Advances in medicine have provided extraordinary diagnostic and therapeutic tools, but they pose the risk of dehumanizing medical care through hyper-technological transformation. This article reflects on the need to rehumanize healthcare practice, recalling that patient suffering encompasses four dimensions—physical, psychological, social, and spiritual—and that professionals must develop not only clinical competencies but also communication skills that allow them to understand the person beyond their illness: their values, desires, and expectations. In contrast to a model that can reduce the patient to their diagnosis, we call for a medicine that respects patient autonomy and maintains human closeness as an essential and unlimited element of care.

Treating suffering is a priority in the care of all patients and is rooted in the very origins of the medical profession. A long time has passed, centuries ago, when all we could do was accompany and care for those who suffered. But advances in medical science have provided very useful tools for diagnosing and treating the diseases that cause suffering. We have also learned to prevent diseases. Even so, we also need to accompany and care for those who suffer. That is why I believe that the three aspects of medicine—preventive, curative, and palliative—are necessary and complement each other.

When I try to understand the past by reading ancient medical writings, live in the present, and think about the future of medicine, I wonder if we may need to rehumanize medical care to correct the dehumanization that, in my opinion, is occurring at the expense of medical hypertechnologies.

We are professionals who are sought out by those who suffer to alleviate their suffering and, if possible, cure their illness. Throughout my professional experience, I have come to understand that caring for a person who suffers is complex and requires specific professional qualifications such as proven clinical competence, communication skills, and decision-making skills. I have also come to understand that when a person suffers, their suffering has four dimensions: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. Undoubtedly, due to our professional training, we focus on the physical or biological dimension of their suffering, ignoring the other three dimensions. This will make the relief of their suffering incomplete.

We understand the objective dimension of illness very well. But do we know who suffers from it? Do we know their values? Their desires? Their expectations? I’m afraid not. We possess the professional competence, aided by advances in medicine, to diagnose in time and apply appropriate treatment, even now aided by digital health and artificial intelligence. Patients clearly want us to use science to cure or relieve them, but without forgetting to do so with our humane approach to preserve their dignity.

We must not forget that when a person is ill, it’s not just one organ that’s affected by pathogens, degenerative mechanisms, or trauma, but the entire person, from their body to their ability to think and reason, influenced by pain or the limitations imposed by the illness itself. It’s true that when we are further removed from the patient because we dedicate ourselves to researching the disease, its control, and possible treatments, we fail to understand the human aspects of the illness. Let’s not forget that the sick person has a name, a history, habits, and an environment that go beyond their symptoms, their diagnosis, and their room number. If all we’re interested in is the illness, forgetting about the person who suffers from it, we’ll be missing something to do it completely right. The patient needs us to care for them, the person who suffers from it.

The health needs of human beings go beyond the simple model of curing illness. Understanding the patient’s way of reacting to illness and suffering requires physicians to adopt a service-oriented approach. If we don’t express any emotion in our work, but only our technical skill, we may not be able to offer what the sick person who seeks our help most needs.

Let us not forget to respect their wishes. Seeking the patient’s maximum benefit remains the basic driving force of medical practice, but their will now determines the correct direction and its limits. We contribute our scientific knowledge to assess the situation, to diagnose, and to prescribe treatment. Ultimately, it is the patient who provides their set of values, the way to build their future, and their unique concept of health and quality of life; and they will materialize this by weighing our medical advice, accepting or rejecting it. Let us bear in mind our respect for their right to autonomy.

To humanize our care, we need not only   professional skills, but also attitudes that ensure the patient feels well cared for. Medical science and technology, highly advanced in the 21st century, still have limits. What has no limits, and hopefully never will, is human closeness?

Dr. Jacinto Bátiz Cantera – Director of the Institute for Better Care  – San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurce (Vizcaya) – Head of Bioethics at the  SEMG