Nishtha Shrestha

We experience the world through our five senses. In healthcare, these senses are not only a topic of study but also the areas most active during a consultation. Our nervous system is on alert whenever we enter an unfamiliar environment like a clinic. For some, the feeling of threat passes as they adjust to the surrounding while others fail to find cues of safety during a doctor's visit. This behaviour can be observed in children as well as parents struggle to make them enter a clinic or hospital.

Rather than using negative techniques such as ridicule, verbal abuse or even physical force, we need to understand that their nervous system is triggered. This is a normal mechanism regardless of the age and yet we punish our bodies for doing its job of keeping us safe. We cannot change the hardware of our body. But it is possible to change the information that we receive from the environment. This is where healthcare workers can intervene and provide feelings of safety to the individuals.

Considering the rush of patients and the stress of the job, it is understandable that healthcare workers find it hard to practice compassion at work. But a study by Fogarty et al (1999) found that 40 seconds of compassion was sufficient to reduce the anxiety levels of patients and develop trust in the physician. Some ways to show compassion include acknowledging the patient's emotions, simplifying the medical jargons, expressing support or even as simple as a smile can help to alleviate the worries of a patient.

If 40 seconds of compassion can make patients feel better, it is definitely a practice that needs to be adopted in every medical setting from doctors to the support staff. The health sector of Nepal is a work in progress. The challenges range from lack of availability of medical supplies to providing affordable healthcare to every part of the country. Another current addition to the list of problems is the violence against the medical professionals. There is no excuse for the violence but why the image of doctors has declined over the years.

A doctor was held in utmost respect in our society as they save lives; a task our religion associates with God. The job description has not changed yet why do people fail to trust the current medical professionals. Is it because with the addition of modern equipment the treatment process has become less humane and more of a monetary exchange? Maybe the compassionate nature was the reason behind the old doctors having a high patient satisfaction despite the lack of ultrasound, MRIs or other new technologies.

Humans thrive in connections. Our senses gather the information but it is through the relationships that we attach meaning to them. A patient-doctor relationship needs elements of trust, understanding and respect from both parties. Along with educating about the new technologies and treatment, it is worth retaining the old ways of engaging with the patients.

Compassion has benefits for both the giver and the receiver. Burnout which is common among medical professionals can be prevented when one practices compassion daily. If doctors can keep in mind that while for them it is a routine, for the patients it is an experience that can change their whole life, compassion will become a natural part of any treatment.