BOOK REVIEW : Dignity in Care : The Human Side of Medicine Oxford University Press ( November 29 , 2022 )
The rapid pace of American medicine has caused many of us to take a pause and think back on why we got into medicine in the first place . The personal side of medicine has been de-emphasized in deference to the diagnostic advancements of modern clinical diagnostics . Technology has been a true boom for understanding pathology and guiding the treatment plan , but have we continued to be the best in therapeutics – and reassuring patients in the face of the unknown ? Dr . Harvey Max Chochinov attempts to refocus us as caregivers and advocates for honoring the DIGNITY of all patients entrusted to our care . In his book , Dignity in Care : The Human Side of Medicine , Dr . Chochinov summarizes his decades of clinical experience and wisdom and speaks to the importance of advancing our understanding of individual dignity and why it is so important in these challenging times . This 2022 book is an easy read and reminds us of what we need to know about “ the humanity of care and the tone of care .” American medicine – as we all know – has changed considerably in the last 30 years . We all go into health care with the intention of helping people and learn that kindness
reviewed by JOHN WERNERT , MD , MHA
and genuine compassion are the foundations to success in the care we provide for patients and families . Regardless of your specialty or area of interest , the people we serve need to know we hear them , understand their pain and can offer hope for healing .
In Dignity in Care , we are reminded that all too often , there are instances when contact with health care is tainted with experiences ranging from annoying to abrasive to downright emotional assault . When patients experience such abuse , it chips away at their sense of pride and personhood . These experiences can be as subtle as being kept waiting for an appointment , as insidious as wearing an identifying hospital bracelet that tracks them with a “ code ” or as jarring as being referred to as an aberrant body part ( the proverbial “ breast tumor in room 6 ”). What has changed in the quality of medical care or experiences in the hospital ? The corporate practice of medicine has been increasingly “ impersonal ” for years . Moving from your personal doctor to a hospitalist , and all our constant attention to EMRs : the patient gets that assembly-line vibe . Even value-based productivity pay models have driven a wedge between us and the people we care for . It has now grown worse since the pandemic with masks and social isolation . Does telemedicine also equate with “ less human medicine ”?
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