Get Involved – Stay Involved!
Peter B. Angood, MD, FCCM
It is my distinct privilege to be able to serve as president of SCCM. I promise to make the personal commitments necessary for 2005 to become another exciting and dynamic year for the organization. Thank you for participating and being an integral part of SCCM as each of you is the foundation providing us with many of the ideas, the energy and the inspiration to change. This is an open organization that allows you to get involved and to stay involved. Try it!
The Right Organization for Right Now!
The ongoing development of SCCM remains impressive as this vibrant society continues with its expanding influence on national and international healthcare. The scope of activity for SCCM, through the integrity of our programs and the commitment to excellence in our products, has continued to broaden and the opportunity for collaboration with other organizations has continued to expand. SCCM has progressively developed a sophisticated strategic planning program and the functions of Council have become refined in their focus as an oversight board of directors. Many of these successes are related to the outstanding commitment from you, the SCCM volunteers and membership, but we must also recognize that the entire staff at SCCM has continued to work wonders in terms of providing high caliber management and program development initiatives from which the organization has clearly benefited. It is the right organization for critical care – right now!
The Right Care, Right Now™!
Providing high quality clinical care while simultaneously maintaining the focused energy necessary for successful education strategies and productive research programs across the healthcare continuum remains a significantly difficult core set of issues worldwide. Unfortunately, access to the various resources for optimal clinical care, education and research are subject to intense pressures such as changing business and economic models in healthcare, a continued shrinkage of the human resource pool of trainees and the ongoing maldistribution of healthcare providers who are often administering care in aging physical plants. There is also consideration required for reassessing education strategies so that truly safe team-oriented patient care becomes predominant in our institutions and practice environments.
For this to occur, the persistent “silo-effect” of health care education will need to be transitioned to new models of integrated, multiprofessional educational strategies that reach across multiple departments, schools and institutions while also utilizing advanced technology and cutting edge education principles. Research funding on an international level has improved in recent years but further redevelopment, solicitation and channeling of funds from traditional and novel sources is still essential in order for continued successes to occur for the next generations in health care research. Despite the challenges, this also means that there are numerous opportunities for each and every one of us.
The Society has launched the Right Care, Right Now™ campaign to highlight the importance for each of us to make the commitment for providing our optimal efforts at all times so that patients and families will benefit from these personal commitments continuously. Please be involved with the Right Care, Right Now™ always.
Soon Is Not a Time and Some Is Not a Number!
This clarification of terms was delineated during the recent challenge from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Don Berwick during the rollout for the “Save 100,000 Lives” campaign that is now under way through June 2006. The importance of critical care medicine in this campaign is the recognition that five of the six primary campaign components are critical care-related. These components include: optimal acute myocardial infarction management, the prevention of ventilator-acquired pneumonia, adoption of measures to prevent central venous line infections, the prevention of adverse drug events and the initiation of medical response teams to prevent patients sustaining complete cardiopulmonary arrest during routine hospitalization. The sixth is prevention of surgical site infections.
The Society is a proud supporter of the IHI campaign and we encourage each of you to approach your hospital and healthcare system leadership groups to become aware of this important initiative. If you cannot obtain full-scale support for initiatives from your administration, remember that small group efforts are often equally effective and you can still make a difference. Get something started because soon is not a time and some is not a number. The Society's Right Care, Right Now campaign is one way to support the IHI initiative since the multiprofessional team approach optimizes care for patients and ensures excellence and consistency in the delivery of critical care services.
You Can Make a Difference
This is an organization on the move. The timing for initiating large-scale change is ideal because the profile of critical care within healthcare has never been more prominent. The impetus for change in the critical care sector of healthcare is happening on many levels and SCCM is clearly at the forefront. We are making a difference and the SCCM leadership is intent on maximizing this current healthcare climate for the benefit of patients, families and providers involved with critical care medicine. You can make a difference – take the time to refocus your perspectives on critical care, consider how to involve others for initiating change and then take the steps to make a difference. There are many, many providers who want to work with you and you may find it easier to connect with others than you imagined. The Society is here to provide the framework and the support for your efforts. Please let us know how we can help you make this difference.