Attitude, behaviour, compassion and dialogue: care centred on patient dignity
Alazne Belar, who will soon begin her thesis in the ATLANTES Program of the ICS, recalls in the blog of project that "the focus of care is the person, not their disease".
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"Let's treat the patient, not the disease," proposes nurse Alazne Belar Beitia in the blog of the ATLANTES program of the Institute for Culture and Society. Belar, a graduate in Nursing and Master's Degree in Palliative Care from the University of Navarra, has been collaborating with ATLANTES for two and a half years, where she begins her doctoral thesis in March 2017.
Alazne Belar reminds us that there is scientific evidence that "the way patients are seen is a powerful mediator of their dignity," citing the psychiatrist Harvey Max Chochinov, who specializes in palliative care. Thus, he mentions the following reflection of this Canadian expert: "The more health professionals are able to affirm the value of the patient, that is, to see the person they really are, rather than just the disease they are suffering from, the more likely their sense of dignity will be preserved".
Alazne Belar recommends that healthcare professionals follow the ABCD of dignity-centered care, designed by Chochinov: A, for Attitude, reflecting on the attitude toward the patient; B, for Behaviour, taking an interest in what seems important to the patient; C, for Compassion, knowing the suffering of the other and wanting to alleviate it; and D, for Dialogue, conversing with the patient and getting to know him or her in order to provide the best possible care.