For the last few months, I have shared several stories from volunteers over the years about the impact that small behavior changes have made: proper positioning of infants, hand washing between patients, turning patients to avoid bedsores, etc.
A story from Rob Mandel, MD makes me laugh each time I hear it. Dr. Mandel traveled from the US to volunteer in Vietnam. During his assignment, he found his tall stature a bit of a challenge as equipment, appropriately sized to accommodate the shorter average height of folks in the region, required him to adjust his approach. To best serve patients, he found it most convenient to kneel when performing many procedures, such as starting IVs for children. He thought nothing of it until the farewell dinner when one of the staff members noted, “He came to Vietnam and got on his knees to serve our children. We will always remember that!”
As Dr. Mandel said, the moral of the story is that small gestures are often highly appreciated!