The nurse grabs me. “You have to check my patient now! She is screaming and bearing down.” Without letting go of my hand, she leads me into the labor room. I don’t even consider saying no, I know not to question this nurse. She has been a labor and delivery nurse nearly as long as I have been alive — she knows much more than I about everything.
Patient centricity is a central philosophy and strategy for virtually all of the top 40 global pharmaceutical companies. What this means and how to achieve it, however, varies considerably.
Just a few months ago, I was privileged to speak on a panel at the American College of Cardiology conference in Orlando, FL. My panel, devoted to the benefits of plant-based diets, included prominent champions of plant-exclusive (vegan) diets.
I guess it all converges on one point: the customer. From the dry cleaners to the operating room, the goal now seems to be customer-centricity. Yes, thumbs up, four stars, and likes are today's currency of success. In a recent survey by Kaufman Hall, that examined 200 hospitals and healthcare systems, the headline was loud and clear.
Digital health should not be inspired by technology but by great people like Wendy Mitchell. When listening to health tech or innovation presentations they often use quotes by the likes of Steve Jobs, Reed Hastings who started Netflix, Joe Gebbia & Brian Chesky who started Airbnb or some other disruptive technology entrepreneur. However, we must never forget to have great people like Wendy Mitchell as our driving force, understand their lives, their hopes and fears and their everyday problems. Unsurprisingly this goes well beyond taking their medicine.
“Sorry, I’m running late… sorry, to keep you waiting…” How many times a day do I say that? Sometimes it is every time I walk into a patient’s room, as if it is a normal greeting. Sometimes patients respond with “oh, you aren’t late” or “I haven’t been waiting long.” I can be so obsessed with not being late that I don’t realize I’m actually running on time!
Without a doubt, the hardest part of practicing any type of pediatric medicine is delivering bad news to the parents. It is very common for me to inform parents that their child has renal failure, needs dialysis, and a kidney transplant. There are a lot of tears, but with reassurance, there is comfort in hope for the future.