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| | Journal Club Take part in the discussion of an article published in the various Medical Journal, Journal club info and more... | The Nature Of Suffering And The Goals Of Medicine
Published by Angel
20-11-2005
|  The Nature Of Suffering And The Goals Of Medicine
This article was published in New England Journal of Medicine in 1982. It’s been more than 23 year after its publication it still hold the same situation in our medical profession. It gives you insight into the realm of “Pain & Suffering”. Do you agree that “Pain and suffering” please go through this article or print out the article read twice and give your appraisal “The nature of suffering and the goals of Medicine”. Acknowledgement: This article has been provided by Dr. Arjun Karki, Consultant Physicain, Patan Hospital. SPECIAL ARTICLE
THE NATURE OF SUFFERING AND THE GOALS OF MEDICINE eric J. cassel. M.D. Abstract The question of suffering and its relation to organic illness has rarely been addressed in the medical literature. This article offers a description of the nature and causes of suffering in patients undergoing medical treatment. A distinction based on clinical observations is made between suffering and physical distress. Suffering is experienced by persons, not merely by bodies, and has its source in challenges that threaten the intactness of the person as a complex social and psychological entity. Suffering can include physical pain but is by no means limited to it. The relief of suffering and the cure of disease must be seen as twin obligations of a medical profession that is truly dedicated to the care of the sick. Physicians’ failure to understand the nature of suffering can result in medical intervention that (though technically adequate) not only fails to relieve suffering but becomes a source of suffering itself. (N Engl J Med. 1982; 306:639 - 45.) |  Contents | | |
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By
Pal
on
20-11-2005, 11:20 PM
| | Well,
1. Pain and suffering are two different things.
2. We have to treat the patient as a whole not the disease alone.
3. Definitely, this article will change the way I will practice.
4. My view:
It is frequently discussed matter in the ward teaching, Journal Club, Seminars, conferences, as we all know that speaking and doing things is also two different things. It was published in 1982, but this kind of thinking might have come long back Eric J. cassel. M.D. dared to come up with this idea to make aware the entire practicing doctor about it.
We must not forget that we are dealing with our family, parents, brother, sister they could be the next patient for us as well a doctor is also a father, mother, sister, brother and so on.
But we do encounter some problem like if a COPD patient doesn’t sleep and complain to a doctor what S/he will do as we know that diazepam like drugs can help the patient since s/he is suffering from COPD, diazepam causes respiratory depression as its adverse effect. What shall we do, we encounter many such situation everyday in our lives.
Therefore we have to judge the situation precisely through our medical knowledge and from our heart too, I think it’s the experience that will help to tackle in such situation.
In my opinion, everything must be explained to the patient and let him/her decide what s/he want. Because we know that patient’s decision is the FINAL. | | | | | | Re: The Nature Of Suffering And The Goals Of Medicine
First of all, I would like to thank Dr.Karki for providing us such a relevant and must to be addressed topic in this medical forum.I think the pain and suffering are two different components of an illness.These modern ways of treatment and care of the patient have added sufferings to the patient.A patient who hardly can afford for his/her bread and butter are subjected to unnecessary and painful interventions in so called modern treament procedures.For a patient,receiving a long term suffering from his treament procedures would be more herculean task than the pain of the illness itself.Most of time, patients are not made aware of what that particular intervention and therapy is likely to result and patients are confronted with obnoxious and even more agonising fatal complications.I often come across with such patients in our bedside postings where they are struggling more for their sufferings than pain itself. | | | | Review Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
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