Humanity in the caring relationship
Keywords:
Existential need, religious need, spiritual need, doctor-patient communication, HumanizationAbstract
The growing complexity of modern technocratic medicine may risk compromising that human dimension of the care relationship that has always constituted its deepest essence.
At the same time, in these times characterized by profound uncertainty, there is a growing demand for listening, attention, empathy and, at the same time, for a caring that transcends merely organic aspects to also concern the existential, value and spiritual aspects that represent the core of man's intellectual and emotional life.
The commitment of the physician and health worker to take care of these aspects has its roots in the history of medicine, but it takes on and receives a particular ethical connotation in the emergent context of the pandemic.
Humanizing care pathways also means being able to accommodate the spiritual dimension of people seeking care, and health professionals should receive adequate training to develop specific skills.
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