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 June 2006 Volume 4, Issue 4  Consultant's Corner
Feature Article
Quote of the Month
New Articles / Abstracts
In the News
Upcoming Meetings
For free articles, abstracts, Emergency Care Briefs, and more, visit our Resource Center at PetrackConsulting.com...
CalmerKids™: the first ever CE training module that changes how your facility serves children and their families... Show me... |
Consultant's Corner Emory Petrack, MD, FAAP, FACEP I just returned from the 2nd International Multidisciplinary Conference on Pediatric Procedural Sedation, held in Columbus, Ohio. I offered a workshop with Lisa, our child-life specialist, on "The Integration of Non-pharmacologic Techniques and Pharmacologic Approaches to Painful or Anxiety Provoking Procedures in Children." While the workshop was very well received, what struck me most about this conference was the integration of a lot more than just pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic techniques. This meeting was a gathering of emergency physicians, intensivists, radiologists, hospitalists, nurses, child life specialists, administrators, and others who were all focused around the goal of improving the experience of procedural sedation for children and their families. The integration of multiple disciplines, focused around a single goal, brings tremendous power to any endeavor. This reality is increasingly recognized in disciplines ranging from cancer care to behavioral medicine. Integrating the talents of individuals from diverse disciplines in the service of improving emergency care just makes sense.
Feature Article Where Does Your Department Focus its Energy?
It's not open for debate: we all waste time on activities that contribute little to the running of our departments. The real question is Where is that time and energy going, and how can we harness it?
A useful dynamic to examine is the difference between an external and an internal focus of attention. People only have a total of 100% of their energy to give your department. Unfortunately, it is the rare individual who gives close to 100%.
However, even an individual who gives a full 80% effort-perhaps not bad these days-may not be giving all that effort to truly productive energy. Instead of focusing entirely on the "external" work of the department-great clinical care, improving satisfaction, good documentation, connecting with patients and family-staff frequently focus instead on "internal" problems. Such concerns may include gossip, pay, evaluations, and personality issues.
Imagine the increased productivity that can come simply by helping the department move from an external to internal focus ratio of 60:40 to 80:20. It may be that there are just one or two individuals who keep the internal focus constantly in sharp focus. Or perhaps there's one "looming" issue that is gaining a lot of internal focus for the entire department. Either way, deal directly with those individuals or issues, and help get the focus back where it should be: on patients, families, and the various other "real" concerns and challenges facing the department.
In the News
Quote of the Month
New Articles/Abstracts
Brief summary of recent new articles and abstracts from http://www.PetrackConsulting.com/articles.html
Upcoming Meetings
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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