When your job focuses on documentation, covering your tracks isn’t so easy, and any attempt to do so just seems foolish. If the paper (or electronic) trail isn’t enough incentive to play by the rules, just remember the irreversible power of surveillance video.
Case in point: Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY, where a woman collapsed and died on the psychiatric emergency waiting room floor. She had been waiting for almost 24 hours. Thanks to a security camera, it’s all on tape—including hospital employees passing the woman in distress without a second glance.
What makes matters worse? The hospital allegedly tried to cover up the neglect. But take note, all ye who stray from truth, honesty and HIM protocol—Big Brother is watching. According to this CNN article, the woman’s medical record indicated that she had been up-and-about, while the pretty darn irrefutable (and disturbing) security tape shows otherwise. Smile, employees, you’re on “Candid Camera.”
While this is an extreme case of neglect and (lack of) ethics, it raises a whole slew of management issues: understaffing, inefficient processing, patient tracking, etc. Such problems are far too common in health care, so how are we to solve them? There are at least immediate lessons we can draw from Kings County’s scarlet record—perhaps the most important being a simple one: admit your mistakes. It’s the best way to learn, improve and—in the age of videotape—avoid a nasty mark on your reputation.