Enough with the talk about how simple things are with the new technologies... It seems to me that reading the experiences and crtiques of Dr. Jahuar's performance by various physicians, the problem is organization and the way people cope with the dis-organization that is extremely common to hospitals.

In the relative calm of my family doctor's office, I can observe that a Harvard-educated M.D. doesn't really get his information from the hand-held computer he's using during his visit with me. He's in a practice with 5 other doctors. This is a modern practice. He DOES NOT KNOW that I've had a recent tetanus shot despite the fact that he's looking at the computer in his hand. I have to tell him that before he orders it again. He does NOT KNOW that I had a change of medication because a particular dosage gave me a rash that would not go away until the medication was changed.

In the relative calm of my gynecologist's office, we go through the same ritual of him checking the computer and me telling him to check it again because the facts are these - and yes, he checks it again and finds out that yes, the facts are these, thank you. He recently told me that only one doctor in the practice is comfortable with the 'new technology' and that is because he is the only doctor in the practice who is not over 50.

I ask for printouts of everything and keep a file at home. I don't have a false sense of security that I know everything about my own health but if I had to rely on that hand-held computer for dates and vaccinations, for example, I'd be screwed. And recently, when my daughter was bitten by a dog, it turned out that she was NOT up to date on her tetanus shots, something I questioned because it turns out you have to question. Always question!

As for Dr. Jahuar's dealing with situations that he's supposed to hand off to other people, well, puh-leez,,, if something in a hospital didn't take 4 or 5 times longer simply to have someone show up to do it, I'd be mighty surprised.

Right now, I have a relative in a local hospital. Yesterday, a doctor was to come to talk to us at 4 because she was asked to consult about the relative's neurological status. His status was that he was fine and dandy and had the same patterns of behavior and the same reactions that he has been having for the last few years. She showed up at 6 to basically smile at us and say everything looked good. Thanks. She discussed medications and agreed to keep him on a familiar dosage of a medication he's been on for awhile. Thanks.

After waiting for two hours for a 5 minute discussion with her, nice lady that she seemed to be, we felt comfortable leaving him and going home. After spending the entire day sitting with him and discussing his care with various aides and nurses.

Within the half hour, after we left, he was agitated. Which in the understaffed environment of the hospital, required that they call security. Which led to the question of whether he had gotten his medication. Which led to finding out the wrong medication was to be given to him at 10 p.m. Which led to us wondering if we should be sitting with him round the clock at this point until we can get him out of there; as it is we, the family, are considered to be 'on call' and they did ask us to sit with him all night once already.

Did I mention the relative is 86, healthy but unable to communicate? Poor guy.

It's easy to criticize Dr. Jahuar as if HE made the mistakes. If hospitals were well run (they do exist but I am convinced they are few), this article wouldn't be as appreciated as it is.