Learning from Patient Stories: New Resources for Crisis Management
Earlier this month, during Patient Safety Awareness Week, Jim Conway contributed new resources for improving the understanding of and response to serious clinical adverse events. Conway, a well-known champion of patients and families, former senior vice president at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and adjunct faculty at Harvard School of Public Health, appeared as a guest blogger on Health Care for All’s Healthy Blog. In his post, “Serious Clinical Adverse Events: Learning Through the Eyes of Patients and Family Members,” Conway recalls patient stories that have made a difference to him and others and introduces new sources he helped IHI add to its existing list available online at “Leadership Response to a Sentinel Event: Respectful, Effective Crisis Management.”
In the articles, books, and videos on IHI’s list (under the subheading, “Through the Eyes of Patients and Family Members”) patients and family members tell their personal stories of medical error and harm. IHI provides these links (most are available for free) to help organizations and individuals understand and plan for effective management of crises involving adverse events and serious harm. In Conway’s words,
If there is confusion about how to move ahead on your disclosure policy, or there is some question on the need for a written crisis management plan, these stories will provide the clarity. If your organizational attention to these issues is underpowered, these stories will provide the fuel.
The stories add to an extensive list of publications, sample crisis management plans, and one of IHI’s most downloaded white papers, Respectful Management of Serious Clinical Adverse Events.
In PSQH, I’ve had the privilege of publishing articles written by patients and families for healthcare professionals engaged in improvement. Listed below are a few that are available on our website, in addition to “A Story of the Power of Patient/Physician Partnership After a Sentinel Event,” which is featured on IHI’s list. As Conway says, may their stories “drive change and improvement.”