Health record and museum

A good health record system will have many similarities to a museum.  if the generalized definition of a museum is a thing that preserves important things for people, then a medical record could do likewise.  the 'things' and how they are preserved are different in a museum than in a warehouse.  there is a pride in the things, there is an attention to detail in how they are presented, how they relate, the intrinsic value of the things themselves is evident.

so what of health records? they are with us from the time we are born, our APGAR scores, they chronicle our great failings, and often our great successes.  they store images of our hidden inner anatomy, there are abstract, and sometimes beautiful functional studies.  they chronicle our fears, our goals,  but they do so in a similar fashion to a warehouse.  they are utilitarian without even succeeding in this capacity, being haphazardly put together.  the logic of data granularity is missing, the power of intelligent design is lacking.  there is no pride in the things, there is minimal attention to detail on how or even if they are presented, and the intrinsic value of the things that are preserved is most certainly not evident.  no wonder we as patients don't see inside this thing, if we are ever given the keys.

obviously redesigning this system is valuable, that is why we are doing so, not just for these reasons, but for so many others.

another bit that came to mind is how various galleries offer different experiences at different times.  there are visits to the art museum that doesn't include any modert art, and there are visits where there is nothing but.  each gallery has it's treasures, it's great works, both as historical phenomena, but also as personal statements of an individual speaking through a particular medium.  so should our health record system be, an organized space, offering various ways to experience and learn about an individual, and the complexities of their bio/social being.  data visualization, and each model thereof, becomes a work, in a gallery, in an instance, of an individuals museum.

And what happens when that individual dies, will they open their treasure to society, to their family, or will they have it destroyed?  time will tell, but this story will change our culture, and if we choose to work towards an honest human outcome, we will create something incredible for future generations.