Love and Compassion in Healthcare

The Dalai Lama once wrote “Compassion is one of the principal things that makes our lives meaningful. It is the source of lasting happiness and joy and is the foundation of a good heart. Through acts of kindness, affection, honesty and justice we not only help others but ensure our own benefit as well. By contrast the more our hearts and minds are afflicted with ill-will, the more miserable we become. We cannot escape the need for love and compassion.” (Lama)

What does this mean when it comes to healthcare? A Physician may feel they are doing no harm by holding the amount of knowledge the patient could have and the timing of the patient knowing. Physicians withhold information from the dying so that the patient’s suffering would be minimal because a patient knowing that they were close to death would cause them greater harm than remaining blind about their condition (Morrison).

Physician’s worry that a diagnosis of a terminal disease may push a patient into depression or provoke suicide. This voluntary withholding is sometimes called the ‘therapeutic privilege.’ It may also happen that withholding information may work to disrupt the trust between patients and physicians. A physician that withholds information from a patient, even for humanitarian reasons, puts themselves at risk of malpractice suits, even if that information is necessary so that patients can make an informed decision about their medical treatment (Topic : Truth telling).

Some family members may even ask physicians to withhold vital information from their patients. Concealing a diagnosis from the patient may be very difficult in the long run, especially if tests and treatments are indicated. The course of medical care itself can reveal a diagnosis ...

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... to know about their diagnosis so that the patient can decide for themselves what the course of treatment could be. As far as Annie, she may have decided to fight the illness or allow nature to take its course but in Annie’s case since the physician withheld her true diagnosis, Annie had to suffer in her final days because by giving her medication to ease her pain could have caused Annie to catch on to her true diagnosis. As the Dalia Lama once said:

“May I become at all times, both now and forever, A protector for those without protection

A guide for those who have lost their way, A ship for those with oceans to cross

A bridge for those with rivers to cross, A sanctuary for those in danger, A lamp for those without light, A place of refuge for those who lack shelter, And a servant to all in need (Lama).”

A great moral code for all healthcare workers to live by.