(phone vibrating and ringing)
- Dr. Cunningham.
- Hello Doctor, this is Sandy Brown.
I helped prepare you for you disclosure conference.
- Oh yes.
- Well, I'm also a part of the hospital's provider
support team.
We offer emotional support to providers who've
had an adverse event.
I'd like to talk with you for a few minutes if that's okay.
- Sure, go ahead.
- Well it's best if we meet in person, Doctor,
I'd like to help you work through some of the
emotional stress I know you must be feeling.
When would be a convenient time for us
to get together and have a short conversation?
- I really appreciate the offer, but I'm doing fine.
And you know what, I'm really busy right now,
but really thank you for the phone call.
- I certainly understand a doctor's busy schedule,
but lots of physicians find it helpful to check in
and see how things are going after a stressful event
like they've had.
Sometimes this kind of stress can take a day or two
to incubate and it could be a problem
if it's not addressed early.
Now, this isn't a required meeting, but I would like to
take a few minutes of your time, at your convenience,
and tell you more about how I think I could help you.
Of course, it's up to you.
- Okay, I have a few minutes now if you'd like to meet me
in the small conference room on the third floor.
- Great, I'll be right there.
(knock on door)
- Dr. Cunningham, I'm very sorry about
what's happened to you.
I understand this is the first time you've met
with a member of our team, is that right?
- Yes, I've never needed it.
I mean, hell in 12 years I've never done anything like this.
So what do you got?
- Well, I wear several hats here at the hospital
and the hat I have on now is for the provider support team.
We offer emotional support to providers who've had
an adverse event in case they still feel anxiety
or self-doubt about what happened.
- Oh, that's right, I've heard about your group.
Oh, and by the way, thank you very much for coaching
us to tell that patient about our error.
- Thank you, I'm glad that worked out.
First of all you need to know this is not an investigation.
No report is going to be filed.
That's very important.
This is a private meeting between you and me
and it stays that way.
We know that bad things happen to the very best of us.
I've had adverse events and I know how unsettling
they can be.
I'm here because we care about your well being.
Do you have any questions about this meeting
or my role in it?
- Not yet, but go ahead.
- Well, feel free to ask questions as we talk
because I want you to participate.
We got into the medical profession because we care
about our patients.
So it bothers us when something we do harms them.
Please start by telling me how it's been for you.
- Well, then you probably know
that I almost killed a patient.
That it was my fault and hey, that's about it.
I mean, it was at the end of a long day
and I had nothing else to do--
- Well, we're not here to discuss
the details of the case, Doctor, and I'm not
gathering evidence or placing blame or fault.
I'm here for your support, so let's focus
on you emotionally.
How has this affected you?
- It's been hard.
I mean, I'm ashamed I've been using
the abbreviation for units, even though I knew
it wasn't a good idea.
I can't face my colleagues.
I mean, they must think I'm a total idiot.
It shook me, you know.
I mean, I don't know if I should even be practicing medicine
if I'm getting so careless.
And I find I'm double checking everything I do,
I'm doubting myself.
I keep on replaying this over and over in my head
and I can't turn it off.
- Something like this can really shake our self confidence,
can't it?
- Yeah it really does.
I question my knowledge.
I question my skill, my attention to detail.
I used to be able to juggle a bunch of different things
all at one, but now I question everything.
It's frustrating.
- And guilty?
- Yeah, guilty, yeah.
That's right, you said you've been through this yourself.
- And something like this can cause a great deal of stress
to say the least.
What about physical symptoms?
Lack of sleep or appetite?
- Well, I haven't been sleeping the greatest,
but I've been eating great.
I'm back at work now so I can focus more on my patients.
- And what about taking care of yourself?
I mean, most medical training doesn't tell us
how to take care of ourselves when emotional stress
like this happens.
What are you doing to lift your spirits,
to take time for you?
- I really don't have time for any of that.
- Well, let's talk about that because your needs
are important too.
Unfortunately, most of us deny self-care.
- Yeah, my friends say I do a lousy job of doing that.
- Well, it may not seem like it right now,
but you are held in high regard by everybody here
and your colleagues believe in you.
So let's see if we can work this through together.
Let's focus on slowing down and change.
I want to spend the rest of this first meeting
talking about self-care, appetite, sleep,
exercise, social outlets.
Does that sound like a good idea?
- Yeah, okay, I'll see if I can make that work.
- [Sandy] Good.