Highly Qualified Toxic Culture Syndrome

I was in a hospital board room recently presenting several amazing innovations that will make a difference in healthcare. The group in attendance were all highly qualified individuals in Infection Prevention and Control. Unfortunately, there existed a dark cloud of negative culture that permeated the room and immediately suffocated the positive message that I was there to present. The audience offered a continuous stream of dismissive responses, not based on the merits of the innovations, but on their own pre-conceived notions of who gets access to their boardroom.

This isn’t the first time that I have experienced the phenomenon of “highly qualified” toxic culture syndrome, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Talk to anyone in the healthcare industry about collaborating and engaging with the “highly qualified” professionals out there and you quickly come to agreement that there is a culture of self-protection, cronyism and an inability to embrace new ideas and engage with 'outsiders'. There is an air of disdain when someone challenges 'the way things are done' or presents a novel approach.

These people are the gatekeepers to the institution. In an era when innovation is demanded for serious problems like antimicrobial resistance and infection prevention, these gatekeepers have a responsibility to objectively listen to new ideas, to honestly assess whether or not the idea has merit, to do their own research and to provide candid, meaningful feedback.

It should be noted that their role is critically important and demanding; they are often overworked and challenged by enormous demands and expectations. The gatekeepers in healthcare, therefore, naturally gravitate to trusted and familiar sources of information and professional groups.

We all share the goal of an improved state of healthcare, regardless of where we are in the world or whether the system is public or private. We all must make an effort to embrace new concepts, to nurture promising ideas and to engage with the innovators, even if they come from a place outside of the familiar channels. The issue that I present of Highly Qualified Toxic Culture Syndrome and the gatekeepers that abide by it is not unique. History shows us that we don’t have to look to far back to remember that Ignaz Semmelweis' ideas were rejected by the medical community. The gatekeepers of his era noted that hand hygiene findings were nothing new and benefits were unrelated to outcomes. Many doctors of the time were offended by the notion that they should wash their hands.

If you are a gatekeeper, did you see yourself in this assessment? The last time you were presented with a new idea, did you take the time to listen? Did you disarm them with a smile, or corner them with negativity? Were you Positive? Embracing? Objective? Or were you negative? Dismissive? Did you provide valuable feedback to improve on the idea presented? Were you honest?

Our mandate is to seek out innovations that will make a difference and to help provide rapid scientific evidence of their claims. We are a 100% volunteer organization (www.IC.tips); no one gets paid for what we do. We all firmly believe that antibiotic resistance is a global threat that affects us all and that, by 2050, more people may die from antibiotic resistance than cancer.

This is our call to action. If you're minding the gate, please answer the call.

One person can make a difference, and everyone should try. – JFK