Aviation Expert John Nance on Healthcare Culture Change and Educating the Young
Today’s post is by Guest Author, John Nance, Marseille Experience Faculty, Author and ABC Aviation Consultant
Having had the delightful experience of attending and working with all of the sessions of the Marseille Experience this summer, I’ve spent some time since returning from Napa thinking through the scope and the effectiveness of what we all came together to advance: The goal of never again losing a patient to a medical mistake or nosocomial infection.
It may well sound hackneyed, but in fact I think all of us as faculty mean it to the depth of our beings when we say that the medical students and residents and nurses – all of those who joined us – are truly the best hope of changing the course of a noble but tattered non-system that slaughters people at the rate of 50 per hour. That does not mean that existing healthcare professionals cannot… Continue reading
An apology
On Thursday our team accepted the faculty’s challenge and successfully piled even more people on and off of the teeter totter, in even less time, without breaking the eggs. Afterwards Dave congratulated us on an epic world record-setting accomplishment. I was so happy and proud of our teamwork! But last night, as I reflected on my contributions during the activity, I remembered doing something I wasn’t proud of.
On Tuesday, my teammate Collin had observed that wearing flip flops while inching backwards on the teeter totter was a potential source of error. So yesterday at the beginning of our record-setting performance, when I noticed Laura was wearing flip flops, I turned to her and told her she should take them off. I sensed her hesitation, which I quickly shot down by saying, “we noticed on Tuesday that someone in flip flops almost tripped.” Feeling the pressure from our team to… Continue reading
Marseille East kicks off at Turf Valley #TPSER10
Our third 2014 session for the Marseille Patient Safety Summer Camps is kicking off this morning with student introductions and safety moments. We have another impressive group of future patient safety leaders gathering to increase the growing size of our own Dumbledore’s Army of sorts. Many have been chosen to participate because of academic success and leadership, and a passion for patient safety, but the extracurricular talents never cease to amaze and impress. We have with us:
- A concert pianist
- A philosopher athlete
- A landscape/home improvement aficianado
- Binge Netflix watchers
- Musicians
- A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation intern
- A Classical guitarist
- Scientists
- Public health researchers
- An ICU nurse/ED nursing manager
- Georgetown medical students
- Scuba/kayaking guides/fans
- Biomedical scientists
- An International basketball player
- An Irish dancer
- An MBA/MPH graduate
- A key/Lock collector
- A Neurobiology major
- A Human factors researcher
- Peace corps in Kenya
The group that has come to Turf Valley this week… Continue reading
20 Lessons Learned in Marseille by Heidi Charvet MD
I just returned from an amazing week in Marseille where I not only learned a lot but was also inspired and reinvigorated by the group of colleagues and faculty I met. One of the most surprising things about the week was that despite our varied backgrounds and geography, we all came together with a common set of interests and experiences (sometimes bad ones) determined to make changes moving forward in our practice. Thank you to everyone I met this week.
Here are the main lessons I learned during the week as well as some fantastic quotes from the group…
1.) Start every meeting with a story (it’s all about the patient!)
2.) The way we treat nurses when they bring a concern to us that ends up being wrong, is often more important than when they bring a concern that ends up being right (respect and appreciation are… Continue reading
Stand Up–Stand Out! #TPSER8
Wednesdays, or the third day in Marseille, has become my favorite day of the weeks spent here at the Patient Safety Educational Roundtable and Student Summer Camps. It is because on Wednesday mornings, the group gathers unofficially at Baked In Marseille for coffee, a burrito or sweet treat before heading to the foot of Bear Creek Trail, our official meeting place, to start the annual (this year three-time) trek up to the waterfall. It has proven to be a great team-building experience over and over again–as we gasp through our excitement, sharing new ideas and unfailing awe of the mountains surrounding us.
What struck me in particular on yesterday’s hike, in addition to the inspiring conversation with my hiking partner Stephanie, was though I have been on this same trail three times in the last year, it is never the same. This year, the mountainside has been left dry and… Continue reading
Delayed Gratification–#TPSER8
By Stephanie Christians
Having been a part of the group hike both years I’d been a participant at Marseille, I know how powerful this ritual can be. Once again, I made room in my suitcase for a dusty pair of Garmin hiking boots, in preparation for the hike. Earlier in the week, when people brought up the Wednesday morning agenda, I enthusiastically shared that I planned on going on the hike, even trying to convert those who had other plans. So it seemed strange that this morning – a gorgeous morning for a hike – I found myself manufacturing excuses to bow out.
Thankfully, I’m becoming more skilled at parenting my inner four-year-old. First, I began with gentle pleading: “All your friends will be there! You don’t want to miss out on that, do you?!” Next came bargaining, “If you climb with the group,… Continue reading
Student Reflections — Take Home Messages From #TPSER8
Michael Coplin, Emory University, MD/MBA 2016 says:
As we wrap up day 3 of the Patient Safety Roundtable, I am amazed by how quickly this week has gone by. It has been a wonderful week of exploring critical questions during sessions guided by patient safety experts, engaging with and learning from students with a common interest, and enjoying the beauty of Marseille. It has also been enlightening to learn from both American and Australian healthcare professionals and to recognize that we share common challenges despite being a world apart. The days have been incredibly thought provoking, and I am certain that I will leave here with more questions than I had coming in. I feel empowered and motivated to return to my home institution, Emory University School of Medicine, with the goal of sharing the lessons I have learned with fellow medical students, IHI Open School… Continue reading
A Burning Platform
While I am spending a week surrounded by some of the most gorgeous mountains, the Hide Park wildfires continue to ravage northern Colorado. Despite some of the best efforts of firefighters, the wildfires have consumed more than 58,7000 acres, have forced thousands to evacuate, and have destroyed more than 180 homes in nine days. With continued hot weather and winds, the goal is to contain the fire and minimize as much damage as possible.
With news about the fire on a nearly continuous feed on local news channels, I am reminded of Dr. Don Berwick’s famous 1999 National Forum Speech, “Escape Fire.” In the speech, he describes the 1949 wildfire that broke out on a Montana hillside and how it changed the way firefighting was managed in the United States through the use of an “escape fire.” Dr. Berwick draws the powerful analogy that our health care system is in… Continue reading
Fight the fight
A soldier cannot run from battle because there are guns trained on his back in both directions.
This is not so in other occupations. As medical students and professionals, we constantly have to choose how to react to new information and whether to take action or to sit on the sidelines. Soldiers don’t have the luxury of these options. So in a way, because we must make difficult choices, we also need to muster more courage to perform in the battlefield.
Patient safety improvement takes a lot of guts. It means challenging the status quo, confronting established traditions, risking your job or grades, and most of all, dealing with recalcitrant people….who may be your seniors.
Today I was confronted about my experience shadowing a preceptor who does not wash his hands before he sees patients. I have commented on this directly to the physician by saying, “I notice that you… Continue reading
Change Starts At The Top at #TPSER8
Day 3 at the Marseille Patient Safety Educational Roundtable and Resident Summer Camp started with the annual hike up to Bear Creek Falls–an excellent team building exercise that always leads to relaxed and enlightened discussion about the work to be done and the knowledge gained from the week. It also provides yet another opportunity to get to know colleagues on a personal level, and build lasting relationships that will provide a support system for quality and safety efforts once everyone returns to their respective institutions.
Coincidence or not, we started the day near the top of the San Juan mountain range, and throughout the day it was reinforced that to achieve meaningful change in healthcare, it is imperative that hospital leadership not only supports, but leads the charge. Jill Prafke led a thought-provoking workshop on how to build effective teams with the ability to institute change during the afternoon session.… Continue reading