Related Experiment Videos
Humility in health care
1Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA 94709.
The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy
|June 1, 1992
Summary
Humility in healthcare involves recognizing personal limits and valuing patients and their perspectives. This Christian concept enhances medical practice by fostering respect and acknowledging the limits of medical knowledge.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Philosophy of Medicine
- Christian Ethics
Background:
- Humility is a virtue central to Christian tradition.
- It has relational and epistemological dimensions.
- These dimensions are relevant to healthcare practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the concept of humility within the practice of healthcare.
- To examine the relational and epistemological aspects of humility in medicine.
- To assert that humility is an internal good in healthcare.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of humility in Christian tradition.
- Application of these concepts to medical practice.
- Discussion of the relational and epistemological facets of humility in patient care.
Main Results:
- Humility involves acknowledging one's limits.
- Relational humility includes reverence for patients and caregivers, recognizing interdependence, and valuing the oppressed.
- Epistemological humility involves respecting patient belief systems and acknowledging the limitations of medical paradigms.
Conclusions:
- Humility is an essential component of ethical healthcare.
- Both relational and epistemological humility enrich the practice of medicine.
- The power of the medical profession does not negate the need for humility.