Day 42 in Abu Dhabi
Work starts next Tuesday. I hope my medical knowledge has not faded away completely by then.
I attended my grandmother’s ERCP the other day. It was unplanned as I thought the procedure was already done when I made it into the hospital. I was allowed in the endoscopy room and looked very comical in traditional attire, a surgical mask and an xray shield. No wonder Kandourah is not part of the formal doctor’s wear in this country. I was surprised to learn that they perform around 4000 endoscopies including 1200 ERCP’s every year in Mafraq hospital (that’s a large number) and that they have one of the most advanced endoscopy units in the region and receive referrals from all over the GCC and occasionally Europe.
“If I ran a hospital, I would have the same standard that Disney has. You never pass another individual in the hallways without greeting that person with a smile. I would expect every manager to role model that behaviour and require it of everyone in the department. Avoidance must be considered a violation of the organization’s culture, because with each avoidance we have a missed opportunity for the little courtesies that add up to an overall perception of a cheerful, friendly place”
My favourite book for the moment is: “If Disney Ran Your Hospital” which perhaps should be an essential pre-requisite read for every hospital administrator anywhere in the world. In fact, the concepts outlined in it are broad enough to work for any organization. Its elegantly divided into 10 chapters:
If Disney ran your hospital, you will:
- 1.Redefine your competition and focus on what can’t be measured
- 2.Make courtesy more important that efficiency
- 3.Regard patients satisfaction as Fool’s Gold
- 4.Measure to improve, not to impress
- 5.Decentralize the authority to say yes
- 6.Change the concept of work from service to theatre
- 7.Harness the motivating power of imagination
- 8.Create a climate of dissatisfaction
- 9.Cease using competitive monetary reward to motivate people
- 10.Close the gap between knowing and doing.
September 20th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Sounds like a very interesting book from the paragraph u cited .. and it seems to talk about communication skills we, Arabs, often do .. such behavior has been lost in the western population. that’s why they just started in the recent few years to teach ethics and communication skills as an essential in their medical schools. I always found ethics & communication skills two of the easiest subject since most of what we learn is what we usually do and been taught by our families.
Good luck with your start next Tuesday =)
September 21st, 2007 at 9:27 am
super sorry this is a tad late but i do want to wish you a blessed rmthaaan. mbrook 3aleek ilshahr..allah y3oodh 3aleena w 3aleekom fe 97a o 3afyih.. w mwafag lil5air dayman inshalla (=
September 21st, 2007 at 10:27 am
Sugar, THANKS :)
the book is not exactly about communication skills but more about management and organization cultures that promote growth. It really is a nice read.
fashionista, thanks you, may your ramadhan be blessed and all your sins washed away. w taqabbal allah 6a3atkom.
September 21st, 2007 at 1:50 pm
I came across this book and as I remember the first chapter speaks about the author’s experience in a hospital in Florida that is run by Disney. It teaches the staff valuable concepts such as being “aggressively friendly” with others and smile all the time. It is an interesting book. Good choice.
September 25th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
today is tuesday, I wish you all the good luck : )
sounds very interesting book, do you know wvere can I find an online copy??
September 28th, 2007 at 3:22 am
the only point i don’t get is no.8, create a climate of DISsatisfaction?!
September 29th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
BOB, thats true, it introduces few revolutionary concepts in healthcare. so it sorts of rattles the common held believes of medical managements. its a good book all in all..
Droubi, unfortunatily its not available in UAE. i had to borrow it off a friend who bought it from the US.
Nadd, dissatisfaction with the services among your staff - so that they improve them. Once you tell your staff that you achieved perfection, there is very litlte room for improvement. basically.
October 5th, 2007 at 10:32 am
oh ok..now it makes sense!