We organized a case conference to discuss a very complex case with a team of doctors, nurses, dietitians, a bio-ethisist and our team at RCM Health Consultancy.
The MRP ( most responsible physician) led the discussion. When our team led by Raymond Rupert, patient advocate, challenged an assumption about the patient’s diagnosis, he pushed back.
His challenge was framed in a question. Have you seen and examined the patient?
What he did not understand in this challenge was that our role was not to be treating doctors.
Our role in organizing this case conference was to take on the very important role of providing “Quality Control”.
What we discovered in this case conference was that there was no coherent plan to either investigate or treat this complex patient.
This could only be unpacked by reviewing the actions of the member’s of the patient’s treating team.
The role of the advocate in providing “Quality Control” is essential.
The error rate in hospitals is 25 to 30%.
If the advocate is able to prevent a mistake (s) then the effort is justified.
Raymond Rupert, patient advocate and healthcare consultant.