Essay On Kindnessness

How does kindness heal? Science has opened the window to the various ways humans connect. Showing how physicians interact with patients to a degree affects the patients’ physiology. As said by Dr. Francis W. Peabody, to his medical students in 1925; "The secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient" (Peabody, M.D. 1925). As demonstrated by a growing body of research kindness, compassion and empathy have profound effects on healing. Often in ways not immediately recognized, but have real consequences. When patients are treated with insensitivity on top of their illness, are receiving a second hand hurt that can exacerbate the initial condition for which they sought treatment. The following studies all which shed light on the

The following outcomes are lead: the faster healing of wounds, reduced pain, reduced anxiety, reduced blood pressure, and shorter hospital stays. For example, the more compassionate care patients received, the lower their diastolic blood pressure became during periods of stress (Cosley, Brandon J., et al., 2010).

According to (Rakel, D. P., et al., 2009), when volunteers exposed to the common cold virus rated their doctor as very kind, they showed less severe symptoms, were less likely to develop a full cold and symptoms cleared up faster. The subjects either received a standard or enhanced physician visit as part of a randomized controlled trial. The patients assessed their interactions using the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) questionnaire evaluating practitioner-patient communication, specifically empathy. The (CARE) estimates ten areas of consultations for the patient to measure clinicians from 1-5. Seeing whether clinicians: 1) made them feel at ease, 2) allowed them to “tell their story,” 3) really listened, 4) were interested in them as a whole person, 5) fully understood their concerns, 6) showed care and compassion, 7) were positive, 8) explained things clearly, 9) helped them take control, and 10) helped create a plan of action (Mercer, Maxwell, Heaney, & Watt, 2004). In those with perfect CARE scores, cold duration was shorter (mean 7.10 days vs. 8.01 days, p=0.032), and there was a trend towards reduced severity (mean AUC 240.40 vs. 284.49,