Photo Credit: Dragos Condrea
When the clinician becomes the patient, they report greater empathy for their patients, understanding fears, uncertainties, and obstacles in the healthcare system.
When the tables turn and healthcare professionals become patients, an array of experiences have been reported, including having greater empathy toward patients due to gaining a personal perspective that enables them to understand the patient’s journey regarding fears, uncertainty, obstacles to navigating the healthcare system, making appointments, having to take medication, or getting medical testing.
In a recent publication in the journal Explore, researchers assessed the existing literature on physicians’ illness experiences to gain more insight into the impact of these experiences on their medical practice. Results revealed that when physicians become patients, their lives sometimes undergo significant transformations, while some studies reviewed that some physicians experience challenges when they are patients because they still strongly identify as physicians.
Perspectives from Clinicians
An urgent care physician stated, “During the pandemic, the staff shortages and the increased demands on workload caused my blood pressure to increase, and that concerned me greatly. I was diagnosed with essential hypertension and started medication. Having to take medication every day was something new to me, and as a result, I have a greater appreciation for what my patients go through when they come to urgent care with fears and concerns.
An ICU nurse stated, “During the pandemic, I was very stressed due to the uncertainty of the virus, the extreme increase in workloads, and staff shortages. At some point, before vaccines were available, I contracted the virus and had a moderate to severe infection. I was terrified about infecting my family, but I managed to protect them. My challenge was being in the position of someone who was cared for. I eventually recovered, and now I have a greater appreciation for my patients.”
Conclusion
Health issues, whether minor or major, are inevitable in life. Interestingly, many healthcare professionals report that their personal health experiences have positively transformed their interactions with patients but also taught them valuable lessons about how they care for patients. These lessons, learned through personal health experiences, have enlightened them and, as a result, made them better clinicians.
