In October 2020, Professor KT Foo (affectionately known the “Father of Urology” in Singapore) gave me a copy of his book Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH). I had a choice; I could choose the English or Chinese edition. I chose the latter.
On February 15, 2022, Shin Min Daily News published a review from a Chinese physician’s point of view. The title captured the review’s focus: Physician – Heal the Patient, Not the Disease.
The reviewer started by highlighting the connection “Heal the Patient, Not the Disease” with traditional Chinese medical practice (TCM) principles: 以人为本 (people-focused) and 整体观 (the big picture). The principal idea is to see the forest for the trees. It is the patient we are treating, which should be the starting point.
Scientific training has turned many of us into convergent thinkers. As we think, analysis narrows our focus, and we exclude “irrelevant” information stepwise. In this “methodical process,” we often end up seeing only the patient’s immediate (presenting) problem and overlook the patient himself (herself).
Business school taught me to look at issues the big picture way. The tools I learned, such as strategic or scenario planning, marketing, and situational analysis, helped me zoom in, zoom out, and bird’s eye view challenges at hand. However, in medical school, at least back in the 70s, the focus was heavily weighted on zooming in – we see only the disease and often not the bigger picture of the patients’ mental health, family, and social issues related to their illness.
I can still remember when I was a medical student. Looking back, the focus of medical training was the study of the science of diseases, diagnosis, and treatment. The curriculum paid relatively little attention to the patients’ associated emotional and social health. We now know that emotional and social health are as important as the patient’s physical health in holistic medicine. It is little wonder that generations of doctors behave the way they do – treat diseases rather than the patient. Prof Foo’s exhortation reflects this dismay.
Several posts illustrate how understanding the big picture helps doctors manage a patient’s presenting complaint more effectively (The Invisible Problem; Transitional Care; and, Non-Compliance). These stories (and many others) testify to the importance of the doctor and patient as persons – Being Human.
Looking at things from a bird’s eye view assumes an even more prominent role in our non-working lives. 整体观 (the big picture) enables us to have a better perspective to guide more appropriate approaches to handle challenges.
To be continued in Part II.
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
