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

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS