Cutting tasks with a conversation

Are you drowning under an increasing number of tasks? stay with me to the end and I will show you one way you might cut this list down to size

Are you drowning under an increasing number of tasks? 

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Spending more and more time ploughing into patients notes to see what a task is asking and to make a sensible plan, each step taking time, impossible to get into flow to fly through the tasks?

Well, if you stay with me to the end and I will show you one way you might cut this list down to size, and get some fringe benefits as well

Before I can do this however I think it is worth thinking about why the list of tasks seems to be growing

There are a number of reasons, fewer doctors taking on the lists of patients and the associated administration work, multidisciplinary teams - many of whom are able to deal with patients clinically but not always able to complete all of the administration generated by their inputs.

Different teams working in their own silo is another, and to my eye, it is the interface between these different teams that generates the most work. 

We lack the full understanding of how the systems and processes of the various teams we work closely with  are working.

All of the teams are drowning under their own, never ending list of tasks to be completed.

Get it off my list!

Have you noticed how we all use email for example as a way of getting tasks off our list, once it is sent it is off our list and as far as we are concerned it is done. However, whether we realise it or not, the task will have just moved onto some other unfortunate’s list!

As the GP (or practice manager) it often feels that the buck stops with us, and the task needs to be finished by you. While going through my list of tasks recently I decided to do something about it.

In order to deal properly and efficiently with all these tasks it is worth thinking about them individually and asking a few questions about whether the task actually needs to be done, and by whom, as well as what is the most efficient way to complete it.

In this short piece however I want to focus on the communication of the tasks and the effect on efficiency this has.

Text message  or a call?

Lets briefly think about two forms of communication - synchronous and asynchronous, i.e. a live conversation vs a conversation or communication sent intermittently and over a potentially prolonged period.

My point today is not that one is right and one is wrong, they both have pros and cons, for example in many patient interactions asynchronous communication such as econsults or using text messaging to simply deal with the problem at hand can let me get through it in a more rapid way than a prolonged conversation with all of the social niceties - however it is difficult in these circumstances to build rapport and appropriate continuity of care - so it is best for information exchange and acute issues only.

Tasks are another form of asynchronous communication, and when I am dealing with them one after another, I find I need to open the task, read the task, consult the patient notes, make a decision and complete the task or communicate this decision

This is of course if the task was clear and unambiguous and can be dealt with without need for further clarification. If the task was not clear it leads to a further round of reading, opening notes, and laboriously sending a further task etc

If tasks are asynchronous than a live conversation is synchronous

I am generally a big fan of having conversations or synchronous communication. It helps to build relationships and create a sense of community within the workplace. Communication is clearer, any clarification of meaning can be achieved immediately. 

The solution?

So in case you haven't guessed what I have done to address a portion of my tasks here is the big reveal: I have made a commitment to my meds management team to visit them every day I am in and to go through all of their queries with them live so we can resolve them.

This is immensely satisfying for me and I hope not too onerous for them.

The tasks get completed in a timely fashion, there is flow as they know what they are after and get it sorted immediately and any clarification required is sought and received.

It is an incredible way of boosting education - the number of things I have learned from them with regard to interactions, drug shortages and importantly their processes is incredible and will lead to further efficiencies and any clinical or experience points I am able to pass on to them is also I hope useful too.

Education flows in both directions.

If there is clinical knowledge or experience i can pass on then this is a great

By meeting at the interface other friction can be identified and oiled out and pathways improved.

If this has been helpful then please consider taking a look at my other newsletters, videos or podcasts, you can subscribe to my newsletter below.

Let me know in the comments the things in general practice getting you down so we can look at how to make them better together

See you soon

David