during the examination, like touching the patient’s shoulder while
auscultating the heart or lungs can be much appreciated by a patient. Inspection alone is not enough. Having been a patient for a
few weeks myself, I saw an array of specialists walk in and out of
my room. Only one touched me physically; the rest stood half way
between the door and the bed just talking about the lab work and
what other tests would be scheduled. Not a word was uttered about
my progress, nor was I consulted in my own plan of care as mentioned, with one exception. This behavior indicates to the patient
that the time allotted for him is meager, and the information that
follows (or lack of same) is proof. Patients not familiar with medical
jargon must ask the nursing staff what the doctor said. The jargon
left even an experienced physician befuddled, especially with some
of the specialty-specific acronyms used.
Although, as a member of mankind we inhabit a body for a short
amount of time, this body is mysterious and unpredictable, (Anderson, Barnes & Shackleton, 2011). Because of this, patients entrust
the care of their own physical and mental health to the medical
profession. We in turn try to carve out a method which preserves
and enhances the art of medicine. As mentioned, small gestures
go a long way and one hopes they will enhance the rapport which
one has with the patient. My mentor, the late Dr. Harold Kleinert,
used to say, “First of all you have to make your patient your friend
as some of them with chronic diseases will be seeing you possibly
over a long period of time.” Times have changed but it is still sage
advice, and a little extra time with real empathy goes a long way to
develop the rapport that is ever so important.
Perhaps it is time to take another look at how we practice the
art of medicine. Cameron & Pimlott, (2015) opined that the art of
medicine maybe considered a constant and the science of medicine
an ever-changing variable. When one only practices the science of
medicine then not only is the patient short-changed, but the provider loses the chance to develop and grow into a caring physician.
Certainly it saves time if we keep patients at a psychological arm’s
length, delving into a life just enough to correctly diagnose them,
but then we have rendered them only superficial care. In a study of
physicians using motivational interview techniques when treating
obese patients, it was found that the more empathetic the physician,
the greater patient’s satisfaction and autonomy, (Pollak, et.al. 2011).
Anderson, J., Barnes, Em., Shackleton, E. (2011). The Art of Medicine: Over 2,000 Years of Images and Imagination, Foreword by
Antony Gormley
GLMS
OFFERS
EHR
References
Cameron, I.A., & Pimlott, N. (2015). Art of Medicine: Canadian
Family Physician. September
2015. 61:739
Pollak, K.I., et.al.(2011). Physician empathy and listening: Associations with patient satisfaction and autonomy. Journal of the American
Board of Family Medicine. Nov-Dec; 24(6): 665-672
Dr. Aziz practices Othopaedic Surgery with St. Vincent Medical Group.
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