Albert is Medical Director of Digestive Health at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and a member of the editorial board of Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News.
Sharing brief safety stories at the beginning of our leadership meetings has been a great way to reinforce safety in patient care. The other day, I was asked to provide my own safety story: a story demonstrating a failure of sorts followed by a somewhat miraculous recovery where people come together in best practice to address it. Ultimately, the group will take a deep breath, sigh and reflect on the event. The team will regroup and figure out long-term solutions, continuing on with their workgroup’s usual agenda. And a round of applause for everyone involved.
This safety story is a little bit different. Prior to COVID-19, colonoscopy was the standard of care. Fecal immunochemical tests were of modest use, although useful nonetheless. The process appeared seamless.