The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 693 Conquer Jiang Tao

(Thanks to book friend 20170517180308746 and others for their monthly ticket encouragement.)

"Well, President Liu, a rare visitor indeed! Just count the days yourself—how long has it been since you last visited our proctology department?" Guan Wei called out enthusiastically when he saw Liu Banxia wandering over.

"Brother Guan, spare me, will you? This is an emergency! Is Director Jiang in?" Liu Banxia asked.

"I knew it. If you show up here, it’s always for something important. The director is in surgery, but he should be finishing up soon. It’s a high-anal fistula with three tracts," Guan Wei replied.

"That’s good. I’ll wait here for a bit. So, how’s business been after the New Year? Pretty good, right? All that rich food and alcohol must have sent plenty of people your way, huh?" Liu Banxia asked.

"It’s always busiest around this time of year and again at the beginning of autumn; that’s when we see more patients," Guan Wei replied with a smile.

"Just like you said, this time of year, it’s usually because people have been indulging in greasy food and alcohol. When autumn starts, the weather cools down, and people are less inclined to endure discomfort."

"Actually, that timing isn’t ideal. Our wards have air conditioning, so why fear the heat? In autumn, the body tends to be drier and more prone to inflammation, which actually hinders recovery."

"Spoken like a true veteran proctologist. You’ve hit the nail on the head," Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

"Don’t flatter me. What’s up? Are you here about the associate director position?" Guan Wei asked curiously.

Liu Banxia shook his head. "I’ll leave that to fate. The decision isn’t mine alone; it’s in the hands of many others. I’ve done my best, and that’s all I can do."

"Actually, I’m here to discuss the teaching and training work with Director Jiang. Regardless of whether I become associate director, I’m currently assisting Director Zhou with reforming the teaching and training program, and we need to make some progress."

"You know Director Zhou’s temper. He often just looks at the results. If there’s no effect, I’m finished. He’ll definitely give me the silent treatment, and who can stand that?"

"Haha, in our hospital, I reckon only Chief Director Zhou can keep you in line," Guan Wei said with a smile.

"Director Jiang mentioned it at dinner yesterday, but you should talk to him about it directly. I won’t get involved."

"What’s wrong? Can’t you give me a little inside information?" Liu Banxia asked.

Guan Wei shook his head. "This is a matter for the leadership. Anything I say might mislead you. So, it’s better if you discuss it directly with Director Jiang later. I won’t meddle."

"Really, now. Even a small hint would be fine. The main thing is, if changes are made, it will definitely affect the attending doctors’ working hours and intensity. What’s your personal take on that?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Personally, of course, I’d prefer less work. Don’t expect me to have that much of a spirit of dedication. You know very well how intense our daily workload is," Guan Wei said bluntly.

"Sigh... that’s exactly what I’m struggling with. It’s bound to conflict with everyone’s interests, but I can’t find a better way for everyone to guide interns more without taking up too much of their time," Liu Banxia said.

"But this seems to be a fundamental conflict that’s impossible to reconcile. Unless a truly effective teaching and training method is developed, I won’t be able to achieve the results I’m hoping for."

"Banxia, what are you trying to stir up now?"

Just as Liu Banxia finished speaking, Jiang Tao’s voice came from the doorway.

"Director Jiang, you’re off surgery. You should get some rest," Liu Banxia said.

"Showing such concern out of the blue usually means you’re up to something. Is this about the reform of the teaching and training program?" Jiang Tao asked.

Liu Banxia nodded frankly. "The teaching and training work is one thing. Separately, I also wanted to talk to you about what ideas you have for the future of our proctology department."

"Tsk, tsk, you’ve even learned to play offense now. Not bad. Go on, why are you asking me this? What are you planning to stir up this time?" Jiang Tao teased.

"Director Jiang, I remember you once had a little dream: to build our Second Hospital’s Proctology Department into one that could rival specialized hospitals. Am I right?" Liu Banxia asked.

Jiang Tao nodded. "I did have that thought. But there’s a major prerequisite: you have to join our proctology department. Without you, how could it happen?"

"Your surgical skills are excellent; you can handle even some complex anal fistulas very well. And your dressing change technique is so effective, it’s bound to outshine other hospitals."

"Director Jiang, you’re praising me too much. I alone can’t make it happen. While I have some skill in changing dressings, it doesn’t mean it’s completely painless when I do it," Liu Banxia said, shaking his head.

"It’s just that the pain when I change dressings is less than patients expect, which creates that illusion. How could it not hurt? After all, we’re dealing directly with the wound."

"You’re being unusually modest. Bringing this up now, do you have something in mind?" Jiang Tao asked curiously.

Liu Banxia nodded. "I do have a small idea. I was wondering if we could implement some intensive training on dressing change techniques?"

"Actually, from a medical skill perspective, I don’t think your department is any worse than specialized hospitals. The reason we’re not as famous is mainly because they *are* specialized hospitals, so more patients seek them out by reputation."

"Moreover, while anorectal diseases have some chance of recurrence, the rate isn’t very high. This means many patients don’t get the ’opportunity’ to experience different hospitals repeatedly."

"Then there’s another group of patients who, after surgery, when they tell others about it, tend to forget our attentive service and only remember the pain of the dressing changes."

"Actually, this is something I’ve been thinking about recently. A patient’s entire treatment journey in the hospital starts from admission and ends with discharge."

"Admission, diagnosis, treatment, and discharge—these four parts are all crucial. A mistake in any single part can lead to a poor outcome, even if the surgeon’s skill is excellent. Yet, what happens? People often only remember the surgeon and overlook the entire medical process."

"Sounds like you’re getting to the good stuff. Go on," Jiang Tao said.

"Before I continue, I’d also like to talk about a key difference between public and private hospitals," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Private hospitals may often have their issues, but in terms of service, they far surpass us. The fundamental difference is their staff earn higher salaries and they see fewer patients."

"We, on the other hand, have lower salaries and more patients. One consequence of this is that it’s very difficult to improve service quality."

"It’s not that our staff lack a service mindset, but after a full day’s work, how can one not get irritable? Forget others; even I find it hard to keep a smile on my face constantly."

"Actually, these are all well-worn issues. To improve service quality, the hospital has supervision from the medical affairs department. If a complaint is filed, an investigation follows, and often a small fine is deducted."

"Even if an appeal is successful and no money is deducted, it still sours one’s mood. This is also an intractable problem because we medical staff possess specialized knowledge, while patients are, well, patients—they don’t understand as much as we do."

"Having spent some time in your department and changed dressings for patients here, I feel that sometimes, patients’ requests are quite simple. They just want to be a bit more comfortable and feel more at ease during their hospital stay."

"During consultations, we should carefully consider the necessity of instrument-based examinations. When patients don’t quite understand, if we explain a bit more, most of them will accept it."

"In the treatment process, the one thing in your department that needs particular attention is dressing changes. If we could improve the patient’s experience with dressing changes even slightly, I believe it would significantly boost our proctology department’s reputation."

"It’s often said, ’Better the front lines of war than a proctology hospital.’ The suffering is something only those who’ve been through it can truly know. If we can alleviate their pain even a little, it would feel like a whole different level of relief to them. This is absolutely the fastest way to enhance our department’s reputation."

"You’ve been beating around the bush all this time just to say this? Spit it out," Jiang Tao said.

"To put it directly, in our proctology department, surgery is the primary skill, and dressing changes are an auxiliary skill," Liu Banxia said.

"But nowadays, all surgical departments tend to overemphasize surgical skills and neglect other aspects. While it’s true that a surgeon’s skill plays a huge role in the success of an operation, we can’t ignore everything else."

"I believe the next step for our proctology department’s teaching and training program could be to focus on improving dressing change techniques. This way, not only can interns master certain skills, but it will also enhance the proctology department’s reputation—a win-win situation."

"Furthermore, improving dressing change skills could also be beneficial during surgery. I’ve experienced this myself; even a slight improvement in manual dexterity helps."

"You’ve praised my hands before. Even if I have a bit of natural talent, in our line of work, can anyone succeed without diligent practice?"

"Of course, this will undoubtedly increase everyone’s workload. Especially in the early stages, it might even have the opposite effect. But I believe if we truly succeed, the number of patients seeking treatment at our proctology department in the future will definitely not decrease."

"It will be tiring, yes, but considering the potential for increased bonuses, I think it’s worth it. This is just a small idea I had, and I wanted to run it by you."

"You... you... you certainly have your little schemes, don’t you?" Jiang Tao pointed out playfully.

"You claim it’s for the benefit of our proctology department, but it’s really about reforming the teaching and training program. Still, I have to admit, you’ve made some valid points."

"However, this is a significant undertaking. I’ll need to think it over carefully and also consult with everyone else. We should support your work where we can, but we also have to be realistic about what we can manage."

"Director Jiang, hearing you say that warms my heart," Liu Banxia said earnestly.

They had known each other for a long time. Although their paths didn’t cross very often, whenever Liu Banxia faced any trouble, Jiang Tao was always there to help him out. That was true camaraderie.