Guideline

Don't get me wrong. I am all for putting up operation guideline for front line staff. After all, we must assume there exists, and in fact it is overwhelmingly common to have, people who could not think with more than two synapses and must have something to follow.

Once we come to understand this, it becomes difficult to conceive a solution to the current problem.

For obvious reasons we cannot simply put up Guideline #1: Exercise your common sense (although that should really be the first sentence of every written instruction, while the second one should be: If you have difficulty to apply Guideline #1, continue to read.).

Then, what should we put up ?

****************************

A side track story of my own suddenly flashes back. When I was a 4th year medical student and attached to a peripheral hospital for my elective period, the consultant physician there took me around on the first day and said, "The first thing you must learn in clinical medicine is to tell if a patient is 頹." (This very Chinese word proves difficult to have an appropriate English translation - it encompasses the meanings of being critically ill, need aggressive treatment, requires invasive investigation, presence of atypical features, giving you a feeling of uneasiness, or a combination of the above.)

"But, what is the criteria of 頹?" I was naive enough to ask.

"Oh, exercise your common sense." And off he went.

Years later I realize he was paying me a compliment and assuming I have that extraordinary capability.