What Doctors Feel
How Emotions Affect The Practice of Medicine
Danielle Ofri’s newest book. A look at the emotional side of medicine–the shame, fear, anger, anxiety, empathy, and even love that impact patient care.
The quality of medical care is influenced by what doctors feel, an aspect of medicine that is usually left out of discussions of health care today. Drawing on scientific studies as well as real life stories from her own medical practice and other physicians, Dr. Danielle Ofri investigates the impact of emotions on medical care.
Contemporary media portrayals of doctors focus on the decision-making and medical techniques, reinforcing an image of rational, unflinching doctors. But while the challenges in medicine are unique, doctors respond with the same emotions as the rest of us — shame, anger, empathy, frustration, hope, pride, occasionally despair and sometimes even love.
With her renown eye for dramatic detail, Dr. Ofri takes us into swirling heart of patient care. She faces the humiliation of an error that nearly killed her patient and the forever fear of making another. She mourns when a long-time patient is denied a heart transplant. She tells the riveting stories of doctors who have faced the death of a newborn in their arms, and have faced the glare of lawyers in the courtroom.
Emotions have a distinct effect on a doctor's behavior and how they care for patients. For doctors, and especially for patients, understanding this can make all the difference in effective medicine.
Beacon Press (June 4, 2013)
