Hospital death and crisis management
Last week I wrote about the finding at San Francisco General of the body of a patient who had been missing for almost two weeks. Since then, the team at SF General has done an excellent job of managing the crisis. Here are some of the key lessons:
- Show empathy. Displaying empathy with the victim and her family is crucial and it must be sincere. In this case, the chief medical officer was visibly moved when he said, "What happened at our hospital is horrible. We are here to take care of patients, to heal them, to keep them safe. This has shaken us to our core. Our staff is devastated."
- Avoid speculation. The hospital has resisted the temptation to guess what might have occurred. Representatives have provided the facts they have available but have not offered explanations or theories based on supposition.
- Be transparent. The hospital has launched its own internal investigation and is fully cooperating with investigations by the police and sheriff departments, state health authorities, and an independent review ordered by the Mayor's Office. The chief medical officer has stated, "Quality patient care and patient safety is my top responsibility and I am committed to getting to the root cause of this tragedy."
- Be proactive. The hospital has already made immediate changes to its protocols. The alarm on stairwell doors like the one used by the patient has been changed to require a manual reset. If the alarm sounds near a patient care area, nursing staff take an immediate census of their unit and sheriff's deputies conduct an immediate search of the stairwell. The stairwells are now inspected on a daily basis.
By demonstrating genuine empathy and making immediate changes to prevent a reoccurrence, San Francisco General was successful in changing the story from a front page scandal to one that is reported on in a measured and responsible way. The story is not forgotten and there are still the results of the various investigations to face and no doubt a lawsuit but the hospital has managed to limit the damage to its reputation and preserve the trust of the public.