SaferPatients

All rules are made to be broken, but here are a few that, if followed, will get your patient safety initiative off to a good start…

1. Waiting until the timing is right and nothing else is going on in the hospital is another way of saying that you’re stalling. Make the timing right.

2. Don’t obsess over the powerful people who don’t get patient safety. Great ideas aren’t anointed, they spread through a groundswell of support.

3. The hard part is finishing, so enjoy the starting part. Persistence is the only magic ingredient.

4. Powerful organizations adore the status quo, so expect no help from them if your idea challenges the very thing they adore.

5. Figure out how long it will take for the safety initiative to spread through the hospital, and multiply by 4. Persistence is the only magic ingredient.

6. Be prepared for the Dip. Folks will lose some interest. Don’t worry, this is natural and you will overcome it. Persistence is the only magic ingredient.

7. Seek out apostles - People who benefit from spreading your idea, not people who need to own it.

8. Think big. Bigger than that.

9. Pick a date to start. Pick a date to see some results. Honor both. Don’t ignore either. No slippage, no extended deadlines. Persistence is the only magic ingredient.

10. Surround yourself with encouraging voices and incisive critics. It’s okay if they’re not the same people. Ignore both camps on occasion.

11. Be grateful you have the opportunity to make a lasting change in the care of your patients.

And most importantly…

Rise up to the opportunity, and do the idea justice!

Hat tip to Seth Godin for the inspiration of making this list.