During the days of our early ancestors, when medicine wasn’t as advanced as it is today, and technology in the field of medicine was almost unheard of, it was mostly care and comfort, borne out of human compassion, that did the trick when it came to healing the sick.
How wonderful it would be if the future of medicine could include not just more advancements in science and technology, but also from something that draws on both the deep roots of the human experience and early medicine, which is compassion.
We’ve all heard it or maybe even experienced it before – a scenario of someone dreading being admitted to a hospital. Their biggest reason would probably be – it’s just not the same as having your loved ones nearby to provide the care and comfort you know you’ll be needing.
A Trait In Medicine That Needs To Be Rediscovered
While compassion and kindness is not completely absent in the healthcare scene in Malaysia or elsewhere in the world, there’s still much room for improvement. Yes, there are many, many people working in the profession who are driven by their desire to help people get well and also to ease the sufferings of patients. Generally, in practice however, it has not been seen as a necessity anymore. There is this unspoken air of non-personal connection between patients and their medical care providers, which leave little or no place for showing compassion.
The results of technology in the medical field are mind-blowing, this much is true, but there are still millions falling sick everyday. We’ve become so caught up with the technology and the power of science, for they’ve certainly had a huge impact on health and health outcomes. On the other hand, we also know that there is immense power in demonstrating compassion and care to individuals who are ill.
Research has produced ample empirical evidence for proving what should seem obvious, and that is that feeling soothed or cared for through the experience of meaningful social or human connections produces a physiological state in the body that is crucial for healing. In some cases, deadly illnesses may be cured. Why? Because you may have the most advanced of technologies at hand, but if you’re working on a depressed mind, none of these equipment or powerful medicines might work on them. On the other hand, when someone feels deeply cared for by their healthcare providers, it’s a simply different feeling. They see reasons to live. Their immune system gets a boost. Cortisol levels drop. Blood pressure goes down. Stress and anxiety begin to melt away and a person’s mental state improves, which means that they will be more receptive to the treatments administered. The fact is, science and technology have definitely saved millions of lives, but kindness and compassion can probably save more.
Where we’re at today
Today, the medical industry is in a word, ‘cold’. It has become increasingly complicated. Often enough, payment models and tight procedures are shamelessly prioritised ahead of people’s need for medical attention and care. Lives don’t seem to matter as much as your medical card or the amount of cash you have in the bank. Even in life-threatening situations, everything moves cautiously around legal and regulatory concerns. In short, in today’s general scenario of the medical world, there is simply no place for compassion.
Too Task Oriented
Could it be that health care has become too task-oriented? For instance, Mira (not her real name), a nurse in a prominent hospital in Kuala Lumpur, laments, “I chose this career in nursing because it’s always been my dream to be helping to ease the pain and sufferings of patients. Somehow, I feel really cheated out of my dream job.”
“While I’m called a nurse, and wear the nurse uniform, my job has become so task-oriented that there is simply no more hours left in my day to make any real difference in the day of the patients that are warded. I do often see the loneliness and desperation in some of their faces, but I’m also expected to dutifully tick off all these task boxes before I call it a day.
Furthermore, going out of our way for a patient’s comfort, or to soothe someone is kind of frowned upon, for we all have ‘work’ to do. I have deceived myself. Before becoming a nurse, I assumed that a big part of my work was to offer kindness and empathy towards the sick and downhearted. Being a nurse has not allowed me that opportunity. At least, not as much as I would like to. ”
We hope
A warm touch, a listening ear or an acknowledgment of a patient’s frustration or sorrow – these are all important ways in which hospitals and other care facilities can help to show kindness to patients. The importance of compassion has to first be acknowledged by the administrative levels of hospitals before they can be initiated within the practice of all its staff.
