Technology and fading
human touch
As we celebrate Nurses Day, the profession that was known
for its noble services to the sick and dying is facing its greatest challenges
that threaten the very founding principles the institution. These are two-fold.
The first is the effects of technological advancements in the treatment of the
sick and the second is the concurrent commercialization of the medical and
healthcare services. In fact these two factors have not only made healthcare
costs to become beyond the reach of the vast majority of people but regrettably
also resulted in the loss of personal and humane touch to care of the sick and
dying.
Sophisticated modern technology
has drastically revolutionized the way the sick are treated today. It has made
diagnosis easier and treatment more appropriate leading to faster and more
complete recovery from many diseases that were deemed incurable just decades
ago. Unfortunately these advances in diagnosis and treatment have become too
costly to benefit the ordinary man on the street especially in developing
countries.
Furthermore the highly “mechanized” and "corporatized" healthcare
system has also eroded the human touch in the management of patients where
nurses traditionally played a crucial role. This new profit-motivated system
has little or no consideration for experience and emotional values and many dedicated
nurses with experience and right aptitude are sidelined. In many institutions a
nurse is reduced to just an extra pair of hands in the wards and clinics, implementing
standard operating procedures without fully understanding them.
We tend to forget that patients are just humans with
emotions and feelings that are unique to each individual. We subject patients
to extensive investigations and sophisticated treatment but we forget they also
need compassion and moral support during their illness. This can only be
provided by nurses who have the heart not technology however sophisticated it
may be. Unfortunately such nurses are becoming a rarity in our highly mechanized
and commercialized healthcare business. We are all familiar with slogans like
‘Service
with a smile’, ‘Service a heart’, ‘We care’ and so on but do we really live up
to these slogans?
Nurses today work under great difficulties and are under
tremendous pressure from within and without. The demands on them are
tremendous, at times almost unreasonable. Amidst these limitations we salute
those who still hold on to the age-old tradition of offering a smile and a
personal touch which the sick and dying need it most.
The adage, “Doctors diagnose nurses cure” highlights the
extremely vital role nurses play in the total care of the sick. While the
technical aspects of the profession may change with progress, the basic needs
of the sick, love and concern, will forever remain unchanged.
Happy Nurses Day!
