FORA.tv

Fuel the Enlightenment

SuperFreakonomics with Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

Commonwealth Club
Rate It
71,245 Views
  • Info
  • Bio
  • Full Program
  • Highlights
  • Transcript
  • Download
  • More
regi naomi Avatar
regi naomi
Posts: 1
Posted: 11.10.09, 04:28 PM
Docs and hand washing: a problem looking for a fairly easy solution. Why not automatic handwashers? Doc just sticks hands into 2 holes in machine, and hands are automatically sprayed with antibiotic soap & warm water, rinsed, then air dried within seconds? That would save docs time from looking for old-fashioned wet sloppy sink, adjusting hot & cold water, reaching for soap, paper towel, etc.
Permalink
Rodrigo Arnez-Rojas Avatar
Rodrigo Arnez-Rojas
Posts: 1
Posted: 11.10.09, 08:48 PM
Instead of pointing fingers and whistle blowing on doctors I’d find it more interesting to hear Dubner and Levitt’s take on why economists are washing their hands off on the financial crisis and why they failed to anticipate and respond. Maybe there’s a perception deficit on how they think they’re doing and how they are really doing.
Permalink
surtr Avatar
surtr
Posts: 1
Posted: 11.11.09, 03:56 AM
FLAWED, FLAWED, FLAWED.

Levitt & Dubner are academics whose special power is to be able to sexify topics like handwashing for the masses and titling their books catchy names like "Freakonomics". The sexying up of topics is done primarily by using hyperbole ("you should wash your hands before you put them inside a person" verges on slander).

They also (conveniently?) ignore the nurses-doctor split in their study using "nursing spies", despite blathering on about psychological issues through this clip. The disparity of 70% to 9% is never explained or considered except as "doctors lie, but unconsciously, so they're not like, you know, BAD people".

I also think doctors don't wash their hands enough, but in NSW the focus is on ALL clinical staff to wash their hands - because doctors are not the only people "putting hands inside people". It would have been fascinating to have run a similar handwashing study but using a neutral third party 'spy' and observed ALL clinical staff, including nurses, for handwashing.

Very disappointing to see two celebrity academics cherry pick data and choose to remain blind to possible flaws in the data. Should have been warned by their pre-emptive "we're not doctor bashing" note, those sentences are always like "I'm not racist, but..." statements.
Permalink
adambl Avatar
adambl
Posts: 31
Posted: 11.11.09, 01:03 PM
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...?currentPage=1

Great article about the power of sanitation in hospitals. Following a simple checklist reduced infection rates by 66%, and yet many doctors and hospitals are unwilling to follow it. Kind of frustrating.
Permalink
scottyecho Avatar
scottyecho
Posts: 3
Posted: 11.12.09, 12:50 PM
Will someone please define a measurable definition of the word 'Drunk' so that we can have some accurate statistics, instead of pc retoric.
Permalink
theguy Avatar
theguy
Posts: 1
Posted: 11.12.09, 10:21 PM
Why is the mile the appropriate unit for the denominator? Of course more miles are driven drunk than they are walked. It would be more meaningful to divide the deaths by the number of times engaging in each drunk walking and drunk driving. I guess Freakonomics is catchier than Sensationalist-onomics.
Permalink
AnaPaulina Avatar
AnaPaulina
Posts: 4
Posted: 11.23.09, 09:36 PM
The focus should be on the surfaces that become contaminated due to contaminated gloves.
Permalink
phiscal Avatar
phiscal
Posts: 40
Posted: 01.25.10, 04:43 PM
to Rodrigo above: The financial crisis was not caused by economists.
Permalink
Please log in or register to post a comment.
Advertisement

Related Programs

A Return to Healing: Len Saputo & Byron Belitsos A Return to Healing: Len Saputo & Byron Belitsos
00:55:27 min | 2,621 Views
Have a Drink With ... Jonathan Ames Have a Drink With ... Jonathan Ames
00:04:32 min | 1,068 Views
Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle
00:00:00 min | 1,029 Views
Chris Hedges: Empire of Illusion Chris Hedges: Empire of Illusion
00:00:00 min | 13,265 Views
My Life As An Experiment: A.J. Jacobs My Life As An Experiment: A.J. Jacobs
01:04:12 min | 30,827 Views

Browse Programs by Tag

Arts Books Climate Change Computing Conflict Credit Crunch Defense Democratization Economic Policy Education Election 2008 Emerging Markets Energy Entertainment Entrepreneurship Environment Film Food Globalization Health & Wellness Healthcare History Internet Investing Law Medicine Music Muslim World Natural Sciences New Media Personal Technology Philanthropy Religion Social Issues Social Sciences Sustainability Terrorism The Bailout U.S. Foreign Policy White House 2009

Advertisement