STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN – ISSUE NO. 40

This weekend I was taking a walk in my neighborhood and saw a family at a cross walk. The parents were teaching their children to stop, look and listen before they crossed the street. These three simple words got me thinking about my world, the medical field, and how important these same words are. My first thought was of the surgical pause; how just a few years ago this was not being done, but now on every case. We stop to look at the patient to make sure everything is O.K., then proceed to listen, that we all are ready to start the case by verbally stating so and then documenting our action. The next thought that crept into my mind was, this past week, I was with a customer, helping them verify their sonic process. They elected to use our test (SonoCheck) to verify that their equipment was performing correctly. The test showed that no cavitation was taking place. The staff had stopped and looked at the results and did listen to the equipment. The equipment sounded like it was working, but, the test showed something different. The controls stated the equipment was set at the factory settings, but, something was still not working. Come to find out, something was not done properly at the time of installation and the concern was fixed. Lastly, some of the articles we have posted this week are from non-traditional sources. We some times have to stop, look and listen (or read) to gain our knowledge. Regardless where we work, OR, CSSD, Endoscopy unit or a medical device manufacturer, taking the time to stop, look and listen is still very important in what we do each day, help people. No computer program in my mind will ever replace these three simple words. I guess that everything we learned when we were in kindergarten is true. We all still need to "Stop, Look and Listen" from time to time, regardless if it is work or home life.