Os profissionais de saúde são um
grupo de elevada prevalência de stress ocupacional, quer por fatores intrínsecos ao trabalho, como p. ex. o trabalho excessivo ou falta de
condições para o exercer condignamente, ou por fatores extrínsecos, como p. ex.
dificuldade nos relacionamentos interpessoais. O texto seguinte, da autoria do
Prof. David Chaput de Saintonge, Diretor de Educação da PRIME – Partnerships in
International Medical Education, apresenta dez sugestões que poderão ajudar os
profissionais de saúde a encararem a sua profissão com maior satisfação e a contrariarem
o desânimo, a falta de empatia e a desumanização nos serviços de saúde.
1. Stay away from cynics. Keep away from people who are always grumbling,
criticising and pessimistic about the fundamental goodness of human nature. If
you stay with them, you risk becoming like them.
2. Stay close to your patients. Listen to them and try to understand their
sufferings so that it is easy to identify with them. One of the major causes of
lack of compassion is a sense of distance between yourself and the sufferer.
This may be caused by differences in race, language, religion, cleanliness – or
just about anything. If you find yourself without compassion for a patient, ask
yourself what is causing the distance. To remain fully present in the face of
suffering requires maturity and both internal and external resources. These are
provided by the three ‘F’s – faith, family and friends.
3. Remember your wounds. There is a saying ‘never trust a doctor who does
not bear a wound.’ How often have you had people say ‘I know just how you
feel.’ and you have thought ‘Oh no you don’t. You have never experienced what
I’m going through right now.’ Although your physical, mental and spiritual
wounds will cause you to suffer, they are a valuable cause of compassion for
your patients. They will help you reduce the distance.
4. Stop for the one. You can always make a difference to someone; you can
never make a difference to everyone. It’s tempting to rush on by and be
overcome by business. Time pressure often has a devastating effect on
altruistic behaviour which may only be shown when social norms permit.
5. ‘Weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn.’ Don’t be
afraid to express your emotions. That is what makes you human and not a
machine. Patients want to be treated by humans. The evidence suggests that
patients feel supported by displays of emotion by their doctors, especially
anger if it is on the patient’s behalf.
6. But remember their suffering is not your suffering. Compassion fatigue
is a real problem for the empathic doctor who becomes overwhelmed with the
suffering of his patients and cannot escape. Make sure that you are well
resourced and exercised both physically, mentally and spiritually.
7. Be thankful for all the blessings you have. This will help keep you both
compassionate and content. Some people write a short note to themselves at the
end of each week simply listing the things for which they are thankful in their
lives.
8. Work closely with good role models for compassionate relationships, both
medical and non-medical. It seems likely that a combination of your mirror
neurones activity and neuroplasticity will gradually alter the way your brain
is structured and the way it works. Both good and bad attitudes can be learnt
in this way. In the same way, if you practice compassion yourself, the
structure of your brain will change and so will you as a person and as a
doctor.
9. Make conscious judgements of which actions show compassion and which do
not, both in yourself and in others. This use of your emotional intelligence
keeps you alert and tuned in to what is happening and keeps you on track.
10. Admire what is good; oppose what is bad. You have the power and the
responsibility to develop a caring environment where you are. You are a role
model and an influence for good, not just with your students and your peers but
also those who are senior to you. Several times in my life my students have set
me straight when my attitude was not as it should have been.
