WilliamsMemo43

=Williams Memo 43 Seed Research=

__ **WESTERN MODELS OF EDUCATION**__ I have had an interesting discussion with Jane Koretz who works on computer models of the crystalline proteins of the lens capsule here at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies here at Rensselaer. I have told her a little about my work, she has told me a little about her work and we have both come away with interesting ideas. Specifically I found most intriguing her account of her sabbatical to Oxford University where she worked with ophthalmic surgeons who regularly went and performed surgical procedures in the continent of Africa (where Dr. Koretz does not remember). Her sabbatical was in the '80s and she was struck (and shared with me) by the more mentorship model of training of British physicians (years and years of mentoring after what amounts to a Bachelor of Science in medicine, instead of years and years of professional schooling for a medical doctorate which is the American style of medical education). This made me think even more about education; specifically Western education of medical practitioners, and what it intends to teach skill-wise, versus what it teaches ideologically. So a project might be to comparatively analyze medical education models using education literature (syllabi, textbooks, medical education journal papers) between, say, Nepal, UK, and USA. __**CONTENT ANALYSIS OF WEBSITE AND NGO IDENTITY**__ At one point, I was interested in using archived copies of the himalayan cataract project website to determine how it has changed from 1994 to 2009; and then relate these changes in online self-representation to other media and academic coverage of the HCP and its mission over the years. This was to be a project for Eglash's course "When Knowledge Worlds Collide" using Ian Hacking's concept of 'interactive kinds' to look at the NGO and its construction of identity, but I discarded it. The semester is not over yet though -- maybe I will do it after all. __**Complete research on “Patient Satisfaction at Tertiary and Community Eye Centre of Nepal”**__ Design a survey for the Tilganga Eye Center to determine the satisfaction of patients with their care including the following processes: (1)the initial screening process, (2)in-patient or out-patient care process, (3)surgery process, (4)out-patient follow-up care process, and (5)overall process. In particular, I would like to measure how the patients felt about: people, technology, cost, and spaces during their care. I might ask similar questions (to the ones below) for each of the five processes outlined above: //An example of two 'people' questions:// 1 How comfortable did the [eye-screener/ admissions officer/nurse/ doctor] make you feel? Uncomfortable 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 Comfortable 2 Would you have liked to be more comfortable? Yes or No //An example of two 'cost' questions:// 1 How costly was your care? Low Cost 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 High Cost 2 Would you have liked your care to be less costly? Yes or No //An example of four 'space' questions:// 1 Was the quality of the furnishings and decoration in the [screening area/ waiting room/ patient room/ surgical ward] very high? Low Quality 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 High Quality 2 Would you have liked to see higher quality furnishings and decoration? Yes or No 3 How convenient was it to access the [screening area/ waiting room/ patient room/ surgical ward]? Very Difficult 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 Very Convenient 4 Would you have liked a more convenient way of accessing the [screening area/ waiting room/ patient room/ surgical ward]? Yes or No __**Pre-Dissertation Fieldwork: Test Interview Questions (developed in this course)**__ So it might be useful to go to Nepal this summer with an approved IRB form (similar to the one I filled out for this class last week) and actually ask some questions of professionals (doctors, administrators, etc) who are involved in the medical NGOs that are fighting avoidable blindness there. This would be a way of 'testing' the interview questions to see if they are useful in providing empirical data.