Case studies in learning from our mistakes

Case studies in learning from our mistakes

In the wisdom of Aesop (620-564 BC), it is better to learn through the mistakes of others than through your own. As clinicians and teachers we have found that we learn a great deal from the times we have made errors, and in this chapter we present case studies of our mistakes as lessons. These lessons are not the only, or perhaps even the most important, lessons of clinical practice, but they are ours. We have learned deeply because we own the errors, and integrate what we have learned into our work. It was Billy Joel who sang Tm not the only one who's made mistakes, but they're the only things I can truly call my own'. In this chapter we encourage all clinicians, particularly young practitioners, to see the value and importance of their mistakes. Do not 'bury them', as we often jest in medical circles, but admit them, study them, learn from them, and own them. In this chapter, as in Chapter 10, we write personal tales and tell stories using individual voices. Also, we digress somewhat from the more structured format of Chapters 11 to 19. We have not edited out these differences in voice and style because we wish to own our stories, mistakes and all. In case studies 1 and 2 we recount clinical consultations where our mistakes were of a practical, clinical nature; an incorrect diagnosis, and a less than completely thorough clinical history. In case study 3 Dennis recalls his early days of work and reflects on his approach to skin-fold testing. To open this chapter and begin our discussion of mistakes, we consider a vignette from the field of massage, a bodywork tale that could just as easily apply to clinical exercise practice.