In life and work, there is generally pressure to “stack up”. We feel as if there is something wrong with us if, for example, our work, our outcomes, our department, our engagement scores aren’t at top quartile or top decile, we feel the pressure. The list could go on forever.
In healthcare, we have an oath: Do No Harm.
When we cause harm, such as a UTI, ulcer, or another type of infection because we didn’t either clean the room correctly, wash our hands, the dishwaters wasn’t the right temperature: we leave the patient vulnerable. But that isn’t the real issue; it’s that we broke trust. The patient trust us when they choose to come to us for care. The physician trust us to provide safe care. The family trusts us to take care of their loved ones–our teams trust us to do no harm. We break trust when we cause harm.
There are at least 17 Bible versus about trusting God because He’s always there for us. Psalm 28:7 states, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song, I give thanks to him.”
Sweet: when we put our faith in God, He will find ways to return that trust. He will guide us and protect us.
What a great example. When our patients put their trust in us, we are their shield. We return that trust with “do no harm” care! While doing this, we tap into our values, be brilliant, be love, be a force for good. When we “do no harm”, we stack up.