We came across a real and inspirational story “When the mop count did not tally” from the life of Mrs. Sudha Murty, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation and a prolific writer few days back. We thought to re-write it in our own words believing each one of us will have an opportunity to learn something from this read.
Mrs. Sudha Murty’s father was a doctor & a very popular professor of Obstetrics & gynecology. During his lectures, he used to tell stories every now and then, usually the real-life incidents in order to liven up the lectures. She once asked his father, “Why do you tell so many stories in a medical class?”
To which he replied, “If I use stories, then it’s easy for my students to understand. Moreover, one cannot hold a student’s attention for more than 45 minutes at a stretch even if the lecture is interesting. So, if I add stories, I can stretch their concentration span for up to 2 hours.”
Following was one of his stories, which actually took place in England:
An Operation Theater (OT) Nurse is considered a very responsible & powerful person in a hospital. Only senior & experienced nurses are given the post of an OT nurse.
Once a very senior surgeon was operating on a patient and the OT Nurse was on leave, the nurse who was posted to the OT on her place was a young girl of 22 who just came out of a nursing school but she was smart & good at her work.
Before starting of any surgery, nurse counts the cotton mops which is a piece of sterilized cotton gauze and tally the used & unused mops after surgery. This is strictly to prevent the possibility of a mop getting left behind in a patient’s body through oversight.
The surgery was successful and the surgeon was about to close the abdomen. In keeping with the routine, he asked the nurse if the mop count okay. If yes, give me the needle and the catgut.
Young girl counted and said, “Sorry doctor, there is a difference of one mop.”
The surgeon started searching inside the abdomen but found none. Nurse searched the OT but she too could not find the missing mop.
Both the surgeon and the nurse were concerned to which the surgeon insisted that if the mop was not found then there must have been an error in the initial count.. but the nurse was very confident and firm that she had not gone wrong.
Surgeon became impatient and said, “Let’s not waste any more time”, but the sister wouldn’t agree. Politely and firmly she said “I cannot give you the needle and catgut sir, unless I found the missing mop”
Contained in anger, Surgeon once again searched the abdomen and said in a sharp voice “I am the senior person here, I am also responsible. Now give me the needle and the catgut” but sister didn’t change her stance.
Surgeon was really angry by now and warned sister to dismiss her if she doesn’t obey his instructions.
Now the nurse was worried since she was the only earning member in her family. She was fully aware of her precarious position but still stuck to what she thought was right.
Doctor was so upset and didn’t know what to do. He looked down in frustration and to his amazement, saw the blood-soaked cotton mop lying on the floor. He was so relieved and exclaimed, “Hey, the mop is here. Now give me the – “ and before he could complete the sentence, the needle and the catgut was in his hands.
After everything was over, surgeon called the young girl, appreciated her and told her, “I am sorry that I put extra pressure on you. However, I am curious to know whether you were scared when I threatened to dismiss you. Did you not believe me when I told you that I was responsible for what happened? Under all this pressure, how could you stand your ground?”
She said hesitantly, “Sir, I merely obeyed the principle taught to me by my teacher – if the mop count is not correct, then the needle and catgut should not be given to the surgeon. When experienced teachers say something, then they must have their reasons. I just followed my teacher’s words.”
The doctor was wonder-struck and immensely pleased after hearing this.
At the end of the story, her father would say, “Each patient is precious. Be careful. If one dies, it is just one more hospital death for the doctor. But the unfortunate family, it is a permanent loss.”
AAJ Supply Chain Management
