The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
I think he has a very fair and valid point. Treating patients as people has been shown to have a great effect on good recovery, seeing people as machines is not the way to go about things, IMO, even though it might be the easier option.
paitents can be treated as people and at the same time shown a great deal of compassion, this would surely have a posotive effect in paitent care, but ofcourse the problem lies in the fact that many hospitals just dont have the time to spend on every single paitent as they would like to, nurses and doctors are very overstreched as it is.
Cravez
paitents can be treated as people and at the same time shown a great deal of compassion, this would surely have a posotive effect in paitent care, but ofcourse the problem lies in the fact that many hospitals just dont have the time to spend on every single paitent as they would like to, nurses and doctors are very overstreched as it is.


Yep, true. Also I think it's easy for a doctor to treat a patient at the disease level because that's the intervention that will relieve symptoms, without addressing any psychological issues.
fair point. perhaps the nhs does need more compassion.. its interesting that david cameron was saying the other day that he was going to make the nhs more compassionate and patient-centred, and less run like a buisiness. the problem is the lack of funding etc...
blonde-beth
fair point. perhaps the nhs does need more compassion.. its interesting that david cameron was saying the other day that he was going to make the nhs more compassionate and patient-centred, and less run like a buisiness. the problem is the lack of funding etc...


This, coming from the party that introduced the internal market. What a load of ********.
Reply 6
I guess it's easy to say that the NHS needs more compassion but it would obviously raise a few problems by doing so. For one thing, as pointed out earlier, doctors and nurses are too busy as it is and the funding required just isn't there considering the cuts we've seen recently. Also, another point is that if a doctor/nurse shows too much compassion towards their patient and the patient ends up dying, then that may have a negative imapct upon the doctor's/nurse's mental health and wellbeing.
Onychophagia
This, coming from the party that introduced the internal market. What a load of ********.


i know, exactly what i thought! he says he fronting the 'new, compassionate conservatives'. ha.
gildartz
I guess it's easy to say that the NHS needs more compassion but it would obviously raise a few problems by doing so. For one thing, as pointed out earlier, doctors and nurses are too busy as it is and the funding required just isn't there considering the cuts we've seen recently. Also, another point is that if a doctor/nurse shows too much compassion towards their patient and the patient ends up dying, then that may have a negative imapct upon the doctor's/nurse's mental health and wellbeing.



It's very easy to show compassion and care when busy, maybe just explaining a procedure a bit better, smiling at the patient, or just asking 'how are you feeling' to their relatives takes minimal time and can make a huge difference- i dont think it comes down to funding. I actually think it comes down to training- as a nursing student im lucky to have spent a lot of time with patient contact and building my skills, communication within the time restraints available with dealing with bad news, or palliative care, however other professions do not get as much focus on their learning
Reply 9
Subcutaneous
It's very easy to show compassion and care when busy, maybe just explaining a procedure a bit better, smiling at the patient, or just asking 'how are you feeling' to their relatives takes minimal time and can make a huge difference- i dont think it comes down to funding. I actually think it comes down to training- as a nursing student im lucky to have spent a lot of time with patient contact and building my skills, communication within the time restraints available with dealing with bad news, or palliative care, however other professions do not get as much focus on their learning

Good point, but i guess it's debatable whether small acts of compassion such as the ones you noted will have a considerable effect upon someone in a critical condition.

In his statement, the archibishop aknowledges that most people are grateful for the compassion shown by the NHS, but it's simple stories of doctors in some hospitals not acting with compassion that leads him to the conclusion that the NHS as a whole needs to act with more compassion. So I guess that would raise the question as to why the entire NHS should be attacked when most of the time, doctors do act with compassion.
gildartz
Good point, but i guess it's debatable whether small acts of compassion such as the ones you noted will have a considerable effect upon someone in a critical condition.

In his statement, the archibishop aknowledges that most people are grateful for the compassion shown by the NHS, but it's simple stories of doctors in some hospitals not acting with compassion that leads him to the conclusion that the NHS as a whole needs to act with more compassion. So I guess that would raise the question as to why the entire NHS should be attacked when most of the time, doctors do act with compassion.



well no a lot of doctors..nurses..and managers dont have much compassion, and can get cynical over time. This is where training, peer support and whistleblowing comes into effect- and needs to be focused on. The 25th february in nursing is 'dignity awareness day' but IMO that should be everyday
Reply 11
Subcutaneous
well no a lot of doctors..nurses..and managers dont have much compassion, and can get cynical over time. This is where training, peer support and whistleblowing comes into effect- and needs to be focused on. The 25th february in nursing is 'dignity awareness day' but IMO that should be everyday

Well if what you say is true and most doctors/nurses/managers don't show any compassion then that raises the question as to how you can get them to show compassion. Simply telling them to say 'How are you feeling' to the patient when they don't care about the patient's wellbeing isn't true compassion and is just artificial. With all due respect, true compassion arises from empathy and I highly doubt any sort of training can teach empathy to prospective doctors/nurses.
gildartz
Well if what you say is true and most doctors/nurses/managers don't show any compassion then that raises the question as to how you can get them to show compassion. Simply telling them to say 'How are you feeling' to the patient when they don't care about the patient's wellbeing isn't true compassion and is just artificial. With all due respect, true compassion arises from empathy and I highly doubt any sort of training can teach empathy to prospective doctors/nurses.


I didnt say most doctors/nurses didn't show compassion, i said a lot don't- they exist in the minority. Like i said, using peer support, training techniques and also making whistleblowing of bad practice an accepted trait- would improve standards of care, and help those who have forgotten why they're here, or have old fashioned views to improve and learn
Onychophagia
This, coming from the party that introduced the internal market. What a load of ********.


I thought it was a good idea to introduce the internal market. It introduces an element of competition and thus leads to some efficiency. There is also more patient choice.
Of course the problem I can see is that the service has a risk of being aimed at profit maximisation as opposed to patient satisfaction maximisation.
Reply 14
Not sure what I think about this
Isn't mercy killing an act of compassion? What is the point in forcing someone to endure a inevitably slow and painful death?
Subcutaneous
I didnt say most doctors/nurses didn't show compassion, i said a lot don't- they exist in the minority. Like i said, using peer support, training techniques and also making whistleblowing of bad practice an accepted trait- would improve standards of care, and help those who have forgotten why they're here, or have old fashioned views to improve and learn

I doubt that will actually have much effect over the long term. You can't make people compassionate by using carrots and sticks and training. It's what the government will probably think but this problem might be harder to solve.

Imagine if you were a nurse or doctor working in a busy hospital and its getting near the end of a long shift. It's not easy to show genuine compassion and enthusiasm when all you want to do is go home and rest. In the end, what you're doing is a job and like all jobs you'll get cynical and fed up sometimes. I actually think it's a very human thing and this is why this issue is difficult to solve, how do you reverse something most humans tend to naturally do?
Reply 17
Subcutaneous
It's very easy to show compassion and care when busy, maybe just explaining a procedure a bit better, smiling at the patient, or just asking 'how are you feeling' to their relatives takes minimal time and can make a huge difference- i dont think it comes down to funding. I actually think it comes down to training- as a nursing student im lucky to have spent a lot of time with patient contact and building my skills, communication within the time restraints available with dealing with bad news, or palliative care, however other professions do not get as much focus on their learning

Very true. I think it's these little things that add up and they truly do make a big difference and they do not cost anything.
WackyJun
I doubt that will actually have much effect over the long term. You can't make people compassionate by using carrots and sticks and training. It's what the government will probably think but this problem might be harder to solve.

Imagine if you were a nurse or doctor working in a busy hospital and its getting near the end of a long shift. It's not easy to show genuine compassion and enthusiasm when all you want to do is go home and rest. In the end, what you're doing is a job and like all jobs you'll get cynical and fed up sometimes. I actually think it's a very human thing and this is why this issue is difficult to solve, how do you reverse something most humans tend to naturally do?



I dont need to imagine, 3 days out of 7, i'm a busy student nurse coming at the end of my long day. And as fed up as may be with one or two patients, it doesnt' ever provide an excuse for neglect- the problem is there are staff out there, not treating a patient they way they're meant to, and people are too scared to speak up or complain about them, due to hierarchy, bullying...many many reasons, plus a lot of staff aren't trained in new manual handling techniques, dignity- and get into bad habits
blonde-beth
fair point. perhaps the nhs does need more compassion.. its interesting that david cameron was saying the other day that he was going to make the nhs more compassionate and patient-centred, and less run like a buisiness. the problem is the lack of funding etc...


This is the man who talks with groups which promote even more privatisation of the NHS.

Cameron would have healthcare in this country become more profit-centred, not patient.

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