In the News
04.28.2011
Compassionate Care – A Life or Death Situation
According to a survey from the
Schwartz Center, patients and physicians believe that health care
delivered with compassion can not only make a difference in how
well a patient recovers but whether or not a patient lives or
dies.
The results should not surprise you.
As physicians, we have all seen how a couple extra minutes at a
patient's bedside can change his or her disposition.
The survey also found that the
majority of the 800 patients who took the survey reported receiving
a lower than expected level of compassionate care. At Lima
Memorial, the most recent patient satisfaction survey revealed that
only 85 percent of our patients reported being treated with
courtesy and respect by their doctor. Our goal should be to treat
every single patient with compassion and respect - especially in
light of the Schwartz Center study.
In addition, the Schwartz Center
reported that patients and physicians agree the most important
points of compassionate care are:
• Showing respect for patients, their
families and those important
• Treating patients as individuals and
not as a disease,
• Relaying the information about their
health in a way that is easy to understand
• Giving your undivided attention to the patient; and
• Gaining the patient's trust.
I encourage all of you to keep this
article in mind when you are talking to your patients and their
families. Take the time to get to know their psychosocial,
emotional and psychological needs.
As a reminder, the April Medical Staff
Meeting will be Tuesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. in the Auxiliary
Conference Center. I look forward to seeing all of you there.
As always, please take time out of
your day to thank those who provide exceptional patient care. If
there is anything I can assist you with, please e-mail me at
kuchipudisb@gmail.com.
Sarat Kuchipudi, M.D.
Medical Staff President