Empathy in Medicine

A recent NY Times post discusses findings about recent study done in Harvard regarding empathy being taught to physicians. This is an important finding.  Certain personality types have been associated to enter different specialties in medicine. Empathy should still be part and parcel of being a good physician.  Empathy is always mentioned and modeled in medical school but somewhere during residency and fellowship, many physicians become dehumanized. Maintaining humanism and empathy while going through training is an important part of being a physician.  I think this article in NY times is a must read for all.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/can-doctors-learn-empathy/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Some interesting postings regarding empathy and nephrology have been published. A post from Australia regarding nursing and nephrology patients and a concept of limited empathy is surprising.
A renal blog from India also had something to say about empathy and sympathy.
While we keep up with the fast paced technological advances and fast pacing medical knowledge, we must not forget about empathy in medicine.

Topic Discussion: "Kicking the Tar baby" effect

As medical lab tests become cheaper and more easily accessible to a click of a mouse or tick of a pen, we forget the " tar baby" effect.  A test that might appear " safe" and make you feel " complete" when you see a patient, might have drastic consequences when it leads to anxiety and frustration and can have a mountainous effect leading to other tests.

As our urges tell us to order these tests, we have to control and look at the clinical picture and decide - is it necessary? Its also hard to argue these points in the current era of malpractice and law suits and the need for the physician to have done a "complete workup".  Its a sad state of affairs but this "tar baby" effect is not going away anytime soon.

And this applies to Nephrology as well!

Take a look at this fascinating article shared to me by a friend

Ref:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3578335

New York Academy of Medicine Nephrology Lecture:- Patient advocate

http://www.nyam.org/events/2011/2011-10-26.html

Check out this month- the new york academy of medicine will be presenting the ethical issues and the humanism behind CKD and dialysis care and how Nephrologists are the Best advocate for the patients with kidney disease.

A casual reminder; Abraham Verghese: A doctor's touch | Video on TED.com

Abraham Verghese: A doctor's touch | Video on TED.com

The "Nephrologist"as a patient advocate

Its often that we encounter many family situations and complex medical patients.  As Nephrologists, we are at a very unique opportunity to be the patient's best advocate.  In a busy day to day practice,sometimes we feel rushed and forget the humanism in medicine.  Its a tough situation. But, few words of compassion can go a long way in a difficult patient and family members.  Let's not forget that.

I urge you all to read this essay by a medical student( at that time). It is shocking and very revealing.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12431924

Related slightly to these topics are two very recent NY Times Blog posts
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/do-patients-have-the-toughest-job-in-medicine/?ref=health
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/letting-doctors-make-the-tough-decisions/

Worth a read

The Art of Medicine: Let’s Not Lose It In Nephrology

The Art of Medicine: Let’s Not Lose It In Nephrology