Here is a link
to my first blogpost, where I discuss the first two aspects of patient care (as
discussed in the Soul of a Doctor), communication and empathy. https://bioethjpo.blogspot.com/2017/04/blogpost-1-soul-of-doctor.html
In response to
Dr. Oliver’s comment, I would like to say that I too was disturbed when I heard
about the medical student excited to see the surgery. On one hand, the medical
student should have a lot more empathy for this patient and see how they would
feel if they had to go through the pain. On the other hand, I can see why the
student might be a little excited to see a procedure, as I too have experienced
that when I shadow doctors who get to perform certain procedures. I think that
student could have 100% handled the situation better and exhibited more
sympathy for the patient. First and foremost, I think it is a doctor’s duty to
care for the patient. Not to care about the procedure and science behind the
diagnosis of the patient.
For my second blogpost,
I am going to talk more about the last two aspects of patient care: easing
suffering and loss and finding a better way. In the story, “Limitations” we are
introduced to a patient that became disabled after a serious accident. Although
he was not paralyzed, the pain that the accident caused was so bad he could not
walk or drive. He was suing to compensate for his medical bills and for
emotional damages, but he admitted to the doctor that not even a million
dollars would make him feel better. The only thing that gave the patient any
joy in life was his granddaughter. This made the doctor think about the repercussions
of health care and that just because people were living longer, doesn’t mean
they were living better. The doctor speaks on how it is their duty to take care
of not only the physical health of their patients, but of their mental and
emotional health as well. Another story within the easing suffering and loss
category is “Imagine How You’d Feel”. This features a mother and father while
they are fighting for their child’s life and, ultimately, how they grieved his
death. The father acted aggressive and out of control and many of the medical
students assumed he was drunk. The mother was more reserved and just wanted
alone time with her son. I think this really illustrates how people grieve in
different ways. Some people respond in anger, but others are more detached from
the situation. The ethical question comes into this story when the mother wants
to take a picture with her dead son while he was in her arms. Although the
medical student was not comfortable with this, I think it is perfectly
acceptable. I come from a family that this is relatively normal for. My mother
took pictures at my grandmother and my aunt’s funeral and she keeps them on her
phone. I know that it might be weird for other people, but I think that if a
patient request a picture with her deceased son, you should not force your
beliefs on them. If you are uncomfortable doing so, you could always ask around
and see if someone else could take the picture for the patient.
The last aspect
of patient care I am going to discuss is finding a better way. The first story
is “A Murmur in the ICU” and this follows the medical students as they visit
patients as a learning experience. At first the medical students are just
interested in learning what they need to learn, but as they look around the
room and see pictures of family, balloons, and teddy bears, they quickly
realize that these people are just like them. It makes them think about how
they would feel if there were a bunch of students crowding around, trying to
find the heart murmur that is killing them. The attending physician noted how
important it is to introduce yourself to the patient and talk to them, even if
you think they cannot hear you. In the end, the medical student realized that
as you get accustomed to the environment of the ICU, it just becomes a place
where sick people are hooked up to machines. In “Rewiring”, we get a look into
the mind of a physician and how it is rewired after practicing medicine. Every
person you encounter becomes a potential patient. A homeless man becomes a “48
y.o. male with a history of smoking, emphysema, and dementia.” An elderly woman
becomes a “85 y.o. female with history of congestive heart failure presenting
with shortness of breath and bilateral edema.” I think that this mindset can
both be good and bad. In one sense, this could be a good way of keeping your
mind sharp and aware of your surroundings. In another sense, it could be a very
pessimistic view on life in that you see what is wrong in everyone. I would
love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this, as well as any other case I have
mentioned.
Here are two
videos discussing the importance of empathy in health care. The first is from
the Cleveland Clinic and the second is a TedTalk by Paul Rosen.
Link to my two comments:
https://bioethjpo.blogspot.com/2017/04/first-installment-generosity-by-richard.html?showComment=1493443123064#c8650590376029777190
https://bioethjpo.blogspot.com/2017/04/oryx-crake-500-blog-part-1_5.html?showComment=1493443301077#c221313574540881896
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