Today we heard so many instances just how pervasive medical errors still lead to patient harm. Additionally, we learned about reflective practice, and were provided prompts surrounding COVID, it caused us to reflect on something a lot of us although still very present, have not fully processed, or have hidden away, and the discussion I had with colleagues today is true across our nations healthcare system.
The reflective exercise asked for a metaphor/word etc. that reminded us of covid I thought instantly of a tornado, full of uncertainty, messy and destructive. But then I also reflected and time-value: cost opportunity came to mind. While all of us experienced the “rona-nado”, wether it be personally, professionally, educationally.
I thought of how this translates to the current hospital system and how we are set up for failure often as the system is akin to a tornado, safety and quality gives us an opportunity to take the tornado and try to control it, or move it in a more controlled manner.
In order to do this there is a time-value cost, but it’s a cost opportunity, hopefully ultimately leading to a better environment for our patients but also decreasing burn-out in providers.