At our Community Care Center board meeting last week, Dr. Baldwin Smith, retired pediatric neurologist, shared a recent article from JAMA "Medicine-Both a Science (Care) and an Art (CARE)" (Strange TJ, Castellanos MR. Medicine-Both a Science (Care) and an Art (CARE). JAMA. 2024 Apr 23;331(16):1357-1358. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.2508. PMID: 38568598). The authors emphasize that with technological advancements transforming medical care, "the timeless art of medicine (compassion and caring) remains a foundational aspect of patient-centered health care" (Trzeciak & Mazzarelli, 2019). The qualities of compassion, assistance, active listening, respect, and empathy "not only contribute to better patient outcomes and increased satisfaction, but also play a critical role in improving overall well-being" (Malenfant et al, 2022). CARE (compassion, assistance, respect, and empathy) - an acronym to guide all those providing medical care in a fast-paced, rapidly changing world.
