Restoring Humanity in Healing: The Call for Compassionate Care

Where is the humanity when a physician calls a patient a “loser patient”? Where is the ethics rooted in the Hippocratic oath when one perceives patients through such derogatory lenses? This question unveils a profound power differential between the provider and the individual seeking care.

Notice how I refer to the client being served, vs the patient being treated. This distinction may seem like a mere play on words, yet it symbolizes a significant shift in perspective and attitude. In this extreme case, the term “loser patient” serves as a stark reminder of how language can dehumanize and diminish the very essence of those we are meant to help.

In contrast, there exists a leadership approach that champions the importance of servant leadership. For this clinician, servant leadership is the hallmark of a clinical standpoint that acknowledges the inherent power differential while embracing the collaborative nature of service. It is essential to recognize that if there were no clients, the provider would be rendered useless. This creates a symbiotic relationship—the provider and the patient are intertwined in a dance of mutual reliance. Just as there can be no church without the people, there can be no doctors without patients, no therapists without clients, and no healing without the recognition of each client’s inherent worth.

Indeed, diagnostic conditions can be incredibly challenging, and each provider must strive to uphold a standard of personal ethics that aligns with the ancient Hippocratic oath, which was once uttered long ago. Let us hope that we never again hear such dismissive words from a physician’s mouth, for they undermine the very foundation of healing and compassion that our profession stands upon.

(c)2024 John Piedrahita