”Treat every patient as if they are your family member.” I heard this statement from one of our psychiatry lecturers during a malpractice lecture. He went on to explain that if every doctor managed their patients as if they were part of their family, then negligence and careless mistakes would be very few in the medical profession. Most of our patients would then receive the best care and attention. He told us this will be the best way to avoid medical legal cases when we finally become qualified doctors. I might have forgotten a lot that was said during that online lecture, but I never forgot those words.
Treat Like Family: A Noble Ideal, But How Practical?
Fast-forward to when we all had to go to our electives as part of our medical school training. It was very exciting to be in a different hospital shadowing different doctors who are not harassing your brain to exhaustion, and you are learning with no examination pressure. It makes you feel ‘almost’ like a doctor. The elective programs are a great opportunity for medical students. Anyway, I had an encounter with a patient that made me question what we were taught in our psychiatry class.
I was assigned to admit an elderly woman, I walked to casualty and found her lying in bed with her two daughters by her side. My friend and I took a collaborative history from her caregivers since she couldn’t talk, and we had her ready for the ward. For the entire week she was my patient, of course under supervision. I had to present her case and progress every morning, consult my seniors on any emerging symptoms, follow up on her labs and meds etc. I literally managed her as though she was my relative.
Caring Too Much? Finding Balance in Patient Care.
After managing her for a few days, I had not realized that I was getting frustrated and preoccupied with her progress. She had episodes of confusion and agitation. I would find her well oriented in the morning and a few hours later she would be so agitated and causing commotion in the ward. Sometimes she would recognize me as her doctor, but moments later she thought I was her grandchild. There was a particular day that I did nothing else except check on her. She was getting the right treatment, but she was not responding as fast as I thought she would. On that day she was so confused that she kept getting out of bed and pulling on her urine catheter and IV lines stating that she needed to finish her house chores. After the ward round, I was running here and there trying to get things moving for her. I would return to check on her after a few minutes and get her back to bed or calm her down.
There was nothing wrong with caring, but it should never be at the expense of my health and wellbeing
By the time it was evening, I was so exhausted. One of my seniors found me in the corridor on my way home, looking lethargic, and he asked me, “How many patients have you seen today?” “Just one,” I replied. I had not even realized how amusing that sounded until I said it. After my response, he had to teach me something that no one had ever taught me. He said that I cared too much and there was nothing wrong with caring, but it should never be at the expense of my health and wellbeing. I did not know that it is possible to care too much. Read the previous article I wrote on Sick Doctor here.
Taking Care of You, Too: Prioritizing Doctor Well-being
Walking home that day, a question gnawed at me: is it possible to care for patients like family without going overboard? Is it even practical? While the answer remains unclear, I realized a crucial truth. Caregivers and healthcare professionals can easily neglect their own well-being, becoming consumed by the struggles of those they help. The sorrows and suffering of others can be overwhelming. But now I understand: there’s a limit to what I can do. For my patients’ sake, I need to take care of myself too. A doctor who’s unwell simply cannot provide the best care.
