Thoughtful Friday It's time to leave the patient behind

When I look back, I realise that so often I completed the task, but missed the human.

Not because I didn’t care.

Not because I wasn’t trying.

Believe me, I tried.

But the system taught me... and caught me... to see the patient first.

The chart.

The numbers.

The risk.

The job to be done.

And somewhere in all of that, the person became the quietest part.

So it is time to leave the patient behind.

What is a “patient” anyway, except a role we place someone in?

Instead, let’s ask the human where they want to go.