Mistakes

“Curmudge, I’m sure you have forgotten, but back on February 19, 2009 you mentioned that because of necessary fallibility people will always make errors. That sounds like a default alibi for screw-ups. Have we learned any more about why people make mistakes?”

“First of all, Jaded Julie, I do recall our discussion; it’s things like yesterday’s events that I tend to forget. I found a book, Why We Make Mistakes (1), that I hoped would provide all the answers, but we already know much of its contents. Fortunately, however, it contains a few gems of knowledge worth sharing, and the author backs up his assertions with 33 pages of bibliography.”

“Okay, armchair psychologist, why do people make mistakes?”

“People try to do too many things at the same time. Sure you can pat your head and rub your tummy, but you can’t make two conscious decisions simultaneously.”

“Gosh, Curmudge, I know people who can’t even make one decision ‘simultaneously.’”

“So if you think you are good at multitasking, think again. Tasks interfere in our brain. Within 15 seconds after starting a new problem, we have forgotten the old one.”

“Wow! Think how difficult it must be for the ED physician who sees several patients in rapid succession and then has to cycle back to an earlier one after receiving lab or x-ray results. I know they have to do that because it’s on Board exams.”

“It’s even more difficult for us older folks. We can’t shift the gears in our brain rapidly, our reaction time is slower, and our visual field is often narrower. This can be especially challenging while driving. Hopefully, senior citizens have enough wisdom not to drive while using a cell phone.”

“I have long suspected that your brain had a manual transmission, Curmudge. This must be what you call a ‘senior moment.’ A ‘senior 5 minutes’ might be more descriptive.”

“Here’s an observation that I know from experience. Meaningless things are hard to remember. It’s harder to learn Arabic, with its own alphabet, than it is to learn French, Italian, or German, which have many cognates (words similar to English). Medical students learn parts of the body in the correct sequence by putting them into a mnemonic. Here’s an example for learning vertebrae subtypes: Certain Doctors Luv Sad Coeds. Cervical, Dorsal, Lumbar, Sacrum, Coccyx.”

“Thank goodness there are workarounds like that for some of our brain’s limitations.”

“There are some sources of mistakes that are difficult—if not impossible—to overcome. Sleep deprivation is a big one. Sleep-deprived people are prone to take risks; it’s almost as bad as driving while intoxicated. All too often health care workers work multiple and changing shifts that leave them sleep-deprived and with their circadian rhythm disturbed. Errors made under these conditions are not uncommon.”

“Recall your college days, Curmudge, when you never got enough sleep and you seemingly always had a cold?”

“The only way to survive that kind of life is to be young, and the only way to cure it is to graduate.”

“We’ve listed several sources of hard-to-avoid mistakes but not many reliable countermeasures. Should we discuss this further next time?”

“Good idea, Julie. If I don’t oversleep, I’ll be here.”

Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon.

(1) Hallinan, Joseph T. Why We Make Mistakes (Broadway Books, 2009)

Check out the latest posting in Curmudge and Jaded Julie’s personal blog, Curmudgeon’s Wastebasket.