When (and where) change saves lives: hospitals

By William Seidman We’re beginning to work with healthcare providers and medical institutions – where important change initiatives can be difficult to implement and sustain. Stephen Shortell of Cal Berkeley’s School of Public Health has written and spoken extensively on this. The goals of hospital management can be at odds with the goals of doctors, nurses, and staff. In some quarters the electronic medical record, also called the electronic health record, provokes fear regarding privacy and access – along with the inconvenience, to some, of change.  Manoj Jain, MD and MPH and many others have written about change initiatives undertaken in US hospitals that have reaped huge gains for patients.  They have saved lives. MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas) infections – also known as HA-MRSA,  health-care associated MRSA –  have declined markedly in hospitals that implemented straighforward changes in clinical procedure.  We coach healthcare professionals to reframe the broader social impact of what they do. Transformation is possible and highly desirable -sometimes change saves lives!  When people understand that change is for greater (and measurable) social good,  we’ve found that they’re eager to participate.]]>