Dr. Huma Farid asks “Who Heals the Healer?” in her recent essay in JAMA, and her answer might surprise you. Farid describes weeping alongside her patient early in her obstetric training when she delivers a stillborn baby. The gravity of this experience affects Farid deeply as she reflects on human suffering, recognizing “that my work would encompass taking care of women at some of the worst times in their lives.”
As Farid progresses in her career, though, she realizes that she no longer has the same reaction, the same connection to the suffering of her patients: “My eyes dry, I wondered, when was the last time I had truly connected with a patient, empathized with her sorrow, and allowed myself to feel a sliver of her pain?”
Farid acknowledges that at that time she was also going through her own personal difficulties, and that despite this, she did her best to “remain empathetic and kind” to her patients: “I tried to give as much of myself as I could, but I felt like I had a finite, limited reserve of empathy.” Do you view empathy as a finite resource, or have you experienced a similar limited reserve to connect with your patients?
Farid’s commentary really resonated with me. It seems a simple statement to say doctors are human too, but it’s a reality we often forget. Most doctors are incredibly resilient and, even so, it only takes one personal life stressor to topple the precarious balance of mental and emotional rigors that come with being a physician in today’s healthcare environment. As Farid notes, the decline in empathy “may be driven by the demands of modern medicine and exacerbated by personal experiences.”
When I experienced my own significant personal life upheaval a few years ago, I, like Farid, “was still able to perform my clinical duties and to provide good patient care despite struggling to be empathic. However, studies have demonstrated that physician empathy improves both patient outcomes and patient satisfaction….” Ideally, for both the patient and physician’s sake, we would find ways to combat the decline in empathy that is an inherent byproduct of the current healthcare environment.
Ultimately, Farid determines that empathy “enables us to understand and connect with a patient’s perspective, an invaluable resource in an environment that has become increasingly polarized and rife with divisions.” Farid describes an interaction with a patient where she “mostly listened” and, in return, receives heartfelt thanks and hugs. Through that emotional and physical connection, Farid regains a piece of her “profoundly and imperfectly human” self. May we all find a way to move in that direction.
Writing Prompt: Farid wonders “what it meant for me that I had lost some ability to feel a patient’s pain.” If you’re a healthcare professional, have you lost some of that ability throughout your medical training or career? Think about a time you failed to have empathy for a patient’s suffering or, as a patient, that you felt your healthcare provider had little empathy for your pain. Alternatively, describe a time that your empathy has been “rekindled.” Write for 10 minutes.