Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with procedure

1 in 500? I don't like those odds.

ostranenie — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:44:49 -0800

CT scans on children for hearing problems. Worried about radiation risks. Wait? Asking for a friend:

Last year when my son was four years old it was discovered that he has what our ENT called maximum conductive hearing loss in his left ear. A little over two years ago, his older brother had stuck an opened large paperclip into the ear that now has hearing loss. The ENT is unsure if the paper clip incident is related to the hearing loss but has not ruled it out entirely. A CT scan has been ordered to look for "ossicular discontinuity due to h/o trauma, congenital ossicular abnormality, or congenital otosclerosis" (even though he passed his hearing test at birth).

The reason for the CT is so the doctor can determine if my son is a candidate for ear surgery to repair whatever is causing the hearing loss. When my son was tested for hearing the audiologist told me that he is a great candidate for a hearing aid as well, as he could hear well from the ear in question when she had the settings placed at what a hearing aid would acheive for him.

My question is if it's worth getting a CT scan for a five year old. I have read that one CT scan can be the equivalent of 4000 chest x-rays and that a child has a 1 in 500 chance of developing cancer later because of the CT itself. Does anyone know how true these claims are? The CT would be of the temporal bones for conductive hearing loss in the middle ear. I am afraid that unless he is completely sedated he may move and the image will not be clear enough and they will have to take another one, which would only expose him to that much more radiation. I am hoping that if I ask for them to make sure the CT scanner is set for pediatric dosage they will actually put it on that setting.

Thanks for any advice anyone may have. You are not [a / my son's] doctor.

Procedure Writing Help Needed

Rad_Boy — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:26:25 -0800

Looking for software or document templates of some kind to make writing up informal procedures at work easier. I frequently have to write up notes on how to perform various complex activities at work. These notes are usually just for my own use so that when I do them the next time I know what to do. Currently, I just scratch notes on a piece of paper, but I would like something digital to more easily preserve them and also to make editing them easier. Not SOP so much, but similar.

As an example, I might want notes on how to do a particular calibration. Someone might show me once or twice, and then I'd have an opportunity to practice it and maybe even improve the procedure. I would like to be able to print out the procedure, make some additional notes on the paper, and then make digital edits to the process.

Some kind of software (free?) would be great. Thanks, MeFiters!

Right now it's more of a 'gesture'...

twine42 — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:26:56 -0800

In the medical world, what is the difference between an "operation" and a "procedure"? The doctors looking after my grandfather refer to some jobs are procedures and others as operations. They can't explain to me the difference between the two.

Is this a UK distinction, or is it in the US too?

A framework for designing a self-study course using free material?

TheManChild2000 — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:34:46 -0800

Is there a high-level general procedure or process that can be used to design a course of self-study in any topic? There is a broad electrical engineering topic that I intend to spend the next X months learning more about, and would like to approach it efficiently, if possible. I'm wondering if there is a generalized self-study framework that I could simply plug the details for pursuing this particular topic into.

I don't want to go out and spend big bucks on the textbooks that are available. There is a large amount of free material available to me. My general plan is to gather everything that I can, sort and prioritize it, spend a chunk of time just reading, and then see if I can pick a more specific direction after that. But hey, maybe there's a smarter way...

6 year old needs to have his tooth extracted. Any advice?

jeremias — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:59:38 -0800

My 6 year old needs to have a tooth extracted for medical reasons tommorrow. Any tips/advice that my wife and I can use to ease the anxiety pre-pull? We have already told him as gently as possible, and he understandably was not thrilled, in fact his initial response was "I'm not going." Neither my wife nor I ever had to go through this procedure at such an early age, any thoughts appreciated . . .

Anyone have a sample written, formal (corporate) backup procedure?

VeniceGlass — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:28:29 -0800

Anyone have a sample written, formal (corporate) backup procedure? Looking for something I can repurpose, addressing tape rotation, etc. in a corporate environment.

Procedure manual for database data entry

jmd82 — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:27:04 -0800

I'm trying to create a procedure manual for our school's database software- only, I don't know where to begin! Due to inconsistent data entry and to help future employees figure out how we do things, I'm trying to create a procedure manual on proper protocol for data entry. I'm not talking an instruction manual per se (I'm assuming people can read instruction manuals), but rather values we use in certain circumstances.

Thus, my goals are two-fold: 1) Have a usable reference guide for when people enter data. For instance, when they enter e-mail addresses in contact fields, what does "e-mail1" and "e-mail2" refer to in other instances? Really, I'm trying to create consistency where four difference secretaries use lightly different protocols of entering data. 2) I'm the only one who knows how to use a decent part of the database. If I get run over by a truck tomorrow, the guide should also allow someone new to come in and have this guide to say, "Ah hah, I see why these classes are set up this way and how you created the schedule with our school's necessary modifications. I also see that abbreviation 'sc' refers to 'science'."

If it makes any difference, this is database software for a school so it contains class, scheduling, parent, student, etc data. Basically, if there's school-related information, it's stored in this program.
I have no idea where or how to even start on something like this. I'm not looking for a solution for my position in particular- rather I'm assuming (hoping?) people have been in similar positions in the past and might have some pointers.
Thanks!

Is everyone really considered a suspect?

micketymoc — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:51:19 -0800

After a successful resolution to a hostage situation, is it SOP to detain and question everyone involved (not just the perps)? This isn't hypothetical: last Thursday a failed putschist holed up with an armed posse in a five-star hotel. After a reasonable deadline, a SWAT team rammed an APC through the front door, teargassed the place... and everyone they found inside was brought to police headquarters, questioned, and the innocent were released.

The local media is livid. Their reporters had been caught in the dragnet, and some of the older ones have been having flashbacks of the bad old days. Understandably, nobody in the media mentions that hostage screening is common practice in many hostage situations. Columbine. Singapore Airlines 117. Air France 8969.

I've tried searching for "hostage screening" on Google, but no luck. I'd just like to know if there are any Special Forces/SWAT manuals or texts that explain the virtues of "overwhelming force", "speedy resolution", and "question everybody, even the hostages". (Bonus points for manuals that explain how questioning catches perps disguised as hostages.) Help me get a more balanced picture.

What can I expect from facet joint injections?

Sheppagus — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:35:09 -0800

What can I expect from facet joint injections? My spouse is having facet joint injections later this week in an attempt to relieve a chronic pain condition. Most of what I have read about this procedure seems really terrifying, and my spouse is pretty freaked out about the procedure.

For those of you who are familiar with this, what can I expect? Will my spouse be able to function the next day? I'm going out of town the day after the procedure and I'm not sure if I should be worried about leaving Spouse alone.

If anyone has had this done, I am really interested in your account of the procedure, the recover and if it was effective. My email is in my profile if you don't want to post icky medical details on the green.

Can anyone make some recommendations on a Purchasing Process management software?

doomtop — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 12:32:19 -0800

Can anyone make some recommendations on a Purchasing Process management software? I'm looking for an electronic purchasing process system, preferably web-based or with some level of web-based functionality. Also very important is a high emphasis on ease of use and simplified user interface. If Google made a product like this, I would be checking that out first.

I am looking to facilitate and automate a purchasing process, including submitting purchase requests, checking the status of open requests, adding notes to requests, automated e-mail updates on requests, user-level access controls, a user-based approval process, etc.

Those are the main features. Other great things would be the ability to export purchase orders into quotes/invoices, with the ability to manage markups and select specific items from purchase requests to export into invoices.

I am also interested somewhat in Quickbooks integration (or other accounting software), but don't care so much about this aspect as the main features.

Does anyone know of any good examples of this type of product? Has anyone used this type of software before?

It doesn't matter if it's free, open-source, or costly and proprietary. All I care about is the functionality and ease of use.

What's it like to get a needle in the eyeball?

phearlez — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 06:58:01 -0800

What's it like to get a needle in the eyeball? What, you need more than that?

My darling girlfriend has been diagnosed with punctate inner choroidopathy, or PIC, one of a number of what seem to be known as white dot syndromes. So far they're finding non-invasive ways to deal with it but it's not beyond the realm of possibility that at some point they'll have to meddle about in her eye, either with a laser or, more likely, a needle.

She is, understandably, a little freaked by this concept.

Her eye-phobic issues are... complicated. As a contacts wearer she touches her eye on a regular basis so any contact isn't a screaming-meemie occasion, but she's protective of her eyes. I don't think any more so than any rational human being, but she believes herself to be more protective and more likely to blink and pull away from the doc than average, so that's her mindset on the matter. Her docs have been great about being reassuring, but she'd like to know a little more about what it's going to be like from the perspective of the recipient of the needle rather than the wielder.

So - have you, for whatever reason, ever had to have eye surgery or an injection in your eye? Was the experience better, worse, or about the same as you expected?

How to highlight a referral on a job cover letter?

Manhasset — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 09:14:08 -0800

I am applying for a job at a place where I have a professional contact who has okay'd me to use him as a reference. However, since references are at the end of a resume, I want to ensure that this fact is highlighted to the HR department (the person is very high up in the company). ... I thought it would be a good idea to highlight his referral on my cover letter but I have no idea how to do it without lying. Ie, I thought that I could mention that the man told me about the job, but he didn't. I thought I'd ask him if it was okay to say this, but don't want to apply to a job by asking a higher up there if he'll cover my lie. I also don't want to be a pest as him offering to a reference is extremely generous considering I haven't seen him in almost a decade.

I have applied to this company multiple times in the past (without the reference) and have never gotten a phone call. I don't want them to say, "Oh, him again!" and immediately dump the resume.

What should I do? Any suggestions for how to word a letter to highlight his referral?

Tips for fighting a non-covered procedure?

spock — Wed, 03 May 2006 05:22:52 -0800

Health insurance question: My daughter needs a "non-covered procedure". Can I successfully fight that? Can anyone provide any tips for successfully challenging the denial of coverage for a given procedure? I work at a university, which (as I understand it) is basically self-insured using Blue Cross & Blue Shield to administer the plan. It is a pretty decent plan, but Murphy's Law seems to have hit and a procedure needed by my daughter is not covered. (Her orthodontist discovered that her bite only touches on 4 teeth. The oral surgeon calls it a "correctable deformity" and says when she takes a bite out of a ham sandwich, she leaves the ham.

The surgery is that fun one where they cut the jaw bones and realign the jaw. While some people may have this procedure for purely reasons of appearance/cosmetics, in my daughter's case, it is to correct a genetic deformity.

As you might imagine, this is an expensive procedure and we will have a difficult time paying for it out-of-pocket. Can anyone provide any tips for successfully challenging the denial of coverage for a given procedure? My daughter and I thank you in advance.

Can we do this?

alopez — Mon, 23 May 2005 12:36:58 -0800

ParliamentaryFilter: can my organization change its Bylaws to complete rewrite the title and responsibilities of an elected officer mid-term? I am an (unofficial) parliamentary advisor to a quasi-governmental representative organization with a set of governing Bylaws. The Bylaws are largely based on Robert's Rules of Order (10th edition). The organization consists of a representative Assembly and a group of paid officers elected by a wider group of constituents (not merely from within the Assembly). Our organization has undergone a significant amount of reform recently, and over the course of the process it's become increasingly clear that one of the elected positions would be much more effective if the duties were radically altered. There is no question that our Assembly has the right to amend the Bylaws in which the position is specified, and we have a well-defined process for doing this. Furthermore, most of the parties involved (including the officer recently re-elected to the position) have agreed in principle to the reorganization.

My question is more technical: Is the Assembly permitted ro rewrite the role of the office, changing its name and responsibilities, and still consider that the same position, thereby permitting the current officer to simply take on the new set of duties? Or is it more appropriate to consider this the deletion of one office and the creation of a new one, in which case we would have to hold a mid-term election? The issue, as I see it, is whether or not it would be appropriate to allow someone to assume a new set of responsibilities that were not in fact what the larger constituency elected him for. We have a mid-term election procedure, and we're willing to go through that process as necessary. The question is whether we need to.

I've spent a fair amount of time looking through Robert's Rules and can't find anything that would seem to cover a situation like this. If anyone knows, or has any additional resources they could refer me to, that would be great. I'm not the person making the decision, but I'd like to be able to offer some sound advice to the Assembly and officers.

What do you call the updating process for a CDRom encyclopaedia that updates itself from the web?

Pericles — Fri, 17 Sep 2004 06:25:41 -0800

CDRom encyclopaedia that updates itself from web. What do you call it's updating process? My old version of encarta can check its website to see if here is a more up-to-date version of an entry I'm looking at. If there is one, it downloads it to the hard-drive and always refers to that one when I go to that article again.

I've suggested to my client that he produce a similar cd of medical information which can"magically" update, and want to find a supplier - but don't know how to ask for what I want.