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 May 2006 Volume 4, Issue 3  Consultant's Corner
Feature Article
Quote of the Month
New Articles / Abstracts
In the News
Upcoming Meetings
Special Conference:
Dr. Petrack will be speaking at the 2nd International Multidisciplinary Conference on Pediatric Procedural Sedation, to be held May 31- June 1, 2006 in Columbus, OH (see the Upcoming Meetings section for details).
For free articles, abstracts, Emergency Care Briefs, and more, visit our Resource Center at PetrackConsulting.com...
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Consultant's Corner
On Coffee and Assumptions
by Emory Petrack, MD, FAAP, FACEP
I like strong coffee. So does my wife. Between us, we do our part to keep Starbucks in business.
Recently, I went to our local Starbucks, and ordered my usual: 4 shots over ice. I like a good, strong iced coffee, to which I add about as much half and half as I would to a regular cup of coffee.
As the barista was making my drink, the young man behind the counter asked if I added milk. I figured that he didn't get many orders for 4 shots over ice, and was interested in how I drank it. I told him that I did indeed add some milk, to which he replied, "I'll need to charge you for that milk."
I was really taken aback. A rather heated conversation ensued, in which he informed me that his district manager was insisting that they charge for milk for "drinks like mine." Eventually, I realized that he was referring to customers who ordered some espresso, and then poured a glassful of milk on it to make an iced latte, thus avoiding a charge for this more expensive drink.
I'm a good customer of Starbucks, and I was not happy. He had made an assumption- an erroneous assumption- about what I had ordered. How often do we make assumptions about people or situations in our departments- circumstances that might involve patients, family members, or even staff?
One late night in the ER, I overheard a resident reprimanding a parent for improper administration of Amoxicillin. This mother had returned with her three year old's ear more painfully infected than it had been four days earlier, when she began the prescribed amoxicillin. It turned out she had been putting the antibiotic into the child's external ear canal.
After talking with this family, I concluded that if no one had explicitly instructed the medicine be given by mouth, and the mother had never before treated an ear infection, it was perfectly logical for her to conclude the medicine went into the child's ear. A failure to communicate is the fault of the one making an assumption; in this case, the prescribing doctor, who assumed this parent would know the correct route of administration.
At times, it can be very challenging to not make assumptions. That said, I find it's most definitely a goal worth pursuing.
Solve Problems or Innovate?
You don't need me to tell you that emergency departments and urgent care facilities are not easy to run. There seem to be constant fires that require copious amounts of time, energy and sweat to extinguish. And just as you're able to come up for a bit of air, to find some space to think about the larger, important directions you might want to consider, another complaint comes in. Or there's a problem with another staff member.
If you allow yourself to be buried with problems, you will never enjoy one of the important perks that comes with leadership: creating…. innovating. If we are constantly sucked into the never ending demands of fixing problems, there is no time left for improving things. What percentage of your time do you spend putting out fires instead of creating improvements? Here are some ideas to help better your situation:
New Articles/Abstracts
Brief summary of recent new articles and abstracts from http://www.PetrackConsulting.com/articles.html
Upcoming Meetings
May 18-21, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA
May 31- June 1, 2nd International Multidisciplinary Conference on Pediatric Procedural Sedation, sponsored by the Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium and Columbus Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
Sept 13-17, Emergency Nurses Association, Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX
Oct 15-18, American College of Emergency Physicians, Annual Scientific Assembly, New Orleans, LA
About Our Organization
Created in 2003, Petrack Consulting is dedicated to helping physician and hospital
leadership bring excellence to emergency services. We work collaboratively to
fully understand our client’s needs, and then address programmatic initiatives
with measurable outcomes. Our unique background in emergency medicine, administrative
medicine, and organization development allows us to create uniquely effective solutions
for enhancing emergency services.
Website: http://www.PetrackConsulting.com |
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