Concerning the discussion on listening awareness. I realized some of my barriers such as competing, defending and protecting. Interesting only recently have I realized defending and protecting as a barrier to listening. I had always thought it best to defend the side not present in conversation for a balance and productive discussion , however this can sometimes also impede active listening.

The discussion about Human factor engineering and just culture underscored the importance of a blameless investigation in sentinel events which can uncover system or processes error and thus prevent errors in future. The story of the nurse who misinterpreted the blood sugar reading several times and was suspend. However after an investigation, triggered by a second event by a different nurse, it became apparent that there was an underlying factor which resulted to these errors. I also thought the point reached by Paul was one of significant importance—namely how leadership will own the initial poor response of suspending the nurse, acknowledge her work and support her moving forward.

Marseille patient safety roundtable Day #2
We discussed negotiation and various important concepts and strategies concerning negotiation. The negotiation exercises today were very helpful in illustrating and communicating the key concepts presented. Something I found particularly interesting was distinguishing interest from position. An important distinction as this can completely turn a conversation into a win-win for both parties if their underlying interests are addressed. Also, an interesting comment was made about the able to participate in a negotiation and at the same time having a different perspective where you are actually watching yourself from a balcony. This I believe is somewhat related to mindfulness – as an evaluation of your on mental processes and judgments.

We also discussed the informed consent and patient centered care. So many good points and ideas were brought up in discussion but something I hadn’t given enough thought to–the significance/importance the emotional stresses can have… Continue reading →

Marseille patient safety roundtable Day #1
Today was a very powerful day and I anticipate more is to come throughout the week. I was moved by a lot of the stories, and ideas. Something that resonated with me was the idea of mindfulness. I thought this is very crucial to constantly be aware of your own biases, mental processes and judgment in evaluating situations. I think this idea, in addition to building a more collegial medical team and including the patient’s family in medical rounds and discussion could potentially have saved the life of Lewis Blackman.
General thoughts on the day: It is safe to conclude that patient safety and quality is paramount in health care. Just as we invest in medical research, and technological innovation we should invest in learning and implementing tools and systems to ensure quality care and a safe environment. After all, you will think it… Continue reading →