Keep it simple, keep it fair

I start my morning ward rounds very early in the morning. I believe that the first rounds of the day should be the most committed ones as one can devote a lot of time to the patients. And I must say, I have been bestowed with some of the most efficient nurses and staff that make this exercise a tonic for the day ahead. The rounds incorporate a lot of clinical examination, asking questions, reviewing lab reports, assessing clinical progress, answering queries, sensitizing about the change of treatment when required, counseling etc. I have an intense inclination to see things going on in an orderly way in my hospital. I take note of every patch of dust on the floor and every cripple in bed sheets. I feel bad when a patient complains that air conditioning in his room was not working properly during the night. I feel bad when a patient tells me that he had to press the ‘Nurse Call Button’ two times before he was attended by someone. Initially, when I had started my hospital, I used to get irate with such complaints and the concerned staff had to bear the brunt. As the time passed, the number of such episodes started decreasing, and my paroxysms of anger started getting evanescent. Now I don’t easily get angered by such things. By getting angered and displaying wrath, one can never achieve an objective fully. Anger handicaps the ability to use the conscience clearly, and in healthcare sector, we just can’t let ourselves work without our conscience and insight at proper places. I have made it mandatory for all the new staff to attend an induction program. This has been in practice at my hospital much before it started in most of the corporate hospitals in India; I learned about this in details during my stints at Hong Kong in early nineties. And I have seen the benefits. People joining my organization clearly get to know what their objectives and how do they fit in a certain role; that eases my load and spares me from unnecessary worries.