Dignity in Care: The Human Side of Medicine

Harvey Max Chochinov

Hardcover

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No one goes into healthcare with the intention of hurting people, or wanting to come off as callous, cold, or unfeeling. Fortunately, most people working in healthcare understand that kindness and compassion are key, even foundational to success in the care they provide to patients and families. And yet, all too often, there are instances when contact with healthcare is tainted by experiences ranging from vaguely annoying or abrasive to outright emotionally assaultive. Patients may confront experiences that chip away at their sense of pride and personhood; this can be as subtle as being kept waiting for an appointment, as insidious as being required to wear a plastic hospital bracelet that tracks them according to an institutional number or code, as jarring as being referred to as an aberrant body part - the proverbial "GI bleed in room two" or "breast tumor in room three."

Dignity in Care aims to provide readers with what they need to know about the humanity of care and the tone of care; and how they can engage in these facets of care in a thoughtful and meaningful way that will satisfy their patients' needs to be seen and appreciated as "whole persons." The author will explore how the humanity of care can get overlooked and how to avoid this happening. It will teach how to communicate better with patients, helping them to feel not just cared for, but cared about. Sir William Osler said, "The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease." Dignity in Care applies this outlook to all of healthcare, because many people can gain technical competency, but success within healthcare requires more.

Book Details

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publish Date: Nov 29th, 2022
Pages: 184
Language: English
Edition: undefined - undefined
Dimensions: 9.37in - 6.43in - 0.64in - 0.94lb
EAN: 9780199380428
Categories: • Health Care Delivery• Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

About the Author

Harvey Max Chochinov is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and a Senior Scientist at the CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute.His more than 300 career publications have broached diverse topics such as communication, depression, quality-of-life, suicide, vulnerability, spirituality, and existential distress towards end-of-life. He has also led a large program of research targeting issues related to dignity within the healthcare setting.

Praise for this book

"This is a book of profound humanity, wisdom, and insight. Chochinov calls clinicians to become aware not only of the patienthood of the people we serve, but also of the intrinsic dignity of their personhood-dignity that can be so easily lost in the busy-ness of healthcare. Using insights from patients' experiences and quoting the wisdom of esteemed colleagues across clinical disciplines, alongside reflections from his decades in research into the nuances of dignity, Chochinov's book is a masterclass in the art of clinical caring as a service to humanity. It should be required reading at the outset of training, and then again at regular intervals throughout clinicians' careers." -- Dr Kathryn Mannix, retired consultant in palliative medicine and best-selling author of With the End in Mind and Listen: how to find the words for Tender Conversations"His latest book [is] a wonderful example of Dr. Harvey Chochinov's clear writing...Drawing on the ABCD's of Dignity-conserving Care (attitude, behavior, compassion, and dialogue), he moves into the Model of Optimal Therapeutic Communication, which was derived from focus groups with experienced psychosocial clinicians...The clinical examples are excellent, and he provides clear guidance, even when situations are not working out the way the clinician would hope...This book provides great wisdom for the experienced clinician, but if all health care undergraduate students could be guided to integrate the concepts in this wonderful book, into their care of themselves and their patients, health care could be radically transformed." -- Mary L.S. Vachon, RN, RP, PhD, Psychotherapist in Private Practice; Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto"The book provides students and clinicians with a master class on how to preserve patient dignity in the face of the tough tasks of health care professionals, including helping patients understand their treatment options and how to sensitively break the news, if need be, that their prognosis is poor. This book will be of interest primarily to students, trainees, and practitioners in the health professions. Its rich stories drawn from the author's experience are often moving and well told. It should be a required addition to hospital and medical libraries, and for schools with health professions programs." -- Choice