The hike today was amazing. We set our today at the bottom of the mountain with reservations of conquering the challenge ahead of us. Some of us were unsure if we would make it to the top. We already had moments of being short of breath just from the altitude. The hike symbolized the challenges we will face as we move forward to implement change and increase patient safety. At times we walked together; similar to when we are all in agreement with a change. At times we also walked up hill alone, similar to when we do not have buy in for a change and we carry the burden to move it forward alone. The journey seamed long at times and it was hard to know how far we had left to go, and felt unsure of how far we had come. We took the climb one small step at a time and eventually we saw the end in sight.
We finished the day brainstorming ideas for change. The group came up with many great ideas and solutions for change. We discussed barriers that might get in the way and solutions to address these barriers. We talked about identifying stakeholders in order to garner support for our patient safety solutions. We also talked about measuring the outcome of the changes. The group used creative ideas of how to share these solutions with other groups across the country.
Denise Neal