We cannot solve a problem by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them – Albert Einstein
Commonly referred to as “The Father of Innovation,” Albert Einstein often looked at a problem from many different angles before deciding on the best way to solve it. We like to think we practice a similar approach. In fact, our practices are rooted in the idea of positive deviance.
What is Positive Deviance?
Positive deviance is the idea that within a community, there exists a small group of individuals whose uncommon strategies or “out-of-the-box” techniques allow them to find better solutions to problems than others in the community, even though all individuals have access to the same resources and face similar challenges.
Positive deviance is a unique problem solving method that relies on looking at different ways to solve a problem. For example, let’s say a person sprains their ankle, so they decide to go to the doctor. The doctor examines the ankle and tells the patient “wear this brace and stay off your foot for 72 hours.” Sure, the sprain may heal just fine using this technique, but as we’ve talked about before, there may be an underlying issue that’s making the ankle more susceptible to sprains. We examine the condition and assess all the possible causes. While some may see a simple ankle sprain, we see loose ligaments stemming from a previous injury that occurred 10 years ago.
One person who best exemplifies the idea of positive deviance is the great Sherlock Holmes. Countless times he would examine the same clues as the Scotland Yard inspectors, yet he could piece together the puzzle as if he were in the room at the time of the crime. As Holmes once said:
“When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
Holmes’ methodology is used in many of today’s medical centers that implement positive deviance. Where Holmes used a magnifying class to examine a footprint, we use an MRI or ultrasound to see the intricate details of the puzzle.
Idea Implementation
Positive deviance has proved to be successful in the medical community. A positive deviance approach was launched in hospitals across the United States, Canada, South America and Europe to attempt to reduce the spread of hospital acquired infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evaluated the pilot program and noticed that infections had dropped 30-70% in hospitals that had adapted the approach.
Positive deviance is also being used to improve upon other hospital techniques. Studies are currently using the approach to increase the incidence of hand washing at medical facilities and to improve the care for patients immediately after they suffer a heart attack.
Our goal is to give you the best care possible and treat all your symptoms to address any issues that may be missed by other practices. To borrow a line from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
“My name is Lance Silverman. It is my business to know what other people do not.”
Related source: Wikipedia.