Title
Balancing Science and Art in Medicine: COVID-19 and the Necessary Humanistic Shift in Medical Care
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Publication Date
2020-09-01
Document Type
Editorial
Disciplines
Health Services Administration | Infectious Disease | Medical Humanities | Virus Diseases | Women's Health
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is driving women’s health physicians to address the current balance between science and art in medicine. At present, adequate diagnostic tools are not available, treatment options for the infected are limited, and a viable vaccine is still under development. While the technologies to fight COVID-19 are being developed, the overall patient illness burden continues to rise and physicians increasingly need to utilize additional tools, such as humanism, to support their patients. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the importance of humanity in medicine and has forced a shift in healthcare. Our role as physicians has been pushed back to that of art in the service of patients who we no longer have the answers for. To effectively address our patients’ needs, we need to embrace humanism and its role in medicine, equip our profession with the necessary skills, and capture the time necessary to train and implement humanistic practices.
Keywords
COVID-19, pandemic, women’s health physicians, humanism in medicine
DOI of Published Version
10.2174/157340481604200903141517
Source
Mary J. Yeh and John Yeh, “Balancing Science and Art in Medicine: COVID-19 and the Necessary Humanistic Shift in Medical Care”, Current Women`s Health Reviews (2020) 16(4): 257-258. https://doi.org/10.2174/157340481604200903141517.
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Current Women`s Health Reviews
Repository Citation
Yeh MJ, Yeh J. (2020). Balancing Science and Art in Medicine: COVID-19 and the Necessary Humanistic Shift in Medical Care. COVID-19 Publications by UMMS Authors. https://doi.org/10.2174/157340481604200903141517. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/covid19/120