‘She was crying and I walked into her room startled’, Dr Shaik recalls.
Despite her longstanding condition of diabetes with many complications, the patient was mostly optimistic and usually had a beaming face. The patient’s toe had been amputated because of an infection causing unbearable pain and Dr Shaik, a neurology resident overseeing her care was worried.
But to her surprise, her patient said, between sobs, “They… took… my hair tie! First my toe… and now my hair’s… a mess!”
A problem she felt could somewhat easily solve, Dr Shaik ran out to a nearby store in between seeing patients and got her a pack of hair ties. ‘Her face overflowed with gratitude and joy by this small act’, she remembers. It was an eye-opening moment.
KINDNESS in INDUSTRY
Consumer-facing industries have often sought ways to promote kindness and may sometimes serve as models. One example is Southwest Airlines. In 2021 they launched their One Million Acts of Kindness initiative challenging both its employees and customers to perform and share acts of kindness (like planting a tree, painting a school, sharing candy). This campaign encouraged a cycle of positivity that reinforced their marketing as “the airline with Heart.”
COMPASSION IN HEALTHCARE
Could we bring this type of compassion to our health systems, where it can impact a patient who is suffering from disease? It seems that some hospitals have started to incorporate these meaningful acts with success. One model is the practice of cancer patients ringing the bell at the end of their treatments. What began as an extension of a U.S. Navy tradition has since expanded across the world with many patients, after often complex treatments, looking forward to marking this milestone before they go home.
CAN EMPATHY make A DIFFERENCE?
In fact, empathy from clinicians can actually affect the progression of a disease. In a study of 891 patients over a span of 3 years, patients of physicians who were graded with ‘high empathy’ via a standardized scale, seemed to have better control of hemoglobin A1c, than were patients of physicians with lower empathy scores (40%, P < .001).
Unfortunately, some patients who are admitted are unable to return home. The 3 Wishes Project was started to carry out at least three final wishes for the dying patient. These have included things like decorating the room, celebrating important holidays, and preparing keepsakes. The great part about these requests is while most wishes do not cost any money at all, they are invaluable experiences. Patients felt their lives were celebrated and their loved ones appreciated creating these cherished memories. An unexpected benefit is that the doctors and nurses treating these patients in their final moments were also uplifted by fulfilling their wishes and felt a deeper sense of purpose and meaning. This bidirectional benefit is intriging; one small study of 32 emergency room residents showed less characteristics of burnout associated with patient perceived higher empathy.
Inspired by patients and stories such as these, an initiative was started by Dr Noor Shaik and her co-founder, Dr Rogan Magee at Penn Medicine called PennHOPES (Helping Our Patients Smile), whereby the medical team surprises patients with something to brighten their day. These gifts have included a patient’s favorite food, fluffy blankets, a puzzle to pass the time and more. Like the 3 Wishes Project, both patients and their medical teams share heartwarming experiences.
A SMALL KEYCHAIN KIT
In one instance, a patient with a long hospital stay was gifted a keychain braid kit and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, this is exactly what I used to do with my grandmother!” and became tearful; he started making keychains immediately. In another case, after surprising a young patient with a stuffed animal, the doctor also became emotional and said, “I love that this initiative is inspiring us to think creatively for how to reach out to our patients.” These and more examples have helped PennHOPES spread to hospitals across the system.
As stated by Dr. Magee, “Through the power of positivity, these initiatives can revitalize the hospital as a place of hope rather than despair.”
Like the ringing of the cancer bell, such programs resonate beyond the hospital wall and remind us of the power of personal connection and kindness in action. These efforts all start small, but perhaps with hope, inspiration, volunteering, and motivation this can grow to every health community to make a difference in a patient’s life.
Written with Noor F. Shaik, MD, PhD, Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Co-founder PennHOPES