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