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Diagnosing suffering: a perspective.

E J Cassell1

  • 1Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, New York, USA.

Annals of Internal Medicine
|October 3, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Recognizing and diagnosing patient suffering is essential for effective medical care, particularly for the dying. Physicians must develop skills in empathic listening to address the individual, subjective nature of suffering for better treatment outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Ethics
  • Palliative Care
  • Clinical Diagnosis

Background:

  • Alleviating patient suffering is a core medical responsibility, especially in end-of-life care.
  • Suffering is a complex, individualized experience involving fear, personal meaning, and future concerns.
  • Traditional diagnostic methods focus on physical symptoms, often overlooking the subjective nature of suffering.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the challenges physicians face in diagnosing and treating patient suffering.
  • To emphasize the importance of recognizing suffering as a distinct clinical entity.
  • To advocate for the development of physician skills in assessing and managing suffering.

Main Methods:

  • The study emphasizes the need for a high index of suspicion and direct patient questioning.
Keywords:
Death and EuthanasiaProfessional Patient Relationship

Related Experiment Videos

  • It discusses the reliance on subjective patient information for diagnosis and treatment planning.
  • It highlights the role of empathic attentiveness and nondiscursive thinking in understanding patient suffering.

    • Main Results:

    • The diagnosis of suffering is frequently missed due to a focus on objective, bodily symptoms.
    • Subjective information, though challenging for some physicians, is crucial for diagnosing and treating suffering.
    • Attentive listening and questioning can be therapeutic in themselves.

    Conclusions:

    • Effective relief of suffering requires physicians to recognize its subjective and individual nature.
    • Physicians need to develop skills in empathic attentiveness and nondiscursive thinking.
    • Acquiring these skills is essential for improving patient care and alleviating suffering.