Book Review - Ducks in a Row: Healthcare Reimagined
Ducks In A Row by Sue Robins is essential reading for healthcare leaders!
It was an inspiring book demonstrating the resilience, thoughtfulness, and authenticity that is Sue’s unique brand of storytelling. I was lucky enough to hear her at the Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) conference (if only patient/family engagement talks sold-out like Taylor Swift concerts!) and knew I needed to buy her book asap. She artfully articulates a vision that grapples with and overcomes the hesitation with which health leaders may struggle. She calls for a system rooted in humanity, designed for equity, and a system that is courageous and compassionate in equal measures.
Having had the incredible opportunity to be a hospital manager, this book resonated deeply. I am immensely proud of my work and advocacy impacting patients and caregivers, yet I cannot help but reflect on the number of phone conversations I had with caregivers where they had to step out of meetings, or pull over in their cars. Too often meeting times weren't negotiated, but rather families made sacrifices to fit into my busy schedule, underlining the systemic power imbalance, a reflection I will carry forward in my future interactions.
That said, I also coached my teams to to meet families with grace, understanding, and compassion when family came with criticism or advocacy. I was determined that families, who have had to advocate every step of the way, would be find themselves in a safe and understanding environment when they came to us. I was lucky enough to have a team that was already miles ahead on this issue!
A few other takeaways:
- Leaders need to advocate for appropriate patient/ family partner compensation for work done. After reading the Globe and Mail article on travel nursing this weekend, I’m confident that healthcare can find the money to pay families for their time, their expertise, and reduce the power gap in the system. Provinces ask hospitals to report on patient engagement in their mandatory public Quality Improvement Plan, they should be funding them to do this work meaningfully.
-I encourage all organizations to look to caregivers and their organizations who have done the incredible work of building a roadmap (and even a community of practice!), to help your teams learn from other like-organizations undertaking authentic engagement! If you haven’t started an hashtag#EssentialCarePartner program at your organization, what are you waiting for?! This evidence, and care-partner, informed approach will help your teams see care partners differently, help care partners see themselves differently, and help us build a health system that works for all members of the health team! The Ontario Caregiver Organization is a great leader in this space!
