2021 GI Outlook (GO) Conference | November 2021-Humanizing Your Patient Interactions in an Era of Growing Technology

Pdf Summary

This document discusses the importance of humanizing patient interactions in the face of growing technology in healthcare. It explores how medicine has become depersonalized, dehumanized, and automatic, leading to despondency and discontent among doctors. Challenges for both patients and physicians are highlighted, including high expectations, job stress, and changes in healthcare systems. The dangers of maintaining the status quo are also discussed, such as lack of patient adherence and satisfaction leading to medical errors and limited referrals.<br /><br />To counter these challenges and humanize medicine, the document recommends best practices such as mindful practice, communicating with empathy, engaging patients and families as partners, effective explanations, collaboration and teamwork, and the use of touch. Mindful practice involves paying attention to the present moment and maintaining undivided attention when interacting with patients. Using technology during patient visits is also emphasized, including explaining what is being done, engaging patients with the device and information, and logging in and out in front of the patient.<br /><br />Collaboration and teamwork are highlighted as factors that lead to better patient care, improved compliance, shorter hospital stays, decreased ER use, and overall lower healthcare costs. The importance of effective openings and closings in patient interactions is emphasized, along with the need to personalize care and elicit patient concerns. Communicating with empathy involves acknowledging and validating patient feelings, while effective explanations involve asking, telling, and asking again to ensure understanding.<br /><br />The power of touch in humanizing the patient-doctor interaction is discussed, along with the importance of healing environments that promote infection prevention, patient safety, privacy, noise control, access to nature, therapeutic distractions, and wayfinding. The document also mentions the impact of music and smells in improving patient experiences.<br /><br />Lastly, the importance of not forgetting the well-being of healthcare professionals, including doctors, is highlighted. The document provides references for further reading on physician-patient communication and the language of caring.

Asset Subtitle

Harish Gagneja, MD, FASGE

Keywords

humanizing patient interactions

technology in healthcare

challenges for patients and physicians

mindful practice in medicine

communicating with empathy

collaboration and teamwork in medicine

use of technology in patient visits

importance of touch in patient-doctor interaction

healing environments in healthcare

well-being of healthcare professionals