Afleveringen
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In this episode of The Hippocratic Society, Michael and Dr. John Rhee dive into the essential role of compassion in medicine. Building on their previous discussion with Dr. Kristen Collier, they explore how true compassion goes beyond emotion—it is an intentional act rooted in wisdom.
Through a compelling patient story and reflections on suffering, virtue, and moral imagination, they offer insights into cultivating compassion even in the most challenging clinical situations. Tune in for a thoughtful conversation on how to grow in empathy and care for patients with greater depth and purpose.
Further Reading/References
Are You Experiencing Compassion Fatigue, Rebecca A. Clay (2020), American Psychological Association
Compassion in Healthcare: An Updated Scoping Review of the Literature, Malenfant S, Jaggi P, Hayden KA, Sinclair S (2022), BMC Palliative Care, 21(1):1-28
The Anfortas Question, M.S. Sanatani (2010), Canadian Medical Association Journal, 182(11)
The Philosophy of Medicine Reborn: A Pellegrino Reader, Edmund D. Pellegrino (2008), University of Notre Dame Press
The Rebirth of the Clinic: An Introduction to Spirituality in Health Care, Daniel P. Sulmasy (2006), Georgetown University Press
The Tamworth Reading Room (from Discussions and Arguments), John Henry Newman (1841), Longmans, Green & Co.
Physician Burnout: Its Origin, Symptoms, and Five Main Causes, Dike Drummond, MD (2015), Family Practice Management, 22(5):42-47
Practicing Medicine and Ethics: Integrating Wisdom, Conscience, and Goals of Care, Lauris C. Kaldjian (2014), Cambridge University Press
Resident and Fellow Well-Being: Everything You Need to Know About Resident and Fellow Burnout, My Well-Being Index (n.d.), MyWellBeingIndex.org
The True Value of Reframing, OptimalWork
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What is the place of wisdom in medicine? What are the consequences of a medicine without wisdom? How to we appreciate the importance of medical wisdom both on an individual and institutional level?
Join us as we discuss with Dr. Kristin Collier the place of medical wisdom in healthcare today and why we need the humanities to bring flourishing to medicine.
Further Reading/References
Practical wisdom in medicine through the eyes of medical students and physicians, Lauris C Kaldjian, John Yoon, Tavinder K Ark, Laura Shinkunas, Fabrice Jotterand
What is medicine for?, Kristin Collier
The Rock, T.S. Eliot
The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man, Abraham Heschel
Why Conscience Matters: A Defense of Conscientious Objection in Healthcare, Xavier Symons
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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What does it mean to truly be there for our patients? Why is presence so vital to patient care? How can we grow in attention to our patients and those we love?
Join us as we discuss the mindful approach to treating patients and how our practice of presence can help us in and out of the hospital.
References/Further Reading:
"What is clinician presence? A qualitative interview study comparing physician and non-physician insights about practices of human connection," Brown-Johnson et al. (2019) - British Medical Journal"Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators," Basso et al. (2019)
"Patient as Gift: Understanding the Clinical Relationship," Dugdale (2020)
"Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being," Emmons & McCullough (2003)
"Mindfulness, APA Dictionary of Psychology," VandenBos (Ed.) (2007)
"Practices to Foster Physician Presence and Connection With Patients in the Clinical Encounter," Zulman et al. (2020)
"Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: evidence of brief mental training," Zeidan et al. (2010)
"The Neuroscience of Gratitude and Effects on the Brain," Chowdhury (2019)
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Suffering affects all people from all walks of life, but what does it actually mean to suffer? How do we find meaning within suffering? How can we respond to the suffering of another?
In this episode, we discuss these important questions with Wes Ely, a critical care physician responsible for changing the face of ICU care in the U.S. Join us as we reflect on how we can flourish in our own suffering and by responding to that of others.
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Where do ideals come into play in medicine? How do we build trust in patients? What do we do when situations suggest that we act contrary to our values? Join us as we discuss Integrity's irreplaceable role in medicine and how developing this virtue contributes to the flourishing of ourselves and our patients.
References/Further Reading:
Virtues in the Medical Practice, Thomasma and Pellegrino
The Not-My-Problem Problem, Lisa Rosenbaum
Integrity, Damian Cox, Marguerite La Caze, and Michael Levine
Mature Care and the Virtue of Integrity, Vigdis Ekeberg
Review of "Integrity and the Virtues of Reason", Andrea Westlund
(Integrity and the Virtues of Reason, Greg Sherkoske)
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What does the ideal physician look like? How do we get there? What influences our identity as physicians as we go through training? Where do we look for guidance in this journey?
Join us as we delve into the personal journeys of our guests, examine the concept of "professionalism," and explore the ideal physician, including the role of the moral and spiritual dimensions in medical practice.
Our discussion touches on the historical and cultural factors that have contributed to the evolution of the modern physician as well as the challenges of cultivating a deeper sense of meaning in medicine.
References
Berger, P. L. The homeless mind. 1973 Bishop, J. P. The anticipatory corpse. 2011 Buchanan, M. The rest of God. 2007 Hauerwas, S. Suffering presence. 1986 Kinghorn, W. A. Medical education as moral formation. 2010 Kinghorn, W. A., McEvoy, M. D., Michel, A., & Balboni, M. The emperor has no clothes. 2007 Kinghorn, W. A. Against the Moral/Medical Divide. 2024 Marti-Ibáñez, F. To be a doctor. 1960 May, W. F. The physician's covenant. 1983 McKenney, G. P. (Ed.). To relieve the human condition. 1997 Pellegrino, E. D., & Thomasma, D. C. The practice of medicine. 1981 Optimal Work, Kevin Majeres Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative -
How can we live a strong family life with a busy medical career? How do we balance the demands of a flourishing profession and a flourishing family? How can we develop our family relationships in the demanding time of medical training? Join us as we explore the beautiful struggle of pursuing both family and medicine. Come away with some practical tips to love family well amid the particular challenges of medicine.
References/Further Reading:
The Positive Impact of Family Life on Physician Well-Being, Elizabeth Landry
Physicians and their primary relationships: How to be successful in both personal and professional realms, Gordon Cochrane
Doctors and their families, Susan Benbow
Medical Marriages, Jennifer Casaletto and Gillian Shmitz
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What does it mean to flourish? What is medicine's role in Human Flourishing? How can we, as students and doctor, flourish during the demanding time of the medical profession? Bioethicist Xavier Symons joins us as we explore these questions and discover what it means to pursue a life well lived in medicine. Dr. Symons conducted research at Harvard's Human Flourishing Program, providing him with the expertise and experience to handle such important questions.
References in the show:
On the promotion of human flourishing, Tyler VanderWeele
Activities for Flourishing: An Evidence-Based Guide, Tyler VanderWeele
Flourishing Definition, Encyclopedia.com
Harvard Human Flourishing Program
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Following our interview with Professor Carter Snead, we dive into Humility, one of the "virtues of embodiment" that he identified as being essential to human flourishing. Join us as we explore how to practically live out this virtue, to benefit our patient, colleagues, and friends.
References/Further Reading:
What it Means to be Human, Carter Snead
The Virtuous Physician: The Role of Virtue in Medicine, James A. Marcum
The Time-Block Planner: A Daily Method for Deep Work in a Distracted World, Cal Newport
The Virtues in Medical Practice, Edmund Pellegrino & David Thomasma
Humble: The Quiet Power of an Ancient Virtue, Daryl van Tongeren
The Neuroscience of Growth Mindset and Intrinsic Motivation, Betsy Ng
Growth Mindset Podcast, Andrew Huberman.
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What is common to all humans? What characterizes a human being? Professor Carter Snead provides an answer to these questions with the "anthropology of embodiment" described in his book, What it Means to be Human. Join us as we explore the shared nature connecting all humans beyond our perceived differences, divergent ideas, and preconceived notions.
References/Further Reading:
What it Means to be Human, Carter Snead
After Virtue, Alasdair MacIntyre
Enough: the failure of the living will, Angela Fagerlin, Carl E Schneider
Taking Care, President's Council on Bioethics
President's Council on Bioethics
Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?, Michael Sandel
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What drives your life? What is the goal of your everyday actions? What motivates you? These questions can all be answered to some extent by ideals. In this episode, we discuss why a deep understanding of our ideals is necessary to avoid burnout and maintain love for the noble profession of medicine.
References:
Pew Research Center, November, 2021, “What Makes Life Meaningful? Views From 17 Advanced Economies”
Harvard Study of Adult Development
Good genes are nice, but joy is better
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The Hippocratic Society podcast explores the profound question of what medicine is truly for and how the profession has shifted away from its noble roots. Despite the idealism that often brings new students into the field, many seasoned practitioners express regret and discontent, a phenomenon largely attributed to modern cultural dynamics. This shift has skewed medicine towards being a mere provider of services, sidelining the intrinsic virtues that once defined it. The discussion delves into systemic pressures that undermine the profession, suggesting that a renewed focus on the original values and purpose of medicine could restore its integrity and the satisfaction of its practitioners.
Check out Dr. Curlin's book:
The Way of Medicine: Ethics and the Healing Profession
by Farr Curlin and Christopher Tollefsen
Other articles/references:
Physician burnout rate drops below 50% for first time in 4 years (AMA)
What the AMA learned about burnout in 2023 (Beckers' ASC)
40% of doctors eye exits. What can organizations do to keep them? (AMA)
