Black Cats, Lucky Clogs and the Dreaded “Q” Word: Why Is the NHS So Superstitious?
The NHS operates through evidence-based care and scientific data yet its staff continue to practice superstitions by touching wood and avoiding the word “quiet” and using lucky pens. The explanation for this behavior emerges from psychological factors and performance-related stress and the established rituals which maintain our stability.
Don’t You Dare Say It
The emergency department operates at 3:07 AM with no patients in the waiting area. The emergency department remains peaceful during this time. The red phone remains silent for more than an hour while the triage desk remains empty and someone successfully brews tea.
Then it happens. An enthusiastic FY1 stretches before saying it: “The hospital is actually… very quiet at present.” The room becomes completely silent. A Band 7 nurse stops drinking their drink while the registrar gives him a stern look. A person says “touch wood” while avoiding eye contact with others. The entire team becomes prepared for an impending disaster after this statement.
Sound familiar?
Healthcare professionals receive their training in physiological sciences and pharmacokinetics and systems-based medicine. Healthcare professionals use NICE guidelines and follow algorithms and solve ECGs through problem-solving methods. The team experiences an immediate shift in behavior when someone uses the “Q” word .
The team loses its rational thinking at this point. Staff members who work in healthcare practice superstition despite their scientific background. People use superstition as a way to handle their emotions. The practice of superstition exists as a psychological response to manage stress. Our profession maintains deep roots of superstition because of its psychological aspects and historical development and cultural traditions.
It’s Not Magic—It’s About Control
People do not actually believe that saying “quiet” will trigger emergency calls or unexpected patient arrivals. The collective moment of silence and wood touching and avoidant eye contact represent more than simple superstition.
The practice serves as a collective method to handle tension. Healthcare professionals face unpredictable situations because they cannot predict what patients will bring or when their medical conditions will change or what the next four hours will bring.
People use superstitions to achieve a limited degree of control when they face an unpredictable situation. The practice helps people handle their emotions even though it does not stop adverse outcomes from happening. The unspoken rule and small ritual enable staff members to find common ground and maintain their connection with each other. The practice of superstition exists beyond belief because it creates bonds between people.
The practice serves as a mutual agreement between staff members to work together because they understand how fast the situation can deteriorate.
Our Profession Was Built on Ritual
The practice of modern medicine depends on data but its fundamental principles stem from traditional practices. The practice of our profession started with strange yet useful rituals which developed into our current professional behaviors.
The surgical pole with red and white stripes serves as our surgical heritage. Barber-surgeons performed tooth extractions and performed minor surgical procedures and bloodletting procedures. The red color represented blood while the white color white represented bandages. The pole functioned as a stick which patients used to elevate their limbs.
Surgeons used black clothing because it concealed their bloodstains. The introduction of germ theory led to white coats becoming the new standard for hospital hygiene. The surgical team adopted green and blue scrubs for their operations because these colors operated as the opposite spectrum of red to minimize eye strain and enhance visual focus.
The practice evolved from traditional practices into a useful improvement. Florence Nightingale used statistical data instead of depending on hope during her work. Her statistical work about hospital deaths and sanitation standards revolutionized both nursing practice and hospital construction methods. She used evidence to transform traditional rituals into new practices.
From Superstition to Smart Routine
Do healthcare professionals exhibit superstitious behaviour?
Yes. The need for superstition exists because of our professional environment. Our work environment creates unpredictable situations which lead our minds to develop patterns and perform rituals for control. The actual work requires us to understand our natural responses while developing them into better practices. The use of performance-enhancing routines should be your priority.
Teamwork receives additional support through the implementation of specific rituals. The natural body tension should transform into planned preparation and structured communication and organized systems. The Q word should remain unspoken during your night shift duties.
What about you?
What superstition do healthcare staff in your facility practice most frequently?
You maintain a specific pre-work ritual which you perform every time before starting your shift.
We will not judge your responses so feel free to share with us.
Just don’t say the Q word.
