I learned of this video by reading the blog of ePatient Dave. This video is an acceptance speech from Dr. Amy Ship of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who received the compassionate caregiver award from the Kenneth B. Schwarz Center. Dr. Ship touches on the smallest gestures having the biggest impact, be they negative or positive, which is why hearing this will impact your life.
Because we have short attention spans, us Americans, we can never get enough of these moments of inspiration. Perhaps that is why we look forward to the bursts of energy that chime and vibrate our mobile devices from being tweeted, or updated. Each one has the potential to be a moment of kindness, acknowledgement, and encouragement.
I’m drawing on two issues here 1) the compassion necessary for quality health care and 2) the social need to build a bond with patients, their aliments, and those with whom they relate with. It is a reason I recommend that health care organizations participate in aliment communities not as a single one-way resource, but as an equal member sharing knowledge and learning of community member issues. This exchange is akin to Dr. Ship’s remarks in this video about the doctor looking back.
Thank you ePatient Dave for sharing this video.
I don’t mean to be critical of health care organizations that use social media to distribute their news release headlines or other tactical uses. That is a fine and efficient means to “get the word out.” There is, however, a much deeper application that will impact the “culture of care” in an organization. This is where social applications are an extension of human compassion among health care givers and their recipients.
