Monday, November 15, 2010
putting a voice on patients: understanding the doctor-patient relationship
listen to the voices of patients suffering from/accepting a wide range of serious medical conditions. Doctor -patient relationships involve deeply personal patient experiences and these qualities are important to be mindful of when analyzing ethical quandries arising in this context. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/10/health/Patient_Voices.html
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As someone that has been diagnosed with one of these conditions (which I don't feel comfortable stating on here), this was unexplainably eye-opening, refreshing, and comforting in a way. One of the patients with my conditions explained that he struggled with the idea that medication was the only way to recover and stay healthy, and he decided that that was not for him. He remains healthy by employing many of the same activities I do- a sort of preventative and also alternative health.
ReplyDeleteTo bring it back to ethics, this is relevant to myself and my potential field of study. My father is a doctor and my mother a nurse, so I have always been dead set on being a doctor, and then later, a public health professional. After being diagnosed and dealing with the modern Western healthcare system, I learned SO much. Including that the "Western", traditional system of healthcare is not the only way. I am now studying yoga and alternative health as a form of therapy. It is a patients rights to practice their autonomy in how they choose to stay healthy/heal. Eastern medicine and other alternative methods have vast amounts we could learn from, if we only paid attention more closely.
Thank you for posting this, I really appreciated it and learned a great deal!
-Annie McCormack