Has the field of medicine lost its healing touch? World-renowned cardiologist, innovator, and activist Bernard Lown thinks so. In his 1996 book, The Lost Art of Healing, Dr. Lown advocates a revolutionary return to the fundamentals of doctoring.
“Doctors no longer minister to a distinctive person but concern themselves with fragmented, malfunctioning body parts,” Lown writes. In our current system, “healing is replaced with treating, caring is supplanted by managing, and the art of listening is taken over by technological procedures.”
Dr. Lown’s extraordinary career is characterized by a passion to “resist the industrialization” of the medical profession. He urges doctors to rediscover the essential skills of listening, a caring touch, and affirming words, which set the stage for healing.
Do you feel like you have enough time to truly care for your patients? What stands in the way of providing more personal patient care? What changes should hospitals make to promote healing over mere treatment? Share your thoughts below.
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