Thought Piece: On Answers
- MedLife Admin
- May 4
- 2 min read
I ended my last one of these ominously, with the words: I'll see you again. So, here i am with another thought piece, this time focusing on something I'm sure we've all chased in our lives: Answers.
You may recall I've previously written about the importance of striving to maintain a patient's dignity (I've linked to that post here); so this is in essence a continuation of that thought process.
As physicians, ultimately what we are all seeking is answers.
To establish a patient's diagnosis: Answer
To determine a patient's prognosis: Answer
To prove our own beliefs right: Answer
As much as answers (and the search for them) are important, I would posit that the reason we are looking for the answer is just as, or even more important.
Yes, we have the capability and means to solve endlessly complex diagnostic dilemmas, and we have learned so much more about the body, it's systems and even disease processes compared to the earliest days of medicine. I would go as far as to say that it's even hardwired into us to get to the root of the problem, to find an answer; and thus a solution.
But to circle back to my initial point: why are we doing this? Sometimes it might even be for our own gratification; to say that we solved the problem. But that is not the core principle of medicine: we do it to benefit our patients. Remember the four principles? Beneficence, Non-maleficence, Autonomy and Justice.
What this translates to is finding an answer, to help the patient.
So what if they don't want to know? What if the answer won't help them? What if the answer isn't going to change their management? Do we still go looking?
Our instinct is to say yes. To keep going until we've solved it. But isn't that for us rather than for them? Keeping things patient centered means that we must respect them and their wishes. And sometimes that may mean not finding the answer that we so crave.
Ponder on that with me.
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