Patients for patient safety. Margaret Murphy. III International Conference on Patient Safety: "Patients for Patient Safety" (Madrid, Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, 2007)
2. INTRODUCTION
BRIEF
Personal Experience
World Alliance Patients for Patient Safety Strategy
Opportunities for Collaborative Effort
CONSIDERATIONS
Adverse events as catalysts for change
Patient Experience Perceived as Anecdote vs
Evidence Based
The challenge of learning from the patient experience
– acknowledging the mismatch between the actual
and the ideal
SIMPLE MEASURES SAVE LIVES!
10. Peer Review
“The combination of bone pain, renal
failure and hypercalcaemia in a
young patient points either to a
diagnosis of primary
hyperparathroidism or metastatic
malignancy and these ominious
results should have been
investigated as a matter of urgency”.
“All the evidence indicates that the
“Kevin would have had surgery to
patient was suffering from a solitary
remove the over-active parathyroid
parathyroid adenoma at the time,
gland. He would have been cured
removal would have been curative with
and would still have been alive
a normal life expectancy”
today.”
Research 96% Success; 1% Complication Rates
14. The Shortcomings
• Inability to recognise seriousness of Kevin’s condition
• Appropriate interventions not taken
• Selective and incomplete transmission of information.
• Non receipting of vital information
• Absence of integrated pathways
• Link between behaviour and test results not made
• Developing neurological problems ignored
• No evidence of tracking of his deteriorating condition
ABSENCE OF DIRECT COMMUNICATION
WITH THE PATIENT
15. Shortcomings Contd…
• Treatment at Registrar level
• The team dynamic
• The impact of a weekend admission
• Patient asked to accommodate system?
• Expectations of a Tertiary Training Hospital
16. Responses
•Initially honest & humane
--------------------
•Defensiveness
•‘Loyalty to colleagues’
•Muddying the waters
•Dissembling
•Unsustainable excuses
---------------------
•Confidence in any hope of
ascertaining truth shattered
•Expectation of professional and
honourable conduct betrayed
17. Legal Route to Finding
Answers
• System favours defendants
• Disempowerment of plaintiff
• Plaintiff takes huge personal risks
• “David and Goliath” experience
• Wearing-down process
• Lack of compassion
18. Court Ruling
“It is very clear to me that Kevin
Murphy should not have died.”
Judge Roderick Murphy at High Court Ruling
Dublin, Ireland, May 2004
19. A Wish List : Do it Right!
• Observe existing guidelines, best practice and SOP’s. Be
prepared to challenge each other in that regard
• Following adverse outcomes undertake “root cause analysis”
quot;system failure analysisquot;/quot;critical incident investigation”.
• Communicate effectively within the medical community and
with patients
• Keep impeccable records
• Listen to patients and families
• Respect patients and families
ACKNOWLEDGE ERROR
AND ALLOW LEARNING TO OCCUR
20. A Wish List …..Continued
• Know your personal limitations
• Replicate what is good and be always vigilant for
opportunities to improve.
• Learn and disseminate that learning
• Practice dialogue and collaboration – meaningful
engagement with patients and families
• Create a coalition of healthcare professionals and patients
ACKNOWLEDGE ERROR
AND ALLOW LEARNING TO OCCUR
22. Barriers to Progress
Inappropriate responses and their role in relation to
fuelling confrontation?
Inaccessibility of partnership and collaborative
opportunities to ordinary patients and families
The culture of medical practice that has isolated
physicians and forced them to live out of a perception
of infallibility and faultless performance
Fears relating to litigation and loss of reputation.
Excluding the patient and family from the change
process.
Neglecting to learn from industry
23. A Better Way
Sir Liam Donaldson
A humane and life-giving encounter
24. Patients & Families
– the Untapped Resource -
Why Patients for Patient Safety?
The perspective and partnership of patients, their
families and health consumers all over the world…
is central to the patient safety work of WHO
is crucial to articulating the reality and identifying the
gaps between the possible patient safety
improvements and actual improvements as
experienced by patients.
is necessary to ensure services are driven by patient
need and are authentically patient-centred
Is a useful validation tool in relation to the
implementation of guidelines, processes and
protocols.
The need for the patient voice in the global arena of
healthcare
26. Champion Activities
different aspects of patient safety, speaking at conferences and to
medical students
Connecting with our country offices of WHO
Establishing our own patient safety organizations.
Writing in local or national publications and journals
Networking.
Patient safety commissions, task forces, committees addressing
Fundraising
Dedicated projects
In addition to supporting patient champions P4PS is also focusing on:
(i) advancing patient involvement/engagement as a patient safety
solution
(ii) arriving at an understanding of what patients and families want in
relation to disclosure and learning from adverse events
27. Impact on and by Champions
“The Workshop united all efforts
of patients from different
regions of Ukraine. Now I can
see that I am not alone in my
desire to change the system. I
am not alone in my grief also.
There are some people that
have passion to do something
Ukrainian Champions
good in this domain.
Barbara
That Kiev workshop gave me Farlow
more strength and more
belief that we can do Ed
Mendoza
something.”
- F. Petkanych Canadian Champions
29. A Better Way (2)
Disclosure, Openness, Transparency
• Dr Van Pelt & Linda Kenney
• AMA Code of Ethics
• The Sorry Works Coalition
• US Mass hospital experience
• Canada, Australia and Denmark
30. RAPS Code of Ethics
Conducting actions in compliance with the existing
laws and regulations
Being competent
Being committed to continual learning while being
able to acknowledge areas that are outside of your
expertise.
Not being unduly influenced by competing or
conflicting interests.
Being principled, consistent and possessing integrity
31. Ensuring that information and communications,
whether oral or written, are accurate and complete.
Being able to withstand challenges to our views,
while at the same time being accountable for
mistakes.
Being just in considering the interests of all parties.
Being respectful of others – treating all individuals
with dignity and courtesy
32. W.H.O. / H.I.Q.A. Project
DRIVING LEARNING
while supporting patients, families and clinicians
when things go wrong
Framework for Reporting and Learning
Preserving the relationship of trust
Giving meaning to tragedy
Acknowledging error and allowing learning to occur
Feedback to patients and families
34. The London Declaration
.... an excerpt
We Patients for Patient Safety will be the voice for all people,
but especially those who are now unheard. Together as
partners, we will collaborate in:
Devising and promoting programmes for patient safety and
patient empowerment
Developing and driving constructive dialogue with all
partners concerned with patient safety
Establishing systems for reporting and dealing with
medical harm on a worldwide basis
Defining best practice in dealing with medical harm of all
kinds, and promoting those practices
35. “To err is human, to cover up is unforgivable
and to fail to learn is inexcusable.”
- Sir Liam Donaldson, Chair, World Alliance for Patient Safety
Thank You
December 2007
m33g33t@yahoo.co.uk