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Remember pagers? They were a popular little device in the 80s that could receive text messages. Sir Mix-A-Lot even wrote a song about them! But then cell phones came along, and pagers became more or less obsolete.
But there is one group of people who still carry pagers: doctors. In a surprising number of hospitals, pagers remain the mainstay of communications. Need to ask a doctor a question? Call them. Need to call a doctor for an emergency? Call them. And then… wait for them to call you back.
By almost universal agreement, pagers are a cumbersome and error-prone way for doctors to communicate. So why do so many hospitals still rely on them?
Today’s show tells the story of two doctors who devise a plan to finally rid their hospital of pagers, and the surprising lessons they learn about why some outdated technologies are so hard to replace.
This show is hosted by Jeff Guo and Nick Fountain. It is produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It is edited by Keith Romer and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Robert Rodriguez designed the show with help from Maggie Luthar. Alex Goldmark is the executive producer for Planet Money.
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Music: Universal Productions Music – “The Gang Don’t Stop,” “Elevate” and “Tell Me Your Heart”
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