MedEdPublish (Sep 2018)
The Healer's Art: Remembering Our Professional Lineage in Community through the Cultivation of Individual Core Values
Abstract
Introduction: There is both patient and provider dissatisfaction with the climate of healthcare delivery. Upon review, this is found to be at least in part attributable to the mechanization of health care, which often involves more computer interaction than hands-on care. Despite rising costs, the physical exam is replaced by lab tests and radiologic studies, generating more cost. The time-honored respect for a carefully obtained history from the patient is replaced by a computer check-box template. The humanity of both physician and patient are marginalized, with increased potential for both diagnostic and therapeutic compromise. Though access to medical information about disease is possible with bioinformatics, artificial intelligence cannot substitute for analysis by an informed, attentive, and properly educated physician. The process of healing must begin with the first patient visit - and the presence of an informed, compassionate, and fully attentive physician. Objective: To describe the history of medical educators' grappling with this problem through 3 landmark articles over a 100-year period. To illustrate the challenges of the climate of medical education. To offer some educational strategies (with examples of successful programs) to teach physicians using the Humanities. To illustrate that the art and science of medicine are synergistic, not dichotomous. Methods: Two educational theories ripe for use: Chickering and the Discovery Model, and Osler's recommended bedside reading list, exemplary programs that are being used currently (and over the last 25-plus years) to emphasize the importance of both the science and the practice of medicine in an effort to optimize the medical climate. Conclusion: The problem of physician burnout and patient dissatisfaction is being addressed in the medical literature, by regulatory societies devoted to physician wellness and by medical educators. This is nevertheless a challenge given the current electronic climate (with bioinformatics and artificial intelligence) and revenue-focused agendas of practice management business people. Results: With an awareness of the need for emphasis on the humanities coupled with an historical perspective over the last 100 years, a spirit of hope can be provided to both physician and patient from the lineage of the medical profession, which also is a legacy for our medical students.
