The Importance of Empathy in Health Care According to Dr. M

"Empathy" is the state of mind the doctor needs to adopt in order to engage with and understand the patient. It is a state of mind that requires the doctor to imagine themselves in the difficult scenario that the patient is experiencing. It requires the doctor to see the world from the perspective of the patient. This process requires considerable energy and clarity of mind and emotions to be able transform into that state.

In the healthcare community, a deeper knowledge and understanding of what this catchword "empathy" means is central to the aspiration to achieve that state of mind among health care workers. These professionals should be taught empathy at a deeper level than the current state. Every health care worker knows that they need to use empathy in consultation and in providing health care. However, it is uncommon that a professional would not reflect on what is the meaning of the word in real life sense, why is it important? and how it can transform the clinical diagnosis into contextual diagnosis, that takes patient emotional state, mental state and their social circumstances into account

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That deeper understanding of empathy is achieved by bringing the attention of professionals to the meaning of empathy every time this word is said in daily interactions, training and publications. The individual professional need to adopt an "attitude" and a "second nature practice" of empathy in order to achieve the best for the patient and for themselves. After all medicine is all about "healing". A penicillin prescription may kill the bacteria, but it does not "heal" the patient.

All health care organisations need to to adopt a structure, an attitude and a practice of how the state of mind of empathy should be achieved. Health care organisations that are oblivious to this important area would not achieve the best results for the patient and for the growth of the organisation itself. That is why our moto at privateGPcare.com has been, for very long:

meeting your health needs is our reward