Junior Doctor: Volume 2, issue 2 [November 2011]
Welcome
Tom Hanks, in the eponymous film Forrest Gump, makes a statement far stronger and succinctly than I am able to make in a publication of this nature – the sentiment of the statement is that things do go wrong. If you haven’t seen the film, make a point of seeing it – there is a salutary lesson there that those in the medical profession should never forget.
Despite your treatment and, unfortunately, occasionally as a result thereof, things will go wrong; occasionally a patient will be worse off and may die. How well are we prepared for that eventuality? Medicine attracts achievers, and complications, particularly following a poor decision, can be difficult to come to terms with.
Unless things have changed substantially at medical school, most of the time is spent on knowledge and skill acquisition driven by an underlying ethos of success. Little time is devoted to failure by the system or the individuals working in it – even the term is pejorative.
Pessimism is the last thing you want to hear at the beginning of your career but talking about failure is not pessimistic; it is realistic. Obviously one of the most important factors is to try and avert failure.
Equally, if not more importantly, is to accept that occasionally things will go wrong and either you or a colleague is responsible – I consciously did not say “to blame”.
Just as expectation management is an important function of consent, appreciating that occasionally things will go wrong is an important part of preparing for the inevitable. MPS offers workshops on mastering your risk and what to do when things go wrong.
In anticipation of the angst that these outcomes can precipitate we also offer a free counselling service to our members. “Be prepared” is the scout’s motto – we are prepared to assist you; are you prepared for the inevitable and for the help available to members?
Dr Graham Howarth
Editor-in-chief
MPS Head of Medical Services (Africa)
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