Here’s a question I asked myself as I headed home today, and I think you might like to ask yourself the same question…..
How kind was I today?
I often hear stories of unkindness. Patients tell me about their experiences of not being heard, of being judged or dismissed, of, frankly, being treated unkindly, by health care professionals. But today one of our inpatients really made me think more deeply about it as she itemised for me the acts of kindness which she had experienced from individual after individual during her stay in our hospital this week. She said she didn’t know such a place existed. I was delighted to hear such encouraging feedback, and, yet, surely the “norm” in healthcare should be kindness?
That got me wondering…..what if every doctor, every nurse, every day asked themselves “How kind was I today?”
(And don’t give me the “cruel to be kind” thing – being cruel is cruel, you have to be kind to be kind!)
Maybe talking about the need for empathy and compassion is too hard for some professionals to hear, but surely everyone can relate to kindness.
Let’s increase the kindness quotient!
Heroes Not Zombies 
Reblogged this on AURORA MOREALIST ©2011 ~ Writer and commented:
How kind were you today? Loving this question and philosophy for living, that’s why I reblogged this piece.
And I say, AMEN !!
Shared to FB. I, too, work in healthcare, and wonder what the would be like if kindness were, indeed, the norm. On the other hand, why not adopt that patient’s view of the world and look for the kindness in people, overlooking their not-so-bright moments?
Beautiful thought and message…that is very much worth trying…what have we got to lose!
I was thinking of this and reflecting on why this may be …
I went on a home visit to see a very interesting man who was hospitalised for severe back pain . He works outside breeding and rearing hunting falcons so was used to a fair degree of hardship . Anyhow, he told me that during his admission he found it hard as those in charge didn’t treat him well at all . A doctor dismissed him as his ‘reflex’ was intact and said he needed to get home…I think that if someone ‘has’ what health professionals are trained to think of as a ‘proper’ sign than more often than not care is in some delivered in a different manner . Similarly, last night I attended an enlightening talk by a very caring and highly intelligent neurologist on ‘functional’ neurological disorders …He made the point repeatedly that people who are not believed tend not to do well . I am sure his caring attitude had a great deal to do with his effectiveness in turning many people around.
Compassion/kindness and competence need not be separate specialist disciplines! Thomas Moore in his care of the soul in medicine covers the issues eloquently.
Fantastic post! I agree that this question should be asked of ourselves every day. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
The idea of ‘kindness’ seems to have been classified by many doctors as patting the patient on the head and saying ‘It will be all right dear’ . Wrong!
Kindness resides in recognizing that your patient is at least as intelligent, self knowing, determined as you are and granting them the same rights you want for yourself – knowledge of their condition, what can be done for it, what YOU can do for them – and what you WILL do for them.
Then finding words that go way beyond ‘How are you?’ For goodness sake, they’re there, how would they be?
I find, when I present to doctors on the issue of communication between patient and health professional, they always tell me that they haven’t been taught what I open them up to – and they’ll take my ideas into their practice. And that’s kind.
If you want more contact me http://www.anotherlife.com.au or berylshaw@netspace.net.au