Justin's HOPE healthcare tumblelog
In loving memory of our precious child~by dale ann micalizzi
Healthcare Openness Professionalism Excellence
Contact and Comments to: micalizzidag@aol.com Justin's HOPE at the Task Force For Child Survival and DevelopmentCompassion in Healthcare-The Heart of Healing
Hospital tells of surgery on wrong side
“A national specialist in the field of patient safety said hospitals are increasingly owning up to mistakes but described Levy’s decision to send an e-mail to hundreds of staff members as an unusual act of openness.”
Thank you, Paul.
Use of telemedicine expanding in Ohio's rural areas, Appalachia
“Nationally, the use of telemedicine has grown to about 200 networks that link 3,500 sites. It’s being used to treat patients in rural hospitals, monitor patients in their homes, evaluate X-rays and lab tests remotely and provide mental-health counseling.”Electronic Prescribing: Building, Deploying and Using E-prescribing to Save Lives and Save Money
Forword by Newt Gingrich and Senator John Kerry:
In today’s hyper-partisan political arena, it is rare to find an issue that offers such a compelling and vital opportunity for cooperation as does modernizing our healthcare system through information technology. Yes, it is important for policymakers and candidates to stand their ground when they must; but it is equally as important to have the courage to collaborate when they should.
Kids and Cars-Safety Tips
“KIDS AND CARS’ mission is to assure no child dies or is injured in a non-traffic, motor vehicle related event.”
This isn’t about healthcare but instead about keeping your child safe. Every year there is a local story about a child being injured in a car either being left there in the heat while the parent “forgot” them rushing to work or a child being run over backing out of a driveway. Please put your child first and slow down.
Cry
I’ve seen lots of physicians cry…Justin’s PICU doc, his pediatrician, the residents at Yale, tons at my presentations, the physician healthcare leaders, etc, etc. It’s really ok and just proves that you have a heart and soul. Thank you all for being real!Serious patient errors at California hospitals disclosed in state filings
“It will always be true that the vast majority of incidents are never reported,” Berwick said.English author
Every year, I ask my 1st and 2nd grade students to draw a picture of their “peaceful place.” The place in this world where they love to go to and relax and feel at peace. It’s interesting the stories that they tell as they describe their masterpieces. Well, this week, I advised a very powerful healthcare leader to take some time and relax…to go to her peaceful place and recharge her batteries. To slow down and reflect. Not, my usual advice to leaders that I never met before and a bit bold but I think she listened….Do you have a peaceful place?Welcome to the Patient Voices programme UK
“The Patient Voices programme aims to facilitate the telling and the hearing of some of the unwritten and unspoken stories of ordinary people so that those who devise and implement strategy in health and social care, as well as the professionals and clinicians directly involved in care, may carry out their duties in a more informed and compassionate manner. We hope that, as a result of seeing the stories, patients, their carers and clinicians may meet as equals and work respectfully together for the benefit of all.”
I’ve always encouraged story telling by your patients. Simply ask them what was most unforgivable in their care and what was most comforting/healing/helpful? Check out the link “find a story” and be amazed.
who surgical safety checklist and implementation manual
You may have assumed, as a patient, that such checklists were already in existence in the OR. You would be wrong, as we were. Although these checks, including introductions, are quick-I still encourage staff to slow down a bit and have the courage to call out if they see or hear something that makes them feel uneasy.
Our patient/family anesthesia check list would fit in nicely with this surgery checklist. But instead of a rapid check as needed in surgery, it would be a required preop conversation where the family is included on the team as a valued member where their input could also save lives.
My Conversation with JoEllen Koerner, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Author of "Mother Heal My Self" and "Healing Presence"
One of the most amazing women that I’ve met on this journey is Dr. JoEllen Koerner. We presented together as one of the keynotes for the 2007 NRC+Picker Symposium. Our program was entitled, “A Quest for HOPE and Humility Following Tragedy.” Even though we had never met in person, we were connected. Her healing presence resonates through you and catches you in a web of peace. When I think of compassion, I think of JoEllen. Her work is genuine and focused on giving hope to underserved populations. Her dedication to nursing, her family and her community will inspire you to make a difference.
Q. Please share with us the work that you’ve done with the Lakota Sioux Indians and their teens with suicide prevention.
A. Our culture is the foundation for our sense-of-self. In it are embedded the language (which transmits meanings, images and metaphors beyond the simple words), the rituals around birth, death, life transitions etc., and most importantly, our definitions of spirituality. It is within the nest of family and community that our identity is born. Unfortunately, from years of colonization, and a long disruption to this natural process by boarding school requirements for the children, the Native American culture on many of the SD reservations has been distorted or destroyed. On Pine Ridge, we were able to assist an amazing couple, Mark & Tilda St Pierre, in creating the Cloud Horse Arts Institute. Tilda’s Grandfather was a Sioux leader and the Medicine Man for Crazy Horse. Before he passed, he told Tilda to restore the language and culture to the Native Children so they could return to their roots and find a strong sense of identity once more. With little money, and great commitment, this couple holds multiple arts events each year. They teach the children how to bake Indian Fry Bread, speaking in Lakota language as they perform this simple but time-honored way of preparing food. They teach them how to clean a buffalo hide and tan it, making clothing and art forms from the leather. They hold winter camp and set up tipi’s, sitting around a fire for storytelling from the elders. Their program has grown in such popularity that this year more children went out for theater than for football! Last year we were able to sponsor an exchange visit of a young man from Peru. He shared stories and activities of how their Native cousins live in the mountains. After the program one of the children commented, “Now I know we are not alone”. They love touching into the rhythm and the energy which is the central core of their ancestry. In this way, a hope is being restored in the children, and their desire to learn and grow and contribute back to community is reducing the suicide rate amongst the young people.
Q. Where have you traveled to work on developing health programs for congregate living communities and what were the lessons learned from that experience?
A. Currently we are privileged to work in inner city settings where, due to poverty and lack of insurance, some of the hospitals with an 85% occupancy rate will lose $3 million/month due to uncompensated care. The hospitals are forced to close or move out of the neighborhood. So we have the opportunity to support the community to take back the building, set up health clinics, affordable housing, workforce development education, and offer local citizens a small space (which used to be a patient room in the hospital) in which to set up their own business. Soon this hospital is filled with education and day care opportunities, a youth center, locally-owned beauty salons, piano lessons, multiple shops for clothes and accessories, etc. What we find repeatedly is that instead of having ‘outsiders come in with grants and solutions’, people KNOW what is needed and how to solve their own issues. They just need the money and opportunity, and within a short period of time…..what was once an impoverished and crime ridden neighborhood becomes a thriving community!
Q. You’ve been an advocate for nurses for a number of years. What has been your most frustrating effort and your most rewarding?
A. I have a deep respect and appreciation for the entire health care team….it takes all of us to support a complex patient. But my passion is for nursing: it is a privilege to be a nurse. We have the opportunity to support and bear witness to people in a moment of crisis or need. They have no energy for pretense, so they show up with all their issues, fears, courage and candor as they sort out the event and its impact on their life. The biggest joy has been creating support systems for patients and families that help them both have a meaning-full experience. My biggest frustration was how the system broke down when my own daughter was a patient as she experienced a significant medical error. That experience gave me a deeper understanding of what is truly needed in the illness event. A healing presence is more important to true recovery than all the technology in the world.
Q. What new project are you presently dedicated to?
A. In America today over 85 million young people do not finish high school. We are currently developing a Healthcare Workforce Development Curriculum for underrepresented sectors of society. This web-supported simulation-based program will help high school students graduate a few hours short of an LPN degree. In some settings, starting salary for an LPN is $50,000! From there they can continue their education into RN practice, or some other Allied Health career. This educational program can be placed into Learning Centers anywhere where people gather. Remediation programs in math, science and reading are also provided so that people with disadvantaged backgrounds can close the gap in foundational skills so they can be successful in the world. America was built on the principles of democracy and education. The internet allows us to place career education into the hands of anyone with compassion and a passion for service. They can start where they are and continue in a way that allows them to realize their destiny, and society to become more healthy.
Welcome to the Health and Disability Commissioner website
Please review the New Zealand Health & Disability website with special attention to the “Great Care Booklet” which contains short but lovely stories from people who were well cared for by the healthcare workers
they came in contact with. I’m requesting such stories for my facebook group “Compassion in Healthcare-The Heart of Healing,” linked above. Please forward your stories or join the group.
Most days, I would much rather hear about kindness and compassion as I know it exists in abundance!
NYS BILL PASSED ON LANDMARK LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE PATIENT SAFETY
Senator Kemp Hannon, Chair of the Senate Health Committee said: “The patient/physician relationship is founded on trust. When a doctor fails to fulfill his or her professional obligations, as has recently been the case, that trust is violated and a patient’s perception of the entire medical community can be forever skewed. While I am 100 percent confident in the abilities of health care providers throughout the state, this bill is a necessary first step toward restoring the public’s faith in a medical profession which, due to the actions of a few, has been fractured.”'Sorry' started here: VA began error disclosure
“We had started looking for a better way of doing things,” she said. “Initially, the focus really was on protecting the institution. But it quickly moved to the next level of putting the patient and the patient’s family at the top of the equation.”
I interviewed Steve on my blog on May 3rd and we have been discussing and working on this topic for several years. I admire his dedication and honesty in leading the way by setting a precedent of full disclosure following an adverse medical event and putting the patient first. Our goal is to instill the courage to do the right thing and they did that at the Lexington VA quietly.
Compliment following my Presentation
“My oldest son was admitted to the hospital for surgery on Sunday night for an elbow fracture. I could not stop thinking about Justin while we were there. I used my thoughts of you and Justin to fuel my strength in demanding safe patient care. I want to say thank you for giving me that power… ” ~RN, MSN, LNCC, CPHQ
…and the reason why I continue. Since I have always worked in healthcare and education, much of my focus is on empowering healthcare providers as the patients with the families. We have an added struggle for respect and accountability. Speaking up is often difficult and the guilt is significant if something goes wrong.