M&M

On the last day of family medicine, I attended M&M grand rounds in the morning. M&M stands for morbidity and mortality and refers to a traditional conference discussing patients in whom complications or errors happened. These grand rounds function as peer reviews of difficult situations, a confidential forum to debrief, and a learning atmosphere to improve health outcomes. Though they may sound morbid to the public, they are an important part of quality regulation and improvement in hospitals.

I found M&M rounds to be a really great experience. The case presented was a life-threatening condition presenting with untypical symptoms. I found it to be enormously educational listening to the thought process of the team and identifying the lapses in judgment that lead to the poor outcome. I can't share any more specifics as M&M is really a confidential setting, but I think it's a fundamentally critical part of any hospital.

Our final exam was an easy short answer test dealing with common chronic conditions, not a shelf exam. Then afternoon clinic, and one rotation down, five more to go.