Empathy Arguably Single-Most Important Trait for Healthcare, Medical Professionals

One of the most common complaints from patients about the healthcare professionals they look to for help, guidance and sometimes emergency care when sick, injured or otherwise in a state of less-than-ideal health is that too many doctors and medical professionals in general have grown desensitized to the humanity of the patients they treat.

While this may or may not be accurate in any given individual circumstance, the impression – for better or worse – stems from the seemingly robotic approach many people within the healthcare and medical professions be they doctors, nurses, home health aides or even salesmen at the local medical supply store, there appears to the patient to be a desensitized attitude among these professionals regarding issues that to them are extremely important – sometimes even life-or-death.

In order for a medical professional to excel at the highest levels of patient care, that individual need not only make the correct diagnosis, treatment plan, product, etc. By understanding the problems faced by the very people we care for medical professionals can see the issue as though through the eyes of the patient, which can be quite an eye-opening experience for a tenured healthcare pro who has become somewhat numb to the health problems faced by the people for whom we care.

Empathy is arguably among the most important characteristics which in many ways defines great healthcare and medical professionals, separating them from their peers.

The following is a video assembled by the Cleveland Clinic intended to drive home this very point. The video has been described as inspirational and has drawn very positive reviews from those within its intended audience who have had the opportunity to view it.

Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care