Practicing Empathy in Healthcare

The Department of Health has launched a new initiative called "Empathy in Healthcare". We believe taking care of each other is an elective decision. Healthcare is a humans serving humans business and we must put patients at the center of everything we do. We must practice empathy and think about how patients view and experience the care they receive; we must think about how we train providers and health care workers; and we must put ourselves in the patients' shoes. Empathy can improve health outcomes. Demonstrating empathy can help providers understand and appreciate complex circumstances facing their patients. Empathy can also be used to engage patients in their own treatment plans and improve outcomes. Studies have shown physicians with the "highest degrees of empathy achieved the best results with patients." The healthcare system has a unique opportunity to practice empathy to improve patients´ lives.

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