The Human Side of Medicine: Learning What It’s Like to Be a Patient and What It’s Like to Be a Physician

At a time of great change in the technology and delivery of medical care, what is timeless, unchanging and of premier value both to patients and physicians is the human side of medicine, the non-technical part. Two premises inspired this work: first, that it is as important for a physician to master the human side of medicine as its biology and technology, and second, that the human side can be taught. Attending to the human side refines diagnosis and treatment by recognizing the uniqueness of each patient’s experience, and it enriches the experience for all those in the caring professions. Physicians who have always put their patients’ interests first and never compromised their professional values have preserved their identity, vitality and enthusiasm as caring doctors. This is a study of what keeps the practice of medicine stimulating: not fascinating cases, but fascinating people and relationships, the best reasons to enter medicine. Laurence A. Savett believes that learning about the human side of medicine will help to attract talented and compassionate people to a career in medicine and will provide a context for later learning in medical school, and that teaching the human side of medicine as a primary subject is critical to becoming a good doctor.