To become a doctor should be influenced by a desire to be a part of patients' lives when their physical and emotional health are the matter of discussion. Moments of this nature can be an crucial part of an individual's emotional development. If doctors do not either have or take the time to learn about a patient's life, they cannot adequately share in this moment of growth with them.
This ultimately changes the effects of treatment. Some may argue that personal or emotional growth of this nature should be saved for the psychiatrist's office. It is these men and women I most want to engage. All healing, whether it be the ENT, podiatrist or therapist, is better achieved when doctors and patients can form a team.
Together, it should be the task of a doctor and his patient to form a cohesive narrative. If as doctors, we can learn to ask patients not only about their pain, but about how that pain affects their work, their lives, and their play, we can design therapies that attack the symptoms on all fronts.
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