In low-and middle-income countries patient harm due to unsafe care contributes to an estimated 134 million adverse events annually
In low-and middle-income countries patient harm due to unsafe care contributes to an estimated 134 million adverse events annually
Hospital safety measures and protocols aside — what are the ‘personal lucky charms’ that top doctors across India practice to ensure best outcome for their patients?
While praying for their patients — tops the list; other talismans include establishing a personal rapport with the patients, creating a checklist when treating patients and treating the profession as “dharma’’ and duty.
Annually in low-and middle-income countries — including in the World Health Organisation’s (South-East Asia Region) — patient harm due to unsafe care contributes to an estimated 134 million adverse events resulting in around 2.6 million deaths.
While patient safety is the core of healthcare service WHO states that human factors such as fatigue, poor environmental conditions, or staff shortages are also contributors to compromising patient safety.
Ashok Seth, an Indian interventional cardiologist (who has done over 50,000 angiograms and 20,000 angioplasties) says that because he treats extremely complicated blockages of heart arteries in very sick patients his first thought is to make available to the patients the best of his skills.
“Best results with safety is the focus always,’’ he says, adding that patients come with a lot of hope and faith “and every day I work with the awareness that there are limitations to science and skills, and unforeseen complications can happen.”
“The final outcome and cure is dictated by God, so every morning before leaving home I pray to god to make all my angioplasty procedures go well and that no harm comes to any patient, and when the day is over I thank god for making the procedures go well and pray for my patients. God protects beyond skill and science – I am thoroughly convinced about it,’’ he said.
Dr Govind Nandkumar, the Bengaluru doctor who recently made news for ditching his car in traffic and running 3 kilometres to perform surgery speaking about his relationship with his profession and patients said that a doctor always hopes that he is able to give his best to the patient.
“Besides the obvious implication of my run I hope through this I am able to bring back the `trust’ in doctor-patient relationship. At the soul of the medical profession is trust and services and we as doctors work hard to give the best of whatever we have to our patients,’’ he said.
Professor of Neurosurgery Department at AIIMS-Delhi Deepak Kumar Gupta, who was part of the team that conducted India’s only successfully separation of craniopagus twins from Odisha — Jagga and Balia — in a 20-hour-long surgery on the conjoined twins from Odisha, said that the act of shaving patient’s hair before brain tumour surgery reminds him of Rishikesh Ghats where the first mundane of children are done.
“And it is with this feeling of divine-by-my-side that I approach all my surgeries. I enjoy doing surgeries under awake conditions wherein I am talking to my patient while I am taking out their brain tumours. Patients’ safety and curing them of their ailments is my passion,’’ said Dr. Gupta.
For senior orthopedic surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals Dr. Yash Gulati his operation theater is his temple and patients as a representative of God. “Patient safety is my ‘dharma’, he said.
Besides divine interventions and duty-call, some doctors swear by the meticulous preparations. Dr. Srinivas Rajkumar T, consultant, psychiatrist, Gericare, Chennai said that he has a mental checklist that helps him avoid omissions. `”Just before a patient leaves the table particularly after OPD visits this rough mnemonic (MIND) — medicine dose, interactions / comorbidities, suicide risk and date for next review along with do’s and don’ts — helps me,’’ he said..
Dr. D. Dinesh Kumar, consultant dermatologist, Chennai and honorary secretary general, Indian Association of Dermatologist, Venereologists & Leprologists (IADVL) states that while he had no ritual, luck charm, or prayer the “formula” he swears by is to establish a good rapport with patients.
“Also before starting any treatment I ask myself whether this would be the same treatment, I would provide my near ones. That is my go to mantra,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, WHO states that avoidable injury and harm in health care systems, with a focus on ending unsafe medication practices and medication errors is the need of the hour. It adds that unsafe medication practices and errors can cause significant disability and death.