At one time or another, we have all cared for elderly patients who confabulate and have wandering thoughts as we attempt to learn about their concerns and symptom complexes. Perhaps the caretaker or surrogate has no more information to provide than does the patient. Physicians are as human as the next person, and if we get tied up with one patient, it follows that we must short-change another.
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January 2023It’s my perspective that patience is a necessary virtue/value for physicians in this time of uncertainty, stress, time constraints, burnout, and cracks in the patient–physician relationship.
There are multiple, time-honored virtues designating the professional qualities of the ethical physician, including compassion, trustworthiness, discernment, moral integrity, humility, conscientiousness, and prudence. It’s my perspective that patience is a necessary virtue/value for physicians in this time of uncertainty, stress, time constraints, burnout, and cracks in the patient–physician relationship. While it’s apparent that efficiency in a medical practice is both a financial and a business requirement, it may play counter to our obligations to our patients to be good listeners, to empathize with their concerns, and to gather sufficient information with which to apply evidence- based medicine. Who has the time to practice patience?
I, like many of my physician colleagues, have also been a patient for a serious health concern. Some of my healthcare encounters with my fellow physicians have demonstrated the importance of patience and time spent listening to the patient. Being a patient can enhance our own approach to caring for others as we begin to understand what’s meaningful to patients when they face challenging health issues. For one thing, the ability to listen is a powerful tool in medicine. Likewise, being present, with patience, particularly with an elderly patient, is pure gold to the relationship. Patience leads to understanding, which in turn leads to the acquisition of more information, and that information is often quite pertinent to the patient’s care.
There are several quite acceptable approaches to the evaluation of Miss Lydia’s concerns and medical issues, leading to the provision of quality care for her. However, if it’s possible, by taking a little extra time to listen to her, to draw out as much information as possible under the circumstances, and not discount all of her recollections as unhelpful, her otolaryngologist can show humanism and compassion as well as care for her effectively. Even for those patients who have dementia, who live in the moment, kindness and understanding is a gift of beneficence from the physician.