I struggled to hold back the tears as the patient told me how his memory was failing and he knew he was developing dementia because of his family’s history. To handle all the terrible things we see in medicine, we often put up barriers to our emotions, yet sometimes, this dam will burst if we keep piling up behind it. Some may see us as hardened, but it is merely a survival tactic. It is hard to see suffering day after day without being affected by it. While our patients expect empathy, they also need our professionalism. To find a balance, how can we embrace our humanity as clinicians?
› Admit we have emotions. Share them with our patients. It is okay to feel sad or bad about a patient outcome. We care too much, and sometimes must muddle through to keep our emotions in check.
› Have support in place. We all need someone to turn to when emotions get the better of us. Many of our colleagues feel the same way, and it often helps to discuss our hard cases with them. There is also nothing wrong with talking with a professional.
› Be honest. Telling a patient they have a bad prognosis can be overwhelming, but you can tell them in a caring way. We need to admit it to ourselves as well. We’ve been trained to treat diseases and save lives, but it is often difficult to know when to stop. Sometimes the best care is no care at all.
› Own up to our mistakes. None of us is perfect. Nothing hidden stays hidden. We must address our mistakes as soon as we discover them and take steps to fix them and prevent them from happening again. We will always fail to attain perfection.
› Find enjoyment in life. It is often hard to leave work behind when we go home. We all are on call at times, and we ruminate on our cases. However, our minds need breaks just as much as our bodies do. Expectations on us are often overwhelming, but perhaps our own ideals are the most difficult to overcome. We need to permit humanity into our practice and leave automation to artificial intelligence. We need to share our humanity with others, not only for them, but also for ourselves.
