A senior consultant in Delhi told me this story.
A driver does not look out of the window while driving. He sees things on and around the road, which can interfere with his driving. Old doctors are like drivers when they manage things in the hospital. A lot of things are going on at the time, which are looked at by many people, but seen by a very few.
"Who has put that saline bottle on the sterile trolley?"
"It is the trainee nurse from another institute, Sir."
"Its outer surface is unsterile. Now the whole trolley is contaminated. We cannot use it for any patient. If we do, there will be infection. How come no one saw it?"
No answer.
On another occasion, "See that syringe on the trolley?"
"Yes, Sir. It is of local anesthetic solution, for an episiotomy."
"How do you know it contains local anesthetic?"
"It has a label on it."
"But labels are not sterile. So now the trolley is contaminated. Our patients deserve better, don't you think?"
"Yes, Sir."
"If they label a syringe, it must be prepared well in advance. That means there must be more of them."
Yes,Sir. There they are."
Indeed, there was a tray with twenty loaded syringes, all of them proudly bearing the label 'lignocaine'.
"How come no one notices this? Though these are meant to be used during surgery, they cannot be used for that purpose. Their outer surface is not sterile."
No answer.
One would think the eyesight starts failing as age advances. It must be paradoxical that older doctors see many things that others probably look at and forget they looked, never seeing the consequences.
Or is it life in a fast lane, with no time to see anything? But then, drivers in Formula 1 races are in very fast lanes, and still they have to see things if they have to survive. Our lanes are relatively slower, but involve many more lives than in those races.
It must be the curse of old age, when one has to see things which trouble a mind that would rather be at peace.
A driver does not look out of the window while driving. He sees things on and around the road, which can interfere with his driving. Old doctors are like drivers when they manage things in the hospital. A lot of things are going on at the time, which are looked at by many people, but seen by a very few.
"Who has put that saline bottle on the sterile trolley?"
"It is the trainee nurse from another institute, Sir."
"Its outer surface is unsterile. Now the whole trolley is contaminated. We cannot use it for any patient. If we do, there will be infection. How come no one saw it?"
No answer.
On another occasion, "See that syringe on the trolley?"
"Yes, Sir. It is of local anesthetic solution, for an episiotomy."
"How do you know it contains local anesthetic?"
"It has a label on it."
"But labels are not sterile. So now the trolley is contaminated. Our patients deserve better, don't you think?"
"Yes, Sir."
"If they label a syringe, it must be prepared well in advance. That means there must be more of them."
Yes,Sir. There they are."
Indeed, there was a tray with twenty loaded syringes, all of them proudly bearing the label 'lignocaine'.
"How come no one notices this? Though these are meant to be used during surgery, they cannot be used for that purpose. Their outer surface is not sterile."
No answer.
One would think the eyesight starts failing as age advances. It must be paradoxical that older doctors see many things that others probably look at and forget they looked, never seeing the consequences.
Or is it life in a fast lane, with no time to see anything? But then, drivers in Formula 1 races are in very fast lanes, and still they have to see things if they have to survive. Our lanes are relatively slower, but involve many more lives than in those races.
It must be the curse of old age, when one has to see things which trouble a mind that would rather be at peace.
