Wednesday, March 18, 2009

What's all this about branding?

“Hey, Cowboy, what’s all this I’ve been hearing about branding? I don’t want to be branded; I don’t even have a tattoo.”

“Stay with me, Jaded Julie, and I’ll try to explain. So to launch our discussion, ‘what’s your brand?’”

“My father’s brand was Camels, but you know me, Curmudge, I don’t smoke. I guess I don’t have a brand.”

“Of course you do; everybody does. It’s what people who know you think of when they see you.”

“I understand, Curmudge. When people see me they think, ‘There goes Jaded Julie, a woman who is attractive, intelligent, charming, and witty despite the fact that she is wearing blue scrubs and Superclogs™.’”

“At least they are correct about the blue scrubs and Superclogs.”

“Curmudge, I always thought of a brand as a commercial thing, like Coca-Cola. When I see or hear that name I envision a cool drink in a ‘coke bottle’-shaped bottle.”

“Me too, Julie. A bottle of Coke used to cost a nickel; I’d buy one and get two straws—one for me and one for my date.”

“Get with it, Curmudge. Your mind is drifting back into the last century. Please return to the issue at hand. I’ll bet that establishing their brand cost Coca-Cola millions in advertising. Is that what all commercial organizations have to do to establish their brand?”

“No way, Julie. Roger’s Barber Shop didn’t do that, and they certainly have my brand loyalty. When I walk in the door everyone knows me, they cut my hair—the little bit that I have—like I want it, and they only charge $9.00 for ‘lucky retired guys.’ Their success is based on the personal brand—friendliness, efficiency, and professional competence—projected by each person in the shop.”

“I’ve got it, Curmudge. The corporate brand of an organization that provides services to individuals is the aggregate of the personal brands of its employees. The brand of a hospital is the combined personal brands of its doctors, nurses, housekeepers, and even its volunteers.”

“This type of corporate brand gets its power when all of the personal brands have similar attributes and are working together in phase, as scientists would say. It is everyone working together pulling in the same direction.”

“That’s a great concept, Curmudge. After all of that strenuous thinking, it’s time for us to take a Coke break. But please, may I have my own bottle?”

Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Patient Safety--Epilogue

“Do you realize, Curmudge, that we have been talking about patient safety since October 30, 2008?”

“It was inspired by Stan’s Story, Julie, which I viewed as a tragedy. Did you know that he died on December 18, 2008? It was tough to lose such a good friend. I guess that’s why I felt the need to probe the topic in such depth.”

“With so many postings on Patient Safety, it’s difficult for a reader to go back to locate the posting on a specific topic. One must scroll down…and…down to find what he is looking for. If we list the Patient Safety topics and their posting dates, the reader would at least know how far he had to scroll.”

“Good idea, Jaded Julie. Let’s do it and put the postings in reverse chronological order:”

Patient Safety—Accidents, Trauma, and Luck—3/04/09

Patient Safety—Your Lifestyle—2/26/09

Patient Safety—Human Factors—2/19/09

Patient Safety—Falls—2/12/09

Patient Safety—Infections 2—2/05/09

Patient Safety—Infections—1/29/09

Patient Safety—Communications—1/22/09

Patient Safety—Medications 2—1/14/09

Patient Safety—Medications—1/08/09

Patient Safety—Overview—12/30/08

Patient Safety Requires a Reporting Culture—12/11/08

Implementing a Culture of Safety—12/04/08

A Just Culture—11/28/08

Clashing Cultures in Patient Safety: the ‘Blame Game’ vs. the ‘Just Culture’—11/20/08

Resources for Learning about Patient Safety—11/13/08

Reliability and Patient Safety—11/06/08

Stan’s Story—10/30/08

“Four months, Curmudge! It’s hard to believe we spent that much time on patient safety. But I knew all along that you were convinced that the topic was that important.”

“I sure was, Julie. When I was much, much younger I felt that I was indestructible. All young people do. Now I know better. Life is too precious to be shortened by someone’s mistake or your own poor judgment.”

Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Patient Safety--Accidents, Trauma, and Luck

“Last week, Jaded Julie, we talked about how a healthy lifestyle might keep us out of the hospital and hopefully forestall an early demise. This week we’ll consider how to avoid accidents that might result in a visit to the hospital and possibly an untimely trip to the morgue.”

“It’s hard to imagine a stodgy old guy like you ever having been a reckless kid, Curmudge. Did you ever have any close calls?”

“I might have been the reason that my mother had prematurely gray hair. If she were alive today, she’d still be worried about me. I experienced near-drownings, car crashes, carbon monoxide poisoning, and swimming in and skating on Lake Erie, then the dirtiest lake in the world. I guess I survived because of my own foresight or resourcefulness, and in some cases, a little bit of luck. If I had miscalculated, my parents would have been devastated; I was their only child.”

“I shudder at the thought. So what is our lesson?”

“Simple, Julie. Do as I say, not as I did. Don’t follow my example of pushing the envelope. Remember that luck comes in two flavors. Don’t do things that require good luck for your survival. Maintain a cushion of safety so that if bad luck occurs, you can walk away from the experience.”

“Between the two of us, Curmudge, and with the help of Dr. G’s book that we mentioned last week, we should be able to come up with a pretty good list of do’s and don’ts:

· ‘The most common cause of death while traveling is a heart attack. Thirty percent of people who die suddenly from a heart attack have had no prior symptoms. Don’t tackle something that is beyond your present level of conditioning.’

· ‘In a car crash, deceleration forces can be so intense that your insides will try to pass through your outsides. Don’t be distracted by sight-seeing, tuning your radio, talking on a cell phone, or refereeing an altercation between the kids. Be aware of the traffic around you; the guy in the next car may have just had a fight with his wife or received his biopsy results.’

· ‘A motorcyclist is 37 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than someone in a car. Motorcyclists should strap on either a helmet or a dunce cap.’

· ‘Be aware of and avoid the hazards inherent in using lawnmowers, snowblowers, chain saws, and ladders. Virtually everyone knows someone who has sustained a serious injury in a fall from a ladder or his roof.’”

“The list could go on indefinitely, Julie. The point is that people should think about what they are doing or are about to do and use their common sense.”

“I’ve got the idea, Curmudge. I solemnly promise to give up bungee-jumping, hang-gliding, motocross (dirt bike racing), climbing mountains above the snow line, and talking on my cell phone while I am driving.”

“Except for the cell phone, Julie, you’ve never done any of those things.”

“Of course, but it sure makes it easy to give them up.”

“I think our brains are saturated with thoughts of patient safety, Julie. We may move on to a totally different topic within the next week or two.”

“I can hardly wait, Curmudge. Meanwhile, let’s go down to Omro and go skydiving.”

Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon