I think he may be referring to this bogus study. One of our professors slipped it into his powerpoint. I think trying to fish your stethoscope from out of your pocket would take the most time.
Dr. Cool - draping stethoscope around the back of the neck may slow down medical examination reflexes
Family Pratice News , Feb 15, 2001 by Joanne M. Berger
Sure, it's trendy to drape your stethoscope around the back of your neck like a hotshot on "ER." But does that cool fashion statement slow down your auscultatory reflexes, compared with traditional, front-and-center stethoscope placement? Pondering that question and fortified with single-malt Scotch and beer, two Canadian researchers dreamed up a time-and-motion study that might settle the matter (Can.
Med. Assoc. J. 163[12]:1562-63, 2000). They pictured themselves recruiting 100 health professionals from each fashion camp, clocking the time needed to transfer the stethoscope to the functional position, and concluding that the cost of being cool was a 1.3-second delay. Extrapolating that to the entire Canadian health care system, 273,869 hours would be wasted per year if 80% of physicians, nurses, and other clinicians used the cool position--at a total annual cost of more than $20 million. Stop the madness! But how? Health officials might be tempted to appoint "stethoscope police," the researchers noted, but "the costs generated by the resultant bureaucracy would negate any positive financial benefit to the health care system." O Canada, glorious and free!
I meant:
