Case Study of How Alleviating “Pebbles in the Shoe” Improves Operations in the Emergency Department

In addition to improving personal resilience, improving well-being in the ED involves addressing efficiency of practice. This project highlights the positive impact of resolving small, feasible issues identified by clinicians, which resulted in 80% of respondents rating the project as very to extremely effective in improving their well-being. Most pebbles were related to equipment and easily fixed, while issues involving human interactions (eg, communications between consultants and EM) were more challenging. Regular meetings and accountability facilitated progress. This approach is replicable across medical specialties and practice settings, offering a low-cost method to enhance clinician work environments and well-being.