John J. Nance > Quotes

“twisted form of Omerta, the Sicilian code of silence, and frankly, it’s protected many a bad doctor and some true butchers.”
― John J. Nance, Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care

“what’s going on”
― John J. Nance, Lockout

“drunk, Carol thought. She was one of their million-mile frequent fliers who had”
― John J. Nance, Lockout

“The answers are perhaps as varied as the questions one asks, but a common theme that comes through in discussions with caregivers on the front lines and those who think a great deal about patient safety, is our failure to change our culture. What we have not done, they say, is create a “culture of safety,” as has been done so impressively in other industries, such as commercial aviation, nuclear power and chemical manufacturing. These “high-reliability organizations” are intrinsically hazardous enterprises that have succeeded in becoming (amazingly!) safe. Worse, the culture of health care is not only unsafe, it is incredibly dysfunctional. Though the culture of each health care organization is unique, they all suffer many of the same disabilities that have, so far, effectively stymied progress: An authoritarian structure that devalues many workers, lack of a sense of personal accountability, autonomous functioning and major barriers to effective communication. What is a culture of safety? Pretty much the opposite! Books have been written on the subject, and every expert has his or her own specific definition. But an underlying theme, a common denominator, is teamwork, founded on an open, supportive, mutually reinforcing, dedicated relationship among all participants. Much more is required, of course: Sensitivity to hazard, sense of personal responsibility, attitudes of awareness and risk, sense of personal responsibility and more. But those attitudes, that type of teamwork and those types of relationships are rarely found in health care organizations.”
― John J. Nance, Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care

“—you know, get going.” “Sure.”
― John J. Nance, Fire Flight: A Novel

“patient-centric is a system that discounts the power or importance of a physician’s, or a nurse’s, professional impact on patient healing. The healing relationship is multi-faceted, and as Dr. John Burroughs describes it, the relationship combines three critical components: A patient who wants to be healed, practitioners who desire to provide healing services and a healthy organization to create the optimal environment for healing. But a patient-centric hospital can neither be a care-provider’s democracy nor a loose confederation of aligned interests. Medicine now is far too complex for cottage industry methods. In fact, the ideal healing environment is one of harmonious synergy in which the hospital is the focal point of coordination and responsibility for standards, continuity and competence—as well as the means of forming and supporting the care team. The patient’s best interests, however, must be the primary and overriding center of everything the team does.”
― John J. Nance, Charting the Course: Launching Patient-Centric Healthcare

“Where in the hell did you learn to fly, Horneman? Microsoft?”
― John J. Nance, Lockout

“First Do No Harm,24”
― John J. Nance, Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care

“Acknowledge your mistakes, correct them, and go on, but take the risk of enjoying what you've got, and be brave enough to change what doesn't work.”
― John J. Nance, Orbit