Finding Compassion

(This was originally written as a 3 part article in a radiology newsletter for a Michigan hospital.)

The first of “3 C’s” was connection. The second “C” is compassion.

In the TV series The West Wing, a staffer is going through a really tough time. This staff member is coming out of a particularly difficult meeting and discovers the chief of staff waiting in the lobby. The staff member is surprised and asks what his boss is doing there. The chief of staff tells this story.

There was this guy that fell into a deep hole and couldn’t get out. He was shouting for help when a doctor walked by. The guy yells, “Hey can ya help me get out?” The doctor writes a prescription and tosses it into the hole. Next a priest walks by and the guy yells, “Hey, can ya help me get out?” The priest writes a prayer and tosses it into the hole. Pretty soon a friend walks by and guy says, “Hey Joe, can ya help me get out of this hole?” The guy’s friend jumps down into the hole with his friend. The guy in the hole says, “What are you nuts? Why did you jump in the hole? Now we are both stuck!” The friend replies, “Listen I’ve been down here before, I know the way out.”

In the current atmosphere of payment reduction and cost cutting, every healthcare facility is scrambling to find the balance of providing good care and being fiscally responsible while maintaining market share. There is one thing that can change the landscape without costing a dime; compassion.

Merriam-Webster tells us compassion is sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate the distress. Sometimes compassion gets mistaken for pity or sympathy. The difference between these three is distance and commitment.  Pity is best done from far away. Pity is a strong feeling of sadness for someone or some situation. Often time, pity comes from gratitude we are not in that same situation. Sympathy is different in that we understand the circumstances and we are willing to get close enough to pat the person’s hand or touch their shoulder. Compassion contains similar feelings as pity and sympathy, but joins them with an up-close commitment to alleviate their distress. 

There are days when it is difficult to maintain a compassionate heart toward our patients. Some of our patients we see multiple times a month with conditions of their own making.  Whether it is a repeat patient or a brand new one, each deserves a sympathetic consciousness of their condition. But having a sympathetic consciousness is just the beginning. Those feelings must be coupled with a commitment to alleviate the patient’s distress. This is true compassion.

Compassion is the only thing that will set healthcare apart from Ford, IBM, Walmart and all the rest that offer great customer service. Our “customer service” must flow out of our compassion. Our Compassion is our service for the people who come to us in need, looking for help.