“We are forced to use that metric where I work. My definition of a metric is any number that you can put in a box in a computerized nursing record, and in turn be chewed over by a second layer of bureaucrats, resulting in a another number used to beat physicians over the head.
"If an anesthesiologist fails to record the antibiotic on three occasions at (hospital name deleted for obvious reasons), he/she is required to make a video explaining him(her)self … expressing remorse. I am not making this up.”
And I thought I was being funny when I alluded to the thought police.
Two readers suggested that I should have posted links to the articles mentioned in the original blog. You must be a subscriber to JAMA to read the full text articles. But here are the links to the abstract of the research paper and an excerpt from the editorial.
1 comment:
Firstly, I do not agree with this method of punishment...it will not serve to better the atmosphere nor will it, I believe, lead to any reductions in errors; it may well have the opposite effect.
I believe that there has to be a greater sense of the teamwork that's needed for any procedure, medical or otherwise.
If this is the future, however, I would propose, if only to offer a more wholistic approach, that the entire surgical team be required to take part in the video. The concept of the 'team' vs. the 'individual' would thus be more effective. In addition, the video should focus not only on remorse but also an explanation, and more importantly, a committed resolve for better action in the future. Litigation aside, I believe this offers a reason why this systematic approach will simply not work.
Always welcome to comments and debate...
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