Character—Where Has It Gone?

Dear Readers,   Character is defined as “the aggregate of features and traits that form the apparent individual nature of a person.”¹Over the past several years, I think that there have been significant changes in the “features and traits that form the apparent individual nature” of people. The evidence is as close as our newsstands. A generation or so ago, the most popular magazines were Life, Look, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens, and others that described things that were going on in the world around us and provided information about better living. Today’s newsstand carries magazines with titles as People, US Weekly, Cosmopolitan, High Times, More, OK, Shape, and others in which we can find details about so-called celebrities, about how to have the latest fashions and gadgets, and what we can do to make ourselves prettier, sexier, thinner, and happier. There isn’t a lot of substance in most newsstand offerings today. Is that because we are seeing a change of character in people?   It seems that society has gone from one that cares for and looks after our families and neighbors to one that only cares about individual wants and happiness. Everything is all about me. As healthcare professionals, this is one attitude we cannot allow to worm its way into our character. Our lives are spent caring for others and meeting their needs. Dr. Ronald Stewart captured it in a nutshell when he said, “Service…is the moral reason our profession exists.”² However, are our commitments to serving patients as good today as they were a few years ago, or are we pulling back on caring so that we only do the basics and collect a paycheck? Our science and techniques of care have definitely improved, but what about delivery of care? (Have you ever paid attention to the fact that we provide healthcare?) There is no question that care for patients is becoming more impersonal. Every patient has a number, a computer file, and may be identified as a disease. A patient’s life history and medical history are like so many bytes on a hard drive. The patients don’t even have a chart to call their own today! Even care is no longer tailored for the patient. We treat using algorithms and guidelines without even thinking about or asking what is best for a particular patient. Does this attitude mean that we are putting our desires to get the work done and go home before the interests and needs of the patients? Before you jump to a conclusion, just think about it.   There is another common problem that I have noticed. Taking care of patients day after day is very tiring, both physically and mentally. Has this ever led you to suffer from “compassion fatigue”? Dr. Mary Brandt defines this as an attitude when one becomes tired of looking after the needs of patients and may even become angry or hostile when asked to do so.³ This all too common malady must be identified and rectified if we are to fulfill our obligation to patients. Perhaps a vacation away from the patients, talking with someone about the problem, or refocusing one’s priorities and efforts will show that you have the character to identify the problem and work through it.   It is critical that we as healthcare providers not lapse into the attitude of not putting our patients’ needs before personal desires, or to suffer from compassion fatigue. When you have a particularly bad day, I suggest you take a minute to take a deep breath and reflect on why you do this job in the first place. Remember how much joy and satisfaction comes from serving the needs of fellow humans. It is then that you can do a “character readjustment” to continue being happy in the best career anyone could wish to have.    “If you think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself.” –Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States

References

1. The Random House Dictionary of the English Language. Urdang L, Flexner SB, eds. New York, NY: Random House, Inc; 1968:225. 2. Stewart RM. The care of the patient: character, science, and service. Am J Surg. 2012;202(6):632–640. 3. Brandt ML. The Claude Organ Memorial Lecture: the practice of surgery: surgery as a practice. Am J Surg. 2009;198(6):742–747.