by Trisha Torrey
I’ll admit it – I’m an Olympics junkie. Now that the Winter Olympics have begun, my TV will be on constantly. I was born and raised in snow country (Central New York State, near Syracuse, then Buffalo) so the Winter Olympics represent six months of my year.
I’m particularly excited because it looks like the sport of curling will finally get its due during these Olympics. So many of us are curious about the sport. It’s fascinating, and may seem a bit confusing….
This may surprise you. When I was a teenager, I was a curler! I curled at the Buffalo (NY) Curling Club, participating in bonspiels (the name for curling tournaments) all over Upstate New York, and Southern Ontario. I loved it. It’s a wonderful sport. As a momento, I even own an old curling stone.
While watching some of the media about the Winter Olympics and curling, I realized how much our healthcare could improve if we all — patients and professionals — could embrace some of the more important parts of this wonderful, although not-well-known sport. There are some parallels. But there are some major differences, too:
1. Curling is incredibly collaborative. The team is comprised of four people who work together seamlessly. [When we need medical services, we need to build a collaborative team, too. That happens way too infrequently today.]
2. The Skip makes the decisions and the calls. The Skip is the person who tells other teammates how hard to throw the stone, what direction to curl it, and how hard to sweep their brooms. [We patients should be the skips for our healthcare teams, directing the others to follow through on our decisions.]
3. Skips rely on their teammates to carry out their plans. If the skip says to throw that stone HARD, then it gets thrown hard. If the skip says to SWEEP! – then the others sweep. [We patients rely on our providers, our payers, advocates and loved ones to carry out the steps needed to cure us or improve our health.]
4. Curling team members trust and respect the rest of their team members. [Patients need to be able to trust their providers and supporters. This is one area that is truly lacking in healthcare. That trust must be earned and unfortunately, too many providers and payers are doing too little to earn patients' trust.]
5. Sometimes the team is scoring points – they are solidly on offense. They throw the stones accurately and get them closest to the center of the “house” which is the target made up of circles at the other end. They get one point for each stone that touches one of the circles and is closer to the center than an opponent’s stone. [Being on the offense is like two aspects of our care -- first, prevention, or if prevention doesn't work, then second, we take responsibility for proactively going after the care we need.]
6. Sometimes the team is knocking out the other team’s stones – the defense. If an opponent’s stone is closer to the center of the target, then the team needs to knock them out of the center, and place a stone closer to the center than the opponent. [Most medical treatment is defensive - it's knocking out disease or trying to get us to the target of being healthier.]
Yes, I know – most people want to know what on earth all that sweeping does. The answer is this: The ice surface is pebbled and bumpy (made that way intentionally by spraying a mist of water across the ice which then freezes on top of it to create that pebbly surface). That pebbled surface helps the stone travel toward the goal (the “house”) using friction. The friction keeps it going at a certain speed, and helps it grip the ice allowing it to curl in whichever direction it was thrown. When the ice surface is swept, fast, it actually melts that pebbled surface ever so slightly, reducing the amount of friction, making it slipperier, meaning it might go a bit farther, and reducing the amount of curl so it will go straighter. So, now you understand why…
7. The accuracy of the stone may be improved by sweeping. Sweeping helps keep the stone on course with a goal toward getting the highest score. [Sweeping, then, is like adhering to our treatment plan. We know we need to reduce the amount of friction -- the hurdles -- that may get in the way of our best outcomes.]
8. Curling is a family sport. You’ll find spouses participating on the same team. Or you’ll find a family team – with parents and kids competing WITH each other. Or you’ll find brothers and sisters playing in a junior league together. Or you’ll find a parent coaching a child’s team, like we see in this year’s Olympics. [When we have medical challenges, it's helpful, and sometimes quite necessary, to have family members pitch in by advocating for us.]
9. Curling can be a lifelong sport. As long as you can lift the stone, and sweep the ice, you can curl. From young children to older adults, you’ll find curlers of all ages and both genders. [Yes, of course, healthcare is a concern, and good health is a goal, throughout our entire lives.]
10. Not everyone can enjoy curling. Curling can be played wherever there is an ice rink – indoors or out. But of course, that also means its not accessible to everyone. If you don’t live in a cold climate, or if you do, but you can’t afford to join a club or buy the equipment, then you’re out of luck. [Uh-huh -- you know where I'm going with that one, don't you? Way too many people can't afford healthcare, and none of us Americans live in a "climate" that is making it any more accessible.]
Oh how I wish I could curl again! Unfortunately I don’t live anywhere near a curling rink. But I most certainly would curl again if I could.
But I can, and do, concentrate on improving how we patients interface with our healthcare. Now if only healthcare could embrace the best aspects of curling….
Am I dreaming?
Source: http://patients.about.com/b/2010/02/13/healthcare-should-be-more-like-curling.htm
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