![\"bill_cayley\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2013\/06\/bill_cayley.jpg\")
\u201cCan\u2019t I just fake it? Can\u2019t I pretend to care, even if I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cCan\u2019t I just fake it? Can\u2019t I pretend to care, even if I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
So an anonymous physician is reported to have responded during a workshop on caring communication with patients. My colleagues and I all scoffed with appropriate indignation when this story was told, as the same training was presented to us\u2014but I\u2019ve started to wonder if there may not be some backwards wisdom in the statement.<\/p>\n
Of course we\u2019d all like our colleagues to be warm and caring individuals, and when we are patients, we want to be cared for by professionals who have genuine warmth and concern for our wellbeing. Nevertheless, no matter how warm and fuzzy we feel and no matter how much we advertise our compassion, the way our caring is communicated is by what we do.<\/p>\n
Yes, modern medicine is complex and the daily practice of medicine requires attention to many details and multiple systems. But medicine is not just about the systems, it\u2019s about the patients those systems are designed to serve.<\/p>\n
When oversights in communication, overly complex instructions, or obtusely confusing ways of doing things get in the way of giving patients the best possible care, there can be no excuses. \u201cWe slipped up\u201d or \u201cwe goofed\u201d or \u201cthat\u2019s not what I meant<\/em> those instructions to say\u201d are not euphemisms for \u201cI really do care even though we didn\u2019t get it right.\u201d They are slip-ups, goofs, and bad care.<\/p>\n When I take my auto to the shop for an oil change, I don\u2019t worry (for the most part) whether the mechanic likes me. What I care about is if quality work is done, and whether I get my vehicle back on time. It\u2019s not the feelings, it\u2019s the work that matters. (Side note here\u2014fortunately, I am blessed to have a great guy as service manager where I get my auto work done).<\/p>\n In the same vein, what matters in medicine, is that good medicine is done. This does not just mean smart doctors coming up with brilliant diagnoses. It means thorough attention to getting it right, from the big picture down to the smallest of details.<\/p>\n Can you fake caring? Really, the answer probably is no. If you don\u2019t care, that will come through. But if you think you care and you can\u2019t get the details right or you leave your patient hanging, that also comes through.\u00a0 Actions, as they say, really do speak louder than words.<\/p>\n If you want a warm fuzzy, get a cup of hot cocoa\u2014if you want to communicate care, be sure your feelings and words are given life in thorough, attentive, competent actions.<\/p>\n