Why is Pushing the Wrong Button So Easy?
By Sarveshwari Singh
On the first day of the Marseille East Summer Camp, Kathy Pischke-Winn and Dr. Joe Halbach organized a game using dominoes. It really showed how miscommunication in health care can happen so easily and how simple steps can prevent it.
We assembled in groups of three — one person role-played a doctor, another a nurse, and the other an administrator. The physician sat with his/her back to the nurse and instructed the nurse how to arrange the dominos according to a prescribed pattern. The nurse couldn’t ask any questions. Not surprisingly, the nurse didn’t arrange them correctly.
This scenario brought home how communication disconnects among clinicians happens so often in health care, and it underscores why a leading cause of errors is failure in communication. Also, informal rules can deter students and residents from asking questions, which can lead to a… Continue reading
“Some is not a number and soon is not a time”
By Fiona Campbell (Medical Student at the University of Calgary)
It was refreshing to hear all of the insightful closing comments from all of the Marseille East participants today, and exciting to hear what we all plan to work towards as we return to our schools. It’s easy to see why we would all come away with such momentum and inspiration. This week was full of eye-opening discussions and thought-provoking workshops. It’s easy to feel empowered by everyone with a shared passion, and to think that we really can make healthcare better around the world.
But it’s also easy to succumb to real life and let that momentum fizzle away. It’s easy to forget how important patient safety is when you’re once again surrounded by leaders who don’t value it. It’s easy to get caught up in all of the knowledge we are expected to learn at school and forget… Continue reading