We call for humanity in medicine but we don’t know what it means.
I’ll prove it to you: Go on Twitter and say “we need more humanity in medicine.” You’ll get lots of responses and retweets. People will cheer and smile and nod and sob.Everyone will bring their story.
Everyone sees the need. Everyone sees humanity in medicine their own way:
- The burnout keynote speakers will link it to broken physician processes.
- The e-patients will read into it the need for more patient respect and empowerment.
- Gender equity advocates are certain that it means female physicians should be treated as respected equals.
- Hospital administrators will see humanity in the context of Press-Ganey scores.
- Narrative medicine experts will see the need for stories that capture the most intimate parts of the healthcare experience.
- For medical educators it will affirm that we need to emphasize the power of touch.
I could go on and on. Because we all see the loss of connection and respect in healthcare through our own lens.
Humanity in medicine – It’s our elastic battle cry. Collectively we’re not sure what it is but we’re certain we need more of it.
If you like this post you’ll probably like our 33 charts Slow Medicine Archives.
Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam via Wikipedia.