Put the patient in the room, always

There used to be a time when, in a meeting to discuss the safety of healthcare, someone would stand up and say indignantly “We have been discussing safety all day and no one has used the word ‘patient’, not even once.” Everyone would smile ruefully and acknowledge the oversight. But everyone stayed within their comfort zone—no threat, no challenge to attitudes, beliefs or practice. Then came a time when, in such a gathering, a doctor, nurse or chief executive officer would relate the experience of a patient that they knew or had heard of. It would always enrich a discussion and provide insights. But everyone was still in a comfort zone. There was no challenge and little emotion. It was all too tidy. The true, authentic patient experience was the elephant in the room. No one wanted to face the painful reality that medical errors caused tragedies that robbed families of their future.

Today we are in an era when in some gatherings (and especially the most enlightened ones) the patient or their family members are in the room. They tell their own stories, relate their own experiences, recount their own emotions. This moves outside the comfort zone. There is challenge. It can be uncomfortable. It can be raw. It can be emotional, sometimes confrontational. Those who create opportunities for this direct dialogue with patients and their families do not always have the gratitude of their colleagues. They …