Thursday, May 19, 2016
Metrology day
Polistra likes to celebrate World Metrology Day.
This year's theme is dead easy. Theranos.
Perfect case of bad metrology on all levels.
(1) The device itself was meant to provide meaningful readings from a smaller sample of blood than previous methods. It didn't work.
(2) Testing revealed that the device didn't work. These measurements of validity were trashed.
(3) Trashing or altering records is a flashing idiot light. When you see it, you should stop everything and repair or junk the vehicle. The culture of NDAs in the tech world disconnected the flashing light. Nobody wanted to ruin their career chances by reporting the problem.
If the stages of calibration, measurement and recording had been done properly, the whole mess would have collapsed many years ago without affecting any patients. Now we have an unknown number of bad diagnoses leading to bad treatments. Possibly a million.
The only measurement that mattered, as fucking usual, was SHARE VALUE.
Though it's hard to tell from outside, I suspect the ALIVENESS of real doctors avoided most deaths. Real doctors and nurses, no matter how distracted and overworked by bad technology, try to retain a direct and intuitive picture of the patient's condition.
¶ 5:13 AM 
Though it's hard to tell from outside, I suspect the ALIVENESS of real doctors avoided most deaths. Real doctors and nurses, no matter how distracted and overworked by bad technology, try to retain a direct and intuitive picture of the patient's condition.
¶ 5:13 AM
