Importance of Empathy in Patient Care

Importance of Empathy in Patient Care Introduction Carl Rogers defines empathy (as cited in Patterson, 1977) as the ability to accurately perceive the internal frame of reference of another person, as if one were with the other person. That is to say that if you could actually feel the emotions of another, without going through the physical experience. This definition however, has been challenged. What another person experiences at a certain moment is not directly given. However, the presence of the other is directly given and so is the awareness that the other is experiencing self. This cannot be compared with other modesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦of experience. The experience of another is unique. This means that the other modes of experiencing only are of partial help in explaining how the subjective becomes intersubjective. It also means that there is no doubt about who is experiencing primarily, and who is sharing or experiencing the experience of another. (Stein, E. 1989). These two definitions however different, are both used today in managing of patient care in the medical profession. This paper will briefly explore both definitions and will attempt to show sides of this complex subject. The research done for this paper will deal mostly with physician-patient and nurse/care provider-patient interactions. The goal of this paper is to show the importance of the role of empathy in pr oviding quality patient care. Causes Those physicians and medical educators who advocate empathy in the physician-patient encounters, suggest that physicians who engage empathetically with patients increase not only the patients sense of satisfaction but also patient  compliance with therapeutic regimens and increased physiological well-being. (Kim, Kaplowitz and Johnston, 2004). The persistent objection to empathy in the medical community comes from concern that empathy interferes with scientific and medical objectivity. What practitioners need are the skills to use their emotional responses for therapeutic impact. In the interpersonal realm, emotions are crucial of understanding reality. An awareness of ones associations and emotional resonances as cues to understanding the particular meanings that a symptom or diagnosis has for an individual. (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2001). Both of there outlooks are important to good patient care. You can put yourself in the patients shoes and somewhat imagine what they are going through, while at the same time being straight forward and real about the diagnosis. The question for many medical educators remains whether empathy, no matter how valuable or carefully reconfigured, can be taught. The problem of empathy begins with the preoccupation with self that obscures the other. Jerome Lowenstein (Can You Teach Compassion? P16) sees case presentations as the opportunity for clinicians to teach nurses empathy by encouraging them to describe patients more fully as persons with intersecting social, psychological and medical histories, rather than reductively and disparagingly in terms of disorders, addictions and disease. Training in continuing care will be of little value without doctors who know something of the life of the people whom they serve; who can empathize with immigrants from Asia and Mexico, with southern or ghetto experience; and who knew of the Holocaust and of communist oppression. (Spiro, 1992). Empathy depends on the experiences and imagination of the person who is  empathizing and this dependency have the potential to exclude the patients suffering and the meaning the patient makes of suffering. Application The following story is a true-life experience that I encountered while working for Gambro Health Care in Jackson, Michigan as a patient care technician. Gambro Health Care (Now DaVita) is an outpatient dialysis unit. Dialysis is the treatment for patients who suffer from end stage renal failure (kidney failure). While checking a patients vital signs and asking him how he was feeling, the patient told me how much he hated coming to dialysis and how draining the process was. He talked to me about the constant observation of his fluid intake, taking all the medications that were required for his condition and the cramping he experienced while on the dialysis machine. I could only empathize with this young man, who was my age, putting myself mentally in his shoes. Because of the experience I had with dialysis patients, I learned how to listen to each patient story. Many of these patients had no one else to listen to them. I saw these patients for four hours, three days a week. I spent a lot of time with them over the years that they received their treatments. While I was talking with the patient, the nephrologist (kidney doctor) came by on his rounds of the patients. The patient proceeded to tell the doctor, his eyes full of tears, that he was thinking of terminating his dialysis treatments. The doctor proceeded to tell the patient, rather loudly, they if he terminated treatment he would be dead in a few days. Without even taking the time to sit down with the patient, the doctor left and went on to another patient. Needless to say, I was outraged. After a few moments, I asked our unit director why the doctor was so tactless and arrogant.   So many patients each day that he is only giving proper diagnosis and alternatives if treatment is not followed. At that particular time, I figured out that I must take time to listen to those patients, every one of them because I could be the difference between a decision for life or death. Impressions Even those4 health care practitioners who consciously privilege their patients experiences find themselves caught in a knot of power relations. The physician is always in power in the medical context, and such power subsumes even deliberate attempts to displace authority by acknowledging the patients subjectivity (The Doctor, 1991). To be ethical, clinical empathy must involve action, beginning with recognizing the broader social context of the patients health and well-being. With appropriate cautions, theories of clinical empathy should extend beyond the individual relation to socially determined inequities in health care. Conclusion Empathy is a necessary ingredient for both doctor and nurse in the application of good patient care. Good communication between a doctor and patient whether good news or bad, should always be given in an empathetic manner. The ability to not only give good scientific reasoning or diagnosis to a patient. However, to give it in a manner that just does not give the facts, but also a feeling of I care about what youre going through and I will do all I can to help. As for nurses, our hands-on approach to the patient in need, gives us a chance to some what feel what they are going through and to be empathetic about their situation.

Essay on the Perfect Women of As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing

The Perfect Women of As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Rosalind and Beatrice, the principal female characters of Shakespeare's As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing respectively, are the epitome of Shakespeare's ideal woman. From these two characters, we can see personality traits and characteristics of what Shakespeare might have considered the perfect woman. Rosalind and Beatrice are characterized by their beauty, integrity, strength of character, intelligence, gaiety, seriousness, and warmth.    Shakespeare used Rosalind and Beatrice to portray his belief that the ideal woman is a woman of beauty. In the play As You Like It, poems were written to Rosalind by her lover Orlando praising her beauty and fairness. "All the pictures fairest lined are but black to Rosalind. Let no face be kept in mind but the fair of Rosalind."1 Phebe, another female character in this play, had a crush on Rosalind when she was disguised as Ganymede, a young boy in the forest. Obviously, this love was merely physical; Phebe was just attracted to Rosalind's good looks. Beatrice is also a fair lady. Men were attracted to her, including Don Pedro, the prince of Arragon, who asked for her hand in marriage. Benedick, whom she married in the last scene, must have been attracted to Beatrice's beauty as well, because he swore to himself that the woman he would choose would have to be fair (II, iii, 29-33). Shakespeare's ideal woman was one of integrity and strength of character as seen in Rosalind and Beatrice. Rosalind is virtuous. According to Monsieur Le Beau, a noble of the court in As You Like It, "... the people praise her for her virtues ... " (III, 284). Rosalind is described by Stanley Wells as "the full... ...terary Characters. New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1963. Magill, Frank N., ed. "Much Ado About Nothing." Masterplots Vol. VII. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Salem Press, 1949. O'Connor, Evangeline M. Who's Who and What's What in Shakespeare. New York: Evangel Books, 1978. Schoenbaum, S. As You Like It--An Outline-Guide to the Play. New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1965. Scott, Mark W., ed. "As You Like It." Shakespeare Criticism. Vol. V. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Co., 1987. Scott, Mark W., ed. "Much Ado About Nothing." Shakespeare Criticism. Vol. VIII. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Co., 1989. Shakespeare, William. The First Folio of Shakespeare: The Norton Facsimile. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1968. Wells, Stanley. "William Shakespeare." British Writers, Vol. I. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1979.

Developmentally appropriate and child-centered curricula

Ensuring that curriculum in early childhood education is both developmentally appropriate and child-centered involves educators making decisions about the most relevant content to include in the curriculum based on the needs, interests and capabilities of the learners. Developmental psychologists such as Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget, have done extensive work in describing the cognitive changes that children go through throughout their lifetime. Knowledge of these changes is important in guiding decisions about curricula content, material and activities.Piaget proposed that each child moves progressively through each of four stages of cognitive development as they mature physically. These are the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational periods. At the early childhood level a child is in the sensorimotor and preoperational stages which lasts between ages zero (0) to two (2) years old and two (2) to seven (7) years respectively. Children first â€Å"le arn about their surroundings by using their senses and motor skills†.  (Slavin, 2000, p. 33).Edwards (2005) believes that these stage-based characteristics that Piaget has identified are important starting points for curriculum design as educators need to have a clear understanding of the characteristics of learners before any decision can be made about what curricula content to deliver to them. In designing an early childhood curriculum Jalongo, Fennimore, Pattnaik, Laverick, Brewster, and Mutuku (2004) contend that the child must figure at the center of this process.As a results the developmental needs of the child must be first and foremost in the mind of the educator as decisions are made about curricula content and structure. First and foremost an early childhood curricula must be specific to the early childhood level. Jalongo et al (2004) caution that early childhood programs must be designed specifically for early childhood education â€Å"rather than replicate the c urriculum and pedagogy that characterizes later academic experiences† (p. 145). Consequently tasks should be so designed so that they are manageable based on the cognitive and physical capabilities of the children.Additionally the designers of curricula material need to ensure that such programs and the material that go along with them are innovative. Educators in the field should work collaboratively in deciding on the most appropriate material to include in the curriculum. Moreover when it comes to actual classroom implementation the curriculum should be used as a guide and not as an absolute (Jalongo et al, 2004). This means that teachers should be flexible in implementing aspects of the curriculum based on the unique needs of their particular set of learners.Furthermore curricula should be continuously improved to reflect new knowledge about how children at the early childhood level learn. For each group of students the curriculum should be adopted to better serve their ne eds and challenges. Consideration must be given to the particular ethnic, cultural, and language characteristics of the children concerned and seek to meet them where they are. This means that, rather than trying to force children into a pre-made mold, educators must ensure that the children are the basis used in constructing the mold.Evidently the task of designing developmentally appropriate curriculum, though it is left mainly up to the educator who interacts most intimately with the students, must take into account the specific needs, interests and capabilities of learners. Educators cannot leave the child out of planning the early childhood curriculum. Failure to include the group at which early childhood programs are geared will only result in failure both on the part of the educator and the learner. References Edwards, S. (2005, Mar). Children’s learning and developmental potential: Examining the theoretical informants of early childhood curricula from the educator’s perspective. Early Years, 25(1), 67–80. Jalongo, M. R., Fennimore, B. S., Pattnaik, J., Laverick, D. M., Brewster, J. & Mutuku, M. (2004, Dec). Blended perspectives: A global vision for high-quality early childhood education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 32(3), 143-155. Slavin, R. E. (2000). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Population Growth And Its Impact On The Environment

In the short amount of time that humans have been on this planet they have evolved and adjusted to many circumstances in climates over such a short period of time. Humans have been on this planet for about 200,000 years and in that short amount of time humans have changed, and grown drastically within that time frame. If the population continues to grow at rapid rates our planet, environment, civilization, and even humanity will suffer due to over consumption, pollution, and destruction causing depletion and possibly even extinction. Overpopulation of civilizations could lead to the depletion of fresh water, other natural resources, food supplies, and even habitations. Humanity as a whole make choices regarding housing, food, water,†¦show more content†¦The third era is the current account of population growth. The population numbers are currently declining and will remain in a declining state indicating the culmination of this era. Poverty, medical intervention, technology, nutritional and cultural factors play a role in increasing and decreasing growth population numbers. With the expansion of suburbanization communities were introduced to the industrial age. Technology such as farming equipment, machinery in factories, and simple household tools and utilities introduced a great deal of employment opportunities. With the introduction of farming equipment, the agricultural and nutritional aspect of our society improved greatly. This era also introduced our society to child labor and the introduction of women in the workforce. (Sachs, 2010) Due to the introduction of women in the workplace, women chose to contribute financially to their family instead of staying home, and having babies. Women were also choosing an education rather than being a housewife. When we look at today’s society men and women are following the past and choosing educations and careers instead of immediately starting familyâ⠂¬â„¢s or having smaller families. Medical intervention has also played a role in the population growth and decrease. Not only do we have contraception to decrease population growth, we also have fertility treatments to help increase population growth. Immunizations, in the use ofShow MoreRelatedImpact of Population Growth on Environment in Phnom Penh4174 Words   |  17 Pageshave many factors that face by the growth of population are very noticeable particularly in Phnom Penh city. As we know that before the national election in 1993, our country face many regimes and during these regimes were full of wars and lots of people were dead too. So, after the national election 1993, the government of The Kingdom of Cambodia considered that Cambodia has gone through many decades of difficult times, war, civil war and loss of most population. Therefore, Cambodia has a methodRead MoreEffects Of Population Pollution Essay1464 Words   |  6 Pages Population around the world is growing rapidly each year, which is unfortunately causing negative impacts on the environment. Each day the air around us is becoming more polluted as the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere caused by human activities increases each day. As population continues to gradually increase, it is causing harmful effects in terms of air pollution. An increase in the number of people directly varies with the pollution that is emitted into the environment. MoresoRead MoreThe Issue Of Urbanization And Rebalancing The Ecosystem Within Sparksville862 Words   |  4 Pagesindustrialization. 3. Urbanization and the Environment Urbanization brings about a new set of problems to the environment. These problems include air pollution and land pollution. As new builds and roads are built the ability of soil to absorb water is reduced. However, these are not the only issues. As the population increases it begins to infringe on the land that is inhabited by native species. As a result, larger predators many be scared off by the growing population throwing off the balance of naturalRead MoreEconomic Growth and the Environment1594 Words   |  6 PagesEconomic Growth and Environment Introduction Economic growth and the use of environmental resources go hand in hand. No country or economy will be able to sustain economic growth without using the natural resources available in the environment. The constant need for resources is the fuel for economic growth and any country going through a heightened level of economic activity tends to use more resources from the environment. Relationship between economic growth and environment The relationshipRead MoreOverpopulation Is More Than Just A Crowded Planet1343 Words   |  6 PagesIn the year 1 A.D., the Earth’s population was 300 million. In 1850, after many decades of consistent population growth, it eventually surpassed one billion. From that point on in history, the world population began to climb rapidly (Haub). Each year, the world population surpasses what any scientist has ever thought possible. Some would consider this expansion as a sign of success considering the causes of a rapidly growing population include improved health care, new technology, progressive erasRead MoreThe Development Of The World Population1528 Words   |  7 Pagesthe development of the world population directly depends on the mode of social production, especially the level of development of productive forces. In the history, mankind got the tremendous progress in productivity often with the population rapid develop. In the primitive society, the primitive society s popul ation birth rate and the mortality rate all maintained at about 50% because of the objective law and the social production mode. The number of the population maintain in a state of high birthRead MoreUrbanization Of Urban Population Growth Essay1508 Words   |  7 Pageswitnessing a greater migration of the world’s population into urban dwellers. This movement of people into major towns and cities of the world is caused by rapid sprawl and it is observed in developed and developing countries. The increasing population observed is inevitable; therefore the solution to urban problems depends essentially on effective planning, infrastructural management and development. Usually, unplanned population growth is associated with population demands that supersede infrastructureRead MoreEssay On Overpopulation1140 Words   |  5 Pageswe live in is becoming increasingly overpopulated due to migrates and births. With an increase in population, there will become a decrease in resource s over time. Furthermore, not being able to provide the quality of life due to the decline of resources can create a war and an unbalanced world. There is no way this should be allowed to happen without a plan of action for the future due to the impact. Just because we can reproduce does not mean we should go overboard with it as well as we do not needRead MoreSustainability Position Paper : Natural Resources And Technology1652 Words   |  7 Pagesdevelop economic growth. This essay will discuss natural resources and overpopulation and how they will affect the coming future. Natural Resources and Sustainability Natural resources are raw materials that occur naturally on Earth. These resources are not manmade, they are used and altered into a way that is beneficial for the survival of our planet. A few examples of natural resources are: air, coal, oil, minerals, water etc. Natural resources are being used for economic and social growth. However,Read MoreThe Rise Of The Standard Of Living1738 Words   |  7 PagesThe various nations worldwide are involved in the constant quest to improve their economic growth that in turn would pave a way for the increase in the standard of living. This is especially true for under-developed and developing economies that have immense growth potential and need to exploit their available resources through prudent policy measures and structural reforms to improve the standard of living of the people. However, this increase in the standard of living leads to increased consumption