| Autor: |
Berry LL; Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, MA; Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI; and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia., Danaher TS; Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, MA; Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI; and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia., Chapman RA; Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, MA; Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI; and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia., Awdish RLA; Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, MA; Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI; and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. |
| Abstrakt: |
The wonders of high-tech cancer care are best complemented by the humanity of high-touch care. Simple kindnesses can help to diffuse negative emotions that are associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment-and may even help to improve patients' outcomes. On the basis of our experience in cancer care and research, we propose six types of kindness in cancer care: deep listening , whereby clinicians take the time to truly understand the needs and concerns of patients and their families; empathy for the patient with cancer, expressed by both individual clinicians and the care culture, that seeks to prevent avoidable suffering; generous acts of discretionary effort that go beyond what patients and families expect from a care team; timely care that is delivered by using a variety of tools and systems that reduce stress and anxiety; gentle honesty, whereby the truth is conveyed directly in well-chosen, guiding words; and support for family caregivers, whose physical and mental well-being are vital components of the care their loved ones receive. These mutually reinforcing manifestations of kindness-exhibited by self-aware clinicians who understand that how care is delivered matters-constitute a powerful and practical way to temper the emotional turmoil of cancer for patients, their families, and clinicians themselves. |
