Sandhya Vasudev
The Hippocratic oath, an ethical code attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, has been adopted by the medical profession as a guide to conduct and is still taken in the graduation ceremonies of many medical schools around the world. While undertaking this oath, the physician pledges to prescribe only beneficial treatments, according to his abilities and judgment; to refrain from causing harm or hurt; and to live an exemplary personal and professional life. A tall order indeed!
The oath imposes immense responsibility upon a doctor to exhibit extraordinary qualities of the head and heart. The former aid in correct diagnosis and prognosis; the latter go towards a humanistic treatment of the patient, wherein treatment implies the medicine, as well as the words and behaviour adopted by the doctor towards the patient. The correct diagnosis is largely based on the test and scan reports, aided by the doctor’s inherent prowess and years of experience in the line of treatment. These capabilities are academic by nature and there is no scope for any subjectivity here. But two doctors, both excellent in these attributes, can make a difference in impact on the patient, by certain other qualities, totally unrelated to academic excellence. These qualities are those of the heart referred to above, which may not be hereditary always and can be learnt at any stage of life - the earlier the better for a successful career. As attributed to the ancient philosopher Seneca, “People pay the doctor for his trouble; for his kindness they still remain in his debt”. A debtor will always seek out such a kind creditor.
These qualities or competencies are together known as “emotional intelligence”, and aid in the holistic healing of a patient, who feels comforted that the doctor actually understands his feelings and situation. In the good old days, this may have been referred to as the doctor’s bedside manners.
A doctor should understand that, apart from the pain of the ailment, the patient is under tremendous anxiety about the prognosis and treatment options. The anxiety may stem from financial constraints or the fear of medical interventions or the fear of the disease itself. So if a doctor opts to take a mechanistic view of the issue while doling out the medicines and treatment options, the patient’s anxiety will increase as he feels a sense of humiliation as being treated as simply a “case”. Thus, the doctor’s emotional skills are needed to assuage the patient’s anguish which itself is dependent on many variables, like the patient’s literacy levels, family support and personality traits. Emotional intelligence encompasses a set of portable skills that can transform the individual’s outlook towards life, as well as influence the way he is regarded by people around him. The skills can be learnt throughout one’s life, with experiences adding their own flavors to the learning process. Where a doctor is concerned, a few of the important qualities that he has to develop are two sided. One that affect the self - like self control, trustworthiness and conscientiousness; the others that affect social relationships - like communication and empathy. Private hospitals have verily turned into commercial organizations; so a doctor’s, as well as the front desk staff’s level of emotional intelligence may make the difference for a patient choosing one hospital over another.