Dignity in care : the human side of medicine

Summary/Review: "No one goes into healthcare with the intention of hurting people, or wanting to come off as callous, cold, or unfeeling. Fortunately, most people working in healthcare understand that kindness and compassion are foundational to success in the care they provide to patients and families. And yet, all too often, there are instances when contact with healthcare is tainted by experiences ranging from vaguely annoying to abrasive to outright emotionally assaultive. Patients may confront experiences that chip away at their sense of pride and personhood; this can be as subtle as being kept waiting for an appointment, as insidious as being required to wear a plastic hospital bracelet that tracks them according to an institutional number or code, as jarring as being referred to as an aberrant body part -- the proverbial "GI bleed in room two" or "breast tumor in room three." Dignity in Care provides readers with what they need to know about the humanity of care and the tone of care. It gives practitioners a roadmap to engage in these facets of care in a thoughtful and meaningful way that will satisfy their patients' needs to be seen and appreciated as "whole persons." Most importantly, it teaches ways to communicate better with patients, helping them to feel not just cared for, but cared about." --