Practicing multidimensional integrative medicine
James Fleck, MD, PhD: Anticancerweb 22 (02), 2022
One of the best ways to teach healthcare professionals and extend medical knowledge to patients and families is through clinical simulations. These are stories that reflect the real world and reveal medicine in its multidimensional approach. The plot facilitates the understanding of the physical, emotional, cognitive and social components of coping with the disease. The patient is always the protagonist and the physician is the one who tells the story, assuming a supporting role, but guaranteeing the rational of the proposed interventions. Clinical simulations represent the best form of cognitive approach to the patient, an essential condition for obtaining informed consent and practicing shared decision-making.
Medical students find in the daily life of the medical character a set of challenges faced in the doctor-patient relationship, experiencing technical, ethical and emotional dilemmas. When reading a clinical simulation, the medical student naturally seeks an identification with the fictitious doctor. This subjective choice confirms the self in its professional mission and reinforces the importance and practice of the empathic behavior. It translates into a perfect balance between sensitivity and reasoning. Gradually, the student comes to understand empathy as a cognitive attribute and exercises it in the daily activity of the medical character. Patients often use human values to help them cope with the disease. The student learns how patients use specific human values to help their relationship with the physician. The fictional doctor is always sensitive to the patient's emotional flow, identifying the anchor human value capable of sustaining and guiding the patient's care. The simulations describe the pattern of clinical expression of the most frequent malignant tumors. The medical student quickly recognizes the multiple dimension in the clinical presentation of disease, which supports the development and use of diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms. Oncogenesis recalls nature, revealing self-similarity. There are general and repetitive patterns of clinical expression for each primary tumor, followed by well-defined subclasses, supported by imaging and laboratory techniques in both microscopic and molecular environments. A precise relationship between macro and micro characteristics of the disease is explored in each clinical simulation, promoting in the student a gradual feeling of proficiency in medical practice. Clinical simulations strengthen self-confidence. Each simulation clearly shows that accurate diagnosis and successful recommendations are a natural consequence of the sustained practice of medicine. However, the student soon recognizes that identifying the tumor phenotype is not the most difficult challenge. Much more complex is making recommendations according to the psychological and social condition experienced by the patient. Here, medicine becomes art. Sensitivity is a non-cognitive attribute and represents the main background for successful medical practice. Students find in clinical simulation an opportunity to reflect on their own level of sensitivity, encouraging the expression of this attribute in the successful practice of medicine. Clinical simulations provide an early experience of what will happen in the real world, better preparing medical students for the expected challenges in the doctor-patient relationship.
Patients and families also benefit from clinical simulation. After being informed of the diagnosis, they can select the most appropriate story, choosing between the primary tumor location or identification with a specific anchor human value, used by the protagonist to lead the doctor-patient relationship. The choice centered on the primary tumor refers to a cognitive intervention. The patient learns the clinical expression of the disease, the sequential stages of diagnosis and therapeutic options. The option for a specific anchor value refers to a subliminal intervention, strengthening the patient for proper emotional coping with the disease. Each patient needs a particular timing to assume cancer diagnosis. However, the urgency of oncological recommendations finds in clinical simulations a valuable tool for prompt understanding of the disease. Subliminal intervention helps the patient at turning points. These are very special moments when the patient stops complaining and starts to collaborate with the doctor in the effective resolution of the problem.
Clinical simulations are also valuable tools for creating collective intelligence. You can actively participate in this journey. Browse published clinical simulations and comment on their usefulness in medical practice. You can find several clinical simulations at www.anticancerweb.com by clicking on the book section shown in the menu.
References:
1. Anticancerweb.com.br Link: https://anticancerweb.com/livros
2. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash (modified)
Clinical simulation is definetely a great tool for medical education. In that regard, I can speak on my behalf. My medschool class entered the clinical cicle during the pandemic and there were a lot of protocals, due to the necessity to keep fewer people as possible inside the patient room. Then our professors came up with the idea of practising clinical cases by ourselves. First I was the doctor in scene, then, in the next case, I was the patient. And it was amazing! When we finally could go to the hospital, approaching a patient was a lot easier and the interview flowed more naturally. My first real interview with a patient was with a woman who just got diagnosed with lung tumor. It was tough! But it went through and I could handle the situation just because I had the opportunity to practice before. It really helped!
In my opinion, in order to be a great doctor you must not only study a lot, but also have practical experience. Therefore, Clinical simulation can be an important ally in the development of medical students, particularlly during the remote classes in covid pandemic. Being ready to deal with delicate situations, which is very comum in medical profession, can only be achieved, if you have already experienced something similar. Futhermore, it increases the confidence and makes it easier to overcome future challenges that happens in the real life.
By using simulations to simulate medical procedures, clinicians can better prepare for real-life scenarios, reducing the risk of errors and improving patient safety. Additionally, simulations can help patients understand their diagnosis and treatment options, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their care. Therefore, clinical similutations will not only be an importart tool in medical learning, as also a great way off improving medical care.
Medical simulations are extremely important for physician training, as they allow the training of several important skills for training. It also allows the student to have contact with various simulations of everyday life that could sometimes pass without the student giving the importance.
Simulated clinical cases are increasingly being used in the field of oncology to enhance medical education and training. These cases provide a safe and controlled environment for healthcare professionals to develop their diagnostic and treatment skills, without putting patients at risk. Through these simulations, healthcare professionals can gain experience in managing complex cases, improve communication and teamwork skills, and practice new techniques or technologies. Overall, simulated clinical cases offer a valuable tool for preparing healthcare professionals to deliver high-quality care to patients.
Simulated clinical cases have become an increasingly valuable tool in medical education, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when protocols for reducing patient contact were put in place. These simulations provide medical students and healthcare professionals with a safe and controlled environment to practice and develop their diagnostic and treatment skills. By participating in simulated cases, students can improve their communication and teamwork skills, and practice using new techniques and technologies. Therefore, simulated clinical cases provide a crucial opportunity for healthcare professionals to gain the experience they need to deliver high-quality care to their patients.
The simulation of clinical cases is increasingly present in medical and healthcare professional education, and this occurs because this methodology provides not only an environment for physicians to enhance their skills in correctly diagnosing, treating, and better preparing for various real-life situations, but also improves their ability to generate empathy and communicate effectively with the patient.
Clinical simulations are a valuable tool for teaching healthcare professionals and empowering patients and their families with medical knowledge. These simulated stories authentically capture the multidimensional nature of medicine, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social aspects of coping with an illness. By placing the patient as the protagonist and the physician as the storyteller, simulations promote shared decision-making and informed consent. For medical students, these simulations offer real-life challenges and dilemmas, fostering empathy and reinforcing the importance of a balanced approach to patient care.
Effective and correct medical practice is intrinsically linked not only to the theoretical study of medicine itself, but also to training throughout graduation and residency consisting of the doctor-patient relationship and the way in which information is taken from the patient and transformed into diagnoses and conduits. In this sense, clinical simulations become a great option to refine this medical practice, which only tends to benefit the professional and the patient, since the student will enter the job market managing to deal with different situations, prevalent or not, brought by their future patients.
Clinicals simulations are an effective method for educating healthcare professionals and providing medical knowledge to patients and their families. By using real-world stories, these simulations offer an understanding of medicine, encompassing physical, emotional, cognitive, and social aspects of coping with diseases.
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