Preserving Patient Dignity (Formerly Patient Modesty) Volume 112

The ongoing anguish being presented by the participants on this web blog topic is whether being a patient who doesn't conform ("be yourself") with the behavior and requests or even demands of the medical system itself  will provide harm to the patient. This patient concern may be the basis for many patients to hesitate to "speak up!".

It is my opinion that patients entering into the medical system should indeed "be themselves" and the challenge for the medical profession should always be beyond making a clinical diagnosis and performing a treatment to understand their patient as a individual, a unique individual to which the diagnosis and treatment and overall attention should be crafted for that patients personality and goals as well as the clinical diagnosis.

Unfortunately, in many relationships between the patient and members of the medical system it is the clinical diagnosis and treatment which overrides consideration of the patient as a unique individual who presents as "himself" or "herself". This defect in the system as expressed to the patient leads to  forcing the patient into personal non-conformity toward themselves in order to get diagnosed and treated and does limit the option or, if attempted, the volume of "speaking up" to the system.  

Remember, patient dignity involves the patient as a unique human and not just a named disease or when hospitalized a room number. So.. "BE YOURSELF".  ..Maurice.

Graphic: Provided by a reader of this blog thread.