“No decision about me without me.”
Day #2 of the Marseille Summer Camp was even more invigorating and inspiring than day #1. Between John Nance’s talk and the film about the Skolnick family, I feel that my fellow students and I have been given a call to action. The resonating statement that summarizes our new mission was said, of course, by Dr. Donald Berwick himself: “No decision about me without me.”
The principles of shared decision-making, transparency, and patient-centered care all revolve around the concept that the patient is the subject of our care, not the object (as so eloquently put by John Nance). If we consider the patient as a living, breathing individual, then we would certainly reconsider some of the daily decisions we make in healthcare that we consider mundane. One can argue back and forth to what level the patient should be involved in their own care (i.e. should we obtain permission for… Continue reading
Unconventional Surprises
Day #1 of the Marseille Summer Camp was even better than I hoped. I expected to discuss patient safety; we did that. I expected to be taught by leaders and experts in the field; we did that. I expected small-group brainstorming sessions that let us come up with our own ideas to pitch to the group; we did that. I expected to hear troubling, yet informative patient stories; we did that. I expected team-building exercises (a workshop would never feel complete without them); we did that.
So, big deal, right? This sounds like every seminar ever, doesn’t it?
What surprised me about the first day was that we hit all of the bullet points of the camp’s agenda, but we did all this in the most unconventional of ways! I never expected to be bidding on an actual $10 bill. I never expected to be negotiating property value. I… Continue reading