Balancing the Science and Art of Medicine

Philosopher and physician Paracelsus is credited with being the first to say, “Medicine is not only a science; it is also an art.” Like most professions, in medicine, it takes time on the job and subject matter maturity to truly grasp the importance of the art within medicine.

Medical school and residency developed my expertise in the clinical sciences, but it took time in the exam room to develop the art of healing. Over time, I came to understand that balancing both is how high-quality #healthcare is best achieved.?

This understanding is what ultimately led me to Midmark and gives me great satisfaction in the fact that I work at a company that not only understands that balance but has created a #culture of #innovation that affects real and positive changes at the point of care.

When I left residency, I joined my father and brother in private practice in my hometown in rural Ohio. Shortly after arrival, my dad informed me that he was retiring in just three months. This news meant I had scant time to prepare myself to fill his shoes as a seasoned physician.

It was immediately apparent that his patients were accustomed to engaging with a high-performing clinician at every visit. Many were not sure what to expect from a newly minted doc. Entering the room, I was all business and overly abrupt in seeking to understand the symptomatology and physical findings at hand. Most patients simply complied with my hurried, “all business” approach. But others purposefully tried to slow me down with seemingly time-consuming small talk. Then I remembered what my dad once told me, “Early in your physician career, you will focus on the clinical science, but you will soon learn it is the relationships that matter more, and it is the relationships that will bring you joy and clinical success.”

I started to slow down to engage each patient on a personal level. On many occasions, I was able to learn from my patients to understand what interventions were the best option for them. Often those were not what I had learned in my training or could be found in any textbook. Yet, all were clearly documented in my dad’s hand-written chart notes from years past. After suggesting a prescription, a few patients would even ask me to review the notes for my dad’s alternative path. It was clear that Dad knew his patients at a deeply personal level, and it soon became clear to me that his care was quite effective. My dad, with his words and written wisdom in each chart, accelerated my maturation to become a better clinician, where the art and science of medicine I practiced blended effectively.

Now, almost thirty years later, as Chief Medical Officer at Midmark, I see an industry trying to achieve what my family’s small practice achieved years ago—a care system where provider-patient relationships and clinical science cost-effectively converge.

I also see Midmark advancing in designing solutions to make it easier for clinicians to embrace the convergence of science and art at the point of care. To describe the nature of this convergence, I often use the double helix imagery of DNA to illustrate how our exam room ecosystem solutions must facilitate excellence in both the clinical science (one strand) and the art of the patient-provider experience (the other strand).

To achieve this balance, Midmark has three strategic pillars that guide our innovation: Clinical Insights, Technology and Data, and Design. The clinical and #technology pillars comprise the science strand, while the design strand exemplifies the art. When each strand is considered individually, the solution attributes are clear, if not straightforward.

For the science strand, we ask ourselves, “What does the clinical science say is needed for this solution to meet care standards? What technology is required for the solution to elegantly address the clinician’s need?”

When seeking to understand the art strand, we ask different questions: How can we make this solution work effectively in the clinic workflow? How can we ensure the design allows the provider to have total access to examine the patient and maintain eye contact throughout the visit? How do we create an environment for provider-patient intimacy and avoiding distractions?

We understand that the real challenge emerges when we must wrap each strand around the other to form a unified double helix within a clinical solution. Like our physician customers, the two strands must be perfectly balanced for our solution to be high performing. It is in this amalgamation that a truly effective clinical solution is born.

Midmark, with over 50 years of experience creating exam room ecosystem solutions, has the experience, expertise and legacy needed to effectively balance the clinical and technological science with the art of design to provide an effective exam room setup. Like the maturation I achieved as a young physician with the help of my father and his patients, Midmark has learned from our many customers that the human experience at the point of care is just as important as choosing the right therapeutic intervention. When both are thoughtfully integrated by an expert team with decades of experience in designing exam room ecosystems, the stage is set for an optimized provider-patient experience. This is at the heart of all we do.

To learn more about Midmark and how we are #designingbettercare, visit midmark.com.