In today’s busy EMS systems, practicing human sympathy and compassion seems to have become a dying, or even lost, art. As call volume increases, EMS provider human interaction and empathy seem to diminish. As healthcare providers, we need to address and turn the circle of compassion back around.
We used to teach and practice the premise, “Treat everyone equally and as if they are your brother or sister.” So, how did we lose that understanding, and how do we bring it back to improve patient care and transport?
A family member
Compassion fatigue, excessive workloads and demands, lack of continuity and a failure to see a patient as a fellow human being all are causes of EMS providers’ lack of compassion. Nevertheless, all providers must hold themselves to a high level of accountability and professionalism.
An exceptional EMS provider is a true patient advocate. All who deliver emergency medical care need to embrace the concept of treating everyone as you would a member of your family. Talk to patients, family members and friends respectfully, and assume nothing. Never have any preconceptions or bias, no matter how the patient presents. (For example, many medical symptoms mimic patient conditions that might lead you to believe that the patient might be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.)
Patient assessment is the most important and valued skill that a provider acquires through training and experience. Better evaluation of your patients and their surroundings, mechanisms, condition and overall emotional responses will assist you in efficiently treating and caring. Sympathizing, rather than empathizing, might cause you to miss the whole situation, leading to an improper diagnosis and, thus, incorrect treatment. Furthermore, doing so could get you into deep trouble both ethically and morally.
One of the most significant issues that I see is that very few providers understand the differences between sympathy, empathy and compassion. Each is defined and conceptualized in numerous ways and easily can be interchangeable, but each is unique.
Sympathy is the power of sharing the feelings of another, particularly in sorrow or trouble. Empathy is the psychological identification with or experiences of a feeling, thought or attitude of another. Patients have a more positive response to empathy than sympathy. Compassion is a deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it. Compassion is considered an essential element in quality patient care.
Even though you might be responding to your third seizure call or overdose of the day, it’s your patient’s first. It’s easy to be sympathetic to a patient’s or family’s needs or desires. Being empathic is of much more personal importance to truly understand and care for patients and their needs. Empathy develops through one’s own experiences, but I believe, as EMS providers, that you can be empathic even if you never experienced a similar incident. Empathy develops throughout your EMS experience.
Consider this: You arrive to find a 4-year-old who was discovered unresponsive and lifeless in the family pool. You easily can sympathize with the parent who found the child. However, if you place yourself in the parent’s shoes and situation, you become empathic, transforming your actions into compassionate care both for the child and parent. Telling someone to “calm down” can turn that person against you. Try speaking humanely and respectfully and asking how you can help. The person’s response likely will be a more positive and forward reaction. Attempting to comprehend how the person feels and what he/she is experiencing will help that person to cope with the present situation, drastically improving the outcome. Being more tolerable and patient will help mitigate stressful encounters. That said, doing this takes practice.
During an emergency when emotions run high, it can be difficult to communicate with or even understand people. Nevertheless, you still must be considerate of the needs of others, not yours. Always remain professional, leaving behind a positive impression. Connect with patients and their family to create a complete outcome and to enhance your treatment actions.
Put compassion back into caring by remembering these simple rules:
- Always be respectful;
- Look and be professional;
- Speak calmly and reassuringly;
- Care and treat others as you would want to be treated and cared for;
- Remember that this could be your patients’ worst day and that you are there to help them;
- Don’t assume anything, i.e., drugs or alcohol;
- Go above and beyond by going the extra mile to help relieve others’ pain and suffering; and
- Do what’s best for the patient and not what’s best for you.
Richard Bossert
Richard Bossert is a retired operations chief for the Philadelphia Fire Department. He started in the fire/rescue services in 1970, volunteering for the Warminster, PA, Fire Department. He worked for three career fire departments: Chester, Bensalem and Philadelphia. Bossert became a certified EMT in 1973, then paramedic in 1980. He received a bachelor’s degree in pre-med from Pennsylvania State University in 1977 and a master’s degree in public safety administration from St. Joseph’s University in 2003.
