May 24, 2016
Rick Body’s SMACC Chicago talk 'Is compassion a Patients Right?'
takes us on a journey of emotions in critical care.
Starting with his rendition of john Lennons ‘Love’. Body, explains
the origin of the word compassion - a move to act based on someone
else suffering, a sharing of suffering with.
Body, initially focuses on a study conducted within his hospital of
125 patients, who were interviewed when admitted to their emergency
department and when they where discharged. From the study it was
depicted that, what patients truely wanted was simple human
intervention; reassurance, friendliness, explanation, basic care.
These responses were then coded into 5 different themes to depict
how patients believe their suffering should be addressed;
1. Emotional distress
2. Physical symptoms - including pain (but not restricted to)
3. Information - Included reassurance and explanation
4. Care - Basic care
5. Closure - patients want to put this horrible episode behind
them
Body notes that patients are telling us that they want something
positive from us. They don’t want us to focus on what we shouldn’t
do. They want us to be thinking about what we can do to help…
suggesting that if we follow the above ‘EPPIC' we could provide
more compassionate care. The problem is this is not compassion as
compassion is an emotion and needs to be felt.
Body then explores whats stopping us (care providers) from showing
compassion? Sighting the The Good Smaritian Study: that depicts the
more in a rush one is the less likely they are to show compassion.
The By Standers Affect: if a large crowd is doing nothing, you are
more likely to do nothing. Unclear of Who is Responsible: less
likely for anyone to respond and Personal Reasons: the
responsibility for other peoples lives, fatigue, tough, resilient
to showing emotion, emotion been seen as a weakness and a feeling
as doctors we are not meant to show emotions.
Body, then shows a picture of a doctor crouched slumped over and
inconsolable, shortly after the image was taken the doctor loses a
19 year old patient he was treating and minutes later the he walks
back into the emergency room and continues working. This picture
went viral on social media and the doctor pictured was seen as
admorable. Body sites this example to state that clearing having
compassion and showing compassion is right, but is it a right?.
And, asks the question 'Would you prefer the surgeon who shaking
with emotion as you go into surgery or the surgeon who is composed,
objective, calm, tough, resilient, unmovable and efficiently get on
with the task in hand?'.
Body believes that patients don’t have a right to compassion as it
is an emotion and means to suffer with but asks for health
providers to be emotionally intelligent. Explaining that emotional
Intelligence recognises that there is a difference between
traditional intelligence, IQ and our ability to form effective
forms of interpersonal relationships. Siting the 5 domains of
emotions intelligence as;
1. Know your emotions - know what we are feeling
2. Manage your emotions - cool rational and object in the rests
room, show emotion with patients and family
3. Motivating ones self
4. Recognising emotions in others - empathy
5. Handling Relationships - interpersonal Skills - relate to other
people
Body suggest that these are skills that can be developed as ones
life goes on and by building skills in emotional intelligence that
maybe one can be both a compassionate and effective doctor.
Body concludes by asking the question 'How are you going to care
more for your patients?'