The day started with a fantastic hike. Although the weather didn’t cooperate, things cleared up on the way down. After a great lunch afternoon lectures commenced. I was Fascinated to learn about the topic of human factor engineering. This may be an area of interest I may explore in the future. l would be very interested in developing ways to reduce harm by utilizing properly designed tools. The last topic of the day was an emotionally charged story which evoked not only some personal stories but also controversial dialogue. The important point I took away from the discussion is that these events can happen anywhere and to anyone. During my training as a pilot, l learned an important lesson which I try to recall with every flight: complacency kills.

Important topics were covered today including disclosure, transparency, consent, and shared decision making. It seems only logical that when these techniques are used, it not only empowers the patient, but takes away some of the burden from the physician. These decisions are to be made as a team. It is not our job to make a decision for the patient. It is also important to manage expectations, for both the patient and the practitioner. We should form an alliance with our patients to walk the path of recovery together.

The day started with an introduction and objectives for the week. We were introduced to the story of Lewis Blackman. Although i had heard the story before, it is always great to hear different view points. It is hard to imagine how many things went wrong in such a short period of time. Even though 10 years has gone by, I’m not sure how much has changed. I can imagine a similar scenario taking place today. It is frustratring how difficult it is to change the cuture. I do believe exposing future physicians to these stories will create a paradigm shift. The question is, how long before we see the results? The afternoon held a great team building and communication exercise. This was a unique iteration of the exercises I have participated in in the past. The day wrapped up with people sharing personal stories. Today seemed as though it… Continue reading →