M&M

M&M is a medical term for conferences where you discuss patients that
had bad outcomes (usually death, about the worst outcome you could think
of) and it's something that I was dreading having to do in the
hospital. It is one of those things where it is very easy to feel
defensive and attacked, especially if you were involved in the care of
the patient who turned out badly. Certainly most American residents
have very negative memories of standing up in front of a room of 50-100
people and explaining why they made a mistake, or things didn't go
well. We're required (as I found out in our most recent
inspection/visit) to have these conferences every month, so I started up
with them last month, fearing that people would be upset and defensive
and unwilling to share. What I've found, however, is that it's been a
really good forum for the senior clinical staff to come together and
discuss issues and how we can improve on patient care, with everyone
putting in a bit to the discussion. One of the really nice things about
working in a small hospital is that it's a small group of people;
although this has its downsides, overall, everyone can feel involved and
have a say in what is going on, which is very nice. And we can continue
to improve the care we give to people here at the hospital.