Restoring Dignity in Healthcare: The Power of Kindness and Compassion

Healthcare professionals dedicate their careers to helping others, not to causing harm or appearing uncaring. Fortunately, most understand that kindness and compassion are essential to providing quality care to patients and families. However, instances of poor patient experiences persist, ranging from mildly annoying to emotionally distressing.

Patients often face dignity-compromising experiences that erode their sense of pride and personhood. These can be as subtle as being kept waiting for an appointment or as jarring as being referred to as a body part rather than a person. For instance, being called the “GI bleed in room two” or “breast tumor in room three” can make patients feel like they’re just a medical condition rather than a whole person.

The Importance of Humanity in Care

Dignity in Care, a comprehensive guide, aims to empower readers with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient-centered care that prioritizes humanity and compassion. The book explores how the humanity of care can be overlooked and provides practical strategies to avoid this. By adopting a dignified approach to care, healthcare professionals can communicate more effectively with patients, making them feel seen, heard, and appreciated as whole persons.

As Sir William Osler so aptly put it, “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”

Dignity in Care takes this wisdom to heart, applying it to all aspects of healthcare. While technical competency is essential, it’s not enough. Success in healthcare requires a deep understanding of the patient as a person, not just a medical condition.

About the Book

Product Details:

• Publisher: Oxford University Press (November 29, 2022)
• Language: English
• Format: Hardcover, 184 pages
• ISBN-10: 0199380422
• ISBN-13: 978-0199380428