How can you demonstrate empathy while respecting patient autonomy?

Patient autonomy is the right of patients to make informed decisions about their medical care without their health care provider trying to influence the decision.

Collaboration. Each person, prior to admission, is asked a specific question. What is it that you are wanting from your admission with us? Not focusing on the chaos and crisis, or the deterioration of health, connection, careers, nor addictive behaviours. All important to inform suitability, and ensure each client is held holistically when they arrive. Answers vary from, finding meaning, restoring their relationship, learning new ways of coping in their lives, and sometimes the most beautiful words... I want to want to live. Within the first week, as we get to know each client individually, we start working with them in terms of what we think would help them. In this way, there is choice, empathy, understanding and collaboration.

Empathy plays a crucial role in patient autonomy. When patients feel genuinely "heard" in the often confusing healthcare environment, it provides them with a sense of relief, fostering a connection that assures them they are not alone and are truly understood. This, in turn, significantly influences how patients perceive the care they receive and shapes their receptiveness to the advice or guidance offered.

Empathy is crucial for patient autonomy because it involves understanding and respecting a patient's feelings and perspectives, which can facilitate more informed and personalized decision-making processes.

Patients with underlying psychological disorder with flights of ideas tend to be most sensitive to a clinician’s level of (or lack of) empathy. Firstly, A warm smile goes a long way towards creating a sense of kindness during patient engagements. Then granting the patient ample time to give detailed history ( regardless of disjointed messages) goes a long way for creating meaningful communication and building trusting relationships between patients and healthcare providers

To demonstrate empathy while respecting patient autonomy, listen actively to patient concerns, validate their feelings, provide information clearly, and support their decision-making process without imposing your views.

Actively listening and trying to see things from your patient’s perspective can help case managers get a better understanding where their patients are coming from and how they’re feeling. Sometimes a patient simply needs to feel heard and understood to enable them to be more open and receptive. Many times a patient is hesitant or adamant they do not want treatment or a procedure due to fear. Trying to find the root cause of that fear and working with the patient to mitigate that fear is a great way to advocate for that patient as well as give them some control back they might feel they have lost.

I believe that compassionate listening is the greatest gift we can offer another human being. Holding space for another person by listening carefully helps us to close the gap between us and eases the natural human emotion of feeling disconnected and alone.

Challenges to empathy and patient autonomy include personal biases, cultural differences, communication barriers, and the difficulty of balancing professional guidance with respecting patient choices.

Overcoming these challenges involves continuous self-reflection, seeking education on cultural competencies, improving communication skills, and actively encouraging patient participation in their care decisions.

This isn’t a difficult thing to do, if and only if, your case management framework is truly patient centred as must ethically be the case where healthcare professionals are involved. Offering plausibly effective care based on the evidence is what all responsible healthcare providers should do. The fact that this question is even being asked to me says that this isn’t the case. When policies put profits and avoiding recommending and supporting treatments ahead of the patient’s best interests doesn’t this pose an irreconcilable professional and ethical question? People aren’t cases or numbers, and every person is different.