Empathy-2 Correction Paper

Running head: EMPATHY IN MEDICAL SCIENCE 1

Rebecca Skloot - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Name

Institution

EMPATHY IN MEDICAL SCIENCE 2

Q1. Policies for medical practitioners

The treatment accorded to Lacks and his family was dehumanizing. Even though the

medical researchers earned a considerable fortune from Hela cells, the family continued

living in poverty and could not afford a medical cover. The doctors at Johns Hopkins

Hospital did not only fail to respect Lack’s family but also invaded their privacy and

interests. For so long, the family was unaware of what had transpired and lived in absolute

poverty until some DNA samples were required. They launched a campaign to demand the

monies they believed rightfully belonged to them.

The doctor’s conduct was unethical and not in line with the health practitioner’s code

of conduct. Rules should be set to govern the extent to which medical practitioners should

relate with the patients and what information should be delivered to them. The rights of both

the patient and their family should be well stipulated and the doctor’s duties well outlined to

avoid cases like that of Henrietta Lacks and the family.

Q2. Connection between humanity and medical research

Even though the human body parts have been used for research, details of such should

be communicated to either the person involved or his family members. However, the detailed

information should be confidential and handled with privacy. Medical reports and records

should be confidential and not accessed by unauthorized people. The relationship between the

doctor and the patient is based on trust and privacy. However, the story of Henrietta is told in

a manner that devalues the doctor’s ethics and portrays doctors as inhuman and irresponsible

(Epstein, 2017). It also depicts the common man as ignorant and one who does not

understand his rights.

Moreover, the story helps bring to light the misconducts and the malpractices of the

doctors. It reveals the hidden actions that the health practitioners perform without the

EMPATHY IN MEDICAL SCIENCE 3

knowledge of outsiders. The selfish desires of individuals who only aim at acquiring wealth

for themselves without passing a hand to those who should benefit are evident (Fields et al.,

2011). The story helps patients and other healthcare stakeholders to understand their rights

and identify with what information should be revealed to them. It also helps in cautioning the

healthcare administration on issues happening in their system hence appealing for a set-up of

rules and regulations to govern their practices.

Q3. Empathy in medical science

Empathy could be defined as the ability to understand another person’s condition and

sharing his or her feelings. The book ‘The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks’ describes the

life of a woman who had cervical cancer. To her, she thought she had a knot in her body. Her

treatment starts at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore where her X-ray therapies started.

Unknown to Henrietta and her family, the doctors removed a tissue from her body that they

were cultured and grown in a test tube in George Gey's lab at Hopkins. The cells grew rapidly

and brought a significant innovation in the medical field even though the family only came to

know about it later on after Henrietta died. Scientists and medical researchers highly

benefited from the cells extracted from Henrietta; Hela cells. The family upon knowing

became furious and felt exploited (Skloot, 2017).

Skloot, the author of the story, faces many challenges as he tries to find information

on Hela cells. He struggles to relate with the hostile Lacks family who is different from him.

With time he becomes empathetic and understands the family and what they have been

through only to benefit others (Skloot, 2017). He even starts a foundation to help all the

people who without their knowledge benefit the medical researchers. The doctors were not

empathetic to the family who could not afford health costs. The family who had medical

issues went on and off the hospital for lack of funds.

EMPATHY IN MEDICAL SCIENCE 4

Empathy in medical science is the ability of the doctor to understand the feelings of

the patient. This helps in proper diagnosis and treatment (Fields et al., 2011). Empathy does

not only facilitate the trust from the patient but also increases their satisfaction. By the doctor

listening and understanding the patient’s feelings, he is not only able to understand his

feelings but also his values. This facilitates proper follow-up and understanding of past

medical history. In an interview with Kasley, Dr. Helen Riess the founder of Empathetic

cites that empathy is healthy in the patient-doctor relationship. Communication, especially of

shocking news to patients, also takes a great understanding of the medic (Epstein, 2017).

People react differently to shock, and the medic should be able to be empathetic enough to

relay such information. Empathy has been known to increase positive outcomes, lessen

medical malpractice cases and minimize mistakes, especially during diagnosis.

However, the level should be moderated to ensure that the patient does not take

advantage of the doctor’s empathy affecting the doctors rational thinking. If the doctor gets

too sensitive to the needs of the patient, his effectiveness could be affected (Kachalia et al.,

2016). The work of the doctor is not to just be empathetic but also solve the patient’s

problem. High empathy levels by the doctor could be destructive and unproductive especially

when the induction of pain is necessary for treatment.

Medical science entails the understanding of how the human body operates and how it

responds to disease and treatments. The nursing practice entails the provision of care to the

sick. By practicing nursing, the person is simply putting into practice the knowledge acquired

in medical school. However, nurses work under the directions of the doctors. It acts as a

barrier to the adoption of the acquired knowledge being put into practice (Ramos‐Morcillo et

al., 2015). Nurses are therefore viewed as caregivers who work under the instructions of the

doctors.

EMPATHY IN MEDICAL SCIENCE 5

References

Epstein, R. M. (2017). Mindful Practitioners, Mindful Teams, and Mindful Organizations:

Attending to the Core Tasks of Medicine. In Distracted Doctoring (pp. 229-243).

Springer, Cham.

Fields, S. K., Mahan, P., Tillman, P., Harris, J., Maxwell, K., & Hojat, M. (2011). Measuring

empathy in healthcare profession students using the Jefferson Scale of Physician

Empathy: health provider–student version. Journal of interprofessional care, 25(4),

287-293.

Kachalia, A., Mello, M. M., Nallamothu, B. K., & Studdert, D. M. (2016). Legal and policy

interventions to improve patient safety. Circulation, 133(7), 661-671.

Ramos‐Morcillo, A. J., Fernández‐Salazar, S., Ruzafa‐Martínez, M., & Del‐Pino‐Casado, R.

(2015). Effectiveness of a Brief, Basic Evidence‐Based Practice Course for Clinical

Nurses. Worldviews on Evidence‐Based Nursing, 12(4), 199-207.

Skloot, R. (2017). The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Movie Tie-In Edition). Broadway

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