* “GE announces cancer research; $250M fund; clinic aid”
* “GE webcasts Oct. 21 healthymagination press conference”
* “Tackling access with Brivo imaging technologies”
* “A closer look at GE’s pocket-sized Vscan ultrasound”
* “Vscan pocket-sized, ultra-smart ultrasound unveiled”
* “A breakthrough decision support solution for docs”
* “The business of bringing healthymagination to market”
* “Scintillating tech: The world’s 1st high-def CT scanner”
* “Healthymagination tech showcase kicks off in NYC”